"Why do you like it when I smile?"
"Just because."
He ambiguously replied, his lips curling up persistently. Feeling Seowoo's gaze trailing over his ticklish and ambiguous touch, Sihyun grasped Gunwoo's fingers. As his hand was held, Gunwoo's head tilted slightly.
"Uncomfortable?"
"Just..."
Sihyun answered vaguely, subtly glancing towards Seowoo. Acting cautiously to not make it obvious, he coincidentally met her eyes. Pausing briefly, Sihyun halted his movement and looked at Seowoo.
Seowoo, with an expressionless face, laughed upon exactly facing each other. His platinum eyes lowered. Realizing that his gaze was still on my hand holding Gunwoo's fingers, Sihyun relaxed his grip and let go.
For a moment, it seemed like Seowoo's laughter intensified, but upon a closer look, nothing had changed. It seemed like a misconception.
"Isn't it strange?"
Seowoo broke the silence. Remembering him, who noticed his condition faster than anyone during summer vacation, Sihyun hoped he didn't notice any irrelevant facts and focused on managing his expression.
"What's strange?"
"Are you really asking because you don't know?"
As he retorted without giving any gap, Sihyun boldly spoke up. It was wise not to show any hesitation when conversing with Yoo Seowoo in a state of hiding something.
"Then why ask if you already know?"
"Because it seems like something you would do."
"What did I do?"
"You, Sihyun, tend to hide something."
Even though I said I wish I didn't.
The latter part of the sentence suddenly sounded closer. It was because he leaned forward while sitting straight with his waist upright.
The whispered words were so faint that they pierced through my ears as if it could withstand a whisper. Triggering my memory, Sihyun recalled what Seowoo said during the end-of-month evaluation last semester. Come to think of it, he did mention once that he hoped I didn't hide anything.
Sihyun's suspicious gaze turned to Seowoo. He couldn't guess Seowoo's intention to bring up that conversation again now.
Whether he's asking because he knows something, because he suspects something, or simply because it crossed his mind.
Expressing my curiosity, regardless of which side it is, Seowoo, meeting my gaze, merely smiled lightly.
A moment of silence passed. Unable to bear the dryness, I blinked rapidly, and Seowoo's fingertips, gripping the bed, twitched slightly. The atmosphere subtly changed after that.
Seowoo, who suddenly lost his laughter, slapped Sihyun's cheek. Speechless, he looked down at me with a cold face, wiping my cheek, and I looked up at him in this familiar situation. Remembering what happened on the couch once, Sihyun narrowed his eyes. It seemed like I touched his feelings somehow.
"What did I do this time?"
Back then, I must have asked something, but this time, I had only heard a question. Yet, as I stared at him, feeling puzzled while he brushed my cheek with a light touch, the conversation seemed to have halted for over three minutes.
His eyes rolled. Even if it were Hamin or Gunwoo speaking up, they both were gazing at me with their mouths sealed shut, as if they had zipped up their lips. Gunwoo wore a peculiar expression, while Hamin had a calculating look on her face.
Enduring the awkwardness with two people who weren't helpful when needed fell entirely on Sihyun's shoulders.
As the continued silence made me contemplate if I should ask if something was wrong, Seowoo, who had been staring at my twitching lips, lowered his head.
Our faces drew closer again. It was at that moment, when I was waiting as if he would whisper something again.
Suddenly, a hand protruded from behind Seowoo and grabbed his forehead. Seowoo's head, which was slowly bending, came to a halt.
"Hey, why do you keep sticking around?"
"…Ah."
Seowoo, slower to react than usual to Hamin's irritable question, blinked his eyes. It was an expression as if he had just woken up from a dream. As Seowoo reluctantly turned his head towards Hamin, who was not particularly close, and Hamin glanced at Sihyun after muttering something.
Seeing the wrinkles on Hamin's forehead, it seemed that she also didn't like something. With a complex expression, she looked at Sihyun and then sighed.
"Why are you...?"
"……?"
"…Get up."
"What?"
"Get up and sit."
"Stop it, man."
Hamin, who made a gangster-like remark after a long time, let go of Seowoo's hand. Sitting up as Hamin instructed, Sihyun realized that the awkward and heavy atmosphere had eased.
Hamin, who stood up to prevent Seowoo, sat back on the bed and stared at Sihyun again.
"…Anyway, let's stop the nonsense and go back to our conversation topic. I did feel something strange."
After a while, Hamin brought back the topic that had been forgotten by everyone. Feeling embarrassed by the return of the embarrassing topic, Sihyun swallowed a sigh inwardly.
"So, what's strange?"
"Are you really asking because you don't know?"
"Why do you keep asking questions instead of telling me what's strange?"
"Because it seems like strange things happen to you a lot, Sihyun."
Seowoo followed up with the words spat by Hamin. He now had a smiling face again, as if he had acted like someone with a missing screw earlier.
Feeling a gentler touch on my cheek, Sihyun felt perplexed. Judging from his expression and tone of voice, he didn't seem particularly angry.
Then why did he act like that earlier? A sudden question arose.
If it wasn't because of his feelings, why did he behave like that earlier?
It was a trivial matter, yet an awkward atmosphere ensued. As I opened my mouth in disbelief, the hand brushing my cheek touched my parted lips. A cold thumb pressed firmly on my lower lip. As the finger traced over neat teeth, I felt a momentary chill run down my spine and pushed Seowoo's hand away.
"Hey, stop it."
"Don't like it?"
Seowoo's face, asking so, was bright. His voice asking if I disliked it felt more teasing than usual.
With a wrinkled brow, I snapped back. His fingers touched the mark. Suddenly, the sensation of something soft touching my skin resurfaced.
The wandering gaze reached Gunwoo, who was quietly sitting.
I knew that Seowoo and Gunwoo were particularly touchy. I also knew that such intimacy between men felt a bit awkward. Nevertheless, they had left me untouched for two reasons: firstly, it didn't particularly bother me, and secondly, I knew that there were some guys who engaged in this kind of intimacy. They might have known each other for quite some time, and we had only known each other for over half a year, but still.
So I let it slide. It was a strange thing, and I wondered if I was overreacting. However, what just happened wasn't right. Although not sure, it was akin to what had happened in the infirmary before.
It was too much for a display of affection. When I narrowed my eyes, suspecting his intentions, Seowoo spoke without waiting for a response.
"During Titan and now this incident. Haven't you ever thought that strange things happen to you particularly?"
Seowoo smoothly changed the subject. Feeling the gazes of Hamin and Gunwoo on me, I sighed. It was cowardly. With a 3:1 ratio, I hesitated to steer the conversation back.
"It is strange. But isn't it also strange that only good things happen to you in life?"
"Still, it seems to happen too often."
"Maybe I'm just unlucky."
"How unlucky do you have to be to experience such things? Did you mess up in your past life or something?"
Hamin sharply asked, knowing that if I gave weight to his words, their attention would shift towards me. Meanwhile, Seowoo, who held my hand that had been brushed off earlier, slowly spoke.
"Is it just luck?"
"What do you mean?"
"Just. I wonder if you really think that way."
"What answer are you looking for?"
"Well..."
...Perhaps he already knows everything and is just testing me.
Although it seemed highly improbable that he would know, I couldn't shake the feeling that the boy before me was aware of the truth. Yoo Seowoo was clueless. Deciding not to be swayed by his rhetoric, Kang Sihyun concentrated on keeping his composure.
A brief standoff followed. As he scrutinized me and I engaged in the peculiar mental battle to not be caught off guard, Sihyun saw Seowoo raise his hand as if conceding.
"Well, if that's what you think, then I guess so."
"..."
"Both Hamin and I find it strange how coincidences keep happening. And Sihyun."
"What now?"
Just as one matter seemed resolved, Seowoo hinted at bringing up another. Exhaling with a mixture of resignation, Sihyun observed Seowoo's amusement as he reached out his hand. His slender fingers brushed through Sihyun's hair.
"If you don't like it, I won't do it. So, if you dislike it, say so, and if someone touches you, fend them off like earlier. Don't accept just any touch like a tamed cat."
What nonsense was this again? The idea of being affectionate was utter nonsense. Wondering when he had ever done such a thing, Sihyun made an incredulous expression. When Seowoo noticed this and withdrew his hand, he smiled softly, then narrowed his eyes at Sihyun.
"It's unfair. You were so guarded at first, but now you allow anyone, regardless of who it is. And because you keep doing that..."
"Because I keep doing what?"
Seeing him utter strange words multiple times today, Sihyun raised his head in exasperation. Seowoo gently held Sihyun's hand and opened his mouth.
"Seowoo's upset."
"..."
For a moment, a silence as dry as a desert ensued. And then...
"Woop."
Hamin, as if pondering Seowoo's words, interrupted. With his eyes watering, he clutched his stomach and dashed out to the restroom attached to the infirmary. Despite the distance, the sound of retching was distinct.
Hearing that sound, Sihyun felt a knot in his stomach and looked at Seowoo with a puzzled expression. Watching Seowoo, who appeared unperturbed despite being the mastermind behind someone else's discomfort, Sihyun remained stunned for a while before finally speaking.
"Who taught you such things?"
"Haewoon."
Sighing at his response, Sihyun realized that there was no separate axis of evil when absurd things happened. Just as he was about to make a phone call, Gunwoo's head turned towards the door.
"Oh, they're here."
With those words, a soft knocking echoed through the infirmary.
Thank you for reading this far! You can access more chapters from HERE by joining my Patreon community. You'll gain exclusive early access to the COMPLETE NOVEL.
As a member of my Patreon community, here is what you'll get:
For $5
- Early access to 100s of chapters before they go public.
- You also get access to all the novels I'm translating, you can find them here HERE.
- Your name will be featured on the "Wall of Gratitude".
- The power to vote on which novel I translate next.
- You Get Ad-free Chapters.
For $10
- You get to suggest a Novel for me to translate.
- You get access to Digital art.
- Your name featured on the "Wall of Gratitude" (in gold).
For $20
- You get to recommend a Novel and I will immediately start translating it.
- Your name featured on the "Wall of Gratitude" (in blue).
Plus, you can Cancel your membership at any time.
Don't let this amazing opportunity slip through your fingers!
