SAV Chapter 22

I felt his breath tickling me, so I quickly pulled my hand away from his grip.

 

“Before it gets worse, we should rinse the water from your shirt. Take it off, I’ll wash it in the bathroom.”

 

“It’s fine. If it doesn’t come out, I’ll just buy a new one.”

 

Kim Juyoung said in a gentle voice as he took a sip of coffee. His financial situation had changed-he used to choose cheaper items over quality and deliberate multiple times before buying anything truly necessary. The monthly allowance he now received for living expenses was higher than a high-salary earner’s.

 

The condition WS set for supporting Kim Juyoung was that he join Red Ocean Entertainment, one of their subsidiary companies. With his looks, if he developed acting skills too, it would only be a matter of time before he secured a lead role. Even if he debuted as an idol, he’d be a definite center material.

 

“I made the mistake, so why would you buy it? Take it off, I’ll try to clean it, and if it doesn’t work, I’ll buy you a new one.”

 

“Coffee stains don’t come out with just water.”

 

“Then?”

 

“You need to scrub it with detergent.”

 

I looked at my watch as Kim Juyoung said there was no place to wash clothes right now and that I should just say goodbye to his school uniform shirt since its fate was sealed.

 

There were still about 30 minutes left, but it was too late to go home, wash the clothes, dry them in the dryer, and then go to academy. However, since it was my mistake that would force Kim Juyoung to wear a shirt stained with coffee to academy, I couldn’t ignore it.

 

I returned to my seat and picked up my bag that I had carelessly tossed aside.

 

“Get up.”

 

At my words, Kim Juyoung just lifted his head and blinked. He knew very well which expressions made him look the prettiest.

 

“Why? We still have 30 minutes until academy.”

 

“Let’s go to my house to wash it.”

 

“House? Whose house?”

 

“Whose house do you think?”

 

Kim Juyoung, who had been asking with wide eyes, gently narrowed his gaze.

 

“Okay.”

 

Straightening his slouched body, Kim Juyoung obediently followed me, gathering his bag that had been hanging on the chair.

 

On the way home, Kim Juyoung muttered something to himself while looking at our house’s market price posted on a real estate office wall, but I didn’t ask what he said.

 

When we arrived, I entered the familiar passcode and opened the front door. The house was empty.

 

Normally, my mom would have come out to greet us, but today she had her regular golf round with friends and had gone to the countryside early in the morning with my dad. That’s why she had prepared lots of food so I wouldn’t starve for two days, and why I had asked her to pack a lunchbox for Choi Jeha too.

 

“Your house smells delicious.”

 

“Maybe because mom made braised ribs and bulgogi before she left?”

 

“Oh, can I come to your house after academy?”

 

“Did your brain stop working? I just told you I’m going to the study cafe to study after academy.”

 

“I could come alone and eat…”

 

“Stop talking nonsense and take off your shirt so I can wash it.”

 

Kim Juyoung threw his bag on the sofa and took off his school uniform jacket worn over a white t-shirt.

 

“Did it splash on your t-shirt too? Let me see.”

 

I asked, catching the shirt he tossed with one hand.

 

Kim Juyoung examined his clothes carefully with his round, clear eyes, then pulled down the corners of his eyes to make a pitiful expression.

 

“I think it did.”

 

“I’ll bring you a t-shirt you can change into, so take that off too…”

 

Before I could even finish speaking, Kim Juyoung pulled off his short-sleeved t-shirt and tossed it to me. I caught it reflexively.

 

He had a smooth upper body with well-defined lean muscles.

 

If Choi Jeha had the body of an athlete who trained diligently, Kim Juyoung had the body of a well-maintained celebrity.

 

“You strip right away just because you’ve got a nice body. Wait. I’ll go see if I can find a t-shirt that might fit you.”

 

“Don’t bother looking. Yours won’t fit me anyway.”

 

Is he for real?

 

It was true, but being so bluntly dismissed didn’t feel great. So I flipped him off and headed to the laundry room.

 

If Choi Jeha was a difficult friend to deal with, Kim Juyoung felt like someone who could exist in real life. You know, the kind of slick friend who casually engages in skinship with friends and makes dirty jokes without hesitation.

 

I had a friend with a personality like Kim Juyoung’s.

 

No, I should say I used to have such a friend.

 

Sigh.

 

Click. I opened the laundry room door.

 

I squatted down and opened the washing machine door. I was about to put in the clothes I’d gotten from Kim Juyoung when I noticed they had a nice scent, and unconsciously brought them to my nose. While Choi Jeha smelled like fabric softener dried in the sun, Kim Juyoung’s clothes had a slightly artificial scent.

 

Like expensive, high-quality perfume…

 

No, was it really perfume?

 

I brought the shirt to my nose again. It was definitely different from when I smelled Choi Jeha’s scent. It was hard to explain what was different, but maybe it didn’t move my heart? It was very similar to the perfume my younger sibling had given me for my birthday in real life, so it really was perfume…

 

“What are you doing?”

 

“Ahhh, shit!”

 

The gentle voice from behind startled me so much I fell backward. My tailbone hit the laundry room tiles hard.

 

Kim Juyoung, who had been peeking through the slightly opened door, rushed over.

 

“Are you okay?”

 

He slipped his arm under mine and lifted me up like a package.

 

Damn these dominant guys.

 

I wonder what Kim Juyoung thought seeing me with my nose buried in his clothes. Whatever it was, it probably wasn’t good.

 

Ah… this is so embarrassing. Could I just pretend to be dead? If only I could, I’d climb into the washing machine instead of the laundry and lock the door.

 

My mind was in chaos, wondering if I should make up an excuse like “It smells nice. What perfume do you use? I want to buy it too.” Kim Juyoung, who still had his arms around me even though I was standing on my own two feet, rested his chin on my shoulder and peered into the washing machine.

 

“What’s in the washing machine? Why are you so surprised?”

 

Fortunately, he didn’t seem to have seen me with my nose in his shirt. Well, he had his back to the laundry room door, so he might not have seen what I was doing. That would be lucky, but I don’t understand why this guy isn’t letting go.

 

I pushed him away with my elbow and dusted myself off.

 

“Would you let go? I’ve already messed up my essay writing class, and if I’m late for English too, my mom will cut my allowance. And if my allowance gets cut, I might as well be dead.”

 

Only when I told him I needed to wash quickly and rush to academy did Kim Juyoung finally release me and step back.

 

“I let go.”

 

He said, raising both hands like a criminal in a foreign movie.

 

I sat on the living room sofa, turned on the TV, and waited for the clothes to dry. After pressing the remote for a while, I couldn’t find anything worth watching, so I set it to a movie channel and got up. Kim Juyoung, sitting next to me, naturally raised his gaze to follow my face.

 

“Where are you going?”

 

“To get something to eat. What do you want? Snacks? Fruit?”

 

“What fruit do you have?”

 

“Strawberries, peaches, apples?”

 

Kim Juyoung seemed to have a hard time choosing, so I said I’d just bring everything and headed to the refrigerator.

 

A moment later, I returned to Kim Juyoung with a tray of clumsily cut fruit.

 

“Wow…”

 

Looking down at the butchered fruit, Kim Juyoung reacted with a peculiar expression. I felt slightly embarrassed.

 

“I know, so just shut up and eat.”

 

“How am I supposed to eat with my mouth closed? Idiot.”

 

Kim Juyoung laughed briefly, then stabbed an apple with his fork and brought it to his mouth. As he chewed, he turned his attention back to the TV.

 

The movie was some foreign film I didn’t recognize.

 

Since I was a loner during my school days and played more games than watched TV at home, I didn’t know many movies. So I ended up getting quite absorbed in it.

 

After watching for a while, I noticed it was too quiet beside me, so I glanced at Kim Juyoung. He was focused on the movie just like I was.

 

Kim Juyoung’s profile as he watched the movie looked more cinematic than the movie itself. It seemed almost unreal how someone could be so beautiful.

 

Sensing my gaze, Kim Juyoung turned to me slightly.

 

“What?”

 

“What do you mean ‘what’?”

 

“Because I’m pretty?”

 

He made a half-heart with his finger and placed it on his head. Kim Juyoung clearly knew he was pretty. Well, everyone who saw Kim Juyoung praised his beauty. If he had eyes, he’d surely know how his face appeared in the mirror.

 

But I don’t understand why Choi Jeha doesn’t realize how great he is. From my perspective, Choi Jeha is much better-looking than Kim Juyoung.

 

Always covering his face with a mask and hiding his eyes behind his bangs-if he showed himself more, he’d be much more popular.

 

It made me feel oddly upset.

 

I curtly told Kim Juyoung to just watch the TV as he kept striking weird poses, asking when I was going to tell him he was pretty. As I turned my attention back to the screen, I felt a weight on my thigh.

 

Kim Juyoung had laid his head on my leg.

 

I tried to push him away, saying he was doing what my future girlfriend should be doing, but Kim Juyoung pressed his head firmly against my thigh and resisted.

 

“Come on, let me lie down.”

 

“Move.”

 

“Your family’s sofa is uncomfortable and my back hurts.”

 

“Are you dissing my parents’ taste? And if it hurts, you can lie down on the cushion on the other side, idiot.”

 

“Is your leg going to wear out? Besides, it’s not a stranger’s leg, it’s a friend’s leg.”

 

“Get off, it’s gross.”

 

“Ah.”

 

Kim Juyoung shook his head and made a strange nasal sound.

 

“What a tantrum, you crazy bastard.”

 

When I tried to forcibly push him away, Kim Juyoung grabbed my leg and stubbornly held on.

 

His stubbornness was so strong that I gave up after about 10 minutes of wrestling.

 

So there I was, in an awkward position, eating fruit and trying to focus on the movie despite the uncomfortable situation, when Kim Juyoung tapped my knee. When I looked down with disapproving eyes, he smiled and pointed at the fruit plate.

 

“Ah.”

 

“You’re really something else.”

 

I stabbed a strawberry with a fork and thrust it deep into Kim Juyoung’s throat. Kim Juyoung, who had been chewing deliciously, now turned completely to face me as he lay down.

 

“Honey.”

 

His hair flowed softly, following the direction of his movement.