BBK Ch 14

Shaggy Hair chuckled at the hostile reaction. It was an unpleasant laugh, but there was no need to react further.

“Let’s go.”

He nudged Gyuoh, who was holding his helmet under his arm. He left, promising to contact him later about their next meeting. Busy conversations leaked from beyond the closed glass door, but he didn’t bother listening.

He glanced sideways at Gyuoh as they descended the trash-strewn stairs. By now, Gyuoh should have been chattering away. But he was strangely silent.

“Why are you so spaced out?”

“…”

“What? Were they bothering you again? Did they tell you to buy them cigarettes or something?”

He teased playfully, and Gyuoh stopped walking. He stood still, inhaled as if to speak, then shook his head. Minho tilted his head, watching Gyuoh’s broad back turn and stride ahead, stirring up a cold breeze. Something must have happened while he was briefly away.

“…Hmm.”

This time, Minho stopped walking. Judging by Gyuoh’s current state, he wasn’t in the mood to talk easily. That guy really knew how to make someone worry.

“Aren’t you coming?”

Gyuoh, who had gone down half a flight of stairs, looked up and called out. Their eyes met through the railing.

“…”

Won Gyuoh had a rather fierce look when he wasn’t smiling, and that was exactly how he looked now. Minho stared down at his displeased face for a moment before starting down the stairs.

Gyuoh remained sullen and stuck to Minho’s side even after they returned to the office after an early dinner and until they left work. When Minho asked what had happened, Gyuoh just kept his lips tightly shut and shook his head.

He’ll talk when he’s ready. Minho gave up trying to pry after a few more attempts. He personally drove Gyuoh home, as riding a motorcycle at night was dangerous, and then returned to his own apartment.

He’d had decaf coffee at Gyuoh’s insistence, but sleep still evaded him. He swung open the refrigerator door, thinking he might have a drink. Just then, the sound of keypad buttons echoed through the quiet apartment.

Only one person could barge into Minho’s space so brazenly.

“I guess I just couldn’t stand not knowing.”

He was dressed in an oversized t-shirt and pajama bottoms, as if he’d just woken up. His hair was sticking up on one side, as if he hadn’t bothered to dry it properly.

Gyuoh, having rushed in, closed the distance between them with almost threatening speed. Standing so close their toes almost touched, he silently opened and closed his mouth a few times, hesitating despite his aggressive approach.

Beep, beep. The refrigerator alarm went off. Minho closed the door, cutting off the stream of cold air, and finally, Gyuoh spoke.

“Hyung, did you sleep with that bastard?”

“Which one?”

Who was the bastard Gyuoh was talking about? The only people he’d met today were Seongtak and his crew, so it had to be one of them. Minho mentally scrolled through the faces of those he remembered most vividly from today’s encounter.

“Who else! That scumbag at the ping pong hall!”

He might be disappointed to know Minho slept around, but since the secret was already out, he didn’t want to create any more. Minho ran a hand through his hair and replied calmly.

“…So. Which scumbag, at the ping pong hall.”

Gyuoh blinked stupidly, then his face crumpled. He’d understood Minho’s implication immediately. That he hadn’t slept with just one of the guys at the ping pong hall.

“What the fuck?”

Gyuoh, leaning against the wall with his legs crossed, grabbed his hair as if to tear it out. His forehead was creased with anger, and the furrow between his brows deepened. Wow,Huh,Seriously. A series of exclamations followed, ending with another fierce curse. Then he gritted his teeth.

“Weren’t you looking at his face, Hyung?”

Gyuoh’s voice rose sharply.

“Body.”

“Body?”

“Looking at the body.”

“Bo-dy?”

Gyuoh tilted his head slightly, rolling his eyes as if pondering something, before his face crumpled again.

“And…was it good?”

“It wasn’t bad, I guess.”

To be honest, he couldn’t recall the details of their naked bodies. He hadn’t bothered to properly look, intending to erase them from his memory, and he’d insisted on positions where they faced away from him during the act. Gyuoh ruffled his hair roughly at Minho’s nonchalant reply.

“But still, how could you… with the guys you used to work with…”

As Gyuoh raked his hand through his hair, his tense forehead was exposed. He had every right to be bewildered. He’d barely come to terms with the fact that the hyung he admired like family was seeing men. Accepting that Minho was promiscuous was probably even harder.

Thinking about it that way made Minho’s mouth go dry. He really did need a drink.

“It was around the time I was breaking up with Seongtak.”

Minho opened the refrigerator again and took out two cans of beer. Gyuoh’s large frame trailed him as he walked to the living room.

“But still. They could have come looking for you anytime if they wanted to.”

“…”

“Or you could have run into them again, like today.”

His low voice followed, accusatory but cautious. At times like this, the distance between them, despite their familial closeness, became acutely apparent.

Won Gyuoh, despite his appearance, was surprisingly wholesome and had no interest in promiscuity. Unlike Minho, who chased momentary pleasure and used his body as a means to an end.

At first, it had been about wanting to sleep deeply. To avoid nightmares, even for a few hours, he had to exhaust himself. He didn’t feel like fighting, and at the time, cutting back on sleep to work and study wasn’t enough. Thoughts easily crept into his weary mind and body.

So he’d found solace in drinking, even though he wasn’t good at it, or in sex. When his mind was hazy and blank, the thoughts that filled his subconscious finally subsided. Could he fix it now? Would Gyuoh ever understand, or even accept it?

“If they come looking for me… have you ever seen me meet up with someone I’ve slept with before?”

“…”

“They were just people I was going to erase from my life anyway, so it didn’t matter.”

Gyuoh knew about the meaningless combinations of numbers saved in Minho’s contacts. He knew what those contacts were for.

“Ha.”

Gyuoh plopped down next to him, the leather sofa groaning under his weight.

He’d said it didn’t matter because he felt no emotional connection to those he’d used, that an unexpected reunion like today’s was of no consequence. Gyuoh, who had been silently listening to his explanation, snatched a beer and popped the top. He gulped it down, his Adam’s apple bobbing prominently.

Watching him made Minho’s eyes sting. Was it because of all the dust earlier? His throat felt unusually scratchy, and his eyes were itchy. A beer would probably ease these discomforts.

Minho, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand, opened his own beer. Just as he brought it to his lips, a large hand shot out and snatched the can. Gyuoh, having finished his own beer in record time, now proceeded to chug Minho’s.

It felt like less than ten seconds. Crushing the empty can in one hand, Gyuoh abruptly stood up. Minho blinked dumbly at his broad back, still silent. Gyuoh headed to the pantry and rummaged through it as if he owned the place, returning with a glass of water and something else. He thrust the water and a white pill at Minho.

“What’s this, all of a sudden?”

“Allergy medication. You were in a dusty place. Don’t rub your eyes and take this.”

“…We had this in the house?”

He thought the first-aid kit was in the bedroom. When had it been moved to the pantry? He scratched his eyebrow and mumbled, and Gyuoh shook his outstretched hand chidingly.

“Just take it. No beer for you.”

The large shadow loomed over him, not budging an inch. Staring up at Gyuoh’s stubborn stance, Minho finally gave in and reached for the pill.

Gyuoh watched until he saw his Adam’s apple move, and then finally moved out of his line of sight. He came back and sat down, not on the sofa, but close beside him, almost touching his leg.

“Hyung. Minho hyung, Cha Minho.”

He ruffled his hair, sighed deeply, and made it clear that he was bothered. Then he leaned his head against Minho’s knee. The weight of the big guy’s head was substantial.

“You really are hopeless, hyung. You’re way more dangerous than I thought.”

“…”

“I thought you were smart, but you have no sense of self-preservation. Huh?”

Gyuoh rubbed his head against Minho’s knee, his hair prickling his skin. It was rather irritating, but Minho didn’t push him away.

“What are you talking about?”

“And why are your standards so high? That’s what’s making me mad right now!”

What was the point of having high standards when he was just having one-night stands? If Minho said that, Gyuoh would probably lecture him until dawn. He kept his mouth shut.

After chattering for a while, Gyuoh suddenly lifted his head. His messy hair was comical, but Minho didn’t laugh.

“You said you couldn’t sleep, right? I’ll keep watch by your side until you fall asleep.”

“And you think that will make me sleepy?”

Minho chuckled and reached out, sliding his fingers through Gyuoh’s spiky hair. He gently ruffled it, and the soft strands released a pleasant fragrance.

“Why not? You’ve been taking naps thanks to me lately.”

“That’s true, but…”

He had to admit, it was. He’d started thinking that it was okay if he couldn’t sleep at night because he could catch up during the day. He hadn’t wanted to rely on anyone, but he might have been leaning on Gyuoh more than he realized.