BOT Chapter 07

Chapter 07

That night, I couldn’t go back to my room. I spent a sleepless night in a corner of the dormitory’s shared bathroom. I thought no one would find me here. I closed my eyes and exhaled. In my imagination, Evan came at me. In my imagination, Evan loomed over me. With the sound of water droplets falling in rhythm, my outerwear slid down, and Evan, kissing me as if he would devour me, smiled innocently.

The long-forgotten stimulation had been unbearably intense. Living in the dormitory with Evan, I hadn’t even had the chance to relieve my desires. And now, kissing someone I liked—it wasn’t strange that my body had reacted instantly.

The thought that I, in Hyle Verde’s body, was imagining something like this—especially about Evan—filled me with a sense of depravity. In the original story, I had tried to escape the role of a possessive top, and yet here I was, doing something like this.

To snap out of my thoughts, I splashed cold water on my face. The reflection in the sink mirror was miserable. My body was still as solid as ever, but the dark circles under my eyes from a sleepless night made me look gaunt, and my face was flushed. Even my once-proud, dazzling silver hair looked dry and lifeless.

More than anything, I had no idea how I was supposed to face Evan tomorrow. I let out a deep sigh and curled up on the cold tile floor. Clasping my icy fingertips together, I wished that the chilly breeze from the open window would cool the heat surging through me.

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“Haaah.”

“What’s wrong? You’re sighing your life away.”

“And you didn’t come with Evan today? Is he busy with student council work again?”

Carmen’s question barely registered as I numbly shook my head and chewed on a mouthful of vegetables. Carmen jabbed at his salad with a fork. After picking up and putting down lettuce several times, he frowned and set the fork down.

“I hate vegetables! I want meat.”

Ignoring her childish complaint, I silently swallowed my salad. Meat would have been a disaster—I could barely digest this as it was. Struggling to force the food down, I stiffened when Carmen mentioned Evan again.

“By the way, what did Evan say?”

“…About what.”

“I asked you yesterday. Whether I did something wrong to him.”

I shook my head again without a word. I didn’t want to think about Evan, but hearing his name first thing in the morning stirred up the turmoil I had barely managed to suppress. I quietly put down my fork, feeling like I might be sick.

“Hey, you really don’t look good today.”

A slight fever was creeping up on me. Staying up all night in the bathroom had probably caused it. Even soaking my head in cold water didn’t help.

But more than anything, I was worried about seeing Evan in class later. The mere thought of sitting next to him made my head throb. Carmen lightly nudged me with his elbow, but my body swayed far more than it should have. Surprisingly, he was the one who panicked, looking more shocked than I was.

“Oh my god. Are you sick? I’ve never seen you sick before. Go to the infirmary, seriously.”

“I’m fine.”

“No, you really don’t look okay.”

At that moment, a pale, delicate hand appeared from behind me. The cold touch against my forehead made me flinch.

“You have a slight fever.”

His breath grazed the back of my neck, sending a shiver down my spine. Of all the voices I didn’t want to hear right now, it had to be his. I turned my head slightly—his familiar profile was right there, far too close.

Evan, who had wrapped his arms around me from behind, made me conscious of my lips. I swallowed dryly.

“…Evan.”

“You should take the day off from school.”

“I’m really fine. It’s nothing.”

“I’m not fine, Hyle.”

His whisper tickled my ear. His lips barely brushed my earlobe. The hand on my forehead slid down to my shoulder, and suddenly, my mind was filled with the memories of last night’s dream.

“But…”

“Hey, tell the professor we can’t make it today.”

“Huh? Oh, okay.”

Carmen, still stiff from Evan’s unexpected appearance, hurriedly nodded. But in my hazy state, I couldn’t keep up with the conversation. Before I could process anything, Evan had already helped me up and was pulling me along by the wrist.

The cool outside air sobered me up slightly, and it finally dawned on me what Evan had just said.

“What do you mean… we?”

I stopped walking. When I suddenly halted, Evan was forced to stop too. He turned to me with a puzzled expression.

“You don’t need to nurse me.”

“I want to do it.”

That would only make things worse. Just thinking about being alone with him made my body temperature rise. Evan, unaware of my turmoil, firmly insisted that he would take care of me. I had no confidence that I could handle being alone with him. As I tried to pull my arm from his grasp and stop him—

“I’m really fine—”

“Was it disgusting?”

His low voice didn’t sound like the usual clear, beautiful tone I knew. It was more like a starving beast’s growl. Instinctively, I froze. A cold sweat ran down my spine.

Evan slowly turned to face me. As his face was revealed, unease washed over me. He was smiling as brightly as ever. Warm sunlight bathed his figure, making his expression seem out of place, given the eerie tone he had just used. A chill ran through me.

“…What?”

“I asked if it was disgusting.”

His red lips, scabbed over with dried blood, looked dangerously fragile. For the first time, his usually calm, indifferent voice wavered. His grip on my wrist tightened. Even with that picturesque smile, his eyes were filled with something indescribably dark and clinging.

“Was it really that disgusting to kiss me?”

Disgusting? No way. It wasn’t you—it was me, the one who lusted after you, who was disgusting. I shook my head furiously. Clenching my eyes shut as I denied it, I must have looked pitiful enough that his grip on my wrist loosened slightly.

“Then where were you last night?”

“Huh…?”

“You weren’t in Carmen Hymond’s room.”

“I, I was in the… public bathroom…”

“The bathroom? Why?”

At the weight of his questioning tone, I shrank back. I couldn’t possibly say, Because I felt something when I kissed you. I didn’t want to be looked at with disgust by Evan. As I hesitated without answering, Evan pressed on.

“Was seeing my face so unbearable that you had to spend the night there?”

“N-no…”

“Then why did you bite me and run away?”

It hurt a lot, you know. His added words stabbed at my conscience. His transparent eyes wavered. A gentle breeze ruffled Evan’s hair. With his sorrowful expression, he looked like the perfect tragic main character. Against my better judgment, the words spilled from my lips.

“It was my first kiss! I didn’t know how to breathe… I was surprised too… and…”

What started as a bold declaration quickly turned into a weak mumble. A flood of embarrassment washed over me, and I buried my red face in my hands.

As I trembled with shame, there was no response from Evan. Curious, I peeked up and saw him absentmindedly touching his lips.

“…I didn’t know it was your first kiss.”

His murmured words were clear as day. Sure, Hyle Verde looked like the type to fool around. And in the original story, he did live a debauched life, but…! Somehow, I felt a bit wronged.

Evan silently traced his lips for a while. He remained standing there vacantly until I called his name, then covered his mouth with one hand.

Through the gaps between his slender fingers, I saw his lips curl into a faint, awkward smile—something unusual for Evan.

Instead of gripping my wrist tightly, he gently took my hand in his. The careful touch finally put my mind at ease. The Evan from earlier had honestly scared me. As the tension drained from my body, I wavered on my feet.

Startled, Evan immediately reached out to steady me. The strength in his grip was startling, considering his small frame.

“S-sorry! I just got a little dizzy. You don’t have to help—”

“Hand.”

The unexpected command made me stare at his outstretched palm in confusion.

“You might fall again.”

…Was he asking me to hold hands? Cautiously, I placed my hand over his palm. Holding me tightly like an entangled net, he matched his steps with mine. The arm securing my waist, ensuring I couldn’t escape, was firmer than it appeared.

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I felt the softness of the bed. My body, drenched in cold sweat, soaked the fluffy blanket. I wasn’t sick enough to skip class altogether, but… As I slowly blinked open my eyes, a voice called out.

“How are you feeling?”

“I’m okay.”

My voice was cracked, but better than before. As I tried to sit up, Evan stood in my way. We had shared a deep kiss just yesterday, and yet here we were, alone in a room, as if nothing had happened. The mix of guilt from that fact, a faint thrill, and a lingering fever made me sweat all over again. The damp, clinging shirt felt unpleasant.

“That’s a relief.”

Evan murmured quietly. Then he rolled up his sleeves and brought over a wet towel. His slender forearms, hidden beneath his shirt, were revealed. It was still surprising that those arms had supported me. They looked so delicate, yet were stronger than they appeared.

“Still, we should wipe off some of that sweat. And change your clothes.”

I didn’t want to speak in my pathetic voice, so I just nodded quietly. Evan sat down on the edge of the bed. His hand reached for the buttons on my shirt. One by one, the tight pressure on my body was released. His pale fingers brushed the collar. The cool air that touched my chest snapped me back to full awareness.

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