CR | Chapter 6.1

“Ripped it apart.”

Wi Woori rested his forehead on his hand with a sharp smack and leaned his head back. The corners of his mouth curled into an endless grin—so much so that even his cheekbones seemed to be dancing. Thanks to Kim Donghwa, who had kindly offered to help him study, Woori felt confident he could recover from the disastrous grades he had received last time.

Turning in his answer sheet faster than anyone else, Woori left the lecture hall with a lighter heart than he had felt all semester. Sitting at a makeshift table in the hallway, he hummed a little tune as he waited for Kim Donghwa.

Now that the last exam was over, Woori’s mood kept improving as he daydreamed about all the fun things he could do with Donghwa. His fingers danced across the screen of his phone, searching a portal site for “20s date ideas”—his intentions as clear as day.

“Should I suggest watching a movie together?” he wondered, but he quickly shook his head. The reason was the same as before—he couldn’t stand the idea of other people catching even a whiff of Donghwa’s pheromones. It had reached the point where he hated even the thought of anyone else laying eyes on Donghwa.

“How about seeing a play?” That idea didn’t seem right either. Most universities had the same exam schedules, and heading to Daehak-ro right now felt like shouting, Hey, world! Look how handsome Kim Donghwa is! And his pheromones are amazing too! It was practically free advertising.

“Maybe bowling?” At that thought, his eyes lit up, and he couldn’t help but let out a little “Oh.” Being the active people they were, he and Donghwa had often gone bowling together since their high school days.

“Perfect,” Woori concluded with a light nod, shaking his head slightly as if pleased with himself. Still, it seemed odd that the very person who had made him study so diligently was taking this long to show up.

“What else is near the bowling alley?” he muttered, glancing at his phone to see if there were any other fun activities to mix things up. Just then, his phone buzzed with a message from Kim Chanyoung, who was in another class.

[Kim Chanyoung]
What are you doing after this?

[Woori]
Haven’t decided yet, but probably bowling.
Donghwa doesn’t know lol.

[Kim Chanyoung]
He’ll go for sure. Wanna double date?

[Woori]
Double date? What double date?

Woori tilted his head, letting out an indignant “Eh?” as he frowned. Then it hit him—Kim Chanyoung had started dating someone new at the start of the semester. So one half of this “double date” would be Chanyoung and his new girlfriend, and the other half… naturally, would be him and Kim Donghwa.

With that realization, Woori smirked in satisfaction.

“What double date?”

Trying to play it cool, Woori sent back a message just to be sure.

Even though he and Kim Donghwa weren’t actually dating, Woori couldn’t help but feel a little thrill at the notion. Soon after, his phone buzzed again.

[Kim Chanyoung]
lol, you and Kim Donghwa

“Nice,” Woori whispered to himself with a small cheer as the desired response came back. He bit his lower lip to suppress his grinning cheeks, his fingers tapping out a reply with an almost flighty lightness.

“Lol, lol, seriously insane.”

If Kim Donghwa saw this, he’d freak out. Woori felt oddly pleased that Kim Chanyoung, oblivious to his feelings, still thought they matched well. Each time, Donghwa would react dramatically, but Woori didn’t mind playing along with Chanyoung’s assumptions.

Woori chuckled to himself as he stared at the chat window. The “typing” indicator appeared, and he waited patiently. Soon enough, Chanyoung’s message came through.

[Kim Chanyoung]
So, are we meeting or what?
What are you guys doing?

[Kim Chanyoung]
If you’re bowling, join us.
Yudeng wants to play too.

“Yudeng? That’s a unique name.”

[Kim Chanyoung]
lol, it’s a nickname.

And he frowned at this unnecessary information.

“What the hell, why are you using your couple’s nickname with me?”

Woori scowled and lifted his head just as a disheveled Kim Donghwa emerged from the classroom. Woori thrust his phone in front of him abruptly.

“What’s this?”

Donghwa narrowed his eyes slightly as he read the messages about bowling and other plans. The messages sparked his interest, evident from the gleam in his dark eyes.

“We’re going, right?”

“Well, I guess…”

Not that there was a reason not to.

Donghwa flicked an eyebrow. He had planned to hang out with Woori until they were both exhausted after today’s final exams anyway. Woori seemed to share the sentiment, having been singing a bizarre song all morning about how he’d been waiting for today.

However, Woori had hoped for a cozy time with just the two of them, whether watching a movie at home, biking near the Han River for a drive, cooking up some ramen, or watching a musical at a major theater.

Nonetheless, the message about the “double date” from Chanyoung had caught his eye. Though the shift in plans from his original idea of an exclusive hangout was slightly disappointing, this was still a date, and not a bad one at that.

“Is it too much? If you don’t like it, we don’t have to go.”

Taking his silence for reluctance, Woori asked again. Donghwa shook his head.

“No, let’s go. It’ll be fun.”

Perhaps pleased by the late affirmation, a smile spread across Woori’s lips as he grinned broadly. A mischievous smile also played on the lips of Donghwa, who now slung his arm around Woori’s shoulders.

⛧⛧⛧

“Ah, it swelled up.”

No way, how could his face swell up like this after only sleeping for a little while? Kim Donghwa had taken a short nap in the brief respite before their date and was now gasping in shock at his reflection in the mirror.

No way. He had only slept for about 30 minutes, so how could his face be this swollen?

Baffled, he slapped his cheeks, making a loud sound. After all, it was a “couple date,” and he thought he should at least reduce the swelling. Unfortunately, he had no idea how to quickly bring down facial swelling.

“Why does your face look like that?”

Wi Woori, who had been lying next to him in the same bed, burst into laughter upon seeing his condition. Even though they had napped together, Woori looked refreshed while Donghwa resembled a lethargic bear, which was quite absurd.

“Ugh…”

“You look like you haven’t slept at all. You’re so honest, Donghwa.”

“Ah, it’s because of you!”

Kim Donghwa pushed Woori’s face away, who had come close, speaking in an irritable tone. Even though he was the one who took the nap and the one who was swollen, he genuinely blamed Woori.

Besides, he had barely slept for two hours trying to soothe Woori, who was adamantly against studying. He could only think that the lingering fatigue had settled on his face. With no choice, Donghwa covered his face with a baseball cap and soon left the house with Woori.

Too lazy to untie the laces, Woori kicked the front of his shoes while chattering about the messages he had exchanged with Kim Chanyoung.

“The loser has to buy dinner today.”

“Is there a limit?”

“Nope, let’s empty Chanyoung’s wallet.”

“We’ll be left on the street.”

“Absolutely going to win,” Donghwa added confidently, a smug smile on his lips. Bowling was one of the games he was particularly good at. Having frequented bowling alleys since childhood with his father, he knew the techniques well, and his strength had improved over the years, steadily increasing his scores.

“How much do you score?”

“Around 180? When I’m in good condition, I can hit 200.”

“What? Why are you so good at this?”

Woori’s eyes widened. He knew Donghwa was good at bowling, but hearing the precise numbers of his skill was always surprising.

Donghwa just shrugged as if it was no big deal. His attitude was not just confident but almost arrogant, yet with that skill, it was hard to dislike him. Woori playfully tapped Donghwa’s solid chest.

“Oh, you’re quite good. Looks like Donghwa will treat us to dinner today.”

“How much do you score? You’re good too, aren’t you?”

“About 170?”

When Woori answered proudly, Donghwa’s eyebrows raised slightly before lowering back down.

“Not bad.”

Then came the snarky reply.

Woori looked at Donghwa with a face that seemed to display laughing emojis (^^), internally cursing him as an ‘annoying bastard.’

As they walked side by side, their hands kept brushing against each other. Once you’ve held hands, it becomes all you can think about, and he swallowed dryly. Should he just grab it? But even in a world where characteristics were openly expressed, two grown men holding hands while walking side by side would look a bit odd.

Woori forced his boiling heart to calm down, crossing his arms in front of his chest. Despite the weather being good, almost warm, he even added the ridiculous comment, “It’s cold.”

On their way to the bowling alley, they talked about the exam they had that day, then shifted the conversation to the upcoming sports festival. Before long, they were arguing again about whether to participate in the sports festival.

“Ha, shit…”

Donghwa, who had just suggested going out for some light soccer, was now panting heavily as if his hair were being pulled out.

Ah, it hurts. Feeling like his scalp was being torn off, Donghwa pressed his head with the tips of his fingers to manage the pain. He couldn’t understand why he was so irritated.

If they won, they could share the prize money for a nice meal and spend time together. Yet, dealing with the infuriating Woori, and liking him in return, made him feel like he wasn’t quite normal either.

Letting out a big sigh, he shook his head and looked forward. Woori, who had just been yanking at his hair in frustration, had vanished without a trace.

“Where did you go?”