CR | Chapter 6.3

Donghwa shook his head, siding with Woori. Then, while Woori still leaned on his shoulder with no intention of getting up, Donghwa playfully touched his ear.

“Get up and go get that spare.”

“Ah, dude. Get your hand out of my ear?”

Clearly, he said ‘ear’, but why did it sound like ‘butt’?

Both turned bright red at the thought. A cough escaped. Donghwa quickly crossed his legs and rested his chin, and Woori rushed to the lane.

It was the first time there was no fighting spirit between them.

Bowling ended with Woori and Donghwa’s victory, no question about it. Donghwa was known for his athletic prowess, but today, every throw knocked down all the pins for a strike, the score gap between the couples growing absurdly wide.

Even after two more games, Chanyoung couldn’t close the gap, and he ended up having to buy dinner. Despite his grumbling about ‘the rich getting richer’, the two simply ignored it.

They were just happy to have won, and the underlying tension made them conserve their words.

The four headed to a nearby barbecue restaurant. When Woori expressed a desire for meat, Jang Youjin agreed, saying she also wanted some. With Donghwa indifferent and Chanyoung agreeing to anything his girlfriend suggested, reaching a consensus was easy.

With three young men with hearty appetites and Jang Youjin keeping pace, the meat disappeared rapidly from the grill. As a result, they ordered more frequently, making Chanyoung check the menu with increasing anxiety.

Even living without lack, this might be a bit risky. Although he looked slightly worried, Woori, oblivious to Chanyoung’s concerns, raised his hand eagerly.

“Kim Chanyoung! Can we order two more servings?”

“Ah, why are you eating so much? Is Woori possessed?”

“Hey, why criticize someone for eating? It’s pitiful.”

“You should leave me alone. Kim Chanyoung, can we order more?”

“What did I do? Kim Chanyoung, should we order three more servings?”

Why did it turn into three servings?

Amidst the already noisy restaurant, the two bickering naturally called over the server to order three more servings. Seeing how chaotic the two were, Chanyoung decided to give up. Watching them was more stressful than beneficial, so he turned his attention to his girlfriend, Jang Youjin, who was smiling prettily at him.

“Is it tasty?”

“Yeah, it’s good.”

While Chanyoung was murmuring with his girlfriend, Donghwa was watching Woori, who was next to him, wrapping meat in perilla leaves and stuffing it into his mouth.

Woori’s cheeks puffed up with the meat, looking like they might burst, making Donghwa unconsciously widen his eyes. Woori shook his head gently as he already prepared another wrap. His lips curved softly, looking so pretty as if the wrap fit perfectly in his mouth.

Donghwa handed him a drink, but Woori shook his head, indicating that wasn’t important right now. Then, his eyes sparkled.

“Donghwa.”

“Saying it like that sounds suspicious.”

Just then, the additional meat they ordered arrived. Donghwa, handling the tongs like a pro, placed the meat on the grill, and the sizzling sound was appetizing.

Donghwa held the tongs towards Woori, signaling him to ‘stop with the nonsense.’ Regardless, Woori, resting his chin on Donghwa’s shoulder, chattered away.

“Let’s drink, drink. Come on? The exams are over! Let’s drink! You can’t really get close with Youjin without drinking together. Let’s drink, okay?”

With Woori chirping in his ear, Donghwa closed and then opened his eyes. Woori’s nagging was nothing new, but recently, whenever he drank, he got touchy, which was the real issue. Donghwa didn’t dislike Woori’s touchiness because he had feelings for him, but it was a problem because he found himself going along with it. He was even worried he might not be able to restrain himself before they officially dated.

Well, they’ve done a lot already, so what was there to hide at this point?

“Drink just one bottle, you.”

“Yay!”

“Wow, you’re letting Woori drink?”

Chanyoung’s jaw dropped. Donghwa just shrugged, not bothering with a reply. After all, he’d be the one taking care of a drunk Woori and bringing him home, so why should Chanyoung, who wouldn’t lift a finger, say anything?

The conversation naturally shifted to the sports festival, a hot topic at school these days. With midterms over, everyone seemed eager for an event to refresh their minds and bodies from the grind of studying.

Upon hearing ‘sports festival,’ Donghwa recalled fighting with Woori on the way to the bowling alley. When he looked at Woori with a gasp, Woori also seemed to remember the reason for the fight, his face contorted.

“Hey, I told you not to go.”

With the same swift determination as before, Donghwa repeated his earlier words for emphasis.

“I want to play soccer.”

“Oh, I’ll play soccer too.”

Donghwa shrugged, thinking it wasn’t a bad idea. Woori had always hated soccer among all sports, so for Donghwa, who often played soccer with Chanyoung instead of Woori, this was a good proposal.

The thought of running until he was out of breath and shaking the net made him feel good. As he was discussing this with Chanyoung, a loud shout came from right next to him.

“Ah, don’t go out!”

Startled, Donghwa frowned. Turning to look, he saw Woori’s face, twisted in anger.

“Damn, what does it matter if I go or not?”

“Ah, I hate it. Don’t go.”

His face was turning red and blue with indignation. If left like this, he’d probably end up pulling hair again. Plus, Woori, who was supposed to drink just one bottle, had already drunk half of it without any snacks.

Is his dream to get a chronic illness?

Donghwa firmly pushed some meat into Woori’s open mouth, saying, “Why. Explain properly if you want me to understand or not. Are you a child? Why act so stubborn?”

“Fuck, Kim Donghwa, you’re so annoying.”

“No, stop being annoyed and explain. I’ll listen.”

Chanyoung sighed, resting his chin on his hand. To him, Woori’s sulking and Donghwa playing along was always tiresome yet entertaining.

As if on cue, Woori responded grumpily when Donghwa looked at him, expecting a reaction.

“Anyway, don’t do it if I say no.”

“Am I your underling? Do it when you say, don’t when you say? You’ve gotten worse because I’ve been too lenient while living with you.”

“…Kim Donghwa, you’re really annoying.”

Normally, Woori would have gone outside for a cigarette when annoyed, but today, he buried his face in Donghwa’s shoulder, whining. This was a new kind of drunken rant, and Donghwa, closing his eyes tightly, patted Woori’s waist in defeat.

“Let’s go home; you’re drunk.”

“I’m not drunk.”

“You are, want some meat?”

“Yeah.”

Still nodding with his forehead against Donghwa’s shoulder, Woori seemed to have decided to go full-on with the aegyo. He didn’t even think of lifting his head, turning his whole body towards Donghwa, accepting the meat while sticking close.

“Why are you like this?”

“Ah, I just don’t like it. Stop asking for reasons, you old man.”

“Old man, huh… Ha…”

Donghwa tried to move Woori away while brushing back his bangs. He was conscious of Chanyoung’s eyes, which were staring at them, and the curious gaze of his girlfriend watching Woori’s state.

Moreover, Chanyoung knew his feelings, so he was ready to tease at any moment. Despite the silent threat not to mess around, it didn’t work since they were old friends.

Finally, Donghwa coaxed Woori to stand up. After shooting a sharp look at Chanyoung, he gave a charming smile to his girlfriend, saying, ‘See you next time.’

Since they won the game, they didn’t need to pay for dinner, but Donghwa naturally went to the counter to pay for what they had eaten. Since Chanyoung and his girlfriend wanted to have more drinks and less meat, Donghwa decided to pay for the meat.

Chanyoung clapped for Donghwa and nudged Youjin, laughing.

“They look good together, don’t they?”

“Are they dating?”

“No, but it seems like they are. Well, not really, but they’re always like an old married couple.”

He spoke quietly, but did Donghwa hear it? After paying, Donghwa suddenly shot him a look and raised his middle finger.

“Shut up, bastard.”

Chanyoung just smiled kindly.

That bastard doesn’t even realize I helped with their date today.

Despite feeling a bit wronged, since he had bought the meat, it was fine.

Donghwa, seeing Chanyoung call for the server, expertly supported Woori outside. Seating him on a bench in front of the restaurant, he let out a deep sigh and lit a cigarette.

He regretted how a perfect chance to enjoy time with just the two of them was ruined by Chanyoung’s double date suggestion and Woori’s drunken antics. However, he liked how Woori, even in his drunken state, held onto his collar, sticking close.

Donghwa’s lips curved into a soft parabola as he smoked.

⛧⛧⛧

Kim Donghwa finally signed up for the soccer event at the sports festival, despite being advised against it. Without giving a reason, he had declared that he would do as he wished. Wi Woori, stubbornly silent to the end, seemed to have prompted Kim Donghwa’s defiant application as if to protest through action.

Wi Woori found this extremely displeasing. He knew very well that Kim Donghwa was good at soccer. In fact, Kim Donghwa was good at sports in general. Watching him skillfully maneuver the ball across the field was a sight even he had to admit was pleasing; it’s not every day you feel refreshed just by watching someone else run, after all.

“Ugh, so boring.”

Having followed Kim Donghwa to the field, Wi Woori sat on the bench, resting his chin in his hand, throwing a dull glance around. The field was bustling with classmates forming teams for the upcoming sports event, the ball making a satisfying sound as it was kicked around.

Kim Donghwa stood out distinctly among the crowd, his tall stature and striking appearance making him nearly impossible to miss.

Still, Wi Woori remained unimpressed. Seriously, what’s so fun about soccer? He couldn’t understand the appeal of running back and forth for 45 minutes each half.

Moreover, the way some people were persistently watching Kim Donghwa was irritating. With Kim Donghwa’s emergence as an alpha, even the omegas around couldn’t help but pay him attention, which felt suffocating to even think about.