CR | Chapter 6.5

As the sports festival approached, Wi Woori’s irritability seemed to increase. If he was so displeased with Kim Donghwa abandoning him for soccer, he could simply choose not to watch. Yet, there he was—always sitting on the stadium bench—while Kim Donghwa, from time to time, would send messages asking Chanyoung to look after him.

What were these two even doing?

It had been several days of this. Sighing deeply, Kim Chanyoung grabbed his pen and attempted to work on an assignment instead. But just as he tried to focus, Wi Woori would sigh heavily. And whenever Kim Chanyoung attempted to return to his studies, Woori would utter a frustrated curse.

“If you hate it so much, why do you watch?”

“How can I not watch? We live together.”

“I’m not saying don’t look at Kim Donghwa. Just don’t watch him play soccer.”

“Ah, it bothers me.”

Why, exactly?

It felt like Kim Chanyoung should be the one getting angry and frustrated, but Wi Woori was the one seething beneath the surface, grumbling nonstop.

At this point, Kim Donghwa seemed almost saintly in comparison.

How does he manage someone as irritable and prickly as Wi Woori so well? It’s like he missed his calling in early childhood education instead of business.

Kim Chanyoung suppressed the rising irritation in his chest. It was almost as if he was possessed by Kim Donghwa’s spirit, reciting to himself: I like this guy, this guy is my friend, Wi Woori is adorable. He then calmly asked,

“So why does it bother you so much? You said you like someone. Why not call them over and hang out instead of getting upset over Kim Donghwa?”

Though it was a bit harsh on Kim Donghwa, at the moment, Kim Chanyoung felt he needed to prioritize his own survival.

Wi Woori looked directly at him, his lips twitching as if he were about to speak. Kim Chanyoung hoped to finally understand what was going on inside Woori’s head, but it seemed like a lost cause. Instead of answering, Woori just hummed, leaving the sentence hanging.

There was nothing more annoying than someone stopping mid-sentence, and Wi Woori’s actions were a perfect demonstration of this—causing Kim Chanyoung to huff in frustration.

“Forget it, then.”

I’m the idiot for taking the bait.

Despite not looking the part, Wi Woori was surprisingly tight-lipped. While he typically enjoyed chattering, when it really mattered, he clammed up—something incredibly frustrating to remember.

Clicking his tongue, Kim Chanyoung shook his head dismissively and decided to focus back on his textbook.

“What if the guy you like is the same guy who’s annoying you?”

What does that even mean?

Caught off guard by the comment, Kim Chanyoung looked up sharply. Wi Woori, looking embarrassed, had buried his gaze in his desk and was quietly sipping his Americano.

Kim Chanyoung puzzled over the cryptic statement, his eyes gradually widening as realization dawned. His jaw slackened.

Then, suddenly, he slammed his hand on the table.

“Really?”

“Ah, keep it down. Everyone’s looking.”

Wi Woori, startled, quickly shushed him. Considering they were in front of the school, it was impossible not to notice the glances from passersby. As Kim Chanyoung stood up, attracting even more attention, it felt like his frontal lobe might burst.

Breaking free from Wi Woori’s grip over his mouth, he leaned in closer and hissed,

“When did it start?”

Wi Woori rolled his eyes. Since when did he like Kim Donghwa? Probably since sometime in middle school.

When he had come out to Kim Chanyoung and Kim Donghwa as liking guys, he had already had feelings for Kim Donghwa. The truth would probably shock Kim Chanyoung to the core. The embarrassment of liking someone who had no idea was palpable, and Wi Woori simply rubbed his nose.

“I don’t know, never really thought about it.”

“So you do like him?”

“Yeah.”

“But since when?”

“I told you, I don’t know!”

Wi Woori snapped back, then pursed his lips.

Confessing this to Kim Chanyoung felt impulsive, yet the irritation in his question—Why get angry when you can just hang out with your crush?—was palpable. Frankly, if he had to look after a friend like this, Kim Chanyoung would probably be just as frustrated.

Wi Woori shot him a somewhat threatening look.

“Don’t tell Kim Donghwa.”

Despite their closeness, there was always the fear that Kim Chanyoung might spill everything. However, rather than considering speaking out, Kim Chanyoung seemed almost delighted by the situation. Was that a relief?

Still, it felt better to have opened up to someone. As Wi Woori took a deep breath, Kim Chanyoung tapped the table lightly, his interest visibly piqued.

“So tell me more. Are you mad because Kim Donghwa won’t do what you want? Because you like him but he won’t listen?”

“When has he ever listened to me?”

“You need to speak straight even if your mouth is crooked. Who listens to you more than Kim Donghwa?”

…That was true.

Yet, these past few days had been particularly unsatisfactory for Wi Woori, and he simply pouted. But then again, Kim Donghwa was always surprisingly attentive, which made his feelings fluctuate.

“But he’s been acting a bit weird.”

Wi Woori muttered through his straw.

No college student could study in this situation. Kim Chanyoung, who had become privy to a drama more intriguing than any morning soap opera, just closed his textbook with a snap and lit up with excitement.

“What do you mean, weird?”

“He’s been… really nice lately.”

“How so?”

Kim Chanyoung seemed eager, but Wi Woori suddenly shut up.

He couldn’t speak. How could he mention that they had kissed in a moment of provocation, not just revealed their pheromones and gone wild, or that he wanted to kiss again and had held hands?

Wi Woori groaned, and Kim Chanyoung raised his eyebrows, scanning him before finally leaning back.

“If you don’t want to talk about it, then don’t.”

“No.”

“Fine, you guys figure it out.”

Of course, it was their issue to resolve.

Even though Kim Chanyoung’s words made sense, Wi Woori still hoped for some real advice. After all, he had no experience with relationships.

He had only ever liked Kim Donghwa, from the beginning until now. Naturally, he had no idea how to start a relationship or how to turn someone’s feelings toward him if they didn’t already like him.

Lifting his eyes hesitantly, Kim Chanyoung gave a snort of laughter, feigning indifference but clearly intrigued. Perhaps that was why his smug attitude was so irksome, but Wi Woori was the one in need right now.

“So did you and Kim Donghwa do something?”

Wi Woori shook his head initially, then nodded. Kim Chanyoung internally cursed ‘Damn, Kim Donghwa!’ while maintaining a composed facade.

“What did you do? Did you go on a date?”

“…Can you call it a date?”

“What did you do?”

Even though he asked casually, Kim Chanyoung found the situation hilarious. Was there anything those bastards did that wasn’t a date?

He had always thought Kim Donghwa and Wi Woori were strange guys—stubbornly insisting that what everyone else called dating wasn’t dating at all.

While everyone else was doing things couples do, these two were happily doing the same, yet they couldn’t even recognize it as dating. It made him wonder if they only used their brains during exams.

Seeing it as mutual feelings, it seemed like these clueless idiots were completely oblivious to each other’s hearts.

On the other hand, Wi Woori kept his mouth shut without saying a word. Watching him quietly, Kim Chanyoung let out an intrigued “hoh.”

It seemed like these bastards were up to something.

With a sly grin, Kim Chanyoung thought he shouldn’t miss this opportunity.

“Hey, why don’t you just talk to Kim Donghwa?”

A chance to escape from these cockroach bastards. He thought it would be better for his own sake if they just stuck together and dated, so it seemed his role was to be the catalyst.

Hearing Kim Chanyoung’s words, Wi Woori burst into laughter.

“Are you crazy?”

Talk to whom about what? He could already vividly imagine Kim Donghwa mocking him. He could almost hear the sarcastic remarks about getting excited just because they kissed, making Wi Woori shiver.

Knowing Kim Donghwa’s personality, Wi Woori simply raised his middle finger at Kim Chanyoung, who was giving absurd advice. With a scoff, Kim Chanyoung also backed off with a “whatever.”

“Fine, you bastards. Just keep digging and see how far you get. Just ask me for help, huh?”

“What help?”

And just then, Kim Donghwa appeared. Kim Chanyoung, thinking he wasn’t cut out to be a gentleman, looked back and forth between Wi Woori and Kim Donghwa with interest. When his eyes met Wi Woori’s, Wi Woori glared at him with a threatening look and mouthed a warning.

‘If you say anything, you’re dead.’

It wasn’t particularly scary, but he had no intention of disobeying. After all, he was having the most fun right now.

Even though it was frustrating, the fun of watching from the sidelines was so great that he wondered if he should buy some popcorn. Ah, maybe I’m a masochist who enjoys suffering. Having absurdly assessed his own tendencies, Kim Chanyoung stared intently at Kim Donghwa, who naturally sat next to Wi Woori.

“What’s with your eyes?”

Noticing the meaningful look, Kim Donghwa immediately retorted.

“You have a lot of questions for someone who arrived late.”

Feigning ignorance and scolding him, Kim Donghwa tilted his head.

“I was late because I was sweating and had to wash up.”

Kim Donghwa naturally draped his arm over Wi Woori’s shoulder and fiddled with his ear. Wi Woori slightly shrugged his shoulder at the familiar gesture.

As Kim Donghwa had said, he smelled of fragrant soap. The subtle pheromone scent beneath it was also quite pleasant. As he took a deep breath, enjoying the rain-like scent lingering at the tip of his nose, Kim Donghwa subtly moved away.

“Did you guys eat?”

“No, we haven’t. You should eat with us.”

Wi Woori added, “Are you going to walk around with food on your face?” and naturally touched Kim Donghwa’s mouth. Embarrassed by the contact, Kim Donghwa rubbed his lips repeatedly.

“What do you want to eat?”

“Let’s drink.”

“Ah… drink? Hmm… Kim Chanyoung, what about you?”

“I’ll drink too.”