VLA | Chapter 1.6

After that day, Cha Sooha decided to be completely blatant. During the liberal arts class he attended with Kwon Ram, he wore the gifted belt proudly. Even though Kwon Ram pretended not to notice, he could see him glancing at the belt he was wearing.

“Sunbae, how is it? Does it suit me?”

“Whatever.”

Kwon Ram mumbled softly. Instead of scolding him for giving such an expensive gift, Cha Sooha sat next to Kwon Ram and spoke warmly.

“Sunbae, are you free today? I love the belt so much I want to buy you a meal.”

Cha Sooha waited quietly for Kwon Ram’s response. Kwon Ram seemed to be pondering again. Did he sense the hidden intentions behind a simple meal?

Thinking maybe he didn’t like the cafeteria food, Cha Sooha quickly added.

“Oh, I don’t like cafeteria food either.”

“Then…”

Kwon Ram nodded but trailed off. Worried he might refuse, Cha Sooha asked immediately.

“What do you like, sunbae?”

Kwon Ram hesitated for a moment.

“Nothing in particular.”

“Then let’s find something today. When’s your next class after this?”

He already knew Kwon Ram’s schedule but pretended not to.

“I don’t have any today.”

“Then shall we go right away? But we need to take a taxi. There’s nothing good around here.”

“…Whatever you want.”

With Kwon Ram’s permission, his heart felt light as if it could fly. This was how he would slowly build intimacy with Kwon Ram. And when his guard was completely down, he’d arrange a drinking date and spend the night.

Cha Sooha deliberately acted curious, asking Kwon Ram about the report. Kwon Ram, who seemed less guarded than before, answered quite well.

Cha Sooha sneaked a glance at Kwon Ram packing his books. His sharply handsome face naturally drew attention.

If he hadn’t heard that Kwon Ram liked him, he wouldn’t have had the courage to be so forward. His striking appearance slightly intimidated people.

He never thought he was lacking anywhere, but imagining walking side by side with Kwon Ram made him feel a bit daunted. He decided never to go hunting with Kwon Ram. Cha Sooha thought to himself.

When Kwon Ram slung his bag over his shoulder, Cha Sooha immediately grabbed his arm.

“Let’s go, sunbae.”

Kwon Ram’s gaze lingered on the arm he was holding for a moment, but he didn’t shake it off or tell him to let go. Gaining confidence from that attitude, Cha Sooha leaned in slightly and continued.

“Do you like tonkatsu?”

There was a Japanese-style tonkatsu place a girl he met once had taken him to. It was good, so he often took people he met there afterward. Everyone he went with enjoyed it, so he thought Kwon Ram might like it too.

“…I don’t mind.”

“It’s a place I like. I hope you like it too.”

When he spoke with a smile, Kwon Ram’s gaze briefly touched his face before looking away. Seeing Kwon Ram’s expressionless profile as if he hadn’t looked at him, he had a feeling Kwon Ram would like the tonkatsu place.

Whether he liked it or not, Kwon Ram probably wouldn’t say he didn’t like it. It was hard to explain why. It was just a feeling. Years of dating had honed his instincts. Kwon Ram would treat him more specially than anyone else.

❀ ❀ ❀

After finishing the meal, Kwon Ram wiped his mouth with a napkin. It seemed like it was the first time seeing him eat. With a slightly nervous expression, Cha Sooha asked Kwon Ram.

“How was it?”

“…It was okay.”

“Shall we come again next time?”

Cha Sooha tried to promise a next time whenever he could. His goal was to blend into Kwon Ram’s daily life as much as possible without him realizing it.

Kwon Ram would reluctantly nod again. But contrary to Cha Sooha’s expectations, Kwon Ram spoke up.

“Next time…”

“Yes?”

“Shall we go somewhere else?”

“Oh… Was it not good?”

“It’s not that. I know a good place too.”

Cha Sooha’s eyes widened unconsciously at Kwon Ram’s words. Then he quickly realized this was Kwon Ram’s way of suggesting a date and pulled himself together.

“Oh, sounds good. I’m curious about sunbae’s pick.”

Kwon Ram glanced at Cha Sooha. It seemed like a look that said,

“Let’s get up if we’re done.”

As Cha Sooha gathered his things, Kwon Ram stood up a step ahead. Seeing Kwon Ram leave the table before him, Cha Sooha hurriedly followed.

He quickly ran to the counter to pay before Kwon Ram arrived, but the staff smiled and refused.

“It’s already been paid for.”

When?

Surprised, he looked at Kwon Ram, who was staring at him as if he knew nothing. Then he remembered that after ordering, he had briefly left to wash his hands.

“Sunbae, I said I’d pay.”

Of course, he was secretly glad to save money. But he couldn’t show his greedy side. Trying to look as flustered as possible, Kwon Ram’s expression changed to one of slight embarrassment. Feeling Cha Sooha’s expectant gaze, Kwon Ram reluctantly spoke.

“Because I’m the sunbae…”

“So that’s why you paid?”

Kwon Ram nodded. If he had known, he would have ordered something more expensive. Cha Sooha clicked his tongue inwardly. He hadn’t expected Kwon Ram to do something so cute.

“Then, since sunbae paid for the meal… shall I buy coffee?”

Kwon Ram glanced at him and nodded. Somehow, things were going smoothly. Maybe today, he thought, he might end up in the prince’s bed.

But as if mocking his thoughts, they ran into Ha Kangji at the café he dragged Kwon Ram to.

“Oh…”

He could see Ha Kangji’s gaze immediately fix on Kwon Ram. Worried that Ha Kangji might say something unnecessary, Cha Sooha hurriedly pulled Kwon Ram away.

“Nice to see you? Hey, message me. Message.”

“Where are you going?”

“Me? Assignment.”

Cha Sooha quickly left the café with Kwon Ram. It seemed Ha Kangji couldn’t follow immediately because of the people he was with. The thought of Ha Kangji’s bewildered face kept coming to mind, making him anxious.

Suddenly, he realized that Kwon Ram had quietly let himself be dragged out without a word.

“Oh, sorry!”

Thinking he might have held on too tightly, Cha Sooha quickly let go of his arm. Then, for some reason, Kwon Ram looked slightly pleased and replied.

“It’s okay.”

“Ah, should we go somewhere else instead of the café?”

At those words, Kwon Ram lowered his gaze for a moment and asked.

“…Why?”

“Because Ha Kangji’s there. I don’t want to hear him say unnecessary things.”

“…”

“Shall we watch a movie? The horror movie we talked about before?”

At his suggestion, Kwon Ram lifted his gaze. Even his eyes were beautiful.

“Sure.”

For some reason, this time, the answer was more enthusiastic.

Like someone possessed, he went straight to the cinema. Actually, Cha Sooha didn’t like horror movies much. But since Kwon Ram seemed to want to watch it, he decided to go along with it.

This time, he bought popcorn too.

“Do you like garlic flavor?”

“Never tried it.”

“Try it. I like eating half caramel and half garlic.”

At those words, Kwon Ram carefully picked up a piece of popcorn and put it in his mouth. Seeing his eyes widen slightly, it seemed to suit his taste. Finding him a bit cute, Cha Sooha smiled and said.

“How is it, tasty?”

“Yeah.”

A faint smile appeared at the corner of Kwon Ram’s mouth. For a moment, his face was so radiant that Cha Sooha couldn’t take his eyes off him. He already knew Kwon Ram was handsome. But seeing him smile was dozens of times more beautiful than his usual expressionless face. No, it was stunning.

How much more beautiful would he be if he smiled broadly?

Cha Sooha found himself staring, forgetting the situation. He was supposed to be the one seducing, but somehow he felt like he was being enchanted by Kwon Ram. This wasn’t good. Cha Sooha quickly averted his gaze from Kwon Ram’s face.

“Oh, it’s movie time. Shall we go in?”

Cha Sooha wanted to hide in the dark quickly. If he stayed in the light, he felt he’d keep stealing glances at Kwon Ram’s face. And he might end up doing something strange just to make him smile.

Was he always this weak to appearances?

He had no intention of falling in love. That wasn’t part of the plan. In his past life, he had died because of the person in front of him, and he deserved compensation for that. Falling in love with Kwon Ram would be inviting another death.

The cold cement water pouring over his face came to mind again. He felt his excited heart sink instantly.

❀ ❀ ❀

The creature makeup in the movie was crude. Scenes meant to be scary were so poorly directed that they were laughable.

Cha Sooha’s face, which had been smirking, quickly turned cold with the thoughts that came to mind. Maybe it was the illusion he felt before entering the cinema, but everything seemed pessimistic. He even considered blatantly proposing a casual relationship to Kwon Ram.

Suddenly, building intimacy felt meaningless and like a waste of time. Watching the movie become increasingly ridiculous, Cha Sooha felt stress building up.

But he tried not to look at Kwon Ram, deliberately staring at the screen. Soon, a messy bed scene followed. Cha Sooha frowned immediately and unconsciously turned towards Kwon Ram. He thought Kwon Ram would find this scene uncomfortable too.

But when his eyes met the gaze that had been watching him, Cha Sooha was taken aback. He didn’t know how long Kwon Ram had been looking at him.

“…Shall we leave?”

“Huh?”

“You seem bored.”

“No, no.”

The light from the screen briefly illuminated Kwon Ram’s features, capturing his attention again. He didn’t have the confidence to look at Kwon Ram’s face in the light now. He felt he’d end up staring at him like a fool again.

Actually, it should be Kwon Ram looking at him like that.

“I just can’t handle scary stuff well.”

Kwon Ram didn’t seem to believe his lame excuse. But since he said he wouldn’t leave, he didn’t insist further. The uncomfortable movie-watching continued for another hour.

Lost in thought, he left the popcorn mostly untouched. It felt wasteful to throw it away, so he carried the popcorn container as he left the cinema. He felt Kwon Ram following him. Judging by Kwon Ram’s demeanor, he seemed likely to agree if he suggested drinking tonight.

But he wasn’t in good condition. Today wasn’t the day. Cha Sooha turned around to look at Kwon Ram.

“Sunbae.”

“Yeah.”

“I had fun today. Are you coming to school tomorrow?”

“Uh, yeah.”

Kwon Ram looked a bit surprised. He seemed to expect him to suggest going somewhere again.

“I can go from here. What about you, sunbae?”

“I’ll take a taxi.”

“Oh, then see you at school.”

He noticed Kwon Ram hesitating. Cha Sooha planned to refuse if Kwon Ram suggested anything here. He couldn’t stay with him any longer today. An inexplicable stress was overwhelming him.

But contrary to his worries, Kwon Ram nodded obediently.

“Okay.”

“Then take care, sunbae!”