FR | Chapter 1.4

A man who was clear but generally kind, yet his true face was arrogant and petty.

He probably wore a mask on his face most of the time, except when he was in front of him. How should he handle him?

Tap, tap. Won, pondering while flicking his nails against his teeth, closed the open book and stood up.

Won narrowed his eyes at the figure leaning against the cabinet. The sharp eyes, staring into space, tilted following the neat footsteps. Woojae, as if seeing someone he had been waiting for, smiled warmly, his eyes crinkling.

“Move.”

“Gu Won.”

The spot Woojae was leaning against happened to be his cabinet. With a cold voice, Woojae spoke.

“Is that a name that suits you, sunbae?”

If it was a question asked with transparent intent, he was willing to answer. No. A snake and Gu Won. Even Won thought it was an absurd combination.

“I won’t say it twice.”

“Is it true that snakes mate all day long?”

Ignoring Won’s indifferent voice urging him to move, Woojae asked another irrelevant question.

“Is that what you waited to ask?”

“I don’t know if you know, but I’m someone who gets sick of waiting. But I’ve been waiting here for you for 10 minutes, sunbae.”

The corners of his mouth, raised brightly, felt unusually cold. Won faced Woojae directly.

Knowing that he wasn’t the only one who had to avoid others’ eyes, he felt more at ease as Woojae’s true nature emerged.

Won wore a fake smile. The smooth laughter contributed to his innocent appearance.

“Why, are you desperate now? If you were in such a hurry, you should have pounced in the lecture hall. Do they know? That you’re a hypocrite.”

Of course, the words that came out weren’t soft at all.

“Is that all you figured out after watching me the whole time?”

It was a useless provocation, meant to be infuriating, but it was pointless. If he had shown any sign of being flustered or angry, it would have been satisfying, but Kwon Woojae just laughed as if he found it amusing.

“I haven’t forgotten our promise. I’ll serve it up, so don’t whine.”

With a bright smile, Won ground his teeth. He pushed Woojae’s side with the back of his hand as if annoyed. Woojae, not missing the opportunity, grabbed and held Won’s hand.

“So when?”

The warmth clinging to his hand was unpleasant. Won, his face twisted, shook off Woojae’s hand. Yet, his hand, firmly grasped, was caught in Woojae’s grip.

“Kwon Woojae.”

“Tell me.”

“Clear your schedule and contact me. And I’m warning you, even after keeping the promise, if you keep acting like this, I won’t let it slide.”

Won swung his hand wide. After freeing himself from Woojae’s grasp, he immediately turned his back.

He was annoyed. The lingering warmth in his hand was still unpleasant, and Won shook his hand vigorously as if to shake off the moisture.

.☘︎ ݁˖.☘︎ ݁˖.☘︎ ݁˖

Won looked around the college bar he had never visited, even as a freshman. Despite it being only 8 PM, the place was bustling with students.

As the sun set, students occupied tables, enjoying lively conversations. The noise from the group was so loud it felt like his eardrums might burst. His irritated eyes twitched.

Is this the right place? Won climbed the stairs, surveying the two-story bar.

“Oh? Sunbae!”

His breath caught as soon as he reached the upper floor. He didn’t have time to look around. His keen senses reacted to the call.

It couldn’t be a voice calling him. An inexplicable anxiety washed over him.

At that moment, someone grabbed Won’s hand. He stiffly lowered his gaze. His eyes followed the peach-colored hand to the person holding it.

“Wow, you really came. Sunbae, this is your first time drinking with us, right?”

It was Kyungheon. His eyes, looking at Won with curiosity, were glazed with alcohol.

Gu Won couldn’t smile or frown. He just stared blankly at Kyungheon, who was leading him to the table.

Until then, he couldn’t make sense of the situation. What was happening right now?

“Whoa. Sunbae, hello. Woojae, you’re really close with sunbae, huh?”

Of course, the mystery was quickly solved.

He had unintentionally ended up at a drinking party. Won awkwardly rolled his eyes at the greetings coming from all directions.

Before long, Kwon Woojae came into view. He was smiling gently at Won.

[Come to Fever in front of the school – Crazy]

After class, as usual, he was relaxing at home. Then his phone vibrated, and upon checking the message, Won got up as if he had been waiting for this day.

Even when he hailed a taxi, his heart, which had felt relieved, gradually sank. He clenched and unclenched his hands, filled with rising tension.

A promise was a promise, so he had no intention of backing out now. He even hoped that after today, he could settle his debt and return to his normal life without any ties to the mad dog.

But why, why on earth…? Why were there over a dozen people when it should have been just Woojae?

He should have suspected something. It was his mistake. Won clenched his fists tightly.

Since entering university, Won had skipped every gathering. The students at the table were amazed that he had come out just because of a text from Woojae, showering him with praise.

“Sunbae, come sit here.”

Praise makes even a whale dance. Woojae, holding a drink with a faint smile, gestured to the seat next to him. Seeing Woojae like that made Won’s blood boil.

Unaware of the flames inside him, the juniors urged him to sit. Won sat at the outer edge, not in the seat Woojae pointed to.

The man sitting next to Won introduced himself as Kim Songhak and offered him a new glass. As Won accepted the drink, the attention of those seated focused on him.

“Just have fun without worrying about me.”

“How can we do that? It was just hard to approach you at first, but we really wanted to be friends with you, sunbae.”

That’s what he hated. Didn’t they care about the person’s opinion? Won swallowed the words that almost burst out and smiled awkwardly.

He glanced around at the people seated. Woojae, with a slightly tilted face, seemed displeased as he looked at Won.

“Woojae doesn’t look too happy. Did something happen today?”

“Huh? Why, Woojae oppa, did something happen?”

“Why, what’s up? Is Woojae not feeling well?”

As concern for Woojae was voiced, the attention on him scattered. Woojae briefly laughed it off as if it was nothing.

“It’s nothing. Maybe I’m a bit drunk.”

“Drunk? No way.”

“I knew it from the moment you started drinking. You’re the problem.”

“What are you talking about? Oppa didn’t drink much. Is he not feeling well today?”

“Oh, speaking of not feeling well, remember that time he drank too much when he wasn’t feeling well and got wasted…”

The topic naturally shifted like flowing water. The place quickly became lively. Won watched Woojae, who was rubbing his lower lip with his index finger.

Even as he brought the drink to his lips and swallowed, their gazes remained locked. The looks they exchanged weren’t particularly gentle.

During the day, the blazing sun raised the temperature, but the world was still chilly after the sun disappeared. While others complained about the fickle weather, Won found the temperature difference more comfortable.

Won stepped outside to catch some air and lit a cigarette in a quiet alley. There wasn’t a single thing that didn’t irritate him.

The bar, which never had a moment of silence, was a given, and the fact that Kwon Woojae, who had been coldly composed, quickly regained his pace also bothered him. It was unsightly how he called him out and then laughed and chatted as if showing off.

Won took a deep drag from the filter and exhaled the smoke. He stared blankly at the smoke curling between his index and middle fingers.

The discomfort of the drinking party remained unchanged over time. It was unfamiliar. He had lived without mingling with others for quite a while.

He felt resentful of Kwon Woojae, who didn’t give any signal even after calling him out. He was a fool for running out like an obedient dog at the call to come out.

Most of the people at the table were as drunk as the ripened drinking party, so he thought he could slip away without anyone noticing.

Won brought the cigarette to his lips again. His slightly parted lips should have caught the filter, but there was nothing in his mouth.

“Ugh…”

A hand suddenly intervened, grabbing his wrist. A rough force twisted Won’s wrist. A small groan escaped his teeth, but the owner of the grip didn’t relent and took a drag from the cigarette.

He was bewildered. Reflexively turning his head, his balance shifted. He felt a firm chest against his back.

Woojae was the one who brought his face close enough to touch his skin with just a slight sway.

Due to his nature, Won could sense vibrations in the ground quite well. Was it because he had recklessly accepted the drinks Songhak offered, or because Woojae was too stealthy? He hadn’t noticed anyone approaching him.

Come to think of it, he hadn’t sensed anything the first time he saw Woojae either. At that time, his senses should have been more sensitive due to the transformation.

Woojae, chewing on the cigarette filter, lifted his head. A shadow fell over his face, filled with boredom.

The grip on Won’s wrist released. The large hand then trapped the cigarette between his index and middle fingers.

“Not having fun?”

Woojae laughed low at Won. Even though it was the same laugh, Woojae’s laughter varied. If the one in the bar was innocent, this one was filled with arrogance.

“Is it fun to mess with me like this?”

“I thought it would be, but it didn’t meet my expectations.”

The smoke seeping heavily from his lips made him even more chilling.

“What are you?”

“What do you think?”

“You knew me from the start. What’s your plan?”

Won recalled the moment he met Woojae in the lecture hall. When he was too flustered to speak, Kwon Woojae had even laughed leisurely. It seemed like he knew him.

Perhaps the reason he couldn’t help but be wary of Kwon Woojae was because of that. Because he acted like he knew him from the start.

He couldn’t be sure, but he couldn’t let his guard down either.

“Plan…”

The sound, as if talking to himself, was very deep. As Woojae inhaled, the end of the cigarette, barely hanging from his lips, burned away.

Woojae crushed the discarded cigarette on the ground with his shoe. Even as he put his hand in his pocket, his gaze lingered on the butt. His eyes slowly rose. Their eyes met.

The smoke he had inhaled swirled inside his lungs. As the smoke spread from his parted lips, his chest, which had been expanding, slowly sank.

His cold gaze lingered on Won for a long time, but Woojae didn’t speak.

“Do you even want to sleep with me?”

Won spoke irritably. Woojae’s head tilted slowly. Won couldn’t suppress the heat stabbing his throat. He roughly swept his bangs back.

“If not, move. I’m not free enough to play along with your childish games.”

Won bypassed Woojae, who stood like a stone. Just as he was about to leave the alley without a single light.

Suddenly, a hand roughly grabbed his hair, twisting his face. “Ugh…!” A groan escaped his teeth.

“Do reptiles repay kindness in such a shitty way?”

Won instinctively grabbed Woojae’s wrist. His head, tilted back, quickly scanned behind him.