PM CHAPTER 6.1

“Your hands are really small.”

Out of nowhere, Baek Do-won struck up a conversation.

I-rok had been staring blankly into space, his elbow resting on one knee while his chin was propped up in his palm. When Do-won’s touch suddenly reached for his wrist, completely unguarded, I-rok quickly straightened his posture and looked at him. He had been feeling strangely dazed ever since they returned from their late-night walk.

In the middle of a drinking game that had reached its peak, the two had slipped into the pension, squeezing through the crowd to sit side by side. Their plan had been to merely play along with the drunken revelry, without fully immersing themselves in it.

But the man sitting next to him—Baek Do-won—seemed completely unfazed by what had happened earlier. Holding onto Irok’s wrist, he pulled the corners of his lips into a sly grin.

It was the same expression he had worn when he had lit his cigarette—a daring arch of the brow, eyes narrowed as if he were up to something, and an impish scrunch of his nose as he looked up at him. It was impossible to look away.

Baek Do-won slowly pulled Irok’s wrist toward him. And then, as if determined, he took hold of I-rok’s palm.

…There was no way it was small.

Baek Do-won’s entire hand fit inside Irok’s with ease. Even Do-won seemed momentarily taken aback, quickly correcting himself.

“Ah, no, I mean—your hands are huge.”

Do-won swiftly composed himself and gave a soft chuckle.

“The proper line is ‘Your hands are small.’ What a shame.”

Then, murmuring something incomprehensible, he slid his fingertips along Irok’s palm, prying it open. The ticklish sensation made I-rok immediately clench his fist and yank his hand away.

“…What are you doing?”

“You don’t seem to know what flirting is. I told you I’d show you.”

“What—?”

“Come on, put your hand up. Measuring hand sizes is the first step of flirting.”

Baek Do-won spread his left hand wide and held it out to I-rok. Normally, I-rok would have instinctively leaned away from such an advance, but this time, he was effortlessly drawn in by Do-won. His expression, painted with sheer bewilderment, must have been amusing, because Do-won let out another quiet laugh.

“You’ve never done this before? This is flirting 101.”

What on earth was supposed to be “basic” about this? I-rok could only gape at Do-won’s unrestrained boldness. It was like sitting on a bed of thorns—uncomfortable, yet he had no desire to run away.

Do-won, completely oblivious to Irok’s internal turmoil, was thoroughly engrossed in examining his hand.

At first, he toyed with it playfully, but then his expression turned serious as he muttered, “No, seriously, they’re huge. Are these pot lids or something?”

If he remembered correctly, Do-won had mentioned being about 180 cm tall when they had gotten fitted for uniforms. His hands weren’t exactly small either—at his height, they were proportional. Compared to the average person, he probably had larger hands.

But I-rok was in the mid-190 cm range. Naturally, his hands were bound to be even bigger.

“……!”

Baek Do-won suddenly clasped their hands together, interlocking their fingers.

The unexpected action made I-rok visibly flinch, but Do-won seemed entirely uninterested in his reaction, focusing only on their hands as he examined them from different angles. Watching the top of Dowon’s head as he concentrated, I-rok found himself inadvertently doing the same—observing Dowon’s hands.

‘They’re so pale.’

He had noticed before, but Do-won’s hands were undeniably beautiful. Looking at them closely, his skin was milky white, and his grip was soft and warm—almost hot. In contrast to I-rok’s own hands, which were rough and firm, Do-won’s fingers were long and slender, his nails neatly trimmed and rounded. His hands were smooth, without the prominent veins and rugged texture that gave I-rok’s hands a rougher, more hardened look.

“…You.”

Caught up in Do-won’s rhythm, I-rok had been staring too long. Realizing this, he quickly pulled his hand away with more force than necessary. He hated to admit it, but he was definitely getting swept up in Do-won’s pace.

“Are you… flirting with me right now?”

“Yeah, I told you, this is flirting.”

“No, that’s not what I meant.”

I-rok had meant to ask if Do-won was actually trying to seriously get a reaction out of him, like before. But whether Do-won genuinely didn’t understand or was just pretending not to, he simply gazed back with that same clear, innocent expression.

“Hey, what’s going on with you two? Why are you whispering to each other?”

“Baekdo! It’s your turn! Pick a game!”

The room, which had briefly quieted, erupted again. It seemed the previous round had just ended, and now all eyes were on I-rok and Do-won, who had been entirely focused on each other. Their friends pointed at them, urging them to join in.

“You guys are dead now.”

Baek Do-won rolled up his sleeves and jumped into the chaos, proudly declaring that he had never lost a drinking game before.

———————-

Even after that, Baek Do-won continued to pester I-rok whenever he was bored.

“Irok, should I buy you chocolate milk?”

It was in the middle of a game when the business major announced that he was heading to the convenience store. He was probably going to grab some snacks for the juniors, and Do-won immediately stood up as well, looking at I-rok as he asked.

“You only like it because you want to drink it yourself.”

“No, this is flirting. Buying chocolate milk at an MT is 100% flirting.”

Before I-rok could even ask how that counted as flirting, Do-won was already slipping on his shoes and heading out the door.

When he returned, both hands were full, and he made sure to shove a box of chocolate milk into I-rok’s hands with a satisfied grin.

‘Unbelievable.’

Wasn’t this just an excuse for Do-won to drink milk himself? Sure enough, there was a carton of plain milk in his own hand.

“Ah.”

Do-won suddenly spilled some of his milk, a drop running down his chin. He hurriedly wiped it with the back of his hand, clearly struggling after having ripped open the carton in a mess.

Annoyed at the sight of him fumbling around looking for a napkin, I-rok sighed and pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket, holding it out.

“Wow. You carry a handkerchief? In the 21st century?”

“What does a handkerchief have to do with the 21st century?”

At the curt response, which wasn’t exactly wrong, Do-won chuckled as he took the handkerchief and wiped his hands.

“Thanks. You don’t expect me to wash it for you, do you?”

“No.”

“Ah, what a mistake. I should’ve said I’d wash it—then it’d count as making a move.”

“……?”

Washing a handkerchief is considered making a move? Once again, before I-rok could even ask, Baek Do-won was swept into the drinking game. I-rok stared intently at him, trying to discern if there was any common thread in the actions Do-won called “making a move.”

“Hey, can you hold my wallet for a sec?”

Getting up to go to the restroom, Baek Do-won suddenly pulled his wallet from his back pocket—where it was sitting just fine—and handed it to I-rok.

“I should be handing over my watch instead, but I don’t really wear one.”

Hearing yet another cryptic remark, I-rok furrowed his brows. Still, for some reason, he took the wallet from Do-won’s hand.

‘Could this be another move?’

There was no common pattern to be found. Measuring hand sizes, buying chocolate milk, offering to wash a handkerchief, handing over a wallet and a watch? He couldn’t see how any of these things counted as “making a move.”

A little later—

“I-rok. Are you really drunk? Wanna go for a walk with me?”

Slurring his words heavily, Do-won wobbled as he asked, despite the fact that I-rok hadn’t had a single sip of alcohol.

“You’re the one who’s drunk, not me.”

“That’s another pick-up line. ‘A walk!’”

“…What on earth are you talking about?”

“Jeez. How did you even date anyone?”

Clicking his tongue and shaking his head, Baek Do-won swayed from side to side. Then, he suddenly lurched forward, nearly face-planting onto Irok’s knee. Startled, I-rok caught his forehead and lifted him back up.

Do-won kept doing strange, inexplicable things and calling them moves, but at this point, he just seemed too drunk to think straight.

‘…….’

And yet, I-rok kept looking after him. He wasn’t sure if he was in his right mind, either.

————————

It was already past 11 p.m., approaching midnight. The people at the MT were going all out with their games, as if their lives depended on it, recklessly pushing forward like a runaway truck with broken brakes—just drinking and playing without end.

Should I get going now?

I-rok glanced at his watch and thought to himself. He had planned to leave around midnight, so if he started saying his goodbyes and tidying up now, the timing would be just right. But then—

“oh! I-rok sunbae! Finally!”

“Got him! Got him!”

Up until now, it seemed like no one cared about winning or losing, just laughing away in their drunken haze. But the moment I-rok, who had been thinking only about leaving, got caught in the penalty round for the first time, everyone cheered and started pouring him a drink.

“One shot! One shot!”

“I can’t drink today.”

He had brought his car. He was planning to leave soon. But despite knowing this, the others ignored him and started singing some strange song with incomprehensible lyrics. Something about not being able to get married if he didn’t take the shot? It was practically a curse.

“Hey. Black Knight?”

Just then, Baek Do-won jabbed I-rok’s side with his elbow. His once pale face was already flushed, and he twitched his now rosy cheeks as he asked again.

“Black Knight, yes or no?”

“What’s that?”

“Just say yes for now.”

“…Yes.”

I-rok hesitated, worried that he might be agreeing to something weird, but once again, he let himself get pulled in by Do-won and gave his answer. The next moment, Baek Do-won snatched up the bowl in front of I-rok and started chugging it down in one go.

“Woah!”

Cheers—or maybe jeers—exploded around them. People half-rose from their seats, shaking their fists in the air and raising their voices even louder. I-rok was completely thrown off. The moment he agreed to this so-called “Black Knight,” Baek Do-won had taken his drink for him.

“If you get a Black Knight, you have to grant them a wish!”

Someone shouted from the crowd. Only then did I-rok grasp the mechanics of the Black Knight system. It meant someone could take the penalty in your place, but in return, the person who called for the Black Knight had to grant them a wish.

As he quickly pieced things together, he turned to look at Do-won—

“Phew!”

Do-won had already gulped down all that alcohol and was now roughly wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

It would be a lie to say he wasn’t worried. Even someone good at drinking would struggle with that much alcohol in one go. I-rok frowned slightly. But Do-won just smirked and slammed the empty cup down onto the table.

“You said you brought your car, right?”

——————————

The passenger seat reeked of alcohol.

“Did you buckle up?”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“……”

His voice was sluggish, almost like he was responding absentmindedly. Feeling uneasy, I-rok checked again. He gently tugged on the seatbelt, straightening it where it had twisted across Dowon’s chest and making sure it was properly fastened.

Baek Do-won, trying to regain some composure, lifted his head from where it had been resting against the window and gave it a little shake.

“Ah… This is comfortable. Thanks to you.”

“You said I have to grant your wish no matter what.”

I-rok slowly started the car. Still, thanks to Do-won, he was able to leave naturally, so he felt somewhat grateful for bringing him along. Drinking gatherings always involved a tiresome battle between those trying to leave and those trying to keep them there, which was why I-rok rarely participated. But this time, he managed to slip away without any trouble.

He retraced the road he had taken earlier in daylight. They passed by the stone wall where he and Baek Do-won had stood before, and as they merged onto the main road, the sea quickly disappeared from sight.

“You don’t really know about things like Black Knight or Black Rose, huh?”

“I don’t know much about drinking games.”

“Well, yeah. Didn’t you say you don’t come to MTs often? These are the kinds of things you learn at MTs. No wonder you don’t know.”

Do-won mumbled sleepily, his words mixed with a yawn.

“But it’s not just the games you don’t seem to know.”

“What do you mean?”

“The little tricks—like asking to hold hands, suggesting a walk… things like leaving a watch with someone or making a fuss about choco milk ice cream. Those are all flirting tactics.”

“…That’s unusual.”

I-rok replied in a tone that made it clear he still didn’t understand why those were considered flirting. Did people really feel affection for someone because of such strange gestures?

‘More than that…’

It was actually the things Do-won had been doing all along that stood out to him. The way he smiled brightly at I-rok, how he followed him around everywhere, and how—even if a little clumsy—he always tried his best. Those things felt like they left a bigger impression.

I-rok spoke without even realizing what he was thinking.

“Those childish, nonsensical things are considered flirting?”

“Yeah. When people are in love, they become childish and irrational.”

“……”

“Trying to make everything fit perfectly, like Cinderella’s glass slipper… You’re probably the only one who lives like that.”

Baek Do-won’s pronunciation was slightly slurred as he dragged out his words, as if he were just making casual conversation. At that, I-rok turned slightly to glance at him. His eyes were half-lidded, blinking drowsily, and he occasionally rubbed them with his hand.

“……”

Tonight, Baek Do-won kept catching him off guard.

Earlier, when Do-won had asked why he was smiling so much—ever since then, I-rok had been completely caught in the palm of his hand, completely entangled in whatever this was.

Why was he smiling? I-rok hadn’t even realized he was. What was so funny? There hadn’t been anything to smile about. He hadn’t even been drinking like Baek Do-won had. In fact, hadn’t he been feeling a little annoyed? After all, the only reason he even came to this MT… was because of Baek Do-won.

I-rok rarely joined drinking gatherings that lasted all night. Sleeping at home was always more comfortable, and he didn’t like drinking to the point where it would interfere with the next day.