PM CHAPTER 6.2

as soon as I-rok heard that the Korean literature department was leaving for MT on Friday, the first person who came to mind was Baek Do-won.

The Friday that Baek Do-won had mentioned going to MT. It was just one overlapping day, but I-rok didn’t even have the chance to find it strange that he immediately thought of him.

‘And we’re going to □□ Pension. I heard it’s really nice there. There’s a beach nearby, and the yard is spacious. The business department goes there almost every time, and I got the recommendation from my senior who’s the class rep for the business major.’

As he listened to the explanation about the location, he realized there was a good chance he might run into Baek Do-won there.

‘Irok oppa, I guess you won’t be able to come this time either? It’d be nice if you could join us…’

‘…I’ll go.’

‘Huh? Really?’

The answer slipped out before he even knew it. And because of that, he didn’t feel particularly great about it. It was a rather impulsive decision. No matter how he looked at it, it seemed like the only reason he was going to MT was Baek Do-won. That fact was difficult for him to accept.

Ever since Baek Do-won moved into the house next door, they had spent a lot of time together. Home, school, their club—since their daily routes overlapped, it was inevitable that they kept running into each other.

Sometimes, they exercised together in the morning or commuted to and from school together. The moment when I-rok had once told Baek Do-won, “Let’s not get involved with each other anymore,” already felt like a distant memory.

That awkwardness had lasted only for a brief moment. In fact, from the moment he said those words, it felt like they had grown even closer.

I-rok quickly adapted to a routine that included Baek Do-won. Maybe that’s why he couldn’t stop thinking about him after they parted ways earlier, after their little argument that wasn’t really an argument. Was he feeling guilty toward him?

Guilt was something I-rok had always believed followed after developing affection for someone. The thought gave him a headache, and he pressed his fingers against his forehead.

It was easier to convince himself that this wasn’t about Baek Do-won. He could come up with other reasons—maybe he just wanted to have fun for once, or maybe he wanted to experience sleeping somewhere other than home after getting drunk.

But the moment he arrived at the MT site and saw Baek Do-won, he had no choice but to acknowledge the truth.

Nothing else could clearly explain this absurd decision except for Baek Do-won.

Faced with this uncomfortable truth that had suddenly taken over his life, I-rok instinctively put up his defenses. He didn’t want to confront whatever this was, didn’t even know what this was, but the moment he recognized that resistance in himself, he let out a bitter smile.

This place was different from the rigid environment of school. It was different from the atmosphere of their club, where he had to fulfill formal responsibilities. The Baek Do-won he met here felt different too.

‘It took a lot of effort to make this.’

Watching Baek Do-won wait expectantly to hear that he had worked hard, I-rok finally understood why he was always so earnest about everything.

Baek Do-won was the type who liked it when people acknowledged his effort. He seemed like someone who needed praise and encouragement to feel satisfied.

I-rok wasn’t used to that. No, he was downright bad at it.

He had never really found much reason to praise others in his life. And things like social niceties—what people called tact—weren’t things that came naturally to him.

No matter how hard he tried, Baek Do-won never received any compliments, so it seemed he was sulking. At least, that was the conclusion I-rok came to on his own.

That must be why he clung to I-rok while working as a student ambassador, constantly looking only at him. That must be why, during group projects, he threw a fit at I-rok, who had been trying to lighten his load after he took on all the troublesome tasks himself. That must be why he was grilling meat so diligently, getting charcoal smudges on the tip of his nose.

All of it…

For some reason, it felt strangely different this time.

He had thought those round cheeks were always puffed up with nothing but petty sulking—but now, he knew better. And because of that…

I… laughed.

It was unfamiliar for him to not understand his own actions. It was a foreign sensation.

“Ah… I dozed off.”

At some point, Baek Do-won had nodded off. He straightened his slumped-over body and rubbed his cheeks as if trying to shake off his drowsiness. But judging by the deep crease of his double eyelids, he was already too far gone to fight off sleep.

“Just sleep. It’ll take a while to get back.”

“How can I sleep when someone’s driving? And… if I drink and sleep, I have trouble waking up.”

Baek Do-won mumbled something in a slurred voice that was barely understandable. Whether he was drunk or simply drowsy, even he didn’t seem to know what he was saying anymore.

“……”

At first, I-rok responded to him with short replies. But at some point, he deliberately stopped answering.

To help him fall asleep.

Sure enough, when Do-won’s rambling met with silence, he slowly drifted off.

The soft sounds of his steady breathing filled the quiet car. As I-rok drove through the dark night, he found himself lost in thought.

————————

It had already been a while since they arrived in front of their officetel building.

For some reason, I-rok found it difficult to wake Baek Do-won.

With his arms crossed over the steering wheel and his chin resting on top, he simply watched him.

Just as Do-won had observed him earlier, I-rok now started observing him in return.

His jet-black hair. With his head tilted slightly to one side, his bangs had fallen away, revealing his round forehead. Beneath it, long eyelashes hung over his closed eyes.

Even with his naturally large eyes, thanks to his double eyelids and those thick, long lashes, they looked even bigger.

His nose was especially round, as if the creator had put extra effort into placing it in the perfect position.

His upper lip protruded slightly more than his lower one, resembling a small bird’s beak. It was also strikingly red, as if something had been applied to it.

“……”

There was no denying it—he had a face that drew attention.

“Mmm….”

Irok had been staring absentmindedly for a while when Do-won suddenly shifted in his sleep.

Snapping out of it, I-rok quickly unbuckled his seatbelt and reached over to wake Baek Do-won.

“Do-won, wake up.”

“…….”

“We’ve arrived. We’re home.”

I-rok lightly tapped Baek Do-won’s shoulder, then shook him gently, but he showed no signs of waking up.

“Baek Do-won. …Baek Do-won.”

“…Mm.”

That wasn’t a response. It was just sleep-talking.

Hadn’t he mentioned earlier that he had trouble waking up after drinking? Remembering those words, I-rok regretted letting him sleep.

Having no other choice, I-rok got out of the car first. He walked around to the passenger side, opened the door, unfastened Do-won’s seatbelt, and pulled him up. Draping one of Do-won’s arms over his own shoulder, he helped him stand. Just as he was about to close the car door, Do-won’s unsteady body tipped forward, collapsing right into Irok’s chest.

“……Hah.”

Closing his eyes for a brief moment, I-rok let out a quiet sigh before tightening his hold around Dowon’s waist. He slammed the car door shut with a loud thud and started leading him into the officetel building.

As he pressed the elevator button, his hands briefly let go, and in that short moment, Do-won swayed again.

I-rok instinctively caught him, pulling him close before he could fall.

Do-won’s cheek ended up resting somewhere between I-rok’s collarbone and the nape of his neck. His limp arms and waist were secured by I-rok’s firm grip.

A fleeting, useless thought crossed I-rok’s mind—he has a surprisingly slender waist.

By the time that thought passed, they had arrived at the floor where their apartments faced each other. I-rok practically lifted Do-won out of the elevator.

“Baek Do-won. Baek Do-won, your door code.”

“…….”

“Baek Do-won. We’re home.”

There was no response. He clearly wasn’t waking up that easily. Instead, a faint, sleepy murmur tickled I-rok’s ear. Do-won’s small breaths brushed against his exposed neck repeatedly.

If he kept wrestling with him like this… something was bound to go wrong in one way or another.

Seeing no other option, I-rok brought Baek Do-won into his own apartment instead.

He tossed his car keys and bag aside and lifted Do-won up, carrying him to the bed. As soon as he was laid down, Do-won smacked his lips in contentment, as if he was pleased with the soft bedding.

“Hoo…”

Watching him, I-rok let out a deep sigh for reasons he couldn’t quite explain.

After removing Dowon’s shoes and setting them by the door, I-rok returned and ran a hand through his own hair in frustration.

I should take off his clothes.

He lifted the hem of Do-won’s hoodie slightly and found another T-shirt underneath. Deciding there was no need to hesitate, he grabbed the fabric and pulled.

The motion automatically made Dowon’s arms lift above his head as if he were surrendering. The hoodie got briefly caught at his head but otherwise came off without much struggle. I-rok straightened the inside-out hoodie and draped it over a nearby chair.

“…Mm….”

When he turned his gaze back to Do-won, he froze for a second.

Do-won’s smooth stomach was fully exposed—the T-shirt had ridden up along with the hoodie.

Something felt stuck in I-rok’s throat, making him clear it awkwardly. He sat on the edge of the bed, hesitating for a moment before grabbing the hem of Do-won’s T-shirt.

“…….”

Then, suddenly, Baek Do-won’s eyes snapped open.

His previously shut eyelids lifted to reveal deep, dark pupils.

Caught off guard, I-rok’s hands stiffened mid-motion.

Is he awake?

“What… are you doing?”

“…….”

But his expression was slack, his voice sluggish. His arm flailed weakly in the air before dropping back down, and his half-lidded eyes suggested he was still drifting somewhere between drunkenness and sleep.

I-rok smirked and pulled Do-won’s shirt back down. Since he was wearing sweatpants, there was no need to remove anything else. Just as he was about to stand up—

“Why… do you keep laughing?”

Baek Do-won asked slowly.

I-rok blinked. Was I laughing again?

He was about to say, Because it’s funny. Just look at yourself, completely wasted, but before he could, Do-won spoke again.

“Why do you keep… making that face?”

“…….”

A vague question, repeated.

Something unexplainable swelled in I-rok’s chest, making him snap before he could stop himself.

“What kind of face am I making?”

What exactly did I do?

“Baek Do-won. What kind of face am I making?”

Do-won’s lips moved as if he were about to answer, then hesitated. His unreadable expression tested I-rok’s patience.

His eyes, on the verge of closing again, made I-rok call his name once more.

“Baek Do-won.”

He could have just let him sleep. That would have been the easy thing to do.

But for some reason, a strange stubbornness took hold of I-rok. He poked Do-won’s cheek, forcing him to look straight ahead.

Before he realized it, he had braced one arm against the bed, his body leaning over Do-won.

That was when Do-won finally lifted his heavy eyelids.

He looked at I-rok’s shadowed face, then suddenly let out a quiet chuckle.

“You keep staring at me….”

“…….”

“I can’t tell if my face is burning because of the alcohol or because you’re looking at me….”

His answer was, of course, ambiguous.

I-rok furrowed his brows.

Do-won laughed again, his weak fingertips barely brushing against I-rok’s cheek before falling away.

“See? You’re making such a… ha, really….”

“…….”

“A flustered face.”

Not like before—when Do-won looked at him with discomfort, with irritation, or with mild disdain.

This time, he looked… flustered.

Right. Baek Do-won—

“Looks so damn sexy—”

…was being uncharacteristically bold tonight.