I kept hiccuping, covering my mouth with my hand and rolling my eyes. Then, at some point, my body would shake as I hiccupped. I was ashamed of the overly cute sound coming from my throat. My face flushed.
Mo Taehee sighed softly as he watched me and then moved. Mo Taehee was such a sweet guy, so I could predict his next move. Yeah, he'll get water.
As expected, I heard the sound of water pouring from the water purifier. The sound of water trickling into the cup. I was still covering my mouth, trying my best not to make a sound as I hiccuped.
Soon, Mo Taehee placed the water in front of me.
"Drink."
"...Th, thanks- hic."
Ha... I tried to hide my face, which must have been red from the heat, and lifted the glass. I emptied the glass in one go and waited for a moment. But the damn hiccups, as if mocking me, popped out again with a hic sound.
"I, I- to my room... Jaehoon—hic."
I couldn't even finish my sentence and jumped up. Muttering something about going to my room.
"Doesn't this usually stop when you get startled again?"
Nam Kangwoo muttered casually. Nam Kangwoo, who had gotten up in an instant, kissed my lips. This crazy bastard!
His lips, which had lightly touched and then moved away, stuck to mine again, thickly. I really froze like a stone. Seriously... I wish someone would please tell me why these terrible trials keep happening to me.
Just as the kiss was about to begin in earnest with a smacking sound, Mo Taehee forcefully pulled Nam Kangwoo and me apart.
"You crazy bastard."
"Why? Ha Yeoul's hiccups stopped."
Nam Kangwoo smiled listlessly. Yeah, they stopped. Ha...
I scrubbed my lips with the back of my hand. These guys, seriously...
"You guys, seriously... why are you doing this to me..."
"Ha Yeoul."
"Yeoul-ah."
It was as if I was the main character in these guys' love triangle. Originally, the three of them should have been fighting over Park Min-ah.
"I... I... please, just leave me alone..."
I uttered a line that a tragic heroine might say. It gave me chills in a different way.
"I was going to talk when Seo Jaehoon got here."
At Nam Kangwoo's words, I stopped rubbing my lips and lifted my head. Okay, let's hear what it is.
I still looked at Nam Kangwoo with my mouth covered. But Mo Taehee opened his mouth first.
"Are we going to share him?"
At Mo Taehee's question, Nam Kangwoo smiled with a truly delighted face. What is it? What are we sharing?
"I want to have him all to myself."
"Then there's no need to talk. Let's play individually."
I just listened to Mo Taehee and Nam Kangwoo's incomprehensible conversation. What are they doing? Is it a game...?
"If by any chance you, I, and Jaehoon each get him once, then we'll share him fairly."
"If Ha Yeoul wants that."
Their gazes turned to me. What are we sharing? No, more than that, what are we getting? Am I getting something too...?
"Am I... am I getting something too?"
At my stupid question, they both showed a strange smile that I couldn't understand.
"Maybe. You can pick and choose."
"The best one. You've already set the guidelines, Ha Yeoul."
These guys were talking about things only they knew again. I was standing alone in the middle of the living room like a fool, not knowing what was going on. I felt a chill for an unknown reason.
I was led into my room by Nam Kangwoo's hand. My roommate 1, who kindly put me in my room, didn't forget to leave the door wide open and spouted nonsense about going into a room where the door closes if I wanted to close it. Asshole. I want to close my door. And he said he'd close it halfway.
I sat alone on the bed, staring meaninglessly at the brightly visible outside. I felt dirty, but I didn't know why.
Seo Jaehoon, who came home late, heard that word that only I couldn't understand and nodded, saying, "Fair play." How did that moron understand?
Along with the curiosity, I felt annoyed, wondering what they were doing that involved individual play and fair play. Is it a game? Maybe it's a mind game, and I'm the only one who doesn't know because I have no clue.
I thought about what it could possibly be that I could share equally with the three of them if I wanted to. I tried to recall the situation from earlier in an attempt to come up with something, but nothing really came to mind.
So, those crazy bastards... what is it that I'm getting with them... and that I can even choose?
"Ah..."
I was about to go crazy with curiosity. While I was sitting on the edge of the bed, immersed in thought, the phone on the bedside table next to the bed flashed. The light was glaring. My gaze was naturally drawn to it, and Park Min-ah suddenly came to mind.
I had a feeling it was definitely Park Min-ah. Probably.
[Yeoul-ah, how are you feeling? Our semester starts in two weeks; how about we all go somewhere together before that?]
As expected. Confirming the sender was exactly as I'd expected, I unknowingly opened my mouth wide at Park Min-ah's message that filled the screen.
Yes, yes. I totally like it. History is made at night, they say. If we're going before the semester starts, next week is the only option...
I imagined the distant next week. Of course, it would be an overnight trip. Even though the losers would be with us, if I could go somewhere with Park Min-ah, I didn't care about that.
[Yeah, I'm fine. Did you get home okay? I feel bad that I couldn't see you off properly.]
[That's great. Where should we go? Let's go wherever you want to go, Min-ah.]
I sent two messages in a row. I need to express my feelings more, but I don't know how. Is my tone okay? I read the messages I sent several times and waited for Park Min-ah's reply.
[Let's go to Taehee's condo. We used to go there every year before the semester started. Ah, Yeoul, you didn't go, did you?]
Seeing that Park Min-ah didn't even remember me going, it seems like I've never been there. Since it's a memory I don't know well either, I vaguely skipped over the answer and moved on.
[I'll talk to Taehee and set up a schedule. Get some rest and let's meet up soon^^]
I smiled like this. Just like a real emoticon. It felt like my eyes were crinkling.
Mo Taehee came into my room just as I was holding my phone and smiling, and he could see it too well from the outside.
"Yeoul-ah, what's so fun?"
Mo Taehee took big strides, as long as his legs, and approached quickly. He naturally sat down next to me and stared intently at the phone that was still on over my shoulder.
"Condo", Mo Taehee muttered.
"Shall we go?"
"Huh? Ah, yeah. Min-ah wants to go."
"What about you, Yeoul? Do you want to go?"
"Me? Uh... I... yeah... I want to go too..."
"Okay, then let's go. I'll tell them we're using it. We'll have to get separate rooms."
I was a little puzzled by Mo Taehee's casual answer. Separate rooms for the number of people? We're all four guys, and only Park Min-ah is a girl, so we only need to get one more room, right? I tilted my head and vaguely mumbled that I wanted to go to the condo that I didn't even remember.
"They're trying to meet up separately."
Even though my mind was half-gone to the condo I'd never been to, I clearly heard Mo Taehee's mutterings. Ah, this scary bastard...
I still turned the brightly lit phone upside down on the bed and turned my head. It's scary and a little uncomfortable to make eye contact with Mo Taehee, but I can't avoid it forever.
"C, could you close the door a little when you leave? Huh?"
I said a little pathetically. I think my voice trembled a little.
"Smile."
"Huh?"
"Smile like you did earlier. Then I'll close it."
Mo Taehee reached out his hand, which was like a pot lid, and cupped my cheek. Then he pressed down on one part and took it off, adding.
"Yeoul doesn't know about the dimple that appears on his cheek, does he?"
His low voice echoed. Damn, of course I don't know. I need to have memories of smiling here to know.
"So smile, Yeoul-ah. Let me see it again."
At Mo Taehee's words, which sounded eerie, I forced my lips to stretch. Forcibly, I faintly smiled, and Mo Taehee poked the dimple that was dented in one corner of my cheek with his fingertips.
"Pretty."
This crazy bastard... Even though I was making a face with my lips stretched out with a stiff face, Mo Taehee looked at me with a face that was seeing something good again. This bastard and that bastard, the moment we're left alone, the genre instantly changes from romance to thriller.
Sweat filled the palms of my hands, which were neatly placed on my thighs. I wanted him to take his hands off and leave now, but Mo Taehee was still caressing my cheek.
"Yeoul-ah."
"...Uh-huh?"
"Yeoul-ah, but."
"Do you like Park Min-ah?"
Sometimes, when Mo Taehee said something, I felt like my heart was dropping to the floor in a different sense, and this was one of those moments.
The words that came out as if he knew too well that I didn't like Park Min-ah... hit the nail on the head, but the pitch, expression, and tone of his voice were so... so scary. I couldn't think of a more accurate expression than scary.
"Huh? Of course. I Min-ah... I like Min-ah! Really... really."
"Really?"
I nodded my head as hard as I could while Mo Taehee was holding my face. Mo Taehee cupped my cheeks with his big hands and moved his thumb to stroke my lips. With a face that wanted to do something else. A shiver ran down my spine at the thickly stroking touch.
"We liked Min-ah too."
"...Uh... Ah, I know... I know..."
"You know?"
Mo Taehee's question was strange. It seemed to imply, "How do you know that?"
No, more than that, Mo Taehee's words were strange.
"...liked."
Liked? Why is it in the past tense? Clearly, the four of us, including me, should like Park Min-ah. Even if I don't, the three of them should still feel that way.
I lifted my eyes, which had been directed towards Mo Taehee's chin.
"Yeoul-ah."
"...Yeah?"
"I think I know too well what you're thinking."
My mouth opened on its own. It seemed that Mo Taehee had noticed my brilliant plan to date Park Min-ah.
"Rest. As Min-ah said, It'll be busy soon because the semester is about to start."
"Ah..."
______
(t/n : unlock full chapters on my Ko-Fi💙)
Comments Box