Chapter 13

Chapter 12.

Knowing it was a message sent to confirm if he was coming, there was no reason to stay any longer. As Lee Jun turned, Chaeheon quickly reached out.

“Wait.”

“Let go.”

Lee Jun forcefully swung his arm to pull it away. But Chaeheon gently gripped his arm, lowered it, and then stepped back, careful not to hurt Lee Jun. Chaeheon held up both hands to show he wouldn’t grab him, and his eyes curved into a smile.

Chaeheon gazed intently at Lee Jun’s pale face. He had just said something that would infuriate anyone, yet he seemed quite pleased. Come to think of it, Chaeheon smelled of pheromones and alcohol.

“You’re not going to say it was a mistake fueled by alcohol, are you?”

“What?”

Chaeheon acted as if he didn’t know what Lee Jun was talking about, then belatedly sniffed the scent clinging to his own body. He then scrunched his brows as if he had smelled something offensive. He had been fine with it until now, but suddenly…

“I’m not drunk. I went to a gathering, and these pheromones got on me unwillingly. I told them not to get it on me.”

Chaeheon brushed off his clothes, then paused and looked at Lee Jun.

“Don’t misunderstand. I didn’t meet anyone else.”

“Those kinds of feelings are exchanged when we’re in a relationship. What’s the reason you called me, then?”

“You’re very good at saying hurtful things.”

Chaeheon stopped brushing off his clothes. He had explained in detail precisely because he was worried about misunderstandings, but what was he supposed to do if Lee Jun acted like they were nothing to each other?

“I missed my Senior. We saw each other every day, so why shouldn’t we on Saturday? That’s why I contacted you, and here you are, doing such a lovely thing.”

“You… Do you really see me as a Senior?”

If he really saw him as just a Senior, he wouldn’t be saying things like ‘lovely thing’ or whatever.

At Lee Jun’s sigh, Chaeheon moved closer. In Chaeheon’s eyes, full of playful light, Lee Jun couldn’t shake the regret of having come at all.

“To me, Lee Jun Senior is exactly that—beautiful and cool.”

Since things were like this, he thought it was better to just settle the matter from the Club IN incident. They had already spent nearly a week together, and further entanglement would only prolong their mutual discomfort. Lee Jun gathered his Cardigan, which had spread open in the night breeze, and looked up at Chaeheon, startled.

When had he gotten so close? And his lips, which had just been smiling, were now a straight line, as if his smile had been an illusion. The atmosphere had changed in an instant, even his slightly furrowed brows, and Lee Jun stared blankly, unable to adjust.

“What is this smell?”

Lee Jun missed his timing to respond to the suddenly irritable words. Chaeheon had been happy to see him waiting In Front of Lee Jun’s House, but now he was sensitive about the smell.

Lee Jun grumbled that he was truly an unpredictable person, then pulled his Cardigan to his nose to check what the smell was. He wondered if it smelled like a mop, but he had changed into clothes given by Park Geon-u. Or perhaps it was because his sweat had cooled, he thought, trying to distance himself, but Chaeheon closed the gap as much as he created.

“You said it smells, so stay away.”

“Whose clothes are these?”

He was about to ask if there was any need to come so close, but Chaeheon’s words were unexpected.

“I asked whose clothes they are.”

Chaeheon repeated it, articulating clearly as if Lee Jun hadn’t understood, which made Lee Jun suspect Chaeheon was looking for a specific answer.

“My clothes.”

“Lies.”

Lee Jun, on the contrary, looked at Chaeheon strangely. It was natural to find it strange since he was acting as if he knew all of Lee Jun’s clothes.

“Why are you picking a fight over someone else’s clothes?”

“Enough. Take off those clothes first.”

Lee Jun swallowed a short sigh. He knew it would come to this. The squabbles with Chaeheon had been more than ten times by now. Why am I doing this with him? he thought, turning his head towards Chaeheon.

“No.”

“I’ll give you my clothes, so take those off.”

Lee Jun closed his mouth, thinking further conversation would be futile. He just glared at Chaeheon, neither taking off his clothes nor going home. It was Chaeheon who ended the meaningless confrontation first.

Chaeheon turned as if he wouldn’t look at Lee Jun, making him wonder if he was going straight home, but he opened the door and made no move. He was just quietly staring at Lee Jun, which meant for Lee Jun to go inside.

“Let’s have a drink.”

“What are you really doing? Do you want to hang out with me? Should I be your friend?”

“Today, alcohol and a friend.”

Chaeheon replied calmly. Then, he urged Lee Jun, who was still standing his ground, to come in with a nod of his head. Lee Jun just replayed his regret that today was truly not his day.

“I’m leaving.”

“Stay the night.”

Lee Jun’s face hardened as if he had heard something unbelievable.

“I’m going.”

“It’s late.”

“Is the lateness of the hour important?”

“No.”

As Lee Jun looked up at him, Chaeheon’s lips twisted into a smirk.

“It’s because I’m worried Senior might stray. You came to me wearing clothes steeped in someone else’s scent—how can I trust you and let you go?”

So that’s how he knew it was someone else’s clothes.

No, but the more he thought about it, the more absurd it was. He was the one who first smelled someone else’s pheromones, yet Chaeheon dismissed it as nothing, but then reacted sensitively to the scent on Lee Jun.

How brazen can he be?

“What do clothes have to do with anything?”

“If you’re going to meet someone else, it’s unfair to me.”

Chaeheon deliberately lowered the ends of his brows, looking sorrowful.

“I’m quite pure in my affections, you know.”

“Right.”

Lee Jun vaguely replied, trying to dismiss it. Meaning, whether he harbored pure affection or romantic love, it was none of his business.

“I keep having strange thoughts, like if you’re meeting some other guy besides me…”

“Stop it. We’ve already broken up. Who I meet has nothing to do with you.”

Lee Jun bit his teeth. Swallowing the surge of anger, he tried to push away Chaeheon, who was reaching out to him. But his shoulder was tightly grasped in Chaeheon’s hand. Chaeheon’s movement, just as he was gripping Lee Jun’s shoulder, stopped.

“It hurts my feelings when you say that.”

Chaeheon’s low murmur flowed through his hand and into Lee Jun’s shoulder. Soon, his fingertips slowly crept up from the shoulder. It was a light touch, yet Lee Jun felt a sticky, swamp-like sensation and simply gave up trying to understand why. If he let his every nerve react to Chaeheon’s fingers lingering on his shoulder, he might get swept away by Chaeheon’s flow.

If he was drawn in further here, it would be neither one thing nor the other…

“I told you I still like Senior, did you forget? I said I want to start over.”

Whether it was Chaeheon’s whispering voice or his fingers, which had somehow climbed up to his neck and were toying with him, Lee Jun’s lips parted as goosebumps rose. Chaeheon leaned in, his head brushing Lee Jun’s neck, then pulled back, muttering a useless phrase like, “Still, the clothes are the problem.”

“I have no intention of doing that with you.”

Putting that aside, Lee Jun knew this was his chance to tell Chaeheon to keep his distance.

“Why? You liked it when we were dating. Those feelings are still with me, which is why I’m clinging to Senior so pathetically—do you hate me that much?”

The problem, however, was having to constantly reel Chaeheon back in from his tangents.

“Think whatever you want. I only have one thing to say. Stop approaching me at school. Let’s go back to how things were. Honestly, there’s no reason for you to hang around with me like this. What do you have to gain from this? Do you want revenge on me? Will you back off if I give in?”

Lee Jun continued speaking, even as he saw Chaeheon’s eyes darken. In his uncharacteristic, almost shocked gaze, Lee Jun realized this might be his last chance to push him away.

He somewhat flattered Chaeheon while putting himself down. Someone insignificant like him, who was older and lacked social skills.

“Alright.”

Chaeheon readily accepted.

“Then, starting Monday…”

“Let’s date.”

…He really only hears what he wants to hear.

“Did you properly hear what I said? That’s not what I said.”

Lee Jun’s eyes, wide with sudden anger, blinked in surprise. He unconsciously avoided Chaeheon’s gaze, but Chaeheon’s expression lingered like an afterimage.

‘What was that?’

For a moment, he was startled by the smiling face, eyes narrowed as if they had returned to the past. And why were his eyes so tender?

He was even more flustered because he had been particularly sensitive lately. Lee Jun forcibly swallowed a rising sigh. Well, were they even on good terms before they dated? Chaeheon was only affectionate and gentle when they were lovers; it wasn’t his original personality.

Moreover, after seeing a completely different side of him at Club IN, Chaeheon had been showing an even wider range of expressions. The man who had been gentle only with Lee Jun now wore a sly smile, expertly belittling and looking down on people. Having seen that, Lee Jun should have avoided him even more…

‘It was my fault for coming here in the first place.’

He knew it was a tiger’s den and still came, so whatever Chaeheon did, he couldn’t entirely blame him. He knew, but. His mouth felt bitter, and Lee Jun subtly ran his tongue over his palate. Knowing didn’t mean he would give up everything as if surrendering.

“Why would I date you again?”

“You haven’t deleted my number yet?”

“…”

He had. He just remembered the number. Because Chaeheon asked so naturally, Lee Jun couldn’t answer immediately. He had a premonition that he would be swayed by Chaeheon all night.