S Chapter 89

“You applied for an overnight stay this weekend, didn’t you?”

His peer asked, eyes wide. His tone suggested surprise. Well, it made sense. This was the first time U-dam had applied for an overnight stay since enrollment.

U-dam slowly nodded his head. It was an affirmative.

“Girlfriend? Yah, damn it, tell me honestly. It’s a girl, right? You’re seeing a girl.”

“Go wash your feet and get some sleep.”

“Crazy. Wow… it’s true. It’s a girl. It really is a girl. This guy’s impossible. You’re being sneaky, meeting her alone?”

His peer pointed a finger, raising his voice.

“I told you to stop messing around.”

U-dam stared at his peer with an expression one might reserve for food waste. How could his thought process be like that, not even a beast? That bastard’s brain must only be filled with girls, girls, girls. What an idiot.

“Hey! Yang U-dam, this bastard’s a traitor! He’s meeting a girl!”

However, his peer, oblivious to U-dam’s inner thoughts, apparently resented U-dam for meeting a girl alone, so he soon opened the door and shouted. “Girl! He’s meeting a girl!” A booming voice, which had been silent as a dead mouse, echoed throughout the corridor. The impact was truly immense.

“What? A what?”

“Damn it, a girl?!”

“Breaking news!!”

“I knew that bastard would be like this. He’s living up to his looks, you know.”

Everyone opened their doors and rushed out, pouncing on U-dam. They vigorously shook his shoulders and showered him with envious curses. Then came the barrage of ‘Is she pretty?’ questions. It felt like his ears were bleeding.

Girls, my ass. I’m going to meet a guy who has the same thing you guys have. Happy now?

‘And pretty? That doesn’t even make sense. No matter how pretty Shin Jukyeong is…’

His annoyed mind, which had been seething, suddenly softened like pudding.

Shin Jukyeong, is he… pretty?

‘He’s not ugly.’

That’s right. Objectively, his looks weren’t bad. His skin was fair and clean without a single blemish, and his nose was straight and pleasing to the eye. Also, he felt it when they kissed, the upper lip was thin, the lower lip was plump and good for sucking…

Smack!

U-dam suddenly slapped his own cheek. He hit himself so hard that he stumbled and sat down with a thud.

At his sudden strange behavior, the people who had been clinging to him nervously backed away. But the most surprised was Yang U-dam himself. What was I just thinking? U-dam’s body stiffened like a stone. His thoughts were paralyzed by the shock.

“W-Were we too much?”

“Yah, this bastard’s cheek is super swollen. Does anyone have any medicine!”

“Did the inside of his mouth burst?”

“U-dam. Yang U-dam! Oh my, he’s out of it.”

Whatever those around him said, U-dam couldn’t hear it. His mind was solely…

‘Suck his lips?’

…filled with that sentence.

“U-dam, over here.”

Saturday, 6 PM. Is it right to meet someone of the same sex… and a younger brother at that, at such a golden hour? Shouldn’t it be normal to meet a lover or a potential girlfriend? U-dam continued with his utterly useless thoughts as he approached Shin Jukyeong.

He stood in front of a black sedan, wearing a long coat and smiling. Leisure flowed from him from head to toe. Meanwhile, someone (himself) had lost sleep because of him. Ah, it was annoying. U-dam felt somehow unfairly treated.

Then, the car Shin Jukyeong had arrived in suddenly caught his eye.

‘That car…’

It was a car he’d never seen before. It wasn’t the one Shin Jukyeong usually drove.

He suddenly noticed gasps of ‘Wow’ coming from his surroundings. The men were looking at the car, and the women were looking at Shin Jukyeong. The only commonality was the favorability they held for their respective targets.

‘Huh. Damn it? Why do I feel so dirty?’

U-dam turned his gaze from them once again and looked at Shin Jukyeong.

It was strange. Suddenly, truly suddenly, his mood plummeted as if it had been thrown to the ground.

“Let’s go. You must be hungry.”

“…”

U-dam pouted his lips and followed him.

The place they arrived at was a hotel located in the heart of Seoul.

‘A hotel?’

U-dam’s expression, as he stepped out of the passenger seat, became subtle. The hotel’s glittering lights reflected in his wide eyes. Though he hadn’t realized it, cold sweat seeped between his tightly clenched fists. Thump-thump-thump. His heart pounded so loudly he could hear it in his own ears.

‘Why is he taking me to a hotel, just the two of us?’

Just as his mind became complicated, Shin Jukyeong, with a familiar demeanor, handed over the car for valet parking and then extended his arm as if to escort him. Soon after, he retracted his arm with a ‘whoops’ expression and gave an awkward smile.

‘…What was that just now?’

His rampaging emotions, as if doused with cold water, instantly subsided.

“The dinner here is quite good. Thanks to an early reservation, I got a table with a nice view too.”

However, the foolish Shin Jukyeong was busy smiling, rambling only about what he had to say.

Smiling? Are you smiling right now? Whether dinner is good, or the view is nice…

‘How would you know that?’

He’s practically broadcasting that he’s been here often. U-dam’s fine brows furrowed instantly.

‘Are you spreading rumors that you’re a slut all over town? So you, a weakling, went around doing everything there is to do, huh?’

Now, regardless of whether it was a hotel or whatever, he just wanted to give up on everything and go back to the dormitory. He had deliberately made time to come, only to be treated like this; it was ridiculous. It was a precious Saturday evening at six! Originally, he would be in the dormitory… Uh. Damn it, there was nothing specific to do, but anyway…

‘It sucks.’

Due to U-dam’s thoroughly twisted mood, the two of them ate in utter silence. Clink, clank. Only the sound of cutlery moving could be heard.

In the midst of it all, Shin Jukyeong was remarkably natural. Should he say his aura was different? They were clearly sitting at the same table, eating in the same way, but something was different. To exaggerate a little, he looked like nobility, and U-dam looked like a commoner.

That must mean he’d been here that often.

‘Seriously, why did he even bring me here?’

Suddenly, he asked him out to eat alone on the weekend, and even brought him to a hotel.

Eventually, curiosity overcame everything. U-dam dropped his sulky attitude and pretended to be indifferent, asking him. The key point here was to give off the impression of ‘I’m not really interested, but since there’s nothing else to talk about, I’m asking to pass the time.’

“Why did we come here?”

“Huh?”

“I said, why did we come here?”

At U-dam’s question, Shin Jukyeong, who was just picking up a wine glass, stopped. He chewed and swallowed the food in his mouth, then picked up a napkin instead of the wine glass. He carefully wiped his mouth, then mumbled, “Uh…” dragging out his words.

U-dam put down the knife and fork he was holding. An awkward silence settled over their table.

‘What is it?’

It was U-dam who was flustered in return. An unexpected reaction had come back.

Shin Jukyeong, with reddened earlobes, averted his gaze out the window. If his eyes weren’t mistaken, he was 100% sure. Currently, Shin Jukyeong was embarrassed. He could tell, as Shin Jukyeong usually didn’t show much emotion.

‘Why on earth?’

U-dam was dumbfounded.

“Well, it’s just… I’ve never prepared something like this before, so it’s awkward.”

Shin Jukyeong mumbled his words.

Prepared something for the first time? What?

U-dam’s Adam’s apple greatly bobbed. He had forgotten, focused on the dirty feeling caused by Shin Jukyeong’s familiarity with hotels, but yes. That’s right. This place was a hotel. A hotel.

‘And an expensive dinner. An unusual demeanor.’

Huh?

Suddenly, a boasting remark from one of his peers came to mind.

‘If a guy books a hotel, buys dinner, huh? Then what is it? Only one thing! One thing! A confession!’

Damn it, no way.

‘Really?’

U-dam gasped, swallowing his breath. His pupils shook violently from side to side as if an earthquake had occurred. Whether Shin Jukyeong knew of his confusion or not, he was still stroking his nape, looking embarrassed. Then he glanced over, and opened his mouth as if he’d made a decision.

“Hey, U-dam… You see, why I asked you to dinner today is…”

What? Confessing already? I haven’t even thought about what to say yet?

“Your Coming-of-Age—”

“Re-restroom!”

Thud! With a loud noise, U-dam jumped up from the table. His booming voice echoed amidst the soft jazz music. Even the seasoned servers were so startled they almost dropped the water pitcher.

“Huh?”

“Restroom, uh. Yes. I’m in a hurry, I have to go to the bathroom, uh… uh. I’ll be right back.”

U-dam quickly left his seat. He felt many eyes following him, but he had no room to care about such things.

Of course. Shin Jukyeong was about to confess.

‘But why am I flustered?’

It’s not like Shin Jukyeong confessing is a new thing. He spouted “I like you,” “I love you,” “trust me,” and so on every day.

‘Is it because this is the first time he’s doing it so formally?’

Because he booked a hotel to seriously ‘have his way with’ me?

‘No. No, that’s not it. He’s pulled dirty tricks before, hasn’t he?’

U-dam hurriedly entered a bathroom stall and let out the breath he’d been holding.

Even trying to calmly organize his thoughts by leaning against the wall, it wouldn’t work. His heart was noisy, and his head kept jolting. Rational thought completely broke down. He felt like an idiot.

U-dam buried his face in his hands. Even self-hypnosis to calm down was useless. He was already… nervous.

‘So why are you nervous? You idiot.’