Chapter 60

Chapter 59.

When the weekend was over and Lee Jun went to school, he was nervous, unable to predict how Chaeheon would react. Considering what he had done to Chaeheon, it would be best if they pretended not to know each other. Like that first day they met again, when Lee Jun had ignored him, and Chaeheon hadn’t approached him… would that distance be maintained?

Sitting in his seat, Lee Jun felt isolated, as if he was the only one who had experienced so much, while everything else seemed unchanged.

He waited for Haein on the weekend, and when weekdays came, he thought of Chaeheon. He had been too harsh to him, who had done nothing wrong. It would be best if Chaeheon ignored him and left. But what if he had been hurt by Lee Jun’s words?

Could he… meet his eyes? The apology swelling up to his chin made Lee Jun force himself to breathe.

If they had never met in the first place, would this not have happened? Would he not have had to go through such a suffocating experience? What if he hadn’t come to this school at all? What if he hadn’t gotten involved with Chaeheon at all…?

The more hypothetical scenarios he added, the more Lee Jun felt his heart tighten. Feeling this anxious and thinking about Chaeheon was better than imagining them as complete strangers.

Yes, it was better to have met him, even if it brought pain. So, if he could go back in time, he would rush to Chaeheon again.

‘Are you very shy? Come here, Junior.’

He recalled the very first time he met Chaeheon, long ago. If he could truly go back to the past, he would wait and wait for that moment.

Once he started thinking about Chaeheon, memories with him flooded back uncontrollably. Chaeheon had approached him, calling him a freshman or transfer student, and then there was the period when they didn’t even greet each other. Then, becoming part of the same group, they fiercely debated. When did things start to get strange…?

‘Senior, you look different when you smile.’

That was the beginning of their changing relationship, when he brought up something other than their assignment.

‘When did you get my number?’

They had never exchanged contact information, yet his number was saved. Lee Jun was dumbfounded and confronted him, but Chaeheon raised an eyebrow, then curved it into a smile.

‘Senior, when you concentrate, you don’t even notice who’s sitting next to you.’

Only after Chaeheon leaned in close did Lee Jun realize that pheromones were flowing. Knowing that the man who had been so prickly with him was now looking at him with different intentions, Lee Jun’s heart tightened.

‘I stared at you so intently, but you didn’t notice. And taking your phone was something I did right in front of you, so there’s no problem.’

His brazen attitude, claiming it was fine because he did it right in front of him, left Lee Jun speechless.

‘Should we stay like this? If you want, I’ll hug you.’

Chaeheon, who had closed the distance to an uncomfortable degree and seemed determined not to move until there was a clear reason to, openly admired Lee Jun’s face. As the gaze grew increasingly burdensome, Lee Jun couldn’t help but say something.

‘Are you interested in me?’

Chaeheon’s raised eyebrow made Lee Jun smile faintly. Looking back, while people’s eyes conveyed many meanings, Chaeheon seemed to be the first person whose eyebrows moved so expressively.

It wasn’t strange and was pleasant to see, but he dismissed it as a fleeting observation.

‘Want to drink?’

‘What are you trying to do?’

Finally, Lee Jun, unable to bear it, retorted sharply. Considering that he wouldn’t react this strongly to others, Lee Jun failed to recognize that he had already been thoroughly swayed by Chaeheon.

‘Why am I here?’

‘Don’t you remember? You drank yesterday and slept here.’

‘Only slept?’

‘Hmm…’

As Chaeheon awkwardly averted his gaze, Lee Jun’s eyes wavered, darting left and right. Although he tried not to express his confusion to Chaeheon, he subconsciously clutched his head, trying to piece together his memories.

Lee Jun’s even teeth showed, and he bit his lower lip.

‘Biting it like that probably isn’t good.’

‘My mind is already a mess, what are you trying to say…’

‘Senior, your lips are very red.’

Why would he say such things? And why was he so endlessly gentle with me? Chaeheon gently swept Lee Jun’s hair back.

‘From now on, only drink with me. Got it?’

Chaeheon belatedly made an “Ah” sound and looked back. He saw Lee Jun’s confused expression but feigned ignorance, flashing a fresh smile.

‘I changed your clothes.’

Only then did Lee Jun look down at his clothes. And as he lifted his head as if enchanted, Chaeheon was smiling with his eyes, as if genuinely amused.

‘Are we still nothing to each other?’

Chaeheon muttered to himself, wondering what was lacking. Soon, his voice rose as if he understood.

‘Ah, is it because we haven’t slept together?’

Why didn’t you say so sooner? With a look that suggested “Should we do it right now?”, Lee Jun raised his voice.

‘Are you actually crazy?’

Chaeheon leaned his upper body towards Lee Jun. At Chaeheon’s sudden, unexpected approach, Lee Jun was pushed back, lying down.

‘I want to kiss you.’

At Chaeheon’s blunt confession, Lee Jun’s eyes narrowed. Chaeheon tilted his head, so close that their lips were almost touching.

‘Say that, and I’ll do it.’

At Chaeheon’s provocation, Lee Jun could do nothing but chew on his lips. Then, Chaeheon brought his head even closer to Lee Jun.

The close distance narrowed further, and Chaeheon’s lips parted at a precarious distance, almost touching Lee Jun’s. Each time his lips moved forward, they brushed Lee Jun’s lips like a feather.

‘I want to sleep with you.’

Say that too.

“He was truly consistent. Consistently making moves on me.”

Why had he only realized it now? Lee Jun unconsciously smiled. Even though they had broken up and time had passed, why had he forgotten…?

Lee Jun chuckled, trying to guess the reason.

“It’s understandable to forget.”

Chaeheon had been so gentle after they started dating, leaving a sweet mark on him.

Every moment with Chaeheon brought different emotions. He was dumbfounded, felt regret, was overwhelmed with anger, and then thrilled enough to make his heart pound.

Gathering these fragments of moments, each feeling distinct, revealed a single, common meaning.

Preciousness.

His time with Chaeheon was so precious, unforgettable for a lifetime.

“Ha…”

He stupidly realized now that his feelings for Chaeheon weren’t just about liking him. It was simply that every moment they spent together was precious and missed.

Even the moments when he hadn’t liked Chaeheon were unforgettable days…

This made it even more awkward to see Chaeheon’s face. His heart, which had been tightening numbly for a while, felt like it could burst at any moment.

“Should I hide my face…?”

So, Lee Jun, deep in his own useless yet serious contemplation, gradually lost his expression as the professor entered and class began.

Chaeheon didn’t come to class.

“This is the personnel appointment that will be announced on Wednesday. The position will be Managing Director.”

Chaeheon picked up the paper and saw his name.

“Managing Director in the automotive division, huh… That’s the affiliate my uncle was in charge of.”

“That’s right.”

So this was the reason for all the fuss this morning. That one Contract had cost his uncle’s side many positions.

In contrast, about half of his father’s line had survived.

It was just a comparison of who lost less, but it made him smile anew.

“This is big trouble. I’ll have to hide if my uncle shows up from now on.”

How much he must hate me.

Though he said he’d hide, Chaeheon, with no real intention of doing so, put down the paper and replied professionally.

“Make it an Intern position for me.”

“An Intern… position?”

The Executive Secretary acted perplexed. He already knew Chaeheon was going to an executive position, so he wondered why he was changing it now. But Chaeheon didn’t change his mind.

“I can move up anytime, right? So for now, an Intern is enough.”

“In that case, I will keep the Managing Director position open.”

“Do that.”

The Executive Secretary suggested his own compromise, which was accepted, as he didn’t know when Chaeheon might change his mind.

“What about school?”

“Leave it be. I’m still deciding whether to start as an Intern or attend until the first semester is over.”

What he had promised his grandfather, the NK Chairman, was to join the Company anyway. Although the current situation made it seem like he had to go to the Company immediately, this was strictly Chaeheon’s choice.

“There’s still something I haven’t resolved.”

School wasn’t very important to him. It was merely a medium that allowed him to meet Lee Jun, nothing more, nothing less.

Chaeheon looked at the phone on the table. He wondered what Lee Jun would think, knowing he was absent today…

“He probably won’t completely ignore it.”

The Lee Jun he knew wasn’t the kind of person to do that. On the outside, he acted cold and indifferent to everything, but Chaeheon had seen how soft he truly was inside.

“So what would he be thinking?”

Would he be relieved that I didn’t show up, or would he feel disappointed?

Or even…

Would he want to see me?