Chapter 134

“...What? What are you talking about?”

Startled by Kwon’s icy expression, Yeonhoo asked in a trembling voice.

Kwon didn’t answer. He only stared at him, his face twisted into something strange.

Where had this even come from?

Why was he suddenly asking whether Yeonhoo was dying to be with Kang Miyoung?

While Yeonhoo hesitated, completely lost, Kwon’s mocking voice sliced sharply into his ears.

“Are you losing your mind because Kang Miyoung said she wants to be introduced to you? That excited?”

“Kwon Mieon, I honestly have no idea what you’re—”

“Look at your face. You’re so happy you’re about to burst.”

Kwon’s gaze fixed on Yeonhoo’s flushed cheeks as he began to sneer.

“How’d you stop yourself from running straight to her the second you heard she was interested in you? How’d you keep from bounding over there like a dog and confessing the moment she said she wanted to meet you, huh?”

Why was he suddenly acting like this?

“Why are you so pissed off? What did I do wrong?”

Why was Kwon glaring at him like that, driving him into a corner with a face full of irritation?

“How the fuck am I supposed to not be pissed?”

Yeonhoo flinched.

The truth was, it had never once occurred to him that Kwon might hate him.

Kwon had always been the one to approach first.

Even when he teased Yeonhoo, there had always been a quiet tenderness beneath it, a constant effort to look after him.

Even when Kwon got angry, he usually calmed down soon enough.

But this was different.

Yeonhoo had never imagined Kwon could look at him like this.

“You two are practically dying to get together. How the hell do you think that makes me feel?”

Behind the murderous look that seemed ready to smash everything in sight was an emotion Yeonhoo could recognize clearly.

Disgust.

And even someone as oblivious as Yeonhoo could figure out the reason.

“You... hate the idea of me getting together with your cousin that much?”

Kwon was angry.

“Of course I fucking hate it. Stop saying stupid shit, Yeonhoo.”

Because Kang Miyoung, the family member he cared about—

“You and Kang Miyoung are a fucking terrible match.”

—might end up with Mo Yeonhoo.

Kwon’s eyes were beyond cold. They were cruel.

The look he gave Yeonhoo was filled with such complete sincerity, as though warning him not to even dream of getting together with her, that the strange new feelings Yeonhoo had only just begun to recognize toward Kwon were instantly trampled into the mud.

Did he really think I was that lacking? Enough to swear at me like this?

Was Yeonhoo really such an awful person that Kwon couldn’t even bear to introduce him?

So awful the thought itself made him curse?

For some reason, Yeonhoo felt like there wasn’t even any self-esteem left to chip away at.

Without another word, he strode past Kwon and headed for the front door.

“Where are you going?”

Yeonhoo had just shoved his feet roughly into his shoes when Kwon grabbed his shoulder and spun him around.

Only then did all the hurt come rushing up at once. 𝘧𝓇ℯℴ𝓂

Even if Kwon disliked him—

even if he thought Yeonhoo wasn’t good enough—

did he really have to say it like that?

“...Yeonhoo.”

Did he really have to swear and tell him he and Kang Miyoung were such a horrible match?

“Are you crying?”

He wasn’t actually crying, but his face had crumpled into such a miserable, wronged little dumpling that Kwon paused.

Then, looking almost exasperated, he tugged Yeonhoo slightly toward himself.

“Why are you making that face over Kang Miyoung? You want me to introduce you that badly? Huh? You want things to work out with her so much that one comment from me saying you don’t suit each other makes you want to cry—”

Smack!

Yeonhoo slapped away the hand gripping his arm and glared at him.

Kwon looked down at the hand Yeonhoo had knocked aside and fell silent.

Yeonhoo hadn’t even hit him hard, yet Kwon curled his fingers inward as though he’d been badly hurt.

Yeonhoo finally spoke.

“...Kwon Mieon, you...”

His voice was thick with anger, frustration, and a hurt he couldn’t put into words.

“I hate you.”

He told Kwon he really hated him.

Then he whipped around.

Kwon immediately reached out to catch him, only to freeze at Yeonhoo’s vicious warning.

“Contact me and see what happens. I’m never seeing you again.”

Bang!

While Kwon hesitated, Yeonhoo stormed out without looking back.

The slam of the door echoed through the hallway.

Kwon stared blankly after him.

Then he sighed and dragged both hands down his face.

His expression tangled with frustration as he raked a hand through his hair. His lips moved soundlessly for a moment before his head dropped.

The face that had been so full of ferocity only moments ago—

“Why do you have to like her? Why...?”

—was suddenly drenched in misery.

And he remained like that for a long time.

******

“I’m pretty sure Korea’s more my style after all. Honestly, doing all those rounds was boring as hell, but damn, the food? The food was amazing. Breakfast needs soup. Soup.”

“.......”

“None of that bread, soup, ham crap. A proper filling meal in the morning is so fucking good. And the water there was amazing too—look at my skin. Seriously, I—hey. Mo Yeonhoo. Are you even listening to me?”

“...Huh?”

Yeonhoo had been sitting blankly across from Park Taekyun while he rambled away.

Only when Taekyun tapped him did Yeonhoo finally look up as though coming back to his senses.

“What the hell have you been thinking about this whole time? You haven’t heard a word I said. And you’re the one who called me out.”

“Ah, sorry....”

Anyone watching might have assumed Taekyun had dragged Yeonhoo out.

In reality, Yeonhoo was the one who had called Taekyun after he returned from Jeju Island yesterday.

But Yeonhoo had been acting strange all evening.

He barely listened to Taekyun and kept messing around on StarGram instead.

What the hell is he doing?

Taekyun casually peeked at his screen.

What he saw only made Yeonhoo seem even stranger.

K >. ...

rnjsaldjs47

Yeonhoo stared at someone’s DM window, exited it, then opened it again.

Over and over.

Nova Café

cafe_NoVa.

Then he refreshed some café’s DM window.

He sighed deeply.

Drank like a maniac.

Then repeated the exact same routine.

Taekyun watched the whole thing with increasing bewilderment.

“What happened? Why won’t you say anything? You’re just sitting there drinking yourself stupid. You okay?”

Yeonhoo slumped back in his chair.

He normally held his liquor well, but he’d clearly had far too much tonight. His face was a wreck, and he was visibly drunk.

Looking at him, Taekyun quietly sighed as the grim realization set in that he was definitely going to be responsible for getting Yeonhoo home tonight.

“Hey, you know....”

“Yeah?”

“...Do you think I’m kind of a shitty guy too?”

Finally, Taekyun thought he was about to hear what was actually wrong.

Then Yeonhoo continued in a thoroughly dejected voice.

“Like, so awful you wouldn’t even introduce me to your sister?”

Taekyun blinked at the bizarre question.

“What are you talking about? Who said you were shitty?”

“Just... if you had a sister, I was wondering whether you’d have a hard time introducing me to her.”

What the hell?

What had someone said to him?

Taekyun blinked, then tilted his head.

“I’m asking because I don’t know the situation here. Did you ask somebody to introduce you to their sister?”

“No.”

“Then?”

“But the situation was kind of similar....”

“Ah.”

So that was it.

Taekyun finally seemed to get the picture.

He grinned and threw an arm around Yeonhoo’s shoulders.

“Why are you getting all depressed over that? That’s basically universal bro code. No matter how close you are, the second someone starts talking about your sister, you’re automatically like, Uh, no thanks.”

“...Really?”

“Yeah. Obviously.”

He was about to tell Yeonhoo to stop worrying about it and just have fun tonight.

Then the next question made him freeze.

“So is it normal to say just imagining the two of them together makes you feel fucking sick, that they’re a goddamn terrible match, swear your head off at them, and then completely cut contact?”

“...What? No. Usually not that far.”

“Right.”

“You’d normally just say it indirectly.”

“Right....”

Yeonhoo’s face instantly turned miserable again.

He picked up his drink and drained more of it.

It had already been a full week since he’d stormed out of Kwon’s apartment.

Not one message had come in during that entire time.

Considering how obsessively Kwon had contacted him before, the fact that everything had stopped dead could only mean one thing.

Kwon had cut him off.

How could he actually cut me off?

Yeonhoo felt hurt and wronged.

Was he really that terrible?

Was imagining Yeonhoo and Miyoung together really disgusting enough to make Kwon curse him out like that?

Okay, fine, I know I’m kind of a flirt...!

As a family member, Kwon might understandably find Yeonhoo’s obsession with women gross.

But I wasn’t even thinking about Ms. Miyoung in the first place! Does he even know who I was actually thinking about?

That made it even more unfair.

Yeonhoo hadn’t asked Kwon to introduce him to Miyoung even once.

If just imagining me with his cousin disgusted him that much, he would’ve hated me even more if I’d told him I was getting weird feelings whenever I looked at him.

Hate him?

Kwon probably would’ve beaten him to death.

The certainty of it made Yeonhoo’s emotions surge, and he reached for more alcohol.

“Hey, slow the fuck down! Mo Yeonhoo!”

Forget it.

He’d drink until he died.

Taekyun stared in horror as Yeonhoo began pouring alcohol into himself like he was trying to empty the entire bar.

Then—

“...Mo Yeonhoo?”

A platinum-blond man seated at another table stood at the commotion and walked over.

“What the hell?”

With a soft whistle, he suddenly grabbed Yeonhoo by the shoulder and hauled him upright.

“Whoa, who are you?”

“Hey. Long time no see.”

Taekyun moved to stop the stranger.

Even through the dizziness of all the alcohol he’d consumed, Yeonhoo’s expression went rigid.

A masculine cologne mixed with the scent of grass.

And when Yeonhoo lifted his head—

he saw narrow, elongated eyes staring at him from a face leaning in close.

“Been a while, Mo Yeonhoo.”

It was Seunghwan Lee.

Notes

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