Chapter 26: Why Are You Avoiding Me?

After finishing his shower and towel-drying his hair, Han-geon tossed the towel into the laundry basket.

He glanced toward the sofa.

Eun-gyeol had already emptied his glass of ade and was lying down comfortably, reading a comic.

Even his fingertips—turning the pages with a faint smile—shone under the fluorescent light.

“…I’ll just look at the script.”

There was nothing better than work for getting rid of useless thoughts.

Sitting down on the floor near the sofa, by Eun-gyeol’s legs, Han-geon held out his hand.

“Bring me the script.”

“I finished it already.”

Eun-gyeol answered in an indifferent tone without looking up from his comic.

Han-geon stared at him, dumbfounded.

“What?

You said you wanted me to look at your script, so I ran back up here.”

“You believed that?

I always go through the script alone.”

It was ridiculous.

He was unbelievable at times.

“Hey… I thought it was urgent, so I rushed up.

I could’ve had a drink with my uncle.”

Eun-gyeol finally lifted his gaze from his comic and gave Han-geon a haughty look.

He flicked his eyes toward his own legs on the sofa, telling him to come up.

Han-geon shook his head, but the silent little signal continued.

Letting out a sigh, Han-geon plopped down on the sofa.

He had been hoping to minimize physical contact, but apparently that wasn’t happening.

Eun-gyeol shifted positions—turning his body so his head settled directly on Han-geon’s firm thigh.

Soft hair spread across his bare skin.

Damn it.

He really should’ve worn long pants… but it was summer, so he had automatically thrown on shorts again.

“So… were you disappointed?”

Eun-gyeol reached up and teasingly stroked Han-geon’s prominent Adam’s apple.

It wasn’t uncomfortable, but it was impossible to ignore.

Trying not to show he was flustered, Han-geon grabbed his wrist and pulled his hand away—but the hand came right back, lightly touching his neck again.

“Yeah.

I was disappointed, idiot.”

“He’s my father, not you.”

“What are you even talking about?

Anyway, don’t lie like that again.”

“No.”

A tiny breath of laughter escaped Eun-gyeol, floating lightly in the air.

“If I don’t lie, you won’t hurry back.”

“…”

He said it so casually, justifying his deceit, yet somehow making Han-geon’s stomach flutter.

Feeling unreasonably ticklish inside, Han-geon grabbed the remote and turned on the TV.

They spent some quiet time like that.

The TV filled the room with sound that wasn’t loud enough to bother anyone.

Eun-gyeol read his comic while resting on Han-geon’s lap, and Han-geon alternated between watching TV and checking his phone—reviewing tomorrow’s schedule even though he’d already memorized it.

About an hour passed before Eun-gyeol yawned lazily in the same position.

“I’m sleepy.”

“Then go to bed.

You need to rest for tomorrow’s schedule.”

“What do I have tomorrow?”

“Script reading in the morning.

After lunch, a meeting with the advertisers at two.

And an appointment at the aesthetic clinic in the evening.”

Instead of answering, Eun-gyeol yawned again and slowly sat up.

Because the place was a small studio apartment, just a few steps brought him to the bed.

He flopped onto it like it was his own house.

“Han-geon, come sleep with me.”

He patted the empty space beside him.

Han-geon shook his head.

“No.

It’s too small.”

How could two grown men sleep on a super single bed?

They’d gone through this argument countless times, and every time, Eun-gyeol stubbornly insisted.

But to be fair, Han-geon kept arguing even though he knew it wouldn’t work either.

“I’m turning off the lights.”

Hearing no response, he went ahead and switched off the light.

He dragged a thin blanket over and spread it out on the floor, tossing a spare pillow onto it.

The sight made Eun-gyeol’s face twist.

“Then I’m coming down too.”

“Go ahead.”

He didn’t think he would actually do it.

But Eun-gyeol really did drag the blanket and pillow down and plopped onto the floor.

Who knew what had rubbed him the wrong way this time—he was impossible to predict.

“What is this… fine, then I’m going back up.”

With a sigh, Han-geon started to climb back onto the bed.

“Han-geon.”

A hand grabbed his wrist from behind.

“Why do you avoid me?”

The faint orange glow of the streetlight outside cast just enough light to reveal the contours of Eun-gyeol’s face.

His low, subdued voice tightened around Han-geon’s ribs like a vice.

He wet his lips nervously.

“What are you talking about?

I’m always like this.”

“That’s exactly it.

Why are you always avoiding me?

Am I uncomfortable for you?”

“No—it’s just common sense.

Why would two grown men sleep stuck together?

Whether it’s the bed or the floor, it’s cramped.”

Even as he spoke, Han-geon prayed he sounded like a normal straight guy who simply didn’t like close sleeping arrangements.

He prayed it didn’t sound like he was being weird.

Eun-gyeol inhaled quietly.

And exhaled.

The faint hairs along Han-geon’s cheek tingled.

Maybe it was the dark, but Eun-gyeol’s breathing sounded too close, too loud.

“…It hurts my feelings.”

“…What?”

“Every time you treat me like I’m just like everybody else, it hurts.

Han-geon.”

It was a line he’d said since they were little.

Whenever he saw Han-geon playing with another friend; whenever someone else joined them for tteokbokki they were supposed to eat together; whenever he overheard Han-geon telling someone else “let’s be close.”

He had always looked at him with those pleading black eyes, asking him to look only at him.

And Han-geon had always loved that about him.

Loved him.

From the beginning—before he even knew what the feeling was.

He had loved him his whole life.

But now they were adults.

Not that adulthood made him dislike Eun-gyeol’s clinginess—how could he?

He never could, and never would.

But he wanted to say that emotions that used to resolve everything when they were kids didn’t work that simply anymore.

“Am I not special to you?”

“Again with this—”

“Answer.

Don’t avoid it.”

It was an unfair question.

At least for Han-geon, it felt that way.

But Eun-gyeol’s quiet, wavering voice had a chill that didn’t match the season.

Not special?

If he had even the slightest clue about the feelings Han-geon had been hiding all these years, he wouldn’t ever ask that.

Letting out a long, heavy sigh from deep within, Han-geon forced himself to answer.

“…You’re special.”

He couldn’t say everything, so he chose the truth he could speak.

“You’re the most… special to me.”

A smile bloomed on Eun-gyeol’s face—so bright it showed even in the dark.

He had always needed verbal reassurance to calm down, just like when he was young.

“Okay.”

“Sigh… let’s go up.

The floor hurts your back.”

Defeated in his attempt at separate sleeping, Han-geon accepted reality and picked up his pillow.

Since they were going to sleep together anyway, the bed was better than the hard floor.

And judging by how readily Eun-gyeol climbed up too, he seemed pleased with the compromise.

They lay down, shoulders touching, exchanged a “good night,” and closed their eyes.

But Han-geon tossed and turned for a long time.

And though Eun-gyeol had looked sleepy earlier, he didn’t seem to fall asleep easily either.

After staring into the dark for a while, Han-geon finally worked up the courage to ask:

“Hey.”

“Mm.”

“I don’t know if I should be asking this but…”

Clearing his throat, he spoke hesitantly.

“…Your rut—how do you handle it?”

It was a question he had mentally prepared himself for.

He didn’t want to panic when it inevitably came.

He wanted to know beforehand, steel himself, and brace for what was coming.

Ideally, he wanted Eun-gyeol to just say “I take suppressants and get through it,” but… even he knew that was a selfish hope.

Despite the sudden question, Eun-gyeol laughed softly.

“Why do you want to know?”

“Well… I’m your manager now.

It feels like something I should know.”

“Hmm.”

He hummed instead of answering immediately.

Barely a few seconds passed, but the silence made Han-geon panic.

“If it’s too sensitive or you don’t want to answer now, you can tell me later.

Just—before your rut starts…”

“Han-geon.”

“Yeah?”

And then Eun-gyeol hit him with something he absolutely did not expect.

“Why were you smelling my clothes earlier?”