Chapter 57: The Line He Shouldn’t Cross

“Why aren’t you eating that part?”

Ji-tae tilted his head, asking if there wasn’t filling inside too.

“They say if you eat that, you’ll get sick.”

“…What kind of ancient superstition is that.”

Ji-tae scrunched his face, questioning why he still believed something that wasn’t even scientifically proven.

“Then the stuff inside is the same thing.

So that’s okay to eat?”

“Wow, you sound exactly like my mom.

How can you say it the exact same way?”

Wooju giggled.

Because of that, Ji-tae had no choice but to swallow whatever he was about to add.

“Is the fine dust low today or something.

I can see a few stars.”

With the ice pop between his lips, Wooju tilted his head back.

Against the black canvas of the sky, countless golden specks shimmered like drops of paint flicked from a brush.

It used to be such an ordinary sight when they were younger, but now even seeing a sky like this had become rare.

When he slowly closed his eyes, it felt like he could sense the air at the tail end of spring.

As if summer was just around the corner, the air carried a slight humidity.

When he squeezed the ice pop tightly, coldness seeped into his palm.

Moisture gathered on the damp plastic and dripped onto his pants.

It was somehow both nostalgic and familiar.

“…Wasn’t being my manager hard today?”

“Not really?

Well, I was a bit nervous at first.

It was totally different from the poster shoot.

I kept thinking, what if I mess up.”

“It’s just for a broadcast mission.

So what if you mess up.

The production team would probably think it’s even funnier.”

“Still, I don’t like being a burden.

And I don’t like making mistakes.”

Wooju bit the opening of the ice pop and sucked the contents in.

The chocolate-flavored ice cream inside cooled his throat pleasantly.

“And if I said it was hard, I’d get criticized.

You’re the one who actually worked hard.

I didn’t know you had to change clothes that many times for a photoshoot.”

“Today was just a bit like that.

It’s not usually that extreme.”

“Really?

Still, somehow……”

Whether he was thirsty or simply enjoying the cold sensation, the ice pop quickly emptied.

Ji-tae’s gaze drifted to the wooden bench beneath them.

Right beside him was Wooju’s large, pale hand.

The fact that they were sitting so close, their hips nearly touching, made him strangely aware.

The closer the distance, the more tension seemed to build instead.

“It was impressive.”

“Huh?”

“You and the staff too.

You all say it’s just how things are done, but to me it still looked impressive.

Um… how should I put it……”

Ji-tae kept scratching at the wooden stick of his ice cream with his nail.

If he didn’t do something, the ticklish sensation spreading through him felt like it might consume him and make him do something he shouldn’t.

“Ah!

You looked cool.”

At that moment, Wooju, who had been staring at the night sky, finally found the right word and turned his head with an excited expression.

Since Ji-tae had been watching his profile all along, meeting his eyes might have been inevitable.

A playful smile carrying sincere words.

For the first time in his life, Ji-tae felt something he couldn’t define.

It was different from the fluttering he usually felt around Kang Wooju.

It was unfamiliar, something of a different texture entirely.

He couldn’t even name it.

“Hey, that’s melting.”

Snapped out of it by Wooju’s voice, Ji-tae realized he had forgotten he was even holding something.

The melting ice cream was dripping pitifully, barely holding its shape before it fell.

Wooju grabbed Ji-tae’s hand and leaned forward.

“…Ah.”

Ji-tae bit down hard on his lower lip.

So hard that the part pressed by his teeth turned white.

Wooju tilted his head and caught the falling ice cream in his mouth.

The blue chunk disappeared instantly between his red lips.

“Wow, that almost fell.

Sorry for eating it.”

“It’s… fine……”

Wooju ran his tongue across his lower lip.

With that single motion, Ji-tae’s thoughts completely shut down.

He couldn’t even recall what he had been trying to name moments ago.

“Sleep well.”

“Yeah.”

They ended up getting home later than expected.

Between dinner and the ice cream afterward, time had slipped by.

Fortunately, Seon-hyeok didn’t say anything.

Watching Wooju head into his room, Ji-tae grabbed his clothes and went into the bathroom.

“Haah.”

The moment he locked the door, a sigh escaped him.

Standing under the hot water after undressing, he felt the fatigue melt away.

Maybe because it was the only place free from cameras, he always felt oddly at ease in the bathroom.

Pushing his wet hair back, Ji-tae replayed the day in his mind.

It was the first time he had shown someone what he looked like while working.

And the fact that that someone was Kang Wooju made it meaningful in many ways.

On top of that, there had been an unexpected gain.

They had eaten alone together.

He couldn’t even remember how long it had been.

He was glad Wooju had agreed so easily when he suggested ice cream.

People often described athlete Kang Wooju as sensitive, but that was something only those who didn’t know him would say.

Sure, when he was tired he could get a bit sharp, and sometimes he exploded like a ticking time bomb.

But Kang Wooju had a heart just as deep as that intensity.

You looked cool.

The words Wooju had said earlier suddenly echoed in his mind.

His once-settled heart began pounding again.

It almost hurt, like being struck with a hammer.

Saying something like that in that moment felt unfair.

“Ah… this isn’t good……”

Ji-tae muttered to himself.

But once the image surfaced, it replayed endlessly, like a video with no pause button.

When Wooju had leaned in to catch the melting ice cream, he had smelled faintly of soap.

Since he didn’t wear perfume, it was probably fabric softener.

The red of his tongue as it traced the melting ice cream lingered vividly.

Ji-tae couldn’t help but resent his own mind for replaying that part in slow motion.

“…Damn.”

He glanced down briefly and pressed a hand to his forehead.

Just recalling Wooju licking his lips had triggered an instinctive reaction in his body.

He had never once considered himself someone with a particularly strong libido.

He didn’t even masturbate often.

But ever since meeting Kang Wooju, that certainty seemed to be cracking.

It had happened during the garden incident.

And in the elevator when they stood too close.

And now again.

Ji-tae turned the faucet toward cold water, trying to calm himself.

Out of habit, he began silently reciting the national anthem in his head.

Thanks to Kang Wooju, he felt like he’d become an unintended patriot lately.

He could now recite all four verses—something he couldn’t even do in elementary school.

But the image of Wooju leaning close kept pushing its way back into his thoughts.

He swallowed.

The door was locked.

There were no cameras here.

He had already returned the microphone earlier.

Whatever he did here, no one would know.

The thought strangely emboldened him.

He exhaled slowly, bracing himself against the cool tiles.

When it was over, the rush faded quickly.

As always, clarity followed.

And along with it came a heavy sense of guilt.

Wooju was sleeping downstairs, unaware of anything.

If he ever found out, he’d probably be shocked.

He was too simple, too straightforward to even imagine something like this.

“……”

Thinking that, a hollow feeling settled in Ji-tae’s chest.

He shouldn’t let it go this far.

He shouldn’t want more.

And yet, nothing seemed to go the way he intended anymore.