Chapter 81: An Abrupt End

“It is what it sounds like.”

“Won Jitae!”

“Why are you so curious about my past anyway?”

At his slightly irritated voice, Wooju froze.

A reason? Did he really need something like that?

He just wanted to know everything.

About the person named Won Jitae that he didn’t know.

“I don’t play volleyball anymore, and I can neither compete with you like back then nor stand on the court. I’m just the me standing in front of you right now.”

Wooju slightly furrowed his brows.

The more they talked, the more he felt like they were both dodging the main point.

It felt like the conversation was just going around in circles, but Wooju wasn’t in a state to make such rational judgments right now.

“And that’s your reason for not wanting to tell me, specifically, about your past?”

“Everyone has things they don’t want to talk about.”

“Won Jitae, I’m sorry, but you’re being really pathetic right now.”

Jitae’s eyes shook violently.

He looked shocked, like someone who had just lost his entire world.

Wooju was even angry at the fact that Jitae, who had spouted hard-to-understand words first, was acting so surprised and hurt.

“You keep telling me that you don’t play volleyball anymore and that the present is what matters, but aren’t you the one actually tied down by that past?”

“…….”

Jitae’s mouth fell open slightly.

He looked dazed, as if he had just been struck by something.

“To my eyes, you look like the one trapped in the days when you played volleyball.”

“…Let’s stop.”

Jitae buried his face in his large hands and rubbed his face dryly.

Looking considerably shocked, he slowly dragged his feet toward the stairs leading back up to the second floor.

“I understand that everyone has things that are hard to tell others. But I still wanted you to tell me. Because we’re friends.”

‘That damn word, friends,’ Jitae muttered and scoffed without realizing it.

“I’m sorry, but I didn’t mean it when I agreed to be friends. With you… I don’t think I could ever do something like that, even if I died.”

Jitae needlessly pulled the towel he had around his neck over his head.

Even through the stark white towel, he could feel Wooju’s gaze directed at him.

But he couldn’t see it.

He was curious about what kind of expression Wooju was making, but right now, Jitae didn’t have the confidence to meet those eyes.

Jitae powerlessly walked straight into his room.

The sound of his door shutting with a thud echoed through the spacious interior of the house.

Thinking that it sounded unusually loud today, Wooju stared blankly at the spot.

“…….”

He clenched his jaw without realizing it.

Strangely, somewhere in his chest felt stiff and uncomfortable.

It felt as though someone was tightly squeezing and shaking his heart.

The words Won Jitae had just thrown at him pierced right into him like an arrow.

“…You rude bastard.”

Wooju rubbed the area over his heart slowly and muttered in a low voice.

The stormy night, just one day before the end of filming, was slowly passing by.

***

“Yes, we’ll wrap up the interview here. You’ve worked hard, Athlete-nim.”

One of the writers smiled awkwardly and removed Wooju’s microphone.

The final interview had just concluded.

“You all worked hard.”

With a smile no different from usual, Wooju bowed to each and every staff member.

But the writer who had stuck by him the most over the past month knew.

That Wooju’s face was unspeakably haggard right now.

Naturally, she recalled what had happened last night.

She had been worried because Wooju’s expression had looked strangely angry when he returned to the dorm from the friendly match, and then she heard a loud noise coming from their room.

When she ran over, she nearly fainted in shock seeing the two of them arguing and grabbing each other by the collar.

“Um… What should we do about the farewell party you mentioned earlier…….”

So she had no choice but to ask cautiously.

At the writer’s question, Wooju’s eyes wavered for a moment.

Today was the last day of filming.

That was why Wooju had lightly suggested a few days ago, after discussing it with Jitae, that they throw a farewell party.

Jitae had called it childish and asked why they would do something like that, but when a package containing party supplies arrived under Jitae’s name shortly after, Wooju had burst into laughter right then and there.

“Could we just pretend that never happened?”

“I suppose so, right? We have more than enough footage, so don’t worry. It’s all thanks to how well the two of you participated in the filming.”

The writer smiled and tried to lighten the mood, but Wooju simply gave a brief “Yes” and left the staff quarters.

As he opened the front door to their house and stepped inside, what greeted Wooju was a chilling silence.

Usually, when he came in like this, Jitae would always call out to ask if he was back, whether he was in the living room or in his own room.

He hadn’t thought much of it back then, but only after that trivial detail disappeared did the void feel incredibly huge.

As Wooju powerlessly took off his shoes while leaning against the wall, he suddenly heard a rustling sound.

“…….”

It was the sheet of house rules they had written together.

Wooju paused taking off his shoes and stared blankly at the rules neatly written in beautiful handwriting.

When they were writing that, he hadn’t even dared to imagine this kind of ending.

To think their one month of cohabitation would meet such a catastrophic end.

Wooju reached out and slowly tore down the rules sheet.

Then, folding it neatly, he slowly walked down the hallway.

Looking up, he saw the door to the room on the second floor firmly shut.

After glaring at that room with all his might, he entered his own room on the first floor.

He opened his suitcase and began packing.

Wooju, who usually cared about being neat and packed his things meticulously, irritably tossed his belongings inside.

Looking into the disorganized suitcase, he suddenly thought it resembled his own mind.

With a deep sigh, Wooju finished cleaning up his room.

After standing his suitcase by the door, he stared intently at the box on his desk.

Inside were various party supplies in dazzling colors.

Normally, he would have nagged him endlessly about ordering so many things for just one party, but he couldn’t do that anymore.

Wooju placed the rules sheet he had torn down earlier on top of the box.

After leaving behind the traces of what he had done with Jitae—and what they should have done together—Wooju slowly left the room.

***

[Two Men Living Together is Seriously Insane]

No but this is way funnier than I expected…?

I just keep watching the clips going around on loop… They’re too funny…

[247 Comments]

– I watched every single episode of the last season, but this time it’s legendary.

└ If the last season was healing and calmly, mildly funny, these two are literally funny every minute.

└└ So enemies-to-lovers chemistry was the good stuff all along.

– Who said Two Men Living Together wasn’t a variety show?

└ Way better than shows these days claiming to be reality but only showing scripted stuff. For real ㅇㅇ

└└ Agreed, other variety shows need to reflect on themselves.

– Honestly, Kang Wooju and Won Jitae carry the whole thing.

└ Their chemistry is seriously insane.

└└ My mom watched them and asked if they were comedians lmaooooooo

[The Reason Everyone’s Going Crazy Right Now]

Doesn’t it feel like they broadcast everything completely raw?

Even the way they fight, they seem to dislike each other but also like each other, and it feels like they just aired it all without any editing, which is baffling but I love it so much.

[58 Comments]

– Omg so I wasn’t the only one thinking this.

– They do have a slightly different vibe from the previous cast members.

└ ㅇㅇ If last season was a senior-junior or colleague vibe, these two are just ticklish.

└└ Being close since high school probably plays a big part in that vibe.

– I know it won’t happen but it made me wonder if they’re aiming for a BL pairing…

– The absolute best in this field, Won Jitae. Doesn’t the way he looks at Kang Wooju seem different?

└ True, it looked like the eyes of a living person.

└└ He is alive though;;

[Two Men Living Together Ep 1 & 2 Highlights]

#1 on Trending, 2.15 Million Views

[2.5k Comments]

– Wow, it really blew past 2 million views.

└ They say it’s the best of the season.

└└ But it is genuinely fun.

– No but what’s up with Won Jitae just tossing all the meat into the cart at the mart, why is he so cute.

└ Kang Wooju taking the meat out next to him is exactly like my mom.

└└ LMAOOOO aren’t they basically mom and son?

└└└ It’s hilarious how embarrassed he gets when the grandma next to them calls them cute.

└└└└ At least he cares about his surroundings….

– By the way, what did Won Jitae say when Kang Wooju said he didn’t watch his games? The audio is hard to hear.

└ I watched all your games, isn’t it?

└└ Think this is it. You can faintly hear it if you turn up the volume.

– Wait, getting a nosebleed from being smacked in the face, isn’t that crazy? I actually laughed out loud.

└ Guess he was really surprised lmaooooo

└└ Of course you’d be surprised if you’re woken up like that.

└└└ But it’s nice that Jitae quickly cooks for him to make up for it.

└└└└ Getting hit by a volleyball player is more dangerous after all…

– 2:22 6:45 10:56 11:17 15:41 18:11 20:33 Compilation of Kang Wooju and Won Jitae fighting like elementary schoolers

└ Lmaoooo how many are there even.

└└ 7:21 add this one too.

└└└ 17:12 they’re fighting here too.

└└└└ At that point, aren’t they just fighting while breathing?

– Someone said they should change the title to Two Men Fighting Together lmaooo

└ Ah lmaooo so relatable.

– But it’s a bit surprising that they haven’t contacted each other all this time.

└ Right, so is this really their first time seeing each other since graduation?

└└ But they have that chemistry?

└└└ That’s exactly why it’s so good.