Chapter 24: Unexpected Soaking

“Huh?”

It was exactly Wooju’s face.

“…….”

A moment of silence fell.

Jitae’s eyes widened as he quickly turned off the faucet.

But it was already too late.

Plop, plop—the sound of water dripping from Wooju’s hair rang cheerfully around the well.

“W-Wooju…….”

“You… did you do that on purpose?”

Not only was his hair completely soaked, but his T-shirt was drenched in the water bomb as well.

With his soaked appearance, glaring at the culprit, he looked like a water ghost—intimidating.

“I-I didn’t know.”

Jitae swallowed hard.

Wooju’s eyes gleamed unnaturally, giving off a terrifying aura, like watching a horror movie.

“Ah, seriously.”

Wooju shook his head forcefully first.

Jitae, like a guilty dog, scuttled close to him.

“Your clothes are all wet. It’s gross.”

At that moment, Wooju simply ripped off his T-shirt.

“Hey! Wait……”

Before Jitae could stop him, Wooju had already stripped off his shirt, holding the dripping wet fabric in his hands.

Under the bright sunlight, Wooju’s bare torso was fully exposed.

Jitae swallowed unconsciously as he looked at Wooju’s perfectly defined abs.

How could an athlete’s skin be so white? And his body line… it was surprisingly delicate and beautiful.

Especially his slender, shapely waist stood out.

A droplet slid down from under his chin, rolling over Wooju’s chest.

Jitae’s gaze naturally followed.

As Wooju breathed sharply, annoyed, his firm, smooth chest moved rhythmically.

Jitae instinctively clenched his fists.

What would it feel like to touch that chest?

To feel the smooth white skin, brush over those defined abs…

And what expression would Wooju make?

‘…Ah, f*ck.’

The fantasy in his head seemed endless.

Jitae sensed something and swallowed the words he couldn’t say, sitting quickly back down at the well.

His “other self” below was raging uncontrollably.

While Jitae fought with himself, Wooju angrily wrung out his soaked shirt, dripping water onto the grass.

It was an unexpected water shower.

Though he didn’t think Jitae had done it on purpose, the dripping water, the drenched slippers—it was uncomfortable and irritating.

“Hey, I’m gonna go in……”

Wooju turned his head sharply.

But the person who should have been behind him wasn’t there.

Wooju’s gaze naturally lowered.

“What are you doing?”

Jitae was crouched down, covering his mouth, staring off into the distance.

The guy who should have been bowing a hundred times to apologize was behaving like that.

“What are you doing?” Wooju repeated.

“Ah, uh… s-sorry… didn’t mean to.”

Jitae was rambling unusually, completely avoiding eye contact.

Was he really that embarrassed? Feeling guilty enough not to meet Wooju’s eyes?

Was Jitae that kind of person?

Back in school, he had never bowed his head easily unless it had to do with a game.

He always kept his head high.

If not that, then…

“Jitae, are you hurt?”

Wooju draped his shirt over his shoulder and crouched down to meet Jitae’s eye level.

“Wh-what? No, it’s nothing.”

“No? Your face is a little red.”

Covered by his hands, it wasn’t easy to see, but up close, his ears and the skin around his eyes were flushed.

Could it be from hours under the sun?

Of course, Wooju was confident in his stamina, but Jitae might not be.

He hadn’t exercised outdoors recently, and his pale skin suggested he hadn’t experienced much sun.

Suddenly crouching down made sense.

“Hey, look. If it hurts a lot……”

Wooju unconsciously reached out in concern.

Jitae frowned and sharply pushed his hand away.

Even the camera crew exchanged glances, surprised.

“I said it’s fine. It doesn’t hurt. You go inside first and change. I’ll finish up here.”

“…….”

Jitae’s push was a little painful.

Wooju stared at his hand awkwardly before slowly standing.

“Okay. I’ll go in first.”

Carrying his soaked, heavy clothes like wet cotton, Wooju trudged inside.

The wide garden was suddenly silent with Jitae alone outside.

“Uh… Jitae, are you okay?”

A camera operator, noticing the situation, cautiously asked.

They needed to ensure the cast’s health, after all.

“Yes. I’m fine. I just felt a little dizzy for a moment……”

But Jitae smiled and reassured them.

Outwardly casual, he was internally composing himself, mentally reciting the national anthem in full—something he never did during school morning assemblies.

Biological responses were involuntary, uncontrollable.

So, Jitae reacting to Wooju’s bare torso was unavoidable.

No one could have predicted it.

Wooju’s body was stunning.

An athlete’s lines could be that delicate and beautiful?

Even just seeing that and reacting… well, he wasn’t exactly normal either.

That night, Jitae had an unexpected dream.

In it, he sat dazed on the bed.

‘Jitae.’

A familiar voice made him turn.

Wooju opened the door, wearing a soft expression.

Suddenly, he started removing his clothes—shirt first, then pants and underwear—walking straight toward the bed.

Being a dream, Jitae could say nothing.

His eyes were drawn even more to what lay beneath, the white, smooth center between his thick thighs.

Wooju climbed onto Jitae’s thighs.

‘Jitae.’

He kept calling his name, and Jitae, as if entranced, caressed Wooju’s waist.

His hands brushed over Wooju’s chest, drawing out a breathy sound.

Ah, f*ck.

Jitae toppled Wooju onto the bed.

It was a dream. This was just a dream.

When Wooju’s lips were about to meet his own, the phone alarm rang.

“…….”

The familiar ceiling came into view.

Jitae sprang up, checking the bed anxiously.

Thankfully, the disaster hadn’t happened.

“A kiss, at least……”

He collapsed back onto the bed.

Feeling guilty for dreaming this way after seeing Wooju’s body, he nonetheless regretted missing the chance for that final moment.

Perhaps if he slept again, the dream might continue.

He closed his eyes tightly.

“Alright, let’s warm up our bodies first.”

“Yes!”

Following the trainer from Baekyoung Construction, the team lay down and began stretching.

Straightening out, they pulled their knees with opposite hands.

Feeling his muscles loosen, Wooju stared blankly at the ceiling.

The ceiling light reminded him of Jitae pushing his hand away so casually yesterday.

‘Such an asshole. He did it because he was worried about me.’

That image lingered in his mind strangely.

And last time, when Wooju tried to touch him for being fit, Jitae had been cold as well.

“Wooju, what are you doing alone?”

A shadow fell, and Choi Seokhyun, stretching next to him, suddenly appeared in his sight.

“Ah, you startled me.”

Wooju jumped up.

The rest of the team had already finished stretching and were ready to jog lightly around the court.