Chapter 38: The Single Line

Saturday afternoon, waking up late, Chaewoo briefly stir-fried some leftover vegetables and ham, then loosely piled them onto some rice to tide him over.

After eating an apple for dessert, he felt reasonably full.

He wanted to lie down and be even lazier, but he diligently sat at his desk to research for his team project.

He opened the pouch he had brought from Euigeon’s studio, took out the laptop, and spread out a pen and notebook on one side for taking notes.

“Huh?”

As he lifted the laptop screen to turn it on, a bundle of mail came out from inside.

‘What’s this?’
Chaewoo picked up the already-opened mail and looked it over.

Since the laptop belonged to Euigeon, the recipient listed at the bottom was naturally Beom Euigeon.

It seemed he had tucked it into the laptop and forgotten to remove it.

The sender was ‘Ranking Study Abroad Agency.’

“Documents related to studying abroad in the US…”

Chaewoo read the words written on the front page of the mail.

The next page listed master’s programs at famous US music schools in English.

Turning another page, he saw strict requirements and astronomical US tuition fees neatly organized into a table.

‘Well, a family like Euigeon’s wouldn’t be satisfied with a domestic degree.’

In fact, it would look even stranger if he didn’t go abroad to study.

If he planned to continue in vocal music, obtaining a degree in Europe or the US would be advantageous for his future career.

Chaewoo tidily organized the documents and put them back in the pouch as if it were no big deal.

Then he turned on the laptop and began his research in earnest.

A while later, after focusing for some time, Chaewoo stretched and checked the clock.

An assignment that would have taken more than half a day on his own dying laptop was finished in less than three hours.

There was still some time left until his part-time job.

While debating whether to waste some time looking at the school community board, Chaewoo recalled the pregnancy test he had bought at the convenience store earlier this morning.

It had been quite a while since he first slept with Euigeon, and it was during a heat cycle, no less.
With any luck, could he already be pregnant?

Chaewoo tore open the packaging, followed the instructions to use the restroom, and then waited for the result to appear on the tester.

‘To think one could know if they’re pregnant this simply.’
He felt strangely uneasy.

After checking after about ten minutes, a clear line appeared on the tester.

It was one line.

Chaewoo stared at it with disappointed eyes.

‘Should I wait a bit longer?’

He held out for another five minutes with lingering hope, but the single line didn’t turn into two.

In the end, Chaewoo threw the tester into the trash, muttering.

“He said I’d get pregnant easily. That lying jerk.”

****

“I heard you didn’t cancel the competition.”

“Why would I cancel and embarrass myself? I even paid the entry fee.”

“Really? I thought you wouldn’t enter.”

Kim Yunso opened her eyes wide in surprise.

“It’s a good opportunity to practice hard. …I don’t know.”

“Well, it’s good for a vocal student to enter competitions.”

Just thinking about the competition he was stubbornly entering made his stomach ache.
Chaewoo swallowed a sigh while finishing a canned coffee in one go.
Kim Yunso, who was smoking, giggled beside him.

“Still, you look good lately.”

“Me?”

“Yeah. Before, it was really… I’m telling you this now, but you always looked dark.”

“I’m not exactly bright now, either.”

“Well, compared to your freshman year, that’s true. But that’s how it looks to my eyes. You look better than before.”

‘Is that so?’ Chaewoo muttered.

Having no classes and coincidentally nothing to do, the two sat on a bench in front of the humanities building and killed time idling.

‘Well, it’s been a while since I sat around leisurely talking to someone.’

“Kim Yunso, do you have any plans besides graduation?”

“I don’t know yet. I’ll do something when the time comes. Hey, but the humanities building is peaceful and nice. Everyone walks alone. It’s much better than the department room.”

“True. I guess the music department students flock together exceptionally more. I’m planning not to go to the department room for a while because I’m embarrassed.”

“Yeah, rumors are everywhere. Just go about quietly until it dies down.”

While exchanging trivial words and waiting for the next lecture with Kim Yunso, a message arrived on his phone.

Reading the notification reflexively, Chaewoo’s expression gradually stiffened.

– Beom Euigeon (3rd Year): [Where are you?]

‘Why is he contacting me at this hour? Making me nervous for nothing.’

– Me: [I don’t have class, so I’m just resting.]

– Beom Euigeon (3rd Year): [Come to the back gate parking lot.]

‘Ugh, why again?’

Chaewoo suppressed his annoyance and turned off the screen.

Kim Yunso, who was beside him, looked at him as if asking what was wrong.

“What is it?”

“Nothing.”

“But why do you look like you just swallowed something bitter?”

“…Something suddenly came up.”

“Go ahead.”

“Sigh…”

“See you in the lecture hall later.”

“Yeah.”

His steps were heavy.

As he walked toward the parking lot at the back gate, all sorts of thoughts occurred to him.

‘Surely he doesn’t want to do it in the car? In broad daylight? And at a time when there are many students around.’

Moreover, the location was somewhat suspicious.

‘Why did he tell me to come to the secluded back gate parking lot instead of the one at the main gate?’

Chaewoo checked the location Euigeon told him to come to once more on his phone.

As soon as he received the message from him, his peaceful daily life immediately crumbled.

‘Crazy bastard. Is that really the only thing he thinks about all day?’

His head throbbed as he didn’t know what to do about Euigeon, whose demands were increasingly crossing the line.

“Why do you look like that?”

As soon as he entered the deserted parking lot, he spotted Euigeon’s car.

Once inside, he glared at him, and Euigeon, sitting in the driver’s seat, tilted his head at an angle.

To make matters worse, the car was parked under the shade of a large tree.

At the very edge of the back gate parking lot.

The intention was so blatant that a hollow laugh escaped him.

He could understand everything else.

He had tried to accommodate Euigeon’s wishes, whether it was at a motel or his studio.

But to do this even at school…

“Irredeemable psycho.”

“What?”

“Is that the only thing you think about all day?”

“What thought are you talking about?”

His anger flared at the man’s feigned ignorance.

“Are you hard again? Can’t you even control yourself at school?”

“I never said that.”

“Then how, common-sensically, can you… No wonder you called me to such a deserted corner. Doing it in a car is shocking enough, but, sigh. This is school.”

Chaewoo shuddered while trying his best to speak calmly.

Unfortunately, his effort wasn’t working well.

“I know this is school, too.”

Getting worked up while talking, his chest felt hot.

This really wasn’t right.

The time he spent idling peacefully with Kim Yunso just a moment ago felt like a lie.

‘Just how are you different from a beast? Do I have to come running whenever you want?’

The more he thought about it, the more mind-boggling it became.

“I’m not doing it.”

“No, I told you I never asked you to do anything.”

‘As if.’
But if it wasn’t for that, why would he have called him all the way here?

The face that had arrogantly ordered him, saying it wasn’t a request from the beginning, and the

Euigeon who had pressed his body against him in the dressing room overlapped with this moment.

Even if he refused now, he wondered if it would be accepted.

‘Probably not.’

Chaewoo bit his lower lip and carefully chose his words for a long time.

It was more than just a blow to his pride; it was insulting, but after some thought, he offered the most realistic solution.

“If you’re so beastly that you can’t hold back at any time, I’ll only do it with my hand. Nothing more.”

“…I don’t know what you mean, but that’s tempting.”

Interest flickered in Euigeon’s eyes.

Then he turned around and picked up the bag he had tossed on the back seat.

Chaewoo watched intently to see what he would pull out of the bag.

‘Surely not a condom?’
As he glared suspiciously, a familiar object came out of the bag.

“You left this at my place. It’s yours, right, Senior?”

“My sheet music?”

Chaewoo stared blankly down at the sheet music Euigeon held out.

A ringing sound echoed in his ears for a moment.

As if his thoughts had come to a standstill.

“I guess you’ve picked your competition song?”

“…….”

Chaewoo, having belatedly grasped the situation, snatched the sheet music.

Moving like a piece of broken scrap metal, he opened the car door.

He wanted to disappear right now out of embarrassment.

“I’ll be going now.”

But the door, which Euigeon had locked in advance, wouldn’t open.

“Where are you going? You said you’d do it with your hand.”

His voice was blunt, but he sounded somewhat full of expectation.

‘I dug my own grave with my own hands, shit.’

He couldn’t believe how foolish he had been just a minute ago, arguing with Euigeon so tastelessly.

“That’s… because I thought you wanted to do it here.”

“I had no intention of asking to do it at school. But if you want to, Senior, I’m willing to consider it.”

“No? I don’t want to at all.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. So open the door.”

“I can’t.”

“Why?”

Chaewoo’s smooth brow furrowed.

“Because this part is already expecting it.”

Following where Euigeon pointed, he saw that his member was prominently erect.

‘No, just for what reason?’

“Hey, you, really.”

Moreover, Euigeon was intentionally spreading his pheromones as if marking his territory inside the car.

So thick and blatant that it would completely cover Chaewoo.

This is the kind of pheromone typically released when one is determined to seduce their partner.

Not just any seduction, but only possible when alone in bed.

No one in their right mind would abuse Alpha pheromones like this outdoors.

“How am I supposed to go back to the lecture hall!”

Even if he brushed Euigeon off and stepped outside now, he’d look like a madman soaked in Euigeon’s pheromones.

“Hurry up and clear this out. I’m going crazy, seriously.”

“Do it for me. I’ll finish quickly.”

While Chaewoo was pressing his head, dizzy from the pheromones, Euigeon whispered.

He even used the fact that Chaewoo couldn’t leave immediately to draw his body closer.
Chaewoo pulled back in horror.

“This is school… and people are passing by…”

“You just said it was a deserted corner.”

“…….”

“Hmm?”

“What if someone sees while passing by?”

“The tinting is good, they won’t see. No one comes all the way here anyway. Look.”

“You… sigh. You really have to finish quickly.”

After much conflict, Chaewoo spoke in a resigned voice.

The corners of Euigeon’s mouth curled up crookedly.

“Got it.”

“And you have to tell me immediately if someone comes.”

Euigeon spread his legs wide in the driver’s seat and beckoned with his hand.

It meant to stop talking and get on with it.

With a somber expression, Chaewoo moved from the passenger seat and leaned over toward Euigeon’s lower body.