Chapter 9: The Morning After: A Prank and a Peculiar Meal

Jungwon, having somewhat regained their senses, adopted an extremely defensive posture, putting as much distance as possible between themselves and Seokjoo. They pulled the blanket up to cover their body, retreating to the very edge of the bed.

Retreating as far as they could on the narrow bed, Jungwon scrutinized Kang Seokjoo, their nerves taut.

He appeared to have just woken up, yet aside from his slightly dishevelled hair, he looked no different than before he had fallen asleep. His face was remarkably clean, making Jungwon wonder if he had truly just woken. His skin showed no signs of dryness or puffiness.

As Jungwon stared, Seokjoo let out a small yawn. Even a yawn did nothing to diminish his refined appearance. Rather, the elegant distortion of his face felt almost unreal.

Yet, despite his impeccable appearance, Jungwon’s guard did not waver. They desperately racked their brain to recall the events of the previous night, all while keeping their gaze fixed on Kang Seokjoo.

Kang Seokjoo, having casually tidied his hair with his hand, sat up and turned to Jungwon with a smile. As he showed no inclination to speak first, Jungwon eventually posed the question.

“…Did I perhaps cause any offense?”

Though phrased politely, it was merely a veiled way of asking, ‘What did you do to me?’ Seokjoo, no doubt, fully grasped the underlying meaning from Jungwon’s tense voice. Nevertheless, he met Jungwon’s gaze with an unperturbed expression and spoke.

“You don’t remember?”

They remembered nothing at all. Instead of answering immediately, Jungwon slowly blinked, meticulously sifting through their memories. The last thing they recalled was engaging in meaningless banter at the bar, only to fall asleep at a rather crucial moment.

Jungwon then reassessed their own condition.

The loungewear they were wearing seemed a bit too large for them. Since they had no memory of putting it on themselves, someone else must have changed their clothes. Considering they had been sleeping in the same bed, with Seokjoo having removed his own top, it was highly probable that Kang Seokjoo was the one who had changed Jungwon’s clothes.

Moreover, their lower back inexplicably ached…

“……”

The moment that thought registered, Jungwon glared at Seokjoo with eyes that seemed to spit fire.

‘What? “It would be best to avoid physical intimacy?” If he was going to promptly bring a drunk person back to his place, he shouldn’t have spouted such plausible nonsense.’

However, they soon sighed and averted their gaze. Jungwon was inherently strict with themselves. Even if they had caused trouble while intoxicated, it wasn’t in their nature to solely blame Seokjoo.

If there was fault, it lay with themselves for momentarily forgetting that Espers were inherently duplicitous beings and letting their guard down. Setting aside the absurd emotions and slight resentment towards Kang Seokjoo, Jungwon began to think rationally.

Despite the current predicament, they would have to work with him for quite some time. It would be problematic if the atmosphere became awkward or hostile. Thus, Jungwon maintained their composure and replied.

“Yes. It’s embarrassing to admit, but my memory seems to have blacked out after I got drunk. If I made any mistakes, I sincerely apologize.”

‘Let’s just pretend whatever happened didn’t, and I’ll do the same for you.’ That was roughly the implicit meaning of their words. However, Seokjoo, whom Jungwon had expected to be brazen or nonchalant, became surprisingly persistent.

“You really don’t remember anything at all? Not even a single thing?”

Just moments ago, he had been overflowing with composure, asking “Did you wake up?” with a casual air. Yet, the face that posed this new question was utterly serious. Jungwon blinked in surprise at his unexpected reaction.

“How could that be…?”

Seokjoo feigned a pitiful gesture, pulling the blanket up to cover himself.

Even amidst their bewilderment, Jungwon found his actions utterly preposterous. Kang Seokjoo was remarkably tall, standing out even among other adult men. He possessed a naturally good physique with broad shoulders.

He appeared more lean and agile than burly, yet his build was undeniably exceptional.

With such a physique, adopting such a posture looked not pitiful, but comically out of place. However, it was also ambiguous whether he was merely playing a joke. Something had clearly happened, but why was Kang Seokjoo reacting this way?

‘Could it be that I did something utterly outrageous while drunk?’

“Uh, that… First, I apologize. It seems my memory completely blacked out because I drank too much after such a long time. If you could tell me what happened…”

Regardless of what exactly they had done, there was no harm in apologizing first. At Jungwon’s words, Seokjoo’s expression hardened, and he asked, feigning distress.

“You truly don’t remember roughly pushing me onto the bed and trying to tear my clothes off? I suffered all night because you wouldn’t let me go, Jungwon.”

“Wait, wait a moment. What did you say?”

The content was so preposterous that Jungwon couldn’t help but interrupt him. Uncharacteristically, Jungwon stood there with their mouth agape, then nervously touched their lips as they asked.

“I… I did?”

Honestly, it was utterly unbelievable. After all, they had never once in their life ‘roughly pushed someone onto a bed,’ ‘torn clothes,’ or ‘refused to let someone go all night.’ However, it was also true that they couldn’t remember, and Seokjoo’s expression seemed genuinely sincere.

“I did that?”

“Do my words sound like a lie?”

When Jungwon asked again, looking utterly bewildered, Seokjoo countered with an unreadable expression. Fearing that he might get angry for doubting his words, which would complicate the situation, Jungwon vehemently waved their hands in denial despite their confusion.

“No, it’s not that I think so, but…”

Suddenly, a memory flashed through Jungwon’s mind like lightning. What surfaced was the image of themselves roughly pushing Kang Seokjoo onto the bed. Its vividness confirmed it was a scene from their blacked-out memory. Completely pale, Jungwon ran a hand over their face.

“So, what happened between us… was truly because of me…?”

‘What should I do now? Should I apologize? How on earth did such a thing happen?’ Despite recalling a clear scene in their memory, it still felt utterly unbelievable. Even if alcohol was to blame for everything.

Jungwon’s lips moved for a long moment as they struggled to find the right words.

Seokjoo, who had been watching them with a serious expression, suddenly burst into laughter.

“Haha. Isn’t your expression a bit too serious? Stop sighing, you’ll make the ground cave in.”

“…What?”

‘Who was it that had the most serious expression in the world just moments ago?’ Jungwon blinked, watching his rapidly softening features. Seokjoo smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. ‘Was that a habit he had when he was amused?’

Though Seokjoo hadn’t added anything yet, Jungwon felt a subtle irritation begin to simmer. They had a distinct feeling of being tricked.

“I was just playing a little prank. You looked angry.”

“…I was angry, but.”

‘I had been angry for a brief moment right after waking, but hadn’t I quickly composed myself? Rather, the anger was flaring now. A prank? From where to where? Then what was that memory that had suddenly flashed through my mind?’

“It wasn’t all a lie, though… It’s true that I was put on the bed, my clothes were ruined, and we slept embracing, but we didn’t actually *sleep* together.”

It was an enigmatic answer. Seokjoo offered no further specific explanations after that statement.

“What does that mean? Are you saying I did *pounce* on you, Kang Seokjoo, but didn’t go all the way?”

“What do you think? It’s roughly similar.”

Seokjoo, having vaguely answered Jungwon’s sharp question, rose from his seat.

“Anyway, rest assured, nothing to worry about happened.”

“……”

“Stay for a meal.”

With those words, Seokjoo exited the room before Jungwon could even refuse.

Jungwon felt utterly bewildered. If he simply left them alone like this, Jungwon would be the only one left to rack their brain, agonizing over what exactly had transpired last night.

Even trying to recall, nothing else came to mind besides that one scene. Kang Seokjoo certainly seemed to be hiding something. However, Jungwon couldn’t easily speak up, fearing that prying further might only stir up trouble.

He himself had said they hadn’t *slept* together, hadn’t he? Though brimming with unanswered questions, Jungwon decided it was better to let it go and cleared their mind.

Left alone in the ownerless room, an uncomfortable silence began to torment Jungwon. Idling away time with nothing to do was unfamiliar territory for Jungwon. Yet, in this strange house, there was little else they could do.

Jungwon, who had been sitting blankly, soon surveyed Seokjoo’s room. It was neatly organized but not stark, emanating a comfortable, lived-in feel. On the windowsill, a couple of potted plants were arranged.

‘He keeps plants? Are they real flowers? Or artificial ones, placed merely for decoration?’ Either possibility struck Jungwon as equally surprising.

“Come out, Jungwon.”

Kang Seokjoo’s voice reached them just as Jungwon was rising to examine the plants more closely. At first glance, they had seemed like real flowers. But Jungwon couldn’t be certain.

“Understood.”

Raising their voice slightly in response, Jungwon headed towards the kitchen. Kang Seokjoo, who was setting down dishes at the table, offered a new kind of greeting with a glance.

Jungwon silently surveyed the tabletop. A couple of side dishes and bean sprout soup. It was an ideal menu for a hangover. The sounds of cooking had emanated from the kitchen, confirming this man had prepared the meal, yet Jungwon still found it hard to believe.

“Sit down before it gets cold.”

Kang Seokjoo, who had calmly offered the invitation, sat opposite the place setting laid out for Jungwon. He made a gesture of picking up his spoon, then nodded his head. It was an instruction to sit.

Jungwon sat down with a peculiar feeling. Observing Seokjoo begin to eat in silence, they took a spoonful of the soup. Its slightly mild seasoning perfectly suited their palate.

Throughout this, Seokjoo quietly watched Jungwon. ‘Was he expecting a review of the taste?’ Jungwon wondered inwardly, then hesitated slightly before speaking.

“…It’s delicious.”

Seokjoo’s expression remained unchanged. ‘Was he hoping for more praise? This was already awkward enough.’ Jungwon carefully chose their words.

“It’s very delicious. You must be a good cook. I don’t usually eat salty food, but the seasoning is just right for me.”

“I live alone, you see. My cooking skills were bound to improve.”

After Jungwon had painstakingly squeezed out such high praise, Seokjoo responded blandly, his expression impassive. A subtle sense of displeasure began to creep up, deflating Jungwon’s spirits.

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