Chapter 95: The Messenger Message

“Don’t act cute.”

“Hyung, hyuuung.”

Yeon-chae drew out his words, his voice coaxing. Yoonwoo quickly turned away, but this time Yeon-chae latched onto his arm, clinging.

He tried to burrow into Yoonwoo’s embrace, scrunching his broad shoulders, and it was undeniably adorable. Yoonwoo’s lips kept trying to curl into a smile.

Yeon-chae, who had been quietly observing Yoonwoo’s expression, curved the corners of his eyes, his gaze crinkling into a smile.

“Alright, I’ll wear this too.”

“Oh? Really?”

“Hyung and I will each have one. That works, right?”

“No, I said I’m not wearing it. I’m already wearing a hoodie…”

It was somehow surprising that Yeon-chae was so readily agreeing. Yoonwoo’s shoulders slumped.

Yeon-chae blinked, gazed at Yoonwoo, then spoke shyly.

“Let’s wear them together on our next date. Th-that… as couple shirts.”

“Hmm…”

Yoonwoo genuinely intended to refuse. Yet, Yeon-chae’s plump cheeks, rosy and inviting, waited demurely for Yoonwoo’s answer.

They reminded Yoonwoo of kimchi dumplings.

Of all things, two men in bright, forsythia-yellow couple shirts, side-by-side. The mere thought was absurd, but there was nothing he could do.

Yoonwoo had known all along that he would eventually give in to Yeon-chae.

“…Fine, alright.”

“Wow!”

Light seemed to emanate from his broadly smiling face. Though the only light indoors was from fluorescent bulbs, Yeon-chae’s handsome face radiated as brightly as if bathed in warm spring sunshine.

He was breathtakingly beautiful. In that moment, Yoonwoo found himself wanting to give Yeon-chae everything.

So, Yoonwoo bought the chick hoodie, even though he knew it wouldn’t suit him at all. While he paid, Yeon-chae stood beside him, smiling bashfully.

Time flew by as they playfully chatted.

After purchasing a pile of small, unnecessary items, they headed to the movie theater. While Yoonwoo pondered what to watch, Yeon-chae disappeared somewhere, only to suddenly reappear, holding a giant popcorn box and a cola in each hand.

His bright face was full of confidence.

“I bought your favorite, Hyung. Caramel flavored.”

“This much?”

It was true Yoonwoo loved sweet snacks, but this was an exorbitant amount. They were supposed to have dinner after the movie, and he worried if he could eat again after finishing all this popcorn.

No, could he even finish all this popcorn?

However, as he chewed and swallowed the caramel popcorn Yeon-chae fed him, his mind changed. With his current appetite, he might even be able to empty the entire popcorn tub by himself.

Yeon-chae had every right to be confident. The caramel popcorn, after so long, was incredibly delicious.

Sitting in the theater seat, waiting for the commercials to end, Yeon-chae gazed intently at Yoonwoo, who was frantically devouring popcorn.

Then, suddenly, with the massive popcorn box between them, he enveloped Yoonwoo in a tight hug. He hugged him tightly, stroking his back, making a fuss.

“Hyuung… Why are your face, hands, feet, and body all so small, Hyung…?”

Was he teasing him? He wasn’t particularly tall, but he had never thought of himself as *that* small.

Yoonwoo frowned, pulling Yeon-chae away.

On the way home, the sun had already set. Although it wasn’t late, winter days were short.

Yeon-chae held a shopping bag in one hand, and with his free hand, he intertwined his fingers with Yoonwoo’s. Their joined palms felt warm.

“Today’s date,” Yoonwoo, who had been humming, abruptly began evaluating their date.

Yeon-chae, who had merely shopped, eaten, and watched a movie—despite the grand title of “date”—felt a slight tension.

The original plan had been to drive far out to the suburbs. However, the weather was quite cold, and concerned about Yoonwoo’s condition, he hastily changed their plans.

Still, he wished they had dined somewhere nicer. The fact that they had dinner at an instant tteokbokki place near the school bothered Yeon-chae, making him feel disheartened.

Yet, Yoonwoo had been singing praises about wanting to go there specifically on a date, so it couldn’t be helped.

While Yeon-chae mentally prepared for his own downfall, Yoonwoo concluded with a serious expression.

“It was really good.”

“Ah…”

The sudden release of tension caused a groan to escape him.

“What’s wrong?”

Yeon-chae chuckled softly at Yoonwoo, who was tilting his head. It was proving harder than expected to break Yoonwoo’s habit of immediately assuming the worst whenever Yeon-chae opened his mouth.

“I was worried you might not have liked it.”

“How could it be bad? It was so much fun. Let’s do it again sometime.”

“Of course.”

*Naturally.*

Yeon-chae tightened his grip on Yoonwoo’s hand. This time, Yoonwoo glanced at Yeon-chae’s profile.

He mouthed, ‘Why?’

“How was it for you?”

“For me…”

He opened his mouth, but words failed him. Too many words had accumulated in his heart.

Unsure of which of the countless things he wanted to say, Yeon-chae simply smiled. Yoonwoo tilted his head.

“Why? Was it bad?”

“No. How could it be…”

Before his words could finish, Yoonwoo’s breath brushed against his nose. Yeon-chae froze, his eyes wide and still.

Their gazes locked, with no chance to look away. Yoonwoo asked, looking a little downcast.

“But why aren’t you answering?”

“…It was good. Very.”

“You should have said so earlier. If you don’t answer, I just end up making a fool of myself…”

‘Hyung?’

Before he could ask again, their lips met. They touched ever so lightly, then swiftly parted.

A handspan away, Yoonwoo smiled, his eyes curving. His smiling eyes were gentle and kind.

Thus, from the myriad of words he wished to speak, Yeon-chae impulsively uttered the one he had thought about most often, for the longest time.

“I love you.”

“Oh, me too.”

An utterly casual reply came back. It was as natural as everyday life.

Yoonwoo had thought the semester would pass peacefully. It would have, if he hadn’t detected something suspicious from Yeon-chae one day.

That day’s events were truly unexpected.

Yoonwoo headed to Jungseo’s cafe for the first time in a while. Jungseo greeted him with a bright smile.

“What brings you out? Are you feeling alright?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“When’s the due date?”

“Still a bit away. January.”

“That’s next month already.”

Even exchanging just a few words, Yoonwoo couldn’t focus on the conversation. Jungseo noticed Yoonwoo glancing at a table inside and let out a chuckle.

“Your husband is over there. He came with a friend a little while ago. You came to see your husband, didn’t you?”

“No, not exactly… I came to see you, Hyung…”

“Go on, butter me up.”

Yoonwoo, embarrassed, lightly brushed his lips with the back of his hand. Jungseo laughed and ruffled Yoonwoo’s hair.

“Yoonwoo, could you watch the cafe for just ten minutes? I have a quick errand at the bank, but customers haven’t stopped coming today, so I can’t find the time.”

“Oh? Oh, sure. Go quickly.”

“I’ll be right back. Sorry for asking when you’re so heavy.”

“No, it’s just for a moment.”

After Jungseo left the cafe, Yoonwoo glared at the distant table from behind the counter.

Yeon-chae, seemingly oblivious to the burning gaze on the back of his head, was flirting with a freshman Omega, not even glancing in Yoonwoo’s direction.

That freshman was precisely why a heavily pregnant Yoonwoo had even come to the cafe today. Yoonwoo quickly surveyed the cafe.

On a weekday afternoon, the cafe was quiet. There was no one else present apart from the constantly smiling freshman and Yeon-chae.

With a stern face, Yoonwoo strode towards their table. He held a box of cookies, which would serve as his excuse.

“…It’s on the house.”

“On the house? Thank you… Oh, Hyung?”

Yeon-chae, who had been bowing his head politely, widened his eyes. The freshman’s gaze followed Yeon-chae’s, settling on Yoonwoo.

“Do you know them, Yeon-chae Hyung?” the freshman whispered in a ticklish voice.

However, Yeon-chae’s expression, as he looked at Yoonwoo, was rigid. Yoonwoo wasn’t sure why Yeon-chae was the one looking so stern, as if *he* were the aggrieved party, but he was.

So Yoonwoo, too, crossed his arms and frowned. Their gazes met in the air, taut with unspoken tension.

After a brief standoff, Yeon-chae spoke first. His voice was cool and low.

“Why are you here, Hyung? You quit ages ago.”

“…”

This line of questioning put Yoonwoo at a disadvantage. Yoonwoo had quit his cafe part-time job months ago and was due to give birth next month.

It was uncommon to be served by a heavily pregnant person. The reason Yoonwoo was doing this uncommon thing was…

“Hey, is that what’s important?!”

Since it was clearly a point against him, he first erupted in anger. Yeon-chae’s eyebrows twitched.

But Yoonwoo had no intention of backing down either. After all, Yeon-chae was the one who had caused this whole situation.

Yoonwoo fumed, recalling yesterday’s events.

Yesterday afternoon.

Yoonwoo borrowed Yeon-chae’s tablet PC. With the semester in full swing, Yeon-chae had been constantly busy.

Yoonwoo, stuck at home with nothing much to do, was lounging in bed, watching a drama Woo-jae had recommended. The drama was more captivating than he expected.

Yoonwoo became completely engrossed, losing all track of time. As he watched, unable to tear his eyes from the tablet screen, a pop-up window appeared from the automatically logged-in messenger app.

It was a message for Yeon-chae. Annoyed by the interruption to his drama, Yoonwoo tried to close the messenger window.

But unintentionally, the message content caught his eye.

[So, confirmed for 3 PM tomorrow? lololol]

He checked the sender, but it was an unfamiliar name. Regardless, he was eager to see what happened next in the drama.

Yoonwoo didn’t think much of it and resumed playing the video. However, messages from the other person kept popping up consecutively, perhaps because Yeon-chae was replying via his phone.

[lololol Got it. So, see you at Coffee Factory?]

Coffee Factory was Jungseo’s cafe, where Yoonwoo had always worked part-time. Because of Yoonwoo, Yeon-chae was also a regular at Coffee Factory.

Even then, Yoonwoo simply assumed Yeon-chae had a group project meeting.

[I wish tomorrow would come sooner, Hyung.]

Here, Yoonwoo’s mood began to feel a little off.

[Don’t be late, Hyung. I want to see you soon.]

He was starting to get annoyed.

[lololol What do you mean? I’m always sincere.]

‘Should I just open the messenger window?’ Yoonwoo stood at a crossroads, torn between his conscience and his rising irritation.

[Yes. You sleep early too, Hyung ♥]

It was 4 PM then. ‘Are these people crazy?’

Yoonwoo sprang to his feet. The dramatic, over-the-top plot of the once-exciting drama had long been erased from his mind.

After fuming for a while, he picked up the tablet PC he had thrown onto the bed. Conscience and privacy be damned; checking the messenger was his top priority.

“This, seriously.”

A frustrated groan escaped him. No matter how much he searched the messenger, the name he’d seen in the pop-up window wasn’t in the chat list.

Yeon-chae had exited the chat. Naturally, the chat logs were deleted.

‘To this extent?’

‘This bastard?’

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