Ch.135135. …Will You Sleep With Me?

I must always wait for the moment of carelessness.

It was heartbreaking that I could only be in his arms by showing such pathetic tears.

Nevertheless, the way his warmth felt so sweetly piercing was something beyond Juyeon’s control.

If only time could stop right here.

“How could you not be helpful?”

Suhyeok slowly stroked her back.

“What… help… could I possibly be to you…?”

“You’re our proud vocalist.”

Suhyeok’s consolation burned her heart as if scalded.

Because she wanted to be “yours” alone, not “everyone’s.”

Because even in this moment while holding me, you were drawing a line between us.

“Suhyeok.”

“Yeah.”

“…I like you so much.”

So much that saying “I like you” wasn’t enough.

So much that when alone, she would unconsciously murmur “I love you.”

“I like you so much that I don’t know what to do anymore.”

This wasn’t the atmosphere for him to say something like “I think highly of you too.”

It wasn’t a situation where he should say such things.

Juyeon raised her arm and grabbed Suhyeok’s hand.

Fingers intertwined with fingers.

With their fingers interlocked, Juyeon rested her forehead against Suhyeok’s hand like a sinner making confession.

“Would it work if I tried harder?”

“If I keep… telling you… my feelings like this…”

“Would you someday… feel the same about me… *sob*…”

Even as she spoke, Juyeon’s vision blurred again, knowing it seemed unlikely.

“I like you… Suhyeok…”

“I like you…”

Suhyeok hated seeing Juyeon in pain.

He also held the key to not hurting her.

But if he did that…

Instead of answering, Suhyeok simply patted her back.

“Suhyeok.”

Juyeon whispered his name with a choked voice.

“…Yeah.”

“Can you grant me one favor?”

Suhyeok couldn’t readily answer.

In this atmosphere, he couldn’t make hasty promises.

“What is it?”

“Will you…”

Red-rimmed eyes.

Juyeon recalled her conversation with Seo-eun.

[Is it wrong to go further…?]

[I’m against it. Not that Suhyeok is a bad guy, but your first experience should be more precious.]

[What if I say that’s the most precious thing to me?]

[Juyeon!]

[I’m not expecting anything. Just… my feelings…]

Juyeon’s hand caressed Suhyeok’s cheek.

“Sleep with me?”

* * *

Job-seeking Jaejun wanted to maintain a consistent daily routine as much as possible.

Having almost no classes at school meant having that much more freedom.

It also meant a high probability of wasting time if he wasn’t careful.

Of course, he had almost finished preparing his applications and interviews, with only the actual interviews remaining, but he still thought maintaining this lifestyle pattern was quite meaningful.

If his sleep schedule got messed up and he ended up living day and night reversed, missing an interview would be a disaster.

[Oppa what are you doing]

[Lying down]

His relationship with his girlfriend Seo-eun was also going smoothly.

There didn’t seem to be many obstacles to their relationship.

[Want to call?]

[No.]

[Aww~ Why~]

[I want to hear your voice!!]

Seo-eun, who was the president and eldest of the 23rd batch, was like a baby to him.

In reality, when they were alone, Seo-eun often acted quite childish.

[Let’s call in 10 minutes.]

[Okay♥]

While organizing tomorrow’s tasks with his eyes closed.

-Riiiing

…It hadn’t been 10 minutes yet, he thought.

He was going to scold Seo-eun if it was her, but it was an unexpected person.

[Lee Suhyeok]

His brow furrowed.

The clock had already passed 11 o’clock.

Wondering if it was a wrong number, Jaejun answered anyway.

[Hello?]

[Hello…]

Is this what they mean when they say you can smell alcohol in someone’s voice?

[What is it. Are you drunk?]

[Hyuuung…]

[What.]

[Um… could you… help me just this once…?]

[What is it? What happened?]

It didn’t seem like he was calling just to be difficult.

[I’m at a bar near school right now… just this once.]

[Sigh… send me the name of the place by text.]

[Thank you, hyung…]

[Yeah.]

When calls overlap, messages come through in the system.

[Aha!!! Oppa, you’re cheating!]

[You asked for 10 minutes because you were talking to another woman!!]

Seo-eun’s voice sounded like it had voice support.

Jaejun sighed and called his girlfriend.

[Hello?]

[…It’s the guy caught cheating red-handed.]

[Ah. It’s not like that.]

[Then who is it at this hour.]

[Suhyeok.]

Seo-eun’s eyes widened at the unexpected name.

[At this hour?]

[Yeah. Seems like he’s been drinking.]

[What? Huh? Suddenly?]

[He’s asking me to come out now.]

[Where to?]

[A bar near school.]

Dark clouds gathered on Seo-eun’s face.

She was already starting to worry.

The fact that he hadn’t sought out someone from his own batch or her suggested something serious had happened.

[…Should I come too?]

[No need. You already showered, right?]

[No. I can just quickly get ready and go.]

[It’s fine. The fact that he called me specifically means you’re probably not in the picture.]

It meant whatever he was about to hear wouldn’t be an ordinary story.

[…Okay.]

[Yeah. I’ll be back soon.]

[But you have to tell me what he said later, okay?]

[…We’ll see.]

As long as it wasn’t some twist like Suhyeok having feelings for Seo-eun.

Unlike other members who lived near school, Jaejun’s home wasn’t very close.

About 40 minutes by subway.

Since the timing was awkward, Jaejun immediately hailed a taxi as soon as he left.

Judging by how Suhyeok sounded earlier, he seemed pretty wasted, and Jaejun suddenly feared that by the time he arrived, Suhyeok might already be dead.

Junior corpse disposal squad…

Han Jaejun is done for…

It was a story his peers would mock him for if they knew.

Fortunately, with no traffic, Jaejun arrived in 20 minutes and walked into the bar Suhyeok had told him about.

It didn’t take long to find him.

All he had to do was look for the guy sitting blankly in the corner with his head leaning back.

“Hey.”

Jaejun tapped Suhyeok’s shoulder.

“Ah…? Hello, hyung.”

“What’s this. Were you crying?”

“Ah. No.”

Now he even had to witness a grown man shedding tears.

Not knowing the story, Jaejun asked for another glass and filled it with soju.

“So. What’s so dramatic that you had to do all this?”

“Hyung.”

“Yeah.”

“Have you ever slept with someone who wasn’t your girlfriend?”

Jaejun’s expression hardened.

This bastard…

“No. One-night stands aren’t my thing.”

“I see…”

Suhyeok stared blankly at the cold fish cake soup.

Jaejun carefully examined Suhyeok’s appearance.

Eventually, he discovered an unusual mark.

A red blotch on Suhyeok’s neck.

A scar that couldn’t possibly have been made by conventional means.

“You.”

There was no need to check further.

“Did you do it?”

Suhyeok’s eyebrows trembled.

“…No.”

“Then what’s that?”

“We just got close to that kind of atmosphere…”

Despite drinking so much, that memory alone remained painfully vivid.

“I left.”

“You left?”

“Yes. I rejected her, apologized, and left.”

A deep sigh escaped Jaejun’s lips.

His head was already throbbing after just a few exchanges.

“Yoon Hana? Park Juyeon?”

“…Juyeon.”

Jaejun wasn’t very close with Juyeon.

But he had heard plenty about her personality through Seo-eun.

That’s why he was even more surprised.

Honestly, when he saw that mark, he thought it was definitely someone’s handiwork.

But Park Juyeon…?

That quiet girl did this…?

“So. You ran away in the middle of it and now you’re here drinking alone?”

“Hahaha… I guess that’s what happened…”

“Let’s just speak frankly about this.”

It seemed necessary to draw out the truth.

“Who do you like?”

“…Hana.”

“What? So the answer was already decided?”

“I’ve liked Hana since the first semester.”

It was only after rejecting his relationship with Juyeon that Suhyeok felt this fact even more painfully.

“Really? Well, then I don’t have much to say to you.”

Jaejun scratched his head.

“…Juyeon.”

The answer he couldn’t find despite pondering alone.

“Is there a way to not hurt her too much?”

“What?”

“To not make it too painful.”

Just enough that she wouldn’t even flinch if hit.

Just like a warm spring rain in the middle of the day.

“Is there a way to let her go like that?”

“Suhyeok. No matter what words you attach to it. Looking at just the cold facts.”

“I know! I know, but!”

He was still grasping at straws.

A vague hope that a senior who had lived a little longer might know the answer.

“It’s not like Juyeon did something wrong by liking me…”

She was the first person to confess her love to him.

She was the person who said she would learn guitar because he liked it.

For Suhyeok, being told to coldly erase such a Juyeon was like torture.

Juyeon was clearly someone precious to him too.

“…Emigrate to the Middle East.”

Sadly, Jaejun couldn’t provide an answer either.