Chapter 7: Plaything Senior (7)

　　-Juwon: Bye.

　　“What’s this?”

　　Seongbin didn’t check the text until the following afternoon. He only had one class today, so he was heading to campus much later than usual.

　　Bye. That one blunt word perfectly captured the guy’s personality. Having no intention of replying, Seongbin casually swiped the notification away.

　　He stared blankly for a moment, then glanced out the window to check the weather. Across the river, the sky was perfectly clear.

　　His seven-hundred-square-foot apartment overlooking the Han River was ridiculously expensive for a college student living alone. He had been here by himself since high school. It was a studio layout, with only a sliding glass door separating the bedroom from the living space. If it had been a multi-room place, he wouldn’t have chosen it.

　　Seongbin liked the open layout. He preferred being able to see the entire place at a single glance, and keeping up with multiple rooms would have been a hassle.

　　The only people who ever set foot in his place were himself and a housekeeper who came three times a week. He never allowed anyone else inside. There was no deep, dramatic reason for it, but it was just like his rule against getting into committed relationships.

　　He didn’t want anyone bleeding into his daily life. Having fun was fine, but he detested emotional depth. He had never met anyone worth the trouble anyway, and besides, no one in their right mind would actually want a partner like him.

　　He slipped his tablet into his bag and slung it over his shoulder. Rolling up his sleeves, he reached for the perfume on his display shelf. He spritzed the Chanel fragrance from its sleek black bottle onto his wrists and the back of his neck, then grabbed his phone and car keys.

* * *

　　-Juwon: What are you up to?

　　What is this guy’s deal? The next afternoon, another text arrived from Juwon. This time, it was a question. Had he sent that blunt goodbye yesterday just to bait a response?

　　He had expected Juwon to be quiet and indifferent, but he was turning out to be surprisingly clingy.

　　Sitting in the university library and scanning his textbook for an assignment, Seongbin tapped at his screen with a bored expression. If it had been a KakaoTalk message, he would have ignored it, but because Juwon kept sending SMS texts, the notifications kept lighting up his screen.

　　-Seongbin: I’m in the library.

　　-Juwon: Have you eaten?

　　-Seongbin: No.

　　-Juwon: I’ll buy you food. Want to come out?

　　-Seongbin: I’m busy.

　　He would rather starve than grab a meal alone with another guy. Fortunately, no more replies came. It wasn’t like he was waiting for one anyway, so he didn’t give it another thought.

　　About an hour later, after wrapping up most of his assignment, he packed up his things to head home.

　　He planned to crash at his place and rest for a bit first. He would decide whether to go out tonight later, and who he met would depend on his mood. When he grabbed his bag and stepped outside, the hallway was buzzing with noise, a sharp contrast to the quiet library.

　　He stopped in his tracks.

　　Seongbin didn’t recognize the man lingering near the entrance at first. He was about to look away when their eyes locked, and the man started walking straight toward him. Seongbin was slightly taken aback when the guy blocked his path.

　　“Did you get a haircut?” Seongbin asked, blinking.

　　“You told me to,” Juwon replied quietly.

　　His bangs, which had been long enough to shroud his eyes, were now cut short. The shaggy, unkempt hair had been neatly trimmed.

　　He was still wearing his department jacket and those same damp-looking jeans, so it wasn’t a total makeover. He was still tacky, but it was definitely an improvement.

　　I can’t believe he actually cut it just because I told him to clean himself up. Is he obedient, or is he just stupid?

　　“Here,” Juwon said, holding out a plastic bag.

　　Seongbin didn’t take it, asking instead, “What’s this?”

　　“Kimbap. For you.”

　　“In the library?” Seongbin raised an eyebrow.

　　“You said you hadn’t eaten. And since you said you were busy, I bought it and brought it over myself.”

　　He’s really doing the most. Seongbin stared at him skeptically, but when Juwon nudged the bag forward to urge him, he finally took it. He had expected maybe a single roll, but the bag felt surprisingly heavy.

　　“Thanks,” Seongbin said, offering a sweet, practiced smile. Now that Juwon’s hair was cut, their eyes met much more easily. I have to admit, his face itself is actually decent.

　　Juwon toyed with the tips of his bangs, looking self-conscious about his short hair.

　　“The haircut suits you,” Seongbin noted. “You should’ve styled it like this from the start.”

　　“Thanks,” Juwon murmured.

　　This guy probably had no idea how tacky and scruffy he had looked all this time. Whatever, forget it. Seongbin adjusted his grip on the heavy bag.

　　“I’m going to head home now.”

　　“Okay. I’ll text you.”

　　Why the hell does he keep wanting to text? Finding it annoying, Seongbin just waved his hand dismissively instead of replying.

* * *

　　-Juwon: What are you up to?

　　The guy contacted him again that night. Lying in bed, Seongbin tilted his head and half-heartedly scanned the message. He considered ignoring it but ended up typing out a reply.

　　-Seongbin: I’m home.

　　In truth, he wasn’t at home, but in a hotel room. Just a few days ago, he had ordered Juwon to suck his dick, but tonight, he was with someone else.

　　Seongbin preferred dating women. He liked treating them, watching them get excited, exchanging suggestive glances, and playing the thrilling, suspenseful game of building up to physical intimacy.

　　Of course, Juwon was convenient. He sucked him off when told to, and covered himself with the blanket when ordered to. But even so, Seongbin was straight. He wasn’t attracted to men.

　　The bathroom door opened.

　　“Don’t you have a bathrobe? This is a little embarrassing,” a high-pitched voice drifted out along with a thick cloud of steam.

　　-Juwon: I’m home too. What do you usually do at home?

　　He’s texting me like we’re in some special relationship just because he blew me once. Seongbin placed his phone face down on the nightstand. Sitting up from his relaxed posture, he called out, “What’s there to be embarrassed about? Just come on out.”

* * *

　　After dropping off the woman he had spent the night with and returning home only when morning came, Seongbin’s eyes caught the black plastic bag sitting on his kitchen island.

　　“Ah, right.”

　　Only then did he remember the kimbap Juwon had given him. He had completely forgotten to put it in the fridge before heading out. Whether it had gone bad or not, he felt uneasy about eating something that had been sitting out at room temperature all night.

　　Conveniently, today was the day his housekeeper was scheduled to visit. He picked up the entire plastic bag and tossed it into the sink. Since she had known him since high school, she was well aware of his habits. She would clean up the kitchen when she arrived anyway. He didn’t feel a shred of guilt.

　　It wasn’t like he had asked for it. Juwon had just insisted on buying it. Seongbin hadn’t been harsh enough to ask why he bought such garbage, nor had he rejected it.

　　I accepted it, so we’re even, right?

　　He had absolutely no reason to feel sorry.

* * *

　　“Did you enjoy it?”

　　If only he hadn’t kept running into the guy, his day would have been much more pleasant. But ever since he had first taken notice of Juwon, the man seemed to pop up everywhere on campus.

　　Seongbin’s daily routine was pretty limited. He commuted by car, and he didn’t have any close friends he hung out with on campus. Hyena and Seokjun were in different years, so their schedules rarely overlapped.

　　Aside from attending classes, he had no reason to stay at school. He spent at most three or four hours on campus a day. Yet, strangely enough, every time he walked around, he kept bumping into Juwon.

　　“What?” Seongbin asked, not understanding what he was referring to.

　　“The kimbap,” Juwon mumbled in a quiet voice.

　　Ah. Only then did he remember. Right, the kimbap he had brought. Of course, since he had thrown it all away without taking a single bite, it hadn’t even lingered in his memory.

　　Seongbin lied smoothly. “Yeah. It was delicious.”

　　“It’s from a famous place,” Juwon said.

　　“Are you asking just to show off?”

　　It was half-joke, half-teasing, just a lighthearted comment, but Juwon didn’t laugh.

　　“I said that to make you laugh,” Seongbin prompted.

　　“Oh.” Juwon parted his lips slightly, then pressed them together.

　　Seongbin added, “But why did you pack so much? One or two rolls would’ve been plenty.”

　　“I only bought two rolls,” Juwon said, looking confused.

　　Seongbin paused for a moment, eyeing him sideways. There was no way it was just two rolls. The bag had been filled with round cylinders wrapped in foil, and it had felt far too heavy to be just one or two rolls.

　　“I bought two rolls of kimbap and some grilled garaetteok,” Juwon explained. “They sell it with grain syrup.”

　　He should’ve just said so from the start instead of confusing me by only mentioning kimbap.

　　“Did you really eat it?”

　　At the cautious question, Seongbin turned to look at him. For some reason, the guy asking about the kimbap looked far more anxious than he did.

　　In the end, Seongbin flashed a smile. “I threw it away.”

　　“What?” Juwon blinked, stunned.

　　“I said I threw it away. I forgot to put it in the fridge.”

　　“Oh.”

　　“I only pretended to eat it because I felt bad about throwing it away, so why do you keep digging? Did you want to hear me admit that I threw it out?”

　　Juwon shook his head quickly. “No, I’m sorry.”

　　“It’s not like I asked you to buy it for me,” Seongbin snapped.

　　“Right. I’m sorry.”

　　He was getting an apology with every single response. Ugh, so frustrating. Seongbin let out a silent sigh of exasperation, his gaze turning cold as he looked at the man.

　　Honestly, it was a blatant disregard for his gesture, yet Juwon showed no anger. It was actually quite baffling. Doesn’t he even get annoyed?

　　He hadn’t felt a thing when he threw the kimbap away, but watching Juwon fluster and grovel with apologies made him feel uncomfortable again.

　　It wasn’t like having a single meal with a guy would kill him. Besides, he had another motive anyway. Seongbin tilted his head slightly and reached out, pretending to brush something off Juwon’s shoulder, though there was nothing there.

　　“Are your classes done?”

　　“Not yet,” Juwon said.

　　“What are you doing afterward?”

　　“Nothing. Why?”

　　“Buy me dinner. You said you wanted to eat.”

　　“Dinner?” Juwon asked, his eyes widening slightly.

　　“Yeah.”

　　“Okay. Sure.”

　　Now that his hair was cleaned up, the man’s expressions were clearly visible. The faint smile on his face looked strange. He wasn’t ugly, but he just had a peculiar look. He looked like someone who would never smile, yet he apparently knew how to.

　　“I’ll text you, so come over.”

　　Instead of a verbal reply, Juwon simply nodded. Seongbin wanted to tell him to answer properly and promptly, but he held back, not wanting to seem like he was nagging.