Chapter 9: Dating is a Hassle (1)

　　“Where the hell do you wander off to every day? I swear I never see you on campus anymore,” Seokjun grumbled.

　　Seongbin didn’t bother replying. He just scanned the student cafeteria, tilting his head as he twirled a paper meal ticket between his index and middle fingers.

　　Now that the weather was warming up, the campus was buzzing, and the cafeteria lines were twice as long as usual. It had been a while since he had eaten here himself. He usually only dropped by when he had a weirdly long gap between classes or needed to grab a quick, mindless bite while grinding through assignments.

　　Then, he spotted a familiar face. If he hadn’t been looking, he might have missed him, but the guy’s tall, lean frame made him stand out in any crowd.

　　Does he ever even wash his clothes?

　　For once, the guy wasn’t wearing his department jacket. Instead, he was practically swallowed whole by a faded university hoodie.

　　“Hey, Seongbin,” Seokjun said, nudging him.

　　“Yeah?”

　　“Do you really have no intention of apologizing to Changsu hyung?”

　　“Why should I?” Seongbin asked, his voice flat.

　　“Because he is going around talking mad shit about you, telling everyone you messed with Hyena noona.”

　　“We are just friends,” Seongbin said, rolling his eyes. “Anyone who reads into it is the one with the problem.”

　　Changsu was Hyena’s ex. Seongbin and Hyena were strictly platonic, but Changsu had been busy two-timing her with one of her close friends.

　　He had managed to keep up the double life for about six months before Hyena’s intuition caught up with him. Trusting her gut late one night, she did a surprise raid on his studio apartment after he claimed he was going to sleep. Hyena said she felt like her entire world collapsed when she walked in to find him cleaning up after sex, just as her friend was stepping out of the bathroom.

　　Even though he had cheated, the bastard had no intention of breaking up and begged Hyena for forgiveness over and over. But she had absolutely no desire to take him back. Once the pathetic loser got tired of begging, he started blaming Seongbin for always hanging around her. What a pathetic piece of shit.

　　“Whatever, I don’t even know anymore,” Seokjun groaned, aggressively ruffling his own hair.

　　Seongbin started walking. With a light, effortless bounce in his step, he approached Yang Juwon, who was standing in front of the meal ticket vending machine. He tapped the older boy’s shoulder with his index finger. Juwon flinched violently, turning around with wary, guarded eyes.

　　“Hello,” Seongbin greeted him, flashing his most charming smile.

　　“Hey,” Juwon murmured.

　　“Did you buy a ticket?”

　　“Yeah.”

　　“Give it to me,” Seongbin said, holding out his hand.

　　He already had his own ticket, of course, but this was a test. It was a continuous, silent evaluation. Will he actually give it to me this time, too? He really does do everything I tell him to.

　　“Here,” Juwon said softly, pressing the paper ticket into Seongbin’s palm.

　　How wonderful.

　　Seongbin forced a thrilled expression onto his face before slipping his hand, ticket and all, into his pocket.

　　Juwon’s expression stiffened. He bit his lip, hesitating for a long moment. “After class today… um…”

　　“You want to meet up?” Seongbin supplied.

　　“Yeah.”

　　“Sure. Since you gave me your ticket,” Seongbin said smoothly. “I am going to head back to my friend now. See you later.”

　　As he turned away, Seongbin casually crumpled the useless ticket into a tight ball inside his pocket.

　　He rejoined Seokjun in the food line. The system was a bit of a hassle, since you had to buy a ticket from the machine first, then hand it over at the counter to get your food, but at least the line moved fast.

　　Seokjun glanced over his shoulder at Juwon, who was currently buying another ticket. “What is up with that sunbae? He is in our department, right?”

　　“Why?” Seongbin asked.

　　“Why is he basically offering up his meal ticket to you on a silver platter? And last time, he bought you coffee, too. We all drank it.”

　　Seongbin smiled with his eyes, his fingers aggressively shredding the ticket inside his pocket. “We are close.”

　　Seokjun shook his head in disbelief. “I honestly do not get your definition of ‘close.’ Are you and I close?”

　　“Well, if you think we are, then we are,” Seongbin replied breezily.

　　A short vibration buzzed in his pocket. Seongbin pulled out his phone to check his messages. The contact name, which he had previously saved as just YH, had been changed to Yeonhui at some point.

　　- Yeonhui: Oppa, what are you doing after class today? Buy me food.

　　All her previous talk about him being her sunbae and using polite language was completely out the window now.

　　- Seongbin: Sure. See you after.

　　“Yeonhui?” Seokjun peeked at the screen and lowered his voice. “Are you seriously using what you extorted from a sunbae to spend on a hoobae? Is she the one? Are you guys actually gonna date?”

　　“I am just planning on staying friends. Why?” Seongbin said.

　　“It’s always ‘just friends’!” Seokjun groaned.

　　Seongbin let out a soft chuckle, but then his eyes caught something, and he paused. “Sunbae!”

　　He called out to Juwon, who was walking past them with a food tray.

　　“Sit here,” Seongbin said, pointing to the empty seat next to him.

　　Seokjun glared at him from across the table, his eyes screaming what the hell are you doing? But since Juwon was technically their sunbae, Seokjun quickly adjusted his expression and gave a polite nod as the older boy sat down across from him.

　　“Oh, hello, Sunbae,” Seokjun greeted him.

　　“Hey,” Juwon replied quietly.

　　He gave a brief reply and quietly started eating. Every time Seongbin saw him, he was struck by how naturally Juwon used informal speech with underclassmen. He had dropped honorifics with Seongbin from the very beginning, and he did the exact same with Seokjun. He looked like the type who would use polite, formal language even if a little kid spoke to him, but he was surprisingly blunt.

　　“Sunbae,” Seongbin called out.

　　“Yeah?”

　　“Just go straight home after class today.”

　　Seokjun kept his eyes glued to his soup bowl, spooning up broth while his gaze darted between them. Juwon kept his eyes fixed on his tray and asked, “Why?”

　　“Something came up,” Seongbin said smoothly.

　　“What do you mean, ‘something came up’?” Seokjun muttered under his breath.

　　Juwon must have heard Seokjun’s grumbling retort, but he did not show it. He simply responded in his usual, quiet manner.

　　“Yeah.”

* * *

　　After dinner, they drove over to a parking lot by the Han River to look at the city lights. Yeonhui pouted, her voice dripping with a cute, performative whine.

　　“I hated that my ex didn’t have a car.”

　　“What’s wrong with not having a car?” Seongbin asked, steering the conversation casually.

　　“It’s just so much better when it’s just the two of us. I mean, the subway is fine, but sometimes you just want some privacy.”

　　“Fair point.” He took a sip of the iced Americano sitting in the cup holder.

　　“Oh, right! Oppa, smell this.” Yeonhui held her wrist up to his face. “It’s a new perfume I got. It smells so good.”

　　“Let me see.” He wrapped his fingers around her wrist, pulling her hand closer to inhale the scent lingering on her soft skin. It was sweet, light, and perfectly suited for spring.

　　He looked up at her, playfully brushing the tip of his nose against her pulse point. She didn’t pull away, her gaze locked onto his. Yeah, this is how it should be. No matter how compliant Yang Juwon was, dating a woman was infinitely better. Just the fleeting thought of pressing his lips to Juwon’s wrist like this made his stomach turn with disgust.

　　“…That tickles,” she whispered, pulling her hand back a second too late. He let her go without a fight. She cradled her hand against her chest, nervously rubbing her wrist.

　　Seongbin crooked his index finger in the air, a silent invitation. Her slender fingers immediately wrapped around his. He turned his head slightly in the cramped space of the car, and she stopped chewing on her bottom lip.

　　Exhaling a shallow breath, she asked in a small, breathless voice, “Can I kiss you?”

　　“Why?” he murmured.

　　“Because I want to.”

　　He closed his eyes, letting her press her lips to his in a brief, tentative touch. When he didn’t pull back or open his eyes, she took it as permission and leaned in deeper.

　　She pulled his hand, still holding her finger, down onto her thigh. He let her, enjoying the sensation as he stroked her thigh while she eagerly sucked on his lips. Her mouth was soft and practiced, smelling faintly of her sweet perfume. Even though they’d had beers earlier and he’d washed the taste down with black coffee, she tasted incredibly sweet.

　　Her teeth gently grazed his tongue, smooth and deliberate, without a single clumsy slip. Yeah. This is it. His preference was definitely women, not some guy giving him a blowjob.

　　He slid his hand up from her thigh, wrapping his fingers around her slender neck. The kiss deepened, their breathing turning heavy and ragged in the quiet car. He nipped at her lower lip, tugging it gently before sliding his tongue past her teeth.

　　BZZZZ! BZZZZZZ! BZZZZ!

　　A long, persistent vibration buzzed from the console. Without even looking, he reached over and flipped his phone face down. Yeonhui shifted, climbing halfway over the center console from the passenger seat to press her hand flat against his thigh. He trailed his lips down her jaw, pressing hot kisses into the crook of her neck as she tilted her head back.

　　BZZZ! BZZZ! BZZZ!

　　He froze.

　　He let out a sharp breath, finally pulling his mouth away from hers. The air inside the car had grown thick and humid. Annoyed, he grabbed his phone, the bright screen instantly cutting through the darkness.

　　“Is that your girlfriend?” Yeonhui asked, smoothing down the hem of her skirt.

　　He rolled the window down a crack to let some of the stifling heat out.

　　“No,” he muttered.

　　The name [Yang Juwon] filled the screen. Why the hell was he calling? Seongbin could have easily ignored it, but he was suddenly curious about what was going through the guy’s head to make him this persistent. A barrage of texts was annoying enough, but now he was actually calling.

　　Did Juwon seriously think they were in some kind of relationship? It was as if he thought he had the right to blow up his phone whenever he felt like it.

　　“Hold on. I need to take this,” Seongbin said.

　　“Okay,” she replied softly.

　　He stepped out of the car. Spring was definitely on its way, but the wind whipping off the river was still biting cold.

　　“Why do you keep calling?” he demanded, skipping any greeting. He didn’t care what Juwon had to say. No matter what excuse the guy came up with, he was going to shut him down.

　　—“Oh. Were you busy?”

　　“I told you I had plans,” Seongbin snapped.

　　—“Right. You did.”

　　“Did you call just to check up on me?”

　　—“No. It’s not that.”

　　“Then what is it?”

　　—“I was just wondering… if you’re finished with whatever you’re doing, maybe we could grab dinner.”

　　The guy was a total freak. Seongbin had been treating him like garbage, being nice only when it suited him, snapping whenever he was annoyed, and putting in absolutely zero effort. It was a textbook toxic dynamic. Yet Juwon just took it all in stride.

　　When Seongbin lashed out, Juwon would just quietly say, Oh, okay. When Seongbin was actually nice, he’d blush and say, Oh, okay. This time was no different.

　　Even though Seongbin had made it crystal clear that he wanted to be left alone, Juwon was still calling to ask him out to dinner. It was ridiculous at this hour, when normal dinner time had long since passed.

　　“You realize it’s past ten, right?”

　　—“It’s still not too late.”

　　God, he is so fucking persistent. It’s exhausting.

　　“Ugh…” Seongbin sighed heavily. “Fine. Wait for me then.”

　　—“Where?”

　　Seongbin picked at his fingernails, turning to look out over the river. The water, usually so still, seemed to churn violently under the cover of night. He easily could have said, I’m not hungry. Don’t call again, and hung up. But a cruel, petty urge flared up inside him.

　　If you’re going to be this annoying, you might as well suffer a little. He forced his irritated tone to soften, smoothing it out into something almost sweet.

　　“Where are you right now?”

　　—“Near the Gimpo kimchi stew alley.”

　　“Then go wait at a cafe nearby.”

　　—“They’re probably going to close soon, though.”

　　“I’ll make it before then. And don’t call me again until I contact you.”

　　—“Okay. I’ll wait.”

　　The call ended abruptly, a stark contrast to the relentless buzzing from earlier. When he climbed back into the car, Yeonhui turned to look at him.

　　“Did you make plans with someone?”

　　“No. Why?”

　　“It just sounded like you were setting something up.”

　　“Oh, that. I just told them I’d drop by if I had time. I don’t actually have to go.”

　　Seongbin rested his hand on the low, rounded gear shift.

　　“So, where are we heading now?” Yeonhui asked, sliding her hand over his.

　　She traced the prominent veins on the back of his hand with her fingertips. The destination was already decided.