Curiosity is something everyone has.
If there was one thing that had been bugging Jiho since he collected his thoughts.
It was this.
Jiho finally submitted the draft he'd been working on and looked up.
"Sunbae, how do you know Kyungho?"
There shouldn't have been any occasion for them to meet, unless Lee Sangmin was the bridge.
"…Huh? Oh, Kyungho? Didn't you hear from him?" Minjae said, shifting his gaze from his phone. "We're working on a secret project. Can't say much, or Sangmin would lose it if I leaked anything."
"Project?"
"Don't worry. No one's being forced. Your good friend already told us you're too busy to be involved."
Hmm… so that's what it was about.
Kyungho has been weirdly persistent about trying to "impress his brother-in-law."
He had been lobbying for weeks now like a damn campaign manager.
Wait—!
Jiho scowled. "You guys wouldn't happen to be the 'super cool senior' he keeps talking about?"
"What's with that face?" Minjae snorted. "Well, glad he thinks that way. Maybe I'll reward him with my secret stash of Dew collection."
Dew collection—? Jiho didn't need to guess what that meant.
This damn pervert.
Don't you dare drag my pure Kyungho into your mess.
"Kyungho doesn't like that stuff."
Minjae paused mid-scroll. He glanced at Jiho from the corner of his eyes before turning his head over.
A small grin tug at his lips. "Heh..."
"What?"
"How do you know? He said he's got a big collection."
"Hah! No way!" In short, impossible.
"Pfft—"
Jiho knitted his brows. "What are you laughing at?"
Minjae chuckled. "Nothing… you're just way too fun to tease."
He tapped a few times on his phone, then angled the screen toward Jiho.
A bright yellow logo and a familiar brand.
"What did you think I meant? I was talking about the popular tea brand. I heard Kyungho's a big fan. You should know that."
Ummm....
Jiho ears turned bright red. "Of course! Kyungho's my friend."
…Except he had no idea Kyungho liked tea.
Not his fault Minjae said it with such a dirty grin.
No wonder I got the wrong idea.
Yup. Not his problem at all.
Thankfully, the apartment intercom buzzed, saving Jiho from further interrogation.
Minjae hopped up to answer it.
Whew.
"It's the manager," Minjae said and motioning toward Jiho. "He's at the door."
God bless this uncle.
Jiho quickly got up and walked out to meet the manager.
The man looked quite professional compared to Jiho's imagination.
"I'll send someone to reset your password tomorrow. Here's your key," the manager said, handing over a small keyring. Then he added with a cheerful smile, "I'll be keeping a spare at the office if you ever need it. And oh! welcome to the property."
Welcome—
Isn't that a bit too late?
Still, Jiho nodded and opened the door to his beloved apartment.
... At last.
Oh.
He still needed to thank that guy for taking him in.
Jiho turned around and sure enough, Seo Minjae was leaning casually against his doorframe with his arms crossed.
What is this sense of déjà vu…
"Um… thanks for today. If you ever need something, you can—"
"Oh yeah, I'll definitely trouble you," Minjae cut in, patting Jiho's shoulder. "How about showing me your designs next time? Let me brighten my eyes a little."
At least let me finish talking, bastard.
But...
"My designs? You want to look at my work?"
"Might as well. I want to see what's so great about it."
…Huh?
There was a trace of insult in that, wasn't there?
Jiho nodded. "Sure. You can take a look."
"Wow, that's great. Well then, good night."
The opposite door closed.
Argh.
I hate that smile of his.
I hate the way he talks.
I even hate the way he breathes.
So why the hell can't I take my eyes off him?
There's definitely something wrong with my body.
Jiho opened his fridge and pulled out a can of soda. Then he popped it open.
He drowned half of it in one go.
"Tsk... grapefruit flavour?"
He turned the can in his hand and squinted at the label.
It's the same drink he drinks everyday.
So why did it suddenly taste numb on his tongue?
.
.
.
It was a dark night. Only the table lamp was on, creating a soft halo over the cluttered desk.
Jiho slouched forward on his desk with his stylus on hand, moving with precision as it outline a cute little figure.
On the screen, a chibi figure sported a massive bump on its forehead, swinging a deadly weapon with exaggerated fury.
Its victim lay sprawled out, grinning despite being sliced into a thousand tiny pieces.
Heck.
Jiho stiffened.
What the hell am I doing?!
He didn't have time for this nonsense.
Jiho quickly flipped the tab and returned to his actual assignment.
Oddly enough, the flow came easier this time. His lines were cleaner, his focus was impeccable.
He barely noticed the sky lighten behind the curtains.
Jiho stretched his arms and legs, yawning.
He glanced at the time.
Damn... Not again.
It was already past five in the morning.
That means he only something more than two hours left to sleep minus the time to get ready and reached the campus.
Oh.
Should he sleep?
Or just stay awake and let the madness ride over?
***
Um...
This is definitely the cafeteria.
The most unpopular one with nasty food choices and furthest from the senior building.
He must've been mistaken.
Yeah, definitely not.
"Jiho-ya~, sit with us." Kyungho cheerfully waved, then paused, squinting at him.
"Eh? What happened to you, dude? Did you rob a bank yesterday or something? Look at those horrible eye bags…"
Heh... Thank you for the compliment.
Jiho's eyes landed on another person.
Minjae was living the thug life, lounging with a leg thrown over another's like some high school bully.
He tilted his head slightly while his eyes narrowed with a sharp edge.
"What are you doing here?"
No, I think I should be the one asking...
Why the hell are you guys here?!