Chapter 9

Ju-woon stared at Min-ho, his pulse hammering against his throat. The alley was quiet, the distant chatter of students fading into a dull hum behind them. Min-ho's fingers were still wrapped around his wrist cold, and alarming.

Ju-woon swallowed, trying to keep his face unreadable. His lips parted, but nothing came out at first. What was he supposed to say? What did Min-ho even want from him?

Then, after a long, heavy pause, he let out a breath and muttered, "I don't know."

Min-ho's eyes narrowed.

"That's it?" His voice was calm, but there was an edge to it—sharp, dissecting. He leaned in slightly, his presence pressing against Ju-woon in a way that made it hard to breathe. "You just don't know?"

Ju-woon clenched his jaw, yanking his wrist free from Min-ho's grasp. "What do you want me to say?" His voice came out harsher than he intended, but he didn't care. He was frustrated—at Min-ho, at himself, at the whole situation. "It happened. It was a mistake. Now drop it."

Min-ho didn't move, didn't even blink. His gaze stayed locked onto Ju-woon's, studying him, picking him apart like he could see every frantic thought running through his head.

"A mistake?" he repeated, voice low.

Ju-woon's stomach twisted, but he refused to react.

"Yeah," he said, lifting his chin. "So just forget about it."

Min-ho looked at Ju-woon and playfully brushed a hand through his hair.

"Alright," Min-ho said after a moment, stepping back just slightly. "If that's what you want." his voice sounded as if he was teasing Ju-woon again. What's his problem?

Ju-woon expected relief.

It didn't come.

Instead, Min-ho gave him one last lingering look before turning on his heel and walking out of the alleyway, his hands tucked into his pockets, shoulders relaxed as if none of this had affected him at all.

Ju-woon stood there for a moment, his breath uneven, his heart refusing to slow down.

That was it? Just like that?

Then why did it feel like he had just lost something?

The rest of the day passed in a blur, boring classes nothing special. Ju-woon went through the motions—attending classes, pretending to listen, answering when spoken to—but his mind was stuck in the alleyway, stuck on Min-ho's expression before he walked away.

He didn't know what he expected. For Min-ho to push harder? For him to keep teasing, keep making this worse? But no—Min-ho just... accepted it. And somehow, that made everything feel even heavier.

By the time evening rolled around, Ju-woon was exhausted. He just wanted to sleep and forget about everything. But, of course, fate wasn't that kind.

As he walked through campus, heading toward his dorm, a familiar voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Yo, Ju-woon!"

His stomach sank.

Soo-bin.

Ju-woon turned his head, already bracing himself. Soo-bin, one of his classmates and an insufferable gossip, the guy just stood there smirking at Ju-woon looking at him as if he had just committed a crime.

"You missed out at the party, man," Soo-bin said, slinging an arm around Ju-woon's shoulders like they were best friends. "Well, actually… maybe you didn't."

Ju-woon stiffened. "What are you talking about?" his voice sounded cold almost as if he didn't care, even though that wasn't the truth.

Soo-bin grinned. "C'mon, don't play dumb. You and Min-ho disappeared around the same time." His tone was laced with amusement, like he was enjoying this far too much. "People talk, you know."

Ju-woon's blood turned cold.

He forced a smile. "People are idiots."

"Maybe." Soo-bin shrugged. "But you know how rumors are. They spread fast. And right now, people are real curious about what exactly happened between you and Min-ho that night, honestly you should have expected it both of you are pretty popular around campus, people always observe you i doubt they would let this slide "

Ju-woon's fingers curled into fists at his sides. He hated this—hated how easily rumors could spiral, how people loved to pry into things that weren't their business.

"Tell them whatever you want," he muttered, stepping out of Soo-bin's grasp. "I don't care."

Soo-bin watched him with a knowing smile, but thankfully, he didn't push any further. "Alright, alright. Just thought I'd give you a heads-up."

Ju-woon didn't respond. He just turned and walked away, his chest tight.

Rumors. Of course. As if he didn't already have enough to deal with.

But deep down, beneath the irritation, the anxiety… there was something else.

Something even more unsettling.

Because if the rumors kept spreading, then eventually, Min-ho would hear them too.

And Ju-woon had no idea how he would react.

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