Chapter 12

Ju-woon glanced at the time. 6:50 PM.

He was supposed to be working on his art project, but his focus was completely shot. His pencil hovered above the page, unmoving, as his thoughts drifted—specifically, to the fact that Min-ho was coming over.

And for what exactly?

Ju-woon didn't know. But if there was one thing he was sure of, it was that Min-ho never did anything without a reason. He wasn't the type to visit just to "hang out." If he was coming over, it meant he had something planned.

Which was bad news for Ju-woon.

Tomorrow was the weekend. He had been looking forward to finally getting some sleep, a peaceful night without having to deal with people. But no. Now he had to entertain whatever chaos Min-ho was bringing to his apartment.

He sighed, dropping his pencil on the desk.

Why the hell was he even thinking about this so much?

Ju-woon stood up, stretching his stiff shoulders before realizing—he was still wearing the same outfit he'd gone to class in. Shit.

Not that he cared what Min-ho thought of his clothes, but… actually, why was he even thinking about that?

Whatever. He should at least change.

He walked over to his closet and pulled it open, hoping for a decent option. He had none. Most of his usual clothes were still in the washing machine.

That left him with two choices:

A pair of black and grey pajama pants.

A pink t-shirt with a tiny cartoon cat.

Ju-woon stared at it, horrified.

No. Absolutely not.

But after a quick check through his hamper, he realized he had no other choice. He groaned, dragging a hand down his face before pulling off his current shirt and slipping into the embarrassing one.

Standing in front of the mirror, he cringed.

This was so not his usual style. He typically wore dark, formal clothes. Now? He looked soft. Cute.

His face twisted in disgust. Min-ho is going to have a fun day with this.

Ju-woon grabbed a bottle of cologne and sprayed some on himself before freezing.

Wait. Why did he just do that?

Why the hell did he care what he smelled like? It was just Min-ho. Just Min-ho coming over for whatever annoying reason he had. Not a big deal.

With an irritated sigh, he sat down and flipped open his sketchbook, trying to focus.

But just as his pencil touched the paper—

BANG.

The front door swung open.

Ju-woon nearly jumped out of his seat, his sketchbook slipping from his hands and crashing onto the floor."What the hell—" He snapped his head toward the entrance. "Min-ho, care to knock next time?!"Min-ho strolled in like he owned the place, looking around with an easy smirk. "Hello to you too, Ju-woon."Ju-woon glared. "Who just barges into someone's apartment like this?!"

Min-ho barely even acknowledged him as he wandered further inside, his sharp eyes scanning the place like he was inspecting it."Hey, not bad. Didn't think you'd have such a nice place."

Ju-woon rubbed his head. "Can you not touch my stuff?"Min-ho ignored him and casually opened the fridge. After a few seconds, he let out an exaggerated sigh."Ju-woon, you seriously have no food. How do you even survive?"

"By not inviting unannounced guests into my apartment," Ju-woon deadpanned.

Min-ho shut the fridge and turned walked toward him, his lips curving into that smirk. The one that meant trouble.

"So… what are we doing?"

Ju-woon felt a shiver run down his spine. Min-ho was too close. The way he leaned in, his breath warm against Ju-woon's ear—it made his skin prickle.

Ju-woon refused to be affected. "You're the one who invited yourself over. You figure it out."

He stood up from his chair and looked Min-ho straight in the eyes.Min-ho blinked, seeming caught off guard. Then, for the first time, he looked… flustered?Ju-woon narrowed his eyes. That was new.

Min-ho quickly covered it up with his usual smirk. "Fine. Got any drinks?"

Ju-woon rolled his eyes. "There's water in the fridge."

Min-ho scoffed. "Why would I be talking about water when you're right here?"

Ju-woon stared. "Min-ho. That makes zero sense."

Min-ho just grinned.

Ju-woon sighed and went to grab a bottle of water. The condensation made his fingers damp as he pulled it out and walked back to Min-ho, holding it out.Min-ho didn't take it. Instead, he just looked at Ju-woon."Hyung~" Min-ho's voice was teasing. "Can you feed me?"

Ju-woon stared at him. "First of all, you don't eat water. Second of all, no—"Before he could pull his hand away, Min-ho grabbed his hand."Please?" Min-ho pouted.Ju-woon clenched his jaw. "Fine. I don't have a choice anyway, do I?"Min-ho smiled, victorious, as Ju-woon sighed and twisted open the bottle. He hesitantly brought it up to Min-ho's lips.

Ju-woon didn't mean to stare, but as the water touched Min-ho's mouth, his gaze lingered on his lips.The curve of them, the way they parted slightly—

Min-ho started laughing.

the hell, why is he laughing?

He spat out the water, spluttering as it dripped down his chin and onto his shirt.

Ju-woon took a step back, startled. "What the hell—"

Min-ho suddenly burst out laughing. Ju-woon just stared. What was so funny about this?!Min-ho wiped his mouth, still grinning. "Oh no, my shirt's all wet. What a tragedy. Guess I'll just have to strip."

Ju-woon's brain short-circuited. "No, absolutely not."

Ignoring him, Min-ho dramatically grabbed the hem of his soaked shirt, ready to pull it off.Ju-woon panicked and rushed to his closet, grabbing a random shirt and chucking it at Min-ho's face."Here. Wear this and shut up."Min-ho pulled the shirt off his face and examined it. Then, suddenly, he brought it up to his nose and smelled it.

"Hyung…" Min-ho's voice was teasing. "It smells just like you."

Ju-woon froze. His face heated up instantly."Just put it on," he muttered, looking away. "It's not a big deal."Min-ho chuckled as he changed, but as he slipped the dry shirt on, his eyes landed on Ju-woon's outfit—

And stopped.

"Wait a second." His lips curled into a grin and looked at the shirt Ju-woon was wearing. "Ju-woon… is that a pink shirt?with a cat on it?"

Ju-woon knew this moment was coming, but it didn't make it any less painful."I had nothing else to wear. Shut up."

Min-ho smirked. "You look adorable."

Ju-woon's stomach flipped.

His face burned as he turned away. 

"oh yeah by the way Ju-woon, i'm kinda in the mood for alcohol got some?'

"Hmm, i don't think i have any at home." 

Min-ho groaned. "Seriously?"

Ju-woon sighed. "There's a store around the block. Wanna go with me?"

Min-ho's gaze flickered toward him, something unreadable in his eyes.

Then, slowly, he grinned.

"Lead the way, hyung."

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