#20

He raised one eyebrow slightly, a knowing smile playing on his lips.

“No, no. I’m a handsome man.”

“Wow. You’re seriously the worst.”

Even after hearing that, he looked completely unfazed. With that same relaxed expression, he gently pulled my wrist closer, bringing my hand toward his face.

“You clearly like shiny things. The way you were touching my piercing earlier…”

What, is he implying his face is shiny now? He was way too aware of how good-looking he was—it was honestly infuriating.

His tone stayed playful, but maybe he wasn’t fully awake yet, because his voice was lower than usual, a bit huskier. He guided my hand to his face and pressed it lightly against his cheek.

“What were you gonna do, steal my piercing?”

His drowsy voice drifted over my wrist.

“I was just looking…”

“Looking?”

“…I was gonna give it back.”

There wasn’t any real reason. It’s not like I wanted it, or needed it. My hand just… reached for it, out of habit.

Wei Chen only gave a quiet laugh at my actions. Embarrassed, I kept opening and closing my hand before pulling it free from his grip with a little force.

Then, acting like nothing happened, I turned to face the wall.

Silence settled between us, and suddenly I remembered the dinner. I couldn’t let the moment pass, so I cautiously spoke.

“Um… Wei Chen.”

Just then, his arm wrapped around my waist from behind. He pulled me in close, and I tensed up, feeling like I couldn’t even breathe. He murmured a low, “Mmm,” resting his head lightly against mine.

I licked my dry lips and carefully continued.

“This Friday… do you think I could take just one day off from training?”

He didn’t answer right away. His silence made me more nervous. I waited anxiously for his reply.

Finally, a murmur from behind broke the silence.

“Life must be feeling way too peaceful and comfortable, huh?”

“No, it’s not like that!”

I hurried to explain.

“There’s a club dinner… and I really need to go this time. Just this once, please?”

“No.”

He was firm. I begged a little more desperately.

“Please! I’ll train twice as hard over the weekend. I swear. Just this one time…”

He tightened his arm around me, pulling me even closer.

“Please…”

I made my voice as pitiful as possible, practically pleading. He didn’t respond. Figures. I was sure the answer was still no, when suddenly—

“Two hours. Then come back.”

Completely unexpected. I froze, stunned.

What… just happened? Did he take something? Is he sick?

I couldn’t believe it, so I turned to face him.

“Really? I can actually go? You’re not gonna change your mind, right?”

“You keep asking, and now I want to change my mind.”

“Ah—sorry! Forget I said anything!”

I frantically waved my hands and quickly turned back toward the wall again. Unable to handle the awkwardness, I blurted out,

“Um… goodnight, then.”

A soft chuckle rumbled from behind me.

I pulled the blanket up over myself and closed my eyes. Strangely, tonight… his scent felt even stronger than usual.

* * *

“Don’t take off the tracker on your own. If it detaches, it’s rigged to explode automatically, so keep that in mind.”

There wasn’t even a hint of joking in his calm voice. I stared at him in horror.

“You’re joking, right?”

Without so much as a smile, he asked in return,

“Does it sound like a joke?”

His firm tone sent a chill down my spine. I glanced nervously at the tracker stuck to the heel of my sneaker. My toes twitched at the thought of accidentally bumping into something and triggering an explosion.

“Okay. I won’t touch it.”

When I nodded, he continued speaking, his expression still deadly serious.

“And contact me every 30 minutes. Even if it’s something small. If you get a weird feeling about anything, report it immediately.”

Is he insane? Seriously—every 30 minutes? Even the most possessive boyfriend wouldn’t expect that much contact.

But given the situation, I could understand why Wei Chen was being so intense. Still, I didn’t want to push back and risk him changing his mind and saying I couldn’t go. I nodded reluctantly.

“Alright, I’ll do it.”

Wei Chen narrowed his eyes, watching me for a moment.

“You’re sure you understand? Don’t treat this like a joke.”

Sharp bastard.

“Yes, I understand.”

Only after he went over a whole list of warnings—multiple times—was I finally allowed to get out of the car. Even as I walked for a while, I could still feel his gaze on me. I glanced once more at the tracker on the back of my sneaker and let out a small sigh.

* * *

It was my first time attending a club dinner in over a year.

Since I’d basically been a ghost member, it felt awkward to be around the club members again. Some people had joined, others had left. A lot had changed in the meantime. The familiar names from before were disappearing one by one, replaced by unfamiliar freshmen. While everyone laughed and chatted, calling each other by name, I found it hard to blend in.

At first, I thought I’d just keep quiet and slip away when I had the chance. If I just greeted everyone briefly and sat off to the side, I figured no one would pay me any attention.

But of course, I was completely wrong.

“Senpai, are you really dating a celebrity?”

“Ah! I heard that too. A model, right?”

“How did you two meet? Did he ask for your number on the street?”

The moment I sat down, underclassmen swarmed over as if they’d been waiting for me. I had no idea how far the rumors about Wei Chen had spread, but even people I’d never met were looking at me with wide eyes, throwing questions my way.

“Do you have a photo together? I need to see!”

“I want to see him in person. How good-looking is he for people to go this crazy?”

This was… really overwhelming. I tried to answer, but no matter what I said, I’d have to lie. If I had more dating experience, maybe I wouldn’t have frozen like this.

Clearing my throat unnecessarily, I scratched my cheek and said,

“Uh… um… we met in a pretty normal way. Nothing special.”

“No way~ Come on! Where and how did you actually meet?”

Stealing in a café… yeah, not something I can say out loud.

“It’s really nothing. Just… through an introduction.”

I picked the most typical answer. That made them all light up—“No way, seriously?!”—and the mood instantly grew more excited. They asked who the amazing matchmaker was, whether I could introduce them too—it was chaos.

As I got caught up in the conversation, the atmosphere of the dinner shifted from awkward to lively. At the same time, a weird sense of fatigue built up inside me.

Thanks to all my deflecting, Wei Chen had now become “Jang Doo-sik,” a 26-year-old heir to a seedless watermelon farm. I’d worked hard to make sure no one would ever guess what he actually did.

But as I kept spinning tales, something suddenly hit me.

…I don’t even know how old Wei Chen is.

We’ve been tangled up for a while now, yet I don’t know something as basic as his age? Meanwhile, he knows exactly how many English questions I got wrong in school. It felt unfair.

I ended up speaking formally to him because of the situation we were in, and he naturally spoke casually to me. But now that I think about it… what if he’s actually younger than me?

“Cheers, Dabi-senpai!”

One of the underclassmen came over with a big grin, raising her glass. I forced a smile, clinked glasses, and took a sip. As I set my glass down, I fell into deep thought.

Judging by his vibe, he definitely didn’t feel younger.

But! These days, you can’t judge age by looks or vibe. Teenagers look like adults, and adults like fresh-faced students.

If I’m really older than him…

That little punk. The thought irritated me. Maybe it was the alcohol—I hadn’t even drunk that much, but my head was already feeling fuzzy.

“Dabi, you okay?”

Just then, Senior Junghoo sat across from me, asking with concern. His face was flushed—clearly, he’d had quite a bit to drink. I fiddled with my empty glass and nodded awkwardly.

“The seniors will head out soon, so just hang in there a bit longer. If it’s too much, just say so.”

“Okay.”