Reason

“Hey, what are you looking for so hard?”

“No, I mean… where did my ballpoint pen go?”

It was a typical major class after the midterm exams.

Seated at an integrated desk-chair unit, Yoon Dae-eon was frantically searching for something.

He stuck his face under the desk and then rummaged through his bag with his hands, a sight frantic enough to make even Oh Dong-cheol, sitting next to him, feel restless.

“A pen? Again? Didn’t you say it was your eraser the day before yesterday?”

“……Why am I losing things so often lately?”

“It’s proof that you’re walking around with your mind turned off. Geez, just use mine.”

Rummaging through his pencil case, Oh Dong-cheol held out a pen.

It was a pen with a famous Japanese character dangling from the top.

Yoon Dae-eon clicked it to bring out the lead.

“Between you and Kim Ye-jun, my pencil case doesn’t stand a chance, huh?”

“I actually lost mine. Kim Ye-jun just doesn’t carry one to begin with.”

Even today, a ballpoint pen was rolling around near the hand of Kim Ye-jun, who was fast asleep next to Oh Dong-cheol.

Naturally, it belonged to Oh Dong-cheol.

However, Oh Dong-cheol’s carrot-patterned pencil case remained plump.

Oh Dong-cheol, who supposedly couldn’t resist a pretty pen or highlighter since long ago, had five black ballpoint pens alone.

It was a generous enough quantity to lend out to Kim Ye-jun or Yoon Dae-eon and still have spares.

The class ended normally after he borrowed the pen from Oh Dong-cheol.

While Kim Ye-jun woke up and stretched, Yoon Dae-eon and Oh Dong-cheol busily gathered the papers and pads spread out on their desks.

Yoon Dae-eon asked in a passing tone.

“What should we eat for lunch today?”

“Ah, I can’t eat with you today. You know, right?”

“Huh……? Why?”

Yoon Dae-eon, who had finished packing his bag, whipped his head around to look at Oh Dong-cheol.

The latter spoke with a deep scowl.

“I told you I was going to the hospital today.”

“Ah, right.”

“You really…… Pay attention! Honestly, you don’t listen to a single word I say, do you?”

Oh Dong-cheol said in a mock-hurt tone.

Yoon Dae-eon scratched the back of his head.

Hearing the word ‘hospital’ finally jogged his memory.

A few days ago, Oh Dong-cheol had mentioned he made an appointment at the hospital due to his Heat Cycle issues.

He had wanted to go on Friday when he had no classes if possible, but said he didn’t think he could hold out until then.

Because he was stuck to Oh Dong-cheol’s side almost all the time during the semester, they talked so much that he had simply failed to remember.

Finished with his packing, Oh Dong-cheol shouldered his bag and spoke.

“See you later.”

“Yeah. You’re coming to the next class, right?”

“Probably? Save a seat for me and Kim Ye-jun, okay?”

“Got it.”

And so, Oh Dong-cheol left.

Kim Ye-jun was just barely standing up while letting out a long yawn.

“Hey, Kim Ye-jun.”

“What.”

“……Are you eating?”

Yoon Dae-eon asked awkwardly while looking at Kim Ye-jun.

It had been quite a while since he started hanging out with Kim Ye-jun, but to be precise, Yoon Dae-eon had almost never been alone with him.

Maybe it would be different for Oh Dong-cheol, who lived in the dormitory with Kim Ye-jun.

With one eye closed, Kim Ye-jun glanced at Yoon Dae-eon beside him and spoke.

“Ah, I’m going to a PC café.”

“What about food?”

“I’m gonna eat there. We decided to run some ranked games together today.”

Yoon Dae-eon pondered for a moment at those words.

Should he follow Kim Ye-jun and make do with lunch at the PC café too?

He wasn’t sick of PC cafés like Oh Dong-cheol, but he wasn’t exactly a huge fan of games either.

“Are you coming?”

“No, never mind.”

“Okay. I’m off.”

Rising from his seat, Kim Ye-jun ran a hand through his messy bedhead and abruptly left.

He seemed completely indifferent to whether Yoon Dae-eon ate alone or not.

‘When you look at him, that guy is secretly shy around everyone except Oh Dong-cheol.’

Muttering to himself, Yoon Dae-eon eventually left the lecture hall as well.

If he checked his contacts, there might be someone to eat with, but it was too much hassle.

He would just have to eat alone today.

It was just as Yoon Dae-eon made that decision.

A large back, walking lonely and solitary, entered his field of vision.

“Senior Seon Ji-ha!”

The moment he saw him, Yoon Dae-eon ran over.

The man, who had been wearing wired earphones, turned to the side.

Upon discovering Yoon Dae-eon, Seon Ji-ha blinked his eyes as if surprised.

Fiddling with his phone, he quickly turned off the screen and yanked the earphones out of his ears in an instant.

It seemed like some chat message had been visible on his phone screen, but Yoon Dae-eon couldn’t see who it was from.

The conversation continued after Seon Ji-ha shoved everything into his pocket.

“Senior, where are you going? Are you going to eat?”

“……Yes.”

“Who are you eating with?”

Yoon Dae-eon swallowed hard and asked just in case.

‘If he’s eating with someone else, I’ll have to give up.’

That was what he was thinking when a question suddenly flew at him instead of an answer.

“Do you want to eat together……?”

Seon Ji-ha asked as if he had been waiting for the chance.

It was as if he had already decided what to say to Yoon Dae-eon.

At the offer to eat together, Yoon Dae-eon beamed, realizing the senior was eating alone too.

“I’d love to! What should we eat? What do you like, Senior? Tonkatsu? Stir-fried pork? There’s a good restaurant near the back gate.”

“……Anywhere is fine……”

“Then let’s go have tonkatsu.”

Yoon Dae-eon grabbed Seon Ji-ha’s wrist firmly and marched forward.

There wasn’t much time left until the next class.

As he felt rushed, he didn’t hesitate to grab the other’s wrist.

Seon Ji-ha stared down quietly at the hand gripping his.

It was a rather intense gaze.

*********************************************

“There were really a lot of people, weren’t there?”

“……Yes……”

With a face that looked completely drained of energy, Yoon Dae-eon looked back at the shop they had just exited.

It had been packed to the brim with university students.

If Yoon Dae-eon felt this way, Seon Ji-ha felt it even more. He looked as if he had a throbbing headache.

Yoon Dae-eon admitted that his choice for today’s lunch menu had been a mistake.

Since the place was so delicious, he had wanted to introduce it to Seon Ji-ha, who seemed to only ever eat school cafeteria meals, but it appeared the secret was already out.

Yoon Dae-eon looked up at Seon Ji-ha and asked.

“Senior, does your head hurt?”

“……I’m okay.”

“Do you have a fever, maybe?”

Yoon Dae-eon reached out and delved his fingers through the gap in Seon Ji-ha’s shaggy bangs.

His cool hand pressed firmly against the man’s forehead.

Surprised by the sudden contact, Seon Ji-ha widened his eyes and looked down at Yoon Dae-eon.

“Oh, you’re hot. But it might just be that my hands are cold……”

Because Yoon Dae-eon had poor circulation and cold hands, he was confused about whether the senior’s forehead was actually hot or if his own hands were just icy.

Ultimately, just as he was about to withdraw his hand since he couldn’t reach a conclusion—

Grab.

Seon Ji-ha’s large hand firmly gripped Yoon Dae-eon’s wrist.

No, since his hand was so large, it would be more accurate to say it covered the back of Yoon Dae-eon’s hand.

He spoke to Yoon Dae-eon with urgent eyes.

“Yo-your hand is cool, so just a little more……”

“Senior, do you really have a fever? Okay, I won’t pull my hand away. Let’s just stay like this for a bit.”

“Yes……”

With a worried face, Yoon Dae-eon scanned Seon Ji-ha’s complexion.

His face was flushed red, so it really did seem like he had a fever.

Because he was so busy worrying about him, Yoon Dae-eon didn’t realize that Seon Ji-ha’s hand had moved from covering the back of his hand to completely enveloping it.

The hand that had first been placed on Seon Ji-ha’s forehead slid down and touched his cheek this time.

Seeing as he said he wanted to keep the hand there because it was cool, it seemed he wanted to rub it all over his face, not just his forehead.

Yoon Dae-eon, who had frequently served as an ice pack for his friends, didn’t think much of it.

“Is it cool?”

“……Yes, very.”

“But Senior, we can’t just keep standing here, so shall we go to a café?”

Yoon Dae-eon pointed behind him.

There was a cheap franchise café nearby that students often frequented.

Seon Ji-ha glanced at the place but didn’t bother to answer.

In his own way, it was his way of saying he just wanted to stay like this.

However, perhaps taking it as agreement, Yoon Dae-eon slowly pulled his hand away.

His hand, which had been influenced by Seon Ji-ha’s heat, had become warm for the first time in a while.

Even so, it would likely turn cold again soon.

Seon Ji-ha looked down at Yoon Dae-eon’s retreating hand with a gaze dripping with lingering regret.

But since he had no more excuses to hold on, he eventually followed Yoon Dae-eon into the café.

Ding-ling.

The bell attached to the door chimed cheerfully.

When he entered the counter area of the not-so-spacious café together with the massive Seon Ji-ha, it felt incredibly cramped.

Naturally intending to drink in the shop, Yoon Dae-eon was picking a menu item when he noticed the current time.

“Senior, I don’t think I can stay and drink. Because of the next class…… Ah, we’re taking the next class together, right?”

When Seon Ji-ha gave a slow nod, Yoon Dae-eon said that was great and quickly picked a drink.

Once Seon Ji-ha chose the same thing, the employee handed them a vibration bell.

“Let’s go together and drink. Ah, I should buy one for Oh Dong-cheol too……”

Ding.

Yoon Dae-eon quickly checked the notification that just rang on his phone.

Seon Ji-ha, standing beside him, also took a peek at the screen, but Yoon Dae-eon didn’t notice.

– [Oh Dong-cheol: i dont think i can make it to the next class T_T]

– [Oh Dong-cheol: heat cycle started..] 12:48 PM

Yoon Dae-eon looked down at the words with a look of immense fluster.

This was the first time he had encountered Oh Dong-cheol’s Heat Cycle.

He was a Recessive Omega, and compared to regular Omegas, his Heat Cycle was quite irregular.

– [u ok?] 12:49 PM

– [Oh Dong-cheol: yea T_T getting suppressors at the hospital]

– [Oh Dong-cheol: i told the professor already]

– [Oh Dong-cheol: also if kim yejun isnt there tell me] 12:50 PM

– [Oh Dong-cheol: if he skips class again to play games he promised to grant me a wish;] 12:51 PM

A barrage of texts flew in from Oh Dong-cheol.

Fortunately, since he was a Recessive Omega, it didn’t seem like the Heat Cycle was affecting him too severely.

Yoon Dae-eon sent a simple “k” and turned off his phone.

As the conversation ended, the drinks came out as if they had been waiting.

Yoon Dae-eon took the two cups, handed one to Seon Ji-ha, and headed straight outside.

“Senior, shall we head to the lecture hall?”

Speaking casually, Yoon Dae-eon walked slowly past the campus main gate and into the grounds.

Seon Ji-ha was walking quietly beside him, matching his pace.

The eyes hidden beneath his shaggy bangs were busy stealing glances at Yoon Dae-eon—no, more accurately, at the cup held in his hand.

It was a fairly secretive gaze, so Yoon Dae-eon didn’t notice.

Then, Yoon Dae-eon suddenly recalled a fact he had completely forgotten.

“Senior, come to think of it, did you find your cri…… no, your first love?”

“……Ah.”

Now that he thought about it, the reason he had become close to Seon Ji-ha was because of that damn ‘First Love Search.’

At some point, Seon Ji-ha had become lukewarm about the matter he had been so enthusiastic about.

Even when he invited Yoon Dae-eon to his house, he didn’t bring up the first love at all.

Slurp.

Yoon Dae-eon, who had taken a sip of his drink through the straw, asked in passing.

Since he hadn’t said anything to Yoon Dae-eon until now, he naturally assumed in his head that the senior hadn’t found them.

However, the answer he received was different.

“……Yes.”

“What? You found them?”

“……Yeees.”

Seon Ji-ha trailed off his answer as if he were deliberately being shy.

Yoon Dae-eon, who instantly pulled his mouth away from the straw, asked urgently, forgetting even the fact that some of the drink was smudged on his chin.

“Wh-who? Who was it?”

“……”

Instead of answering quickly, Seon Ji-ha looked down at Yoon Dae-eon with calm eyes.

Even though he waited until he was out of breath, there was no reply, so Yoon Dae-eon was staring at Seon Ji-ha with a fairly desperate gaze.

The round pupils that were filled with his reflection also tightly filled Seon Ji-ha’s heart.

Eyes that contained only him. Seon Ji-ha liked that very much.