Promises That Didn’t Break

“Huh?”

“That tutoring you mentioned. Getting tutored from someone who got a perfect score on CSAT would be good for me too.”

I can’t allow that. Taeha-ya, you’re an alpha too.

Remembering Yooseong’s pheromones, Hanbyeol shook his head with a determined expression.

“That won’t work.”

At Hanbyeol’s strong opposition, Taeha hesitated, then nodded.

“Since it’s at my brother’s dorm, I can’t bring in an outsider.

It’s still pretty strict for even me to get in.

And you, you’ve been saying your personal study time has been lacking because of debut preparations.

So you shouldn’t have more taken from you.

And it would make me feel worse, so no.”

“You don’t have to be sorry…”

“Thanks, really.”

At Hanbyeol’s words of gratitude, Taeha seemed to have nothing more to say and closed his mouth.

“I appreciate you thinking of me. But Taeha, let’s not have your time taken up by other things anymore.”

“Okay…”

“Help me at school on weekdays. I don’t go to my brother’s dorm every weekend either, so weekends are fine too. Is that still okay?”

“Yeah. I like weekends too.”

“Then, see you then.”

“Saturday?”

“Would Saturday be good, if you’re okay with it?”

“Thanks.”

“What’s there to thank me for? Then see you Satur—huh, oh? Taeha-ya, Taeha-ya! Our moving class is in Room 4! Run!”

The bell rang.

Flustered, Hanbyeol grabbed his textbook and ran toward the next classroom.

Taeha watched Hanbyeol running ahead and tightened his grip on his own textbook.

****

Holding a red pen, grading test papers, Yooseong spoke to Hanbyeol, who was lying sprawled out tiredly.

“Little bro, I have a favor.”

“What.”

You know I practically jump out of my skin just hearing the word ‘favor’ now?

Remembering Yooseong clasping his hands together last time saying he had a favor, Hanbyeol just turned his head to look at him.

Under that gaze, Yooseong bowed his head over the test papers.

“Hanbyeol-ah. If you glare at me like that, hyung gets really scared…”

“I get really scared wondering what favor hyung is going to ask.”

“It’s not a big one.”

“Not a big one? Me coming and going from your dorm isn’t a big thing?”

“My mistake.”

When Hanbyeol puffed out his cheeks and asked ‘why?’, Yooseong explained.

After all, they were brothers in the same boat now.

“Can you come with me this weekend?”

“This weekend?”

“Yeah…”

“What’s the schedule this weekend?”

“…Uh. Well, there’s a cultural festival in Chungcheongnam-do, the opening ceremony performance…”

Chungcheongnam-do?

Cheonan, accessible by subway, is in Chungcheongnam-do.

So is Taean.

So is Geumsan.

“Where in Chungcheongnam-do?”

Hanbyeol picked up his phone and searched.

Chungcheongnam-do, cultural festival.

“Gongju…”

“How are you getting there?”

“By van.”

Seoul to Gongju.

As soon as Hanbyeol checked the travel time, he grabbed the pillow he was resting on with his hand.

You’re asking me to ride in a car for an hour and a half?!

As Hanbyeol raised the pillow, Yooseong seemed to sense it was coming his way and quickly raised both hands to block.

“I’m sorry!”

“You! What kind of! Brother are you!”

As he swung the pillow down wildly as if in a pillow fight, a dull thump sounded.

“Ouch!”

“Anything to say? Huh? Riding in a van?”

“Sorry! But, let me explain! Hanbyeol-ah!”

His anger hadn’t subsided.

After hitting Yooseong with the pillow for a while, Hanbyeol eventually seemed tired and sprawled out again.

Yooseong, who had actually been hit hard with the pillow, looked perfectly fine.

Where on earth does that human’s stamina come from?

“No, I, huh? I didn’t do it on purpose.”

“Tell me honestly, even now. You’re planning to make Choi Hanbyeol your ××× now, aren’t you?”

“Aw, come on~.”

“Otherwise, there’s no way hyung would do this to me!”

Hanbyeol’s reason for being angry was clear.

If it’s an hour and a half by car, Hanbyeol will 100% suffer from car sickness.

Thirty minutes by car.

That was the maximum time he could endure motion sickness even when his condition was good.

But asking him to travel three times that distance by car made his blood boil.

“Sorry…”

But on the other hand, it was also hard to flatly refuse.

He planned to space out his dorm visits as much as possible, but the date Yooseong’s heat cycle was scheduled to start was this Thursday, two days from now.

Of all times, because Yooseong’s physical condition wasn’t good, they had reduced him to weaker suppressants.

So there was a very high probability his pheromones would leak.

Even if he had to skip a few days of academy classes, he needed to be in and out of the dorm all week.

“No, you said just being at the dorm would be enough.”

“Since it’s a regional festival… The promise is already made.”

Apparently, a fee related to the team had already been set.

Anyway, it wasn’t something Hanbyeol could know for sure.

What was certain now was that he had to travel by car for an hour and a half following Yooseong.

“Huh? Wait, which day this weekend?”

“Saturday. Actually, there’s a schedule on Sunday too, but…”

“…”

“I’ll try to manage Sunday somehow… But Saturday is a bit…”

As Yooseong’s voice trailed off, Hanbyeol gritted his teeth.

Shut your mouth, you whose body is messed up.

Hanbyeol let out a sigh and picked up his phone.

“…Ah, I’ve gone and done something I’ll feel sorry to Taeha about again.”

“Taeha?”

“I promised to study with him on Saturday. I made a promise.”

“Why bother? I’m tutoring you.”

“Is studying with a friend the same as that?”

Who are you, trying to check meal times against the exam schedule on weekends…?

Lately, thanks to Yooseong, Hanbyeol was following a semi-forced exam routine.

“Taeha is good at studying too.”

“Better than me?”

“…”

What am I supposed to say when a perfect scorer asks that?

Hanbyeol opened his mouth with a vacant look.

“Hyung, do you hate me resting that much?”

“Aw, come on.”

“Right, it better not be. I’m even playing along with your plan; if it is, I won’t just let it slide.”

“Yes, yes…”

With a heavy heart, Hanbyeol sent a message to Taeha.

In response to the message saying something had come up on the weekend and he had to move around with his brother, Taeha sent a reply no different from usual.

Ji Taeha

Got it. Even if it doesn’t work out this week, I hope we can see each other next week.

Can I think we’ll be able to meet?

Sure, sure.

As Hanbyeol looked at the screen, nodding while thinking about his kind friend, Yooseong turned his head and stared intently at Hanbyeol.

“Ah, you scared me! What kind of ghost are you? Why move your head like that?”

“Is he your boyfriend?”

“No, he’s not.”

Taeha definitely had potential as a good boyfriend to anyone looking.

But Hanbyeol had no intention of seeing him as more than a friend.

At Hanbyeol’s firm answer, Yooseong asked back, “Why?”

“Is his personality not good enough to be a boyfriend?”

“It’s not that.”

“Then?”

“Honestly, he has a good personality, is tall, smart, and even a dominant alpha… But he’s such a good friend that it wouldn’t be right.”

“A good friend can become a good boyfriend. So, why not?”

“Taeha’s dream is to be an idol. He trained at an agency for quite a long—”

“What?!”

“Ah, you startled me.”

At Yooseong’s big reaction, Hanbyeol flinched.

What’s so surprising about that?

“Why?”

“…Ah, no. No, nothing.”

As Hanbyeol frowned, Yooseong waved his hands saying it was nothing.

Yooseong, tilting his head as if thinking something, asked again.

“An idol? Really?”

“Yeah. He’s handsome and sings well. Honestly, seems better than you, hyung.”

“Ah, no… I see… So that’s how it is.”

“What is. ‘So that’s how it is,’ hey. Have you seen Taeha before?”

“No, don’t know. It’s nothing. Since you said he’s your friend, I thought maybe he was in a similar major. Friends usually gather with similar people.”

“What do you mean. Explain clearly.”

“I thought maybe he was tone-deaf.”

This guy is feeding me lines.

As Hanbyeol gritted his teeth, Yooseong laughed brightly, saying it was a joke.

****

Meanwhile, the front door opened, and the members entered the dorm one by one.

Perhaps they had finished work while he was studying, they waved upon seeing Hanbyeol chasing Yooseong around.

“Getting along well again today~.”

“Right.”

Where exactly?

Hanbyeol couldn’t understand their reaction at all.

“Welcome back.”

“Yeah~ Did you study hard again today?”

Danyoung smiled and waved at Hanbyeol.

Hanbyeol nodded his head.

As if intending to monitor a filmed program, the members gathered in the living room and began watching the screen.

Since he didn’t really need to watch it, he grabbed the pillow he had brought out and was about to go back into the room when Danyoung’s eyes lit up and called him.

“Are you going to study again now?”

“Huh? Ah, I should, right?”

“Isn’t it about time to rest? Can you help us monitor this together?”

Me? An ordinary person?

Hanbyeol pointed at himself with a flustered expression.

“You’re Yooseong’s brother~ I trust Hanbyeol-ah’s perspective.”

Even if born under the same parents, innate talents differ.

Hanbyeol wanted to shake his head, but Yooseong, who had sidled up, made him sit down.

“What. I have to study.”

“Rest is necessary too. You’ve been studying with me ever since you got back from school today, so now watch hyung’s schedule.”

When Yooseong put it that way, he had no retort.

The recording on TV was from about two weeks ago.

“You don’t have to stress too much. The exam isn’t everything, I just want you to rest a little.”

“I’m just a little worried.”

“You studied until late the day before yesterday too.”

They’re like doting older brothers fussing over their young youngest sibling.

At the words from the dazzlingly handsome guys with their brows slightly furrowed, Hanbyeol nodded with a resigned expression.