GBH 133

Just as Ji-soo finished her inspection and smiled with satisfaction while secretly feeling nervous, she sensed gazes gathering from somewhere. When she craned her neck to look, she saw Song Yi-heon and Se-kyung approaching. 

She waved her gloved hand. “Hey, you guys!”

Se-kyung spotted Ji-soo first. While Se-kyung looked stylish in his white long padded coat, Song Yi-heon had clearly dressed up intentionally, wearing a black short mustang jacket, black jeans, and tall walker boots. His short light brown hair, which usually made him look like an active schoolboy, now appeared trendy with a black beanie, as if he had dyed it on purpose.

Although he looked cold next to Se-kyung, who was wrapped in a scarf over his long padded coat, the contrast between his pale neckline and dark outfit heightened the cool atmosphere.

Moreover, Song Yi-heon’s gaze was unsettling. From far away, his eyes were fixed intently like laser beams. Ji-soo didn’t realize that piercing gaze was an extension of the outfit he had carefully put on to not look inferior to her.

“Yi-heon, did you get home okay in the early morning?” Ji-soo asked, trying to suppress her racing heart, but Song Yi-heon, standing askew, immediately scolded her about her short skirt.

“What’s with that outfit?”

“Outfit? Are you talking about my clothes?”

“You were like this at dawn too. You’ll catch a cold in your bones if you keep this up.”

Normally Yi-heon wouldn’t care about others’ outfits, but he preemptively struck out of fear that Se-kyung might take off his scarf to give to her.

“Be careful while you’re young. Don’t suffer later from ruining your health.”

‘Who is he to criticize what I’m wearing?’ Ji-soo clenched her teeth, trying to control her facial muscles that were about to contort at this reflexive thought.

“…What are you talking about? Why would I ruin my health? Always with the jokes.”

Ji-soo forced a smile, not wanting to ruin the mood from the start after having difficulty getting Song Yi-heon to come out. However, her fondness for him was diminishing like red streaks on a test paper. She considered ditching the whole boyfriend thing. She had liked Song Yi-heon quite a bit, but she didn’t want to associate with someone who criticized her clothing.

“Let’s go in. I’ll buy you some clothes.”

“Huh?”

“…?”

Ji-soo exclaimed in surprise, while Se-kyung was quietly shocked. However, his furrowed brow was hidden by his bangs, and his twisted lips were covered by his scarf. To make matters worse, being tall, no one saw Se-kyung’s shocked expression.

“You’ll buy me clothes?”

Ji-soo’s surprised question was exactly what Se-kyung wanted to ask.

“Yeah, man. People need to keep their bodies warm. How upset would your parents be if they knew their precious child was shivering in the cold weather?”

To show he wasn’t just saying empty words, Song Yi-heon passed by Ji-soo and pulled open the door of a spa brand clothing store. He had initially scolded her out of jealousy, but seeing Ji-soo shivering in the cold made him feel uneasy. Human nature doesn’t change.

It was either sympathy or compassion. Song Yi-heon thought he understood why Choi Se-kyung had given Shin Ji-soo winter gear in the early morning.

“Come in quickly. Staying in the cold wind for too long is bad for your health.”

Ji-soo blinked her heavily mascaraed eyelashes. So, Song Yi-heon wasn’t criticizing her outfit. He was worried she might catch a cold or get sick in the distant future if she kept dressing coldly. He prioritized Ji-soo’s health over her external beauty.

As Ji-soo realized this and fell for Song Yi-heon once again, Se-kyung, who had been quiet until now, interjected.

“I think it’s fine to wear what she has on. Ji-soo looks pretty today.”

He intervened because he couldn’t stand to see Ji-soo receive clothes that he himself hadn’t received, but Song Yi-heon, unaware of Se-kyung’s true feelings, heard it differently.

“Pretty?”

Normally, he wouldn’t be sensitive about a young girl being called pretty. However, the problem was that Song Yi-heon had felt jealous of Ji-soo wearing that winter gear earlier that morning. He had put on a show of trying on and taking off clothes in front of a mirror he never usually looked at because he was conscious of Ji-soo, but now his supposed boyfriend was calling another girl pretty. Naturally, it didn’t sit well with him.

Song Yi-heon stood with one leg forward and glared defiantly. Perhaps due to the winter night’s chill, his thin jawline appeared particularly sharp.

“Yes, she’s pretty.”

However, Se-kyung smiled as if there was no problem. It was Se-kyung’s trademark benevolent smile. A smile that seemed so kind it lacked any sense of tact, but in reality, disregarded the other person’s opinion.

“This guy is really.”

It was only natural that this smile turned Song Yi-heon’s stomach.

They entered the spa brand clothing store, deciding to just look around even if they didn’t buy anything. The moment Se-kyung called Ji-soo pretty, Song Yi-heon wanted to forget about the movie and go home, but humans can’t always act solely on emotions.

He had come this far, and Shin Ji-soo was here too, so he couldn’t act on impulse. Song Yi-heon separated from the group and pretended to look at clothes to cool off. Ji-soo picked out a few pairs of fleece-lined jeans and went into the fitting room, while Se-kyung browsed the neatly folded new arrivals stacked on the display.

After circling the edge of the store once and calming down somewhat, Song Yi-heon approached Se-kyung, who was alone in front of the display. Although Se-kyung should have sensed his presence, he continued to fiddle with a cardigan he had been eyeing. Song Yi-heon found Se-kyung’s deliberate ignorance annoying but held his temper for now.

“Hey.”

“…”

Se-kyung, with his lower face wrapped in a tightly wound scarf, remained silent as if his mouth was blocked. However, he didn’t ignore Song Yi-heon like before. He glanced at Song Yi-heon and pushed the new cardigan he had been fiddling with. The cardigan, designed for the upcoming spring, neither suited Se-kyung’s style nor was it well-made, with rough fabric and loose threads at the seams. Song Yi-heon, not understanding why he was being handed this, carelessly took it and set it aside. The cardigan wasn’t important right now.

“Don’t you have anything to say to me?”

By this point, the perceptive Choi Se-kyung should know what he did wrong. Song Yi-heon was willing to accept an apology if offered. However, Se-kyung was also upset that Song Yi-heon was buying clothes for another girl while his boyfriend was right there. The apology Song Yi-heon wanted didn’t come.

“Don’t you have anything to say?”

“What?”

Perhaps because he had grown accustomed to Choi Se-kyung’s recent gentle behavior, Song Yi-heon thought he had misheard when he received this sarcastic response. But he had heard correctly. Se-kyung, who had been stubbornly showing only his side profile and avoiding eye contact, was now facing him.

The bright display lighting made Se-kyung’s dark eyes glisten with moisture, like sunlight on water.

“Yi-heon, I-“

‘I don’t like you buying clothes for Ji-soo.’ But Se-kyung couldn’t bring himself to voice the complaint caught in his throat. It was terribly childish. To be upset about buying a piece of clothing for a girl who was dressed too coldly. And it wasn’t even expensive clothing, just a common spa brand.

If he didn’t say anything, no one would know he harbored such childish jealousy. But the moment he voiced it, it would be judged one way or another. Se-kyung hadn’t said a word yet, but he could already envision Song Yi-heon sighing in front of him. As if he were frustrated, tired of dealing with a Se-kyung who couldn’t understand even this much.

The soul Se-kyung loved had lived a difficult life full of hardships and had overcome countless challenges. He wouldn’t place much significance on buying a girl a piece of clothing. Instead, he would see Se-kyung as childish for being upset.

‘It must be because he sees me as a child that he doesn’t want to have sex.’ This was the conclusion Se-kyung had drawn after seeing Song Yi-heon refuse despite clearly being aroused. ‘Because I’m young, he’s not crossing the final line. To sleep with Song Yi-heon, I need to act mature. Like an adult, without losing my temper. Not like a kid, so he doesn’t lose interest.’

“Say it.”

There’s no room for a childish person who whines about someone else buying a piece of clothing in the category of acting mature. Se-kyung’s mouth closed even more tightly.

“Ha-“

Clearly frustrated that Se-kyung seemed to have a complaint but was keeping his mouth shut, Song Yi-heon tried to run his hand through his hair but got caught on his beanie, which he irritably took off. His flattened hair stood up messily when he roughly tousled it, like after running on a sports field.

“Are you upset with me about something?”

Se-kyung couldn’t bring himself to lie and say there was nothing, but he also couldn’t speak the truth. He was caught in a dilemma, not knowing how to resolve this situation without appearing childish.