Chapter 81 - Test Case

“Fourth-year, why are you acting like this? You’ve become strange. I’m not that insensitive that I can’t feel that change. Why are you poking at me?” Sehun asked.

There was no way Sehun didn’t know that Yoonshin was continuously feeling him out, and Yoonshin was vaguely aware of it. Sehun read that from Yoonshin’s quivering eyes and added, “I’m good at reading people. You don’t like me—at least, not in that way.”

In one way, Sehun was right. However, there was one pitfall. Yoonshin’s feelings for Sehun weren’t as simple to be summarized in one sentence. Although it was true that he didn’t like Sehun “in that way” yet, Sehun was the only one that Yoonshin was currently open to having romantic feelings for.

Yoonshin thought about how to express his ambiguous feelings, then he slowly said, “I am interested in you though. I want to know what kind of person you are. Sometimes… I get confused by you. You must know since you’re so good at reading people.”

Sehun didn’t deny that logic because Yoonshin was right.

Yoonshin felt Sehun’s intense stare heating up. When the older man’s languid gaze and Yoonshin’s tense eyes met, Yoonshin felt a peculiar ache squeezing his heart. Yoonshin said in a low voice, “If I just got married before we could try anything when we had the chance, wouldn’t that be a loss for both of us?”

“Why is that my loss?”

“If you’re upset about it, you could just say it’s my loss. I don’t want to lose.”

“They’re trying to send you off to a well-off family, yet why do you have so many things you don’t like? Marriage is also business. Use it to your advantage.”

“But… I keep thinking that it’s wrong.”

Yoonshin couldn’t bring himself to explain that feeling and hung his head instead. Sehun watched quietly, then he reached out for the mug, displeased with Yoonshin. After a sip of the steaming hot coffee, he placidly said while staring at the cup in his hands, “You should have expected that much the moment your sister married into Soohan. Resent your father for allowing the marriage and your sister for marrying. I’m not your dear diary.”

His long fingers wrapped firmly around the handle of the mug. Upon spitting out his calm and cool words, he took one more sip of coffee. That moment, Yoonshin retorted quietly, quiet enough that he could be talking to himself, “If you were going to be like this, why did you kiss me? You must have felt pressed, pushing in your tongue first like that.”

Clunk. Yoonshin’s utterance made Sehun lose his grip on the mug, making it slip and fall instead of being set on the table. The wobbling cup dropped on the tray.

Clatter! The mug hit the hard surface and spun like a top. Black liquid tipped and surged in the cup’s mouth before it ultimately spilled on Sehun’s hand.

Sehun grimaced at the burning sensation on his hand. “Ugh, hot. Damn it.”

Surprised, Yoonshin took out a handkerchief from his jacket’s inner pocket. He started to wipe off the fluid from Sehun’s hand, then Sehun snatched the cloth away and wiped himself off. Still, Yoonshin grabbed the other man’s hand and turned it over several times, inspecting it for any burns. He saw that the web between the older man’s long index and middle finger was red, so he rubbed that spot with his fingers. “Oh no, are you all right?”

“Let go.”

“Does it hurt? Should I go and buy some ointment? There should be some in the convenience store. Or if you have a first aid kit at your place…”

“I’m reaching the limit of my patience, so let my hand go. I told you, it’s hard to hold back!”