Chapter 22

I can’t sleep.

Rian had fallen asleep particularly late tonight. Thoroughly bathed by Yu-gyeom’s own hands after their lovemaking, Rian had drifted off beside him in Yu-gyeom’s bedroom. He felt as if he had slept for hours, yet upon opening his eyes, barely an hour had slipped by. Yu-gyeom, utterly exhausted, was already sound asleep.

Having mentioned being plagued with nonstop work throughout his business trip, Yu-gyeom seemed to be in an unusually deep slumber.

Rian slipped out from the covers as quietly as possible. Wearing only boxer briefs against his bare skin, a sudden chill prickled across his flesh the moment he stepped away from the mattress.

He hadn’t noticed it while nestled in Yu-gyeom’s embrace, but left on his own, the room felt decidedly chilly. On top of that, having been thoroughly ravished ever since the restaurant, an intense thirst parched his throat.

Rian cast a quiet glance over Yu-gyeom’s sleeping face before carefully stepping out of the bedroom. The house was enveloped in profound silence and settled under thick darkness.

He intended to head straight down to the first floor for a glass of water, but thinking he ought to throw on a shirt first, Rian slipped into his own room.

“Even though it’s spring, the nights are pretty chilly,” Rian murmured softly to himself.

Muttering under his breath, Rian pulled a shirt over his shoulders and slipped into a pair of shorts. Just as he was about to head out the door, the display of his phone charging on the desk lit up, flickering brightly.

The hour was already well past midnight. Having never properly socialized with friends before, and with virtually no notification alerts configured, the phone waking up at this ungodly hour struck Rian as bizarre.

Rian picked up the device at once to check. Six consecutive messages sat in the queue. The moment he saw who had sent them, Rian’s eyes widened in sheer disbelief, his brow furrowing in confusion. He squinted into the dim lighting, whispering in confusion, “…Kim Taeju?”

The name that slipped past Rian’s lips was indeed Kim Taeju. At this late hour, and sent as direct private messages. Hesitating over whether to read them now or leave them alone, Rian finally tapped open the chat room.

Kim Taeju

—You asleep?

11.30 PM

Kim Taeju

—Kwon Rian

11.39 PM

Kim Taeju

—Hey, I asked if you’re asleep.

11.49 PM

Kim Taeju

—You go to bed fucking early, huh?

11.58 PM

Kim Taeju

—Did you eat dinner with your hyung?

12.05 AM

The last message had arrived only minutes earlier. Never having exchanged private texts with Kim Taeju, Rian couldn’t help but be taken aback by the boy’s sudden initiative. The sheer triviality of the content only amplified his bewilderment.

After all, was there anything between Kim Taeju and himself to warrant such casual banter? Recalling what Taeju had said to him earlier that day even left a distinctly sour taste in Rian’s mouth.

Gripping the phone with both hands, Kwon Rian wrestled with whether he should reply. While he spent several seconds simply staring at the display, another text pinged through.

Kim Taeju

—You read it? Not sleeping? Can you talk on the phone?

12.07 AM

Rian stared at the darkened phone screen, baffled. “What is his deal…?”

Wearing a completely uncomprehending expression, Rian stared down at the screen. A phone call, at this ungodly hour?

Terrified that Taeju might call this very instant, Rian hurried to type out a refusal on the keypad.

Tap, tap-tap.

—Hi uh I don’t think I can talk right n|

Right at that moment, before he could even finish typing the sentence, the phone erupted into an incoming call. The shrill ringtone shattered the dark silence so abruptly that Rian jumped in sheer terror, dropping the phone from his hands.

“Ugh,” Rian hissed in pain.

To make matters worse, the heavy device landed directly on his bare toe, drawing a pained whimper from his throat.

The ringtone was deafeningly loud. Terrified that the noise might wake Yu-gyeom, Rian hastily snatched the phone off the floor. But in his frantic scramble to switch it to silent, his thumb accidentally struck the call button.

“Hah…!” Rian choked out in panic.

What do I do, what should I do?! You total idiot!

As Kwon Rian stamped his feet in panic, frantically reaching to tap the end-call button, Kim Taeju’s voice filtered through the speaker.

—”Kwon Rian?” Taeju’s voice came over the receiver.

“…Yeah. Uh, hi,” Rian stammered, flustered.

Having no choice, Rian pressed the phone to his ear, pacing nervously in front of his desk.

“Listen, I’m sorry, but right now isn’t a good time to—” Rian began hesitantly.

—”So you’re not asleep?” Taeju cut in.

“Huh? Yeah. I woke up a little while ago,” Rian answered.

Because Taeju showed no intention of listening and merely hurled another question, Rian missed his chance to say he couldn’t talk. He walked over slowly and perched on the edge of his mattress, stretching his legs out before him. In the pale moonlight filtering through the window, his bare legs gleamed with a faint bluish sheen.

Feeling an inexplicable wave of exhaustion, Rian ended up falling back against the mattress.

—”Ah, I figured you were out cold… So you woke up,” Taeju murmured over the line.

Holding the receiver tightly to his ear, Rian asked softly, “Yeah. But why are you calling…?”

Perhaps because it was the dead of night, Kim Taeju’s voice came across lower and quieter than usual. Rian rubbed at his eyes, which were beginning to grow heavy again. It was bizarre. Just moments ago, sleep had eluded him entirely, yet now—whether from the comforting warmth of the phone against his ear or the soothing rhythm of another person’s voice—drowsiness pulled at him.

—”Called because I was bored,” Taeju replied. “All the other bastards are dead asleep.”

“Bored…?” Rian echoed in disbelief.

—”Yeah,” Taeju said simply.

Rian frowned into the receiver. “Okay, but why aren’t you asleep?”

It’s not like we’re close enough to chat in the middle of the night just because someone’s bored… No matter how much Rian mulled it over, he couldn’t make sense of it. Taeju hardly seemed like the friendly sort to approach people first, let alone call just anyone out of boredom. Yet calling him out of the blue like this was utterly baffling—Taeju was truly an enigma.

Didn’t he dislike me?

—”Hey, where do you live?” Taeju asked suddenly.

“…” Rian fell silent, caught completely off guard.

—”Kwon Rian?” Taeju prompted when no answer came.

Did I mishear him? Rian slowly pushed himself upright. Brushing back the soft bangs spilling over his forehead, he looked toward the window. Through the slightly parted frame, the faint glow of the predawn night filtered in, and a cool night breeze drifted inside, brushing softly against his cheek before dissipating into the air.

“Huh?” Rian asked blankly.

—”I asked where you live,” Taeju repeated.

Rian clutched the phone tighter, his voice cautious. “Why… do you want to know?”

—”Just curious,” Taeju replied with breezy nonchalance. “Can’t sleep, so I thought maybe I’d jog a round-trip past your place for some exercise.”

“You’re going for a run at this hour?” Rian asked in disbelief.

—”Yeah,” Taeju answered.

“It’s already past midnight, though?” Rian pointed out.

—”I always work out late at night anyway,” Taeju retorted.

No matter how one looked at it, he didn’t sound remotely like someone about to head out for a run. Hearing Taeju ramble such utter nonsense in a voice heavy with languid drowsiness struck Rian as thoroughly bizarre.

Concluding that the other boy was simply bored and killing time, Rian decided to leave it at that.

“My house is…” Rian began hesitantly.

As Rian trailed off, Kim Taeju let out an amused snicker, cutting him off.

—”I’m joking. But… what about your hyung?” Taeju asked.

Rian let out a small sigh of relief. “Ah, a joke… Hyung is asleep right now.”

The moment Kim Taeju brought up Yu-gyeom, Rian suddenly grew acutely mindful of him. Yu-gyeom was a light sleeper, prone to waking up the second Rian slipped from his side. If Yu-gyeom discovered that he was on the phone with a friend in the dead of night, an uncomfortable confrontation would undoubtedly erupt.

—”Your hyung is damn good-looking, you know? Looked like a model…” Taeju remarked.

“Yeah, he is. People say that all the time,” Rian replied, nodding.

Rian agreed with Taeju’s comment. Casting a wary glance toward the firmly shut bedroom door, Rian dropped his voice to a hushed murmur. He an anxious look toward the hallway, Rian whispered, “I think I should get going now.”

—”Go where?” Taeju demanded.

Rian jerked backward, startled. “Huh?”

—”Aren’t you at home? In your room? Where the hell are you going?” Taeju pressed.

“Uh, well, back to my hyung for a bit,” Rian mumbled nervously.

—”You sleep in the same bed with your hyung? Where are your parents?” Taeju inquired sharply.

“…” Rian froze, unable to find an answer.

He had let slip far too many unnecessary details. Rian desperately wanted to end the call now. Did Taeju really need to drag his parents into this? A heavy fatigue washed over Rian at the way Kim Taeju brazenly overstepped personal boundaries.

—”Hey, you falling asleep?” Taeju called out.

“Uh, no… Look, I’m getting really sleepy now,” Rian managed softly.

—”…All of a sudden?” Taeju asked.

“Yeah. I’m sorry, but I really have to hang up,” Rian insisted firmly.

—”Can’t we talk just a little longer?” Taeju asked, his tone softening.

“Huh?” Rian faltered.

In an instant, Rian’s heart began to race violently. Not because of Kim Taeju, but out of a sudden, paralyzing dread that Yu-gyeom might fling open the door at any moment. Anxiety clawed violently at his chest. He was almost certain he had heard a faint rustle from the direction of Yu-gyeom’s bedroom.

Rian sprang up from the bed. He needed to wrap up the call immediately, and before doing anything else, he considered locking his bedroom door just in case. He could not bear the thought of being caught by his brother.

Wait, why… why am I so terrified of getting caught?

A question mark flashed across Rian’s mind. Stepping up to the door, he reached out and took hold of the handle.

“I’m hanging up now,” Rian said hastily.

Taeju’s voice barked sharply through the speaker, —”Hey!”

Click.

Right at that moment, the second the call disconnected, the doorknob turned sharply, and the door swung open.

Thud.

Rian gasped in shock, crying out, “Ah!”

As the door swung open, it struck Rian right on the forehead.

“Rian?” Yu-gyeom called out in surprise.

It was Yu-gyeom who had opened the bedroom door. Startled by the brief cry bursting from Rian’s lips after the door bumped him, Yu-gyeom hurried into the room.

Rian ducked his head low and rubbed his forehead.

“Yeah, hyung… Weren’t you asleep?” Rian asked timidly.

“Yeah, I just woke up for a moment. Did you bump yourself? I’m sorry,” Yu-gyeom apologized softly.

“I’m okay. It only grazed me,” Rian replied.

Rian lowered the hand shielding his forehead, letting out an inward breath of profound relief. He had hung up the phone just moments before Yu-gyeom opened the door—truly exquisite timing.

He worried that Kim Taeju might call back, but fortunately, the phone didn’t ring again.

Yu-gyeom studied his pale face with quiet scrutiny. “Why were you standing right here?”

Checking Rian’s forehead, Yu-gyeom swept his gaze down over his body. Yu-gyeom’s sharp eyes locked onto the phone in Rian’s hand.

“Oh, I put on some clothes before heading down for some water. It felt chilly…” Rian mumbled.

Rian hurriedly slipped the phone into his pocket.

“Is that so? I thought I heard a noise. Did you drink any water yet?” Yu-gyeom asked.

Rian waved his hands in flustered haste. “Ah, no. I’ll go get a drink now and come right back, hyung. Go on back to your room.”

“All right. Watch your step on the stairs,” Yu-gyeom said.

“Yeah, I will, hyung,” Rian answered.

Once he saw a drowsy Yu-gyeom head back into his own bedroom, Rian hurried down the stairs to the first floor. He went straight to the kitchen and drank a glass of water.

His throat felt parched. Not wanting to worry Yu-gyeom over something pointless, Rian had lied without thinking. Before heading back up to the second floor, Rian deleted the call log with Kim Taeju. Only then did his racing heart settle down.