Chapter 59
Side Story 1. Delivered on Behalf of Korea University
“What’s going on since earlier?”
Kyungsoo was bothered by the constant buzzing of Cheon Noeul’s phone. He unplugged the charging phone and turned on the screen. The phone vibrated again in his palm. Entering the four-digit code ‘0401’, a warning popped up: “Please re-enter your password.”
“Did he change it?”
It used to be his own birthday, ‘0401’, but perhaps he changed it recently after Kyungsoo had commented that even a pigeon could guess such an easy password. Trying Cheon Noeul’s birthday, ‘0212’, didn’t work either. On a whim, Kyungsoo entered ‘1234’, and the lock screen immediately disappeared, revealing the wallpaper.
“…Why change it to something like this?”
If it was going to be this simple, why bother setting a lock at all? Kyungsoo sighed and shook his head in exasperation. The phone buzzed again. Pulling down the notification bar, he saw a backlog of SNS and messenger alerts, along with some app advertisements. One notification caught his eye:
“[30 Notifications] A friend has tagged you in a post. Would you like to check?”
“He barely uses this app, and yet thirty notifications have piled up?”
Unbelievable. Especially considering the phone had only been charging for a short while. Kyungsoo glanced toward the bathroom, where water sounds were coming from, then impulsively tapped the app notification. Most were updates from SNS friends’ posts, but a few were tags on the university’s anonymous page.
—
Korea University Anonymous Confessions
#KUA_Confession_31982
Anonymous here T^T
Does Cheon Noeul from the Business Department have a girlfriend? His profile is friends-only, and I don’t know anyone from his department, so I joined just to ask T^T
(Likes: 3)
▶ Kangsan: @CheonNoeul
—
Kyungsoo had assumed it was another trivial post like “Tag someone whose initials are N.O.”, but it was genuinely someone looking for Cheon Noeul. Having never been tagged in such posts before, Kyungsoo blinked in surprise.
And that wasn’t the only post.
—
Korea University Anonymous Confessions
#KUA_Confession_32004
Last Friday evening, in front of the library, I saw a guy wearing a canary-yellow hoodie getting scolded by his friend. I want to find him! How can a guy pull off that color so well…? (It’s a compliment T^T) He looked like a fennec fox T^Tㅠ
I saw a waffle on the ground; I think he dropped it lol. If he doesn’t have a girlfriend, I’d like to buy him a chocolate waffle! If he’s single and okay with it, could you at least tell me his name!!
(Likes: 10)
▶ Kim Jaehyun: Is this you? You said you couldn’t eat the waffle because you dropped it lol @CheonNoeul
—
“…”
It was definitely Cheon Noeul. The one scolding beside him was Kyungsoo himself.
—
Korea University Anonymous Confessions
#NeedToTakeResponsibility… #KUA_Confession_32015
Friday morning, Second Reading Room… The guy in the yellow hoodie sitting in front of me. He didn’t seem to be studying, but why did he keep looking at me? Agh, I’m a guy too, but I keep thinking about him at night. Just saying.
(Likes: 58, Sad: 3)
▶ Kim Iyoung: lololol so sad lololololololol
▶ Love Lee: Thinking about someone at night is serious lol
▶ Jung Siwon: @Baek Sangyeon I hope it was you lol
└ Baek Sangyeon: lol seriously I didn’t go to the library that day, stop tagging me
▶ Han Boknam: lololololol wish you a beautiful love^^…
▶ Hyena: Guys, look at this!! lol There was someone else looking for the guy in the yellow hoodie earlier lol Must be the same person lol @Sunyoung Lee @Han Yujin
└ Sunyoung Lee: The hidden feelings…
└ Han Yujin: lolololololol I’m curious how he looks
▶ Kangsan: @Yuna Han That annoying chick hoodie? Isn’t it Cheon Noeul?
└ Yuna Han: Probably lol I haven’t seen anyone else wearing bright yellow clothes besides him
▶ Yuna Han: Could this be you too? lololololol @CheonNoeul
—
Why is everyone looking for Cheon Noeul? Feeling slightly annoyed, Kyungsoo retrieved his own phone from the sofa to check if he had been tagged in any posts. There were a few notifications.
Could it be… me too? His heart pounded.
“[Kwon Taeyeol has tagged you in a post.] @Kim Kyungsoo”
—
Delivering Happiness Page
Tag the friend most likely to fall for a scam!
(Likes: 399)
▶ Kwon Taeyeol: @KimKyungsoo (Likes: 3)
—
“…”
That was it.
—
▶ Kwon Taeyeol: @KimKyungsoo (Likes: 3)
└ Kim Kyungsoo: @Kwon Taeyeol lol are we even close? ㅗ
—
After replying to the friend who tagged him, Kyungsoo turned his attention back to Noeul’s phone. His head throbbed.
“Cheon Noeul barely uses this app, so why is he getting tagged so much?”
Noeul had created a new account to keep up with university news and stay in touch with friends from middle and high school. His feed had only one post—the default one created upon joining. He hadn’t commented much on other posts either.
Yet, he was frequently tagged on the university’s anonymous page, indicating that many people were mentioning him.
“…”
Kyungsoo suddenly felt a tension at the back of his neck. Why are humans such social creatures? Sure, getting along with others is good, but there should be limits. Why does Cheon Noeul have to be so… irritatingly charming?
There was something about Cheon Noeul. He responded to everything with a cheerful smile, and his slightly drawn-out speech added a touch of cuteness. It made sense. If he could even attract a guy like Kyungsoo, it was only natural that others found him appealing too.
“Cheon Noeul… I stayed quiet, and now he’s acting like this with others too.”
Kyungsoo’s fingertips trembled. He had never worried about losing Noeul to someone else before, but now he found himself seriously considering it.
Determined to put an end to this, Kyungsoo decided to take action. He started by saving a picture of a blue-haired anime character with eyes half the size of their face and a shy expression from a portal site.
Next, he searched for cringeworthy speech patterns online to find good references. He couldn’t replicate them perfectly, but he resolved to mimic them as best as he could.
“Sorry, Cheon Noeul.”
Muttering an apology that Noeul couldn’t hear, Kyungsoo opened the SNS app again and began typing replies to the tagged posts.
—
▶ Kangsan: @CheonNoeul
└ CheonNoeul: (Photo) Heh… I’m sorry, but I have a precious lover…
└ Kangsan: ? Are you okay?
—
That one’s done. Time to reply to the other posts. I hope it doesn’t come off as a joke.
“I need to make it look like I genuinely like this.”
Apologies to the blue-haired character whose name and age he didn’t know, but there was no choice. He would understand.
—
▶ Yuna Han: Could this be you too? lololololol @CheonNoeul
└ CheonNoeul: (Photo)
└ Yuna Han: @CheonNoeul Hey, you got hacked
—
Thinking as if he were Cheon Noeul, Kyungsoo almost typed, “My lover! ㅇㅅㅇ hehe”. He paused and deleted it all with the backspace key.
—
└ CheonNoeul: NoNo… It’s just a {Lover} (smile)
└ Yuna Han: huh You’re crazy (Likes: 12)
└ Jung Minjae: lol idiot
└ Kangsan: lololololol You must really hate male confessions to pull such a ridiculous stunt
└ Kim Jaemin: You could’ve just said no; this hurts more lol
—
“Yeah… better to be seen as a crazy person.”
After changing Cheon Noeul’s profile picture to the anime character, Kyungsoo felt a bit relieved. He hoped others would stop seeing Noeul as just a handsome guy and start thinking of him as a weirdo to avoid.
“Hyung.”
Click. The bathroom door opened, and Kyungsoo quickly shoved Noeul’s phone under the sofa and sat up straight.
“I’m the one who’s naked; why are you the one surprised?”
Noeul looked at the overly stiff Kyungsoo with puzzled eyes.
“Are you sick?”
“No, I’m fine. Also… put some clothes on.”
“Why were you surprised earlier?”
Noeul’s eyes narrowed. Feeling cornered, Kyungsoo swallowed dryly and responded nonchalantly.
“Me?! I wasn’t surprised.”
“You were.”
“No, I wasn’t.”
“You were.”
“Nope.”
“You were!”
“No.”
“…”
There’s definitely something… Noticing Kyungsoo’s unusually different behavior, Noeul tilted his head in confusion.
Kyungsoo tried to ignore his pounding heart and feigned ignorance. He had taken action, but now he had no idea how to deal with the aftermath. Changing the profile picture to an anime character and replying to the tagged posts—would Noeul get angry?
“Did I go too far?”
…No, if Noeul found his phone, he’d be caught immediately. As that thought crossed his mind, Kyungsoo’s pupils shook violently.
I’m an idiot. I should’ve at least logged out!
Various thoughts raced through his mind. He had acted without considering the consequences.
“If you’re not leaving yet, can you dry my hair, hyung?”
“No.”
“Fine then… I’ll just shiver to death from the cold.”
“…”
When Kyungsoo didn’t respond, Noeul stopped his antics and quietly scooted over to sit next to him.
“Hyung, aren’t you going home?”
“I was going to…”
“Why didn’t you?”
“…”
He was already regretting it. He got defensive and snapped without thinking.
“Are you trying to kick me out now?”
“Um… not really? It’s just, you already packed all your stuff and everything earlier.”
Noeul’s eyes briefly glanced at the bag tossed behind Kyungsoo.
“So I thought obviously no one would be here when I came out.”
“…”
It wasn’t wrong. He had finished getting ready to leave a while ago, but right before heading out, he happened to look at the guy’s phone… And without logging him out, there was no way he could just leave.
“Hyung, are you hiding something from me?”
Kyungsoo’s eyes wavered at the direct question.
“I—what would I be hiding.”
“…”
“Nothing!”
“Why are you yelling then?”
“That’s, that’s not it… Haha, why would I…”
Noeul looked down at Kyungsoo, whose lips were trembling slightly, and wondered what exactly he was hiding. Judging by his expression, he seemed determined to keep pretending.
“If I’m hiding something, I’ll grant you one wish!”
Noeul pressed his lips together tightly. He slowly looked around to see if anything had changed while he was showering. The wardrobe drawer inside the room was slightly ajar.
“Wow… Don’t tell me you stole my underwear?”
“You crazy bastard. Do you think of me like you?”
Noeul frowned in protest.
“Why would I be the example here?”
“Think real hard about that.”
Noeul had a history.
“I just politely asked for it that one time…”
“But you said it while putting it in your pocket.”
“…Anyway!”
“‘Anyway’ my ass.”
“If you want it that badly, I’ll just give you the one I put in my bag…”
“I didn’t steal it! And I don’t need it!”
“But in exchange, when you’re thinking about me at night and doing it alone, you have to video call me and show— Huh? Where’s my phone?”
“…!”
How could he realize so quickly—what a uselessly smart brat! If Kyungsoo stayed still, he’d definitely get caught. Sensing danger, he reacted with lightning speed and shouted,
“Noeul, should I just sleep over tonight?!”
Blurting that out on impulse was good, at least. But in the rush to cover it up, he ended up saying something he didn’t mean.
So… he hadn’t planned to sleep over in the first place. Or do any of this, really.
“Sigh…”
—
A cool, fragrant tongue lightly traced his lips. Tongues intertwined, warm breaths mingling in the air. Lips that had briefly parted returned, settling onto his with a soft pressure. Kyungsoo, who had mindlessly opened his mouth, belatedly regretted, “This wasn’t the plan…,” even as he felt his body beginning to heat up.
Noeul used his hands to finish stripping off the half-unbuttoned top, caressing Kyungsoo’s bare skin. Noeul’s palms, still damp from his recent shower, felt wonderfully good.
Kissing him, Noeul moved the hand that had been stroking his back and waist to the front. He massaged Kyungsoo’s abdomen and chest, his fingers lingering before moving a little higher. Kyungsoo buried his fingers in Noeul’s hair, responding to the kiss with growing enthusiasm. Noeul lightly flicked his fingers over Kyungsoo’s erect nipples, nibbling at his lips.
“Hyung… why are you being so pretty today?”
Kyungsoo tilted his head, and unconsciously reached out to caress Noeul’s face as he looked up at him, but barely managed to regain his composure and slammed his hand onto the bed.
“Why do you talk like that?”
“What did I do?”
“…”
He laughed and pressed noisy kisses all over Kyungsoo’s face. Kyungsoo’s back arched as Noeul lightly pinched his stiff nipple.
“Ah, ouch!”
As if apologizing for the pinch, Noeul patted Kyungsoo’s chest a few times. Then he affectionately began to toy with his nipples again, teasing him with his fingers. Noeul briefly nipped at one nipple, then rolled the other between his fingers.
“God, that hurts…”
“I don’t think it’s just hurting, though.”
“…”
Actually, that was true. Kyungsoo didn’t know where Noeul had picked it up, but at some point, he had started fiddling with Kyungsoo’s nipples during their intimate moments. Of course, at first, Kyungsoo hadn’t felt anything. He’d always thought nipples were useless vestigial organs for men. But after spending nights with Noeul, who consistently stimulated them, he now felt a strange thrill even from a light pinch.
Because of Cheon Noeul, he was slowly changing. Lately, he often found himself thinking about him when he was alone in his room. There wasn’t a place in the house that Noeul’s touch hadn’t reached. Even when he was working on an assignment at the table, he would suddenly blush, remembering what they had done there.
That’s how completely Cheon Noeul had wormed his way into Kyungsoo’s life, now confidently occupying a place of importance. He would feel strangely disappointed if he didn’t get a sleepy, early-morning phone call from Noeul, asking if he was awake.
“Hyung, what are you thinking about?”
“Not you.”
“…What?”
“Not you.”
“I’ll give you one more chance. Say it again.”
“Not you.”
“Hyung!”
It was amazing. He seemed to be absorbing some of Noeul’s reckless, headfirst-into-everything attitude, the kind of guy who seemed afraid of nothing. Being with him made him want to change. Change wasn’t scary. He was even doing things he wouldn’t have considered before. Deciding to go to college, for example, or even thinking about a future with Noeul.
…Wait a minute. Future?
“Hyuuung.”
“…”
Come to think of it, Cheon Noeul was present in every future he had unconsciously imagined. No matter when or where, Noeul’s playfully smiling face was always there. Of course, he still liked the guy a lot. But he hadn’t realized how naturally he had invaded his everyday life.
“Hyung… are you already sleepy? That won’t do.”
Just what the hell has this guy done to me? He must have been slowly brainwashed by Noeul at some point without realizing it. Deciding this, Kyungsoo impulsively grabbed Noeul’s hair.
“Ow!”
“…”
Did he grab it too hard? Noeul’s lips pouted as he slightly loosened his grip.
“Why!”
“You’re being annoying.”
“But why!”
“I don’t know. I just feel like it. What? You got a problem with that? If you got a problem, let’s fight.”
“Okay, good! But we’re already entangled.”
“Cheon Noeul.”
At the murderous tone, devoid of any humor, Noeul backed down and mumbled.
“…It’s not my fault.”
Noeul didn’t understand Kyungsoo’s mood swings at all. Why was he suddenly angry? He pouted, but freely touched and explored his lover’s body. Kyungsoo flinched every time his fingers brushed against his skin.
Noeul wrapped his arms around Kyungsoo, exhaling a humid breath.
“You smell good, hyung.”
“Don’t try to sweet-talk me, again.”
Noeul grumbled, but felt himself growing hard as he perched on his thigh, his lover obediently parting his lips without any resistance. He wanted to throw Kyungsoo onto the bed right away, face down. He wanted to carelessly thrust his cock all the way in, regardless of whether he writhed or sobbed in pleasure, and shake his hips. But he couldn’t do that…
“What are you looking at?”
“Hehe… you, hyung.”
He wasn’t ready to be slapped yet. Noeul grinned sheepishly and rubbed his stiff member against Kyungsoo’s ass crack through his thin underwear. He felt like he could cum multiple times just from this pseudo-sexual act with only a thin fabric separating them. No, it was enough that Kyungsoo was looking at him like this.
“Hyung, a little lower on your waist…”
Of course, it was possible, but there was no need to. The person he liked was right in front of him. There was no reason to be satisfied with just rubbing himself against his ass. Besides, today was a special day because hyung had said he’d stay over. Noeul lifted the corners of his mouth in a delighted grin. And he slipped his hand between his underwear and caressed Kyungsoo’s bare skin a few times, then moved his fingers inside.
The hole was so tight that it was hard to even get one finger in.
“Ah, wait a second. I’ll take it off.”
“It’s okay like this… It’s better this way.”
“It’s not about what’s ‘good’ or not…”
“Never mind. Just lie down.”
“Wait… what?”
Noeul lightly pushed Kyungsoo so that he was lying face down on his lap. He landed heavily on his stomach, and was about to lift his waist up, but was forced to lie back down again as his back was pressed down with his hand.
“Hey, it’s touching…”
“Mm.”
He could clearly feel the sensation of Noeul’s erect member against his body. Noeul slightly pushed Kyungsoo’s black underwear to the side, grabbed it, and squirted gel onto the fleshy area that rose just below his tailbone. Kyungsoo’s shoulders twitched as the cold gel touched his skin.
“Ah, cold!”
“Sorry. But can you spread your legs a little more?”
Noeul muttered absently, gathering the flowing liquid with his hand and bringing it closer between his two buttocks. Fingers that had been circling the entrance and its surroundings enough to fill it were widening the gap and starting to dig inside.
A suppressed sound came out as if he was trying to hold back a moan. The finger that had dug inside briefly came out, then increased in thickness, opening the hole even wider. He didn’t know when he had put it on, but his finger was covered in a condom.
“…?”
Kyungsoo’s brain circuits briefly stopped working.
“You that… ugh.”
T/N: Guys the novel is now completed on my Patreon! Also the novel about Kyungsoo’s two friends Taeyeol and Doyeoung will be available on knoxt soon. It’s called Flicker.
I would also really appreciate it if you can support me by buying me a ko-fi. You can donate as low as $3!
I screamed when I saw that you had published a new chapter, I really appreciate your work 😭