Ball-Boy Tactics

“…What?”

“You heard me right. Answer me.”

Kwon Jungwoo’s tone was calm and insistent. It seemed I was the only one flustered by the sudden change in topic.

I didn’t have time to think about the intention behind the question. I wasn’t the protagonist of some drama, nor had I lived a romantic life, so I’d never been asked something like this before. Honestly, more than feeling enchanted—

“I’ve heard it a handful of times… that someone liked me.”

“From the same sex?”

The veins on the back of his left hand, gripping the steering wheel, stood out. His training jacket opened slightly, revealing his collarbone and long sternocleidomastoid muscle. Even in his sweat-free uniform, Kwon Jungwoo suffocated me. The repeated mention of “same sex” made my whole body tense up.

“No. That wouldn’t happen. After all, same-sex… it’s kind of gross.”

I answered cynically because it felt like he had seen right through me. Was he trying to gauge my reaction? My stomach churned with discomfort at the thought.

After bombarding me with sudden questions, Kwon Jungwoo finally nodded slowly and turned back to focus on driving. The traffic light conveniently turned green. As the car started moving again, his words flowed as smoothly and gently as the acceleration.

“Right. What’s the point of two dull guys being together.”

“……”

“That’s just disgusting.”

After Kwon Jungwoo’s words, silence hung between us again, but it felt different from before. Of course, this was purely my subjective feeling. His demeanor remained unchanged, but I felt strangely down and distracted myself by fiddling with the wrinkles in my clothes. If this was a dream, it wasn’t the kind I wanted to linger in. If it were, I’d slap myself awake.

Kwon Jungwoo finally broke the silence when we were almost at the apartment. It seemed as if he had been thinking about it the whole time, continuing the earlier conversation.

“The last confession was in the library, right?”

I never thought he’d bring that up. Feeling awkward, I let out a forced laugh.

“Ah, yeah. That time… haha…”

“That’s when it started. Imagining you in a relationship.”

His hands expertly maneuvered into the parking lot, as if he had done it many times before. The quick change from the sunny outdoors to the dim lights of the underground garage felt like my emotions shifting abruptly in response to his words.

“…Didn’t you once say you couldn’t imagine me in a relationship?”

“Just when I was thinking of it in general—”

“……”

“But imagining being in a relationship with you… that’s different.”

Sometimes, Kwon Jungwoo made these kinds of ambiguous statements so casually. And it was always me, unable to stay composed, who ended up affected by them. That’s why I couldn’t say anything as he finished parking.

“Aren’t you getting out? This is your place.”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, I should get out.”

“…What? Imagining being in a relationship with you grossed you out?”

“No, no. I know that’s not what you meant. It was just… to help me understand. Right?”

Kwon Jungwoo didn’t respond. I suddenly realized his face was getting closer. His large hand brushed past my face to cradle the back of my head. His fingers, carefully adjusting my hair as if it had gotten messy against the seat, moved with caution.

The fragrance from his hand, both tender and imposing, made my heart swell more than usual. Without realizing it, I lifted my gaze that had been cast downward. When our eyes met, the strange tension wasn’t just something I felt; even Kwon Jungwoo’s slight smile seemed to fade.

“…Eyes are such curious things. You don’t even need words—just looking at someone’s eyes, you can tell. Whether they have feelings for you, if those feelings are simple affection or something more painful.”

His hand, which had slowly moved down from my head, traced the curve of my ear. Whether I flinched or not, his fingers dropped from my earlobe, lightly brushing my cheek before pulling away.

“You know it too, don’t you? The signs someone gives before they confess. I think I’m pretty good at picking up on those things, but with you, I get confused. It feels like you keep looking at me that way too.”

“……”

“Is this a misunderstanding or a hope? Why is it that the feeling I confuse for a misunderstanding always turns out to be a hope? Why do I find myself wishing for that feeling from you?”

Isn’t it strange?

As he asked, the seatbelt suddenly unfastened with a soft click. Startled, I pressed my back against the seat, making Kwon Jungwoo chuckle. Judging by his hand on the buckle, it was his doing.

“Why are you still sitting there? Stop listening to this nonsense and hurry up, go.”

“Oh, yeah. Thanks for driving me.”

Despite my brain screaming at me to get out of the car immediately, my actions were sluggish. Maybe I was too flustered, trying too hard to act unbothered.

“Han Jiwon.”

I stopped just before getting out and looked at him. I instinctively knew what he was going to say next, having read the playfulness in his eyes.

“Take care.”

His languid voice didn’t disappoint. Just like at the training center, Kwon Jungwoo stared at me as if he were simply observing my face. The frustration that surely filled my expression seemed to amuse him.

I liked that look in his eyes. That persistent, bold gaze filled with layered confidence, both brash and sly. It made me feel small and unsure, but for some strange reason, I liked it.

Leaving me standing there with what must have been a dumbfounded expression, Kwon Jungwoo silently mouthed the words: “Goodbye.”

“You too, take care.”

I finally broke eye contact and closed the door. As I took a step back, Kwon Jungwoo’s car pulled away.

Watching the black SUV disappear, the musty scent of the underground parking lot belatedly filled my nose. The quiet murmurs from earlier replayed in my mind. I stood there, dazed for a moment, before my brain finally gave in. I couldn’t quite make sense of Kwon Jungwoo’s words, but one thing was clear—it was a situation.

***

Over the weekend, I visited my parents’ house, partly to see them and partly to return the car I had borrowed from my dad. Despite driving it around for months, my driving skills hadn’t improved, so I decided it was time to give it back. I got a bit of scolding from my dad for the scratches on the car, but since I’m used to hearing his nagging, even that felt peaceful.

Though, I probably got scolded because I quoted Byun Seungjin’s words about scratches being like badges of honor for a car.

My father was incredibly fond of the car, probably because it was one I had stubbornly bought for him using my savings and pension, which he had never touched. I made a mental note to bring a small gift the next time I visited.

The group chat for our class,

, was silent all weekend and even into Monday.

Normally, I would have just shrugged it off, but the bus ride home after school felt incredibly dull. I ended up being the first to send a message, partly out of boredom, but mostly because I wanted to reach out to Kwon Jungwoo, even indirectly.

After sending it, I felt a bit embarrassed for only talking about myself. I should’ve called them out by name and been more thoughtful.

Just as I was regretting it, one of them read the message, and soon after, I got a notification that Yang Eunoh was calling me. Though we often texted, phone calls were rare, so it caught me by surprise.

“Hello?”

Behind Yang Eunoh’s voice, I could hear the sound of a basketball bouncing. From the commotion, it sounded like he was at a basketball court.

“Not yet, almost though. Why?”

I was about to ask why when he started yelling something to someone else, and I missed my chance. He shouted that he’d join them soon and then came back to the call.

“Yeah, I’m listening.”

“Ah….”

“No, it’s not that I’m busy… but who’s at home right now?”

Yang Eunoh laughed weakly and continued.

The news that Kwon Jungwoo was sick came as a surprise. Startled, I lowered my voice even more.

“Why did he get the flu all of a sudden? Did something happen?”

“His ankle injury? I didn’t know Kwon Jungwoo was injured.”

“I… didn’t know….”

With that, Yang Eunoh abruptly hung up. The sound of basketballs bouncing was replaced by a radio ad. Even though the catchy melody of the ad jingled in my ears, none of it registered.

I opened my phone and searched for “Kwon Jungwoo injury” on a portal site. The most recent article was from last winter. The article, formatted like a journal, detailed how Kwon Jungwoo went from being injured to becoming a super rookie, and it contained information I had no idea about.

As I carefully read the story of his injury—how it happened during training and how his left ankle was injured—I realized how similar it was to my own experience. Only then did I understand why Kwon Jungwoo had been particularly sensitive about my injury. It seemed he felt a sense of kinship and empathy because of our shared circumstances.

But the more I read, the more the differences between us stood out. Other than the fact that we both got injured, our paths diverged completely after that.

Unlike me, who gave up everything and stepped down from the national team, trying to avoid the media, Kwon Jungwoo quietly went through rehab and pushed himself relentlessly. That’s probably why he was able to make a swift comeback.

He had injured himself at the beginning of his first university basketball season, but returned to play by the season’s end. It was around then that Kwon Jungwoo began to gain attention as a rising star.

I recalled the interview video where I first became aware of him.

At the time, he must have been in the process of overcoming—or maybe still battling—his injury. How could Kwon Jungwoo manage that? Sure, our injuries might have differed in severity, but for both of us, they were career-threatening. He probably didn’t have the certainty that he could regain his pre-injury form, and yet, he never gave up on training. What if all that hard work had been for nothing?

At the bottom of the article was a short interview with the head coach of Korea University’s basketball team.

The photo of the coach beside the article showed him looking somewhat stern, but his pride in his player was unmistakable.

If I hadn’t given up gymnastics, would my coach have given an interview like this about me?

“……”

Kwon Jungwoo and I had a lot in common. Our recognition as athletes, our age, our school, and even our injuries. The reason Kwon Jungwoo was so difficult for me to deal with was that our similarities constantly led me to compare myself to him.

And yet, I couldn’t find a single aspect in which I seemed to be better than him.

***

Kwon Jungwoo’s residence was in a high-end officetel complex. As I hurried toward the entrance with my hands full of porridge and medicine, I noticed someone nearby looked vaguely familiar. Upon taking a second glance, I realized she was the girl who had held up a banner for Kwon Jungwoo at the basketball court.

A quick glance around revealed several small groups of people with expensive cameras slung around their necks. These weren’t faces I’d ever seen around our department building.

It seemed the news of Kwon Jungwoo’s sudden illness had brought fans all the way to his residence. I was suddenly reminded of how popular he was—practically like a celebrity.

I discreetly moved away from the scene.

I retraced my steps back to the pharmacy to buy a mask, and then picked up a bucket hat at a nearby shop. Thankfully, I was already wearing long sleeves and pants, so very little of my skin was exposed. For a day in May, my outfit might have seemed suspiciously overdressed, but I was too focused on staying hidden to care.

Keeping my head down, I wasn’t sure if any of Kwon Jungwoo’s fans noticed me, but I managed to make it to the front of his building without anyone approaching me. I hoped that meant they hadn’t recognized me as Han Jiwon.

Entering the code that Yang Eunoh had given me, I stepped inside. The apartment was simpler than I had expected.

The house was so clean and cozy that it was hard to believe three men lived there. Maybe it was because the warm sunlight was leisurely streaming in through the large living room window. Only the pile of basketball shoes by the shoe rack and the game consoles peeking out from under the TV confirmed that I had come to the right place.

I had a tense expectation, wondering if Kwon Jungwoo might come out to greet me upon hearing the door open, but the house remained quiet.

There was one room on the left and two on the right, with the living room in the center. I could tell that Kwon Jungwoo was in the left room because, unlike the others, its door was firmly closed.

I took off my hat and mask, setting down the bags I was holding at the entrance. The crinkling of the plastic bags was irritatingly loud to my ears. As I carefully opened the door and peeked inside, I was relieved that even the air in the room felt still.

Kwon Jungwoo was lying in bed, covered with a dark gray blanket. He must have been in such a deep sleep that he didn’t even notice me entering the house.

Step by step, I cautiously approached the side of his bed. Kwon Jungwoo, dressed in a clean cotton shirt and sleeping without making a sound, looked so peaceful that I hesitated to wake him, even though I knew he hadn’t eaten all day.

Should I wake him or not?

A fierce battle raged between my desire to watch this rare, vulnerable version of Kwon Jungwoo and the urge to care for him by offering him the porridge I brought. In the end, I dragged a chair next to him and sat down, promising myself I’d just watch for five minutes. There would probably never be another chance to observe Kwon Jungwoo, who didn’t even close his eyes when he smiled, like this.

As I looked closely at the sleeping Kwon Jungwoo, I felt a rush of affection mixed with concern.

Is he very sick? I should have bought more medicine.

Even though I’d already bought a ton of medicine, I regretted not bringing more. I hadn’t been particularly enthusiastic about visiting him, given the things he’d said during our last meeting, but now I was glad I came.

“…”

The memory of the underground parking lot surfaced again. It was a conversation that had floated in my mind like dust ever since that day. To someone like me, who couldn’t even read complex detective novels, Kwon Jungwoo’s words were more perplexing than any dying message.

Did Kwon Jungwoo, to some extent, realize how I felt? How much does he know? Or does he even know at all? He was so enigmatic that my emotions constantly swung back and forth, leaving me no room to be firm.

Even though he claimed to hate such behavior between men, the things he said to me, and the way he looked at me, seemed like…

“…”

My thoughts hit a wall again.

The truth is, Kwon Jungwoo’s intentions might have simply been a sort of warning, telling me not to show my feelings and to quietly like him from afar. After all, we recently discovered that we both had ankle injuries. Given how kind-hearted Kwon Jungwoo was, maybe that’s all it took for him to feel closer to me.

Even though there were still things I didn’t understand, I had never fully comprehended Kwon Jungwoo in the first place…

I couldn’t focus because the sleeping Kwon Jungwoo in front of me was simply too handsome.

Whatever. If he asks me if I like him, I’ll just deny it.

In the end, I finished my muddled thoughts, captivated by his face.

His hair, tousled over the pillow, and his perfectly shaped forehead, revealed between his bangs, were just the beginning. I found myself meticulously examining every inch of his face as if I were licking it with my eyes.

His normally sharp eyes had softened just by being lowered, which might have been due to his beautifully dense eyelashes. I felt an overwhelming urge to grab a camera and take close-up shots of his handsome face. I could just imagine how fast time would fly counting those eyelashes on the bus to and from school.

His high, defined nose between his eyes and the curve running from its tip down to his lips was practically a national treasure. If looks were an Olympic sport, wouldn’t I have greeted Kwon Jungwoo as a national representative at the last games? And his lips…

“…”

The flow of my pleasant thoughts stopped the moment my gaze landed on his lips. Though they were just lips like anyone else’s, Kwon Jungwoo’s had a strange power that made one feel helpless. Even while sick enough to skip training, his lips were still red. The only difference today was that they were dry, lacking their usual moisture. Despite that, their plumpness remained, making them even more alluring. I wanted to bite them—just lightly.

As I silently watched him like a sculptor studying a delicate masterpiece, tension tightened my cheeks. Trapped in a room filled with the scent of Kwon Jungwoo’s favorite perfume mixed with his natural scent, I felt as though I were wrapped in his arms, even though I’d never actually been held by him.

Just as I realized how close I’d gotten to him, a wave of self-awareness hit me. I had come to take care of him, yet here I was treating him as nothing more than eye candy. Disgusted with myself, I figured the five minutes I promised myself had long passed.

I sat up straight and let out a long, pent-up breath.

“Haa…”

At that tiny sound, Kwon Jungwoo woke up.

His eyes, which had been peacefully closed, blinked slowly before finally noticing me. There was no surprise or alarm in his reaction. His dark eyes, still filled with the remnants of sleep, quietly regarded me. The one who was truly startled was me. Feeling like my thoughts had been exposed, I tried to back away out of embarrassment.

“Oh, you’re awake…!!”

Suddenly, Kwon Jungwoo grabbed the back of my neck and pulled me toward him. The strength in his grip was intense, and I was dragged right in front of his face. Kwon Jungwoo, now seeing my face up close, slowly lifted his head as if he were about to kiss me.

Covering my mouth with my hand was a purely reflexive action.

Kwon Jungwoo stopped just before his lips touched the back of my hand, clearly interpreting my gesture as a sign of rejection.

His eyes, which had been silently watching me, slowly filled with confusion.

“Ah… sorry.”

Realizing what had happened, Kwon Jungwoo quickly apologized and withdrew his hand from me. He seemed just as startled as he avoided making eye contact and glanced around the room. Wanting to ease his embarrassment, I pretended to be fine.

“No, it’s okay. Maybe you just had a weird dream or something.”

“It wasn’t weird…”

Kwon Jungwoo lightly licked his lips, as if tasting something. He looked flustered yet somehow unsatisfied.

“I thought I was still dreaming.”

He leaned back against the headboard. As the blanket shifted, the warmth that had surrounded Kwon Jungwoo lightly drifted over to me. With the atmosphere still charged from the earlier moment, I couldn’t really focus on what he was saying about his dream.

While I nervously bit the inside of my cheek, Kwon Jungwoo broke the silence.

“I kinda want to keep dreaming, but since you’re here, I’m torn… Why are you here, anyway?”

“Huh? Oh, Eunoh called me. Said you were sick and told me to bring you some porridge. You must be really hungry, right? Should I get it for you now?”

“No, not right now. I’ll eat it later.”

“…Okay.”

My heart was still pounding so hard that I couldn’t look at Kwon Jungwoo properly. His breath on my hand and the strength of his grip, which had pulled me in so forcefully, still lingered like an imprint, making it impossible for me to calm down.

It seemed like Kwon Jungwoo noticed my unsettled state as well. His apology was even more sincere this time.

“Sorry for scaring you.”

“No, it’s fine.”

“Oh, by the way, have you ever kissed anyone?”

“What?!”

Startled, I looked at Kwon Jungwoo with what must have been a blatantly shocked expression, and he chuckled as if he already knew the answer without me saying a word.

“I almost feel even more sorry now. Quick reflexes, though, Han Jiwon.”

“…If there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s reacting fast.”

“How’s your ankle?”

“Ankle? Oh.”

I froze for a second, wondering why he was bringing up my ankle, but then I remembered that our last encounter had been at the sports event. While my last memory of Kwon Jungwoo was our conversation in the underground parking lot, for him, it seemed my ankle pain had left a bigger impression.

What I used to think of as his kindness now felt more complicated, knowing about his own injury.

“It’s fine now. …How about you?”

“Well, mine still hurts like hell.”

Not realizing that his response included the pain in his own ankle, Kwon Jungwoo answered lightly.

“Did you go to the hospital?”

“In the morning. But the meds don’t seem to be working. No matter how much I sleep, I still feel tired. I really shouldn’t be lying around like this.”

He ruffled his hair in frustration, causing it to get even messier before settling back into place. In the dim light of the room, which was much darker than the outside, he looked quite exhausted.

“I can’t take it anymore. I’m gonna lie down again.”

Eventually, Kwon Jungwoo slid back down into bed. As he did, the blanket bunched up, and his T-shirt rode up, briefly revealing his smooth waist. I pretended not to notice the exposed skin and pulled the blanket up to his chest.

“You don’t have a fever, right? Mind if I check?”

“Where?”

“Uh… obviously your forehead.”

I wasn’t sure why I felt the need to prove myself, but I tried to look as innocent as possible as I confidently reached for Kwon Jungwoo’s forehead. Just as my fingers brushed against his bangs, Kwon Jungwoo, who had been lying quietly watching me, grabbed my hand. His large hand wrapped around mine, engulfing not just my hand but my wrist too, almost swallowing it whole.

“When I get sick, for some reason, my hands always feel hot.”

So? Does he feel like he has a fever?

Without realizing that I had frozen stiff, Kwon Jungwoo’s tone remained calm.

There was no way I had the composure to hold hands with someone I liked and assess whether he had a fever. The warmth of his skin against mine just tickled, and all I could do was swallow nervously.

“It… it kind of feels like you might.”

“Good, then. You can cool me down.”

Sweat embarrassingly started to form in the hand he was holding so gently. But Kwon Jungwoo leisurely rubbed the knuckles of my hand as if nothing was wrong. Soon enough, our different body temperatures seemed to settle at the same warmth.

“……”

“……”

We didn’t speak for a while. I kept staring at our joined hands, while Kwon Jungwoo had closed his eyes at some point. He didn’t seem to be asleep. Judging by how his fingers were moving steadily around mine, he wasn’t dozing off either. The tension and nervousness in the air made it hard to breathe.

I started taking shallow breaths to avoid being too loud, biting my lower lip. Just when I started to wonder if I might pass out from lack of oxygen, Kwon Jungwoo mumbled with his eyes still closed.

“You being here like this… it’s more uncomfortable than I thought.”

That quiet confession made my face flush with embarrassment.

“Oh, sorry. I must’ve been really oblivious. I’ll leave now, so get some rest.”

I gently pushed his thumb off my hand and started to stand, but the large hand quickly grabbed mine again, this time holding on tighter. His eyelids fluttered open, revealing dark eyes peeking out.

“I didn’t mean I wanted you to go. I just wanted you to know I was feeling uncomfortable. But I like this kind of discomfort.”

“……”

“Don’t go. Stay here. I told you I’m not feeling well.”

His sleepy voice and the slow blinking of his hazy eyes made him seem unusually gentle. Despite his complaint of being unwell, the strength in his grip as he held my hand was firm and persistent. Yet, he looked so pitiful that I couldn’t bring myself to leave. It must have been bad if he was openly admitting he was sick, so I sat back down on the chair.

“Okay, I’ll stay! What can I do to help? Should I make you some warm tea?”

“I don’t need that. Just stay like this.”

His large hand briefly let go, only to clasp mine again, this time interlocking our fingers. He held on so tightly that our palms were pressed together.

“Just stay like this.”

Kwon Jungwoo’s sleepy eyes fluttered closed as he spoke softly, the corners of his eyes tracing a delicate curve before his gaze disappeared completely.

“Now that you’re here, I finally get it.”

“Get what?”

“Hmm. That I’m totally screwed.”

Though his vague words were sprinkled with profanity, they didn’t feel lighthearted. I couldn’t even laugh because I didn’t understand what he meant. After a moment of silence, Kwon Jungwoo pleaded like a child.

“So comfort me. Sing me a lullaby.”

“A lullaby!?”

Startled by the unexpected request, I asked again, and Kwon Jungwoo smiled with his eyes closed. Even with no energy behind it, his smile carried a hint of mischief.

“Or just talk about anything. I’ll fall asleep listening to your voice.”

“…Any preferences?”

I asked because his request felt impossible to fulfill. Kwon Jungwoo glanced at me briefly before closing his eyes again.

“Something like an intense melodrama, please.”

“……”

“I’d prefer a sad ending. I’m counting on your tearful performance.”

“You’re joking, right?”

Instead of answering, Kwon Jungwoo turned to face me. He brought our clasped hands up to his face, and I pulled my chair closer to him, until I was so close that I could’ve kissed him if I leaned forward. But his eyes remained stubbornly closed, as if he didn’t plan on opening them anytime soon.

If I were some kind of sly wolf, I wondered what he would do in this situation. Of course, to Kwon Jungwoo, I’d be no match for a wolf anyway.

“Or, you could tell me something like… Han Jiwon’s life plans. What are you going to do tomorrow? What about next week?”

He let out a small, barely audible chuckle.

“When are you planning to date someone? When will your first kiss be? And marriage, kids… things like that. If you’ve thought about it, tell me.”

“What is that? I’ve never really thought about stuff like that. It sounds pretty boring.”

“Oh, did I not tell you? I love boring stories. Especially the kind that are so dull and tedious, I can’t get enough of them. So how about introducing yourself?”

I felt uneasy about Kwon Jungwoo’s request, unaware of the dark thoughts swirling inside me. Introducing myself to someone who couldn’t even move due to being sick, all while thinking about sneaking a kiss, made me feel like the lowest of the low. Whether it was a melodrama or my current situation, both were equally difficult, so I hesitated. Sensing this, Kwon Jungwoo gently brushed his thumb over the back of my hand as if urging me to respond.

How long was he planning to hold my hand? I could understand wanting to rely on someone when feeling sick, but this soft touching and caressing felt like cheating. Hadn’t he noticed my feelings? The conversation from the parking lot resurfaced in my mind, and suddenly, my thoughts became muddled again, like they were back to zero.

I was certain that I wasn’t the only one who had feelings for Kwon Jungwoo that went beyond friendship. He often left room for ambiguity, without realizing how complicated it made things for others.

“…My life plan is probably far from any kind of melodrama. Are you sure that’s okay?”

I had merely asked, but Kwon Jungwoo opened his eyes. His brows furrowed deeply, as if he’d just heard something bizarre.

“Why are you so sure about that?”

“Well…”

Because I like men.

I couldn’t say, “It’s obvious I can’t have a proper relationship with a guy when I’ve been loved by the entire nation.” So, I paused, and Kwon Jungwoo reached out with his free hand. I flinched, thinking he might pull me in again, but his fingers only gently touched my bangs.

“People who talk like that usually end up starring in erotic films later on and doing just fine.”

His hand carefully straightened my hair, the touch tender. The sensation tickled my scalp and, mixed with his familiar scent, became an unfamiliar stimulus that jolted me awake. Unaware that every hair on my body had stood on end, Kwon Jungwoo leisurely traced my nose with his fingertips.

“You have a pretty seductive face.”

His gaze lingered on my lips as he asked, “Don’t you think?”

That’s when I realized my lips were hanging slightly open.

“I’ve… never heard that before.”

“Well, who’d say that to your face? No one would, unless they were crazy.”

…So is he admitting he’s crazy?

I stayed quiet, wondering if he even realized what he was saying, and Kwon Jungwoo burst out laughing. His hand, which had been retreating, settled back over mine. Now, my left hand was entirely trapped between both of his.

“Alright. I’ve finished my introduction, so now it’s your turn. Tell me something about yourself. The smaller, the better. Oh, and forget everything I said earlier. Just make it something innocent, okay?”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course. It’s just the two of us here right now, so if we talk about anything else, it would feel…”

Our intertwined fingers brushed against the warmth of his breath.

“Embarrassing.”

His long eyes crinkled into an innocent smile, making his mention of embarrassment seem pure. I resisted the urge to throw back the question Kwon Jungwoo had once asked me—had he ever been told he had a spellbinding charm?

“Alright then. I’ll tell you something small…”

“Nothing I could find on the internet. Something I wouldn’t know.”

I had planned to list basic profile details easily found online, but he anticipated that and cut me off.

With that last condition, Kwon Jungwoo closed his eyes again. His long lashes, as if protecting the person who’d toyed with my emotions, lay gently across his skin. After a brief hesitation, I slowly let my words flow, feeling less self-conscious with his eyes closed.

I talked about how I can handle horror movies well but not romance films, how I recently started home training and felt quite satisfied with the results. I mentioned how a competition I was preparing for got postponed to the summer, leaving me feeling a bit deflated, though now my vacation would likely be busier.

While I spoke slowly, Kwon Jungwoo toyed with my hand, clasping our fingers together, pinching the back of my hand, and running his thumb over my palm’s lines. He did whatever he pleased with my hand.

As I looked down at my hand while talking, I couldn’t help but sneak a glance at his face out of curiosity. Maybe it was because he hadn’t styled his hair, but despite being sick, his skin looked unusually clear and fair.

Even his earlobe looked perfectly shaped. As I admired the curve of his skin, my gaze shifted to the long muscles of his neck and the bone of his nape, barely visible beneath his collar, and my thoughts took a different turn.

Suddenly, I wanted to ask him to open his eyes—I wanted to see them. I wondered how Kwon Jungwoo would react if I said that. He had always insisted that he wasn’t into guys, yet he wouldn’t let go of my hand. It made me curious.

He had asked for something trivial about me. What if I confessed that I liked him? A ridiculous thought I would never say aloud, yet I entertained it for a brief moment in my mind.

“Hey, can I ask you something trivial too?”

Honestly, I had just wanted an excuse to make eye contact with him. To my delight, Kwon Jungwoo opened his eyes, revealing those dark and beautiful pupils. It felt like he was giving me permission, so I hurriedly asked a question that had crossed my mind once before.

“Why is your uniform number 17? Is there a special reason you chose that number?”

“No particular reason, it’s just the

stroke count of my name