Chapter Text
Lately, Soleum had realized just how busy he'd become. He barely had enough time to rest anymore. By the time he returned to the dormitory at night and pushed open the door, he found Saheon already fast asleep.
The funny thing was that Saheon had curled himself up at the very edge of the bed, as if intentionally leaving a small portion of the mattress for Soleum.
Soleum brushed aside the wavy brown bangs that seemed even more tangled than usual in such an endearing way. Saheon's sharp-tempered face contrasted strangely with his bright hair. Soleum remembered the first time he had looked into Saheon's eyes—eyes as green as a quiet forest, eyes that always calmed him whenever he stared into them.
And for the past few days, he hadn't even had the chance to properly look into those eyes.
He had been chased by deadlines and demands from his teachers while organizing their class festival.
Soleum had felt restless all day long.
Now, holding the hand of the sleeping green-eyed boy beside him felt like the only comfort he had received from Saheon in days.
Lowering his head, Soleum pressed a brief kiss against Saheon's lips.
"I'm not sure I'll be able to kiss you tomorrow morning, so I'm paying in advance."
He kissed Saheon's forehead, then his cheek, the bridge of his nose, and finally the eyelids that remained peacefully shut in sleep.
After that, Soleum gently lifted Saheon's hand and kissed the back of it.
"Sweet dreams, Saheon."
The whisper was filled with unmistakable sincerity.
Soon afterward, Soleum fell asleep beside him, wrapping his arms tightly around Saheon. He had been so exhausted that he had even forgotten to eat and shower.
The next morning, Saheon woke him up more gently than usual.
...Actually, much more gently than usual.
If Soleum hadn't remembered that the festival was tomorrow, he probably would have teased his short-tempered boyfriend about it.
But right now, Soleum was busy fighting for his class's survival.
They had decided to open a photo booth, and some of the students would be dressed in royal-themed costumes. Soleum wasn't one of them, but he had been assigned to stand at the entrance and guide visitors inside.
Still, to fit the festival's theme, his friends had insisted that he wear at least a simple costume.
And honestly, they had a point.
He had even asked Minseong the previous night to inform Saheon if he ended up staying out late again.
His phone had died, too.
"Soleum?"
Saheon called out just as Soleum finished getting dressed and started putting on his shoes.
The way Saheon said his name sounded questioning, deeply confused.
Ah...
It would probably be better to warn Saheon in advance this time.
Just in case his phone died again.
Soleum turned around.
"Ah, I'll be home late again today. Don't forget to eat dinner, okay?"
Then he shut the dorm room door and hurried down the stairs, immediately heading toward the school building.
Some students were even more diligent than he was and had already arrived to help arrange decorations and organize positions for the festival.
Throughout the entire day, Soleum barely got a moment to rest.
The most he could do was occasionally glance from afar at Saheon, who was chatting with his close friend, Yeongeun.
At least Saheon wasn't lonely.
"You're awfully restless."
Haje popped a piece of candy into his mouth while following Soleum's gaze toward Saheon, who was visible in the corridor below.
Soleum dropped his head onto the desk.
"I'm stressed."
"Saheon said you're working yourself to death," Minseong remarked.
Soleum immediately lifted his head.
Well, if he slacked off now, none of this would be finished.
And the longer it dragged on, the less time he would get to spend with Saheon.
He had to finish this quickly.
So Soleum returned to his work, focusing on writing and organizing everything.
And honestly, he hoped all the sacrificed sleep and time would be worth it once the festival was crowded with visitors.
That night, he vaguely heard Saheon say his name.
The words weren't clear.
"Soleum, are you tired of...?"
Soleum quietly repeated the fragment he had managed to catch.
"Tired of what?"
Saheon was probably worried that his class had turned him into a slave.
The thought made Soleum smile.
But...
He had no intention of showering tonight either.
He would do it tomorrow.
Right now, he simply didn't have the energy.
Soleum collapsed onto his bed as quickly as possible.
Ah, he wanted to hug Saheon.
But he was covered in sweat.
His Saheon shouldn't have to smell like his sweat.
"You're sleeping in your own bed?" Saheon asked.
Soleum straightened his blanket.
"Yeah. I figured you've probably been sore from squeezing into such a small space. I'll sleep here tonight."
In reality, it was only an excuse.
What kind of fool wouldn't want to sleep beside his boyfriend?
He was only doing this to keep Saheon from getting covered in his sweat.
Saheon turned his back toward him and lay down.
Festival day arrived at last.
Very early that morning, Soleum woke up before anyone else.
He leaned over and pressed a kiss against the lips of the still-sleeping Saheon before heading off to shower and get ready.
Judging by the clock on the wall, Saheon still wanted to sleep.
[I'll turn on your alarm so you'll wake up. Hopefully you'll hear it.] Soleum thought to himself.
Saheon looked exhausted, and Soleum didn't want to wake him this early.
What Soleum didn't know was that Saheon had only managed to fall asleep very late the night before.
Soleum gave those wavy brown locks one last affectionate pat before hurrying out of the dormitory.
Today was going to be incredibly exhausting for him.
[#—#]
Soleum was overwhelmed. More people had come to their booth than he had expected. Just look at the crowd of underclassmen bringing friends from outside the school to visit. Of course, this was a huge advantage for Soleum's class festival.
"Senior Soleum, you look so handsome!" praised a girl whose face he didn't recognize. Trying to remain professional, Soleum simply thanked her.
The friend acting as the photographer let out a sigh. "Soleum, loosen up a little. You're the reason half these people came here."
"I have a boyfriend," Soleum replied, uninterested.
"You're only doing this for one day, okay? Be a little more affectionate!" they advised.
Soleum nodded. He wasn't going to do anything that crossed the line. After all, Saheon was his boyfriend, and he didn't want Saheon hearing strange rumors about him.
The photographer gave him a thumbs-up as Soleum lowered his head and allowed a few girls to place crowns and small decorations on his hair for their photos together.
Soleum was exhausted. Truly.
Click.
"Good, Soleum. You're more relaxed now. Are you finally getting used to it?" the photographer asked with a chuckle.
"No."
Soleum wanted this to be over as soon as possible. Even so, he was satisfied that their booth had become such a success.
"Thank you, Senior Soleum! You're the best!" the girls exclaimed as they tried to hug him together for a group photo.
"Wait. Let's keep physical contact to a minimum for the photos, okay?" Soleum said gently, and several of them seemed mesmerized enough to nod immediately.
Honestly, it was almost unfair how handsome Soleum was.
"Is pinching your cheek too much?" asked a girl with a ponytail.
Soleum smiled awkwardly. "Well, that seems... Of course it's too much?"
"Senior Soleum! Please pinch my cheek!" the girl begged.
"It's just a cheek pinch. You're being way too dramatic, Soleum," the photographer chimed in again.
Soleum smiled coldly. "You talk too much."
Startled by the sudden change in Soleum's tone, the photographer immediately tightened his grip on the camera, as if he had just been targeted by a laser and feared Soleum might crush it.
Unaware of the shift in atmosphere, the girl's friends grabbed Soleum's hand and forced it toward her cheek.
Surrounded on all sides, Soleum could no longer clearly see anything beyond the crowd.
Then, from another gathering farther down the path, a much louder commotion erupted.
"Huh? What's happening?"
The girls who had been teasing Soleum finally turned toward the source of the noise as well. Curious, they couldn't see what had caused so many people to gather there in panic.
Then Soleum heard Minseong's voice.
"Oh my God, it's Saheon! Saheon! He collapsed! Someone call the medical team, anybody!"
The moment he heard that name, Soleum shoved people aside without hesitation.
He ran.
Sweat poured down his face. He was afraid to blink, afraid that even a second of delay would be too much.
He forced his way through the tightly packed crowd, and when he finally reached the center, something inside him shattered.
Saheon was lying there, pale, unconscious, and bleeding from his nose.
"Saheon!"
Soleum took his boyfriend from Minseong, who had been desperately trying to stop the nosebleed.
Trying to help him breathe more comfortably, Soleum loosened Saheon's tie and undid the top button of his shirt.
He pulled Saheon into his arms, not even noticing the blood soaking into his costume.
Soleum immediately stood and carried Saheon in his arms, stumbling several times as he rushed toward the infirmary.
"Hey, kid, calm down. He's just running a fever and suffering from exhaustion," the infirmary attendant said, gripping Soleum's trembling shoulder.
Saheon was exhausted?
Why hadn't he noticed?
Since when had he been sick?
The questions repeated themselves over and over inside Soleum's mind.
"Where's Soleum?" Saheon's voice came from behind the curtain surrounding one of the infirmary beds.
Soleum had even forgotten to thank the nurse before hurrying over to him.
His boyfriend was looking for him.
He had to be there.
By Saheon's side.
"Does something hurt, Saheon? Should we go to the hospital?" Soleum asked carefully.
Saheon remained silent, sitting against the headboard.
"You two, my shift is over. You can stay here as long as you want."
The nurse left the infirmary.
Saheon was angry.
Very, very angry.
But seeing his own blood staining Soleum's nicest outfit of the day made that anger weaken.
"Saheon?"
Soleum moved closer and sat on the edge of the bed.
"Saheon, does it hurt that much? Please answer me. Don't sit here crying silently like this."
He wrapped his arms around his trembling boyfriend.
Then pressed a brief kiss to Saheon's forehead.
"What happened?"
Saheon wanted to say:
Even though he had only been half-conscious when Soleum carried him here, he knew those hands better than anyone.
The shape of Soleum's fingers.
The careful way he held him.
The warmth that belonged only to Soleum.
It made him want to cry, and he didn't even know why feelings like this existed.
"I..."
Saheon's voice was muffled against Soleum's chest.
"Stop wearing that costume and stay here with me."
Soleum nodded immediately without a second thought.
"Okay. Alright. I'm here, okay?"
"Saheon, I can't take it off if you're still hugging me."
Soleum sounded genuinely confused.
"Figure it out yourself," Saheon replied indifferently, refusing to let go.
Carefully, Soleum began undoing the buttons.
He gently moved Saheon's arms one at a time to slip the sleeves off before tossing the prince costume onto the floor.
Now he was only wearing a black T-shirt.
Saheon still clung to him comfortably.
"Soleum, nobody's watching the front booth."
One of their classmates stepped into the infirmary.
Still stroking Saheon's back, Soleum turned his head.
"Can someone cover for me? Saheon's sick."
"But—"
The student was interrupted by Saheon's voice.
"You've been making him work nonstop since yesterday."
Every word came out sharp and serious.
"Ah... uh..."
Startled by the icy tone, the student immediately surrendered.
"I-I think I'll cover for you, Soleum."
The moment he finished speaking, he disappeared.
"Saheon..."
"Be quiet, Kim Soleum. Are you stupid? Why are you trying to take on even more work when you're already one of the main organizers?"
"Saheon, I was trying—"
"Trying what? You don't even realize you've been turned into someone else's fantasy object!"
"I—what?"
Soleum froze.
Fantasy object?
"Why couldn't you just say no?"
Saheon's voice cracked.
"Do you have any idea how many people were staring at you?"
He gripped Soleum's shirt tighter.
"Do you know how many of them were looking at you like that?"
Soleum blinked.
"What are you talking about?"
"You were smiling at them."
The accusation came immediately.
"You let them put crowns on your head. You let them hold your hands. You stood there taking pictures with every single person who asked."
Saheon's face burned red.
"Some of them were practically flirting with you."
"Saheon—"
"And you didn't stop them."
His voice dropped lower.
"You just stood there."
His fingers clenched harder.
"You looked good in that stupid costume."
Soleum froze.
"You looked so good that people kept lining up to see you."
Saheon sounded genuinely offended by the fact.
"They were calling you handsome."
His jaw tightened.
"They were asking for pictures."
Another pause.
"And you smiled."
Soleum stared at him.
For a moment, Saheon couldn't even meet his eyes.
Then he finally muttered,
"I hated it."
The confession came out small.
Embarrassingly honest.
"I hated every second of it."
Saheon looked away.
Soleum was too stunned to respond.
Oh.
Now he understood.
Saheon's feverish face was as red as a tomato.
Soleum stayed silent, allowing his boyfriend to vent everything he had been bottling up.
"Do you feel better now?" Soleum asked.
Saheon stared at him in disbelief.
"That's all you have to say? You sneaky bastard. I hate you."
Soleum smiled.
"Hold onto me."
"What?"
Saheon didn't understand.
A second later, he let out a startled yelp as Soleum picked him up again.
"Where are you taking me? Put me down!"
Far too embarrassed to cause a scene in front of everyone watching, Saheon lowered his voice and protested in a furious whisper.
"Hey, photographer."
Soleum called out to the classmate carrying a camera.
The boy hurried over.
"Look."
Soleum gently set Saheon's feet down.
Then he continued. "I'll pose properly this time."
Saheon looked at him in confusion and panic.
Not far away, Minseong and Haje both smacked their foreheads.
That idiot Soleum.
At that moment, the camera shutter clicked.
A bright flash followed.
Everyone saw it. Right there in front of all of them.
Soleum kissed Saheon.
To be continued...