Watching Dohwa, Lee Joon, his face flushed red with anger, shouted abruptly.

“You, you little shit! You told Seon Yuwon, didn’t you!”

“Huh?”

“About me badmouthing that bastard. Because of you, that bastard Seon Yuwon is giving me hell. The other kids and the professor are looking at me poorly too. This is all…!”

“Because of you, who else would it be? Do you think it’s because of me? Or maybe, because of my Peach?”

For a moment, Dohwa squeezed his eyes shut at the sound, which resembled the squawking of a pig, but then he opened them wide at the languid yet husky voice that followed. He whipped his head toward the sound and saw a familiar face.

Won was standing there with his head tilted crookedly, wearing a black shirt with the buttons undone enough to reveal tattoos on his neck and arm, and crisp black slacks without a single wrinkle. He was even wearing dress shoes.

“You there, you’re noisy.”

“Seon Yuwon…”

“Yeah, I’m Seon Yuwon. Got something to say?”

“I, I mean, I just made one slip of the tongue, and this guy is just talking nonsense.”

“‘This guy’?”

“…Ahem, I mean Ye Dohwa!”

Lee Joon shouted, pointing his finger at Dohwa. The man was already unpleasant to look at, but seeing him scream with a face flushed bright red made the corners of Won’s mouth tremble.

I really can’t stand the sight of him.

Thinking this to himself, Won shifted his gaze to Dohwa. After looking at something ugly, seeing someone pretty brought a sense of stability to his heart. With a calmer expression, Won called Dohwa affectionately.

“My Peach, did he do that?”

“No? It’s true that he’s a human I can’t stand the sight of, but why would I say bad things about you, senior?”

As Dohwa shuddered, insisting he would never do such a thing, Won shrugged.

“He says no? I’m taking him with me. If something like this happens one more time, don’t expect it to be fun.”

Speaking with a face that wasn’t kind at all, Won took Dohwa’s hand and led him away. Not knowing where they were going, Dohwa followed closely behind Won.

Walking with a thoughtful expression, Won glanced back and let out a small chuckle, seeing Dohwa following obediently without even trying to pull his hand away.

“Didn’t your parents teach you not to follow strangers?”

“They did, but you’re okay, Hyung.”

“Who said I was okay?”

“I did. That’s what I think. I think it’s okay to follow you. You just saved me a moment ago.”

Won listened quietly to Dohwa’s chattering before speaking bluntly.

“It’s because of me.”

“Huh?”

“Lee Joon throwing a fit at you.”

Stopping his pace and letting go of Dohwa’s hand, Won spoke. His face, as he turned slightly to look at Dohwa, was calm. The affectionate smile he usually wore was gone, and he felt somewhat chilly.

Staring blankly at that face, Dohwa fell into thought. Rolling his eyes as he chose his words, Dohwa eventually came up with a suitable answer.

“Strictly speaking, it’s not because of me or you, Hyung. It’s just that that human is weird. Isn’t that right? Honestly, that guy who calls people out to harass them and talks nonsense behind their backs seems the weirdest… don’t you think so, Hyung?”

Dohwa chattered, tilting his head. Won looked at the face with soft, downy skin with a subtle expression.

He looked like someone facing a conundrum for the first time in his life, or like a believer realizing the doctrine he had trusted his whole life was wrong. What was certain was that it was the face of someone thinking that everything he had believed without a doubt might be wrong.

“How can you be like that?”

At the voice that sounded somewhat like an interrogation, Dohwa pouted.

“What? Why are you suddenly like this? Did I say something wrong?”

At the face that instantly became sullen, Won clicked his tongue shortly.

The peach that had already been soft to begin with had now practically turned into canned white peach. Tender flesh soaked so deeply in syrup that it made your tongue sting from the sweetness.

It suddenly hit Won that Dohwa was showing him his most vulnerable side.

“I’m asking how you can trust me so much. Just as Lee Joon said, I could be a spear bastard. I could be a prostitute. I could be a total bastard. I could be some pathetic asshole. So how can you deny it without even the slightest hesitation?”

Won spoke at length, which was unlike him.

Dohwa, who had only been blinking at the voice that cracked slightly at the end, soon gave a clear smile. He then reached out and lightly stroked Won’s guarded face.

“I only believe what I’ve seen.”

The Hyung I’ve seen is a kind person. The kindest person I’ve ever seen in my life.

“I’m not kind. I’m not a good person.”

“There are no bad people among those who say that.”

“Dohwa, you’re a bit… strange.”

“Hmph. Are you any different, Hyung?”

“Suddenly you’re insulting me? I didn’t even do anything?”

Won spoke a bit more lightly, as if to refresh the heavy atmosphere. Blinking at those words, Dohwa let out a small laugh. Then, he clung to Won and chattered.

“Hyung is a good person. Really. Just today, you bought me lip balm and saved me from that weird bastard!”

“You’re like that just because of that? Anyone would do that much.”

“No, they wouldn’t. Nobody does that. Who cares about things like that these days? Everyone’s too busy living their own lives.”

After speaking a bit cynically for a moment, Dohwa beamed as if nothing had happened.

“Anyway, I like you, Hyung.”

Won remained silent at the words filled with sincere emotion. His eyes, looking at Dohwa without a word, sparkled with a mysterious light. The black eyes with red irises glistened in the sunlight.

Dohwa looked with infinitely kind eyes at the gaze that some hated, saying it looked like that of a beast.

“Let’s go! There’s time left until the next lecture. Play with me.”

Dohwa carefully gripped the hem of Won’s clothes. It was because he thought Won might dislike it if he held his hand. Tugging on Won’s clothes, Dohwa spoke with a bright face.

“Let’s go! Let’s go! Let’s go to the convenience store and buy snacks! I want to eat peach ice cream!”

“What are you, a puppy throwing a tantrum to go for a walk?”

“What? Puppy? A puppy? Why call a person a puppy! You always called me a peach, and now I’m a puppy?”

“Both are round, fluffy, and cute, just like you.”

Dohwa looked bewildered at the words Won muttered with a thoughtful face. However, he didn’t let go of the hem of Won’s clothes. Still gripping the fabric firmly, Dohwa continued to urge him.

“Anyway, whether it’s a peach or a puppy, let’s just go!”

“Are you possessed by a ghost that died because it couldn’t eat peach ice cream?”

“Ehhh!”

Shouting that, Dohwa dragged Won along. Despite his complaints, Won followed Dohwa’s steps obediently.

All the way to the convenience store, Dohwa talked about himself. 

He talked so much that Won secretly touched his ear, wondering if it was bleeding. Fortunately, it wasn’t.

Dohwa’s seemingly endless chatter ended upon arriving at the convenience store. There were two types of peach flavored ice cream, and Dohwa was preoccupied with trying to remember which one he had enjoyed more.

“What was it? There was a really delicious one.”

Is it this one? Or this one?

Dohwa muttered, staring at the peach ice creams with a very serious face. Won watched Dohwa choose the ice cream quietly and then picked up both peach ice creams.

“Buy both. I’ll eat the one that doesn’t taste good. You, Peachy, eat the delicious one.”

“Uh? You don’t have to do that.”

“Forget it. Let’s just buy them and go.”

As he spoke, Won habitually patted Dohwa’s head. Dohwa obediently let him.

After paying for the ice cream, Won opened both and held them out to Dohwa.

“Try both. And eat the one that tastes better.”

“Can you eat the one I’ve already tasted?”

“Does it matter? It’s not like you’ll die from mixing saliva.”

Speaking indifferently, Won flicked the hand holding the ice cream.