Hyo-bin pushed him back.

"Stop doing that," he said. "I missed a lot of things."

"Like what?" Seung-ho asked.

"I missed sleeping next to you so much," Hyo-bin said. "After everything that happened, I couldn't sleep alone for months."

"Seriously?" Seung-ho asked. "Did you date anyone?"

"No," Hyo-bin said. "Because I never got that close to anyone again... What about you?"

"No, not until my mom forced me to go on a date with a girl last year," Seung-ho said. "I don't even hang out with anyone besides Ji-woong."

"Why?"

"Because I've only ever wanted to date one person," Seung-ho said. Then he looked into Hyo-bin's eyes with an almost obsessive stare. "Can't we just go back to how things were? I mean when we were friends. Toward the end, at least."

"You mean when you screwed everything up?"

"Yeah. That," Seung-ho said. He looked him straight in the eye. "But this time… it could be more."

"What more?"

"Like... Living together?"

Hyo-bin held his gaze.

"Are you out of your mind, idiot?" he asked. "I don't get what you're trying to do."

"Nothing," Seung-ho said.

"I think you should be glad we can even sit and talk right now, Seung-ho," Hyo-bin said.

"Are you glad?" Seung-ho asked.

"Yeah."

"Do you like me, Hyo-bin?"

"Let’s finish the project, okay?"

Seung-ho didn't push him. He already knew the answer.

—

The project was finally about to finish, and they were sitting together with a beer each. Both of them were tired. Hyo-bin leaned his head against the sofa and closed his eyes.

"Ya," Seung-ho said. "You have to forgive me."

"Yeah?" Hyo-bin asked. 

Seung-ho stood up immediately, then he knelt on the floor in front of Hyo-bin's knees.

"I wanna finish what we started, Hyo-bin," he said.

"I'm not out here chasing adventures, Seung-ho," Hyo-bin said coldly. "I'm trying to make the national team. And it's driving me crazy right now that you talk about those days so easily."

"You know I'll support you," Seung-ho said. "I don't get what the national team has to do with this."

"When are you gonna grow up?" Hyo-bin asked. "You don't even get it because you don't care about the national team. That's my only way out of this mess. I can't lose my focus just to fix the past with you."

"What if I try to make the national team too?" Seung-ho asked.

"Are you serious?" 

"Yeah. That way, we can hang out before, during, and after practice. I'll match your schedule. I'll show up and leave at the same time as you." 

"Ya… Let's make a deal," Hyo-bin said. "If you make the national team, I'll give you that 'more' you want so bad."

"What?" Seung-ho said, raising his voice. "That 'more'... you mean…"

"Like dating. And everything. Use your imagination," Hyo-bin said.

"Tryouts are a year away," Seung-ho said, frowning.

"Yeah," Hyo-bin said. "That's why we take it step by step. You wanna kiss me? Then you better move up in the next race. You wanna hold my hand? Depends how hard you go in practice. And if you wanna sleep with me, you make the national team. Simple as that."

"Are you gonna tell Soo-bin?" Seung-ho asked. He squinted his eyes at him, and the yellow lamp cast a shadow over his face.

"Haah, fuck Soo-bin! Man, you are so obsessed with him!" Hyo-bin said loudly. "No, I won't tell him, so we're gonna act like we always do."

"Deal," Seung-ho said. He rested his hands on his lap. "So can we kiss a little right now?"

"Do you really wanna waste our first real kiss on a moment like this?" Hyo-bin asked flatly.

"No!" Seung-ho said quickly. "I'll wait."

"Good," Hyo-bin said. "This is our hidden contract. Now let's get back to the project, or I'm gonna lose my mind if we don't get to Seoul soon."

"Okay," Seung-ho said. "Can't I at least kiss you once, then?"

"Don't push it, nepobaby."

—

"So it's a deal," Seung-ho said. "We take Soo-bin to the coach and promise we won't cause any more trouble on the team."

"Yeah," Hyo-bin said. "If we're lucky, he'll drop it without messing with our pride too much, and everything goes back to normal."

"Okay, let's go over it," Seung-ho said. "We don't fight each other during classes or practice..."

"And we act like we hate each other around our friends. And remember," Hyo-bin said, taking a sip of his beer. "This whole thing depends on you actually following the rules."

Seung-ho looked directly at him and dragged his tongue over the mouth of his bottle.

"I'm gonna spoil you so much you won't even miss those rules," he said with a grin. Then he moved closer to Hyo-bin and buried his face in his neck to take a deep breath.

"I missed smelling you so much," he said quietly.

As he leaned in to kiss his neck, Hyo-bin said, "Stop! Don't be an asshole."

"Aissh, please don't date anyone else until I make the national team," Seung-ho said.

"What are you talking about?" Hyo-bin asked. "I'm broke as fuck. Who am I gonna date?"

"Wait, so if you had money, you'd date someone?"

Hyo-bin acted like he didn't hear that and looked at the wall across the room. The heater on the floor clicked once. Seung-ho's hand had come to rest on his thigh and he hadn't noticed when. He opened his mouth to answer and closed it again.

And suddenly the door code beeped from the hallway.

Hyo-bin pushed against Seung-ho's chest with the heel of his hand.

"Someone's coming," he said.

Seung-ho did not move. His arm slid behind Hyo-bin's back and pulled him closer, and his other hand stayed on his thigh. His face stayed in Hyo-bin's neck. 

The beeping ran through its four tones. Hyo-bin pushed harder and the couch squeaked under him.

"Just calm down, okay. I'm just smelling you," Seung-ho said.

"Someone's coming!"

The lock clicked open. The heavy metal door pushed inward. They both heard it. Hyo-bin twisted his shoulder and shoved with both hands this time.

Seung-ho wasn't letting go. He was practically glued to him, and he clearly didn't give a shit. His arm held Hyo-bin in place like it belonged there. Hyo-bin could feel the breath going in and out against the side of his throat, steady, in no hurry at all.

When Kim Ji-hye stepped into the room, she stopped two steps past the door and her eyes went to the couch.

Seung-ho lifted his head from Hyo-bin's neck.

He did not sit back. His arm stayed behind Hyo-bin's back and his hand stayed on Hyo-bin's thigh and he looked at his mother over the top of Hyo-bin's shoulder.

Hyo-bin went still under his hands. Seung-ho had his arms wrapped around him and wasn't letting go. He could feel how fast Hyo-bin's heart beat and how he shook with fear right then.

Ji-hye looked at Hyo-bin. She did not look at her son.

"What are you doing here with my son?"

End of Volume 1