Chin-hwa broke the hug and looked at Kang-woo's face. He was smiling, but it suddenly pissed him off, and he hit Kang-woo's shoulder.
"What are you smiling at? I'm still mad at you." He said and started walking ahead.
"What can I do to make it up to you?" Kang-woo asked, going after him and Chin-hwa stopped. He glanced over his shoulder with pouted lips and said,
"Will you tell me why you had to leave so suddenly?" He asked. "And why didn't they let me go with you?"
Kang-woo went silent and then sighed.
"I can't tell you that." He said, and Chin-hwa frowned.
"Then forget it. I'll keep being mad. I'm going home on my own so don't follow me." Yes, Kang-woo followed him from behind. He followed silently, and while Chin-hwa hurried his steps, Kang-woo only had to throw his legs wide, and he wouldn't fall behind.
Chin-hwa got angry and stopped.
"Lee Kang-woo, why are you following me?" He asked.
"Because it's not safe to walk out alone at night." Kang-woo answered. "And..." He covered his mouth and looked away.
"And what? What did you intend to say?" Chin-hwa asked.
He stepped closer to Kang-woo and looked him in the eye. He was angry that he wasn't being taken seriously.
Kang-woo didn't want to say it but it looked like Chin-hwa wouldn't drop his shoulders if he didn't. So he said it.
"You're just too cute that any random weirdo could approach you." He said. "And I... I don't want that."
Chin-hwa's gaze slowly softened. Yeah, he knew he was cute. It was a compliment he had heard since he was born, but why was it always so touching each time Kang-woo said it?
'No, Chin-hwa forget about it.' Chin-hwa told himself. 'That's how he's always been, remember? He doesn't mean anything by it.'
And yet, he wished more than anything that Kang-woo would mean that in another way. In a way that would tie them closer.
"Ah, a random weirdo, you say?" He asked and turned around.
He suddenly started yelling, against Kang-woo's expectations.
"Is anyone out there? A random guy is approaching me. I think he's tryna kidnap me." He yelled,
"Wait, what?!" Kang-woo was stunned. He reached his hand to Chin-hwa. "Hwa, you can't be serious."
"Look, he's trying to touch me. Help!" He yelled and ran away.
"Little Hwa, stop right there." Kang-woo went after him, and thankfully, there wasn't anyone around. If not, he would've greatly been misunderstood.
Just what was Chin-hwa thinking to have yelled like that in the middle of the night?
"Chin-hwa!" He yelled and found himself in a T junction. It was so dark that his eyes didn't follow Chin-hwa so now he had lost him. "Oh no, where did he go?"
He looked at his phone. It was almost midnight. This was not the time to be playing around on the streets.
"Ahh!" He heard Chin-hwa's voice and turned in the direction. "Dammit!" He ran there right away.
Chin-Hwa, after running from Kang-woo, hid behind a building and let out a sigh to relieve his rapidly beating heart.
And it wasn't because he ran that his heart was beating so fast, it was because of Kang-woo. That was why he wanted to get away from him for a moment.
He needed to calm his heart.
"He only sees me as a brother and yet I can't shake my feelings off. It's been three years, why can't my feelings disappear?" He asked himself, hitting his teeth and clenched his fists.
He pressed his fist to his heart and sighed once more. He felt so much better. He could return to Kang-woo now.
But as soon as he turned, he met with a random guy who scared the daylights out of him.
"Ahhh!" He yelled in fright and missed his step stepping back, so he fell on his butt.
His palms scraped the floor but he did not even think of that.
His eyes were fixed on the man in front of him smelling like alcohol.
"You have such a nice scent." The man said and staggered towards him. "Are you an omega?"
"Stay away from me. You're breaking the law by asking me that question." Chin-hwa said. He was scared.
There was a time when he was a kid when he got approached by an adult who had ulterior motives. He thought it had been a nice guy but then he started sniffing his hair and saying things like... 'You're gonna be a pretty nice and 'tight' omega when you grow up' he smiled like a creep, just like this one right here and the person who saved him then was...
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Kang-woo yelled at the man and grabbed him by the collar, pushing him back till he staggered and fell.
He hurried towards Chin-hwa and asked, worriedly and concerned,
"Are you okay? Where are you hurt?" He asked but Chin-hwa shook his head.
Why was it that the one who saved him every single time he was scared and needed saving was Byul?
"I'm fine." Chin-Hwa said and as Kang-woo helped him up, asking,
"Can you stand? Does your feet hurt? Do..." His eyes fell on Chin-hwa's scraped palms and his eyes went red with rage.
He turned to the man who couldn't even stand on his feet. He was this close to passing out from drinking too much.
"Stand back, Hwa, I'm going to teach him a lesson." He said but Chin-hwa held him back.
"It's okay." He said. "He didn't hurt me, and I fell 'cause I was startled. Let's just... Let's just go."
"This is exactly why I didn't want to let you out of my sight." Kang-woo said, brushing Chin-hwa's hair down to his face. "You could've gotten hurt worse than this."
"I'm sorry for running off, so let's just go." Chin-hwa said, dropping his gaze, and then Kang-woo knelt in front of him. "What are you...?"
"Get on. I'll carry you to the car." Kang-woo said.
"No, my feet are fine." Chin-hwa said, but Kang-woo was as stubborn as they come. He said,
"Get on or I'm not standing up."
Chin-hwa twisted his lips. Just why did he have to be so kind and stubborn and... Caring?
He got on Kang-woo's back and Kang-woo lifted him in one go. He carried Chin-hwa like he was as light as a feather.
"Let's go." He said, and Chin-hwa nodded, burying his burning face on Kang-woo's back.
His heartbeat started accelerating again and he blushed. Just what was he going to do?
"Are you sure you're okay?" Kang-woo asked as they made their way out of there.
"Yes, I'm fine." Chin-hwa gave a muffled response.
"We can stop at the hospital and..."
"Byul," Chin-hwa called, showing his soft pink flushed face. "Let's just go. I want to sleep already. I'm tired."
Kang-woo's heart skipped a beat but he ignored it and said,
"Alright. Let's go. I'll just treat your hand once we're in my car."
"Hm, I'm sorry for calling you a random guy and running off." He apologized and Kang-woo sighed.
"It's alright. I know you were just having a fit. I'll forgive you this time."
"But I still haven't forgotten you," Chin-hwa said softly.
"I'll keep that in mind, little Hwa. And I'll try to make it up to you no matter what."
Chin-hwa felt warm and comfortable. He flickered his eyelashes, feeling sleep take over him and thought,
'Byul, I know you don't act like this with Nari. So, how is this treating me like your own brother? I'm just so confused.'