Chapter Text
“Jungbae, enough already!” Gihun lets out through his teeth, brushing a hand through his longer hair. “You know you sound weird.”
“But Gihun! You have to listen — that guy is the weirdest person I’ve ever seen.”
“What do you mean? Inho is literally so cute and harmless. He couldn’t hurt a fly.”
“Gihun, do you hear yourself? That dude is so creepy. Have you ever seen how cold his gaze is? He literally terrifies me with his intense, dark glares.”
Jungbae shivers, the memory returning far too easily — Inho standing in a narrow, empty alley, knuckles bruised and bloodied, his uniform jacket discarded on the ground. The loan shark lay curled against the wall, barely conscious. Inho hadn’t looked angry. He hadn’t even looked satisfied. Just… empty. Detached. As if what he’d done meant nothing at all.
Jungbae had been grateful — of course he had — but that look had stayed with him far longer than the bruises on the man’s face.
“Now you’re just making things up. Why would you say that? He’s so sweet. He always packs me lunch.”
“Gihun, he’s creepy. He’s always looking at you — like, always. Don’t you think it’s a bit much?”
“What do you mean? We just like each other, and he’s never mean to others.”
“Ali, tell him he’s so clueless.”
“Ali, help Jungbae see reason . He just wants to bully my precious Inho.”
Ali finds himself stuck in an awkward position between his two friends. As kind as Ali wants to be to Gihun, he would have to be blind not to notice that something about Inho always felt… off.
“Sorry, Gihun hyung… but he is a bit obsessive.”
“See? I said so! He’s always so perfect around you, but the moment you turn away, he terrorizes your friends.”
“You guys are just being absurd. You just didn’t like my Inho from day one. What’s so scary about him? He can’t even tie his tie without me. I think he’s so cute when he looks up at me with his puppy eyes for help.”
Jungbae and Ali share a glance. Gihun is too far gone. That man is a fierce cop whose formal uniform literally includes a tie — and yet somehow Gihun truly believes he’s helpless without him.
“Gihun, you do know he beat up those loan sharks single-handedly and scared them so badly they left town, right? And what about last month when he followed that guy from the café just because he asked for your number?”
“He was just making sure I got home safe!”
“And the time he showed up outside your workplace after you didn’t reply for an hour?”
“He was worried!”
“That’s not worried, that’s —”
“You’re just making things up. He only talked to them to help me, and he was so scared after that ordeal, even if he put on a brave face for me. I hate being a burden to him.”
“Well, you could never be a burden to him. He literally breathes for you… though it’s still kinda creepy how he glares at anyone who even so much as looks at you.”
“That’s not true. He’s just socially awkward, and a little paranoid about my safety after the loan shark incident.”
“Gihun, that’s not a little. Did you see him at the bar that night? He wouldn’t leave your side and quietly sent away anyone who tried to talk to you. Not even rudely — just… calmly. Like he already owned the space around you.”
“Jungbae, just stop.”
“No, hyung, it’s true. I went to the restroom that night when you were a little drunk, and I saw Inho hyung speaking to Sangwoo hyung in the hallway. He was smiling, but Sangwoo looked… unsettled.”
“What? That’s just not true. Sangwoo isn’t scared of anyone. He’s so fierce and smart — the pride of Ssangmun-dong.”
“Let’s just drop this topic now. Stop bullying Inho. I don’t like it. Just because he’s a little quiet doesn’t mean he’s a serial killer. If anything, he’s the only person who ever tried to help me.”
“Gihuniee, jagiya.”
A pair of warm, broad hands cover Gihun’s eyes. “I’ve missed you so much. Where have you been?”
Jungbae rolls his eyes. It’s barely been forty minutes since Gihun joined them.
Inho’s cold, unreadable gaze lands on Jungbae for just a second too long. “I hope you’ve all been saying good things about me to Gihun.”
The words are light. The look is not.
Jungbae feels Ali stiffen beside him and forces a dry smile. Then Gihun turns around, bright and glowing.
Inho chuckles softly, his expression melting the moment his eyes meet Gihun’s. He leans down, presses a gentle kiss into his hair, his gaze tender enough to make Jungbae doubt his own thoughts.
Jungbae visibly gags.
Gihun hugs Inho and announces, “Thanks for the beer. It was fun hanging out. I’ll see you again.”
Jungbae feels the familiar sting of being abandoned the moment Inho appears.
Inho’s arm settles around Gihun’s waist — natural, practiced. Possessive in a way no one seems to notice.
When Gihun mentions the next hangout, Inho’s smile tightens just slightly.
Ali lets out a quiet sigh as they walk away together, Gihun leaning into Inho without hesitation.
Well… for all his faults, at least he really loves Gihun, Jungbae admits.
Still, the memory of that empty alley — and that empty gaze — refuses to leave him.