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The thing about Keonho was that he was very, very easy to love.
He was the sort of boy who remembered your coffee order after hearing it only once. The sort who would buy two pieces of bread because he remembered you mentioning that you hadn't eaten breakfast, then insist that he wasn't hungry when you offered to pay him back. He laughed with his whole face, smiled at strangers, and apologized to chairs he accidentally bumped into.
He was, in every sense of the word, a sweetheart. Everyone on campus knew it.
His classmates loved him. His professors adored him. Even the security guards at the university entrance greeted him by name because Keonho always remembered to say good morning.
And Seonghyeon?
Seonghyeon was the sort of person everyone expected Keonho to fall in love with.
He was handsome, intelligent, and one of the university's most promising varsity players. His grades were consistently excellent, his professors spoke highly of him, and he had a reputation for being dependable. He was polite to seniors, generous with his teammates, and composed enough that even people who disliked him struggled to find anything substantial to criticize.
He was the kind of man parents would be relieved to see their child dating.
So when the two of them got together, everyone thought Keonho had won the lottery.
And, judging by the way Keonho looked at him, he thought so too.
He didn't know that there was a difference between being loved and being slowly taught to live within somebody else's rules.
He didn't know that love could arrive with a smile, a gentle voice, and a hand resting reassuringly on the back of his neck.
He didn't know that the cage didn't have to be locked if the person inside believed the door was there to protect him.
"Keonho! We're going to eat at that samgyeopsal place near the station. Come with us!"
Keonho looked up from his phone.
His classmates were already gathering their things, bags slung over their shoulders, excitedly arguing about whether they should order two or three portions of pork belly.
"Wait, really?" Keonho brightened. "Can I come?"
"Of course! We're literally asking you."
"Okay, okay. Let me just—"
His phone vibrated.
hyeonie 💗: Where are you?
koni 🌟: outside our classroom hehe
hyeonie 💗: Done for the day?
koni 🌟: yes!! my friends invited me to eat with them. is that okay?
The reply came almost immediately.
hyeonie 💗: I was going to take you to dinner.
Keonho's smile faltered.
He stared at the message, then glanced at his friends.
"Wait.." he said. "My boyfriend was planning something."
"Then bring him!"
Keonho laughed. "He's probably busy."
He typed another message.
koni 🌟: we can eat another time! i'll just go with them today if that's okay?
The typing bubble appeared.
Disappeared.
Appeared again.
hyeonie 💗: It's fine, baby.
Keonho relaxed.
hyeonie 💗: I just thought you'd want to spend time with me after I've had such a long day.
Oh.
Keonho's chest pinched.
He knew Seonghyeon had practice that morning. He knew his boyfriend had an exam coming up. He knew Seonghyeon had been sleeping late because of his academic workload.
And Keonho loved him.
Of course he wanted to spend time with him.
koni 🌟: nooo i do!! i'm sorry :(( i'll go with you instead!!
hyeonie 💗: Don't apologize. I'll pick you up.
When Keonho looked up, his friends were watching him.
"You're not coming anymore?"
Keonho tucked his phone into his pocket.
"Sorry! Seonghyeon and I already have plans."
"But you literally just found out about those plans."
"He had a long day," Keonho explained, smiling apologetically. "I don't mind."
One of his friends shrugged.
"Okay. Next time, then."
There was no argument. No confrontation. Nobody accused Seonghyeon of anything.
Why would they?
Keonho was the one who had made the decision.
Later that evening, Seonghyeon picked him up and took him to a restaurant Keonho had mentioned wanting to try weeks ago.
He even remembered the dessert Keonho liked.
"You remembered!" Keonho said, practically glowing when the waiter set it down.
Seonghyeon smiled.
"Of course I remembered."
Keonho leaned across the table to squeeze his hand.
"You're the sweetest boyfriend ever."
Seonghyeon looked at him with an expression so fond that anyone watching would have thought he was looking at something precious.
"You're easy to take care of, baby."
Keonho's ears turned pink.
He spent the rest of the evening feeling loved.
He didn't think about the dinner he'd missed with his friends.
He didn't think about how easily he'd canceled.
And Seonghyeon didn't bring it up again.
He didn't need to.
Next time, Keonho would remember that Seonghyeon might have plans, too.
The time after that, he would ask first.
Eventually, his friends stopped inviting him unless they were certain he was free.
They assumed he was busy.
Keonho assumed they understood.
Seonghyeon never had to ask him to stay.
He simply made staying feel like the kinder choice.
Weeks bled into months, and the initial adjustments Keonho made stopped feeling like compromises, slowly becoming the comfortable, unquestioned shape of their daily life.
"Baby, what do you think?"
Keonho stepped out of his bedroom, turning around so Seonghyeon could see his outfit from every angle.
It was a simple going-out outfit, really. A fitted black top, loose jeans, and a jacket he could throw over his shoulders if the night got cold.
He'd spent nearly forty minutes getting ready.
Not because he was particularly vain, but because his friends had been planning this birthday celebration for weeks, and Keonho wanted to look nice.
Seonghyeon was sitting on the edge of the bed, scrolling through his phone.
He looked up.
And stopped.
For a moment, he said nothing.
Keonho smiled nervously.
"Is it bad?"
"No."
"Oh." Keonho glanced down at himself. "Then why are you looking at me like that?"
Seonghyeon put his phone away.
"Come here."
Keonho obediently approached.
His boyfriend reached for the hem of his top, smoothing it down with two fingers. The gesture was gentle, almost absent-minded.
"You're wearing this outside?"
Keonho nodded.
"Why?"
"Because we're going out?"
Seonghyeon laughed softly.
Keonho laughed too, thinking it was a joke.
Then Seonghyeon looked at him.
"I'm serious, baby."
The laughter died in Keonho's throat.
"What's wrong with it?"
"Nothing's wrong with it."
"Then—"
"It's just too sexy."
Keonho blinked.
"Sexy?"
Seonghyeon nodded, looking him over again.
"I don't want anyone else seeing your perfect body."
The words landed like a compliment.
Keonho's face warmed immediately.
"Hyeonie..."
"What?"
"Don't say things like that."
"Why? You're embarrassed?"
"Yes!" and then Keonho slapped his chest.
Seonghyeon chuckled and pulled him closer by the waist, pressing a kiss to his forehead.
"I'm serious, though. You know how people look at you."
Keonho didn't know what to say.
He'd always received compliments. People told him he was cute, that his smile was pretty, that he looked good in certain clothes. He'd never thought much about it.
But Seonghyeon was different.
When Seonghyeon complimented him, Keonho felt as though he'd been chosen.
As though there was something about him that belonged in the hands of someone who knew how to appreciate it.
"Can you wear something else?" Seonghyeon asked.
He didn't sound angry.
He sounded almost shy about asking.
"Just for me?"
Keonho looked at himself in the mirror.
Then at Seonghyeon.
"Okay."
He changed into a looser shirt.
When he came back, Seonghyeon smiled and kissed his cheek.
"There. Pretty."
Keonho beamed.
"Really?"
"Really."
He spent the entire evening happy.
And Seonghyeon was attentive throughout the celebration, keeping a hand on Keonho's back, bringing him drinks, asking whether he was comfortable. When someone complimented Keonho's appearance, Seonghyeon only smiled and thanked them.
He was the perfect boyfriend.
Later, when Keonho was getting ready for bed, he caught sight of the original outfit hanging over his chair.
He remembered how Seonghyeon had looked at him.
How his voice had softened when he'd said your perfect body.
Keonho smiled to himself.
Maybe he wouldn't wear that shirt again.
Not because Seonghyeon had told him not to.
But because he'd liked the way Seonghyeon had looked at him when he'd changed.
He wanted that look again.
He didn't understand that he'd begun measuring his choices by the affection he received afterward.
Other minor habits began to shift in the background of their intertwined routine, each change arriving with the same gentle, affectionate rationale.
Keonho used to wear makeup to university.
Nothing elaborate. A little concealer, a touch of blush, some lip tint. Sometimes he'd spend extra time fixing his hair before class, and his friends would tease him for checking his reflection in every available window.
He liked looking nice.
He liked the little ritual of it.
And Seonghyeon had always told him he was pretty.
That was why Keonho didn't understand when his boyfriend started commenting on it.
"You don't need all that, baby."
They were getting ready for a campus event when Seonghyeon said it.
Keonho was standing in front of the mirror, carefully blending a little blush into his cheeks.
He looked at Seonghyeon through the reflection.
"Hm?"
Seonghyeon approached from behind and rested his chin briefly against Keonho's shoulder.
"I'm saying you're already pretty. My pretty baby."
Keonho smiled.
"I know, but I like this."
"Of course."
There was nothing obviously wrong with the response.
Seonghyeon even smiled at him in the mirror.
"I just love your natural face even better."
Keonho paused with the brush in his hand.
"Really?"
"Really."
"Even without anything?"
Seonghyeon turned him around.
"Especially without anything."
He brushed a thumb over Keonho's cheek, right where the blush had settled.
"You're perfect like this."
Keonho laughed, ducking his head.
"You're just saying that because you're my boyfriend."
"No." Seonghyeon smiled. "I'm saying it because it's true."
Keonho looked at himself again.
He wasn't wearing much makeup to begin with.
And if Seonghyeon liked him better without it, then what was the harm?
He washed his face.
When he came out of the bathroom, Seonghyeon looked genuinely pleased.
"There he is."
Keonho giggled.
"What does that mean?"
"My pretty boy."
He wrapped Keonho in a hug, and Keonho buried his face against his shoulder, smiling so hard that his cheeks hurt.
For the next few weeks, he stopped wearing makeup as often.
When his friends asked why, he shrugged.
"Seonghyeon likes my face better like this."
One of them tilted their head.
"But you like wearing makeup, don't you?"
"Yeah, but it's not a big deal."
"Then you can still wear it."
Keonho blinked.
"Well, yeah."
He didn't understand why the conversation felt strange.
His friend didn't push.
But that night, when Keonho reached for his lip tint before leaving Seonghyeon's apartment, he hesitated.
He imagined Seonghyeon's smile when he saw him bare-faced.
There he is.
Keonho put the tint back.
He told himself he simply didn't feel like wearing it.
And perhaps, by then, that was what he genuinely believed.
The frightening thing about giving up small pieces of yourself is that each piece seems insignificant on its own.
A shirt.
A dinner.
A little makeup.
A few hours with friends.
Nothing worth fighting over.
Nothing worth upsetting someone you love over.
Until the things you used to do without thinking become things you have to explain.
And the person you have to explain them to is the one you trust most.
Before long, the boundaries of Keonho's world had softly redrawn themselves, feeling safe and enclosed, leaving very little room for anything or anyone outside of Seonghyeon's orbit..
"Bro, I swear, Seonghyeon is insane."
Keonho looked up from his lunch.
"What did he do?"
"Nothing bad!" his classmate hurried to clarify. "I'm talking about how good he is at everything. Varsity, academics, relationship. Like, is there anything that guy can't do?"
Keonho laughed.
"He's not perfect."
"Name one flaw."
Keonho opened his mouth.
Then closed it.
His classmate burst out laughing.
"SEE? YOU CAN'T EVEN THINK OF ONE."
"That's not true!"
"Okay, okay. What is it, then?"
Keonho thought about it.
Seonghyeon could be a little overprotective, perhaps. He worried too much. Sometimes he wanted Keonho to text him when he arrived somewhere, when he left, when he got home.
But that was because he cared.
And sometimes Seonghyeon didn't like Keonho going out without telling him first.
But that was because he wanted to know Keonho was safe.
And sometimes he got quiet when Keonho made plans without him.
But that was because he missed him.
Keonho smiled.
"He's clingy."
His classmate stared at him.
"That's your complaint?"
"Yes!"
"You're unbelievable."
Keonho laughed, cheeks pink.
His phone vibrated beside his lunch tray.
hyeonie 💗: Have you eaten?
koni 🌟: yes baby!! eating rn
hyeonie 💗: What are you eating?
Keonho sent him a picture. A muffin and his usual can of soda.
hyeonie 💗: That's all?
koni 🌟: huhuhu it's enough!!
hyeonie 💗: I'll bring you something after practice.
koni 🌟: NOOO you don't have to!!!
hyeonie 💗: I want to.
Keonho stared at the screen with a smile so soft that his classmate groaned.
"You're doing it again."
"Doing what?"
"That face."
"What face?"
"The face you make whenever he texts you."
Keonho clutched his phone to his chest.
"Shut up!"
His friend laughed, then grew a little more serious.
"You're happy, right?"
Keonho didn't hesitate.
"Of course."
"Good."
And that was that.
Because Keonho was happy. He wasn't pretending.
He loved Seonghyeon. He loved how carefully he was looked after, how his boyfriend remembered things he forgot about himself, how Seonghyeon always seemed to know what he needed before he asked.
He loved being someone's priority.
He loved being someone's favorite person.
He loved hearing, "I just worry about you, baby."
He loved it so much that he never stopped to wonder why being loved sometimes felt like having fewer places to go.
Across campus, Seonghyeon was finishing practice.
His teammates were joking about heading out for dinner, and one of them called his name.
"Seonghyeon! You're coming, right?"
"Can't."
"Again? Man, your boyfriend has you on a leash."
The others laughed.
Seonghyeon laughed with them.
"Nah. He just needs me."
It sounded affectionate.
Almost proud.
His teammate shook his head, grinning.
"You're whipped."
"Probably."
Seonghyeon checked his phone.
There was a message from Keonho, a picture of his half-finished lunch and a string of little exclamation marks.
Seonghyeon's expression softened.
Then another message arrived.
koni 🌟: baby do you think i should cut my hair a little shorter?
Seonghyeon looked at the screen for a long moment.
He typed a reply.
hyeonie 💗: I like it the way it is.
Three dots appeared almost immediately.
koni 🌟: okay!! then i'll keep it hehe
Seonghyeon smiled.
He slipped his phone into his pocket and picked up his bag.
He had never needed to tell Keonho that he wanted to be the person who decided.
Keonho had offered him that position himself.
And Seonghyeon, who was excellent at recognizing opportunities in every other part of his life, had recognized it here, too.
The difference was that no one would call it ambition.
They would call it love.
And Keonho, more than anyone, would be the one to defend it.
But “love” isn’t enough to sustain the growing storm inside him. The questions were starting to brew in the back of his mind, waiting for the opportunity to be freed.
———
The afternoon light filtering through the small window of Keonho’s dorm room was warm and quiet, but the air inside felt suddenly too tight to breathe.
Seonghyeon was sitting on the edge of Keonho's neatly made bed, his broad shoulders slightly tense, holding Keonho’s phone in his hand. He wasn't scrolling anymore. He was just staring at the screen.
What started as five notifications became a way for Seonghyeon to look through Keonho's phone. And why, you ask, would he do that? Because he loves his boyfriend.
Keonho stood near his small study desk, nervously fiddling with the hem of his oversized sweater, his big eyes wide and soft with confusion. "Hyeonie...? Give it back, please."
Seonghyeon locked the screen with a soft click and set the phone down on the mattress. He didn't look up immediately. "Who is Minwoo?"
Keonho blinked, his heart doing a small, confused flutter. "Minwoo? He’s just... in my study group, remember? We were working on the economics paper together."
"He was standing very close to you," Seonghyeon said, his voice terrifyingly quiet. He finally looked up, his dark eyes heavy with a dark, suffocating intensity that made Keonho shiver. "And he was laughing at something you said. He looked at you like—like you belong to him."
"He doesn't!" Keonho stepped forward, his tone instantly softening, trying to soothe the storm he could see brewing behind Seonghyeon's gaze. "He's just a friend, Hyeonie. You know how I am, I just... I smile a lot when people talk to me. It doesn't mean anything."
"It means he thinks he has a right to your attention," Seonghyeon whispered, standing up slowly. He closed the distance between them, his shadow falling over Keonho. "It means other people think they can touch you, look at you, make you laugh the way only I'm supposed to."
"Hyeonie, you're scaring me a little..." Keonho murmured, taking a small, instinctive step back until his back hit the edge of his desk. His voice was laced with genuine distress, hating the friction between them. "I only want you. You know that. But I can't just stop talking to everyone in my classes."
"Can't you?" Seonghyeon stopped right in front of him, reaching out to gently cup the side of Keonho's neck. The touch was tender, but his thumb brushed a little too firmly against Keonho's pulse point. "Why is it so hard to just keep your eyes on me, baby? Am I not enough?"
The sheer unfairness of it, combined weeks of tiny, suffocating compromises, finally sparked a fragile, frightened defiance in Keonho's chest. His eyes glistened with unshed tears, but his voice—though trembling—came out clear and honest.
"You are enough," Keonho whispered, his bottom lip trembling as he looked up at the boy he loved more than life itself. "You're my everything. But if... if you can't handle me just talking to other people, if you're going to interrogate me every single time... then maybe we should just break up."
The words slipped out like a fragile glass dropping onto stone.
Seonghyeon froze. The absolute control he always carried shattered in a single second. The color drained from his face, and for a terrifying moment, the towering, perfect varsity player looked like a child about to lose his entire world.
"No," Seonghyeon breathed, his voice cracking violently. He grabbed Keonho by the shoulders, pulling him flush against his chest with a desperate, crushing force. "Don't say that. Please, Keonho. Don't ever say that word to me."
Keonho’s soft heart, wired entirely to love and forgive Seonghyeon, fractured at the sound of his breaking voice. "Hyeonie..."
"I'm sorry," Seonghyeon choked out, burying his face in the crook of Keonho's neck, his broad shoulders shaking slightly. "I'm so sorry, baby. I'm just... I'm losing my mind. The thought of someone else having you, even for a second, even just a smile... it makes me sick. I'm broken, Keonho. I'm so terrified of losing you because you're the only good thing in my life. Please don't leave me. I can't do it."
Keonho’s defenses melted away instantly. The anger vanished, replaced by a deep, aching wave of pity and overwhelming affection. He lifted his hands, wrapping his arms around Seonghyeon's back and patting him softly, just like he would soothe someone in pain.
"I'm sorry too," Keonho whispered into his shoulder, his own tears spilling over. "Don't cry, please. I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere."
Seonghyeon pulled back slightly, framing Keonho's tear-stained face with both hands, his dark eyes shining with a fierce, absolute devotion. "Promise me," he murmured, his voice laced with a quiet, hypnotic pleading. "Promise me it's just us, Keonho. Promise me you won't let anyone else take pieces of you that belong to me."
Keonho nodded eagerly, sniffling a little as he offered up his freedom with a tender, adoring smile, entirely blind to the golden cage closing around him.
"I promise, Hyeonie," Keonho whispered softly, resting his hands over Seonghyeon's wrists. "It's just us. I won't talk to them anymore, okay? I'll be good. I promise I'll stay close to you."
A profound, triumphant softness washed over Seonghyeon's features. He leaned down and pressed a long, worshipful kiss to Keonho's lips, tasting the salt of his tears.
"Good boy," Seonghyeon murmured against his mouth, his thumb gently wiping away a stray tear with infinite care. "I'm only like this because I love you so much. I just want what's best for us."
Keonho smiled back, completely wrapped in the warmth of his embrace, believing every single word, because, really, where would he be if not in Seonghyeon’s orbit?