"So don’t do things that make people worry. "
Tae-san’s quiet voice never reached the sleeping Myeong Jaehyeon.
Tae-san stared at the ceiling for a while.
But strangely, he couldn’t fall asleep.
The only thing that kept circling in his head was what he’d just heard.
I think it’s more comfortable being with you.
He’d said it while drunk.
Even so, he kept wanting to attach meaning to it.
In the end, Tae-san closed his eyes.
'I said it while I was drunk.'
If he thought of it that way, it was simple.
But his heart strangely couldn’t accept it.
The next morning.
"Tae-san."
"..."
"Wake up."
Tae-san slowly opened his eyes.
In front of him stood Myeong Jaehyeon.
"What time is it?"
"8:00."
Tae-san sat up right away.
"Class starts at 9:00."
"Yeah."
"Then why didn’t you wake me."
Myeong Jaehyeon made a baffled face.
"I am waking you up."
"Earlier."
"Why?"
"If I’m late..."
Tae-san stopped.
Myeong Jaehyeon laughed.
"If you’re late?"
"...I don’t know."
"That’s weird."
Myeong Jaehyeon looked at Tae-san for a moment, then asked,
"By the way, do you remember yesterday?"
Tae-san’s expression stiffened.
"What."
"What I said."
"..."
"I didn’t say anything weird after drinking, did I?"
Tae-san thought for a moment.
Then he deliberately said, pretending not to care.
"You did."
"What?"
"A lot."
Myeong Jaehyeon’s face instantly froze.
"Seriously?"
"Yeah."
"What did I say?"
Tae-san looked at Myeong Jaehyeon.
Yesterday’s words came back to him.
I think it’s more comfortable being with you.
Repeating it exactly felt awkward for no reason.
So Tae-san said it briefly.
"You said being with me was comfortable."
"..."
Myeong Jaehyeon’s ears turned red.
"I really said that?"
"Yeah."
"I’m crazy."
Myeong Jaehyeon covered his face with both hands.
Watching him, Tae-san asked,
"Why."
"Why would I say something like that..."
"Did you hate it?"
Myeong Jaehyeon lowered his hands.
"What?"
"That being with me was comfortable."
Myeong Jaehyeon looked at Tae-san for a moment, then gave a small laugh.
"No."
Then he said casually,
"I guess I said it because it really was comfortable?"
Tae-san’s heart sank for a moment.
"Really?"
"Yeah."
Myeong Jaehyeon said it while gathering his clothes.
"We’ve gotten close, haven’t we."
At that one line, Tae-san felt relieved for no reason.
But at the same time, he felt a little disappointed.
Just being comfortable because they were close.
It sounded like it meant nothing more than that.
A few days later.
With the festival coming up, school got even busier.
Myeong Jaehyeon was stuck at school all day because of preparations for a department event.
"Jaehyeon! Hold this for me."
"Wait a sec!"
"Take a picture too!"
"Okay!"
Tae-san spotted him as he passed in front of the student union after class ended.
Myeong Jaehyeon was running around in a frenzy.
And next to him was Seo-yoon.
"Jaehyeon, let’s carry this together."
"Thanks."
"If you’d done this alone, you’d really be in trouble."
"Yeah."
The two of them laughed.
Tae-san stopped walking.
Again.
He didn’t know why that person kept catching his eye.
Then Myeong Jaehyeon spotted Tae-san.
"Tae-san!"
Myeong Jaehyeon waved cheerfully.
Tae-san stopped too.
"What are you doing?"
"Festival prep."
"That must be hard."
"Yeah. But it’s fun."
Myeong Jaehyeon smiled.
At that moment, Seo-yoon said naturally,
"Jaehyeon, let’s move this one too."
"Oh, wait."
Myeong Jaehyeon turned back to Tae-san.
"I’ll do this one and go."
"Okay."
Tae-san answered shortly.
Then he turned away just like that.
"Tae-san?"
Myeong Jaehyeon called after him, but Tae-san only raised a hand.
That evening, when Myeong Jaehyeon returned to the dorm, he asked the moment he saw Tae-san,
"Why did you just leave today?"
"What."
"At school."
"You looked busy."
"I was waiting to go with you."
Tae-san lifted his head.
"You waited?"
"Yeah."
Myeong Jaehyeon said it casually.
"I wanted to eat with you."
Tae-san was at a loss for words for a moment.
"But you and Seo-yoon..."
"Seo-yoon?"
Myeong Jaehyeon laughed.
"She’s just a friend."
"I know."
"Then why."
Tae-san didn’t answer.
Myeong Jaehyeon took a step closer.
"Could it be..."
"What."
"Were you jealous?"
Tae-san’s expression stiffened.
"No."
"But—"
"I said no."
"Your ears are red, though?"
"It’s hot."
"The air conditioner’s on, though?"
In the end, Tae-san turned his head away.
Myeong Jaehyeon burst out laughing.
"You’re seriously weird."
"What is."
"You always act like nothing’s wrong, but it all shows."
Tae-san said nothing.
That night.
Myeong Jaehyeon lay in bed and thought for a long time.
'Why does Tae-san care about Seo-yoon?'
At first, he thought it was just a joke.
But the more he thought about it, the stranger it seemed.
Tae-san was the kind of person who usually didn’t care about other people.
And yet he cared about who he was with.
On days when he came back late, Tae-san had been waiting.
He’d even tilted his umbrella more toward him.
And the things he lost, Tae-san would pick up for him.
And last night, when he said he was comfortable, Tae-san seemed to like it.
Myeong Jaehyeon looked at the bed across from him.
Tae-san was already lying down.
"Tae-san."
"...why."
"Aren’t you sleeping?"
"About to."
"What I said yesterday."
Tae-san’s eyes opened a little.
"What."
"I meant it."
Tae-san turned over.
"What did."
Myeong Jaehyeon hesitated for a moment.
"That I’m comfortable being with you."
"..."
"It wasn’t because of the alcohol."
Tae-san didn’t say anything.
Myeong Jaehyeon gave a small laugh.
"When I first came up to Seoul, I didn’t know anyone, and everything was unfamiliar, right?"
"Yeah."
"But after spending time with you..."
After choosing his words for a moment, Myeong Jaehyeon said,
"I think I felt less lonely because you were there."
Tae-san’s eyes widened a little.
"So."
"I’m just saying thanks."
Myeong Jaehyeon pulled the blanket up.
"Good night."
"...You too."
Tae-san looked back at the ceiling.
This time, he was sure.
Yesterday’s words too.
Today’s words too.
They were all sincere.
Myeong Jaehyeon said being with him was comfortable.
Just that fact alone made his heart feel strangely full.
But at the same time, he began to want more.
I want him to be comfortable only with me.
I want him to look for me before anyone else.
I want him to smile the most when he’s with me.
When Tae-san realized that, he was startled at himself.
It was an emotion he still couldn’t even name.
But one thing was certain.
It wasn’t something he’d think about for just a simple roommate.
