……But it was exactly that “surely not” that came back to bite him.Determined to push him off if he had to, Seo-eul found himself shocked for a different reason when Sa-heon’s arm held firm no matter how much strength he used.Not because he suddenly realized wow, he’s that strong—but because he couldn’t believe he himself was this weak.Come to think of it, it was the same earlier.Just one tug on his wrist, and he’d been pulled down so easily. Remembering that made Seo-eul’s expression darken further.Given the difference in build, it was only natural, but he didn’t even get that far in his thinking.He’d always assumed he was at least average strength, if not above, yet now he spoke with an unusually grave tone.“…Sa-heon.”At the sound of his name, Sa-heon cracked his eyes open, still hazy with sleep.Seo-eul looked more serious than usual, and Sa-heon almost burst out laughing. He wondered what ridiculous thought was crossing that head now.“What.”“Should I start working out?”“…All of a sudden?”Answering a beat late on purpose, he watched the smooth forehead between Seo-eul’s brows crease slightly.Resisting the urge to smooth it out, he simply observed as Seo-eul glared down at the back of his hand resting on him, muttering resentfully,“This too… and earlier, I got pinned down too easily. It’s humiliating.”That was the problem. He’d thought about it before, but now it really felt like he had the strength of a paper doll.Even accounting for the element of surprise, wasn’t that a bit much?His thoughts were written all over his face, and Sa-heon’s drowsy eyes curved faintly.Honestly, being this naturally cute should count as a talent.He couldn’t hold back a laugh and buried his face back into the pillow.But even the muffled laughter spilling between the seams was obvious to Seo-eul, who grew increasingly aggrieved watching it.“Ugh….”“Don’t laugh. I’m being serious.”“……”“I can see your shoulders shaking, you know….”What good was it to stay silent? Those broad shoulders were visibly trembling in real time.What exactly was so funny? Seo-eul had always known his sense of humor was strange, but today it was downright impossible to follow.Only when Sa-heon blinked himself calm again and lifted his head slightly did the atmosphere settle.His expression suggested that if he laughed again, Seo-eul might actually storm off.“Want to do it together?”“What? Work out?”“Yeah. In the morning, with me—”That was as far as he got.“No.”“Why not? At least hear me out before you answer.”“I don’t want to. Absolutely not.”If he insisted again, Seo-eul looked ready to call the police on the spot.Still rattled from being pulled down with one hand earlier, Seo-eul had forgotten just how much training Sa-heon did until now.He shuddered at the violent memories that surfaced. His job required body maintenance, sure, but Seo Sa-heon had always been athletic since childhood.If not for his heat sensitivity, he might’ve pursued a full athletic career.He even had a dedicated training room in his house, for heaven’s sake.Just remembering the one time he’d been dragged in there made Seo-eul’s face go pale.It had been a horrific experience he never wanted to repeat—he didn’t even enter that part of the house anymore.Realizing he’d nearly walked back into that trap again, Seo-eul panicked and decided to change the subject.He didn’t have to look far.He finally remembered why he’d come into the room to wake Sa-heon in the first place.His expression turned grim. Without even realizing it, he’d let his guard down again simply because they weren’t surrounded by staff.Once more, the true meaning of “observational” variety hit him hard.As he abruptly stood up, Sa-heon, who had been lying leisurely, also sat up slowly.The thin blanket slid down, and sunlight streamed through the uncovered window, hitting his bare upper body without filter.Seo-eul’s eyes widened—twice, in fact.The sight of his densely defined muscles tracing elegant curves was startling enough to make him dart his gaze around.Thankfully, he spotted the fallen T-shirt on the floor and quickly snatched it up.He tossed it toward Sa-heon, meaning, put this on, but the man didn’t seem inclined to comply.The shirt landed neatly on his shoulder, yet instead of wearing it, he merely yawned lazily.Unbelievable.“Are you an exhibitionist or something?”Wasn’t that how the world worked—the one who cares ends up moving first?Still wearing a disbelieving expression, Seo-eul walked over and snatched the crumpled T-shirt from his shoulder.“Close your eyes.”He whispered it softly, in case his hand brushed something it shouldn’t, and the half-lidded eyes obediently closed.He was only this cooperative in moments like these, which made it even more infuriating.He nearly turned the shirt upside down out of spite but stopped himself. The sight of that face, still docilely keeping its eyes shut even after his head popped through the neckline, was… adorable.Maybe it was because he’d just woken up.Warm and tousled, he looked like a cat basking in the sun.With a face that would probably purr if someone scratched under his chin.Seo-eul clenched his fingers tightly, repeating don’t touch, don’t touch ten times in his head before forcing a neutral expression.“Now finish dressing yourself.”“……”“Open your eyes.”Honestly, helping him put it on wouldn’t have been difficult.All it would take was guiding his arms through the sleeves—simple.But that was exactly why he needed to be careful. He was keenly aware that the distance between them wasn’t quite what people normally called “friends.”It already felt halfway doomed as it was, but at least he could try to maintain some effort.If Sa-heon was going to stay thoughtless, then Seo-eul had to be the cautious one.With that resolve, he refused to do something he normally would have and stood up.If they stayed too close any longer, he felt his resolve might crack.“I’ll be outside. If you’re too sleepy, rest a bit more before coming out.”Right—since they were going out in the afternoon anyway, there was no need to get up now.Breakfast could be skipped once in a while, and he’d probably end up helping with the luggage anyway.Finishing his words briskly, Seo-eul turned away.Before Sa-heon could even react, he was gone, disappearing beyond the door—without so much as a glance back.“……”Left alone, Sa-heon’s gaze lingered near the doorway.After a moment’s silence, he slipped the loose T-shirt over his head in one swift motion.Gone was the lazy beast from moments ago. His hand raked through his disheveled hair with a rough swipe.He could still picture Seo-eul breathing softly against his chest earlier, and now he wouldn’t even look at him.Didn’t even glance his way.The relaxed face twisted in an instant.“…I told you to just sleep longer, didn’t I?”He finally couldn’t hold it in.Though it sounded like an offer, it was practically an order to go back into the room.It might seem cold, but Seo-eul had actually been quite patient.He’d seen that Sa-heon still looked sleepy and let him be, but now—Sa-heon was trailing him out, wordlessly protesting.If it were just silence, Seo-eul could’ve ignored it.But he followed him everywhere, and every time their eyes met, that wounded look appeared—it was impossible to ignore.Where had he gotten so offended? Surely not just because he hadn’t helped him put on a shirt, right? Seo-eul tried to convince himself that couldn’t be it.Yet as if catching that very thought, Sa-heon leaned close behind him and murmured low,“What, am I annoying you?”…Honestly, a little.But the moment he admitted that, he could already see the explosion waiting to happen, so he shook his head gently.He tried to think of a way to phrase it nicely, avoiding eye contact—but it was pointless.Seo Sa-heon, who acted like he’d die if they didn’t look each other in the eye, simply tilted his face to wherever Seo-eul turned.It was like playing house with a clingy child.Every time he turned his head, that handsome face filled his vision, making it impossible to think straight.If he got even a little upset, he’d grab Seo-eul by the chin next.Finally surrendering, Seo-eul stopped dodging and spoke.“No, it’s not that, it’s just…”How was he supposed to put this?While he hesitated to find a proper answer, Sa-heon’s expression suddenly cooled.The naturally sharp features shaded with gloom, and the very air seemed to dim around him.Startled, Seo-eul raised both hands. It didn’t seem like something worth getting this upset over, but for now, calming him down took priority——when Sa-heon suddenly dropped a bomb without warning.“If it’s not that I’m annoying, then what? You don’t want to do this? Is filming harder than you thought? So now you don’t even want to see me?”What the hell was he talking about?With cameras installed everywhere, Seo-eul couldn’t fathom why he’d say something like that out loud.Did he hear that right?As he blinked in disbelief, Sa-heon leaned in—close enough to cast a shadow over his face.Wasn’t this way too close?Even amid confusion, a mental warning light flicked on, and Seo-eul instinctively raised a hand to push him back.But as soon as he did, Sa-heon caught that white palm in his own—instantly, as if he’d predicted it.And then, fingers intertwined.Seo-eul’s eyes filled with question marks.He tried to yank his arm back, but of course it was useless.The locked fingers wouldn’t budge.With one hand trapped before he knew it, Seo-eul reflexively stepped back.It wasn’t even a full retreat—but apparently, even that tiny distance was unbearable to Sa-heon.His brows knit sharply as he spoke, voice laced with the same gunpowder as before.“See? You left me alone earlier, then ran off by yourself, and now you won’t even look at me. You weren’t like this yesterday—why are you acting so cold all of a sudden?”“Hey, that’s not what I—”“Did I push too far and make you upset?”How did he even reach that conclusion?Seo-eul could only burn inside as his “best friend” kept digging the hole deeper every time he tried to draw a line.

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