Eighteen's Bed-Chapter 29.5

Go Yohan and I had kissed until our lips were chapped. Then, out of nowhere, we bought a can of beer and a smashed piece of cake from the convenience store. We also grabbed a few packs of frozen Vienna sausages on impulse. I don’t know why—I just felt like it.

Honestly, I hadn’t been in my right mind even back then.

Then, after coming home, we poured the beer into some dusty wine glasses we’d found buried somewhere.

…And that’s where my memory cut off.

“Ugh—ah!”

I tried to sit up but collapsed to the side with a choked gasp. A sharp pressure bore down on my lower abdomen, making it impossible to move. I barely managed to lift my upper body, but that was it.

At the same time, I became very aware of the unfamiliar heat.

“…Fuck.”

I bit down on my lip and carefully lifted the blanket.

A broad back pressed flush against mine. A forearm draped over my waist, crossing over to my side. And then—two large hands, shoved deep into my underwear.

Not just shoved in, either. The damn thing didn’t even fit. Three fingers on the right hand—pinky, ring, and middle—were left awkwardly hanging outside, unable to slip in.

The source of this c𝐨ntent is freeweɓnovēl.coɱ.

The breathing I hadn’t noticed earlier thundered behind my ear.

Jesus fucking Christ, why is this bastard sleeping with his hand in my underwear?!

I wanted to shove Go Yohan away, but I couldn’t even attempt it—I had to give up before I even tried.

Because the morning stiffness pressing against his thumb was mine.

“…For fuck’s sake.”

The hand stuffed inside twitched.

It brushed over the crease where my thigh folded.

Oh my god.

I clapped both hands over my face and sank into pure, unfiltered despair. I took a deep breath, then cautiously grabbed Go Yohan’s wrist.

“Mm—”

A quiet hum vibrated against the back of my head.

I flinched, panicked, and immediately bowed my head forward.

Did I wash my hair before I fell asleep?

…Shit.

Embarrassment made me grit my teeth.

I yanked hard on his wrist, trying to extract the long intruder invading my underwear.

As I finally managed to pry the limp fingers free, they dragged across my skin on the way out. The light touch against sensitive flesh made my entire face burn with humiliation.

When I finally pulled it away from my pelvis, I threw his hand aside and scrambled out of bed like a man escaping a crime scene.

“You freaking bastard. Why the hell are you sleeping with your hand in there?!”

I covered my burning face with my arm and glared at the shamelessly stretched-out body lying in my bed.

Then, almost in tears, I glanced down.

At it.

It was straining against my underwear, ready to burst free at any second.

This is the worst fucking morning of my life.

Go Yohan, completely oblivious, twitched his abandoned fingers over the wrinkled sheets.

Probably half-asleep.

Even worse, he grabbed a fistful of the blanket and shook it up and down while making a miserable face.

“…Where’d you go-oo?”

“Where do you think, you idiot?”

I hurled a pillow at his face.

He turned his head and dodged it so effortlessly that I suddenly had a terrible suspicion—this bastard is awake, isn’t he?

My face was boiling.

I needed to wash my face. Immediately.

I spun around to escape but nearly tripped over myself.

“Ugh—shit.”

I barely swallowed the yelp, then looked down to find the culprit.

My pajama pants.

They were bunched up around my thighs, having somehow slid down.

The epitome of humiliation.

I mean, I don’t have a habit of undressing in my sleep. That’s not something that happens overnight.

So there was only one explanation.

I turned my gaze to Go Yohan, still pouting and fumbling over the empty blanket with an absurdly innocent look.

I swear to god, I’m going to kill that bastard.

Yanking my pants back up, I caught sight of faint light filtering through the still-closed curtains.

I stood next to the bed, watching Go Yohan absently kneading the sheets for a long time before stepping around to the other side.

The rough carpet tickled my feet, but I didn’t pay attention.

My gaze stayed fixed on Go Yohan, his chest rising and falling slowly, his face at peace.

After staring at him for what felt like forever, I hid my hands behind my back and leaned down.

I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply.

Go Yohan’s white baby hairs smelled blue.

Like the sky.

I leaned in a little more, just until my nose nearly brushed his skin.

The scent tickled my nostrils, and before I realized it, a lazy smile slipped onto my lips.

“You and I both sleep way too easy, huh.”

But… why the hell does my lower back hurt so much?

I pressed my palm against the throbbing spot above my tailbone.

Probably because two full-grown men squeezed into a tiny bed last night.

It wasn’t the first time I’d woken up with my entire body aching like this. I probably slept in a messed-up position again.

I glanced around the room, taking in the disaster.

So this was the aftermath of last night.

An empty cake box, crushed cake, beer cans, and a wine bottle littered the floor.

And… even the small box I’d hidden under the sink.

“…What the fuck. Why is that there?”

I had no memory of taking it out.

My stomach twisted.

Groaning, I clutched my forehead.

“What the hell did I do last night…”

I dug through the mess on the floor, looking for my phone.

Since I’d left it on vibrate, I had no clue if I’d missed any messages.

A few unread texts.

Figures.

It was Kang Suhyeon.

「Why… are you ignoring me?」

It was about time I blocked her.

No, this time, I was actually going to do it.

Once the decision was made, my fingers moved without hesitation.

I swiped left on her name and hit the red button.

Instant relief.

Why hadn’t I done this months ago?

The nightmare that had dragged on for half a year was this easy to end?

The realization made my steps lighter.

Growing older meant better self-control.

No more overanalyzing people’s offhand remarks, no more flailing over meaningless words, no more obvious resentment when someone didn’t get me.

And most importantly—cutting nuisances out of my life entirely.

Now that Go Yohan was asleep again, I tiptoed into the kitchen for a drink of water.

Cold water always cleared my head after waking up.

Then, at the worst possible moment, my phone buzzed.

An unknown number.

I hesitated for a moment before answering.

“…Hello?”

—“Wow, so you really blocked me?”

“…Kang Suhyeon?”

How the hell did she call me right after I blocked her?

I instinctively glanced around, rubbing my arms.

Does this girl have some kind of psychic ability?

—“I saw you read my text, so I called. And you just ignored me? Did you really put ‘Kang Suhyeon’ in your contacts with a ‘maybe’ in front of it?! What kind of monster does that?!”

“…What the hell is this number?”

"Friend… through this number… because it’s yours, I answered..."

The voice carried a heavy sense of injustice. The whiny tone of a man in his mid-180s was utterly disgusting. Without thinking, I ended the call in a flash. Soon after, the phone rang again, and I answered it calmly.

“Sorry. I accidentally hit the end button while lowering the volume.”

"Ugh, be careful. I thought you hung up on me because you didn’t want to see me. I almost got hurt."

“Is that so?”

"So, you did block me, right?"

“No.”

I couldn’t say “yes,” could I? At least that’s how social life works. Unfortunately, Kang Suhyeon didn’t catch on to my intentions and continued, her voice still excited.

"Did you go? Did you go to the amusement park with your friend?"

“You told me to go with them.”

"Joon’s friend. Is this really how it’s gonna be? My conscience is killing me. You really went because I told you to?"

“Huh?”

"Why does someone like you still not have a girlfriend? Is it because you’re so pure? I thought you were a player, but you’re so pure, you’re just setting up traps everywhere. Wow. Good Joon’s friend. If it were me, I would’ve sold that look to someone else. I really didn’t think you’d actually go."

What the hell...

I swallowed to suppress the heat rising in my chest.

“No, I honestly wanted to go, too.”

"Uuugh..."

The annoying whining seeped out from the speaker. I was genuinely confused.

“What’s wrong? Why are you like this?”

"Wasn’t there an amusement park? Cheongsong has delicious apples, but it's a bleak town for growing boys."

“I’ve told you several times, I don’t live in Cheongsong.”

"Stop it now. Don’t lie to me anymore. I know you don’t want to send me free apples. They say rich people are stingy, and you really live up to that."

“….”

She doesn’t even listen to what I say.

Honestly, looking at Kang Suhyeon, who fits the ‘friends at the same level’ description my parents always talked about, I wonder how many words it would take to define her whole being.

"Living in a small town like that, do you think you’ve ever had a proper relationship? Came to Seoul for your studies and spent your youth studying. Ugh, that’s controlling."

“Suhyeon, I’m busy. Can I hang up now?”

"Uuugh...!"

“...”

"I love you. Please. Actually, I’ve been telling my friends that I have a girlfriend, but now with all this doubt piling up, I’m pretending to get a call to make it seem like I’m busy. Joon’s friend, wait! Wait!"

There was a rustling sound from the speaker. I knew exactly how Kang Suhyeon was—talking big after thinking things would work out with Park So-yeon, only to be hit with reality. From the sound of it, there was music playing in the background. It sounded like a karaoke bar, and the only thing coming through was a pig-squealing song.

"Uuugh, I miss you too. Since I couldn’t see you today, I feel so hurts!"

“Fuck.”

The voice with a half-broken tongue crawled into my ear like filth. It made me gag on my own disgust, and Kang Suhyeon shamelessly continued the call.

"Ugh! That was close."

“Ugh.”

"Joon, I heard everything. Fuck? You don’t know the life of an average man, do you? You can say those nasty things because you’ve got girls all around you, and everyone believes your lies, like how you meet sixty women a day, but not me. I get suspicion from the start."

“Of course you’d suspect me...”

Who the hell would like someone like you?

“And I don’t have any women around me. Really.”

"Yeah, I thought so. If you had a girl, you wouldn’t have gone to the amusement park with some dude on Christmas. That’s not normal."

“Is that so weird?”

"It is. Do you believe Joon’s friend doesn’t have a woman? Joon’s friend doesn’t seem interested in women, but your friend, he’s a different story. He’d be the type to have a sex party in a motel. With alcohol, drugs, and cigarettes... playing club music, all while three women, alone, just...!"

“…You watched too many movies, didn’t you?”

"Well, I guess, but I still think he had a party with drinks and cigarettes, right?"

Kang Suhyeon whispered, as if she had discovered some profound truth, leaning so close to the phone it almost felt like her lips were touching it.

"Sex. Sex."

“...”

I did have a sex party, but the problem was that I was the one who was used.

I absentmindedly rubbed my tailbone again and mumbled defensively.

“Go Yohan’s not like that. He’s pretty old-fashioned. He hates stuff like that.”

"Ah, jealous, huh? Hey, Joon’s friend. Eeew."

“What the hell are you saying? No, no.”

"I can’t help it. Your friend looks cold, like someone you’d gamble with just for fun. A woman would definitely swarm him. I bet if you were with him, it would be exciting forever. You’d be telling everyone until you’re old and grey, ‘I used to date Go Yohan.’ And then your grandkids would get sick of it and yell at you to stop talking about it, but you’d be like, ‘No, I had to tell you. I went out with him for three months!’ Sounds like a big achievement, doesn’t it?"

“Achievements, huh…”

But as I mulled over Kang Suhyeon’s words, they seemed somewhat plausible. There was something about them that made sense. If I were dating Go Yohan, beyond looks or circumstances, there would be this overwhelming satisfaction in knowing that this man likes me. Just... just a little, Go Yohan does evoke that kind of feeling.

“Joon’s friend, huh. Friend. And don’t get discouraged. Men care most about money, you know?”

“I keep telling you, I’m not that rich. Why don’t you ever believe me?”

I was rich, though. I didn’t feel an ounce of guilt while lying. After all, saying I was rich only led to troublesome situations. I'd get stuck with a financial burden, or be treated like an easy target. The male world works that way.

“Liar! Friend, don’t you remember our first meeting? The group project? That guy from your school? The one with that creepy look? He said you were rich!”

“That guy and I... No, I don’t get along with him. We had a silent rivalry, especially over grades...”

“What? So that guy screwed you over back then? Seriously?”

“I think so. He even dropped the class. I thought he’d stick with it, but apparently, the orientation didn’t go well, so I think he dropped it to mess with me. I don’t know what his issue was, though.”

“Oh, that makes sense. Kind of petty, though.”

“I guess that’s what happens when you’re a model student just focusing on school and not much else.”

“Isn’t Joon’s friend a model student, too?”

At that, the fake smile I had on hardened. It was a similar statement, but a little different. My ambitions were bigger than An Jisoo’s, after all.

When I came to university, I sharpened my skills with dreams of reaching the upper class. Meanwhile, An Jisoo had been fighting with endless jealousy to survive as one of the top students back in high school. It was so obvious who had grown up more deviously.

“Guess so.”

I let out a forced laugh. An Jisoo, who was bad at teasing, was probably struggling with his university life after heading to the army. His arrogant personality didn’t just disappear. He probably ended up crashing hard in that department he entered, filled with the smartest students in the country. His pride must have taken a massive hit, and I’m sure his twisted personality came out more than ever.

“Should’ve just avoided doing bad things in the first place. It all comes back around, and now you’ve got to deal with it.”

“Don’t give me that virtuous talk. I’ve done a lot of things that are really making me feel guilty lately.”

She knows, huh?

I let out a snort, but suddenly

«N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t»

the speaker felt like it was blocking up. Then, through the muffled gaps, I heard a small voice. “Ah, going now! I’m going! No! It’s not like that!” Something like that. Then the karaoke noise became louder again.

“Anyway, tell your friend thanks. That’s why I called. I wanted to make sure he got what I sent. But it looks like he’s ignoring my messages? That kind of thing really hurts, you know? By the way, Joon’s friend, why is it so hard for him to check his emails? I thought I was gonna die Googling it. Oh, and I found out which high school you went to. It’s... the one that’s named...”

“Thanks? For what?”

I didn’t really care about the high school part since I already knew it. But before that, Kang Suhyeon had asked something far more curious. What the hell does she thank Go Yohan for? That question filled my head completely, and I couldn’t help but interrupt her, eager to find out the answer.

“Friend! His personality is a mess, but when it comes to money, he’s serious! He suddenly asked me for my bank details over text, so I gave them to him, and he actually sent me money! He’s quick on the draw. For the ticket. That friend of yours, wow, he’s bold.”

“Ticket, hey. I already gave that to you.”

“You bought the ticket, and your friend bought my effort. It was a fair trade, I think.”

“You don’t think that’s shameless?”

This bastard. I couldn’t hold back my anger, and my voice cracked.

“So, I sent some extra as a bonus. Enjoy it.”

“Extra... what?”

“I should hang up now. My friends are calling me. See you later! I’m off, world!”

Please don’t. Please, don’t ever contact me again.

My words only echoed in my head. Kang Suhyeon, without manners, ended the call herself. I stood there, looking at my phone, clenched my fist, and swung it at the air. Fucking hell. This was really disgusting. I bit my lip hard and looked at the blank screen, then turned my head to look at Go Yohan, who was still asleep.

The morning sun was shining on his face. The sight of Go Yohan, lying there like a corpse, almost looked like a painting. I stared at him for a while, then turned on my phone again.

“What did you give? What bonus?”

No reply.