Startled by the unexpected story, Doyoung looked at Jinha. Jinha met his gaze and said.
"So I know I'm being a nuisance right now, but I'm being a little shameless and sticking around. Because I want to get closer to you."
Hearing Jinha's words, Dohee's cheekbones, unlike before, twitched and rose slightly. It seems the expression 'truthful cheekbones' doesn't exist for nothing. It seemed Jinha's words about him being kind and wanting to be friends had completely melted Dohee's icy heart.
Ahem, ahem, Dohee cleared her throat and chimed in, "Well, it's true my oppa is kind." Doyoung was so embarrassed he couldn't lift his head.
'Is this... is this a new form of bullying?'
Seeing Doyoung's face, red as a tomato, the atmosphere between Jinha and Dohee started to soften again.
'...This is going well, right?'
It was too late for lunch, so they were cleaning up together after eating an early dinner.
"I'll do the dishes."
At Jinha's words, Dohee shouted "Deal!" as if she'd been waiting.
"No, how can you? You're a guest."
Doyoung's attempt to stop them was thoroughly ignored, and the table was cleared with lightning speed. The plates and bowls on the table were stacked neatly in the sink in an instant.
Watching the two of them work so well together, he was just thinking, 'Huh, this is also a little heartwarming, isn't it?'
As if to shatter that thought, Dohee quickly left, saying only, "Well then, I'll leave it to you," and dashed into the living room. Apparently, there was a show she had to watch on Saturdays. Jinha, left behind, nonchalantly found and put on the rubber gloves.
Only Doyoung, left in the middle, looked back and forth between Jinha and Dohee in bewilderment.
'No, this isn't right, is it?'
Aren't they supposed to stand side-by-side, play with the bubbles, and have a sweet newlywed time? It was completely different from Doyoung's rosy fantasy; a comfort like they'd been best friends for at least 10 years. Doyoung's expression grew puzzled.
'What happened between them to get so comfortable?'
Anyway, Jinha was the priority. Doyoung, at a loss, belatedly hurried up behind him. Jinha, as if it was perfect timing, asked if this was the right sponge and detergent to use.
"No, Jinha. You don't have to. I'll do it."
Doyoung tried to squeeze in next to him, but his blocking, supported by his large frame, was truly impressive.
Doyoung, thinking 'Huh?', tried to push him from behind, and a little later, getting annoyed, even wrapped his arms around his waist and tried to lift him, but he wouldn't budge. It was enough to make him have the absurd thought, 'Are his feet nailed to the floor?'
"Jinha, I'm so tired, I'm just going to rest a bit..."
Doyoung, completely worn out, finally slumped over the table, and only then did Jinha turn around and chuckle. Doyoung, finding Jinha annoying, pouted.
"...Doing the dishes twice wouldn't be this tiring."
"See? You should have just accepted it when I said I'd do it."
"How could I?"
"Why couldn't you? There's already someone else who is."
He was referring to Dohee, who was in the living room cackling at some noisy TV show.
Doyoung was a little worried he might be offended that she'd ditched him so coolly, but Jinha thankfully seemed unfazed. The dinosaur's back, focused only on the dishes, even looked dependable. At the same time, the long tail attached to it swished back and forth with his movements, which was a little funny and cute.
A smile spread across Doyoung's face as he watched him, his chin resting in his palms.
"But you can't hate Dohee."
"I don't hate you either. You can go watch TV."
"Eung, no, I won't go."
"It's really fine."
"But if I go too, you'll be alone. Lonely."
At that, for the first time, Jinha's busily moving hands faltered. Doyoung, who was only seeing his back, wouldn't have known, but Jinha's eyebrows twitched, not knowing what to do.
But he quickly pretended nothing was wrong, turned, and glared at Doyoung, giving him a non-reprimand. "Why do you always say such pret... you-like things?"
"What? What are 'me-like things'?" Seeing how you're glaring, is it an insult?
Doyoung bristled, and Jinha shook his head, as if to say "never mind."
'What the. Woosh, why is he making a fuss when I'm staying for him?'
What was there to be offended about? What was "me-like"? Doyoung, who couldn't understand Jinha's scolding-like words, and Jinha, who was embarrassed and awkward for having said it, bickered back and forth throughout the dishwashing.
Dohee, who was sitting on the sofa watching TV, turned her head at a careful tap on her shoulder. Cranking her neck to look up, she saw a large dinosaur with a slightly awkward expression.
"Yeah? What's up?" she asked, and he opened his mouth, then hesitated. Then, silently, using only gestures, he pointed to the kitchen, then put his palms together, brought them to his ear, and tilted his head.
'What is this? He said he was doing the dishes, why is he suddenly acting cute?' That was Dohee's first impression.
It seemed he was referring to the kitchen, so Dohee awkwardly got up and looked in that direction. Only then did she see Doyoung, lying quietly slumped over the table.
'Ah. He's sleeping.'
Only then did she understand Jinha's gesture. It wasn't him acting cute; he was worried about waking him up.
"Aigoo," Dohee muttered, hurrying to the kitchen, and Jinha trotted along behind her.
Doyoung, who had been bickering with Jinha, pressing him about what he'd meant earlier, had gone quiet at some point. Jinha only realized it when he was almost done with the dishes. Thinking it strange, he turned and saw Doyoung slumped over the table, dead to the world.
Jinha quickly finished the dishes, went carefully to his side, and saw Doyoung sleeping, eyes closed, breathing evenly. After watching him for a moment, Jinha had gone to ask Dohee what to do.
Dohee approached Doyoung as if this situation was already familiar.
"Right. My oppa was so excited he didn't realize it, but he's already used up all his stamina for today."
Doyoung didn't even twitch an eyelash as Dohee's hand stroked his hair as he slept slumped over.
Jinha's effort to explain with only gestures, worried he'd wake him, was commendable, but Doyoung clearly wouldn't have woken up even if he'd been loud. Dohee, who had been struggling the past few days with Doyoung running out of stamina and fainting-like-sleeping anywhere well before nightfall, knew this well.
But today, he had overexerted himself even more.
Considering Doyoung's usual stamina, the moment he'd personally carried that huge body was already unbelievable. Her oppa had been unusually excited for some unknown reason, so she'd let it pass, but as expected, this was the result.
Normally, even if he was this out of it, she would have woken him up to go sleep in his bed, but thankfully, it seemed there was no need for that today.
She was a little suspicious, having mentioned his "lack of substance" earlier, but surely that big body wasn't just water muscle that couldn't even use basic strength. Moreover, he was the direct cause of Doyoung collapsing like this; he had to squeeze out some strength, even if he had none.
Jinha, who was looking confusedly at Dohee as she blatantly scanned him up and down, soon subtly shook his head and crossed his arms over his body in an 'X'. Seeing this, a baffled Dohee let out a "Ha."
After exchanging annoyed glances, Dohee, not wanting to even speak for this ridiculous joke, roughly tapped Jinha and mimed lifting Doyoung. Then she pointed to Doyoung's room. Jinha's face immediately relaxed, showing he understood.
Dohee's worry that he might not lift him properly and hurt Doyoung was unfounded; Jinha lifted the sleeping Doyoung effortlessly.
Even though Doyoung was small, he still had the frame of a man. He was very stable, making her re-evaluate him a little.
Relieved, Dohee ran ahead to Doyoung's room and opened the door, and Jinha, holding Doyoung, also stepped carefully.
He was about to head straight for the bed, but Dohee suddenly stopped him.
"Why?"
"I just remembered. The bed's condition is the worst right now."
It was because she remembered Jinha lying on the bed in his dirty uniform, as if he'd rolled in the dirt. Jinha, understanding, finally said, "Ah."
I should have changed the sheets earlier. I completely forgot. Dohee, lightly tapping her forehead in self-reproach, said to Jinha, who was still holding Doyoung. "I'll go get new sheets, so put him down for a sec. He must be heavy."
But before she even finished, Jinha shook his head.
"It's fine."
"My oppa won't wake up even if you put him down. He probably won't get up until tomorrow morning."
"Still."
Dohee stared at Jinha as he looked down at Doyoung in his arms.
'Is he foolish, or what? It's not like anything will happen if he puts him down.'
He looked worried, as if Doyoung might wear out.
He had said earlier that Doyoung helped him. Was it really that meaningful?
Of course, Dohee couldn't possibly guess. But from his attitude just now, she felt she knew one thing. She, who would be offended if she were called second-best at liking Cha Doyoung, now thought this guy might have an even more severe case.
Even now, the gaze Jinha had for Doyoung seemed to have a heavier emotional weight attached to it than that for a simple friend.
Dohee couldn't understand what on earth her oppa had picked up.
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