Became an Observer in Love Company

“Kim Dohyun.”

I called out to him lightly.

“Hey, Kim Dohyun.”

I called a little louder this time.

But there was still no reaction.

He stood there with a bag slung over his shoulder, wearing a strangely vacant expression.

From a distance, he was gazing at the scenery of the practice room.

This was strange.

Usually, he would’ve responded, even briefly, after just one call.

“…”

I slowly started walking towards him.

I didn’t know what he was thinking, but ever since a little while ago, his gaze kept flickering toward me.

Then as soon as he caught my eye, he would quickly look away, retreating as if trying to avoid me.

“…What?”

It felt intentionally aggravating.

Why was he keeping his distance from me?

I approached him and called out once more.

“Kim Dohyun.”

Still, he didn’t respond.

As if he hadn’t heard me at all.

As if he wasn’t even here.

So, I—

Sneakily wrapped my arm around his neck in a headlock.

“Hey! Snap out of it!”

Only then did he look at me.

“…?”

“What, you didn’t hear me calling?”

It was as if he’d pretended not to hear me.

I, too, pretended not to notice.

But I couldn’t help the tension that built up in my arm.

I tightened my grip, keeping him in place.

“What? What’s wrong with you all of a sudden?”

“It’s because I called you and you didn’t respond!”

He sighed reluctantly.

Still, it was strange.

Under normal circumstances, he would have said, “Let go,” while shaking me off in an annoyed manner.

But today, his reaction was unexpectedly tepid compared to what I had expected.

Even though he could have easily shaken me off, he didn’t.

Instead, he just let me be, staying still.

Why?

At that moment, Yoon Jihoo spoke up from the side, lightly tapping him.

“Hey, he really hates sweat smells.”

“…!”

I flinched at that moment.

That’s right.

Only then did I fully realize my current state.

My shirt was soaked from practice, and strands of hair were plastered to my face.

…So, should I let go now?

Still, Kim Dohyun didn’t move.

He stayed there, letting me hold on as if it wasn’t that unpleasant for him.

Then slowly, he reached out and removed my arm from his neck.

His hand was cold against my arm—oddly so, considering the scorching summer heat.

He then handed me a towel.

“You smell like sweat. Wipe yourself off.”

“…”

Caught off guard, I accepted the towel.

And—

At that moment, my face started to turn red.

I quickly distanced myself from him.

I didn’t want him to smell my sweat anymore—but mostly, I didn’t want him to hear the rapid pounding of my heart.

It was so intense that I was worried he might hear it even from where he was standing.

I buried my face in the towel.

I also didn’t want him to see my reddened face.

What was this? I hadn’t expected this at all.

Who would have thought he’d naturally extend the towel this way?

I tilted my head cautiously to assess his reaction.

‘Did it feel uncomfortable for him?’

I sniffed the sleeve of my shirt, making a slight “hmm” sound.

“Sorry, is it that bad?”

Kim Dohyun looked at me briefly before shrugging.

“Just kidding. It’s not that bad.”

“…”

I quietly wiped the sweat off my face with the towel.

Still, my mind was preoccupied.

His words, not shaking me off immediately, and casually handing me the towel—all of it…

Then—

Kim Dohyun rummaged through his bag and pulled out a barley drink.

Without hesitation, I reached for it.

“Wait, are you giving it to me?”

He replied without even looking at me.

“Nope. You already have one.”

He nodded toward the water Yoon Jihoo had given me.

“Tch, that’s unfair. It’s supposed to be a buy-one-get-one-free deal.”

“I don’t feel like giving one today, for some reason.”

“…?”

His gaze briefly drifted toward me.

Or rather, directly at the water Yoon Jihoo had handed to me.

That statement bothered me.

I pouted and reached to snatch the drink from his hand.

But—

“Kim Dohyun.”

Someone called my name from afar.

The voice was familiar.

But for some reason, I couldn’t bring myself to respond immediately.

“Hey, Kim Dohyun!”

The voice came closer.

Still, I didn’t move.

There was no need to turn my head.

I already knew.

Who was calling me, and what kind of expression they would have—I already knew all of this.

I stuffed the camera I’d been holding into my bag.

Then, I casually redirected my gaze toward the practice room.

There were students who had just finished their practice, sweating profusely.

The air was thick, suffocating.

And right there, amid the crowd, she was standing.

Just standing there, looking at me.

Lee Jian.

The moment our eyes met, I instinctively looked away.

Though it was nothing significant, it felt strange.

Had I ever felt this way before?

Maybe this was the first time.

And because of that, it unnerved me.

I instinctively took a step back.

Then—

“…What?”

She muttered softly.

And she closed the distance between us.

I finally looked up.

“Kim Dohyun.”

This time, the voice came from right behind me.

“…”

Just as I was about to respond, something unexpected wrapped around my neck.

“Hey! Snap out of it!”

A sudden headlock.

I instinctively furrowed my brow.

“…What? All of a sudden?”

“What, didn’t you hear me calling you?”

“…”

I didn’t answer.

I didn’t hear him because I’d intentionally blocked it out.

Was there any reason to reply?

Still, for some reason, I couldn’t shake her arm off.

To be honest, it wouldn’t have been hard.

If I’d exerted even a little force, I could’ve easily escaped her grip.

But I didn’t.

Why?

…I don’t really know either.

“Hey, he really hates sweat smells.”

Yoon Jihoo casually interjected from the side.

I glanced at him instinctively.

And—

For a moment, I felt irritated.

I wasn’t sure what kind of expression I wore as I heard his words, but one thing was clear.

I suddenly felt as if my fingertips were freezing.

Slowly, I removed her arm.

Then, I naturally opened my bag and pulled out a towel.

“You smell like sweat. Wipe yourself off.”

I handed it to her as casually as possible.

Pretending it was no big deal.

Completely pretending like it was no big deal.

When she accepted it, I turned away.

The steady beat of a small heart—

The sound, which had once sounded so cute, still echoed faintly in my ears.

I touched the edge of my ear absently. It still felt ticklish.

For no particular reason.

Strangely.

My gaze was once again drawn to her.

She quietly remained with her face buried in the towel.

Then she sniffed her sleeve and asked with a “hmm” sound.

“Sorry, is it really that bad?”

I observed her for a while before shrugging nonchalantly.

“Just kidding. It’s not that bad.”

As I said this, I felt strangely awkward.

She quietly wiped the sweat off her face with the towel.

I opened my bag again and pulled out a can of barley drink.

The moment I did, she instinctively reached for it.

“Wait, are you giving it to me?”

I briefly smiled as I replied.

“Nope. You already have one.”

I indicated the water she was holding with a nod of my chin.

To be precise, the water Yoon Jihoo had given her.

She followed my gaze to the water in her hand and pouted a little.

“Unfair. It’s a buy-one-get-one-free deal, right.”

I didn’t reply.

Instead—

“I don’t feel like giving it out today, for some reason.”

I said it aloud.

…Why?

Why didn’t I feel like giving it to her?

It was such a trivial matter.

Why would it matter that she already received a bottle from Yoon Jihoo?

It felt strange.

My mood had soured, even though I didn’t understand the feeling.

Absently clutching the can, I held it in my hand.

When she tried to snatch the drink, I lightly pressed my palm against her forehead.

She froze.

I quietly opened the can and took a sip.

Tock—

The cold carbonation spread across my mouth.

“Sorry, I already drank from it.”

I said it without much thought.

Yet, her expression changed unexpectedly.

For a moment, she looked flustered.

I tried to subtly raise the corner of my mouth.

Then—

“Hey, I don’t really care about that!”

She grabbed the can and drank from it right away.

I momentarily lost my words.

Even though she acted as if nothing bothered her, her face—

which had turned red just moments ago—

now forced her to pretend as though nothing happened.

Watching her, I felt an unfamiliar emotion again.

I instinctively touched my lips, absently smoothing them over.

A slight heat rose to my face.

Being this close to her made me feel even hotter.

I quietly turned away.

It must be because of the scorching summer heat, right?

I snatched the can from her in one swift motion.

Then, ignoring everything, I pressed it to my lips.

Tock—

The carbonation fizzed inside my mouth like a cool summer sky.

And—

At that moment, my heart sank.

This was strange.

It was just a regular instance of taking the can and drinking it.

What was the problem?

The moment I swallowed, my lips felt tingling.

“…”

I unconsciously glanced down at the can.

The can Kim Dohyun had been drinking from just moments ago.

Only then did I realize—

…This was an indirect kiss.

That’s when I became dazed.

I should’ve brushed it off as no big deal.

I should’ve acted completely casual.

Yet, my face inexplicably grew hot.

The spot that had touched my lips instinctively drew my attention, and I reached up to touch it with my fingers.

‘Why am I like this…?’

It was just a case of drinking from a can.

Spinning the can gently with my fingertips, I stole another quiet glance.

The spot that his lips touched,

the place where my fingertips had just grazed moments ago,

and then, the spot where my lips had been.

Why?

Why did this bother me so much?

“Hey, is it that good? Can I try it too?”

Yoon Jihoo reached out his hand.

Without much thought, I was just about to hand it over.

I had done so a few times in the past.

But—

Another hand snatched the can before Yoon Jihoo’s.

Kim Dohyun was gripping it tightly, with a somewhat uncomfortable look on his face.

“Hey, that’s so unfair! Give me at least one sip!”

“Sorry, but you’re not included in the buy-one-get-one-free deal.”

Then, without hesitation, he began drinking the rest of the beverage.

His expression clearly suggested he had no intention of sharing the drink with Yoon Jihoo.

Gulp. Gulp.

For some reason, the sound of him drinking and the bobbing of his throat came across as unusually loud.

I watched him silently.

“Choking!”

He coughed, having apparently choked on the drink.

His eyes watered because of the carbonation, and he was bent over, coughing repeatedly.

I lightly patted his back.

“Hey, that’s your punishment for trying to drink it all by yourself.”

Kim Dohyun replied while still coughing in response to Yoon Jihoo’s comment.

“Sorry, I’ve already finished it.”

“Seriously? That’s so unfair!”

Yoon Jihoo flipped the can upside down, shaking it to try and get the remaining drops.

But the barley drink dripped down instead.

At this, Kim Dohyun let out a small sigh.

“Ah.”

“You should’ve given it to me if you were going to do that!”

Yoon Jihoo clutched his head in despair.

His childish behavior somehow made me burst out laughing.

“Hahaha, what are you doing?”

“I didn’t think you’d drink it all!”

He seemed embarrassed, and his cheeks turned red.

On this hot summer day, the refreshment of the carbonated drink sparkled brilliantly.

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