Maybe he just wants a monogamous relationship with multiple partners in different homes. And I’m the one he’s chosen to be the husband.

I hate him.

I cared so much about our friendship, thinking I had found a true soulmate.

I’m furious, and all I can think about are the good times we had together. Is there any difference between breaking up with a friend and a romantic breakup?

So I came to the countryside, hoping to relax.

During the day, my grandma rides her little tricycle loaded with fruits to sell in town. She told me not to tag along and suggested I wander the fields to clear my mind.

“You little rascal, what do you know about selling fruit? You’ll just get in my way. Go enjoy yourself in the fields. If you’re feeling down, let your mind relax.”

“Grandma, I’m not feeling down.”

“Then why are you staring at your phone all day?”

“…”

Gu Yu sends me messages every day. I’ve muted the notifications, and these past few days have been peaceful.

I lie on the grass, chewing on a blade of grass, while an unidentified bird flies over my head.

Plop.

Something wet lands on my nose.

Ugh! Bird poop?

Just as I was about to curse the bird, another droplet hit my forehead.

The leaves rustled as a summer breeze swept through. The clouds began to gather, signaling the onset of a heavy rain.

Grandma! She’s still in town!

Summer rains come fast, and as I dashed through the rain, I saw Grandma struggling to return on her tricycle, swaying in the wind.

The tarp on the tricycle was blown away, and in a split second, Grandma lost her balance and tumbled into a ditch with her cart.

I rushed over to pick her up. With no cell signal and the tricycle’s tire flat, how could I get her to the hospital?

I carried Grandma and ran toward town through the pouring rain. A black car with its hazard lights on suddenly stopped beside me.

Gu Yu rolled down the window.

“Get in.”

Gu Yu’s broad shoulders made carrying Grandma look effortless compared to me.

Grandma wasn’t seriously injured, but after being caught in the rain, her body felt weak.

Gu Yu insisted on staying to help watch over Grandma, alternating with me every night. Since Grandma’s health was the priority, I didn’t refuse.

But even after Grandma recovered, Gu Yu made himself at home and refused to leave.

His excuses? First, the continuous rain made the muddy roads too treacherous for travel. Second, Grandma’s cooking, especially her chicken soup, was too delicious to pass up.

Having grown up in the city, Gu Yu had never witnessed a chicken being slaughtered. When Grandma asked me to prepare the ingredients, he eagerly followed me to catch the chicken.

Gu Yu ended up covered in dust, and despite having watched Grandma catch chickens when I was a kid, I couldn’t manage to catch a single one either.

We made a bet: whoever caught one first would win. The moment I lunged forward, Gu Yu, who had fallen onto the ground, caught me instead.

I avoided a mouthful of chicken feathers and kept my teeth intact, but now I was sprawled in Gu Yu’s arms, feeling the firmness of his chest once again.

Dust and feathers filled the air, and our faces were so close, pressed against each other. Gu Yu looked at me and suddenly laughed.

“I told you to catch a chicken, not me! What, am I the chicken?”

I felt like he was teasing me!

Clearly, when I fell, he deliberately lay down to catch me. Yet now, he was making it sound like I did it on purpose.

I quickly got up and brushed off nonexistent dirt from my clothes.

“You sneaky devil!”

Grandma took a liking to Gu Yu and always served him the first bowl of chicken soup.

She complimented him on being well-mannered, articulate, and well-raised.

I rolled my eyes. He’s no saint.

For instance, after Grandma fell asleep, Gu Yu—wrapped in nothing but a thin towel—knocked on my door.

I didn’t open the door, but he complained from outside, shivering.

“I’m freezing! My body’s stiff. Let me in, please.”

Ugh, fine.

I opened the door.

Not only was he still dripping with water, but there was a large glob of white shampoo on his head.

“What are you doing?”

He hugged his tall, muscular body, even trying to snuggle into my arms. I quickly dodged!

This isn’t part of the deal!

Shivering, Gu Yu replied, “I was in the middle of a shower when the water cut off. Can you go check it for me?”

The walk from the bathroom to my room passed through the entire courtyard.

The shower in the old house was basic, and the water heater didn’t work well. I believed he wasn’t lying, so I went with him to check it out.

Once I fixed it, Gu Yu, with his cold hand, grabbed my wrist.

“Why don’t you wait here? I’m afraid it’ll break again.”

I wasn’t about to agree, so I left. But sure enough, not long after, he came knocking on my door again like a drenched puppy.

“It’s broken again.”

He pleaded pitifully, so I went back with him and fixed it once more, staying outside until he finished.

Thankfully, the water didn’t break again this time.

When Gu Yu finished his shower, he turned his back to me, drying off. That’s when I noticed the bruise on his back from catching me yesterday. Guilt pricked at me.

While lost in thought, I saw Gu Yu about to bump into the doorframe. I reached out to pull him back, but I completely underestimated how steady he was on his feet.

Instead of pulling him back, I slipped and fell forward, hitting the ground with the back of my head and losing consciousness.

When I woke up, Gu Yu was sitting beside my bed, taking care of me.

I gazed at his handsome face, his high brow bones, sharp nose, and thin, light-colored lips.

Damn, this guy is really attractive.

Why do I feel the urge to kiss him?

What the hell.

I must have hit my head too hard.

As he handed me water and applied medicine to my wound, I smelled his familiar scent. Unconsciously, I found myself wanting to lean into him.

What’s wrong with me?

Is this just a natural response to needing comfort after getting hurt?

But why him?

I forced myself to push aside these strange thoughts.

It must be because of that weird dream I had.

While unconscious, I dreamt about Gu Yu and me, tangled up together, sharing kisses.

The disjointed scenes were giving me a headache.

Would a straight guy dream about kissing his best friend?

Even though I plan to keep my distance from him once the rain stops and we return to school, everything feels too strange. Since waking up, my body has been instinctively drawn to Gu Yu.

It’s so embarrassing!

I silently scolded myself and pushed Gu Yu away as he continued applying medicine.