He Is That Guy

“Huff, huff….”
With one hand I barely managed to get the front door open, zombie-crawled inside, and more or less dumped the deadweight that was Chae Yu-jeong off my back.
Thud!
He smacked his shoulder on the hard floor and whined even in his daze.
I felt bad for him, but not even a little guilty. The twenty-minute walk home while supporting this heavy bastard felt like twenty hours.
“Whew….”
I sank down beside where he was sprawled and let out a long breath. I was drenched in sweat; a bit of chills and a sticky discomfort crept over me.
I’m dying here, seriously. I swore I would never invite Chae to a drinking thing again, then pushed myself up after a brief rest.
Either way, I couldn’t leave somebody else’s precious son on the cold floor, so I had to move him to the bed. I didn’t have much strength left, so piggybacking was out; I grabbed him by both arms and dragged him across the floor into the bedroom.
“Now—ugh—can’t you, like, get a grip?”
I hooked my arm under his chest from behind and heaved his torso up onto the bed.
Finally on the soft mattress, he closed his eyes with an angelic face like he had no clue what I’d just gone through.
“What a life you’ve got.”
Only a one-year age gap, but you’ve got your older hyung doing this crap while you just pass out. Does he actually like me as much as he says?
I scratched the back of my head while staring at him sleeping so peacefully. First things first, I should wash up.
I hit the bathroom, showered, and came out feeling a lot fresher than before.
In just underwear and pants, I went back into the bedroom, grabbed the T-shirt I’d tossed over a chair, pulled it on, and checked on Chae, who was still lying there in his going-out clothes.
“Hmm.”
Is it fine to leave him like this? Coat on, belt still buckled… looks way too uncomfortable.
I wavered between “this is meddling” and “since I brought him here, I should see it through,” then reached out anyway.
I’ll just take off the coat and the belt. That much is basic human decency, right?
Muttering excuses to no one in particular, I grabbed his coat. The beige thing was surprisingly hard to get off—like it was tailored.
“Figures that expensive-looking coat is bespoke.”
Thinking of his apartment, it made sense. It’s Chae we’re talking about; of course he’d have a custom coat.
Facing him, I propped his upper body and let his head rest on my shoulder. Thankfully, the coat slipped off easier this time. Just the belt left.
With him in my arms, I lowered my hands to his waistline. Clack. I popped the buckle and tugged the leather free—his shoulder jerked against me even though he’d been leaning quietly.
“Ugh!”
A strong grip clamped down on my wrist working the belt. Heat flared in my wrist, and my brow knotted.
Did he wake up? Or drunk flailing? Whatever it was, my wrist hurt too much to think straight.
“Let go of—”
“The hell, fuck.”

The irritated curse cut me off. His voice was low and rough—hard to believe it was Chae’s.
“Where the fuck do you think—”
He lifted his face from my shoulder and met my eyes. All that sharp, prickly energy evaporated the instant he saw me; he turned back into his usual tame lamb.
“Hyung?”
“If you’re awake, let go of my hand.”
His eyes were still blurry—still drunk. The strength on my wrist eased, but he didn’t release me.
“Chae Yu-jeong.”
“Hyuuung, my head hurts.”
My wrist hurts, you bastard.
Once he realized the person next to him was me, he switched gears fast and nuzzled his head against my shoulder.
“Before you get the wrong idea, I was just trying to unbuckle your belt so you’d be more comfortable.”
“Wrong idea? What wrong idea?”
“…Forget it if you don’t get it. Move your hand.”
Only then did he look down at me frozen with a hand on his belt and his own hand clamped over my wrist—and he grinned, all dopey.
“Finish it for me.”
“You need to let go.”
“I’m not even squeezing. Go on.”
He urged me in that soft, coaxing tone like he was being cute.
This asshole’s ordering me around like it’s nothing. The curse rose to my throat, but I forced it down.
“No point getting seriously mad at a drunk.”
Better to just do it quickly and pull away. I worked with his hand still on my wrist.
As I slid the leather back out of the belt loop, I felt his gaze boring into me from point-blank range.
“……”
“……”
I looked up to meet it—and immediately regretted it.
From close enough that I could feel his breath, his eyes were raw with feeling—so stark it gave me chills.
He reached with his free hand and gently touched my cheek.
The mood in the dark room shifted—obviously different from a moment ago. Sitting face-to-face, unbuckling his belt like this, felt… weird.
Then the dream from the night he confessed popped into my head. If I pushed him down now, it might play out like the dream. That thought made my grip on the belt tighten.
“…I’m actually out of my mind.”
I had no idea why my thoughts were running this far with a drunk guy in front of me. I shoved the stupid fantasy away and finished the belt.
Clink—metal on metal—and the belt slipped free and fell to the floor beside the bed. Good. Now to calm him down and get him to sleep. I pried his hand off my cheek and asked,
“Do you know where you are?”
He blinked slowly and glanced around.
“Your place, hyung.”
“Right. You got drunk out of your mind and I dragged you here. So please, stop making trouble and just sleep. I’m tired, too.”
“Okaaay.”
“You take the bed. I’ll grab a blanket and sleep on the floor—”
I kept it slow so he’d get it in one go. He stared at me blankly, then suddenly yanked my wrist. I lost my balance and buried my face in his shoulder.
“This little shit….”
My nose throbbed from hitting that hard shoulder.
Maybe because he wasn’t fully sober, there was zero hesitation in his movements. Great way to repay a favor.
“What are you doing?”
“Sleep with me, hyung.”
He let go of my wrist, wrapped both arms around my waist, and fell back, pulling me with him. Thump—the sheets rustled and the mattress dipped.
“Hey, Chae Yu-jeong.”
“Hm? Sleep with me. I won’t do anything.”
I deliberately snapped his name like scolding him, but he didn’t even pretend to listen, just rubbed his hair all over my nape and whined.
And what? You won’t do anything? You can say that after I say it. Unbelievable.
“Move—come on—ugh….”
“Hyuuung.”
No matter how I squirmed, the arms around my waist didn’t budge. Fuck. I’m signing up at the gym tomorrow first thing.
I could feel my pride cracking in real time. What even is this? Is he a pro athlete, not a gamer? I groped at the arms around my waist and felt solid muscle flexing through his clothes.
“This is a scam.”
How do you have a face that pretty and arms like this? While I was reeling, he stopped with the cutesy act and, still holding me, flipped his body to the right.
“Hyung, sleep. You said you were tired.”
“Say that after you let go of my waist.”
“No. If I let go, you’ll go down to the floor. Sleep with me on the bed.”
His body heat, pressed tight against me, was impossible to ignore. That alone was driving me crazy, and then he pressed his lips to the back of my neck and inhaled like he was taking in my scent.
The ticklish sensation made my eyes squeeze shut. To block it out, I started running multiplication tables through my head.
Maybe ten minutes passed, and the breath above my head evened out. He’d fallen asleep holding me.
There was less strength in his arms now, but there was no escaping without waking him. I gave up on running, exhaled, and let my body relax.
In the dark room, his soft breathing sounded steady. I was still a mess inside, and he was sleeping like a baby. Infuriating.
Pinned at the waist, unable to even turn over, I shut my eyes and Chae’s face kept floating up.
The way he’d asked me for one chance, the way he’d come to campus late at night with food, and… the way he’d stroked my cheek.
“……”
I’d planned to chew him out in the morning for putting me through hell… but maybe I could let it slide just this once.
Everyone causes trouble with their drinking sometimes. And from anyone, this level of trouble is mild—especially from him, to me.
“I’ll get him hangover food and send him home tomorrow.”
I mulled over what would be good for hangover soup, one thing after another, and drifted off.