The Probability of Becoming a Couple with Your Beloved

Hangeom secretly glanced at Wonhyeok, who had picked up a book from the floor and was reading it. Suddenly remembering what he needed to do, he closed the book he had brought and opened his laptop. Hearing the sound of the working device, Wonhyeok naturally looked up.

“Ah, sorry. Is… is this noisy?”

“Not at all. Are you doing homework?”

“Yes, I have a midterm assignment for a required course.”

Wonhyeok stared intently at Hangeom, closed the book, and stood up. Hangeom didn’t know what to do, thinking he had really disturbed him, but Wonhyeok suddenly approached and sat down next to him.

“Required course? Which one?”

“What? Ah, ‘Understanding English Literature’.”

“That’s the course with a lot of assignments, isn’t it?”

Wonhyeok shook his head, apparently remembering the past, and continued to reduce the distance between himself and Hangeom.

“Yes. It seems the professor gives an assignment every time he teaches a lesson.”

“Ha-ha, Professor Jin from the English department is known for that. Want me to take a look?”

“Ah, no!”

When Wonhyeok tried to peek at Hangeom’s laptop, he flinched and closed the screen with both hands. He desperately tried to cover the screen with his small hands.

“Why?”

“…I’m not good enough to show it to you, senior.”

“So what?”

“You’re the b-best in the department… I’m embarrassed.”

This was another reason why Wonhyeok was well-known. A legendary student who had never lost first place in the department from his freshman year until now. To show such a person a messy assignment that wasn’t even finished yet? It was absolutely impossible, even if the sky were to fall.

“…”

Looking at Hangeom, who was trying his best to protect his laptop, determined not to show it no matter what, Wonhyeok was somehow reminded of a hamster. A small white hamster turning around to protect the treat it had received.

Wonhyeok slowly reached out to pat Hangeom’s head. Feeling this, Hangeom quickly pulled away. At this moment, the soft smile disappeared from Wonhyeok’s face. He pressed his lips together and stared at his hand that remained in the air.

“Anyway, my assignment is too embarrassing to show.”

“Hangeom, are you stupid? As you said, I’m the best in the department. Then you should think about how to use that.”

“U-use?”

As if he had never been serious, Wonhyeok again raised the corners of his lips.

“By the way, I got an A+ in this course. The professor even showed my assignment during the lecture as the best one, I think?”

“Professor Jin really did that?”

Wonhyeok nodded. Professor Jin was known as very demanding and strict. He not only gave difficult exams and buried students in homework, but also had very strict grading criteria for assignments, which had already put him on the blacklist of English department students.

There were rumors that although sometimes students received an A in this course, those who received an A+ could be counted on one hand. And this professor personally praised him during the lecture.

“And I still have all the materials for the assignments I’ve done from freshman year until now.”

Hangeom swallowed. Honestly, he didn’t want to “use” his senior. But grades in university were something that couldn’t be ignored for future employment.

“T-then…”

“Yes?”

“Could you help me a little…?”

Hangeom timidly grabbed Wonhyeok’s sleeve. Wonhyeok looked at the white, thin fingers, reddened like a peach, and slowly nodded.

“As much as you want.”

∞ ∞ ∞

“Wait, senior.”

“Yes?”

“T-this…”

Hangeom involuntarily clenched his fists. They were now standing in front of an elite officetel located about 10 minutes’ walk from the university.

“My rental apartment. Let’s go.”

“What?!”

He was so surprised that his voice cracked funnily. Wonhyeok even laughed, asking what he was so surprised about.

“You said you’d give me materials for the assignment…”

“Yes. For that, we need to go home. I don’t carry them with me.”

Right, these aren’t materials he’s currently studying, and there’s no reason to carry or keep at the university what he used last year. Why didn’t he think about that?

“Then you can just give them to me tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow is a holiday.”

“Then next week…”

“Hangeom, I’ll give you the materials and help with the assignment. That’s why I brought you here, are you that uncomfortable?”

Wonhyeok smiled slightly embarrassedly and tilted his head. Oh, Hangeom internally held his breath. Surely the senior, out of good intentions, wanted to help a junior, and he had just poured cold water on him like this.

“No! I’m just very sorry!”

Hangeom, afraid that Wonhyeok might be offended, waved his hands energetically.

“What apologies between seniors and juniors when it comes to help. But if you’re uncomfortable, say it directly.”

Hangeom’s Adam’s apple jerked strongly again. Honestly, he very, incredibly, extremely wanted to see. The senior’s home, the dwelling of his beloved person.

“Then I’ll… take you up on your offer.”

“Okay, let’s go.”

The desire to see the most personal space of his beloved person ultimately won over Hangeom. So he followed Wonhyeok into the building.

Although he vaguely guessed it from seeing the exterior, this officetel really didn’t fit the definition of a “student’s rental apartment”. At first glance, it was clear that the rent here was very expensive. So much so that it seemed to be in a different dimension compared to the ordinary studio apartment where he himself lived.

“It might be a bit messy. I was in a hurry this morning.”

When they opened the door and entered, a spacious room opened up before their eyes. In the clean interior, decorated in white tones, there was a fresh scent of soap. Perhaps it was the smell of a diffuser, air freshener, or fabric softener.

“Excuse me for intruding.”

His heart was beating strongly. The senior’s home. Entering the home of that very senior Do Wonhyeok. Hangeom wanted to talk to his past self from last year.

You, from the past, aren’t you envious of me, the current me?

“Want to sit comfortably? I need to find the materials.”

“Ah, yes!”

Hangeom slowly walked into the living room and carefully sat on the sofa. Apparently, the sofa was also unusual, because the sensation enveloping the skin was incredibly soft. Wonhyeok had warned in advance that it might be messy, but honestly, Hangeom wanted to ask where it was messy.

It was so clean that it was hard to believe that a single man lived here.

“Ah, need to record the date.”

Hangeom took out his phone from his pocket and opened the calendar app. Selecting today’s date, he wrote “First visit to senior’s home” and saved it.

From inside, rustling sounds were periodically heard, apparently Wonhyeok was looking for materials. Hangeom wanted to look around the apartment, but that would be really impolite, so he sat on the sofa and memorized only what fell into his field of vision.

At this moment, he accidentally noticed a calendar on the coffee table. On the completely white calendar, where nothing was written, only one date had an unusual mark.

Next Friday.

In this cell, a small sticker in the shape of a syringe was attached.

He was wondering what this mark was, thinking absentmindedly, when Wonhyeok slowly came out of the room into the living room. Feeling as if he had been caught peeking, Hangeom quickly raised his head, causing his hair to fly about wildly.

“Hangeom, I’m so sorry. It seems the materials are at my parents’ house. When I moved to this officetel last year, I moved all the things that weren’t immediately needed to my parents’ house.”

When Wonhyeok made a guilty expression, Hangeom felt his heart tighten for a moment. Helping wasn’t his obligation, and Wonhyeok probably had a lot of work with studies and major assignments too, but he was taking care of him so sincerely.

“It’s okay. I’m really fine.”

“I’ll bring the materials when I go home this weekend.”

“I’m sorry I caused you so much trouble because of me.”

Hangeom jumped up and started gathering his bag, neatly folded on the floor. The purpose of his coming here was to get materials and Wonhyeok’s help with the assignment. But if the most important thing – these materials – wasn’t there, there was no point in staying longer.

“Where are you going?”

“What?”

“There are no materials, but I can still look at your assignment. You came all this way here. I can’t just let a guest leave like that. I don’t have any more lectures today, so there’s plenty of time.”

Wonhyeok slightly stood in Hangeom’s way, as if blocking his exit.

“Sit down. I’ll take a look.”

Unexpectedly finding himself on the sofa again, Hangeom took out his laptop from his bag. He was still a bit ashamed to show his terrible assignment. But he wanted to accept Wonhyeok’s kindness, and honestly, he had developed a desire to do the assignment a little better.

Although his grades weren’t high enough for a full scholarship, he always received a scholarship covering part of the tuition fee, and this time he needed to get it too.

“This book is difficult to analyze, isn’t it?”

“Yes, but I thought it fit the theme well, so I chose it.”

The assignment for this course was to choose one work of English literature that matched the theme given by the professor and freely analyze it.

“Hm.”

Wonhyeok quietly hummed and focused on the screen. This scene was like an advertisement for household appliances, and Hangeom secretly observed his profile.

“Hangeom, about this part.”

“Yes!”

As they say, a guilty conscience needs no accuser. When Wonhyeok suddenly spoke while Hangeom was secretly observing him, he flinched and shouted.

“I’m not the professor, why are you so nervous?”

In the end, Wonhyeok even laughed out loud. His laughter was pleasant, but Hangeom was a bit ashamed for showing such a stupid reaction.

“It seems this part can be omitted. You’ve already mentioned this in the introduction. If you repeat it twice, it might reduce readability.”

“Ah, indeed.”

This was a moment he hadn’t even thought about. Hangeom nodded and used the laptop’s touchpad to correct the part Wonhyeok had pointed out.

The sound of keys that Hangeom was pressing quietly spread through the living room. Wonhyeok looked at the snow-white fingers moving on the thick and old-looking laptop. The fingers that could appear in an advertisement were thinner and longer than most women’s, and very white.

From the fingers, his gaze moved to the thin wrists, then slid over the gray sweatshirt, and finally stopped on Hangeom’s face.