From Now On, A Marriage Proposal Is The Only Way To Survive - Chapter 80

“Kyung-Joo, Shin-Yeon. What are you doing? Do you have a break between classes?”

The upperclassmen showed interest in the two, who were considered among the prettiest of the freshmen, and struck up a conversation.

“Hello, sunbaes.”

When Shin-Yeon and Park Kyung-Joo stood to greet them, the upperclassmen stopped them.

“Don’t get up. If you don’t mind, want us to join you?”

“Hey, leave them alone. We came here to work on our group project.”

When the two freshmen exchanged glances and remained silent, another upperclassman who had come with them held his friend back and scolded him.

Just then, Han Tae-Young returned carrying a tray of drinks and desserts. He set it down on the table and looked down at the upperclassmen.

Everyone flinched at the sudden appearance of such a large figure dressed all in black.

Tae-Young pushed past the upperclassmen with his body and said bluntly,

“This is my seat.”

“Ah… sorry! Have fun.”

Overpowered by his size and strength, the upperclassmen awkwardly excused themselves and moved away.

Having gotten rid of the guys bothering them in an instant, Tae-Young spoke to the other two as they quietly settled back into their seats.

“You two really have similar tastes.”

He placed their drinks in front of Shin-Yeon and Kyung-Joo, then used a knife to cut the honey bread into easy-to-eat pieces.

“Whoa, Han Tae-Young has good manners.”

“Just eat.”

At Kyung-Joo’s comment, Tae-Young picked up his phone and placed a fork in front of Shin-Yeon, who was sending a message.

“Thanks.”

“Start eating. I’m going to wash my hands.”

After seeing Shin-Yeon and Kyung-Joo begin eating the honey bread, Tae-Young stood and headed for the restroom.

“Honey bread is the best. The bread is warm and crispy on the outside but soft inside, while the whipped cream is cold. It’s seriously so good.”

“I think the caramel syrup and cinnamon make it even better.”

Shin-Yeon stared at the caramel-covered whipped cream on top of the bread when his thoughts suddenly drifted to Kyo-Shin’s body, making his face heat up.

He remembered how, when he had been learning how to pleasure Kyo-Shin orally, Kyo-Shin would add various toppings to make Shin-Yeon less hesitant about it.

Each time, Shin-Yeon would lick and suck at the sticky toppings as they dripped down, tasting them together with Kyo-Shin.

“Baby, you have to enjoy the topping and your husband together, okay?”

“Your throat will hurt if you try to take too much. Go slowly and only take the tip at first. Just because your throat relaxes doesn’t mean you should suddenly take everything.”

“Who taught you to get hard down there while sucking your husband off? Baby, who taught you? Hmm?”

“S-Seo Kyo-Shiiin… Kyo-Shin did…”

“That’s right. Then whose cock is my baby supposed to enjoy from now on?”

“Yours… only yours, Honey…”

Remembering their private married life made Shin-Yeon’s face, ears, and even his neck burn red. He quickly stuffed a piece of bread into his mouth.

“Are you hot?”

At Kyung-Joo’s question, Shin-Yeon gulped down his drink and awkwardly smiled as he fanned himself with one hand.

“I guess it’s a little warm.”

While Shin-Yeon drank some more and tried to calm his embarrassment, someone approached them.

“Shin-Yeon, hi. Hi to you too, Kyung-Joo.”

Startled by the sudden greeting from behind, Shin-Yeon and Kyung-Joo quickly turned around.

“Whoa, you scared me! Hello, sunbae.”

“Hello, sunbae.”

The person who had silently approached them from behind was a second-year student who had returned to university this semester.

They occasionally greeted him whenever they crossed paths, but they weren’t particularly close. They didn’t even properly know his name.

When the unfamiliar upperclassman approached and greeted them, both started to rise from their seats in confusion.

The upperclassman placed a hand on Shin-Yeon’s shoulder and gently pushed him back into his seat with a smile.

“It’s fine. You don’t have to get up. I’m Yoon Jung-Min, twenty-three. Just call me hyung. I only came over because I was wondering whether you’d joined any clubs.”

Yoon Jung-Min was tall and reasonably handsome. Perhaps he had returned to school immediately after completing his military service, because his hair was still short.

Keeping his gaze fixed more on Shin-Yeon than Kyung-Joo, Jung-Min continued.

“Shin-Yeon, do you like movies?”

“Movies? Yes, I do, but…”

Shin-Yeon had instinctively answered the unexpected question before trailing off and glancing at Kyung-Joo.

‘No! Don’t!’

Kyung-Joo’s eyes darted frantically as he silently signaled no. Seeing that, Shin-Yeon closed his mouth and gave an awkward smile.

“You’re really pretty.”

Jung-Min murmured while staring openly at Shin-Yeon’s pale face, which carried a healthy rosy glow as he smiled softly.

“Ah, Kyung-Joo is very pretty too. Anyway, I wanted to recommend the film appreciation club. If you’re interested, could I get your number?”

Only belatedly complimenting Kyung-Joo as well, Jung-Min stroked Shin-Yeon’s shoulder before slowly moving his hand toward his neck.

Shin-Yeon flinched at the touch, which felt distinctly different from an accidental brush.

‘Am I just being overly sensitive…?’

At that moment, Jung-Min’s hand brushed across the back of Shin-Yeon’s neck before tracing along his jaw and throat.

Shin-Yeon froze at the unmistakably intimate contact, his eyes trembling.

‘I don’t think I’m imagining this or overreacting.’                       

Startled by the unfamiliar touch, Shin-Yeon hunched his shoulders and tried to subtly move away.

Then Jung-Min’s fingers slipped inside his turtleneck.

Goosebumps immediately spread across Shin-Yeon’s skin at the sensation of someone other than Kyo-Shin rubbing his neck with their fingers.

‘Ah, right. The kiss marks.’

The entire reason he was wearing a turtleneck today was to conceal the marks Kyo-Shin had insistently left behind.

If Jung-Min tugged the collar even slightly downward, the red marks might become visible.

“Hic!”

Shin-Yeon’s face went pale. He sharply shoved Jung-Min’s hand away and shifted sideways.

“Ah, sorry. My mistake. But aren’t you hot? It’s not winter, and it isn’t really cold enough to be wearing a turtleneck.”

Jung-Min laughed casually and grabbed Shin-Yeon’s shoulder when he saw him turn pale and try to move away.

Realizing from Shin-Yeon’s desperate attempt to cover his neck that there was probably something underneath, Jung-Min reached for his turtleneck and tried to pull the collar down with his fingers.

But Shin-Yeon twisted away from his hand.

“Um, sunbae, could you please move your hand…”

“Sunbae, Shin-Yeon is uncomfortable. Please don’t touch him.”

Kyung-Joo had also noticed Shin-Yeon’s discomfort and quickly intervened.

Jung-Min gave him an incredulous look.

“What did I do? Is it suddenly some huge problem for a senior to put his hand on a junior’s shoulder? You’re making it sound really weird.”

Even though he had deliberately touched Shin-Yeon’s neck, Jung-Min shamelessly denied it, apparently because his hand had been positioned at an angle where the people around them couldn’t see what he was doing.

Shin-Yeon and Kyung-Joo were both dumbfounded by the way he acted as though they were falsely accusing an innocent person.

Smack!

“Ugh! Fuck, what the hell?!”

Someone suddenly rushed over and sharply knocked Jung-Min’s hand away from Shin-Yeon’s shoulder.

“Who are you to put your hands on him without permission?”

Tae-Young had returned from washing his hands. He stepped protectively in front of the visibly tense Shin-Yeon and Kyung-Joo and faced Jung-Min.

Turning his head, he saw how pale and rigid his friends had become and immediately understood the situation.

Still covering his neck with one hand and clearly unsure what to do, Shin-Yeon spoke with a shaken expression.

“Tae-Young, he’s a second-year sunbae.”

“Being a senior doesn’t mean you can touch a junior however you want without their permission. Even if you’re the same sex, secondary genders exist. You should still be careful about casual physical contact.”

Seeing the sharp blue eyes beneath Tae-Young’s black hood and mask, Jung-Min fell silent under the pressure of his presence.

Judging from Tae-Young’s height and physique alone, there was a strong possibility that he was a dominant alpha—or perhaps something even stronger.

Faced with someone he knew he couldn’t beat in a fight, Jung-Min couldn’t utter a word. His face merely turned bright red as he trembled with anger.

After glancing around at the atmosphere, Kyung-Joo cautiously asked Shin-Yeon and Tae-Young,

“Should we just leave?”

“Why should we? Just finish your dessert.”

Tae-Young had Shin-Yeon and Kyung-Joo sit back down before returning to his own seat, shooting Jung-Min a look that plainly told him to get lost.

Jung-Min’s face grew even more flushed with anger at being ignored. He suddenly grabbed Shin-Yeon hard by the shoulder and yanked him around.

“Ah!”

“Sunbae, what are you doing?!”

Kyung-Joo immediately knocked Jung-Min’s hand away and pulled Shin-Yeon protectively toward him.

As Tae-Young shoved his chair back and shot to his feet, Jung-Min shouted loudly enough for his voice to echo throughout the café.

“Fuck, Shin-Yeon! I have to go through all this just because a senior grabbed your shoulder?! Is this bastard your boyfriend?!”

Because of his profession, Tae-Young had no choice but to be particularly sensitive to dating rumors, and he involuntarily froze.

“Why are you suddenly talking like that? You didn’t just grab my shoulder, sunbae. You touched my neck with your hand too…”

Already more flustered because his friend had been dragged into the situation, Shin-Yeon tried to defend himself. But when Jung-Min shouted at him with a vicious expression, he froze completely.

Because of what Shin-Yeon had experienced in Jeongeup before, whenever someone larger than him became angry and aggressively pressured him, he found himself unable to move.

Seeing both Shin-Yeon and Tae-Young stiffen, Jung-Min took it as an opportunity to gain the upper hand. Growing increasingly worked up, he raised his voice even more.

“What the hell are you talking about?! Do you have any proof I did anything?! You’re seriously going to treat me like a criminal just because a senior put his hand on a junior’s shoulder?!”