Tret woke up with a headache. He hadn't fallen asleep immediately when he woke up at three in the morning earlier.
He didn't know why, but he couldn't shake the image of Heo's beautifully shaped body from his mind. It was maddening. He sighed and got up. It was so lazy to get up, especially knowing there were no classes that day.
He expected Heo to still be in bed, still snoring, as he was always the first one awake in their apartment and he was also the one who always woke Heo up every morning.
However, Heo was not in bed at that moment. A small amount of blood caught his attention as he turned to look at the floor. There was a bloody trail leading to the bathroom door. The white blanket covering Heo's bed was stained with blood when he checked it.
What's wrong? He wondered if that blood belonged to Heo and where it came from. His heart rate quickened at the thought. He took a deep breath and tried to calm down.
He followed the trail of blood to the bathroom door, his hands on his waist as he stood outside the bathroom. After a while, he heard the sound of water running from the shower stall.
He wanted to know what was wrong with Heo and where the blood on the floor came from. He knocked on the bathroom door, softly at first, but when he repeated the knocking three times, he knocked loudly.
After a while, the bathroom door opened and Heo emerged, wet hair and body. He avoided staring at Heo's naked body with beads of water. He fixed his gaze on Heo's face, but that spot was undeniable in its portent and loveliness.
Heo's reddened lips were enticing as he bit them. Damn, if only someone were calling him, he would get out of there, and it was his mere inane knocking on the door. Now that Heo looked at him with eyes that seemed to own him, he wanted to run out of there or even throw himself back on his bed and cover his whole body with a blanket out of embarrassment.
Tret noticed how Heo bit his lower lip and didn't take his eyes off Tret. It was stupid to think that Heo was flirting with him. It was all in his head. A fault of his own making. All of the banalities, someday perhaps, would either lead to happiness or pain.
"Need something?" Heo asked.
He smiled, trying to spot if Heo had any injuries, but he really didn't want to lower his gaze to his smooth and muscular chest. "U-uh, I just wanted to ask how you are? I mean, those blood dots on the floor were yours, right? Are you okay?" His tone betrayed his concern.
"Okay, I'll finish taking a bath first."
Yes, he needed to finish his bath. He noticed the soap bubbles on Heo's body as he looked down. But he quickly turned away as the corners of his cheeks heated up.
Soon after, he heard the sound of the bathroom door closing, so he didn't turn around anymore but instead walked back to his study table and sat down.
However, seeing the scattered paper scratches on his study table made him suddenly anxious. He sighed and had no choice but to clean up the mess.
He threw the paper scratches and plastic bags of snacks from yesterday into the trash bin. But before he dropped his trash into the trash can, he noticed the tissues full of blood. His intense worry flared up again.
What really happened to Heo? He wanted to know. But Heo seemed to choose to stay inside the bathroom for quite some time.
Is Heo sick? That question suddenly popped into his mind. The amount of blood on the tissue was severe. It piqued his curiosity as to how Heo could lose such an amount of blood.
Tret hated to think that Heo was ill. He wanted to stay positive, and yet he felt unsettled. Heo was a healthy guy. He often went to the gym, he ate healthy food. So he thought maybe Heo just had a wound.
"What are you doing there? The garbage collector will pass by tomorrow."
He sighed as he turned to face Heo. He was casually dressed and facing away from him as he got dressed. He hesitated before stepping back to his study table, but he still couldn't help but glance at Heo getting dressed.
After Heo finished dressing, he combed his hair. Heo wore jeans and a polo shirt, which made Tret wonder where Heo was going.
"Looking good, where are you going? He asked as Heo faced him. "No classes today. Do you have a date?"
Heo shook his head firmly. "No, I have an appointment with—" He stopped, thinking about what to say next. He withdrew what he was about to say. "Meeting classmates for our project to be submitted next week."
He nodded. "Okay, but can you tell me what's wrong with you today? Do you have any injuries? There was a lot of blood on the floor, especially on your blanket and even more on the tissues you threw in the trash. You're not a woman to say you have your period."
"Oh, right, my nose was bleeding. It was unexpected that I lost so much blood. I don't know what's wrong. But I'm okay now, so don't worry, Tret."
"You know I'll always worry about you..."
Heo approached Tret. "Me too, I feel the same way, so after my appointment today, I'll ask you again to go out with me. To a place that's somewhat private if that's what you want." Heo smiled upon seeing Tret's relieved expression as he had been anxious earlier. "You probably can't refuse, right?"
Tret stood up. "Heo, I'll go, but not tonight. Maybe after your meet up with your classmates and finishing the project, you'll be tired. Let's just watch a movie together tonight and have a light drink. What do you say?"
"I'm in, let's invite Han and Wren to join us in this room," he said, smiling at Tret. "I prepared breakfast for you earlier."
Tret's smile brightened. "Oh, thanks, Heo."
"You thank me enough." He moved closer to Tret, and his tropical cologne teased Tret's nostrils. "I have to go now, and don't worry, I'm fine. It was just a nosebleed. I hate to see you worrying so much that you can't even think of yourself. I'll clean up my mess later." He ruffled Tret's hair and then left.
Tret didn't move from where he stood. Even when he heard the sound of the door closing, he remained standing there.
He didn't know why he felt strange at that moment. It was as if Heo seemed weaker.
Or maybe it was all in his head. Tret had never heard or seen Heo experiencing a nosebleed before, and that's why he was surprised. But he felt strange, and his instincts slowly betrayed him.