Page 74 of Teach Me K-Pop

Damn, he’s cute. “And what will you be doing later, when you’re alone?”

“Thinking about you.” His expression changes into something kind of wistful, almost sad. “As usual. I am never not thinking of you. I miss you.”

“I miss you, too. But it won’t always be like this,” I promise. Seeing his puppy dog eyes peering at me through the screen makes everything I was talking about with Kija seem so much more urgent.

“I know. But that does not make it easier now.” He shifts, lying down, and I can see that he’s on his bed, tucked up in the corner of his room. “I could not sleep last night because I was lonely without you.”

I can’t mirror his position where I am, but getting up to go all the way to my bedroom seems like too much right now, when I just want to listen to him. Sinking down in the chair, I agree. “It’s not the same.”

Nikko looks away from the camera for a moment, and I see pink on his cheek, the tip of his ear. “I do not know if it is silly or childish to say this. But as much as I enjoyed having sex with you and want to do it again, I just want to sleep with you. Be by your side, where I can touch you.”

My whole chest aches with his words and the way I feel it, too. “I want to hold you so badly. Clothes off or on. I want to share space with you.”

“Can it be soon?” he asks, lip bitten in a way that’s somehow both seductive and sweetly hopeful.

“As soon as possible, naekkeo,” I swear. “I’ll be with you as soon as I can.”

?

NIKKO

“We are gathered here today…” Ryo-hyung begins, all of us staring for exactly one second before diving into the food spread out on the table and ignoring him.

“I thought we agreed not to let him watch any more episodes of that wedding drama,” Lux mumbles just before he shoves a dumpling in his mouth whole.

Tang-hyung nearly sends his chopstick flying as he goes to point at Ryo while asking Lux, “Have you ever tried to get him to stop in the middle of a series? Do you value your well-being?”

Hands on his hips, Ryo scolds, “The disrespect from all of you!”

“We’ve talked about this. We should have learned from this by now,” Chita-hyung reminds everyone with a tired-dad kind of sigh. “We do not gesture with utensils when in close proximity.”

“Just eat. Nikko wants to talk to us about something when we’re done,” Lalo-hyung tells everyone and I nearly choke on my kalguksu.

He reaches to pat me on the back, and I know he’s doing this to encourage me, because it will be good for me or something, but now I also don’t have the option to put it off again. Which is exactly why he has done it, I’m sure.

“Why don’t you talk about it now instead of making us wait, ’Ko?” Lux asks to distract from the fact he is trying to swipe another triangle kimbap without anyone noticing.

I can’t tell if this is his way of being supportive, or if he is trying to stir something up. I honestly do not feel like eating right now, so I may as well talk. I don’t know why I am so nervous; the members have made it clear that they like Jase and are in favor of me being with him. But telling them that we actuallyaretogether seems very serious. I’ve never been the one to make big announcements or share major news, but I haven’t ever really had anything of my own to let them in on..

“You know Jase…” I start, but am immediately interrupted.

“Jase? Why does that name sound familiar?” Tang ponders, head tilted as he taps his chin like he’s thinking.

Ryo shoves the serving spoon he’d just grabbed back into the pot of rice to flail his arms into a shrug. “Has someone talked about him before?”

“Wait.JaseJase?” Chita teases. “Jase with the blue eyes and the cute dog? That Jase?”

If it were not for the plate of food in front of me, I would let my head drop to the table. “I hate you all,” I mutter. “Yes, that Jase. The same guy that I’ve been talking to for months. The one that I’ve had a crush on for just as long. Jase, my boyfriend.”

Simultaneously, Tang shrieks, Ryo’s jaw drops, and Chita’s eyes go very wide. Lux and Lalo already knew, of course, and both of them are just smiling, amused by the other’s reactions.

Ryo leans over, wraps his arms around my head and squishes my face into his chest. “My baby has aboyfriend? Who said you were old enough to date?”

Lux snorts. “They’ve shared a hotel room like three times now. Is he old enough for that?”

Ryo releases me from his grip, shocked, as Tang makes another sound of surprise.

Chita is blinking at me very rapidly. “You what?”

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