The Probability of Becoming a Couple with Your Beloved

The next morning, immediately after turning off the loudly ringing alarm, the first thing Hangeom did was not to get out of bed or go to the bathroom. He brought the phone close to his face and checked his contacts.

[Senior Do Wonhyeok]

Seeing this contact peacefully sleeping in the list, a bright smile appeared on Hangeom’s face. Despite it being a day with early classes, usually the most unpleasant day of the week, these three words and the saved number on the screen made him happy as if he possessed the whole world. Hangeom started rolling around on the bed, kicking the blanket.

“Ouch!”

Because of this, the ear that was stitched and bandaged yesterday pressed against the sheet, causing severe pain. They say that the day after an injury, the pain is the strongest, right? Hangeom waited for the sharp pain to subside, trying not to touch his ear, and began fumbling on the table.

“Ah, my glasses are broken.”

Indeed, yesterday in the alley by the restaurant, when he intervened in the situation with Wonhyeok, his glasses were smashed to pieces. Yesterday he didn’t remember about the glasses, as he immediately went to the emergency room for treatment.

First, Hangeom headed to the bathroom to wash up. In any case, he was already used to moving around his living space without glasses.

Remembering the doctor’s words about being careful and not getting the wound wet, he spent twice as much time in the shower as usual. Nevertheless, having successfully washed, Hangeom, as always carelessly drying his thick hair, approached the hanger in the corner of the room.

The studio apartment where Hangeom currently lived was neither new nor too old – just an average apartment. Since rent in Seoul is high, he chose the most affordable housing possible, so the interior was neither particularly clean nor good, but it was quite acceptable for an adult man to live there.

Hangeom was sorting through the clothes on the hanger. Although, in the end, there were only items of muted colors that could be called basic wardrobe pieces, so ordinary they were.

Today he again put on a simple gray sweatshirt and jeans. Then, thinking about the broken glasses, he suddenly remembered something and sat down in front of the desk drawer.

Hangeom had poor eyesight since childhood. Without glasses, he couldn’t clearly see either surrounding objects or people. As if everything was covered with a light haze. Therefore, from elementary school, he always wore glasses, and nothing changed in university.

Woojin and Hyuna once asked if he wanted to try contact lenses, but Hangeom, finding no reason to wear them, continued to use glasses that occupied half of his face. Besides, he simply went to a local optical store and chose the cheapest frame.

“Where did I put the ones I used to wear…”

He couldn’t attend classes without glasses. Hangeom started diligently rummaging through the drawers. He remembered taking his old glasses with him when he moved.

“Ah! Here they are!”

As if Columbus discovering a new continent, Hangeom joyfully took out the glasses from their case and put them on without hesitation. Finally, after checking his appearance in the mirror, he was about to energetically leave the house when his phone rang briefly.

Thinking it might be Wonhyeok, he quickly touched the screen.

[Transferred money for this month.]

A brief message with a noticeably cold tone was from his mother. Hangeom, after checking the message, sent a short reply “Thank you” and went outside.

∞ ∞ ∞

“Look over there…”

“Wow, I haven’t seen something like that in a long time.”

Today, for some reason, it seemed that the gazes of those around him were strangely converging on him. When he got on the bus circulating around campus, he thought it was just his imagination, but even when he was walking to the library after the first class to get a book, surrounding students were whispering and glancing at him.

‘What is it? Is there something on my face?’

Thinking that maybe there was a pen mark left on his face, he even checked himself in the mirror in the bathroom during the break, but couldn’t find the reason.

He only learned the reason, completely unexpectedly, when he came to the club room.

“Hey! Kang Hangeom, what’s up with you!”

“Damn, did you really come to university like that?”

Hyuna and Woojin, who were just in the club room, seeing Hangeom, started pointing at him and laughing loudly.

“W-what is it?”

“What do you mean, what? Here, look.”

Woojin led Hangeom to the mirror on the wall. But even then, Hangeom couldn’t understand the reason for the mockery and was confused.

“Those bright red glasses on your eyes.”

Woojin personally pointed at the glasses on Hangeom’s face. This was the answer to the puzzle.

“What is this? These are the glasses we wore in elementary school.”

The thing is, the glasses Hangeom was wearing were very small square glasses with a bright red frame, looking incredibly old-fashioned. They resembled glasses that younger schoolchildren who don’t understand fashion might wear.

“Huh? How did you know? These are indeed my first glasses that I got in elementary school.”

Hangeom even applauded Woojin, saying he had a good eye.

“Hangeom, where are your usual glasses?”

“Ah, they broke.”

“Really? Then go to the optician as soon as possible.”

“Why?”

Hangeom tilted his head, clearly not understanding Hyuna’s words.

“What do you mean, why? You’re not planning to keep wearing these, are you?”

“I, I don’t see anything wrong with it, so I was planning to keep wearing them…”

To get new glasses, he would have to make new lenses, which would cost quite a bit of money. So Hangeom planned to wear these glasses for now.

Seeing their friend’s seriousness, both Woojin and Hyuna began to realize the gravity of the situation. Plus, the bandage on their friend’s ear. They wanted to ask about it, but at that moment the door suddenly opened, and Wonhyeok entered with a pleasant smile on his face.

“Hello.”

“Oh, hello, senior.”

Accepting the greetings from Woojin and Hyuna, Wonhyeok automatically turned his head, and his gaze fell on Hangeom. The latter shyly scratched his head and bowed to Wonhyeok.

“…”

And at the moment when he saw Hangeom’s face, or rather, his bright red glasses, Wonhyeok’s face took on an expression of complete bewilderment.

“What is this…”

“Excuse me? What did you say?”

When Woojin, standing nearby, reacted, Wonhyeok again put on a polite expression and shook his head, saying it was nothing.

“By the way, did Hangeom change his glasses?”

“Ah, how did you know?”

“Hey, if you don’t notice that, then there’s clearly something wrong with your eyes.”

When Hangeom responded with an admiring face, Woojin, teasing him, explained that Hangeom’s glasses had broken, and that’s why he came in these glasses that would only suit an elementary school student.

“Ah.”

Wonhyeok seemed to understand something and quietly said.

“Senior, if you haven’t had lunch yet, would you like to join us? We were about to order tteokbokki for three.”

Hyuna, looking at the food delivery app, invited Wonhyeok as well.

“Ah, sorry. I’ll pass.”

“You probably have things to do.” Hangeom looked very disappointed when Wonhyeok suddenly approached and grabbed his wrist.

“And Hangeom too.”

“Huh? Do you two have a meeting?”

“Yes. Let’s eat together next time. Then I’ll treat you.”

Wonhyeok, with a charming smile, promised the next meeting and led the stunned Hangeom out of the room.

“S-senior? Why suddenly…”

A large hand holding a snow-white wrist. Hangeom swallowed and looked in surprise at Wonhyeok’s back as he led him. Did they have an arrangement? But he hadn’t received any messages.

“Hangeom.”

In the corridor where several club rooms were located, Wonhyeok suddenly stopped. Then he turned, looked at Hangeom, and reached out his hand.

When the hand suddenly approached, Hangeom reflexively closed his eyes. The next thing he felt was a sensation of emptiness on his face.

“Ah…”

Wonhyeok had taken off Hangeom’s old-fashioned glasses.

“Do you have time? Let’s go pick out glasses for you.”

“What?”

“Your glasses broke because of that incident yesterday, right? I was in such a state that I didn’t even notice it.”

When Wonhyeok apologized, Hangeom vigorously shook his head. Judging by yesterday’s memories, it was he himself who stepped on the glasses and broke them.

“It’s okay! In any case, those glasses fit my prescription, so I can wear them.”

“You’re going to keep wearing these crappy glasses?”

“What?”

“I mean, these ugly glasses?”

The corners of Wonhyeok’s mouth twitched as if in a spasm.

“They’re ugly? But I don’t really care…”

Apparently feeling very uncomfortable without glasses, Hangeom lowered his head, although his bangs still covered his face. Looking at the eyes occasionally visible through the thick but strangely shiny hair, Wonhyeok had long since stopped smiling.

“…Let’s go. Come with me and we’ll pick out new ones.”

With these words, he led Hangeom out of the building.

∞ ∞ ∞

Hangeom, who had expected they would go to a small optical shop to pick out glasses, couldn’t help but open his mouth in surprise when he saw the huge glasses store that looked like a real factory.

“Hangeom, go there and have an examination first.”

Wonhyeok, who had already finished talking with an employee, approached Hangeom, who was looking around in confusion.

Coming to his senses, Hangeom found himself walking in front of various eye examination devices. From eye condition to visual acuity measurement. He went through numerous tests, following the employee.

“Would you like some tea?”

While Hangeom was undergoing the examination, one of the employees approached Wonhyeok, who was sitting on the couch looking at his phone, and placed a paper cup in front of him with a friendly smile. Thanking him with a polite smile, Wonhyeok indifferently looked at the cheap green tea when a shadow suddenly appeared over him.

“S-senior, I finished the examination.”

“Yes? Then…”

Wonhyeok automatically looked up. Because Hangeom had been putting on and taking off various eye examination equipment, his bangs were again in disarray today and pushed upwards.

“Hangeom.”

“Yes?”

“Are you possibly an omega?”

Hearing the sudden question about his type, Hangeom slowly blinked.