Rental Boyfriend ; Meanie

Chapter 4

As a music major, there aren't many classes Wonwoo has in common with Soonyoung, an economics major. But Wonwoo's interest in potentially opening a recording studio in the future motivated him sign up for a class on entrepreneurship, which he takes with Soonyoung.

“Where were you last night?” Soonyoung asks when Wonwoo slides into the seat next to him, ten minutes before the class begins.

It's at that point in the semester when even the professor is showing up late to class. Still, Wonwoo keeps his voice hushed when he mutters, “Getting more action than you.”

Rather than discouraging Soonyoung, this just seems to incite his curiosity. “Were you out having fun with your sugar daddy?”

“Shhh!” Wonwoo hisses, not that it matters since they're the only ones in the lecture hall. “Nobody said anything about him being my sugar daddy.”

“Yeah, but isn't that basically what it is?”

“No, I’m his rental boyfriend. There’s a difference.”

“That….somehow sounds worse. Are you sure you’re okay with this? Have you caught feelings for him or something?” Soonyoung asks gently, sounding a little bit worried now.

“I’m fine with it,” Wonwoo insists, mostly because he wants to believe that their relationship means more than just an exchange of money. “But no, I wasn’t out having fun. I was babysitting last night.”

“Your sugar daddy has kids?!”

“You know what, just—pretend I didn't say anything.”

A smirk pulls at the corners of Soonyoung’s lips, but he keeps quiet when other students start filtering into the classroom. For the rest of the morning, Wonwoo’s body is on autopilot as he takes notes and attends his other Friday lectures. His mind’s distracted by a strange feeling he can’t place the words for.

In the afternoon, Wonwoo finds himself with nothing to do, so he picks up his guitar and notebook from his apartment before heading to the music and arts center to book a practice room. It’s been awhile since he’s had a chance to work on songwriting. He strums a few chords, enjoying the feeling of the guitar strings beneath his fingertips and the loose, lazy strokes of his wrist.

Wonwoo hums under his breath as he plays the song that he’s currently working on, which is no more than an eight bar at this point. He’s strangely focused, determined to flesh the chords into an actual song. Having little experience in love, Wonwoo is usually at a loss for what to write as lyrics. But today, inspiration culls the melodies and words out of Wonwoo’s confused heart.

“Far away, so far away,” Wonwoo sings in a quiet voice, feeling a bittersweet longing when he jots the words down.

Do you still think of me as the person before?

In your small eyes, I’m probably still a kid

This isn’t the first time so what can I do?

I can’t get over how you laugh in front of me