CHAPTER 88: NOT ON PURPOSE

First of all, this wasn’t intentional.

The group from Room 202 and Leonard had decided to go out for a meal. By coincidence, they happened to spot Joshua—who, at that very moment, walked into the same restaurant they had chosen. Even more coincidentally, they ended up seated not too far from him, in a corner that made it easy for them to see Joshua but difficult for Joshua to notice them.

It was just a coincidence... or at least, that’s what anyone who wanted to believe would tell themselves.

Let’s rewind a few minutes earlier.

Henry was the first to step outside. As if sensing something, Luther quickly followed.

Justin and Leonard exchanged glances, then, without hesitation, picked up their pace.

That’s right—they were all heading out to eat as well.

Joshua’s figure wasn’t hard to recognize.

He was walking hand in hand with a man, but...

"Why is Joshua with that guy? They don’t match at all!" Leonard muttered under his breath.

The man beside Joshua looked utterly strange—frankly speaking, ugly and filthy.

Joshua liked cleanliness; everyone knew that.

They watched as Joshua and the man entered a nearby restaurant, and without hesitation, they followed.

Each of them wore glasses, masks, and hats.

The group looked anything but natural—more like a band of suspicious thieves—except for Henry, whose expression remained calm and composed, as if he were heading into a serious business meeting rather than tailing his roommate.

They chose a corner seat. Joshua had his back turned toward them.

They made sure to cover themselves well; with a casual glance, no one would recognize them.

And then they finally saw the man’s face.

Thin, grimy, with unpleasant features and a shifty air that screamed "rat-like." Compared to ordinary people, his face was downright unsightly.

Yet somehow, this man seemed close to Joshua. The moment they sat down, he wouldn’t stop talking loudly.

Joshua seemed to say something in return, but his voice was too soft; the group couldn’t make out a word from where they sat.

Then Joshua waved his hand, and that man stood up—and went to sit beside him! So close that the foolish grin on his face was practically blinding!

Luther and the others stared, eyes wide.

A moment later, the two suddenly leaned in—very close! Luckily, they could make out Joshua gently wiping the man’s face from their angle. From any other angle, the scene could have easily led to a massive misunderstanding.

"Joshua’s never wiped my face like that before!" Luther suddenly growled, his voice filled with both irritation and sorrow. Could it be that he wasn’t Joshua’s best friend after all?

"What’s the deal between those two?!" Leonard snapped, equally furious.

Joshua had rejected him so directly—he’d better not find out that guy was Joshua’s boyfriend!

Justin’s voice wavered slightly with worry. "If... if Joshua actually likes that guy..."

"Shut up!" Luther and Leonard said in unison.

Luther spoke with righteous conviction. "Just because two people are close doesn’t mean they’re dating. What’s wrong with you people—why do you think everyone’s gay?"

Justin: "..."

Only Henry remained silent, quietly observing the entire scene.

They watched as Joshua applied ointment to the man’s face and blew on it! The man’s entire face flushed red!

Luther nearly bit through his own sleeve. "When Joshua treated my wounds last time, he didn’t blow on them like that!"

Leonard’s expression darkened. He remembered exactly when that was—after he and Luther had fought.

Joshua had treated Luther’s injuries while he himself sat alone, nursing the pain of being rejected.

For a moment, Leonard looked between Luther and the man sitting beside Joshua, unable to decide which of them he despised more.

"Are we seriously just going to sit here and keep watching?" Justin muttered.

No sooner had he finished speaking than Henry suddenly said, "Luther, you go over first."

Henry’s unexpected voice made everyone turn to him in surprise.

He met Luther’s gaze and said calmly, "Act normal. You and Joshua are close friends, remember?"

Luther nodded. "Right, but why should I be the one to go first? Let’s all go together!"

He clearly didn’t want to be the only one confronting them.

Leonard clicked his tongue. "If you’re all too scared, then I’ll go!"

With that, he strode straight toward Joshua’s table.

Henry frowned and followed, with Luther quickly catching up behind.

Justin glanced at the waiter who had just arrived, smiled politely, and said, "Excuse me, could you please bring our food to that table over there? We’re acquaintances."

"Joshua, what a coincidence! You’re having lunch here, too?"

Hearing the voice, Joshua turned around and saw Leonard approaching.

Leonard lifted one hand in greeting while the other rested casually in his pocket. His expression was effortlessly confident, his eyes sweeping over Joshua before glancing briefly at the man beside him. He smiled and said, "Is this your friend? I don’t think I’ve seen him before."

Nine frowned inwardly at Leonard’s smug, polished appearance—he was certain Leonard was deliberately trying to show off in front of Joshua!

And of course, Nine hadn’t forgotten the last time Leonard suddenly kissed Joshua and confessed to him afterwards!

Nine narrowed his eyes. "You look unfamiliar, too. Joshua, who is this?"

By then, the rest of the group had arrived one after another, each cheerfully throwing out a "What a coincidence!"

Joshua also found the situation quite a coincidence, though Nine clearly didn’t think so.

He furrowed his brows, glaring at the group as if each one of them were trying to steal Joshua away from him!

"Joshua, I’m full," Nine roared.

Joshua nodded. "Let’s go, then." Then he turned to the others. "You guys enjoy your meal. I’ll head out first."

Obviously, Joshua had no intention of introducing them to one another.

Luther opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, Nine grabbed Joshua’s hand and frowned. "Joshua, my stomach hurts."

Joshua frowned slightly. "Probably because you went hungry for too long. Let’s get you some medicine."

Their voices grew fainter as they walked away, just as the waiter brought out the group’s food.

Ultimately, Joshua buys medicine for Nine, picks out a few sets of clothes, and even gives him money to rent a place before returning to the dorm.

Nine was completely swept up by Joshua’s kindness, feeling light-headed and happy, and forgot about his earlier plan to "hold Joshua accountable."

When Joshua was about to leave, Nine even grinned brightly as he said goodbye—a silly, lovestruck smile that, had he seen himself in a mirror, he probably would’ve punched his own face to snap out of it.

"Joshua, where the hell were you all day?!"

When Joshua returned to the dorm room, Luther lunged forward and grabbed him, ruffling his hair like an interrogator.

Joshua shook his head slightly. "I already took leave. I’ve memorized both the choreography and the song. What’s your problem with that?"

"I’m just worried about you!" Luther raised his voice, then added casually, "That guy from lunch—who was he? A friend of yours?"

Joshua nodded. "Yes. A friend."

"Really? Your friend? You two didn’t seem to match at all..." Luther muttered.

Joshua said, "Well, you and I don’t exactly match either."

Luther: "..." He pinched Joshua’s cheeks and shouted, "Shuaa! Fine then—tell me, in what way don’t we match?! Are you saying I’m not your friend? That guy’s your best friend now, huh?!"

Joshua pulled Luther’s hand down and held it firmly, looking at him seriously. "Luther, up until now, you’ve always been number one in my heart."

Luther froze for a moment under Joshua’s earnest gaze—then immediately broke into a grin and bounced after him. "Then it should stay that way forever, Shua!"