By Zephyria Thanks to a good night’s sleep, Lee Do-hyeon felt light all day. They say sleep is the best medicine, and today was the first day he didn’t feel like he was being sucked into the floor, even after sitting and working for hours.
After finishing his short part-time job at the cafe, Ryu Jeong, after much deliberation, packed a sandwich and fresh fruit juice. Unlike the other part-timers who had been taking full advantage of the employee discount, Ryu Jeong had been holding back because even the discounted price felt too expensive. Since he never bought anything, the CEO, Su-bin, who found it strange, even asked, “Why don’t you ever buy anything, Jeong?” So, when he finally placed an order this time, Su-bin stared at him with surprised eyes.
Although there wasn’t a big age difference, Su-bin was younger than him and often bought him drinks. Ryu Jeong hesitated repeatedly before paying for an extra cup of coffee for Su-bin. Su-bin’s eyes widened at the unexpected gift, and he smiled brightly, thanking him. Ryu Jeong felt a strange feeling, as if he were taking credit for something that wasn’t his money, and just smiled along.
Su-bin seemed curious about what had happened at the hotel, but didn’t ask anything else. Ryu Jeong, who had been inwardly worried about how to respond, left the cafe with a much lighter heart. He was naturally walking in the direction of home when his phone vibrated in his padding jacket pocket. Confirming that the caller was Lee Do-hyeon, Ryu Jeong didn’t realize the corners of his mouth were uncontrollably rising as he quickly answered the phone.
“President.”
“You answered quickly. Are you off work?”
His voice, which seemed a bit subdued, sounded bright today. Lee Do-hyeon’s voice also had a hint of laughter. The soft voice that penetrated his ear made him feel ticklish for no reason. Ryu Jeong nodded his head up and down as if Lee Do-hyeon was right in front of him.
“Yes… just now. I just got out.”
“Good work. Were you busy today?”
“No… I wasn’t very busy today.”
He was so busy that he didn’t even have time to drink water, but Ryu Jeong bit his lip, muttering a white lie. Perhaps Ryu Jeong’s willingness to answer even though he could have given short, curt replies was cute, as he heard a scattering of laughter from the other end of the line.
Even though it was nothing special, a smile crept out. Even though they couldn’t see his smiling face on the other end, Ryu Jeong was embarrassed to laugh freely, so he had to work hard to push down his rising cheekbones. As he tried to hide his ticklish heart, his pace, which had been quickened to save time, gradually slowed down.
“Oh, I heard you bought something at the cafe. What did you buy?”
Lee Do-hyeon, who started talking as if he had remembered something, asked in a still-gentle voice. Ryu Jeong looked down at the paper bag hanging from his other hand with surprised eyes. He was about to ask how he knew, but he swallowed the question, remembering that a separate message was sent.
“A sandwich and strawberry juice. It’s what they sell at the cafe where I work… I bought it on my way home.”
“Are you going to eat it for dinner?”
“Yes… I’m going to eat it before I go to the convenience store later.”
“What did you have for lunch? I didn’t get any notifications. The CEO gives you food at the restaurant, did you eat that?”
“Ah, no… it was a bit much to eat with the customers there.”
“You said you weren’t busy, but I guess you were.”
“…Yes?”
Ryu Jeong stopped his slow steps abruptly. He had been caught in a lie with just a few words. He hadn’t meant to deceive him on purpose. Ryu Jeong, feeling embarrassed for no reason, lowered his chin.
“I’m sorry… I thought you’d be upset if I said I was busy…”
“Well, I wasn’t trying to scold you.”
“Yes? Then…”
“I just feel bad that you were so busy you skipped lunch. All you had was breakfast at my house today.”
Realizing that he was standing in the middle of the road with people passing by on both sides, Ryu Jeong quickly moved to the edge. He carefully moved his steps, worried about bumping into someone, and held the phone closer to his ear. Lee Do-hyeon, who had been talking to Ryu Jeong, who was very subdued, muttered a grumpy grumble.
“I should have fed you rice instead of bread.”
“Ah, no. It was really delicious. It wasn’t just bread…”
The breakfast that Lee Do-hyeon had prepared, saying it was nothing special, wasn’t extravagant, but it was perfect for Ryu Jeong. Toast with a savory butter scent, scrambled eggs, salty bacon, and fresh fruit juice. Ryu Jeong, who was used to filling himself up just enough to not feel faint, found it special just to sit leisurely at the table and eat food that wasn’t cold.
He forgot the sense of obligation to eat a meal and enjoyed the feeling of having a real breakfast. Above all, the fact that Lee Do-hyeon had prepared everything was even more meaningful to Ryu Jeong. Since it was the first time someone had cared for him, he watched Lee Do-hyeon even though he was told to rest. Sitting on a high bar stool, swinging his feet that didn’t reach the floor, he stared endlessly at Lee Do-hyeon’s broad back without realizing how much time had passed.
“It was nice… eating together.”
And one last important thing. He had done all of this with Lee Do-hyeon. He had spent the weekend without any worries, but the memory of sitting face to face and eating together was so impressive that it made his heart tingle. It wasn’t the first time he had eaten with Lee Do-hyeon, but perhaps because of the comfort of the place, the afterimage of the morning lingered for a long time.
Was that why? Even though he could have bought something at the convenience store, he had bothered to get a sandwich and juice from the cafe. Since the cafe menu would be similar everywhere, he didn’t bother to mention it. If he had told the truth, he would have been too embarrassed and might have lost strength in his legs and fallen over.
Lee Do-hyeon was silent for a while. Ryu Jeong, who thought he couldn’t hear well because the surroundings were too noisy, briefly took the phone away from his ear to check if the call had been disconnected. But the call time was slowly increasing. Ryu Jeong, feeling puzzled, turned up the call volume and brought it back to his ear, and just then, Lee Do-hyeon opened his mouth.
“…I think I should register for cooking school.”
The voice that flowed through the receiver sounded somehow determined. Ryu Jeong, realizing that he wasn’t joking, couldn’t say yes or no, and silently pulled his gaze down.
In the end, it was Lee Do-hyeon who resumed the conversation first. Ryu Jeong quickly nodded and promised to go home and eat it quickly and send him a picture.
“By the way, will a sandwich be enough? What if you get hungry in the early morning?”
As he walked diligently, he was already in Wolhyeon-dong. Once he got away from the noisy noise, Lee Do-hyeon’s voice coming through the receiver became clearer. Judging from the quiet surroundings, it seemed like he was talking on the phone separately, and he wondered if it would interfere with his work, but the answer to the question was even faster.
“Ah… there aren’t many customers in the early morning. I can eat in the warehouse.”
“The warehouse, like that time?”
“Yes?”
Ryu Jeong’s eyes widened at Lee Do-hyeon’s words. It was a question that could have been easily overlooked, but the problem was the phrase “like that time,” which referred to a specific time. It was a vague expression that didn’t specify exactly when, but one memory flashed through Ryu Jeong’s mind. And as if to confirm it again, Lee Do-hyeon continued.
“I mean, where you collapsed, Jeong. Behind the counter.”
“Ah… yes, yes… that’s right.”
He was reminded of the memory of that day when his heat cycle had suddenly burst and he had rolled around pathetically. A small laugh flowed from the other end of the line at the answer that clearly showed his embarrassment. Ryu Jeong pursed his lips, feeling as if he was being teased, and quickened his pace for no reason.
It was then. Someone was looking for Lee Do-hyeon. He had been listening to Lee Do-hyeon’s voice all along, but when he heard a stranger’s voice, he became nervous for no reason.
Lee Do-hyeon said, “Just a moment,” and asked for understanding before replying to someone who was looking for him. It was a stiff and cold tone, unlike when he was talking to him. The tone was short and concise, and he cut off the other person’s long words with a single stroke. He became nervous as well, but the difference made him realize that Lee Do-hyeon was an adult with the title of ‘President’.
He felt strange for some reason and just blinked his eyes, but Lee Do-hyeon’s voice was heard again as if he had finished the conversation.
“Sorry. They suddenly needed me.”
Ryu Jeong, guessing that he was indirectly saying that he had to hang up, waved his hand, saying it was okay. The paper bag, which he had been wearing like a bracelet on his wrist, swayed in the air.
“I’m almost there now, too. I’m home. You can go back inside.”
“I said I’d take you to and from work, Jeong, but it’s like this from the first day.”
“I’m really okay. You don’t have to worry about me.”
“Don’t say that, I’ll just go to Wolhyeon-dong…”
“Aren’t they looking for you, President?”
If this continued, he really felt like he would pack his bags and come to this neighborhood. When he changed the subject, saying that someone was calling him for no reason, Lee Do-hyeon, who had been silent for a while, burst out laughing.
“Ah… I’m going crazy.”
Lee Do-hyeon, who muttered with a short sigh, continued to chuckle as if the lingering feeling hadn’t disappeared. Only Ryu Jeong, who was flustered and didn’t know what to do, pouted his lips.
“Then I’ll see you later.”
“Yes…”
Ryu Jeong put his lips back in place only after Lee Do-hyeon, who had been chuckling for a long time, barely managed to control his laughter. It was really time to hang up now. But he couldn’t bring himself to hang up because he was sad. I’ll hang up when the President hangs up first. He was just determined in his mind, but as if he knew, Lee Do-hyeon threw out a kind word, telling him to hang up first.
Ryu Jeong took the phone away from his ear as if he was possessed. He looked down at the call time, which was still increasing by one second, as if he was sad, and put a period on the short call.
“Later.”
He didn’t know the exact time, but it was a word that made him have expectations.