By Zephyria Kwon Tae-hee glanced around the living room without much interest and went straight into Seo Jeong-won’s bedroom. It was a small room with just a bed barely big enough for one person, a desk that looked old, and a chair.
He probably wasn’t studying now, but there were stacks of workbooks on the desk. He took the one on top and opened it, finding it full of traces of careful problem-solving. Though he couldn’t tell when he had stopped.
Then, he found an old notebook among the bills piled on one side. Kwon Tae-hee leaned against the shaky desk and flipped through the worn pages, checking the writing inside.
It wasn’t Seo Jeong-won’s handwriting. It was completely different from what he’d seen when signing documents.
Unlike the scribbled phone numbers and payment dates, the notes about plants were quite detailed.
Was that why he hadn’t thrown it away? There was also a book that looked like a plant encyclopedia on the desk. He must have been quite serious about the flower shop. He was glad he’d put off finding a buyer.
Kwon Tae-hee smiled and stopped by the bed. There was only a thin blanket and a pillow.
He couldn’t sit on the bed in his outdoor clothes, but he could smell the scent coming from the blanket. The scent that came from his white neck was strong on the bed.
His light brown eyes gleamed dangerously. Just as he reached out to grab the blanket, Seo Jeong-won’s voice came from behind him.
“The rice is… it’s instant rice, is that okay?”
Kwon Tae-hee straightened up and composed himself. He turned around, releasing his Pheromone a little more openly as a habit.
“It’s fine.”
“I’m almost done. The room is messy…”
“It’s clean. Just the desk is a bit cluttered.”
At Kwon Tae-hee’s words, Seo Jeong-won’s eyes flicked to the desk. He saw the workbooks he had prepared for the college entrance exam, which he hadn’t touched in over half a year due to various circumstances, scattered about. There were traces of him having worked on them.
He felt ashamed. The sight of him starting something but not finishing it looked exactly like him promising to take responsibility for his Hyung and then giving up halfway, going to him for help.
“Take your time… coming out.”
Seo Jeong-won turned around first. He placed the stew, bubbling on the gas stove, on a small table and microwaved two servings of instant rice.
He added a freshly made egg roll, grilled ham, seaweed, and a can of tuna to fill the empty spaces. He felt a little proud that the spread looked decent. The familiar, delicious smell eased his tension a little.
Just as he finished setting out the spoons, Kwon Tae-hee appeared. He took off his jacket and asked if there was a place to hang it. Seo Jeong-won quickly reached out.
“I’ll hang it up.”
“Thank you.”
“Please start eating.”
Seo Jeong-won went into the room next to the bedroom. He carefully hung the jacket he had been holding on a hanger, sprayed it with deodorizer, and hurried out. Kwon Tae-hee was sitting at the table, waiting quietly.
“Ah, you can start eating. Would you like some water?”
“No, it’s okay. Sit down.”
The gentle reply came as if he had been waiting for it. Seo Jeong-won sat down across from Kwon Tae-hee. He forced himself to pick up his spoon, but he didn’t move because Kwon Tae-hee hadn’t started eating.
“Why, are you going to wait for the elder to pick up his spoon before you eat again today?”
Kwon Tae-hee suppressed a smile. Seo Jeong-won, realizing his intentions had been read, was about to nod but quietly closed his mouth when he realized he was being teased. His neat hand grasped the spoon.
“Thank you for the meal.”
“It’s not much, but please… eat a lot.”
He never thought he would say those words. And he never thought he would eat with someone in this house.
The space, which was always lonely, felt quite full. Seo Jeong-won picked up a side dish and glanced at Kwon Tae-hee.
He had perfect table manners. He didn’t make a sound when his spoon touched the dishes. Was that something you were taught when you were young? He wondered.
In fact, while preparing the food, he was worried that he wouldn’t eat well. He was also worried about what to do if he saw that he was eating something for the first time or was reluctant to eat it.
But Kwon Tae-hee ate the instant rice, the stew, and the poorly made side dishes without complaint, making those worries unnecessary.
While Seo Jeong-won was eating cautiously, Kwon Tae-hee finished his portion cleanly.
“Thank you for the meal.”
“…I’m glad.”
Seo Jeong-won scooped up a large spoonful of rice, put it in his mouth a few times, and swallowed it quickly. As he hurried to clean up, Kwon Tae-hee poured water from the bottle on the floor and handed it to him.
“Eat slowly.”
“I, I’m done.”
He put down his spoon and took the water. All his actions were rushed. He coughed at the repeated urging to drink slowly. Seo Jeong-won’s back rose and fell rapidly as if he had choked. Kwon Tae-hee moved and stroked his shaking back.
“I’m, cough, hahem! I’m okay. Really, cough, really okay.”
His eyes were filled with tears as he looked up, but what was okay? Kwon Tae-hee patted Seo Jeong-won’s shaking back and wiped his wet mouth.
“Why are you uncomfortable?”
“Ah, aren’t you uncomfortable…?”
“I’m fine. The dinner was delicious, it’s clean, comfortable, and Seo Jeong-won is here. Am I the only one who’s comfortable in someone else’s house?”
Seo Jeong-won couldn’t answer the quietly asked question and closed his mouth. It seemed strange for him, the homeowner, to say he was uncomfortable when the guest was comfortable.
“It’s just that… it’s been a long time since a guest came to my house, so, that’s why.”
“Ah.”
“I didn’t think the house was small, but since Executive Director is tall… it feels like the house is small. Or should I say cramped.”
“I can’t reduce my volume. I want to come often.”
Seo Jeong-won finally smiled at the serious response. The coughing finally stopped.
Kwon Tae-hee, confirming that Seo Jeong-won’s breathing was stable, stepped back. He was about to help clear the table, but he decided to sit still at his insistence.
“Coffee, I have instant coffee. You don’t like it, do you?”
“It’s okay. I’ll drink it if you give it to me.”
“Should I put ice in it?”
“I’d appreciate it if you did.”
Seo Jeong-won pursed his lips at the obvious flattery. He was definitely teasing him. The corners of Kwon Tae-hee’s mouth turned up.
With a reddened face, Seo Jeong-won put the clean dishes in the sink and filled the coffee pot with water. His eyes kept going to Kwon Tae-hee. He didn’t know how to tell, but he was busy trying to gauge whether he was really okay or not.
Kwon Tae-hee leaned against the cushion against the wall and looked up at the low ceiling.
Seo Jeong-won carefully observed his every move. He unbuttoned and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt, which had been neatly buttoned up, and turned his head with a slightly flushed face, meeting his eyes as if he knew. Seo Jeong-won was startled.
“It’s okay, look comfortably.”
“No, uh, it’s not…”
“Fill it with ice.”
His voice was full of laughter. Seo Jeong-won, quickly averting his gaze, hesitated over the cups. Which would be less ridiculous, a paper cup or a mug with a coffee brand logo? Things that he usually didn’t care about were bothering him.
It didn’t seem like either, so Seo Jeong-won rummaged through the cupboard again. There should be a tall glass…
He reached out to take out something he had put in the cupboard and rarely took out, and accidentally touched a porcelain dish.
“Ouch—!”
It was too late when he thought it would break. The dish fell to the floor with a heavy, dull sound unique to porcelain and shattered.
His reddish face turned white. Kwon Tae-hee moved from his seat at the overly panicked expression. He approached in an instant and stopped in front of Seo Jeong-won.
“Are you hurt?”
“Ah, no. I’m not hurt. I’m okay, I’ll do it. You might… get hurt.”
Seo Jeong-won quickly sat down and gathered the large pieces. He wanted him to move, but Kwon Tae-hee’s feet didn’t seem to want to move.
“There are glass shards under your feet. You have to be careful. If you move a little—”
Seo Jeong-won, who was speaking, moved his lips at the sight of Kwon Tae-hee readily sitting down in front of him. You’ll get hurt. He worried in a subdued voice, you’ll get hurt.
“I think Jeong-won is going to get hurt. Aren’t you constantly distracted because of me?”
“No. Wait, that’s too…!”
It was the moment when his long, straight fingers grasped a small piece. The sharp, pointed end cut Kwon Tae-hee’s finger.
“Ouch,” he said in a small voice, and his light brown eyes turned to Seo Jeong-won. Bright red drops of blood quickly flowed down his pretty finger.
“I said you’d get hurt… that’s why I said I’d do it.”
Seo Jeong-won fumbled and brought a roll of paper towels. He unwound and tore off an excessive amount compared to the wound, then wrapped it around his finger.
“It hurts.”
“That’s why. Why…”
There was even a slight resentment. Seo Jeong-won focused all his attention on pressing down on Kwon Tae-hee’s fingertip and stopping the bleeding.
He was worried about what would happen if it was a deep cut. Did he have a bandage? What about disinfectant? Did he have ointment at home? He recalled his memories and released the hand that had been tightly holding his finger.
“But it doesn’t seem to be a deep cut. Does it hurt?”
“Yes, it hurts.”
“I think we should go over there. There are too many pieces here.”