By Zephyria 
Thump, thump.
Leaving the bedroom, Seo Yi-kyung rubbed his wet hair with a towel. He then gripped both ends and draped it around his neck, his eyes half-closed.
There was no strength in his steps. The corners of his eyes were flushed red, a result of his inability to sleep well.
As he stepped into the elevator, he rubbed his heavy eyelids.
Even after showering, the drowsiness didn’t subside. It was only natural; he had tossed and turned yesterday, only managing to fall into a shallow sleep after a midnight walk. Even then, because his stomach was so full, he had spent most of the night fidgeting in bed.
Ding.
With a clear, crisp chime, the elevator arrived at the first floor and the doors opened. However, Seo Yi-kyung remained standing there blankly, rubbing his eyes with both hands.
‘Maybe I should have slept more…’
Despite his desire to sleep, his physical discomfort made deep slumber impossible. He had thought that washing up would wake him up, but it seemed that wasn’t the case either.
It seemed this was something beyond the reach of willpower.
Meanwhile, the elevator doors began to slide shut.
Just then, a long arm reached out and pressed the button. The closing doors opened once more.
“…!”
Seo Yi-kyung lowered his hands and started to move, then froze. The person holding the elevator button was Han Seung-jae. The suit draped over his broad shoulders was flawless, without a single crease. This only served to emphasize the coldness of his gaze.
“Aren’t you getting off?”
At Han Seung-jae’s low voice, Seo Yi-kyung finally seemed to wake from his haze. It was a cold voice, one that sent his lingering drowsiness fleeing in an instant.
As if he had been splashed with cold water, Seo Yi-kyung snapped awake and took large strides to hurriedly exit the elevator.
However, that was only in his mind. Contrary to his will, his body swayed. Even Butler Do, watching from a distance, stiffened his expression. Feeling that Seo Yi-kyung’s movements were precarious, Butler Do instinctively stepped forward but stopped himself. No matter how he looked at it, this was not a situation for him to intervene in.
Han Seung-jae, however, simply looked down at Seo Yi-kyung as he calmly approached. Meeting the gaze of Seo Yi-kyung’s reddish eyes looking up at him, he released the elevator button.
Han Seung-jae smoothly reached out and plucked the towel from around Seo Yi-kyung’s neck.
“Your eyes are quite red.”
Are your lips like that too?
Muttering softly, Han Seung-jae looked elsewhere while holding the towel. Butler Do approached in a single stride and took the wet towel from his hand.
Seo Yi-kyung fiddled with the nape of his neck as if to hide his embarrassment.
Han Seung-jae walked through the living room, matching his pace to Seo Yi-kyung’s. Seo Yi-kyung was walking slowly, one hand cradling his stomach. Consequently, the gazes of Secretary Park, who was standing at the entrance, and Butler Do, who held the towel, were fixed on the two of them.
However, Secretary Park soon looked away to check the time on his wristwatch. While doing so, he mentally reviewed Han Seung-jae’s schedule. Han Seung-jae was not the type of person to be late for an appointment in the first place, but in truth, there was no one who could reprimand him even if he did choose to meet someone late.
Han Seung-jae spoke.
“Why did you come down already? You could have slept more.”
His tone was cold as usual, but he was walking in sync with Seo Yi-kyung’s stride.
“…It’s not exactly comfortable just lying in bed.”
Seo Yi-kyung had struggled to sleep yesterday as well. Even when he managed to drift off for a moment, he would quickly wake up due to discomfort. Because of this, he had eventually woken Han Seung-jae as well.
—Can’t you sleep?
—…
In the darkness, Han Seung-jae’s tone was devoid of emotion. The only difference was that his voice was sunken, as if weighed down by sleep. But even that was so subtle that one wouldn’t notice unless they listened closely.
Just as Seo Yi-kyung was pondering how to answer, Han Seung-jae sat up, turned on the lamp on the nightstand, checked that it was past 2 AM, and stepped out of bed. The light leaking from the lamp cast a slanted glow on his pajamas, making his back shimmer.
—If it’s because you’re thirsty, there’s water here. Shall I get you some?
Han Seung-jae turned around and looked down at the teapot on the nightstand. Butler Do had left it there just before Seo Yi-kyung fell asleep.
Seo Yi-kyung murmured, fiddling with the blanket with his fingertips.
—I’ll do it…
However, Han Seung-jae’s movements were faster than Seo Yi-kyung’s sluggish attempt to push away the blanket and sit up. He filled a glass halfway with water and handed it to Seo Yi-kyung. Seo Yi-kyung took it and drank, moistening his dry lips. It was true that he was thirsty, but more accurately, it was the lack of sleep that was the bigger issue.
When Seo Yi-kyung lowered the glass, Han Seung-jae took it and placed it back on the nightstand with a soft thud. Then, he looked down at Seo Yi-kyung and pointed toward the door with his fingertip.
—Want to go out?
And so, Seo Yi-kyung walked through the silent garden filled with the presence of a crescent moon alongside Han Seung-jae. And to that, a consuming kiss was added.
“…Director Han, I will head to the car first.”
Secretary Park, who had been waiting until now, bowed to Han Seung-jae as their eyes met. Secretary Park then gave a polite nod to Seo Yi-kyung before exiting through the front door.
Step. Seo Yi-kyung stopped walking.
Han Seung-jae, who had been continuing forward, looked down beside him.
“Why? Are your legs too sore to walk any further?”
“…?”
Seo Yi-kyung looked up with clear eyes, filled with doubt. Han Seung-jae tilted his head.
“Since you came all the way out here, why don’t you see me off a bit more?”
As Han Seung-jae stepped out through the open front door, Seo Yi-kyung followed. Despite the early hour, the sunlight was hot.
Seo Yi-kyung instinctively shrank his upper body at Han Seung-jae’s sudden movement as he turned around. However, Han Seung-jae merely brushed past Seo Yi-kyung’s side and reached back with his long arm. What he picked up was a large black umbrella.
“It’s hot, even for the morning.”
A deep shadow fell over Seo Yi-kyung’s pale face. Han Seung-jae opened the umbrella over Seo Yi-kyung’s head and stepped forward.
Seo Yi-kyung felt his heart thumping rapidly. Walking at night and walking in the morning felt entirely different. Even though it was the same path, the same person, and the same scent of white musk emanating from his side, the feeling was different every time.
“I’ll see you at the hospital this evening. It’s hot, so don’t walk for too long.”
Han Seung-jae acted as if he knew exactly why Seo Yi-kyung walked in the garden—that after walking a bit, fatigue would quickly wash over him, allowing him to fall into a brief, sweet sleep.
“I will.”
Seo Yi-kyung nodded barely perceptibly and reached his hand up. This was because Han Seung-jae had stopped walking and lowered the umbrella slightly.
As Seo Yi-kyung reached to take the umbrella, Han Seung-jae looked back. Seo Yi-kyung followed his gaze.
Butler Do, who had been standing by the open front door, hurried over and grasped the umbrella Han Seung-jae offered with both hands.
“Please have a safe trip.”
“I will.”
Han Seung-jae climbed into the backseat of the sedan opened by Secretary Park. He looked at Seo Yi-kyung one more time through the car window before turning away. The sedan drifted leisurely away.
“Would you like to walk a bit more?”
Butler Do, who had been standing beside Seo Yi-kyung, asked while lowering the umbrella further. It was to ensure that not a single ray of sunlight touched Seo Yi-kyung’s face.
Seo Yi-kyung shook his head.
“No. It’s a bit hot.”
These were things he didn’t feel when walking with Han Seung-jae.
“Slowly, there is no rush, so please walk carefully, step by step.”
Butler Do looked down at Seo Yi-kyung with an anxious gaze, noticing how his center of gravity was shifting to one side. It was only natural, as the due date was just around the corner.
Butler Do was exerting every effort and paying attention to every detail to ensure that no problems occurred.
Upon entering the house, Butler Do placed the umbrella back in its original spot and then placed a glass of water in front of Seo Yi-kyung as he sat down on the living room sofa.
Seo Yi-kyung lifted the glass of ice water to his lips. He took a few sips of water while glancing out the window at the pouring sunlight.
Behind him, Butler Do was preoccupied with packing the items Seo Yi-kyung would need during his hospitalization.