By Zephyria 
As people began to disperse one by one, the chaotic uproar settled down as if it had been a lie.
Fortunately, the temporary wall collapse incident was resolved without any major injuries, and the staff, saying they would work from tomorrow, disbanded early.
However, the uneasy atmosphere was slow to clear.
Even during the cleanup, someone’s low muttering could be heard.
“What kind of thing is this, even before the exhibition starts.”
The words didn’t continue to the end, but the air grew strangely heavy.
Upon hearing they could go home, Haon naturally walked beside Cha Jeong-won, then suddenly looked back.
He hadn’t said goodbye to Cha Seo-jun.
He kept popping up right in front of him, and then, at some point, it was like he disappeared?
‘Where did he go.’
The last time they parted was a precarious moment when he didn’t know what was happening. He left without a proper explanation, so Haon was worried if he was okay.
He called, but there was no answer. He asked passing colleagues if they had seen Cha Seo-jun, but everyone shook their heads, so he gave up looking.
He would see him once he went to Seoul anyway. Haon decided to leave a text message for now.
The parking lot was quiet. The air on the parking lot side was cold, so Haon took a shallow breath in and out.
His heated body had cooled down, but a tingling sensation remained.
It had been since he voiced Cha Jeong-won’s misfortune.
The words that they should be together were stuck in his throat and wouldn’t go down. He thought he now understood that when worry grows, the heart grows along with it, so he still felt uneasy.
Cha Jeong-won, walking toward the driver’s seat, glanced at Haon.
“Shall I open the door for you?”
It seemed like he would open the passenger door right away if Haon just nodded.
“I have hands too.”
Haon flatly refused and quickly opened the door.
Sometimes, it seemed Cha Jeong-won acted even more shamelessly than he did.
“Since it ended earlier than expected, I should call home.”
After checking Cha Jeong-won’s expression, Haon casually added.
“I’ll also say I’m going with a nice senior I get along with.”
His face flushed.
Cha Jeong-won, turning the steering wheel, asked indifferently.
“When you go home, are your parents and siblings there?”
“Uh……. Probably, right?”
He thought of his older brother and sister. Since before Haon entered university, they had lived out, not coming to the family home unless it was something significant.
So, after hesitantly nodding, he suddenly looked back at Cha Jeong-won.
Perhaps it would be good to talk a bit before going home.
That way, he might be less flustered.
“Um……. My house is ordinary.”
It was difficult to explain once he started. Haon waved his hand as he spoke.
“So, it’s not like the house is super big. You’ll see the kids, but they play a lot of pranks. My parents are just parents.”
While the car stopped briefly at a signal, Cha Jeong-won’s gaze turned toward Haon and then returned.
It was brief, but because his eyes were so intense, Haon noticed immediately.
Haon turned his body toward Cha Jeong-won.
“So, just take whatever happens as it is.”
His tone was very light, as if there was nothing special.
＊ ＊ ＊
As soon as the door opened, the children’s voices poured out.
“Hyung!”
“Haon oppa!”
Yoon Seul and Yoon Byeol almost simultaneously ran out. The kids clung to Haon’s legs, and as soon as they saw Cha Jeong-won standing behind him, their eyes widened.
“Uh.”
Yoon Byeol stopped first.
“It’s that hyung.”
Yoon Seul nodded.
“Right.”
Haon, who had been wondering how to introduce Cha Jeong-won, replied, thinking it was good.
“Right. I came with the cool hyung who bought you snacks.”
“To me, he’s oppa. Oppa, right?”
As if it was unfair that Haon only referred to him as hyung, Yoon Seul squirmed and spoke to Cha Jeong-won.
“Right. Have you been well?”
Cha Jeong-won lightly brushed Yoon Seul’s hair as he greeted her.
Then, Yoon Seul happily stretched both hands toward Cha Jeong-won.
It meant she wanted a hug.
That’s when it happened.
“Yoon Seul, why are you stretching your hands toward someone who hasn’t even come in yet.”
A woman resembling Haon came out from inside. Her eyes were similar, but perhaps because of a somewhat weary look in them, she clearly seemed older.
It was Yoon Woo-joo. Thirty years old, six years older than Haon.
“A guest?”
Haon made a surprised expression.
“Yeah, a guest. What brings you here, noona?”
Cha Jeong-won lightly bowed his head.
“I’m Cha Jeong-won.”
Yoon Woo-joo looked at Cha Jeong-won once and slightly raised an eyebrow.
“For a guest……”
As she felt a strange vibe and was about to speak, another man came out from inside. He was tall with broad shoulders. His face resembled Haon’s, but his aura was much heavier.
Yoon Tae-joo. The eldest son. Thirty-three.
Yoon Tae-joo scanned the living room once, looked at Haon and Cha Jeong-won in turn, and spoke briefly.
“Come in.”
“Yeah.”
While Haon was taking off his shoes, Yoon Tae-joo’s gaze stopped on Cha Jeong-won. He didn’t look for long. But it was a gaze that seemed to accurately measure the other person.
Cha Jeong-won didn’t show the slightest waver even under Yoon Tae-joo’s heavy gaze.
There was a sound of someone else coming from the kitchen. His mother, wearing an apron, came out, saw Cha Jeong-won, and her eyes sparkled. His father, coming out of the room, pushed his glasses back up.
With people crowding into the small living room, the air instantly grew warmer.
“I thought hyung and noona weren’t coming, did Mom call you?”
Instead of answering Haon’s question, his mother looked at Cha Jeong-won.
“Welcome.”
His father also belatedly greeted.
“A guest, I see.”
Cha Jeong-won politely greeted.
“Hello. I’m Cha Jeong-won.”
Even the angle of his bow was neat.
He was so proper that the disorderliness of this house became more pronounced.
“Is the food ready? It smells good.”
Muttering that, Haon tugged at Cha Jeong-won’s collar.
But Haon wasn’t the only one seeking Cha Jeong-won’s attention. Yoon Seul’s voice was heard.
“Oppa, look at this.”
As Yoon Seul spread both hands wide in front of Haon’s eyes, Yoon Byeol followed suit.
Only then did he see what the kids had smeared on their hands. It was paint. Their palms, between their fingers, were covered in paint.
“Were you two playing with paint until just now?”
Yoon Seul said proudly.
“Yeah.”
Yoon Byeol also said proudly.
“It was fun.”
It was a familiar development. Haon wanted to close his eyes.
“Where did this paint come from?”
“Uh, this……”
At that timing, his father spoke as if he had been waiting.
“Haon-ah, wash the kids.”
“Yes, yes.”
Haon reflexively answered and grabbed the kids’ wrists. At the same time, he instructed Cha Jeong-won.
“Senior, sit for a bit.”
Haon pointed to the sofa. But Cha Jeong-won just stood there blankly.
There was no time to drag Cha Jeong-won to the sofa and make him sit. Haon quickly grabbed Yoon Byeol and Yoon Seul’s hands.
“Why didn’t you use brushes and used your hands?”
The way he took care of the kids looked very natural.
But while Haon was taking care of his two younger siblings, no one helped.
His mother went back into the kitchen, and Yoon Tae-joo and Yoon Woo-joo also sat on the sofa. They just looked at their phones as if it wasn’t their business.
Even his father went back into his room. Cha Jeong-won watched all of that and then headed to the bathroom.
He lightly knocked on the firmly closed door.
“Huh? Senior, why? Do you need to use the bathroom?”
Haon spoke as if he could guess who was knocking.
It was a tone implying only Cha Jeong-won would knock.
“Let’s do it together.”
“It’s okay, ack! Yoon Byeol!”
Simultaneous with Haon’s scream, the bathroom door opened.
It seemed Yoon Seul opened the door. Thanks to that, what was happening inside was fully visible.
The bathroom floor was already soaked with water, and paint stains were messily smeared on the tiles below the sink.
Yoon Byeol was holding the showerhead like a sword, and Yoon Seul had a delighted face while holding the doorknob.
In the middle of it all, only Yoon Haon had wet hair, looking like the wronged party.
Cha Jeong-won watched all of that and went inside.
“No more pranks from now.”
Yoon Byeol’s hand holding the showerhead hesitated. Yoon Seul’s smiling face also half-stiffened.
Cha Jeong-won wasn’t angry. He didn’t shout.
But strangely, they couldn’t move.
When Cha Jeong-won reached out his hand, Yoon Byeol immediately handed over the showerhead.
As the situation was resolved in an instant, Haon blinked.
“Senior, are you good at this kind of thing?”
“No.”
Cha Jeong-won answered honestly. He was someone who originally had no reason to meet children.
And he brushed Haon’s wet bangs with his hand.
Haon, whose eyes closed naturally, kept his head slightly tilted back, and only opened his eyes after the hand left.
“Now, get a grip. We have to wash the kids.”
“Uh……. Right.”
Haon answered half-dazedly and looked at the twins.
Yoon Seul and Yoon Byeol were grinning.
“Funny……. Come here.”
Haon squeezed soap and made foam in his palm. He put that foam between Yoon Byeol’s fingers and meticulously scrubbed under his nails.
He could see paint stuck in every joint of his fingers. Normally, he would have just rinsed quickly and been done, but today it wasn’t just his hands covered in paint. Paint had splattered on Yoon Byeol’s forehead and hair too.
“You……. Got it on your hair too.”
Yoon Byeol feigned ignorance.
“Didn’t get it.”
“Got it.”
Continuing the bland conversation, Haon looked back at Cha Jeong-won.
Cha Jeong-won wasn’t looking at Haon.
Instead, he was accurately looking at the paint-stained areas, adjusting the angle of the shower stream to make it easier for Haon to wash Yoon Byeol. So the water wouldn’t splash on the child’s face but only flow toward his hair.
With the two of them washing, the speed became much faster.
86 – NOT 86