By Zephyria 
When he checked the clock, it was already 10 AM.
Since Yoon Tae-hee had left the house around 8, it had been about two hours since he and Jae-gyeom had parted. Even while they were apart, Yoon Tae-hee would send texts from time to time.
Jae-gyeom put down his pencil and typed a reply.
Studying.
Ding! A speech bubble popped up immediately after he sent the reply.
Is it going well? hehe
No.. not really. Hard..
Having exchanged texts with Yoon Tae-hee every day, Jae-gyeom’s texting skills had improved considerably. His response time was much faster than before, and compared to the past when consonants and vowels seemed to drift apart, he was now able to complete words so they could be read as proper syllables.
It was while he was fidgeting with his pencil, waiting for Yoon Tae-hee’s reply. Once again, with a ding! sound, the screen lit up.
Can you send me a photo?
A photo? Did he mean a photo of what he was studying?
Jae-gyeom took a photo of the Korean language workbook he was solving and sent it.
(Photo)
No, not a photo of the workbook ㅠ
Please send a photo of the person solving the problems hehe
My. photo?. why?
Why was he suddenly asking for a photo of him? As Jae-gyeom sent the text, wondering, the reply arrived after a short pause.
I wonder why?
Even though he was only looking at text, strangely, it felt as if he could hear Yoon Tae-hee’s playful voice.
Asking for a photo of me… does that mean he misses me?
It was only after circling around that he finally derived the answer according to the questioner’s intent. As if reading Jae-gyeom’s thoughts, the answer sheet arrived in a timely manner.
I miss you
The moment he saw those three words, Jae-gyeom blinked rapidly, like someone who had gotten something in their eye.
“…….”
Truly, Yoon Tae-hee was so good at saying such embarrassing things.
Normally, Jae-gyeom didn’t fully realize the fact that he and Yoon Tae-hee had become that kind of relationship. However, even while exchanging conversations about mundane things, whenever an unabashed expression of affection flew in like this, a certain word would newly spring to mind.
‘Lovers.’
Jae-gyeom and Yoon Tae-hee, who had become lovers a few months ago, were currently keeping their distance.
To be precise, they became lovers only when they were alone.
The two of them rarely engaged in skinship in front of the family. At most, it was something like brushing dust off each other’s clothes, lightly touching hair when no one was looking, or their hands brushing while exchanging items. This distance applied not only to physical contact but also to verbal expressions of affection.
Jae-gyeom’s personality played a large part in why they kept their distance. Jae-gyeom felt embarrassed and awkward revealing to Jeong-ju or Yu Nam-saeng that he and Yoon Tae-hee were lovers. The very act of showing such a side of himself in front of others was shameful and uncomfortable for Jae-gyeom.
Furthermore, Jeong-ju and Yu Nam-saeng seemed to be completely unaware.
Jae-gyeom hadn’t given Yoon Tae-hee any specific word regarding this. However, the quick-witted Yoon Tae-hee had instinctively noticed that Jae-gyeom was conscious of the family and refrained from skinship and other expressions of affection unless they were alone.
Thus, their usual appearance was as plain as if they were merely housemates or friends. Because of this, whenever he encountered moments like this that made him realize he was lovers with Yoon Tae-hee, Jae-gyeom would involuntarily freeze for a moment, as if he had malfunctioned.
It’s only been two hours since we parted, and he already misses me…
Honestly, he didn’t know how to answer at times like this. It was as difficult as solving an unfamiliar problem he had encountered for the first time in his life.
After pondering for a moment, Jae-gyeom sent a reply.
You. send. first.
A photo appeared immediately.
(Photo)
He locked eyes with Yoon Tae-hee in the photo. Yoon Tae-hee was holding a book with one eye closed, highlighting the dimple in one of his cheeks. Jae-gyeom was momentarily speechless at the bold aegyo that flew in without hesitation.
“…….”
Did he take a photo like this alone in the library?
“Cute….”
As soon as he muttered the words unconsciously, he heard a ding!
How is it?
Jae-gyeom’s hand hovered hesitantly over the screen.
Cute.,
After sending his honest impression, a wave of awkwardness washed over him. Jae-gyeom scratched his forehead vigorously. He felt unnecessarily embarrassed.
🥰
Send a photo now
Now it was Jae-gyeom’s turn to send one.
When it came time to actually take the photo, he became flustered. After worrying about how to take it, he just took one haphazardly from an angle where he was looking straight at the phone. Compared to Yoon Tae-hee’s natural photo, Jae-gyeom’s photo had a composition that a middle-aged man in his 50s might use, but having no way of knowing that, Jae-gyeom sent the photo as it was without much thought…
(Photo)
The ‘read’ indicator appeared immediately after he sent the photo.
“Hmm…….”
Even though he read it immediately, Yoon Tae-hee didn’t reply. It had only been a few minutes, but because the replies had felt almost instantaneous until now, this gap in the conversation felt strange. Jae-gyeom scratched his cheek. Was his expression too foolish?
At that moment, Yoon Tae-hee was zooming in on Jae-gyeom’s photo.
Ding!
And then, a beat later, a reply flew to Jae-gyeom.
Can I kiss the photo?
The moment he saw the speech bubble, Jae-gyeom froze. Kissing a photo was absurd. Moreover, if he wanted to do it, he could have just done it quietly on his own; the fact that he was asking for permission so blatantly was ridiculous.
It was a precarious tightrope walk between aegyo and mischief. While it was absurd, his cheeks inevitably tingled.
Jae-gyeom pressed his lips tight and sent a reply.
You’re crazy..
Does that mean I can?
Do whatever. why ask.
^^ㅎㅎ
After confirming that no more messages were coming, Jae-gyeom flipped the phone face down and gripped his pencil again.
But did he really kiss the photo…?
Desperately shaking off the stray thoughts fluttering like butterflies in his head, Jae-gyeom put his efforts back into studying.
After studying for a while, it was already around noon.
“Jae-gyeom. Ggaeng-ah. Let’s eat.”
It was a break and mealtime that arrived like a welcome rain. Jae-gyeom closed his workbook and stood up. He woke up Yu Nam-saeng, who had been napping on the sofa, put him on the dining table, and the three of them ate with Jeong-ju.
After lunch, he went for a walk on a nearby mountain path with Yu Nam-saeng. It was to help with digestion and to get some fresh air.
Jae-gyeom often spent time with Yu Nam-saeng like this. Sometimes he would tuck him in his pocket and stroll to the supermarket, and other times he would fill a large basin in the yard with water and let him swim.
Since Mesan left, Yu Nam-saeng’s naps had increased.
Though it couldn’t compare to Jeong-ju or Jae-gyeom, Yu Nam-saeng had also been feeling a sense of loss since Mesan left. Even though he seemed to try not to show it, it was evident from the increase in his sleeping time.
Usually, Mesan and Yu Nam-saeng were inseparable. Whenever Mesan went out to play in the yard, he always carried Yu Nam-saeng on his shoulder, and even when playing with mountain birds or raccoons, he always included Yu Nam-saeng as a tag-along.
Furthermore, it was Mesan who would scoop up the slow-walking Yu Nam-saeng in his arms and run all over the house—the living room, the kitchen—and who would carry Yu Nam-saeng wherever he wanted to go.
Since such a Mesan was gone, perhaps Yu Nam-saeng was the one who felt the most lonely and empty. Even though the time they spent together wasn’t that long, they seemed to have grown quite fond of each other, getting along like best friends.
Sometimes Yu Nam-saeng would lie flat on the floor, blinking his eyes while staring at a flowerpot. Watching him roll around the living room alone, Jae-gyeom felt a pang of sympathy, even if Yu Nam-saeng didn’t express it.
It would be nice if he could go out to the yard and play with the mountain birds and raccoons even without Mesan, but for some reason, he had apparently had a huge fight with the mountain birds and their relationship had soured.
“Hey, just make up and play together if you can.”
“I refuse. Those mountain bird fellows are utterly arrogant. Those ruffians who do nothing but chirp! If we had a showdown on the ground, they’d be nothing more than a handful to me. Who do they think this Yu Nam-saeng is…!”
Jae-gyeom clicked his tongue.
“Why are you getting so worked up over nothing? Stop fighting and get along, kid. You really have a peculiar personality.”
“Jae-gyeom, that’s true, but you’re not the one to say it…!”
Jeong-ju also paid his own kind of attention to the lonely Yu Nam-saeng.
“Ggaeng-ah, I’m going to practice my script, can you help me?”
“How should I help you?”
“Just be my scene partner.”
“I wonder if I’ll be of any help…”
“I’m doing a historical drama this time. You just need to memorize some lines.”
Jae-gyeom watched Jeong-ju and Yu Nam-saeng practice their lines for a while before returning to his room. Seeing him act seriously with Yu Nam-saeng as his partner, Jae-gyeom thought that maybe that was why he was an actor. Now that he had caught his breath, he intended to start studying again.
Before opening his workbook, Jae-gyeom checked his phone.
Sure enough, a photo had arrived from Yoon Tae-hee.