By Zephyria 
He had lived his life in a generally simple and clear manner. If he liked something, he liked it; if not, he didn’t. What he said aligned exactly with what he thought, and he didn’t place any hidden meanings behind his actions. For example, if he said he was okay, it meant he was solely and truly okay. Because of this, Yeon-jun found it difficult to understand the intentions of those who would ask him, “Are you really okay?” He wondered why they would ask again when he had already said he was fine.
To such a person as Yeon-jun, Eun-ha was someone with a truly fascinating and peculiar personality.
First of all, in his daily life, he was generally mature. This was an impression born from an absolute difference in experience. No matter the situation, he showed only calm and indifferent reactions without any great emotional swings. Even in dissatisfying situations, rather than making a scene, he tended to let things slide with a casual snort. He was very sensible…
And the peculiar part was that all of this didn’t seem to stem from sincerity, but was closer to a compulsion that he “had to” be that way.
If one set aside the standards he had established for himself, Eun-ha was an incredibly lazy and lethargic person. He seemed to feel that things were bothersome, annoying, and not to his liking, yet he strove to meet the moral standards he had judged for himself. It felt as though he was trying, at the very least, to live like a decent human being.
Watching the passion and sincerity that occasionally peeked through that deep lethargy naturally brought a sense of joy. He thought he had liked those things from the start. For instance, the way he would smoke with a face that looked like he had seen everything in the world, then throw his cigarette butt in the trash and even pick up and discard the butts left behind by the person before him. Or the way he would call out to customers in a kind tone while wearing a look of utter boredom, his eyes devoid of any spark. Things like that.
To give another example, Eun-ha struggled to wake up every morning. Having suffered from severe insomnia, Eun-ha had fortunately been able to get at least seven hours of deep sleep by Yeon-jun’s side, but even after such sleep, he would remain drowsy every morning, unable to shake off the slumber. He was the type to need a great deal of sleep—so much so that one wondered how he had managed to live while burdened by insomnia for so long.
Once, Yeon-jun had tentatively made a suggestion to him.
“If you’re very tired, how about taking a day off?”
“…Then what about my plants? And the part-time employee who has to struggle alone…”
“Shall I go and check on the plants for you just for today? While I’m at it, I can help out with the cafe work a bit.”
At that, Eun-ha immediately looked at Yeon-jun with a sharp gaze. As if asking why on earth he would do such a thing. As if asking how he could even say that.
Yeon-jun liked it when Eun-ha looked at him as if scolding him whenever he tried to volunteer for something that put him at a slight disadvantage. He also liked the sight of Eun-ha’s back as he stubbornly prepared for work, staggering along.
Thinking of a few more things… it was funny and endearing how he would turn serious the moment any mention of his appearance came up. That firm philosophy of his, which went beyond mere modesty.
It was the same in their relationship. It was always obvious that he was putting in effort. He eventually brought up inner thoughts he didn’t want to share with all his heart, and he showed his bare face, which he himself considered embarrassing. He was also surprisingly good at expressing affection. Like how he never forgot to dry Yeon-jun’s hair after he showered, or how he often tried to cook for him after the first time he had done so.
He also liked the fact that Eun-ha himself didn’t acknowledge any of that sincerity and kindness. Because it made him feel that Eun-ha was a truly good person.
Regardless, despite being so sensible, he would occasionally act impulsively, as if his brain had momentarily glitched. Like someone who had been robbed of their reason. As if it had burst out impulsively rather than passing through a thought process.
Therefore, Yeon-jun felt no regret regarding the current situation. He had more than enough reasons to like him, and he did not consider it a wrong judgment.
Especially if he brought up stories from the distant past, there was truly no end to it.
Certain days that would not remain in Eun-ha’s memory.
He had accepted it as Eun-ha simply lacking the mental leeway. Although Eun-ha had never confessed in detail, it was a well-known fact that he struggled with something akin to trauma because of a past relationship. Because of that, Yeon-jun was the one who had approached him several times, even when Eun-ha had made it clear he had no intention of dating.
He had thought from the beginning that there couldn’t be a total absence of problems. A sudden notice of breakup didn’t leave even a hint of irritation.
He liked him. It ended simply with that. As long as that premise remained valid, no matter what happened. Without adding any footnotes here or there. At least, that was how Yeon-jun felt.
If Eun-ha knew, he would probably offer an impression of incomprehension, saying, “How can a person be like you…?” or “Why are you being like this…?”
He was simply concerned.
Let’s break up.
Because he remembered the face that had turned pale the moment those words were spoken. A complexion so wan, it was as if he were the one who had received the breakup notice.
Why did he do it? How did he arrive at such a conclusion? What thoughts had he been having alone? How was he doing now?
His heart quickly grew heavy. As expected, he was only worried. Whether he was eating well, whether he was skipping meals again, whether he was sleeping well.
That Hyung—while he was certainly the older one—was secretly the type who required a lot of care. He often found himself worrying about him.
And that concern wasn’t held by Yeon-jun alone. Hae-bin, his closest friend, felt the same, as did Hyeon-ji, a friend of equal longevity.
While working part-time at the studio, Yeon-jun had become quite close with Hyeon-ji. He had started the job with that purpose in mind, and after talking, they found they were on the same wavelength and became close quickly.
She was very interested in Eun-ha. She would frequently ask Yeon-jun what he was up to these days, if he was doing well, or if there were any problems. Each time, Yeon-jun would answer obediently, and once, out of curiosity, he asked if she was always the type to worry about and take care of the people around her. At that, Hyeon-ji shook her head.
“No. I’m only like this with him. Doesn’t Eun-ha just have that quality? You just end up worrying about him, feeling like you have to take care of him… Is it just me?”
Yeon-jun replied with a slight smile. “I’m like that too.”
“Gu Hae-bin Hyung is like that as well.”
“Right? He has that thing. He’s just… he makes people really worry about him. I think it might simply be because I like him so much. —Ah, of course, as a friend.”
Conscious of Yeon-jun’s position as the boyfriend, Hyeon-ji added a brief explanation before continuing.
“Hmm. I mean… I guess I just wish for his happiness. That he’d be doing well. Because I received so much from him.”
“Received?”
“Ah.”
She rolled her eyes as if contemplating for a moment, then spoke as if it were no big deal.
“I was bullied in middle school.”
However, because the words that followed were more of a big deal than expected, Yeon-jun couldn’t answer for a moment and only twitched his lips awkwardly. Seeing his stiff attitude, Hyeon-ji chuckled as if telling him it was fine and waved her hand dismissively.
“If we go into how that happened, we’d have to set aside a whole day to talk, so I’ll skip that. Anyway, I had a really hard time in various ways. I hated gym class so much I wanted to die. I couldn’t even lift my head while walking in the hallways. I always ate alone in the cafeteria. Especially the school meals—you know how miserable that is. When you’re young, friends are everything in life.”
Yeon-jun had never thought about what the act of eating alone felt like, but he nodded for now. As a sign that he was listening.
“But from a certain point, he started eating with me. Every day. He’d come find me during breaks to ask to borrow something, or tell me to go to the snack shop. We’d go home together. Naturally, rumors spread like crazy. He was really popular in school.”
“…Popular.”
“Huh? …Ah. Right.”
Hyeon-ji, who had opened her eyes in wonder, clapped her hands loudly as if she understood and burst out laughing.
“Sorry. You didn’t know? Throughout his school days, there wasn’t a single moment when he wasn’t popular.”
“…I knew, but every time I’m forced to confirm it, my mood gets a bit…”
“Ah. This is really funny… You really like Lee Eun-ha.”
“Yes.”
When he answered, Hyeon-ji’s eyes widened slightly, and she stared at Yeon-jun while touching the corner of her mouth. Then, she gave a bright smile. Something like an adult’s smile.
“Anyway, returning to the main point, a lot of rumors spread. About whether we were dating or whatever. I won’t go into detail, but some really nasty rumors were circulating. And then I started feeling uncomfortable. I was grateful, and honestly, it was a comfort, but because of me, bad rumors were starting to follow him too. My reputation back then was truly trash.”
“…Yes.”
“So I told him. I’m grateful, but I’m uncomfortable. Don’t you care about rumors? Do you know what they’re saying about you behind your back? Do you know what they’re calling us… Do you know what he answered?”
“What did he say?”