By Zephyria 
===
“The second floor is configured as a private space for the two of you. This room will be the study for Young Master Eun-won. The Executive Director mentioned that since you are a student, you would likely need a private space, so we have prepared this room for you.”
Inside the large room, there was a big desk, a laptop, bookshelves lining the walls, and several drawers. It seemed all of his belongings from his father’s house had been moved while he was away; the books and writing utensils were all neatly organized, welcoming Eun-won.
Thinking of Cha Se-jin, who had gone to such lengths to create a place for him to study, Eun-won felt his heart soften once again.
“And the room opposite the second-floor living room is the Executive Director’s study. Since he seems to be in there right now, I will explain the rest verbally. And this way….”
Passing by Eun-won’s study, Butler Yoon entered the hallway and continued as he opened a door further inside.
“This is the bedroom and dressing room for Young Master Eun-won. The dressing room is inside.”
“…A bedroom for me?”
It wasn’t strange that there was a bedroom for him to use, as he obviously needed one, but somehow… it sounded a bit awkward. Wouldn’t people usually just call it ‘the bedroom’…? Unaware of the doubt mixed into the question, Butler Yoon smiled benevolently and pointed toward the distance visible through the open door.
“Yes. This is the bedroom for Young Master Eun-won, and the room next to the Executive Director’s study, which I mentioned earlier, is the bedroom for the Executive Director.”
“Ah….”
Eun-won looked back and forth between the room he was in and the distant room visible outside the open door.
We… use separate rooms….
Only then did the situation click. Perhaps it was only natural. It was an arranged marriage, and it had been mentioned several times that Cha Se-jin was someone who valued his privacy. He had also said he didn’t like sleeping or staying with someone else. It seemed that sleeping together at the hotel had simply been because the circumstances were unfavorable. Or, if not that, it was because he had done so out of consideration for Eun-won.
“The Executive Director personally decided that this room would be best as Young Master Eun-won’s bedroom because it is the most spacious and has the most beautiful sunlight. I hope you like it.”
“…Ah, yes. I love it. Thank you for your thoughtfulness.”
Faced with this unexpected realization, a smile didn’t come easily, but Eun-won forced the corners of his lips up. He had certainly expected this might happen before the wedding, but as he grew closer to Cha Se-jin—and beyond that, as he came to love him—it seemed he had forgotten everything. Seeing how his heart tightened at something so obvious was proof.
“I am very glad you like it. Please call me whenever you need anything. Also, the staff in charge of the annex will greet you at the main house later.”
“Yes… thank you.”
Just then, a short vibration sounded. Checking his phone, Butler Yoon informed him that Cha Se-jin’s mother had passed through the front gate. After telling him that he could walk over slowly with Cha Se-jin, Butler Yoon bowed politely and headed down the stairs.
Eun-won followed him down and looked out through the floor-to-ceiling window in the living room at the illuminated garden. Even in the darkness that had fallen, the garden was beautiful, sparkling under the new lights. However, despite looking at something so beautiful, his heart felt as if it were being poked by something sharp.
“Sorry, I was asked to check something suddenly. Have you seen everything?”
“Yes. The butler showed me everything.”
“How is the house? Do you like it? I was told it would be better to change the colors like this, so I had them do that.”
“Yes, I like it. Oh, thank you for making a room where I can study.”
“Of course. What about Butler Yoon?”
“Ah, the Madam… no, uh… Mother… said she arrived… and then he left.”
Seeing Eun-won struggle to pronounce the title that still didn’t feel natural on his tongue, Cha Se-jin smiled and took his hand, leading him back up the stairs. They then entered the large dressing room inside Eun-won’s bedroom. Eun-won looked around in surprise at the spacious dressing room he hadn’t had a chance to fully see before.
Shirts were organized with shirts, pants with pants, and outerwear with outerwear, all neatly arranged, with bags and shoes placed precisely in their respective slots. Among them were the clothes and bags the Madam had bought him, but there were many things he was seeing for the first time.
“I’ll help you pick out clothes. Since this is the first family dinner after the wedding, let’s wear something pretty.”
“I think there are more clothes here than I had at home. Are these all mine…?”
“Yeah. I picked a few styles you usually wear and told them to fill the space with similar designs. They all look good.”
Walking through the dressing room, Cha Se-jin picked out a soft oatmeal-colored mock-neck cashmere knit and held it up to Eun-won. He liked it, thinking it would highlight Eun-won’s pale face and slender neckline.
“Let’s wear this. And these pants.”
After picking out pants that matched the knit and handing them to Eun-won, Cha Se-jin grinned and loosely loosened his still-tied necktie.
“I’ll go change too.”
“Okay.”
Only after Cha Se-jin left did Eun-won change his clothes. The clothes he had picked fit perfectly, as if they were tailored. Looking in the mirror and tidying his hair, Eun-won gathered the clothes he had been wearing and put them in the laundry bin at the entrance of the dressing room. He recalled Butler Yoon’s words that anything needing laundry should be placed in the bins in the dressing room or on the first floor to be cleaned and organized.
After checking his appearance in the mirror one more time and leaving the room, he saw Cha Se-jin coming out after changing. Cha Se-jin was wearing a knit of a similar style, as if they had coordinated. In deep charcoal, the elegant contours of his face stood out more, making him look a bit sharper. That, too, was handsome, causing Eun-won to keep staring at his face.
“I intentionally wore something similar to yours, what do you think? This way we’ll actually look like a married couple.”
Since they were married, it was true that they were a couple, and it wasn’t a word he shouldn’t use, but the word ‘couple’ coming out so effortlessly was somehow too embarrassing. Eun-won pressed his hand against his ears, which felt like they were heating up.
“Oh, Hyung and Father are here too. Let’s go.”
“Okay.”
Since the temperature was perfect for walking outside, they decided to walk through the garden to the main house instead of taking the buggy. As they walked, Eun-won took several deep breaths to calm his nerves. It wasn’t his first time meeting them, and he knew they were all good people, but since it was the first time greeting them as family, he couldn’t help but be nervous.
Upon entering the main house, Butler Yoon and several servants greeted them warmly. Then, they entered the dining room to inform Cha Se-jin’s mother that Eun-won and Cha Se-jin had arrived. Min Seo-young, who soon came out to the living room, welcomed Eun-won with a bright smile.
“Welcome, Eun-won. It’s even more wonderful to see you again at home as family. Welcome.”
“Thank you. I look forward to your kindness, Mother….”
“Yes, I look forward to yours as well. Let’s get along well, sharing both the good times and the difficult ones.”
As they exchanged greetings and chatted, the other family members gathered in the main house one by one. Eun-won greeted Cha Se-jin’s father, his brother and his wife, and his younger sister before heading to the dining room together.
“Since this is our first meal together as a family, I specifically prepared rice. I wanted to feed you a warm meal. It’s also a very happy day because we’ve gained another family member. Eat plenty, Eun-won.”
“Yes, thank you.”
The table was filled with delicious-looking food. Freshly cooked pot rice with ginkgo nuts and chestnuts, a clear soup, braised short ribs…. And for the things he didn’t recognize, Cha Se-jin served a portion onto his plate and explained what they were.
“Try this. It’s tilefish; Father really loves it.”
Eun-won nodded, finding the thick piece of tilefish that Cha Se-jin had filleted for him delicious. Pleased by the reaction, Cha Se-jin then placed a king prawn from the cold appetizer in front of him.
“This is a shrimp cold dish. It’s Mother’s favorite.”
After swallowing the shrimp, which cleansed his palate thanks to the refreshing sauce, Eun-won continued to taste the foods Cha Se-jin explained and served. While he enjoyed it, the closeness of this tenderness kept poking at some part of his heart. What did it matter that there were two bedrooms? Why was it such a shock to find out they used different rooms? Really, why did it matter?
After the meal, they had tea and dessert in the courtyard. Cha Se-na talked about an absurd incident at school, and Cha Se-jin’s parents listened attentively. Their eyes were deep and kind as they listened. And that kind gaze occasionally reached Eun-won, who still seemed to be hovering awkwardly.
He loved that warmth, yet he felt a bit anxious. A scene flashed through his mind of the Madam, who had once hugged him and smiled kindly, then later resented and ignored him. He feared that the same thing might happen again because of his own shortcomings. He wanted to be someone who suited Cha Se-jin and his family. Someone who could blend in naturally. He wished this unfamiliar feeling would disappear quickly.
What should he do…? Eun-won continued to think and think—after the dessert time ended and he returned to the annex, while washing in the bathroom in his bedroom, while drying his hair, and while studying for tomorrow’s exam. He wondered what he had to do to be with the people he had come to love for a long, long time.
Because his thoughts kept intruding, he had to look at things twice and read sentences several times, and it wasn’t until dawn that he finished studying. Checking the time, which was nearly 2 AM, Eun-won finally felt the fatigue and left the study.
“…….”
Before going to the bedroom, Eun-won looked at the quiet hallway and the second-floor living room, then gazed at the room opposite his own. Seeing that the door was closed and it was quiet, it seemed Cha Se-jin was asleep.
Although he had said he wouldn’t disturb him while he studied, he felt a bit sad that he couldn’t see his face one more time before bed. After staring blankly at the closed door, Eun-won turned around and opened the door to his own bedroom.
As he opened the door, his eyes met Cha Se-jin’s, who was sitting leaned against the headboard of the bed, looking at a tablet PC.