By Zephyria 
===
He considered eating out before heading home, but the suit he was dressed in began to feel uncomfortable, so he decided to have dinner at home. When he arrived and finished showering, the dining room was filled with a spread of delicious food. This was thanks to the message he had sent Butler Yoon in advance, asking him to have everything ready about an hour after his departure.
Since it was his first time attending such a grand event and greeting so many people, he had been too nervous for anything to taste good inside the banquet hall. But now, after coming home, showering, and changing into comfortable clothes, his appetite had finally returned. Eun-won poured half a bowl of rice into a clear meat soup, blew on it, and took a spoonful. The warm broth melted away even the smallest lingering tension. Perhaps that was why the food tasted so wonderful.
“You’re eating well. I was worried you’d have no appetite after seeing that fucking green bean.”
“…Green bean?”
“Yeah. That guy who looked like he’d just bolted out of a forest.”
“Ah….”
Despite the fact that the man was much older than him and that everyone has their own style, Eun-won couldn’t help but laugh at the blunt description of “green bean.” He quickly took a sip of water to swallow his laughter.
“How was it earlier? Was I too much? Did I surprise you?”
“No, I wasn’t surprised. And… the one who was too much wasn’t you, Director, but that man…. I think you did great.”
“I love how smart you are.”
Perhaps because he had successfully completed his long-awaited mission of shaming and crushing Hwang Pil-du, his mind felt light. Hearing praise for doing a good job only made him feel better.
Having eaten a moderate amount for the sake of maintenance, Cha Se-jin picked up a golden-brown fried king prawn and placed it on Eun-won’s plate. Watching Eun-won quietly take small bites, a sudden thought occurred to Cha Se-jin, and he leaned back in his chair with a smile.
“Ah, I feel like I’m raising a child. Ah, is that the right way to put it?”
“…I’m not a child….”
“You’re a child, which is why you hate being called one.”
Is that so…? After thinking for a moment, Eun-won finished the last piece of prawn and set down his chopsticks. Between finishing a whole bowl of rice and eating everything Cha Se-jin gave him, he felt he had eaten too much.
“Oh, and those close friends, including the ones from the staycation. Ask if they’re free next week. Tell them I’m buying dinner. I think dinner and about three nights in a suite would be good. Checking in on Friday and checking out on Monday morning.”
“Ah…. I’ll ask them when I see them tomorrow. Thank you for being so thoughtful.”
“I’m the one who offered to buy dinner, so it’s fine. How many are there? The staycation group, the one who brought the bag during the heat, and one more?”
“Yes, there’s one more named Ju Yi-deun, and a friend who is very kind. He even asked if I was okay and apologized for seeing the texts late back then.”
“Is he a Beta too?”
“Yes.”
“Then ask those three Beta brothers tomorrow and let me know. Ask what they like, too. If I’m buying, it’s better to buy something they actually enjoy.”
Eun-won smiled at the expression “three Beta brothers,” nodded, and watched Cha Se-jin take a sip of water. It was a recurring thought, but even the way Cha Se-jin drank water was incredibly handsome.
“I think we’re done with the meal…. There’s fruit, too.”
“I’m too full to eat it right now.”
“Me too. Let’s have that in the morning then.”
“Okay.”
Having finished dinner and with the night air feeling cool, Eun-won thought it would be nice to take a walk together. Should he ask to go for a walk…? Would that be okay? As Eun-won pondered, Cha Se-jin asked.
“Now that we’re done, shall we get up?”
“Yes.”
Eun-won quickly stood up, brought a tray from the kitchen, and placed the used dishes on it one by one. Watching him, Cha Se-jin tilted his head.
“What are you doing?”
“Huh? I’m cleaning up since we’re finished.”
“Why?”
“…Pardon?”
“Why are you doing that? Just leave it.”
“…Ah…. Then I’ll just put them in the sink.”
“I’m asking why you’re doing it. You don’t have to.”
Cha Se-jin approached and gently took Eun-won by the shoulder from behind, leading him out of the dining room.
“Do whatever you want until you go to sleep. Don’t worry about things like that, and don’t worry about me either. Rest if you want to rest, take a walk if you want to walk, or watch something if there’s something you want to see. You must need some time alone, too.”
The desire to take a walk together bubbled up inside him, but Eun-won didn’t say it aloud. He felt that Cha Se-jin also needed some time to himself. Since getting married, they had spent most of their time together except for when they were at work or school, so it was only right that they each have some time to spend alone.
Eun-won followed Cha Se-jin up the stairs to the second floor. Since he could walk alone, he thought it would be nice to walk for a bit while listening to music for the first time in a while.
After brushing his teeth, Eun-won took out his earphones from the bag he had taken to school, threw on a thin outer layer, and left the room. He saw Cha Se-jin coming out of the dressing room wearing athletic clothes.
“I’m going to work out with Hyung.”
“Ah…. I’m going for a walk.”
“Don’t go too far. The garden is bigger than it looks, so it’ll be scary if you go all the way to the end.”
“Yes, I won’t go far.”
“Right, let’s head out together.”
As they stepped outside, the cool night air washed over them. Even though they were simply leaving the house together, Eun-won felt happy just because he was with Cha Se-jin. Though they would soon part ways, just walking a few steps together through the garden made him feel as if they had taken a proper walk.
Eun-won walked further into the garden. He saw a fork in the path. Taking the earphones out of his pocket, Eun-won looked back at Cha Se-jin, who was about to take the right path. Cha Se-jin was typing something into his phone. He seemed to be sending a message.
After a short wait, Cha Se-jin put his phone in his pocket and looked down at Eun-won with a smile.
“I told Hyung to start without me.”
“…Why…?”
“Because the weather is too nice to just leave?”
“…….”
“If you want to walk alone, you can go separately behind me. Shall we?”
The earphones in his hand dropped back into his pocket. Eun-won shook his head. He was glad the weather was nice, as the wish he had been thinking about alone had come true. With Eun-won’s heart fluttering, the two of them moved forward in the same direction.
Low lights installed along the path cast a glow where they walked. Their two long shadows overlapped, drifted apart, and overlapped again in a repeating cycle.
There was no conversation, but it didn’t feel silent. Even though he wasn’t listening to music, his ears felt noisy. Perhaps because he was with Cha Se-jin, various sounds reached him that he probably wouldn’t have noticed if he were alone.
The sound of garden leaves rustling every time the wind blew, the soft swish of Cha Se-jin’s athletic wear, the sound of light scattering, and the thumping of his own heart, racing just from feeling that the man was beside him even without turning his head.
With every step, their arms brushed slightly, and the heart that had been beating fast now felt tightly constricted. It was a time that was unrealistically kind and tender, almost comforting. Watching the two overlapping shadows, Eun-won slowly and deeply inhaled the sweet autumn night air.
Because he loved the time spent not being alone, and because he loved Cha Se-jin for silently walking beside him, the sparkling lights of the garden repeatedly blurred and sharpened in his eyes.
Closing his eyes tightly to keep from crying and then opening them, Eun-won captured the afterimage of the light filling the garden for a long time.
He felt that he would not be able to forget tonight’s walk for a very long time.
* * *
Jung Woo-min, who claimed he couldn’t sleep because he had been gaming all night, opened the cutlery holder with hollow eyes and took out four sets of chopsticks. Eun-won, who had gathered four cups and poured half a cup of water into each, took the chopsticks handed to him.
“Ah, I’m fucking starving.”
“I’m sleepy. Ah, as soon as I get home on Friday, I’m sleeping until Sunday. Hey, don’t try to stop me.”
“Anyone want to stop him?”
Yoon Ji-woon, raising his hand mischievously while looking at Eun-won, Ju Yi-deun, and Jung Woo-min in turn, picked up a piece of freshly fried butter garlic fries and popped it into his mouth.
“Ah, it’s fucking hot and fucking delicious. Try some.”
As Yoon Ji-woon nudged his shoulder to tell him to eat quickly, Eun-won also quickly picked up a sauce-covered fry, blew on it, and ate it. The rich cheese flavor combined with the sweetness made it delicious.
“By any chance, are you guys free next weekend? The Director asked if we could have dinner together. And he said if you’re free, he’ll let us hang out and stay at a hotel.”
At Eun-won’s words, the three of them stared at him simultaneously. Their sparkling eyes showed a fierce determination to attend.
“I’m definitely free. I have no plans next week.”
“Me too! I mean, I have one drinking appointment, but it’s with over ten people, so it’s fine if I skip it.”
“I’m free too. I can just sleep when I’m dead.”
Eun-won nodded with a smile at their uncomplicated eagerness to attend. Meanwhile, a large pot of beef brisket tteokbokki was placed on the induction stove.
“Then I’ll tell him we’ll have dinner on Friday, check in, and check out on Monday morning.”
“Wait, he’s letting us stay for three days, not just one? Wow, seriously, Hyung-nim…. Chaebols really are different. Ah, I’m so fucking excited.”
“What do you want for dinner? He said he’ll make a reservation for something you guys like.”
In response to Eun-won’s question, the three of them began a serious and earnest discussion in front of the bubbling tteokbokki. That discussion continued until the tteokbokki pot was completely emptied and three servings of fried rice were made and devoured, eventually concluding that they should eat meat.
Since the result was too obvious for the amount of deliberation, they all laughed awkwardly, yet their voices remained full of anticipation even as they moved to drink coffee.
“But we’re eating with Hyung-nim, so it would be a bit weird to dress too casually. We can’t let Hyung-nim be embarrassed because of us. What should I wear? I have a suit I wore for the entrance ceremony. Should I wear that?”
“Ah, I lost weight so the suit I bought before doesn’t fit. Should I buy a new one?”
“Hey, if the three of us show up in suits, we’re going to look way too different from Hyung-nim, don’t you think?”
Listening to his friends’ incredibly serious concerns, Eun-won felt this wasn’t quite right and carefully joined the conversation.
“Don’t overthink it…. Just dress like you are now. I also dress like this when I go out to eat with the Director.”
“Is that really okay? Then I’ll just dress neat. Ugh, I’m nervous.”
“Nervous? Why?”
“When do we ever get to eat with a chaebol? And guys have that thing too. When you meet a Hyung who’s more handsome, has tons of money, and is just awesome, the dopamine hits.”
As Yoon Ji-woon folded his hands over his chest, Jung Woo-min and Ju Yi-deun struck the same pose. While smiling at his friends, Eun-won felt the vibration bell ring, signaling that the additional cake they ordered had arrived, so he stood up and headed to the pickup desk.
“Thank you.”
“Um, excuse me…!”
As he was about to leave with the tray holding four slices of various cakes, the employee urgently and quietly called out to Eun-won. After looking at Eun-won for a moment, the employee placed a small, folded piece of paper on the tray.
“I’ve seen you every time you come in… and you’re so pretty and cute…. I wanted to get to know you. If it’s okay, please contact me.”
“Ah….”
Looking at the contact information given by the familiar part-timer at the cafe he frequently visited, Eun-won looked bewildered and carefully bowed his head slightly.
“…I’m seeing someone, so I don’t think that would be possible.”
“Ah…. I thought that might be the case, but… uh… I know it’s really rude to say this. But if you happen to break up in the future, could we try then? You’re really exactly my type. I feel like I’ll never meet someone like you again….”
The tone was polite, but the content was not polite at all. Eun-won disliked the selfishness of someone who, despite knowing they were being rude, insisted on saying what they wanted. With a hardened expression, Eun-won looked at the employee standing inside the pickup desk and spoke.
“We won’t be breaking up.”