By Zephyria 
===
He wondered if there was anyone else in the world who could feel this nervous and uneasy about going to their own home. Eun-won took several deep breaths, gazing out the window. Each time he did, Cha Se-jin, sitting in the driver’s seat, held his hand.
The car entered Baum, passed through the garden, and came to a stop in front of the main house. Although he hadn’t lived there for very long, he had stayed long enough for the house to feel familiar; yet, perhaps because it had been a while, it felt strangely foreign.
“Young Master Eun-won, you’ve arrived. Why has it been so long since your last visit?”
Butler Kang, who had come out to greet them, opened the car door himself. Eun-won stepped out, exchanged brief greetings, and then turned his head. He saw his father and his stepmother waiting by the door. For a moment, his breath hitched.
“Are you nervous?”
“……A little.”
“I’ll take care of everything, so don’t worry.”
The right answer would have been to say that he wasn’t nervous—that there was no reason to be anxious about a place where he used to live—but the words didn’t come out, as if he were a fool. Clinging to the warmth of Cha Se-jin’s hand as he told him it was okay, Eun-won stepped forward to face his father and stepmother.
“It has been a long time. I apologize for not visiting and paying my respects sooner.”
“No, no. I know you’ve been busy; how could I expect you to keep track of every family matter? I’m just grateful you made the time to come, so there’s no need for that.”
Following Cha Se-jin’s lead, Eun-won bowed to his father and then gave a polite nod to the stepmother, who was quietly observing him.
“…Hello. Have you been doing well?”
“Oh, Eun-won. Why such a stiff greeting between a mother and son? I’ve been doing well. My son seems to have been doing well too. Your complexion looks wonderful.”
To Eun-won, those words didn’t sound like she was glad he was doing well, but rather like she was asking if he thought his life was over just because he was doing well on his own. Seeing this, Cha Se-jin tilted his head slightly, met Yeo Hee-jin’s eyes, and smiled brightly. When dealing with someone who acted out while smiling, the best response was to return the favor with an even bigger, smiling act of defiance.
“They say no news is good news, so you don’t have to worry about Eun-won in the slightest. As you can see, he is doing very well. And I will make sure he continues to do so in the future.”
“Of course. That’s how it should be. Thank you so much for coming today. Shall we go inside?”
Eun-won, noting the stepmother’s face as she tried to laugh it off, glanced at Cha Se-jin as they entered the house.
Unlike the stepmother, who seemed to imbue every single word with meaning, Cha Se-jin’s expression was nonchalant. He even looked relaxed. He didn’t look like someone who had come to handle a headache of a task or someone who had been forced to come against his will. Strangely, that allowed Eun-won to breathe a little easier.
As they stepped into the main house, the light of the chandelier poured over their heads. Cha Se-jin momentarily dropped his “kind person” mode and looked around the interior with indifferent eyes. He had felt it before, but this house was truly opulent. For some reason, it felt even more lavish than the last time.
The high ceilings, the polished marble floors, the massive paintings hanging along the walls, the furniture with gold accents, and the flowers that seemed to have been freshly arranged for the season. Not a single thing looked cheap. However, strangely, it didn’t feel harmonious or comfortable.
Rather than a home where fine things had been carefully chosen and curated over time, it felt like the house was shouting, “Look at how many expensive things fill this place.” Everything seemed to be in its place, yet despite the vastness of the house, there seemed to be no place for a person to actually set foot. Realizing once again why Eun-won couldn’t grow fond of this house, Cha Se-jin gave Eun-won’s hand a firm squeeze before letting go.
“So, you’re staying the night?”
“Yes. Since it’s been a while, if you’ll have me, I’ll stay for one night.”
“I would love that. Then how about a drink after dinner?”
“That sounds good,” Cha Se-jin replied with a smile.
He wasn’t using his usual crooked tone, nor did he have that languid expression that tended to grate on people’s nerves. He looked neat, polite, and moderately affectionate. Watching him, Eun-won felt a strange sensation.
Cha Se-jin was truly good at everything. Even things he didn’t want to do, or uncomfortable situations—if he judged them necessary, he executed them naturally like this. Eun-won liked that about him, but because of the nature of this visit, he couldn’t help but feel sorry for Cha Se-jin.
“Shall we talk while we eat? I’m told everything is ready.”
With a smile, the stepmother guided the two of them to the dining room. Cha Se-jin pulled out a chair for Eun-won to sit first and then sat beside him. Every time Cha Se-jin acted affectionately toward Eun-won, the stepmother’s delighted gaze followed.
“I’m not sure if it will suit your tastes. We prepared the most delicious things we could find.”
“I look forward to it.”
The dishes placed one by one on the long table were, as he had felt before, uniformly extravagant. Small appetizers topped with caviar, cold dishes lightly dusted with gold powder, soup with a rich aroma of truffles, thick lobster, and top-grade Hanwoo beef that looked greasy just by looking at it.
Of course, it wasn’t tasteless. Everything was made to be delicious, perhaps to an excessive degree. Because of that, Cha Se-jin found it difficult to focus on the food. Since they served dishes made with expensive ingredients that are rarely eaten, there was no “breathing room” in the meal; it became cloying quickly, and all the flavors started to taste the same.
It felt less like a meal made in the hope that someone would enjoy it, and more like a display to prove that they were providing a lavish treat.
“So, Director Cha. Is it to your liking?”
“Yes, everything is delicious. I’m enjoying it very much.”
“I’m glad to hear that. Please, eat plenty.”
At Cha Se-jin’s flattering words, Seo Jun-hyeok lifted his glass with a satisfied expression. Cha Se-jin naturally raised his glass to match. He took a sip of wine, praised the aroma appropriately, and smoothly engaged in the ensuing conversation about the resort business.
The conversation mostly flowed between Seo Jun-hyeok and Cha Se-jin. They discussed the direction of the resort project, the concept Sewon was considering, the areas Baum could handle, and the future schedule. Cha Se-jin didn’t reveal everything he knew, nor did he pretend to be ignorant. He spoke with sincerity only as much as the other party wanted to hear, and he skillfully deflected overstepping questions with a smile.
Eun-won slowly ate the things that suited his taste, occasionally glancing at Cha Se-jin, who was skillfully conversing with his father with a mature demeanor.
“Eun-won, try this too. Since you’ve been staying with Director Cha, your palate must have become quite sophisticated.”
“Yes….”
“But my son, you still have a lot to learn. In a setting like this, being too quiet is also a lack of etiquette. Surely you aren’t like this in front of the Chairman and his wife too?”
Eun-won’s fingertips paused slightly beside his plate. Cha Se-jin looked at that hand and intervened with a casual smile.
“Eun-won is so wonderful at home. His mother and father are absolutely head over heels for him.”
“Oh, really? I suppose he’s only this quiet in front of us.”
“Naturally, the people he sees every day, eats with, and spends time with are the ones he’s most comfortable with. His family has changed, after all. Still, I’ll make sure he visits often so you two don’t feel neglected. If he can’t, I’ll drop by myself.”
The words were light, delivered with a smile, but there was a subtle boundary drawn within them. At Cha Se-jin’s response, Yeo Hee-jin simply smiled without further comment. Eun-won looked down at the lobster meat Cha Se-jin had cut and placed on his plate. He wanted to say thank you, but with all the eyes focused on him, even those words didn’t come easily.
Noticing this, Cha Se-jin conveyed his message to Eun-won with a look instead of words: It’s okay, just eat slowly and enjoy it. Eun-won responded with a slight nod and put the piece Cha Se-jin had given him into his mouth. It was sweet and tender. So was the sweetness lingering in his mouth, and the touch of his hand stroking his back as if to make sure he didn’t get indigestion.
After the meal, they moved to the living room for drinks. They started with a vintage wine, and later, the whiskey that Seo Jun-hyeok prized was brought out.
Hearing that it was a rare bottle won at an auction for an enormous sum, Cha Se-jin expressed a moderate amount of admiration, smelled the aroma, tasted it, and reacted exactly as Seo Jun-hyeok expected.
The business talk continued a bit longer, and in the meantime, Yeo Hee-jin asked about Eun-won’s school life and his time staying at the Sewon main house.
Eun-won answered each question—neither too short nor too long. Each time, Cha Se-jin added a comment from the side. Every single one was a story praising or helping Eun-won. Whenever that happened, Eun-won couldn’t take his eyes off Cha Se-jin’s face for a long time.
The gathering only wrapped up when the night had grown quite deep. Seo Jun-hyeok, who was quite drunk from drinking pleasantly for the first time in a while, patted Cha Se-jin on the shoulder and laughed, his voice slightly louder than usual.
“Director Cha, thanks to you, I had a great time today.”
“I had a great time as well.”
“Come by often. Let’s spend time like this more frequently.”
“Yes, I will.”
Cha Se-jin, who remained a perfect gentleman until the end with a natural smile, followed Yeo Hee-jin’s guidance and went up the stairs with Eun-won.
“I’ve had Eun-won’s room cleaned up. I changed the bedding and put everything necessary inside, so tell me if there’s anything uncomfortable. Let me know if you need anything.”
“Yes, thank you. Please get some rest.”
“Yes, you two rest as well. Eun-won, sleep well.”
As the door opened, the space that should have been the most familiar unfolded before his eyes. But strangely, it felt foreign. The bedding had been replaced with new ones, and the desk was spotless without a speck of dust. The curtains and rug smelled of fresh laundry. There wasn’t a single trace that a person had lived there. Eun-won looked inside for a moment before entering and closing the door.
Only after they were left alone did Eun-won let out a small sigh. Cha Se-jin slowly looked around the room before approaching Eun-won from behind. Then, without a word, he wrapped his arms around Eun-won’s waist.
Only when the familiar warmth touched his back did Eun-won finally feel he could breathe.
“What is it?”
“Pardon?”
“Your expression wasn’t great when you saw the room.”
“Maybe because it’s been a while… it’s just a bit awkward. There were some books and things left, but I don’t see any of that….”
Cha Se-jin scanned the room again over Eun-won’s shoulder. Expensive, high-quality furniture, new bedding, a desk that looked brand new because nothing was placed on it. There was no trace of Eun-won anywhere in the room. Rather than a room where Eun-won had lived, it looked like a room hastily decorated to show off to a guest.
“This is a problem. The Darling’s room I wanted to see isn’t like this.”
Cha Se-jin gave a quick kiss to Eun-won’s ear and lowered his head to bury the tip of his nose in the crook of his neck.
“Release your pheromones.”
“What?”
“I can’t smell you in this room at all.”
“…….”
“It’s your room, so it should smell like you.”
Eun-won hesitated for a moment, then very slightly and cautiously released his pheromones. A scent like sweetened condensed milk and sugar slowly spread. Eun-won’s pheromones slowly seeped through the unfamiliar smell of new bedding, the scent of laundered curtains, and the smell of polished furniture.
Cha Se-jin buried his face in Eun-won’s neck and took a deep breath. Then, he let out a low, satisfied laugh.
“Now it finally feels like Darling’s room.”
His lips lightly touched the nape of the neck. A small mwah sound echoed. Eun-won’s shoulders flinched.
“I can smell you every time I breathe.”