Chapter 99 – The Price of a Misjudgment
Yoon Ki-hyun had once vaguely thought about the abstract concept of peace.
Unlike the dictionary definition of being quiet and tranquil, Yoon Ki-hyun tended to imagine the everyday noise of an average household.
Though, having lived a life far removed from any average household, he had never actually experienced it.
“…….”
As he woke from his slumber, the sound of chopping echoed from afar, as if waking his hazy consciousness. Though the rhythm wasn’t perfectly uniform, the distinct sound of a knife hitting a cutting board every now and then evoked a strange sentiment.
‘What is he making? It smells delicious.’
Judging by the faint scent of food, someone was definitely cooking. Yoon [Read on Read BL Novels][visit our site]Ki-hyun slowly sat up and looked around.
As his mind cleared, fragments of the conversation he’d had while half-asleep began to surface. If his memory served him right, Jeong Si-jun had brought him home after he fell asleep in the car.
‘What time is it?’
Yoon Ki-hyun had just picked up his phone from the nightstand to check the time when—
“Ah, did you sleep well?”
Jeong Si-jun entered the bedroom wearing an apron. He was holding a spoon, likely having just tasted the food.
“……Yeah.”
Yoon Ki-hyun rubbed his eyes, feeling dazed by how surprisingly well the attire suited him. Jeong Si-jun strode toward the bed, ruffled Yoon Ki-hyun’s messy hair, and lightly kissed his cheek.
“Now that you’re up, come out and have dinner. You must be hungry.”
Jeong Si-jun had been slippery since the moment he pushed to start dating, but he was exceptionally affectionate today. To the point where it made Yoon Ki-hyun’s chest feel ticklish and unbearable.
“Si-jun.”
“Yes?”
Yoon Ki-hyun lightly pushed away the man who kept kissing him as if there were something stuck to his cheek, and slowly climbed out of bed.
“I think I said something to you while I was half-asleep…….”
Because he had been mumbling like he was talking in his sleep, the exact details were fuzzy. Before he could even take a few steps in the slippers neatly placed under the bed—
“You proposed to me, Hyung.”
Jeong Si-jun uttered something unbelievable.
“I did what? I did?”
Yoon Ki-hyun stopped dead in his tracks and whipped his head around. His groggy mind seemed to clear instantly.
Of all things, a proposal. He had never even let the word cross his lips, so he had no idea where this was coming from.
“You don’t remember?”
Jeong Si-jun leaned in, peering into Yoon Ki-hyun’s face.
For a moment, Yoon Ki-hyun grew anxious, wondering if another gap had formed in his memory. Sensing the anxiety in his trembling eyes, Jeong Si-jun began to explain calmly.
“When you woke up for a bit earlier, you said it.”
“Said what.”
“That you wanted to try living with me. That you’d leave everything up to me.”
“……Huh?”
“If that’s not a proposal, then what is it? After I heard that, I was so fluttery I couldn’t even sleep. I thought if I woke you up, you’d just make a fuss again, so I spent the time cooking in the kitchen.”
Seeing the grinning face and the flickering spoon, the anxiety vanished like melting snow.
“How is saying ‘maybe we should try living together’ to myself the same as a proposal?”
He really did spout nonsense the moment one let their guard down. Even as Yoon Ki-hyun glared in relief, Jeong Si-jun remained unfazed, casting his gaze down with a serious expression.
“You know, Hyung.”
“What.”
“Do you believe in fate?”
Despite the low voice and the solemn face, Yoon Ki-hyun found it difficult to concentrate on Jeong Si-jun’s words. It was because his eyes were fixed on the fabric of the apron, which was stretched tight as if it might rip at any moment.
“No.”
He answered coldly, but Jeong Si-jun nodded as if he had expected that response.
“I figured you would.”
“Why bring up fate all of a sudden?”
“When I went missing inside the gate.”
“…….”
“Do you remember when I came out?”
How could he ever forget that?
Though he was told that the side effects of his illness could cause short-term memory issues, the memory of that day felt as though it would stay with him for a lifetime.
“I came out of the gate in a complete wreck, and you just came running toward me.”
“And?”
“Seeing you cry that day made me think about it a lot.”
Yoon Ki-hyun slowly looked up. As Jeong Si-jun continued speaking, his gaze was distant, as if reminiscing about the past.
“I think that’s when it became clear that it had to be you. To anyone else, you look like someone far removed from tears, but the fact that you were crying because of me… it felt like something just slammed right into my heart.”
“…….”
“Isn’t it funny? You were actually crying because you were so pissed off at me.”
“…….”
“Still, it felt fucking great.”
Jeong Si-jun’s gaze had returned to him. Yoon Ki-hyun met the eyes of the apron-clad man staring intently at him, then was the first to look away.
“……Your personality is a bit weird.”
“You didn’t ask me to date you without knowing I was weird.”
The man chuckled mischievously and casually wrapped an arm around his shoulder. Leading unauthorized [visit unauthorized copyour site]copyhim naturally toward the kitchen, Jeong Si-jun continued to chatter with a grin, seemingly delighted by something.
“Still, bear with it for a month. You were the one who asked to date first. A man should keep his word. For dinner, I made kimchi stew. Is that okay?”
“……Yeah.”
Yoon Ki-hyun sat down as if possessed, looking at the side dishes and the stew on the table. He didn’t have any particular food preferences, but the thought that Jeong Si-jun had prepared this meal made him feel strange.
“Did you make this yourself?”
“No way. The kimchi stew is from a meal kit, and the side dishes were made by the auntie who comes by regularly. Oh, but I did make the rice.”
Of course. He had only set the table, so he didn’t know why he had bothered to put on such a formal apron. However, the fact that Jeong Si-jun had prepared a meal for him remained unchanged.
He wondered why it felt so endearing that a guy who was accustomed to solving everything with money had personally set the table instead of ordering delivery…….
‘Ah, am I already gone?’
Yoon Ki-hyun thought that perhaps he had already grown too accustomed to Jeong Si-jun.
It was certainly problematic that the standards he used to judge people weren’t applied equally to everyone, but worked differently only for Jeong Si-jun. It meant he considered him that special.
“I just need to scoop the rice. Do you want a lot? Or maybe not much since you just woke up?”
“Just a little.”
“If it’s not enough, you can have more.”
“Okay.”
Since it was a meal kit, the taste was guaranteed to a certain extent. Still, one could never be too sure. He usually lacked an appetite, and it was better to start with a small portion than to be greedy and leave food behind.
After placing the steaming bowl of rice in front unauthorized [visit our site]copyEND: unauthorized copy -->of him, Jeong Si-jun sat opposite him, still wearing the apron.
“Hyung. Eat a lot.”
“I will.”
Yoon Ki-hyun picked up the neatly placed spoon. To think that in his lifetime, he would end up eating a meal prepared by Jeong Si-jun at his house. He knew that life was unpredictable, but he never imagined it would unfold in this way.
“How is it?”
“What do you mean? It’s good.”
“Thank goodness. I was worried because there are a lot of tasteless meal kits.”
“If it tastes bad, we can just buy something else next time.”
“I feel like I’m going crazy when you talk about ‘next time,’ Hyung.”
“Now what?”
“I just feel so moved and overwhelmed.”
“What are you talking about.”
Yoon Ki-hyun shook his head and finished his meal. Considering he had spent his adult life eating convenience store lunchboxes or delivery food, this was the first time he had eaten a proper home-cooked meal.
‘I feel strange again.’
Whenever he was with Jeong Si-jun, he always ended up feeling strange.
At first, he hated him because he seemed no different from other Espers, and when they met again, it grated on his nerves how he acted like some wealthy socialite.
Since then, he had constantly felt inferior and suffered from a sense of inadequacy due to the other’s [stolen [stolen content]content]behavior, [visit our site]but now, a different emotion took precedence.
He felt as though he could lead a plausible daily life if he were with Jeong Si-jun. There was no guarantee and the evidence was flimsy, but wasn’t the peace he had vaguely imagined now unfolding before him?
The daily routine—where he would wake up every morning feeling suffocated by the thought of dragging his heavy body to work while worrying about utility bills and loan debts—now felt distant and blurred.
“Ah, but this is actually tastier than I thought. Maybe I’ll buy this one again next time.”
“Do whatever you want.”
Exchanging trivial conversation while facing each other over a meal.
“Ah, I’m full. How about some fruit for dessert? I have apples, oranges, and mangoes.”
Yoon Ki-hyun had longed for a normal daily routine—where one ponders dessert after a meal—for a very long time. He gazed silently at Jeong Si-jun’s face.
The man who had effortlessly brought him the ordinary life he had waited for so long shrugged his shoulders.
“If you’re too full, you can have it next time.”
Next time. Just as Jeong Si-jun had confessed earlier, Yoon Ki-hyun was unexpectedly pleased by the mention of a ‘next time.’
Was it because the peace he felt he could experience with Jeong Si-jun was simply too tempting?
“But you’re full after eating that?”
“No, let’s have dessert.”
“As expected. I knew you would.”
Jeong Si-jun laughed brightly and stood up. Looking at his… lover, whose apron looked as if the front was about to rip, Yoon Ki-hyun smiled faintly.
Thinking to himself that this kind of relationship might not be so bad after all.
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