RFT 25

Arriving at the train station before the sun had fully risen, Do Ye-jun hurriedly boarded the first train. As soon as his tension eased, sleep washed over him.

Fortunately, Do Ye-jun woke up just before the previous station. He managed to get off on time without accidentally passing his stop.

It had been a long time since he last visited this place. Although it wasn’t actually his hometown, for some reason, it felt as cozy and welcoming as if he had truly returned home.

Do Ye-jun caught a taxi at the stand in front of the station. After reciting the home address, he leaned back comfortably against the seat.

The sky was exceptionally clear and bright.

And so far, his phone had remained silent. Could it be that Cheon Sa-hyun hadn’t read his note yet? It seemed past the time he would have left for work. Perhaps he hadn’t noticed it on the dining table.

If a flood of messages had poured in, he could have at least pretended to ignore them, but the complete silence made it impossible to gauge Cheon Sa-hyun’s state, which only increased his anxiety. Trembling from the fear of the unknown, Do Ye-jun took a deep breath to steady himself.

‘I ran away from Cheon Sa-hyun, so why do I keep worrying about him?’

Soon, the taxi arrived at its destination. visit our siteAfter a brief word of thanks, Do Ye-jun stepped out of the car. [unauthorized copy]Pulling his suitcase, he walked [stolen content]toward the house with determined strides.

In front of the familiar front door, he pressed in the passcode…

Beep—!

‘Huh?’

When the warning sound for an incorrect passcode rang out, Do Ye-jun carefully checked the keypad and entered the code again.

But once more.

Beep—!

“…Why?”

Had the passcode been changed? Just as Do Ye-jun was pacing in front of the door, pondering the situation, the door opened cautiously.

“Did you change the passcode… huh?”

He had expected his mother or father to come out, but the person who appeared was a complete stranger he had never seen in his life. The man, perhaps having just woken up, rubbed his sleepy eyes and asked in a slightly irritated voice.

“…Who are you?”

He asked the very question Do Ye-jun wanted to ask. Do Ye-jun hurriedly looked around. The floor and the unit number were definitely correct.

Then, had he confused the building number?

“Is this not Building 105?”

“…It is. Are you a delivery? I didn’t order anything….”

The man scanned Do Ye-jun with a wary gaze. Do Ye-jun was only holding a suitcase; there was no delivery box in sight.

Sensing the atmosphere, Do Ye-jun gave a quick, polite bow.

“Ah, I’m sorry.”

He quickly took the elevator back down. Once outside, he checked thoroughly to see if he had entered the wrong house, but no matter how much he thought about it, that was the right house.

He was certain. Only a year ago….

He hadn’t been able to visit during the last few holidays because he was writing his graduation thesis….

As Do Ye-jun stared blankly up at the apartment building, a sudden realization hit him.

“Wait, did I come back?”

He began to feel his body and face.

“Did I return to my original world while I was asleep on the train?”

His heart began to race. Suddenly, the familiar neighborhood transformed into an alien place in an instant. Do Ye-jun began to hurry away from the apartment complex, pulling his suitcase behind him.

“Then, to my real home…!”

Then, he came to a dead stop.

“…Where is my real home?”

A wave of bewilderment washed over him. He couldn’t remember a single thing about where he had lived in his original world.

Do Ye-jun sank to the ground. Just as he was clutching his head in deep thought.

A call came in from Cheon Sa-hyun.

As if doused in cold water, or awakened from a dream, Do Ye-jun stared blankly at the name “Cheon Sa-hyun” written on the phone screen.

He hadn’t come back.

No, he hadn’t returned.

Do Ye-jun just sat there, dazed, until the call from Cheon Sa-hyun ended.

After a long while, regaining his senses, Do Ye-jun staggered to his feet. He searched through his contacts and called his mother.

The ringing tone sounded, and soon a familiar voice answered.

It was the same affectionate voice as always. Do Ye-jun felt an inexplicable sense of relief.

“Hello?”

He could hear a commotion behind his mother. It seemed she was at the shop.

Do Ye-jun’s parents ran a small soup restaurant in the neighborhood. Their specialty was bean sprout soup. The fact that Do Ye-jun loved soup dishes was largely due to his parents’ influence.

“Are you at the shop?”

“I’ll go there.”

From a distance, he could faintly hear his father asking, ‘Is that Ye-jun?’ His Read on Read BL Novelsmother replied, ‘Yeah, Ye-jun says he’s coming [unauthorized copy]to the shop,’ and his father [visit our site]added, ‘Really? What for? Tell him to hurry over.’

Hearing the conversation, Do Ye-jun nodded.

“I’ll be there soon.”

And when he arrived in front of the soup restaurant following the familiar path.

“……What is this?”

Do Ye-jun faced a second wave of confusion. Just like his house, the soup restaurant had vanished.

In the spot where the restaurant should have been, a large convenience store had taken its place. After staring at the familiar brand logo for a while, Do Ye-jun looked around the surrounding shops frantically.

Everything was the same. Except for the soup restaurant.

Do Ye-jun felt as if the world was mocking him.

“Oh, isn’t that Ye-jun?”

Just then, the owner of the noodle shop next to the old soup restaurant, who was carrying a large box of ingredients, spotted Do Ye-jun standing there blankly.

“It’s been a while. Have you been doing well?”

“Ah, Mister. Hello.”

Despite his confusion, Do Ye-jun first bowed his head in greeting. The man smiled warmly and spoke.

“But what brings you here? It’s been quite a while since the shop moved, hasn’t it?”

“Pardon…? The shop… moved?”

“Goodness! I guess you didn’t know? Your parents moved the shop. Over to the downtown area.”

The man, whose hands were occupied with the load, gestured with his chin toward the bustling district. Do Ye-jun asked with a bewildered expression.

“W-when…?”

Seeing him look so out of it, the man clicked his tongue.

“You really didn’t know. Just follow that main road. You’ll see it right away.”

At that moment, Do Ye-jun’s phone began to ring. It was his mother.

“Mom?”

“No, I’ve arrived, but….”

“What do you mean, first floor….”

The original soup restaurant had been a single-story building. There was no reason to specify “first floor.”

“Mom, did you move the shop? When?”

Somehow, the conversation felt strange. He had heard absolutely nothing Read on Read BL Novelsabout [stolen content]it, yet his mother spoke as if he already knew.

He couldn’t make heads or tails of the situation.

“I didn’t know…. Where did the shop move to?”

“Got it, I’ll be there soon.”

After figuring out the location, he hung up, but the uneasy feeling wouldn’t go away. Do Ye-jun hurried his pace. He had a long way to go.

And indeed, when he entered the main road.

The familiar sign of the soup restaurant came into view. The sign was twice as wide as before. And naturally, the building the sign was attached to was also twice as large as the previous shop.

“……It’s two stories?”

Only then did he understand why “first floor” had been mentioned during the call. The soup restaurant was operating on two floors. Moreover, despite the early hour, the inside of the shop was crowded with customers. Do Ye-jun stepped into the noisy restaurant. An employee, spotting him, approached with a friendly smile.

“Are you alone?”

“Huh? Yes….”

Since the shop had originally been run by just his parents without employees, he hadn’t expected to see a stranger. Do Ye-jun nodded instinctively, and the kind employee guided him to a table for two.

Before he could even order, water and a cup were set on the table.

“Would you like to order?”

At that gentle question, Do Ye-jun ordered one bean sprout soup as if possessed. He had yet to see his parents’ faces.

Even after scanning the wide interior of the first floor, his parents were nowhere to be seen. He began to doubt if this was truly the shop run by his parents.

While Do Ye-jun was looking around like a meerkat, feeling out of place, the employee returned with a tray full of side dishes.

The moment he saw them, Do Ye-jun was certain. This was indeed his parents’ shop.

“Ye-jun!”

And right on cue, his mother appeared. Looking utterly delighted, she hurried down the stairs and welcomed Do Ye-jun with open arms.

Do Ye-jun stood up awkwardly and hugged his mother. It wasn’t that he was uncomfortable, but sometimes their unconditional affection felt overwhelming.

“Why have you lost so much weight?”

Saying the thing parents always say when they meet their children after a long time, his mother stroked Do Ye-jun’s cheek.