By Zephyria 
But upon seeing the caller ID, disappointment flickered across Song Hyun-soo’s face.
It couldn’t be Yoon Joo-ho. He was still ignoring the message sent after yesterday’s script reading.
The caller was neither Yoon Joo-ho nor Tae-yoon, who had asked him to look after Yoon Joo-ho’s watch. It was ‘Bogwang-dong Real Estate.’ The agency that had brokered his current rooftop apartment.
“Hello?”
[This is the real estate agency. Everything alright? Is the house manageable?]
“Yes, thanks to you, I’m living well.”
[For that rent, with a Han River view and a spacious room. It’s more than enough for a single guy.]
“Of course, of course. I don’t envy a Han River view penthouse.”
Song Hyun-soo’s cheerful banter made the real estate agent laugh heartily. But the laughter soon gave way to an awkward pause.
[Well, you see, your contract is up at the end of February. We were wondering if you could possibly increase the deposit and rent a bit.]
Glancing at his grandparents, Song Hyun-soo slowly got up from his seat. He smiled to reassure them as they looked up with concern and slipped out of the snack bar.
“Ah… I thought it would be renewed as is since you hadn’t said anything until now.”
[Normally, it’s customary to give notice at least two months in advance. The landlord is being rather urgent this time. The owner’s son is returning from abroad. If the tenant finds an increase in rent difficult, he said he’d renovate the house and move in…]
His son, who was studying violin or cello in Germany, would live in a drafty, rundown rooftop apartment? That couldn’t be right. It was just pressure to raise the rent.
But if they said so, there was nothing he could do but accept it.
“How much more would I need to increase it by?”
[They’re asking for a 10 million won increase in the deposit and a 100,000 won increase in the monthly rent.]
“That much at once?!”
[As the landlord knows, the previous contract terms were exceptionally favorable…]
“Then, the contract renewal request right…”
[If they insist on moving in themselves, there’s no effective way to stop them.]
The agent, speaking as if there was no recourse, answered someone next to him and then concluded the call with Song Hyun-soo.
[So, think about it and let me know. The sooner, the better.]
There was no room to think about it. I’d have options if I had money to think.
Sigh… I worked my tail off to find that place, and now I might have to move neighborhoods again.
He couldn’t change the house his grandparents were moving into. Not because he’d lose the 500,000 won preliminary deposit, but because he had absolutely no intention of touching that property.
Cha Gyu-min went into hiding after betraying Yoon Joo-ho, and now they’re asking for a rent increase or to vacate… Why do these things always come knocking together, arm in arm?
Song Hyun-soo, running his hands through his hair, looked up at the sky from under the snack bar’s awning. Even the sky didn’t seem like the same sky he used to look up at in his school uniform.
■■■
Monroe’s eyes were sharp as he chased the dragonfly dangling from the end of the toy Song Hyun-soo was shaking. When Song Hyun-soo shook it up and down, then flicked the fishing line far out, the creature would leap towards the dragonfly.
Monroe, thinking he had caught the dragonfly, cautiously lifted a paw, but only Song Hyun-soo’s giggling laughter could be heard from behind him.
“Marilyn Monroe, the dragonfly isn’t there.”
Turning to Song Hyun-soo, who was teasingly shaking the toy, the creature assumed an attacking stance again.
“Hey, how can you always be half a beat slow? Come on, faster! Left, right! Left, right! Right again! Are you even a cat? Be quicker, huh? Speed it up.”
“Stop killing its spirit by playing with it like that.”
Yoon Joo-ho, who had been watching from the side, nudged Song Hyun-soo’s shoulder.
“I’m not killing its spirit, I’m just finding it cute.”
“Let him catch it once in a while. Let him feel a sense of accomplishment.”
Yoon Joo-ho shoved the toy’s instruction manual at him and growled.
“He can’t catch it even when it’s right in front of his nose. Look.”
“He’s still a kitten.”
“You pretend to be a laissez-faire cat owner, but you’re really taking his side.”
“What?”
“No. I said you’re the best cat owner.”
Finally, after repeatedly batting his paws and missing, Monroe caught the dragonfly that was swaying right before his eyes.
“Wow, good job! Well done, my Monroe! You’re a genius, a genius cat!”
Song Hyun-soo showered him with praise and gave the cat time to savor his victory.
“He’s quite active now. He comes out and plays even when we’re here.”
The two sat side-by-side on the floor, watching Monroe busy tearing the dragonfly apart. Absorbed in tormenting his prey, the cat was practically wrestling with the unmoving, inanimate dragonfly.
“Before, he used to hide in his room whenever I entered. But he hasn’t done that since Saturday? Well, he doesn’t exactly welcome me either.”
Song Hyun-soo turned to look at Yoon Joo-ho, who was sitting half a step behind him. Yoon Joo-ho’s gaze was fixed on Monroe, his upper body leaning back loosely, hands supporting him. Seizing the opportunity, Song Hyun-soo observed Yoon Joo-ho.
After Song Hyun-soo left last Monday, Yoon Joo-ho had canceled the script rehearsals scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday. He attended the script reading on Thursday but skipped the after-party for the first time.
When he received the notice from Director Bang that the script rehearsal would proceed as scheduled today, Song Hyun-soo felt more nervous than relieved. He wasn’t sure how Yoon Joo-ho would treat him.
To his surprise, Yoon Joo-ho seemed only a bit down, with no other noticeable changes. The rehearsal proceeded seriously as usual, and after it ended, they ate strawberries as a snack.
Meanwhile, Monroe’s room had been fitted with a mat, a seemingly plush bed-like cushion, a hideaway house, and a new low cat tower specifically for kittens. There was also a cabinet filled with various toys, Monroe’s food, and treats, and a sofa where one could sit and watch him.
Had he stared too long?
Yoon Joo-ho, who had been chuckling while watching Monroe drag the dragonfly around, suddenly looked over. Their eyes met, and Song Hyun-soo quickly averted his gaze, pretending to look around the room.
“Monroe’s room is nicer than mine.”
“What kind of room have you been living in?”
Yoon Joo-ho chuckled and shook his head.
He clearly took Song Hyun-soo’s comment as a joke. But it wasn’t. It was the truth.
Still, seeing him smile like that was the first time in a week.
According to Director Bang’s tip, he hadn’t gone out at all for a week, except for exercise and shopping. The good thing was that he often spent time in this room even when he was cooped up at home.
His face, seen for the first time in four days, looked quite gaunt.
His physique was the same, but his face was haggard, perhaps from worry. While a gaunt, melancholic look could be attractive on a sensitive man… his favorite still looked best when healthy.
“Aren’t you losing too much weight?”
“Not really. My body composition hasn’t changed.”
“Your face looks a bit gaunt, that’s all. You’re going to a fashion show, aren’t you? You need to look good.”
“I don’t look so worn out that it matters.”
Monroe, losing interest, dropped the dragonfly, and Yoon Joo-ho picked up the fishing rod and shook it again. The cat’s eyes lit up, and he pounced on the dragonfly.
Yoon Joo-ho was scheduled to fly to Paris, France, tomorrow.
He was attending a Louis Vuitton menswear fashion show, where he had been an ambassador for a long time.
“So, you’ll be photographed for airport fashion again tomorrow, won’t you?”
“Probably.”
“And you’ve already decided on your airport outfit with Louis Vuitton, haven’t you?”
“They have preferences for what they want me to wear.”
“The accommodation in Paris is also arranged by them, right?”
“All ambassadors are treated that way.”
He said it as if it were nothing special.
“Not all ambassadors are treated like that, you know? They only book you a suite if you’re someone like Yoon Joo-ho.”
My favorite is special, you know?
Yoon Joo-ho chuckled again at Song Hyun-soo’s indignant retort.
Watching the lingering echo of that laugh, he suddenly found himself missing him already. He hadn’t even left yet. So, the thought slipped out before he could stop it.
“When are you coming back? Will you be gone long?”
“……”
Monroe lost interest in the toy even faster than last time and, carrying his favorite carrot plushie, jumped onto the cat tower.
Yoon Joo-ho looked into Song Hyun-soo’s eyes for a long time. He had avoided eye contact more than necessary during the script reading and even today.
“You don’t want me to go?”
And this time, he unleashed his voice attack.
“What are you talking about? It’s work, how can I not go? I just…”
“Just what?”
“When are you coming back?”
Yoon Joo-ho’s right hand rested on Song Hyun-soo’s shoulder. The hand, gently massaging, moved to the back of his neck, stroking the stubbly area where his hair was starting to grow.
They were barely a handspan apart.
“Aren’t you worried?”
“About what?”
“About me going to Paris, aren’t you worried?”
“Why would I be?”
“Have you forgotten who lives there?”
“Ah…”
It would be nice if he could go all the way there, meet Jung Ji-in directly, and reconcile. But he decided to stop trying to be a bridge between them.
“You’re not going to find Ji-in hyung and pick a fight, are you?”
“……”
Song Hyun-soo, growing anxious at Yoon Joo-ho’s silence, grabbed his sleeve without thinking and asked again.
“…You’re not, right?”
Yoon Joo-ho pulled Song Hyun-soo’s neck closer, their foreheads touching.
“Well, what do you think?”
The next moment, he felt their noses brush, and their lips met.