By Zephyria 
Bzzzt—
The not-so-loud doorbell sound pierced straight into his ears. Hui-won, who had been buried in the sofa for over 20 hours, shot up at the sound.
When he flung open the front door, Kwon Young-je was standing there with the sunset at his back. He was in his usual neat appearance, his tie tightly knotted as if to prove he had flown straight here from work.
Seeing the man who had crossed half the globe just to talk left Hui-won so dumbfounded he couldn’t even get angry. He wasn’t sure if the person standing before him was an illusion or reality. Swallowing a trembling breath, he stared at him for a long time.
“…What about the company?”
“I don’t know. It’ll manage on its own.”
His answer made Hui-won feel even more drained. He wondered if this Kwon Young-je, who acted so recklessly and impulsively without any plan, was really the person he knew.
Even though five minutes had passed since his arrival, they were still standing off at the front door. Kwon Young-je hadn’t stepped foot beyond the entryway without permission. No matter how rash his actions might be, he was a man who respected Hui-won’s space as much as possible.
Hui-won sighed, wishing the ground would swallow him. Rubbing his forehead several times as if it ached, he barely managed to squeeze out words.
“I really don’t know what you’re thinking, Executive Director.”
“You’re not the only one. I’ve been having a hard time with you lately too.”
“……”
“I was so worried you might think badly because of me, I couldn’t even easily say a single word.”
“……”
“You weren’t eating, you weren’t going out. How could I feel good seeing you live like a shut-in in your room?”
A long arm reached out and pulled Hui-won into an embrace. Through their touching bodies, Kwon Young-je’s trembling was transmitted in full. Even though it was a familiar body and a familiar scent, the fine, shivering vibration was unlike Kwon Young-je.
He spoke as if sighing into Hui-won’s ear.
“Hui-won. It’s hard for me too.”
Even though they prided themselves on knowing each other inside out, that couldn’t offset the anxiety they felt while apart. He was just putting on an act of being okay; in truth, his inner feelings were a mess of worry and fear.
How had he endured these two months? With what feelings had he pretended to be okay? Hui-won didn’t have the luxury to even consider Kwon Young-je’s broken state of mind and body. He was too busy just taking care of himself, neglecting Kwon Young-je.
“……”
The man who always showed only a steadfast appearance was now laying bare his very foundation before him. Harsh words or reprimands—now was not the time for those. He couldn’t heartlessly send away the man who had come to see him. Hui-won raised his limp arms and firmly grabbed the other’s collar.
“That Eric or whatever, you hired him, right? To guard me?”
“Yes.”
“Did you by any chance also ask the neighbors to keep an eye on me?”
“……”
When he fell silent, Hui-won poked his side with a fist. Tell me. At the low threat, Kwon Young-je hugged Hui-won and let out a long sigh.
“I only asked them to look in on you. To sometimes deliver groceries too.”
“Ha… you lunatic.”
Kwon Young-je’s confession made him realize that all the strokes of luck that had occurred during that time weren’t coincidences. No wonder it felt suspicious. Now it all made sense.
Hui-won struck his side a few more times, filled with resentment. Of course, he didn’t put much force into it.
Kwon Young-je laughed and hugged Hui-won’s upper body even tighter. Burying his face in the nape of his neck, he took a deep breath. As the fragrant olive scent rose deep into his lungs, his pheromones, which had been unsteadily fluctuating all along, also regained stability.
Pheromones are the most reliable means of reading the other’s emotions. He could physically feel that their intense emotions had somewhat subsided.
The two stood dumbly at the front door, just holding each other and breathing for a long time. For now, this was a more effective method than talking things out.
“If you have any questions, ask them all.”
Suddenly, he spoke as if offering a favor. Hui-won took a small breath. He had no reason to refuse the given opportunity.
“Just how far does Mr. Kwon Young-je’s surveillance network extend?”
“Enough to contact the people in this neighborhood directly.”
Right, it was an excessive kindness. Nancy baking bread for him every time probably had Kwon Young-je’s influence behind it.
“The landlord too?”
“From the start, I paid enough to potentially buy this place when securing it. So it’s natural they’d be attentive.”
“Don’t tell me the grandmother next door asking me to walk her dog…”
“That grandmother’s hip joints are perfectly fine.”
A sigh of betrayal escaped him in succession. As Hui-won showed signs of his chest heaving, about to explode with anger again, Kwon Young-je subtly released pheromones and pulled him into a tight hug.
“You being well was the most important thing. Since I couldn’t watch over you from the side, I had no choice but to do things my way.”
“……”
“Just know that I also struggled all this time trying to look after you without it being noticeable.”
“So what, should I say you did well, thanks for your hard work?”
“No. Just don’t be too angry.”
As a warm hand patted his back, Hui-won ended up letting go of even the last bit of remaining anger. Kwon Young-je was truly a master. If this had been over the phone, the emotional rift would have deepened, but by appearing in person and explaining with his whole body, he was uprooting all the seeds of misunderstanding.
“I should get going now. My flight time is tight.”
Kwon Young-je slowly separated their joined bodies. The time they spent talking face-to-face was barely over ten minutes. Could there be such an inefficient meeting?
“Let’s share the rest of our stories gradually.”
“……”
“Take care.”
He brushed aside Hui-won’s disheveled hair for him and gave a faint smile. Just as he was about to check his wristwatch one last time and turn away without hesitation, Hui-won unconsciously grabbed his arm.
“Eat… before you go.”
“……”
“…If not, then it can’t be helped.”
Kwon Young-je took hold of Hui-won’s hand wrapped around his arm and lowered it. Instead of shaking it off coldly, he interlocked their fingers. With an awkward sigh, he took out his phone.
Kwon Young-je gave a short, firm instruction. With his already chaotic schedule getting disrupted once more, there were probably screams of agony coming from Seoul about now.
Hui-won was the one who knew that better than anyone.
While Hui-won reheated the cold dinner, Kwon Young-je set about inspecting the house. He checked the security system, which the landlord had completely replaced not long ago, item by item, and then opened the refrigerator.
The inside of the small refrigerator, the kind you’d find in a single-person apartment, was packed so full of food there was almost no empty space. Seeing it with his own eyes finally eased his hardened expression, as if it brought him relief.
Meanwhile, Hui-won was taking the lasagna out of the oven. It was a bit puffed up, but the cheese had melted well, making it look delicious. He divided it onto small plates and also got spoons and forks. Since it was a place for one person, there was only one set of cutlery. They had no choice but to share.
Fortunately, Kwon Young-je had managed to secure about three hours of spare time. He really should just eat and leave, but that was something.
It had been a very long time since they sat around a table and had dinner together. Even without much conversation, the atmosphere was comfortably relaxed.
Hui-won silently continued his meal, then looked at the plane ticket placed on the table. According to the schedule written on the ticket, he had to board another plane in an hour. From the start, he had only intended to see his face briefly and leave. Hui-won alternated his gaze between the plane ticket in his hand and his face several times. He still couldn’t believe Kwon Young-je’s outrageous behavior.
“Why are you so impulsive? You weren’t like this before.”
“I endured two whole months without you. Did you think I wouldn’t do something crazy and hold on?”
Hui-won tightly closed his mouth. When he put it that way, there was nothing left to say.
“…I thought you were okay. Since you sent me off so readily.”
“Back then, you were on the verge of breaking down. I had to do something.”
Hui-won remembered too. How pushed to the brink he had been at that time. He had only thought about throwing everything away. Even Kwon Young-je.
Hui-won shook his head restlessly. Regardless of the circumstances, this shouldn’t happen again.
“But still, let this kind of thing end today.”
“Why.”
“Honestly, if this were Japan or something, I might somehow understand… Haah, forget the money, isn’t the wasted time just too much of a pity?”
“If I’m committing crazy acts within the limits of what I can handle, what’s the problem?”
Kwon Young-je straightened his back. The way he took a sip of the wine in his mug was deliberately full of leisure.
“So, don’t come?”
Hui-won firmly pressed his lips together. While he was feeling frustrated enough to die, Kwon Young-je, laughing all by himself, was utterly infuriating. Why did even his smiling face have to be so handsome? It completely turned one’s insides upside down.
“Don’t laugh. It makes me mad.”
“You said you liked seeing me smile.”
“……”
Hui-won answered with aggressive spooning instead. There was no way to stop his face from turning bright red.
So annoyingly handsome, it’s ridiculous. It’s hard to get angry in front of that face. Is this why Kwon Young-je flew all the way to Boston?
After the meal, they were even given a brief moment to have tea. Hui-won handed over a hot cup of coffee and stood as if confronting Kwon Young-je. After a silence, he finally opened his mouth.
“I’m not going back to Korea. We still have time left from our promise, and…”
“I know. I didn’t come to persuade you.”
He placed the mug he was holding onto the side table. His lowered gaze slowly rose and turned towards Hui-won’s face.
“I just came because I wanted to see you.”
His face, leaning back on the sofa and facing Hui-won, looked quite weary. Dressed in a monotone summer suit with his hair neatly brushed aside, he wasn’t much different from the Kwon Young-je he knew, but his face, soaked in fatigue and sorrow, kept stepping on Hui-won’s heart.
“……”
He took a slow step. It was a small living room, so their knees touched after just two steps. Hui-won braced himself on the sofa and climbed up to sit on his thighs. Without saying a word, an arm wrapped around his back.
Hui-won carefully traced his face with his hands. Without even blinking once, he engraved all of Kwon Young-je’s features. He obediently let his hands be taken. As if granting permission to do to his heart’s content what he would never allow anyone else, he offered his face.
“You’ve gained weight.”
“I’ve been eating well. Exercising regularly too.”
“Good job.”
Yet Kwon Young-je himself had lost weight. His already slender impression looked sharp enough to be fierce.
Wanting to atone for his own selfish actions, Hui-won held Kwon Young-je’s cheek and carefully tilted his head. As he bit the smooth lips, a sigh escaped on its own.
The heart he had locked up tight came flowing down in an instant. Now there was no way to even gather it back up. The softly touching flesh was so missed, he almost teared up.