114 – AC
Watching Cha Se-jin, who had become quite serious, Eun-won slowly reached out his hand. Cha Se-jin’s hand lightly enveloped Eun-won’s fingers, and he slowly slid a ring onto the slender, white fourth finger.
The moment the cold, smooth sensation wrapped around his finger, Eun-won’s heart gave a small flutter. It was different from when they had gotten their wedding bands. He had liked Cha Se-jin back then too, but he hadn’t felt this kind of trembling. Back then, the ring had existed merely as a preparation for the wedding ceremony.
But it wasn’t like that now. The ring now encircling his finger felt like another confession from the Cha Se-jin he loved.
“It’s pretty.”
Cha Se-jin’s low voice resonated. Eun-won looked down at his hand where the ring sat. Small diamonds sparkled under the lighting. It was truly beautiful. Both the ring, and Cha Se-jin’s heart in wanting to share this ring with him.
“…I want to put yours on too, Director.”
“Okay.”
Eun-won took the larger ring of the same design handed to him by the employee. Cha Se-jin’s hand was much larger and firmer [Read on Read BL Novels]style="position:absolute;left:-9999px;font-size:0;">[unauthorized copy]than his own. Feeling a bit nervous, Eun-won slid the ring onto his finger. Once the ring found its place, Cha Se-jin lifted his hand to check it against the light.
“I like it. Even more because Darling put it on me.”
Smiling, Cha Se-jin took Eun-won’s hand and placed it side by side with his own. The matching rings sparkled quietly under the lights.
After sharing rings that were not excessive, but neat and yet clearly brilliant, Eun-won felt as if his heart would burst. He loved Cha Se-jin. So much that he didn’t know how to express it. Yet, he felt as if he would die if he didn’t express it, to the point where he wanted to convey it through every gesture and movement.
Cha Se-jin looked down at their touching hands and spoke as if making a vow.
“I’m never taking this off.”
“Me neither.”
The immediate response from Eun-won was enchanting. Cha Se-jin gazed deeply at Eun-won, who couldn’t take his eyes off the ring, clearly loving it, and then nodded to the employee to signal the purchase. He felt he had made the right choice in asking them to prepare the sizes in advance so they could wear them and leave immediately.
Thanks to that, he didn’t have to take off the ring Eun-won had personally put on him. The fact that he could keep Read on Read BL Novelsthe heart [unauthorized copy]Eun-won had chosen right on his hand—that small detail felt strangely wonderful.
Cha Se-jin looked down at their joined hands and slowly stroked the ring on Eun-won’s finger with his thumb. He wanted to share everything with Eun-won, one by one, like this.
Today’s feelings, tomorrow’s time, and even the most trivial daily routines that would naturally become something they did together.
Cha Se-jin gripped Eun-won’s hand more deeply. The ring touching his finger sparkled as brilliantly as today’s vow.
On a weekend morning, Cha Se-jin, who had been sleeping in with Eun-won, woke up first. After blinking a few times to clear the sleep from his eyes, Cha Se-jin kissed Eun-won’s hair, cheek, and lips in turn as he slept peacefully beside him, and then pressed his lips against the ring sitting perfectly on the fourth finger. Then, he lifted his own hand with the ring and stared at it for a long time in the dim darkness.
Since he had never worn a ring for long, he had vowed that even if it felt foreign or uncomfortable, he would adapt to it somehow, but luckily, there was no such feeling at all. It felt comfortable and right, as if the ring had been in that spot since the day he was born.
When he slid his hand under the covers and pulled the even warmer morning-time Eun-won into a full embrace, a small moan of sleep was heard. Ah, so cute. Murmuring this, Cha Se-jin closed his eyes again while hugging Eun-won with his whole body.
Waking up a little after ten, the two of them stayed in bed talking until past eleven, and Cha Se-jin finally got up around noon. It was because they had agreed to have weekend lunch together at the main house.
Because Eun-won had run away again out of embarrassment, the two of them washed up separately and finished getting ready. Then, they headed to the main house and greeted [[visit our site]class="wm" style="opacity:0;font-size:1px;user-select:all;">stolen content]his sister-in-law, whom they hadn’t seen in a week. Yoo Tae-ra als[stolen content]o smiled, seeing that Cha Se-jin seemed to be in a good mood.
“Brother-in-law, you look happy. Eun-won does too. It seems like you two have grown even closer.”
“Does it look that way?”
“Yes.”
“Thank you. You look like you’re in good condition today too, Noona.”
“The project I was worried about ended well, so I got some deep rest yesterday for the first time in a while. Oh, have Mother and Father arrived?”
Seeing Yoo Tae-ra greeting someone behind them, Cha Se-jin turned around with Eun-won to look at his parents coming out of the room.
“You’re here.”
Cha Se-jin greeted them with a face far more docile than [Read on Read BL Novels]usual. Eun-won also politely bowed his head beside him and smiled while making eye contact with Cha Se-jin’s parents.
“Let’s go in, Eun-won. I put a lot of thought into today’s menu, but the real highlight is the dessert. It’s a mille-feuille cake, with thin layers of custard cream, and the top is caramelized with sugar like a crème brûlée…”
Watching his mother welcome Eun-won warmly and lead him into the dining room, Cha Se-jin followed behind, chatting lightly with Yoo Tae-ra about various recent events.
Then, Cha Se-na and Cha Se-gyu, who arrived a bit later, entered the dining room almost at the same time. Because Cha Se-gyu pushed his way in first, Cha Se-na, who became the last person to enter, shook her head and sat in her seat.
“Wow, why do my brothers never let their little sister win even once?”
“That’s just how life is.”
“When it comes to this, Big Brother is exactly like Second Brother. You’re both weird.”
“I don’t think this is something to be so angry about that you’d say such harsh words.”
At those words, Cha Se-jin tilted his head and looked at Cha Se-gyu. He
“It’s a good thing to be like me. I’ve been really kind lately.”
“You have?”
“Yeah. Right, I’m really kind, aren’t I?”
Turning his head, Cha Se-jin asked Eun-won with a suddenly tender face. Eun-won nodded, answering, “Yes.” It was certain that he was a kind and good person, and answering that was neither difficult nor embarrassing.
“See. Be grateful that you’re like me from now on.”
“I’m exhausted, seriously.”
Watching Eun-won smile softly at the head-shaking Cha Se-gyu, Cha Se-jin seemed to remember something and placed his ringed hand on the table. As if insisting they look at it.
“…….”
Eun-won’s gaze landed on Cha Se-jin’s fourth finger. Other family members might not notice the ring immediately, but in his eyes, only the ring sparkling under the dining room lights was visible.
After that, Cha Se-jin moved his hand throughout the meal so that the ring remained visible. He held the glass with his left hand when drinking water, and kept the back of his hand facing up when unfolding the napkin. And every chance he got, he placed his left hand on the table.
“Did you hurt your hand? Why are you moving so unnaturally?”
When Cha Se-gyu, unable to watch any longer, spoke up, Cha Se-jin looked up and made eye contact as if he had been waiting.
“No. I want you to look.”
“At what?”
Instead of answering, Cha Se-jin pushed his hand a bit further forward. Now, the gaze of the entire family landed on Cha Se-jin’s finger.
“Did you buy a ring?”
“Yeah. With Eun-won.”
“Don’t you already have wedding bands?”
“Those are wedding bands.”
“Then what is that?”
“Couple rings.”
Eventually, Eun-won’s ears turned red, and he fidgeted with his hands under the table. While he found the boasting Cha Se-jin cute and lovely, heat kept rising to his face. Finding and grasping Eun-won’s hand, Cha Se-jin naturally lifted it onto the table. The matching rings sparkled side by side under the dining room lights before the eyes of the family. Everyone looked as if they wanted to say something about the doting Cha Se-jin, but they seemed to be holding back for fear that Eun-won would become more embarrassed.
“Oh, it’s pretty. Who picked it?”
“Eun-won did.”
“Eun-won, you picked it really well. It’s not too burdensome to wear every day, but it’s not too simple either. It suits you both.”
“Mom, you think the same as I do.”
To ensure Eun-won didn’t feel awkward because of his overly excited son, Cha Se-jin’s mother played along and lightly tapped Se-na, who was sitting next to her, under the table.
“Aren’t they showing off their honeymoon phase too much? Is that okay?”
“If you love someone, it’s okay.”
“…Ugh, Brother must be crazy, Mom.”
“That’s because you haven’t experienced it. You’d be even worse than me.”
Yoo Tae-ra, who smiled while watching stolen contentCha Se-jin, who was just happy regardless of what was said, spoke up.
“It’s lovely to see, Brother-in-law. Well, I’m all for dating after marriage. It’s great because you never let your guard down.”
“I knew Noona and I were on the same wavelength.”
The family, who had never seen Cha Se-jin this excited, looked at him with curiosity and then looked at Eun-won as if he were truly impressive. It was almost unbelievable that Cha Se-jin, who rarely listened and only acted unpredictably, could have such a happy face simply because he loved someone.
It was truly impressive, wondrous, and a relief. Thus, not a single family member teased Cha Se-jin further; they simply smiled while watching the two of them a little longer.
The meal continued leisurely and pleasantly. Whenever Cha Se-jin said something cheesy with a straight face, Cha Se-na would recoil in horror and scold him, and Cha Se-gyu would chime in on Se-na’s side with a fed-up expression. And his parents and Yoo Tae-ra smiled softly, seeing that Cha Se-jin remained completely unfazed.
“Let’s have dessert in the courtyard. The weather isn’t cold today; it’s just right.”
At those words, Cha Se-na stood up as if she had been waiting, linked arms with her mother, and smiled.
“The weather is really great, Mom. What tea are you going to drink? I want aria-label="Read on Read BL Novels">Read on Read BL Novelsthe same thing as you.”
“You do? I was thinking of having milk tea today. Warm.”
“Then milk tea for me too.”
Cha Se-na, who was acting cute by rubbing her cheek against her mother’s hand, felt Eun-won’s gaze and turned halfway to gesture to him.
“Eun-won, do you want milk tea too?”
Having spoken casually as per the habit they had when they were alone, Cha Se-na beamed at her surprised mother.
“We agreed to speak comfortably when it’s just the two of us. Why are you so surprised, Mom?”
“What if it becomes a habit?”
“What does it matter? We’re family now. It’s better to be comfortable.”
“Is that so? I suppose so. Right, Eun-won, you’re okay with this, right? If Se-na is just pushing you into it and you’re only accepting it because you have to, you don’t have to.”
At that, Eun-won quickly raised both hands and waved them gently.
“No, it’s not like that. Noona is so kind to me, so I really like it.”
“Noona? Oh my, no wonder Se-na liked it. To be called ‘Noona’ after living as the youngest.”
Cha Se-jin’s mother laughed aloud and gestured for Eun-won to come closer. Feeling as if a mother were calling him, Eun-won stepped closer to her.
“Is there anything difficult because Se-jin is rushing things too much? Like it’s overwhelming to deal with him…?”
“No, the Director isn’t like that. He asks me about every little thing, and he doesn’t do anything that would make me worry even a little.”
“Really? Se-jin has truly become an adult without me noticing. Seeing you both today makes me feel so happy just by watching. Not only does Se-jin look unauthorized [stolen content]copyhappy, but Eun-won looks brighter than before, and I’m even happier that you seem to feel more comfortable with us now.”
As expected, Cha Se-jin’s tenderness seemed to have come from his parents. The words so kind they made his nose tingle and the hand stroking his back made him feel as if he might cry.
“What are you doing without me?”
As he suppressed his tears, Cha Se-jin’s voice dropped behind him. Naturally hugging Eun-won from behind, Cha Se-jin shook his head as if he had seen something he shouldn’t have while watching Cha Se-na leave, and then looked at his mother, who was smiling proudly.
“Se-jin, do you want milk tea too?”
“Yes, please.”
“Alright. Go to the courtyard with Eun-won.”
“Okay, Mom. Let’s go, Darling.”
Releasing the arm that had been around Eun-won’s waist, stolen contentCha Se-jin’s fingers gently slid between Eun-won’s. Their fingers intertwined and locked firmly. Holding [stolen content]that hand, Eun-won walked together through the long hallway where the sunlight was spreading.
Ahead, he could see the backs of Cha Se-na and Cha Se-gyu playing around. Yoo Tae-ra was talking with Cha Se-jin’s father, and a warm light descended upon everyone’s heads.
As the door leading to the courtyard opened, a breeze that didn’t hold much chill rushed in along with the light. The sunlight sparkled over the well-trimmed trees and low flowers, and the voices and laughter of several people scattered lightly through that sunlight.
The steps he took toward them were lighter than last time. And next time, they would be even lighter. Because they were getting closer. Day by day.
As if sensing his deep thoughts, Cha Se-jin gripped Eun-won’s hand firmly once more. Eun-won turned his head to look at him. Cha Se-jin was looking down at Eun-won and smiling without saying a word. That smile was so lovely that Eun-won smiled back. And he naturally blended back in with the family.
A peaceful weekend afternoon.
It was a moment where another beautiful ‘now’ was created for Eun-won.
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