By Zephyria 
The world of
Yoon Joo-ho hadn’t expected him to struggle for so long, as he was endlessly positive in a good way, and lacked sensitivity in a bad way. He didn’t show it much on the outside, but Yoon Joo-ho couldn’t help but notice.
He knew Song Hyun-soo’s breathing, his gaze, the warmth and trembling that came from within his body.
Song Hyun-soo missed
And Yoon Joo-ho just silently stood by Song Hyun-soo’s side.
Because they had each other, they were able to reduce the shock and gradually, healthily, let go of the world of
Not only had they stayed in the world of
Seohae, who was silently watching Yoon Joo-ho drink a non-alcoholic beverage, shook his head in disbelief.
“Yoon Joo-ho, who couldn’t last even three months with anyone he dated, now knows how to take care of a younger boyfriend… He even refuses to drink to drive his boyfriend around. I never thought I’d see the day, no matter how long I lived.”
“I’m not drinking because I don’t want to suffer on a long-distance flight.”
Seohae scoffed.
“I heard Yoon Joo-ho has switched careers to become a driver these days.”
“What are you talking about again?”
“You guys are doing more than just Pilates together, aren’t you?”
“……”
“Acting, English, tennis lessons. You drive him around for all of them. Why did you even buy him a Porsche then?”
Yoon Joo-ho tapped his cigarette into the ashtray and nonchalantly retorted.
“The lessons are at the same time, is there a need to move around in two cars?”
“There’s no reason to take lessons at the same time in the first place.”
“……”
Yoon Joo-ho lowered his gaze and took a deep drag of his cigarette.
“Hyun-soo is just blindly in love with you, so he’ll just go along with it. But you can’t fool Sang-ho Hyung or me.”
“What did I fool you about?”
“You snake.”
“So what?”
“Are you still that insecure?”
“……”
“You’re trying to keep him by your side.”
“……”
“Without a moment to breathe, 24 hours a day.”
Yoon Joo-ho, who was staring up at Seohae with an ambiguous smile, drained the rest of his drink.
He stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray, picked up his coat, and stood up.
“Leaving already?”
“I have to leave the house at 9 tomorrow. He hasn’t even finished packing yet.”
“I was hoping to have a cocktail made by Hyun-soo after all this time.”
“If he wants a cocktail from him, pay me.”
“Why would I pay you instead of Hyun-soo? You’re such a weirdo.”
“Anyway, pay me. 100,000 won per glass.”
“What? You’re a complete robber.”
Yoon Joo-ho hooked the shopping bag on his finger and held it up to eye level.
“I’ll put it to good use. See ya.”
Leaving Seohae’s shout to buy him a gift behind, Yoon Joo-ho left the Bar. He had been smoking just a moment ago, but his mouth already felt empty. Maybe it was because he hadn’t had a single sip of alcohol.
“Oh? Why are you coming out?”
Song Hyun-soo, who was just opening the entrance door on the first floor, stopped at the top of the stairs and looked down at Yoon Joo-ho.
“I got what I needed, so I have to go.”
“I didn’t even get to say goodbye to Hyung.”
Song Hyun-soo looked down the stairs with a disappointed gaze. Yoon Joo-ho wrapped his arm around Song Hyun-soo’s waist and pulled him closer.
“You don’t have to.”
And he completely closed the glass door in front of Song Hyun-soo’s eyes.
“The call? Is it over?”
Song Hyun-soo nodded, and Yoon Joo-ho lightly pinched and shook the tip of his nose.
“Is that your boyfriend? Why do you talk on the phone so often?”
“Because we’re meeting soon. We’ve decided on a meeting place.”
“Where are you meeting?”
“Somewhere with not many tourists. He said he’ll send me the Google Maps coordinates.”
Yoon Joo-ho stared intently at the face of his lover, who seemed excited even though he was trying not to show it.
“The last day, right?”
“Right.”
Yoon Joo-ho had suggested several times that it would be better to meet Jung Ji-in first and spend the last day entirely alone together. Song Hyun-soo also wanted to do that if possible. But the day before was the sentencing hearing for Yoon Joo-ho’s parents’ case. No matter the outcome of the trial, he wanted to be with Yoon Joo-ho all day on that day.
“Two hours. I’m only giving you two hours.”
“I know.”
Song Hyun-soo rushed over and hugged Yoon Joo-ho’s waist tightly. With a happy look on his face, he smiled up at Yoon Joo-ho.
“For more than two hours… I don’t want to be apart either.”
Yoon Joo-ho, who was gazing down at Song Hyun-soo clinging to his waist, wrapped his arms around his lover’s waist and pulled him closer. And he pulled him towards where the car was parked.
“Let’s go home quickly.”
■
There was no progress in packing.
Standing in front of the mirror, Song Hyun-soo picked up two jackets hanging on the hanger and held them up to his face alternately.
“Ah… this one’s good too. But this one has cute pockets.”
It wasn’t easy to decide. Song Hyun-soo looked down at the messy floor of the dressing room.
Two large suitcases were wide open. And already, piles of clothes were stacked inside. There seemed to be no more room to fit anything else. Feeling overwhelmed, Song Hyun-soo found Monroe occupying a spot in the corner of the suitcase and burst out laughing.
“Monroe, you rascal, what are you doing in there? Huh?”
Nyaaang.
The cat raised its chin and cried out loudly, as if expressing its dissatisfaction.
Even though he was scolding him, Song Hyun-soo’s face was full of a happy smile as he looked at something lovely. He took out his phone and took several pictures of the cat’s cute appearance.
“Do you want to go with me too?”
Niyaa.
Whether it understood and was answering, or just making noise.
He had to be apart from it for five nights and six days starting today. Thinking about that, apart from looking forward to this trip, no, this business trip, he felt bad.
Song Hyun-soo bent down and picked up Monroe. He scratched under its chin and forehead, the places it liked, and showered it with kisses. It seemed that it wasn’t Monroe who didn’t want to be apart, but perhaps Song Hyun-soo himself.
He was the one who had encouraged Yoon Joo-ho to adopt it in the first place, and he had grown even more attached to it as they had lived together as a family for nearly half a year. After the movie wrapped up filming, the three of them had been together at home every day.
“Director Bang will come. Director Bang, who you like. You can be good, right?”
“What’s with that weird title?”
At the sudden voice, Song Hyun-soo looked up.
Yoon Joo-ho, with only a towel barely wrapped around his lower body, was just walking out of the bathroom.
It had been almost half a year since they officially started living together in this house. But still, seeing him like that gave him a shock to his heart, and for a moment, he didn’t know where to look.
“…What?”
Even though he didn’t know where to look, Song Hyun-soo pretended to be nonchalant with a sulky tone and glanced at the lines flowing along Yoon Joo-ho’s body.
“Director Bang is Director Bang, and Uncle is Uncle. What’s Director Bang Uncle?”
Yoon Joo-ho had even finished styling his hair. The sight of his bare body in a primal state with only a towel wrapped around it, and his hair neatly civilized, was discordant yet evoked a decadent feeling.
“But. Why is the dressing room still in this state?”
Yoon Joo-ho’s gaze as he looked down at the cluttered space was displeased. He added.
“It’s no different from before I went in to shower.”
“Ah, Sunbae. Take a look at this. Which one should I take?Song Hyun-soo put Monroe down from his arms and held up the two jackets he had been contemplating just a moment ago. Monroe, in the meantime, approached Yoon Joo-ho and rubbed its body against his calf, and Yoon Joo-ho picked up the cat in his bare chest. And frowned.
“Stop packing now. The free schedule is only for two nights and three days. How many clothes are you planning to wear?”
“No, it’s my first overseas trip, and… it’s the first trip I’m going on with Sunbae. I want to take this and I want to take that…”
“It’s not a trip. It’s a business trip.”
Yoon Joo-ho spoke in a stern voice, like a senior.
“But two nights and three days is our trip.”
“So?”
“So, I just threw in everything I wanted to take, and…”
Song Hyun-soo, who was mumbling excuses while scratching the back of his neck,’s gaze fell to the floor with a sullen look.
Haa. Yoon Joo-ho, who sighed, put Monroe down on the floor and said in a helpless tone.
“Then take another suitcase.”
Then he pulled out another large suitcase from the corner of the dressing room.
Song Hyun-soo’s lips twitched as he tried to hold back a laugh.
His tongue is a bit sharp, but in fact, Yoon Joo-ho had been taking good care of him even before they started dating. But after they started dating again, there were definitely moments when he felt that it was different from before.
The past Yoon Joo-ho, who would be doing well but would always put up a wall and hide at some point. But now, he could feel the desire to prioritize him even in very trivial things. Like now.