By Zephyria “I wanted to see your mother sooner, but Tae-kyung didn’t invite me, so I’m this late.”
“Oh…! Really?”
Mom, unable to hide her surprise and joy, suddenly seemed to remember something and straightened the cushions on the long sofa.
“Look at my mind. Sit over here first. I’ll bring you some tea….”
“First, let me formally greet you.”
Sung Se-han put down the shopping bag he was holding in his left hand and walked over to Mom.
“Mother, please sit here.”
Following Sung Se-han’s instructions to pat the sofa, Mom sat down there as if possessed. I, who had been staring at Sung Se-han while holding the bouquet of roses tightly until then, also blinked blankly. What is that guy trying to do….
“Mother, thank you for giving birth to Tae-kyung so beautifully and wonderfully.”
Until Sung Se-han stepped away from the sofa, raised his arms, and prostrated himself on the floor, I couldn’t figure out what was happening.
“Oh, oh! Sung Se-han, get up! Quickly…!”
Surprised, Mom jumped up and put her hand on Sung Se-han’s shoulder to try to lift him up, but then retreated, not knowing what to do. Sung Se-han looked up at Mom in a kneeling position on the floor.
“From now on, please leave Tae-kyung to me. I will take responsibility and love Tae-kyung with….”
“Hey! You, crazy bastard!”
I was out of my mind for a moment, and that crazy guy finally did something insane. I grabbed Sung Se-han by the collar and shook him so he couldn’t say anything else nonsensical.
“What the hell are you talking about! Can’t you get your act together?”
It wasn’t easy to grab his shirt with only one hand while holding the bouquet. In the midst of all this, the moment I met Sung Se-han’s eyes, I felt a tingling sensation in the back of my head. This guy’s eyes aren’t normal. It was my fault for letting my guard down because he looked so normal today.
“You, come out! Let’s go outside and talk!”
“Hey, Tae-kyung! Why are you doing this?”
Mom was hitting my back wildly, so I was startled and let go of his collar.
“Ouch, Mom. I’m going to take this bastard out and….”
“Tae-kyung, why are you like this today? You’re swearing at a precious friend who came all the way to our house, I’m so embarrassed because of you!”
I couldn’t help but be flustered by Mom’s sincere anger.
“Mom, it’s not that, he’s….”
“I’m sorry, Sung Se-han. Tae-kyung isn’t usually rude to his friends, but I guess it’s because he’s comfortable with Se-han.”
I gritted my teeth and glared at her as Mom bent down and carefully smoothed out Sung Se-han’s wrinkled shirt.
Seeing the guy lowering his eyes and bowing his head, I felt like my stomach was turning inside out. That hypocritical bastard is pretending to be weak in front of Mom, putting on an act that doesn’t even work.
“It’s okay, Mother. I can accept anything Tae-kyung says. That’s how much I like Tae-kyung.”
Ha. I was so dumbfounded by Sung Se-han’s smiling face with his eyebrows lowered that I couldn’t even speak. I just couldn’t believe that he could look so innocent with those broad shoulders, exuding a presence that filled our house.
Suddenly, Mom burst out laughing, and I was surprised and turned my head.
“Puhup! I’m not laughing because I think Se-han’s words are funny… I’m just so amazed that you and our Tae-kyung have become so close.”
“I fell in love with Tae-kyung at first sight before we even became close.”
“Yes? Puhup, hohoho!”
Sung Se-han kept spouting nonsense, but Mom seemed to think it was a joke. I’m holding back. I unknowingly clenched my fist tightly, but then quickly released it again, worried that I would ruin the bouquet.
“Ah.”
Sung Se-han got up from his seat and brought the shopping bag he had brought to Mom.
“I prepared a gift for your mother, but I don’t know if you’ll like it.”
“Oh, my goodness. A gift for me…?”
The moment she saw the logo of the other shopping bag that came out of the large shopping bag, Mom waved her hand in surprise.
“No, wait a minute! Why are you giving this to me…? I can’t accept this.”
Seeing Mom stepping back with a smile, I was worried that Sung Se-han might be upset, so I checked his expression first.
“I chose it with Auntie after discussing it with her. Please accept it as my first gift to you.”
“Oh, no. I can’t. You shouldn’t give such extravagant gifts, Se-han.”
Sung Se-han offered the shopping bag with a gentle smile, but Mom shook her head. Receiving such an incredibly expensive luxury bag as a gift from her son’s friend was, of course, out of the question for Mom.
“Mom, just accept it. He said he chose it thinking of you.”
At my words, not only Mom but even Tae-min looked at me with surprised eyes.
“My friend worried and chose a gift for Mom, and I don’t want you to send it back. I want Mom to accept it.”
Once I said it, I felt a bit upset. Sung Se-han, looking so dashing like he’d stepped out of a magazine, holding a gift that no one would accept.
“No, Tae-kyung. Even so…”
“Mom, when I earn money, I’ll give Sung Se-han’s Auntie a gift that’s even better than that bag. It’s not just about the price, but no matter how expensive it is, it won’t feel like a waste.”
Sung Se-han turned to look at me, but I couldn’t meet his brown eyes. The shopping bag in his hand kept making my eyes burn.
After the divorce, Sung Se-han and Auntie were the only ones who showed interest in us, who had cut off contact with our maternal relatives. Back then, Auntie would often give Mom expensive gifts. Unfortunately, Mom had forgotten all about it.
“Okay. I think you’re right, Tae-kyung.”
Mom seemed to have noticed that I was about to cry. Mom approached Sung Se-han and held out both hands to receive the shopping bag.
“Thank you for preparing it with me in mind. I’ll gratefully accept it.”
“Thank you, Mother.”
Sung Se-han, his shoulders relaxed, spoke to Mom in a gentle voice.
“It’s the most popular gold color. I hope you like it.”
“Gold? Oh my goodness, I heard that’s impossible to get anywhere?”
Mom, who had momentarily lit up, glanced at me and then gave an awkward smile.
“Tae-kyung, you’ll have to work hard from now on.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at Mom’s words. Laughter just burst out of my mouth.
“Haha! Mom, I’m telling you, I’m going to be as successful as Sung Se-han!”
“Yes. I believe in you, Tae-kyung. Ah, Mom’s in a good mood today. Thanks to you guys!”
I was so happy that Mom seemed happy that my chest felt tight. I wanted to hug the bouquet of roses in my hands tightly to my chest and hide my face.
“Se-han, please thank your Auntie for me. I’m going to carry only this bag every day.”
Sung Se-han, who swept his fallen hair to the left, looked at Mom with his signature eye smile.
“If you bring it to the meeting between families, Auntie will really like it…”
“Hey! You crazy…!”
I was so rushed that I ran at Sung Se-han with the bouquet in my arms. I urgently covered his mouth before he could say anything crazy again, and Sung Se-han’s shoulders shook.
“Please shut your mouth! Please!”
“Pfft, ahahaha!”
Mom, seeing my state, opened her mouth and burst into laughter.
“I really didn’t know Se-han was such a funny person. When I see him on stage, he has such charisma that I thought he had a cold personality, pfft haha!”
I was frustrated, but Mom seemed to find us very amusing.
“Hey, you come here.”
I grabbed Sung Se-han’s hand and pulled him, and he followed willingly.
“Mom, I’m going to talk to him in the room for a bit.”
“Take your time talking. When I finish making the hamburgers… Oh, right! What kind of tea should I prepare?”
“We’ll be out soon after talking, so don’t worry about it, Mom.”
I passed Tae-min, who still had a surprised look on his face, and went into the room. Until then, I couldn’t look back at Sung Se-han.
“You sit over there.”
I pushed Sung Se-han in and closed the door, and only then did I calmly look at him.
“Hmm.”
I told him to sit comfortably and pointed to the bed, but Sung Se-han, standing in the middle of the room, was looking around my room. Very slowly. Checking the bed, the closet, and the table by the window one by one.
Damn it. When will this heart of mine calm down? No, I don’t even know if it will calm down today.
But Sung Se-han is in my room right now. I’ve locked Sung Se-han in my own space, so how can I be okay? It was only natural that I was screaming with excitement.
“You really, in front of our Mom…”
“It took too long to get here.”
Sung Se-han, leaning his hand on the desk, touched the notebook on the bookshelf. I felt strange that Sung Se-han was touching things in my room, so I rubbed the bridge of my nose for no reason.
“Uh…? What took too long…?”
“I wanted to come to your room too. I couldn’t until now.”
Without warning, Sung Se-han turned to look at me. The moment I saw his sharp eyes with narrowed pupils, I couldn’t help but be flustered.
“You too, wanted to come…? What does that mean?”
“Well.”
Sung Se-han, who had taken his hand off the desk, strode closer. I staggered back to avoid Sung Se-han’s cold eyes, but soon my wrist was grabbed by his large hand.
“Come here.”
Sung Se-han took the bouquet from me and threw it onto the desk.