By Zephyria 
And so, he finished tidying things up safely. He couldn’t say it was entirely without incident, but regardless.
Through a service, he disposed of all the remaining belongings and emptied the house. A few days later, he had another clash with his Mom over the matter, but since it was a reaction he had roughly anticipated, Eun-ha was able to handle it calmly, even as his Mom raged and wailed on the other end of the line.
It seemed to her that Eun-ha’s attitude—cleanly and efficiently keeping his promise—felt heartless. He must have looked like someone trying to distance himself by severing all material ties.
Mom acted as if she were someone who had impulsively told him to cut ties in a fit of rage, only to be met with a cold “Let’s do that.” She behaved mournfully, pouring out her sorrowful emotions. It started with why he wouldn’t listen to her, then moved to why he made her so upset, how he could keep doing this to her, and how he could act as if it didn’t matter when he knew she couldn’t live without him. That her only goal in life was for her children to live well, so why was he always…
— I love you, Eun-ha. Mom really loves you so much…
“…I know. I know that too.”
— You know, and you’re still like this? You’re doing this to your mother? Huh? How could you do this to me…
A mother who was obsessed with her child, who wanted to interfere, and who was terrified to the point of shuddering at the thought of her child slipping through her fingers was familiar to him. Because of that, he was relatively unaffected, but he couldn’t help the feeling of being emotionally drained.
Evening time. After finishing a phone call that lasted about an hour, a completely worn-out Eun-ha leaned sideways as if collapsing. Yeon-jun, who had been sitting beside him with his chin resting on Eun-ha’s shoulder and his arm wrapped around him, naturally supported him.
Eun-ha rested his temple against Yeon-jun’s chest, lifting only his eyes lifelessly. To Yeon-jun, who asked with his gaze what had happened, Eun-ha murmured as if exhausted.
“She says she loves me too much to let me go.”
“Hmm. Do you hate that, Hyung?”
“Of course I do. I’m twenty-eight… I’m at an age where she should let me live my own life. But Mom always treats me like some object that can be fixed. As if I’m her property.”
As he spoke, feelings of resentment bubbled up, and he vented his frustrations for a while longer. Then, suddenly equipping himself with critical reason, he gradually stopped. After all, who would actively sympathize with someone complaining about their parents?
As if telling him to let out all his anger and release it, Yeon-jun listened to the grievances, nodding silently, and left only one comment as a joke.
“You are the type that’s easy to worry about, Hyung. I’m like that too. Your friends are, as well.”
He spoke as if Eun-ha belonged to a category of people who were naturally concerning. In response to that attempt to lighten the mood, Eun-ha deliberately acted annoyed.
“Just leave me alone…”
When he pretended to be fed up as a way of playing along, Yeon-jun countered with “I don’t want to,” and poked at the lounging Eun-ha. He tickled him just enough to be bearable. Having lived in close proximity, he had learned that Eun-ha was ticklish.
After playing around for a bit, they slid down to the floor. Giggling, Eun-ha rested his head on Yeon-jun’s thigh and opened his eyes. Letting out a sigh of relief, he asked in passing.
“Are your parents not like that? Obsessive, or trying to control you…?”
Yeon-jun let out a light hum in his throat and wore a thoughtful expression for a moment before answering.
“I think it was exactly the opposite. My parents raised me with a neglectful style.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Because my parents loved each other too much.”
It was an explanation that they were so focused on each other and so fond of one another that they let their children grow up on their own. They went on dates whenever they had time, went on trips…
The parents Yeon-jun described were a couple with an incredible bond. Their focus was far more on being a couple than on being parents.
He said it was relatively less so when his sisters were young, but it wasn’t the case for him. This was because he had sisters who could reasonably perform the role of guardians in place of their parents.
However, since they were also young, whenever the parents had to be away from home for a long time, he often stayed at his grandparents’ house.
For a week, a month, or even up to half a year.
“…Half a year?”
Isn’t that a bit excessive?
When Eun-ha looked up with surprised eyes, Yeon-jun shrugged his shoulders lightly, replying, “They went on a world tour.” He spoke as if it were no big deal. Like someone who didn’t mind at all.
He added that they did call or video chat almost every day… As Eun-ha stared silently at Yeon-jun, his eyebrows dipped slightly.
“Still. That must have been a bit disappointing in its own way.”
Yeon-jun’s eyes widened slightly. As if he hadn’t expected him to say that. Eventually, a faint smile appeared on his face.
“Rather than disappointing…”
As if lost in thought, he trailed off while staring into the void. It was around the time Eun-ha felt that the eyes reminiscing about that time had suddenly lost their light.
Then, as if he had never looked somber, Yeon-jun quickly regained his usual temperature and answered coolly.
“I think it was a similar feeling.”
If it was disappointing, it was disappointing; what other similar feeling could there be? Eun-ha pondered for a moment, but since Yeon-jun seemed to want to dismiss the topic, he didn’t ask further.
And so, the sweltering August flowed by. As he did every summer, Eun-ha occasionally recalled the past—like an indelible stain—out of habit, and he often felt his breath hitch in the humid summer air that evoked unpleasant memories, but he was able to spend his time reasonably well. At least in the sense that he slept deeply without nightmares. And in the sense that he vaguely felt happiness from time to time while living his daily life.
The peace of mind brought by a normal romantic relationship was substantial.
Then one day.
“…She wants to hire him?”
Eun-ha, leaning against the counter, rolled his eyes. He was in the middle of a conversation with Park Hyun-ji, who had called him for some reason. His gaze landed on an empty table. Yeon-jun, who usually followed Eun-ha on his way to work four or five times a week, was not with him today. On days like this, the boy would go work out and spend his leisure time.
I wonder what he’s doing now. Just as he thought that, Park Hyun-ji continued her business on the other end.
— Is he too busy to find the time?
“No, well… it’s not that.”
The subject Park Hyun-ji was asking about was none other than Yeon-jun. Surprised by the unexpected request, Eun-ha fiddled with his brow bone at the question of whether the boy was busy. No way.
Quite the opposite. Yeon-jun was leading a life that was the epitome of a very free and leisurely college student. The images of him that Eun-ha witnessed in daily life were generally like this: sleeping in while hugging Eun-ha. Begging Eun-ha to sleep just a little longer while holding him close when he said he had to go to work. Then, waking up to make a juice that had various things thrown in—tasting like absolutely nothing, though according to Yeon-jun, it was healthy—without forgetting. Taking care of supplements too.
Finding delicious restaurants in the neighborhood. Buying meals and snacks, feeding them to Eun-ha, and taking notes on his preferences. Practicing cooking clumsily while watching YouTube videos…
Sometimes, Eun-ha would wake up alone in bed, wonder why the spot beside him was empty, and then head to the living room at the sound of noisy commotion coming from outside the door. Or when he arrived home around lunch after going to work alone. Then, without fail, he would find Yeon-jun having turned the kitchen into a disaster zone.
Eun-ha had tried to stop him a few times. Telling him it was okay not to do these things. That it was really okay. Strictly speaking, cooking was a type of labor.
Eun-ha didn’t like the idea of Yeon-jun taking on such effort for him. It wasn’t as if he were a one or two-year-old child, and the neighborhood was full of restaurants that delivered. He could take care of his own meals anytime, so why go through the fatigue?
However, the boy said his purpose was solely self-satisfaction. That Hyung was too frail, which made him anxious, and he was worried that a health check-up might reveal something seriously wrong. That these days, just looking at Hyung’s arms and legs made him nervous. His point was that he would feel more at ease if he could make Eun-ha a bit sturdier.
After that, he added the sentiment that he was very proud because Eun-ha had gained a bit of weight recently.
In other words, he was diligent about meals with the goal of having Eun-ha eat well and gain weight. Since cooking at home is better for health than eating out every time, he must be practicing…
Since that was the case, there were no more words to discourage him. Eun-ha looked conflicted, like someone who didn’t know what to do, and then picked up his chopsticks. Leaving behind a gaze full of anticipation, he took a bite of the food Yeon-jun had made.
To the boy who looked at him with sparkling eyes, asking how it was, it was a sorry thing to say, but it wasn’t particularly tasty. It wasn’t inedible, but it was the kind of food that was hard to give a high score to.
Yeon-jun had no particular talent for cooking. However, highly valuing the fact that his effort was commendable, Eun-ha relaxed his facial muscles and replied. “It’s okay,” he said calmly.
It was a natural result that the boy’s expression became sullen without any attempt to hide it.
Looking at the top of the head that was openly grieving, Eun-ha had no choice but to quietly swallow the laughter that surged up. Honestly, he was just too cute…
And that evening, Eun-ha did the cooking. It was the first time he had cooked for him since they started dating. Although the other party said it was for self-satisfaction, for Eun-ha, it inevitably felt like a sacrifice to some extent.
He made a simple pasta and gambas. After taking a bite, Yeon-jun paused, then very slowly lifted his head to look at Eun-ha. With a somewhat shocked face.
‘What is this, Hyung? Why are you so good at cooking…?’
His voice sounded as if he could hardly believe it. Eun-ha shrugged indifferently. Well, that’s because he had done it so much at one point that he was sick of it. Although it had already been several years since he’d stopped.