By Zephyria Side Story Episode 2
Kwon Tae-hee stared at his father’s unfamiliar behavior, then watched the car carrying Kwon Hae-ah slowly depart. He stood still until the taillights disappeared from view, then tilted his head, feeling a little uneasy. Was this what it felt like to be worried? Even though he had left Hae-ah with his parents, he was anxious that something might happen to him.
But he didn’t want to cancel the trip, so he brushed off the feeling lightly. Kwon Tae-hee’s steps were unusually light, his expression a little relieved.
As soon as Seo Jeong-won woke up, he instinctively looked for Kwon Hae-ah. By now, Kwon Tae-hee would have brought Hae-ah to bed, but no matter how much he groped the sheets, he couldn’t feel the small, precious presence. Seo Jeong-won, his blurry eyes widening, quickly sat up, then groaned and collapsed as his vision momentarily blacked out.
It was then. Just as bad luck would have it, the bedroom door opened.
“Ah…”
Kwon Tae-hee found Seo Jeong-won collapsed and quickly approached him. He laid the groaning man down on his back and carefully examined him with eyes full of worry and affection.
“What’s wrong?”
His voice, laced with anxiety, was low. Kwon Tae-hee stroked Seo Jeong-won’s face and neck, checking his temperature, and found his limp hand to hold it tightly.
“You don’t seem to have a fever. Where does it hurt? How does it hurt?”
“I’m not hurting.”
“You don’t have to hide it. We don’t have to go on the trip. It’s not worth going if I have to ignore that Darling is sick.”
At the firm reply, Seo Jeong-won sighed deeply. Orthostatic hypotension was a symptom that had worsened since childbirth. He should have gotten up after being fully awake, but he had jumped up as soon as he realized the child wasn’t there, and this was the unfortunate result.
“I, this is, that. Orthostatic.”
“…”
“I forgot. Hae-ah wasn’t there, so I was surprised… I jumped up, and this happened.”
“Ha.”
Seo Jeong-won avoided his gaze, looking apologetic. Kwon Tae-hee’s eyes clearly showed how surprised he was, and as he mumbled a small apology, a neat hand reached out. Seo Jeong-won naturally leaned his face into the large, warm hand.
“I want to make sure Darling is really okay.”
“I’m okay. But… where’s Hae-ah?”
“My father came to pick Hae-ah up early. He left a little while ago.”
“I didn’t get to say goodbye to the baby.”
At the regretful voice, Kwon Tae-hee simply stroked his cheek. He touched the soft, tender skin and wondered if he should stop by his parents’ house for a moment.
“But, he’ll probably… take better care of him than I do. Hae-ah likes my parents’ house so much anyway. He can do whatever he wants.”
“That’s true.”
“I’m always the only one who worries too much.”
Seeing his gloomy expression, Kwon Tae-hee pulled up his cheek and kissed him lightly. His lips brushed over his fluttering eyelids, and Seo Jeong-won chuckled softly.
“What time are we leaving?”
“If we’re going to stop by my parents’ house… we should hurry.”
“Why are we stopping by your parents’ house?”
At the question that sounded genuinely curious, Kwon Tae-hee stared silently into his dark eyes. Was he really okay? Was he hiding his disappointment? He felt bad that he had rushed Seo Jeong-won so he couldn’t say goodbye to Kwon Hae-ah.
“I thought Darling wanted to see Hae-ah.”
“…I’ll see him when I get back. It’s okay.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
Seo Jeong-won, who had answered quite firmly, quickly scanned Kwon Tae-hee’s appearance and got up from his seat. He was in perfect condition to leave right now. It was a world apart from his own disheveled state.
“You’re all ready…?”
“Yes, I woke up early.”
Seo Jeong-won found Kwon Tae-hee amazing. He always went to bed later than him and used more energy, but he woke up at the same time on weekdays and weekends. He had heard that people lost sleep as they got older…
Was he losing sleep at his age too?
“Executive Director… aren’t you tired?”
“No, I’m not tired.”
“…That’s amazing.”
“What is?”
At the sudden words, Kwon Tae-hee smiled. Seo Jeong-won shook his head slightly instead of voicing his thoughts, and reached out his hand.
“Please help me.”
“Are you going to wash up?”
“Yes, I’m going to wash up.”
Kwon Tae-hee lightly picked up Seo Jeong-won. As he looked down at the small face leaning against his chest as he headed to the bathroom, he felt a throbbing in his heart. He had thought that when the child was born, he might find the child cuter than Seo Jeong-won.
Animals were cuter the smaller they were, after all. But his expectations were pleasantly wrong. Kwon Hae-ah was cute too, but it wasn’t enough to make his heart ache. It was definitely different from the feeling he got when he looked at Seo Jeong-won. Sometimes he wanted to swallow Seo Jeong-won whole. His heart ached all the time.
“Cute.”
Seo Jeong-won flinched slightly at the unspoken words. His effort to pretend he hadn’t heard was commendable. Kwon Tae-hee stood Seo Jeong-won in front of the sink and lowered his head to press his lips firmly against his temple.
“Should I help you with this too?”
“No, I… I’ll do it myself.”
“Take your time washing up.”
“Okay.”
Seo Jeong-won slowly took off his clothes only after confirming that Kwon Tae-hee had left. Aside from the fact that he was tired in the morning and sad that he couldn’t say goodbye to Hae-ah, he was looking forward to the trip. Like Kwon Tae-hee said, it would be nice to stop by his parents’ house for a moment to say hello to the child, but since he would see him when he got back anyway… doing that seemed too fussy, so he held back.
Of course, he knew that Kwon Tae-hee wouldn’t think that way. He was the kind of person who would cancel the trip and bring Kwon Hae-ah back if he just said he wanted to see him.
Seo Jeong-won didn’t bother to hide the laughter that burst out of him and entered the shower booth. He stood under the warm water until he came to his senses, then washed up roughly and went outside, feeling like he was taking too much time.
In the dressing room, he didn’t hesitate much and put on the clothes that Kwon Tae-hee had picked out in advance. He stood in front of the mirror and quickly checked how they looked, then crossed the bedroom. As soon as he opened the door, a savory smell tickled his nose.
“Come this way.”
Kwon Tae-hee, sensing his presence, revealed himself slightly. Seo Jeong-won changed direction and walked straight to the dining room, where he pulled out a chair as if he had been waiting for him.
“Which do you prefer, herbal tea or green tea?”
“…I’ll have coffee too.”
Kwon Tae-hee, who always gave Seo Jeong-won a separate tea, widened his eyes in surprise and nodded. He poured the pre-brewed coffee into a warm mug and placed it in front of him, and Seo Jeong-won bowed his head habitually.
“Eat up.”
Scrambled eggs, crispy toast, salad, and fruit were neatly and beautifully arranged on the table.
“Would rice have been better?”
“No, I like bread.”
Seo Jeong-won took a big bite of bread with plenty of blueberry jam and answered once more. He liked bread. On weekdays when Kwon Tae-hee went to work, breakfast was mostly rice. Thanks to the resident helper who prepared it early in the morning, Seo Jeong-won sometimes ate with him.
But on weekends, both Kwon Tae-hee and Seo Jeong-won prepared their own meals without the help of the resident helper. Perhaps thanks to that, both of them had improved their cooking skills quite a bit. In fact, Seo Jeong-won couldn’t be sure that his cooking skills had really improved because Kwon Tae-hee was the kind of person who ate whatever he was given.
“It’s delicious.”
“Chew slowly.”
Kwon Tae-hee had already eaten and sat next to him, quietly drinking his coffee. Seo Jeong-won emptied the bread, eggs, and salad on his plate and nervously lifted his mug. He took a sip of the coffee, which had cooled down appropriately, and his mouth was filled with a bitter, savory taste.
“…!”
Seo Jeong-won, his eyes wide with surprise, looked at Kwon Tae-hee. It tasted better than he had expected.
“You look like you like it.”
“…It’s very bitter, but savory.”
“That’s right. I like bitter things.”
Seo Jeong-won listened to Kwon Tae-hee’s quiet reply and inwardly agreed that he too would like bitter coffee. He was still too shy to express his feelings outwardly, so he muttered quietly, asking if that was why.