By Zephyria Seo Jeong-won carefully moved Kwon Tae-hee, holding his hand. He postponed cleaning up the broken glass, prioritizing other things. He sat Kwon Tae-hee in the middle of the living room and busily moved around on his own.
“I’ll apply medicine soon.”
His voice, asking repeatedly if he was in pain, was so tender. He seemed to believe and feel sorry for him when he exaggerated the pain from such a small wound.
Kwon Tae-hee deliberately acted more hurt, even wrinkling his face. Seo Jeong-won was pleased to see the small figure scurrying around in front of him.
White, small hands examined the wounded area, blowing on it while disinfecting. When he deliberately frowned, dark eyes filled with worry wavered.
Seo Jeong-won neatly applied ointment and a bandage.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m not sure. I can’t feel anything.”
“Is it… because it hurts too much?”
“It’s my first time getting cut by glass, and it hurts quite a bit.”
His expression turned pale, almost white, at the word “first time.” Kwon Tae-hee’s eyes stared intently at Seo Jeong-won.
“It hurts too much to go, can I sleep here?”
Seo Jeong-won, innocent enough to fall for the obvious trick, widened his eyes. His large pupils trembled.
“It hurts too much.”
When he repeated the exaggeration, his trembling eyes moved busily.
“Shouldn’t you go to the hospital…?”
“It’s not that bad, but it’s quite bothersome.”
Kwon Tae-hee looked back and forth between the finger Seo Jeong-won had treated and his neat face.
“I think it would be uncomfortable.”
It wasn’t a deep cut. Just a little deeper than a scratch. But since he said it was his first time getting cut by glass… it might really hurt.
“My house is small, and the bathroom is small too. So…”
“It’s okay. It’s not uncomfortable at all.”
Seo Jeong-won nodded at the conclusive statement. Avoiding Kwon Tae-hee’s persistent gaze, he scanned the house and opened his mouth.
“…Executive Director, you sleep in the bed. I’ll sleep on the floor. But I don’t have any big clothes, what should I do?”
Kwon Tae-hee smiled at the finally granted permission. He was planning to have someone bring clothes to change into for work. And some extra clothes, if possible.
“That’s okay, but didn’t you say you’d give me coffee?”
“Ah, that’s right. Just a moment.”
Seo Jeong-won got up. He went straight to the kitchen, soaked a paper towel in water, and squatted down.
He carefully cleaned the floor where the glass shards were scattered. He wiped the floor several times, checking to make sure no sharp fragments remained before getting up.
He pressed the coffee pot and took out a glass cup. He shook a coffee stick, poured the coffee powder in, and glanced at Kwon Tae-hee.
He was looking at the bandage on his finger and then took out his phone. He seemed to be sending a message, tapping on the screen. Then, as if he knew he was being watched, he turned his head.
Their eyes met in the air. Kwon Tae-hee, who had loosened the button that had been neatly fastened to his neck, curved his lips into a soft smile.
Instantly, Seo Jeong-won’s face turned bright red. He even had the illusion that the sound of his heart beating was ringing in his ears.
“I-It’ll be ready soon.”
“Be careful with your hands.”
His first impression was different from his second, and his third and fourth were different again. Kwon Tae-hee shook the bandaged hand in the air.
Seo Jeong-won nodded quickly. He rubbed his cheek with the back of his hand as if it was a habit and filled the glass with warm water.
He forgot why he had bothered to take out a tall glass and stirred the water he had filled halfway with a teaspoon.
When he put the glass on a small tray and brought it over, Kwon Tae-hee made an ambiguous expression, as if he knew something.
“Thank you.”
“I usually eat sweet things… it’s too sweet, I don’t know if you’ll like it.”
“It’s hot.”
“Ah, yes. Be careful with your… your hands.”
Even at this point, Seo Jeong-won didn’t fully understand the meaning of pointing out the heat of the glass. Kwon Tae-hee smiled gently and took a sip of the coffee.
“It’s my first time drinking it, and it’s sweet.”
“There are even sweeter ones than this.”
“Is that so?”
Seo Jeong-won focused all his attention on the gentle question and the neat lips cooling the hot coffee. He watched Kwon Tae-hee slowly swallow the coffee, and when he put the glass down, he finally realized what mistake he had made.
“Ice…!”
Kwon Tae-hee laughed as if to say, “You’re just realizing it now?” He shook the glass as if to show off, cooling the hot coffee. The brown liquid swirled, leaving faint marks on the glass.
“I’ll bring it again.”
Kwon Tae-hee grabbed Seo Jeong-won, who was trying to get up in a fluster. He sat him down next to him again and burst out laughing. His shapely lips curved beautifully.
“No, it’s okay. Two cups would be too sweet.”
Because the house was small, they had to talk at a close distance, which was too awkward. It felt like he was whispering in his ear.
Seo Jeong-won scratched his earlobe without realizing it and awkwardly lowered his butt back to the floor. Then he quietly watched Kwon Tae-hee’s coffee decrease.
Seeing that his white cheeks had turned slightly reddish, he lowered the air conditioner temperature because he seemed hot.
“Thank you.”
He didn’t miss even Seo Jeong-won’s small movements and thanked him. He felt strangely awkward. He wished he could give him clothes to change into. The suit, tailored to fit his long, firm body, looked somehow uncomfortable.
Watching his straight fingers hold the glass, he wondered if he had any spare toothbrushes at home. He thought it would be better to buy one for him to use, so he tried to get up again.
“I think I have to go out for a bit.”
At the statement he made as if he was notifying him, Kwon Tae-hee’s gaze turned to Seo Jeong-won. He quietly put down the cleanly emptied glass and raised his eyebrows slightly.
“Why?”
“I don’t have any toothbrushes I’ve bought. And… razors too.”
“Ah, Jeong-won doesn’t grow a beard, does he.”
Seo Jeong-won pretended not to hear the accurate statement and got up.
“I’ll be right back.”
His actions were hasty. Kwon Tae-hee, who missed Seo Jeong-won as he hurried away without giving him a chance to stop him, laughed as if he was dumbfounded. The little guy was fast. He was already leaving the entrance. It was also admirable that he was tired but pretended not to be.
Kwon Tae-hee looked at the bandage on his hand with wonder and got up from his seat. He cleaned up the glass and tray and went back into Seo Jeong-won’s room.
He sat at the desk and checked a few more of the workbooks Seo Jeong-won had been working on, and then opened the bills one by one. They weren’t overdue bills. He was paying his taxes more diligently than he thought.
He wondered if the desk, worn by time, wasn’t too small for Seo Jeong-won to use. The chair was too hard too. He judged that it would be difficult to sit on it for a long time.
After organizing the furniture and appliances he needed to replace in his head, he looked around the small room and got up from his seat. If he suggested moving, he seemed like he would be scared, so what if he just redecorated it instead? He was having pleasant thoughts when it happened.
The phone he had carelessly left on the living room floor vibrated. He thought it was a message saying that they had brought what he had ordered, but an unfamiliar name was on the screen.
Had he ever talked to Song Hae-seop? He was puzzled because he had always gone through Chief Jung if he had anything to convey.
“Yes.”
—Hello? Ah, it’s me.
“Yes.”
—I was wondering when you were coming. I was waiting to have dinner together. If you’re not going to be too late—.
“Eat first.”
—I took a Heat inducer today. I thought I’d let you know because it would be nice if you came early.
No wonder the voice coming through the receiver sounded so nasal. Kwon Tae-hee sighed.
“It doesn’t work even if I go. Don’t wait and take a suppressant.”
He found the unnecessary things he hadn’t even ordered to be bothersome. Kwon Tae-hee ended the call without even saying he was going to hang up.
He didn’t understand why he would even call him just because he took an inducer. It wasn’t even his Heat cycle. Could it be that he felt a sense of crisis after seeing Seo Jeong-won? That was funny in its own way.
He briefly spoke with Chief Jung and told him to bring Song Hae-seop a suppressant and make sure he took it.
After waiting a little longer, the door opened. Seo Jeong-won, whose cheeks were red as if he had been running, took off his slippers while catching his breath.
“You really came back quickly.”
“Yes, I ran. A toothbrush and a razor… I bought shaving, shaving cream just in case.”
“Thank you.”
Almost at the same time as Seo Jeong-won’s arrival, he received a message saying that they had brought what he had ordered. Kwon Tae-hee, who had checked the received message, got up from his seat.
“Just a moment.”
Seo Jeong-won, who was puzzled by Kwon Tae-hee’s departing figure, belatedly asked where he was going.
“I have something to pick up.”
With those words, Kwon Tae-hee put on his shoes. Seo Jeong-won stared blankly at him as he pushed open the front door and went out, wondering what he had to pick up.