By Zephyria Kwon Tae-hee decided he had nothing more to hear from Song Hae-seop, who was sitting anxiously. As he rose from his seat, he stared intently at the man, who flinched slightly, and warned him.
“There shouldn’t be another meeting between the two of you.”
“…”
“Next time, it won’t end with just words. Do you understand?”
“Yes, yes. I won’t contact him. I won’t. I absolutely won’t.”
Song Hae-seop repeatedly pledged and begged forgiveness for the reckless words he had spewed. He was a pathetic and unsightly figure, which naturally made Kwon Tae-hee frown. To think he had thought that face resembled Seo Jeong-won’s; had he been blind? Song Hae-seop’s vulgar Pheromone, leaking out uncontrollably due to his nervousness, made him feel nauseous.
Kwon Tae-hee left the bar without a word of goodbye. He felt as if the musty smell had permeated his body, making him uncomfortable. He dusted off his jacket and abruptly opened the back door of the waiting car.
“Ah.”
Seo Jeong-won, who was sitting huddled with his bag, met his gaze with surprised eyes. As he leaned in, Seo Jeong-won awkwardly stood up and moved one seat inward.
“It’s late today, so stay over.”
“Yes? I’ll just go to the flower shop… Please drop me off at a bus stop or subway station—”
“Jeong-won, is it because you have a small head, or do you just have a bad memory?”
Kwon Tae-hee reached out and cupped his pale cheek.
“Whether I pick up trash or extend a favor.”
“…”
“Seo Jeong-won, you agreed to accept it gratefully, didn’t you?”
Seo Jeong-won nodded without further refusal at the firm words. The car quietly left the city center. He glanced at the night, more dazzling than the day, and swallowed a sigh. He fidgeted nervously with his fingers, worried that Song Hae-seop might face a difficult situation because of him.
“I… contacted you. I know you said you were busy, but I said I wanted to see the cafe—”
“Erase it.”
“…Yes.”
He knew what it meant without being told. His whole body was stiff with tension, fearing he would hear harsher words. Contrary to his expectation that it would take longer to get to Kwon Tae-hee’s house, the road was empty, and it took less than 30 minutes. It felt strange to return to the place he had been until morning.
“I hate people who lie.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t ever do it again. About anything.”
“…Yes.”
Seo Jeong-won’s reply was delayed. It was obvious to anyone that he was lying. Nevertheless, Kwon Tae-hee didn’t press him. He intended to conceal the fact that he knew what Seo Jeong-won was clumsily hiding.
The car, which had been gradually slowing down, stopped in front of the gate. As the driver got out of the driver’s seat, Kwon Tae-hee opened the door and got out first.
Seo Jeong-won also opened the door without waiting. He saw the driver and Kwon Tae-hee, who had walked around the hood, talking. It would be strange to go in first, so he quietly waited a few steps behind.
Kwon Tae-hee turned around after finishing the conversation. He was pleased to see Seo Jeong-won standing there just as he had expected. A little withdrawn and timid.
“Shall we go in?”
“…Yes.”
“I haven’t had dinner yet, what about you, Seo Jeong-won?”
“Not yet. I haven’t eaten.”
Seo Jeong-won followed Kwon Tae-hee and obediently answered. He didn’t walk fast as he climbed the stone steps and passed through the garden. He moved slowly, his eyes fixed on the grass that had turned yellowish. Kwon Tae-hee, who had opened the front door, stepped aside. Seo Jeong-won passed him and stepped inside.
His house in Seo-nam City was always filled with cold air when he left in the morning and returned in the evening, but this place had warmer air circulating than in the morning. He neatly took off his shoes and familiarly took out slippers and put them on.
“I was thinking of ordering takeout, what do you think?”
“…If it’s okay with you, shall I make something simple?”
Kwon Tae-hee’s gaze turned to Seo Jeong-won at the quiet voice. To be honest, he thought it would be easier to order. Having experienced it once, the food Seo Jeong-won made was neither guaranteed to be tasty nor nutritious.
“Wouldn’t that be too much trouble?”
“I can make something like fried rice quickly. Takeout gets cold while it’s being delivered, but if I make it, you can eat it warm… But you can do whatever Executive Director is comfortable with. I’m okay with takeout too.”
In fact, he had said it because he wanted to reduce the time he spent alone with Kwon Tae-hee. Fried rice was a dish he didn’t even bother to make at home because he found it too troublesome to prepare the ingredients.
“Let’s do that.”
He had expected a firm refusal, but permission was granted. For a moment, a look of relief flashed across Seo Jeong-won’s face. He raised his eyes, which had been downcast, and met his gaze for the first time.
“I’ll prepare it quickly.”
“Alright.”
Seo Jeong-won nodded with a face that was almost solemn. It was hard to be sure if it was a commendable desire to make him a warm meal. Kwon Tae-hee stared intently at his pale face before moving his feet again. The small figure naturally stuck to his side and walked along.
It was probably an unconscious action, but it was strangely satisfying. Looking back, Seo Jeong-won had been like that from the beginning. He didn’t seem to like clinging, but he naturally acted spoiled whenever they were together.
As soon as they passed through the hallway, which felt unusually long, Seo Jeong-won passed Kwon Tae-hee and headed straight for the dining room. He slightly opened the door to the kitchen, which was separated from the dining area, and entered after confirming that no one was there.
He started by checking the ingredients in the refrigerator. Kimchi fried rice would be the easiest, but no matter how much he searched, he couldn’t find any kimchi. Was it stored separately? He couldn’t find it no matter how many refrigerators he opened in the kitchen. He bit his nails and eventually took out various vegetables from the fresh produce section.
He quickly washed and prepared potatoes, onions, scallions, zucchini, carrots, and mushrooms one by one and stir-fried them in oil. The stir-fried vegetables smelled appetizing. He simply seasoned them with salt and opened the rice cooker.
“…Ah, I’m screwed.”
There was no rice in the rice cooker. Seo Jeong-won listened to the sizzling sound of the stir-fried vegetables, turned off the induction stove, and left the kitchen in dismay.
Kwon Tae-hee was already sitting in the dining room. He had changed into indoor clothes and was checking his tablet, but he only turned his head and met his gaze when Seo Jeong-won made a sound. At the same time, he gave a gentle smile as if it were a habit.
“It smells delicious.”
“It’s almost done… Is there a convenience store nearby?”
“A convenience store?”
“There’s no rice in the rice cooker… And no frozen rice either.”
Why was he blushing so much as if he was ashamed to say that? Kwon Tae-hee quietly got up from his seat.
“It’s not within walking distance.”
He felt sorry that he couldn’t properly treat him in his own home, so he willingly decided to help. When Kwon Tae-hee showed signs of leaving, Seo Jeong-won quickly followed.
When he opened the passenger seat of the car parked in the garage, Seo Jeong-won got in with a reluctant expression. The thought that he would have already received his takeout and started eating if he had ordered it briefly crossed his mind, but he quickly forgot it because he was enjoying the current situation.
¸.•¨•¸.•¨•¸.•¨•¸
As soon as Seo Jeong-won entered the convenience store, he picked up a basket. He moved efficiently as if he had been there many times, put three servings of instant rice in it, and, glancing at Kwon Tae-hee, also chose a soup that only needed to be heated. He hesitated between spam and sausage before putting a large can of spam in the basket. Furthermore, he took out cheese from the refrigerated food display. No matter how bad the fried rice was, it would definitely taste better with cheese.
As Seo Jeong-won put things in the basket, he glanced at Kwon Tae-hee, who was slowly following him. He was looking around with a nonchalant expression. It wasn’t that he had never been to a convenience store before, but he definitely didn’t fit in here.
Seo Jeong-won stared at the things he had put in the basket and suddenly remembered the day he had dinner with Kwon Tae-hee for the first time at his house. At that time, Kwon Tae-hee had frowned as soon as he put the ham in his mouth and chewed it. Should he have just ordered takeout?
As he ruminated on the regret of having caused unnecessary trouble, he took out soju from the refrigerator where various kinds of drinks were displayed. What if he just made him drink a lot? Maybe he could drink even better. Seo Jeong-won was having such nonsensical thoughts when he suddenly remembered what Song Hae-seop had told him.
The terrible assumption that his Hyung might have attempted suicide to show Kwon Tae-hee, who didn’t accept his confession, how much he loved him.
Did he love him so much that he thought giving up his life was better than breaking up? He wanted to wake up Seo Gyu-won and ask him. He wanted to confirm. Did he really love Kwon Tae-hee that much?
“Jeong-won.”
His unique, gentle voice pierced his ear. Seo Jeong-won slowly turned his head and looked at Kwon Tae-hee, who was standing behind him.
Should he ask again? But he hesitated because he thought he would confuse him again with ambiguous words like last time. That was a decision that a smart person would never make.