By Zephyria 
Rather than Jeong-ju, the one who needed waking up was…
Jae-gyeom glanced at the wall clock, then shifted his gaze toward the stairs leading to the second floor. It was almost 7:00, so he should be getting up soon. Should I wake him?
Pacing the living room, Jae-gyeom decided to wash up first. Since he was the type who struggled to wake up, he figured he should let him sleep for five more minutes. If he was still asleep after he finished washing, then he would go up and wake him.
Having made up his mind, Jae-gyeom headed to the bathroom.
Standing before the sink and beginning to brush his teeth, Jae-gyeom suddenly stopped and scrutinized his reflection in the mirror. He raised a hand and brushed his hair back and forth.
“Hmm…”
He wondered if it was just his imagination, but his hair seemed longer already.
Not long ago, his bangs had reached about halfway down his forehead, but now they were almost touching his eyebrows. His side and back hair, which had been short enough to barely fit in his grip, could now be grasped with some ease.
His body was growing day by day.
It was proof that he had been released from the state of immortality.
Having lived for ages with an unchanging body, Jae-gyeom found these physical changes unfamiliar. He was startled every time he observed his body. It felt strange that his fingernails and hair grew so quickly.
He had even intentionally made small cuts on his body to monitor the progress. He couldn’t describe how surprised he was to see a scab form the very next day.
Jeong-ju had smiled at him and said:
‘Jae-gyeom. That’s the speed of a “normal body.”‘
That normality still felt special to him.
Perhaps that was why, unlike before when he had little interest in his own body, he now took every opportunity to examine and observe every nook and cranny of himself.
I wonder if I’ll grow a beard?
Staring intently at his face in the mirror, Jae-gyeom rubbed his chin and philtrum with his fingers. However, contrary to his expectations, his skin remained smooth, and there was nothing particular to feel. On an impulse, he checked his armpits and pulled at the waistband of his elastic pants to inspect his groin.
Only after kneading his shoulders and biceps and flexing to make his muscles pop could Jae-gyeom refocus on brushing his teeth.
It was just as Jae-gyeom stepped out of the bathroom, feeling refreshed after brushing his teeth and washing his face. Someone was sitting on the sofa that had been empty until a moment ago. Fortunately, it seemed he had heard the alarm properly today. Since he had woken up on time, Jae-gyeom was spared the trouble of going up to the second floor to wake him.
“You’re up?”
Wiping his face with the towel around his neck, Jae-gyeom approached the sofa and spoke. The other man turned his head to look. At a glance, he had a dazed expression, as if he hadn’t fully woken up. His reactions were a beat slower than usual. His eyes opened sluggishly.
“Hi…”
It was Yoon Tae-hee, the newest member of the household.
On the day Jae-gyeom woke up, Jeong-ju had told him about everything that had happened.
That Yoon Tae-hee had followed Jae-gyeom and the others here, had stayed with them ever since, and was currently working as the librarian at Daeryung High School.
Upon hearing that, Jae-gyeom had been speechless for a while.
Having finally ended his long revenge and quit being an exorcist, Yoon Tae-hee had returned to his position as a “young librarian.” Having fulfilled his lifelong wish and finally become a free man, he could have gone anywhere or become anything if he had wanted to. But Yoon Tae-hee hadn’t.
Yoon Tae-hee had once waited for someone’s appearance in the same place, in the same position. That had been the beginning of everything. And even though everything had ended, Yoon Tae-hee was still standing at that same starting point.
Meetings and partings, and the promise to return.
Jae-gyeom thought about that endless waiting.
And so, on the way to meet Yoon Tae-hee—inside the bus heading toward Daeryung High School, just like in the past—Jae-gyeom had to keep his eyes tightly shut the entire way.
It was to suppress his racing heart.
Remembering the words that the time as a librarian and a transfer student had been the best, and thinking of Yoon Tae-hee, who must have guarded that spot every day as if tied by an invisible leash, made his nose sting and his throat tighten.
‘Let’s go home, Tae-hee.’
That day, Jae-gyeom had hugged Yoon Tae-hee with all his might, as hard as he possibly could.
And so, Yoon Tae-hee’s waiting had come to an end.
It was the start of a pleasant romance and a full-fledged life living together.
It had already been two months since he started living with Yoon Tae-hee. No, since he had stayed in this house while Jae-gyeom was asleep, strictly speaking, it had been eight months.
Yoon Tae-hee’s room was on the second floor. While it couldn’t compare to the house in Seoul, this house was also quite spacious. The second floor had been left neglected and used mostly as storage, so it felt a bit worn, but after organizing the luggage and cleaning thoroughly, it was a sufficient environment for one more person to move in.
At first, living under one roof with Yoon Tae-hee felt unfamiliar and awkward, but he had gradually adjusted and had now entered a period of stability.
“Hi, did you sleep well?”
“Yeah. I slept well. You?”
“I slept well too.”
In the morning, they would face each other and ask how the other’s night was,
“The weather is nice today.”
“It is.”
And they would talk about today’s weather.
They sat across from each other at the dining table for meals, watched TV together in the living room, or lounged on the sofa reading books. They sat on the porch chatting softly while folding dry laundry, and when someone mentioned there were no towels in the bathroom, they would open the door just a hand’s width, slide an arm in, and hand over a towel. Without having to say a word, they bought each other’s favorite snacks and put them in the fridge. Even while doing their own work in their respective rooms, they would seek each other out before bed to say goodnight before returning to their rooms to sleep.
Such a daily routine had continued for days, for months.
Jae-gyeom spoke as he perched his hips on the armrest of the sofa.
“You actually woke up on time today.”
But as soon as Jae-gyeom praised him, Yoon Tae-hee seemed to lean over and lay sideways against the sofa, resting his shoulder on it. His eyelids seemed heavy; the way he blinked made it look as if he might fall back asleep at any moment.
Living in the same house as Yoon Tae-hee, there were things he had learned that he hadn’t known before. One of them was that it took a long time for him to wake up. Perhaps that was why Yoon Tae-hee looked as lifeless as a sick chicken immediately after waking. He was quiet, and his movements were sluggish.
In particular, he struggled to wake up in the morning, so when he lived alone, he would either turn off the alarm in his sleep and go back to bed or not hear it at all. Yoon Tae-hee said that was the reason he was often late during his days as an exorcist.
Fearing that Yoon Tae-hee might fall asleep again, Jae-gyeom quickly added:
“Don’t lie back down. You have to go to work.”
Even after Jae-gyeom woke up, Yoon Tae-hee was still working as the librarian at Daeryung High School. Usually five days a week, excluding weekends and holidays. He left the house around 8:00 every morning and returned before 6:00 in the evening.
Becoming part of the same household meant naturally learning the other’s daily routine. For instance, that Yoon Tae-hee had to wake up by 7:00 to avoid being late for work, or that if he didn’t wake up by 7:00, he had to be woken up upstairs—these were things he realized while living together.
“Go wash your face first.”
“Yeah…”
“It’s already past 7:00.”
“Yeah…”
Though he answered diligently, Yoon Tae-hee seemed to have no intention of getting up from the sofa. Jae-gyeom clicked his tongue inwardly. Honestly, seeing him sprawled on the sofa with that half-asleep face…
It was kind of cute.
“You’re going to be late at this rate.”
Even when he tried to sound stern, Yoon Tae-hee just lay curled up like a shrimp on the sofa, blinking. Then, as if letting one arm flop outside the sofa,
“I don’t want to go to work…”
He muttered listlessly. To this, Jae-gyeom replied indifferently.
“You have to do it even if you don’t want to. What else can you do?”
“I won’t. Work…”
“Then who’s going to open the library?”
Though the words sounded far too dry to comfort someone feeling gloomy about going to work… despite saying that, Jae-gyeom stepped down from the sofa armrest and crouched in front of Yoon Tae-hee. When their eyes met, Jae-gyeom reached out and gently brushed away the bangs falling over Yoon Tae-hee’s eyes. It was a simple but tender touch.
“Hurry up and wash your face.”
“Then come to work with me…”
“What do you mean, come to work with you?”
Jae-gyeom replied, bewildered.
Knowing that it was a request that would never be granted, yet seeing him mutter like he was talking in his sleep was cute, and on the other hand, it was pitiful. It was because Jae-gyeom knew the reason why Yoon Tae-hee was acting this way.
The reason Yoon Tae-hee didn’t want to go to work was simple.
It was because he had to be apart from Jae-gyeom while he was at his workplace.