By Zephyria 
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Unlike Yoon Tae-hee, who remembered Jae-gyeom saying, ‘The time when you were the librarian and I was the transfer student was the best,’ and returned to Daeryung High, Jae-gyeom did not go back to school. It was a decision made after long deliberation.
There were several reasons why Jae-gyeom chose not to return to Daeryung High.
The time when he was a transfer student and the other was a young librarian had indeed been the best, and his desire to return to those days remained unchanged. However, if he returned to school now, he would truly have to live the life of an ordinary high school student.
Realistically, that was not an easy task.
Previously, his promise to Jeong-ju had been his driving force, and the significance lay in experiencing life in the outside world. Since his time at school had been limited to two months, it didn’t matter if he couldn’t understand the lessons. He had simply sat there without any sense of purpose, but at the time, that had been enough.
But Jae-gyeom believed that if he were to return to school, it couldn’t be the same as before. At the very least, he should be invested in his studies, or otherwise use it as a stepping stone to help his life.
However, at this point, it was nearly impossible for Jae-gyeom to keep up with the high school curriculum. Attending classes with content he couldn’t understand, without the necessary background knowledge, would be nothing more than a waste of time.
The reason those days were so good was because of the peaceful moments he spent with Yoon Tae-hee, and because it was before ‘everything’ happened.
If he went back to school, the only purpose would be because Yoon Tae-hee was there. But the time he could spend with Yoon Tae-hee at school was limited, and any other time would essentially be wasted.
Unlike before, when he possessed a body of immortality, Jae-gyeom’s time was now flowing at the same speed as everyone else’s. It was now time to move forward rather than dwell in a cherished past.
Thus, Jae-gyeom declared that he would not return to school. Surprisingly, Yoon Tae-hee accepted the decision readily without much word. Of course, it would be a lie to say he wasn’t disappointed, but Jae-gyeom’s will was the most important factor, and after talking it through, the reasons were entirely convincing.
In truth, when Jae-gyeom said he wouldn’t return to Daeryung High, he expected Yoon Tae-hee to quit his librarian position immediately. Yoon Tae-hee had wanted to do so as well, but Seok Ju-ryeon, who had arranged the position, refused.
Citing procedural reasons, Seok Ju-ryeon insisted that he must fulfill the promised term this time. He was considering the school’s position. As a result, Yoon Tae-hee was stuck at the school until the end of the first semester.
“How much longer until you can quit?”
“It’s May now… so three more months.”
“Not much left then.”
Despite this, as the days passed, Yoon Tae-hee seemed to hate going to work more and more; the time he spent moping every morning about not wanting to go was growing longer.
Still, Jae-gyeom wasn’t particularly worried about this situation.
Jae-gyeom knew that no matter how much Yoon Tae-hee complained about not wanting to go to work, he would eventually go perfectly fine. This was because last month, there was a day when Yoon Tae-hee wasn’t feeling well for some reason, and even though Jae-gyeom gave him an excuse by saying, ‘Why don’t you skip work and rest today?’, he still insisted on going.
For Yoon Tae-hee, hating to do something and actually getting it done seemed to be two separate issues.
Yoon Tae-hee had once mentioned in passing that ‘going to work and exercising are things you have to do even if you hate them.’ It was simply amazing how he had managed to work at the Exorcism Bureau for over ten years when he hated going to work this much.
“Just bear with it a little longer. If you snap out of it, three months will fly by.”
Regardless, Jae-gyeom did his best to soothe Yoon Tae-hee in his own way.
“If it’s hard to wake up, should I bring you an ice cube?”
“Why ice?”
“I’ll put it down your back. That’ll wake you right up.”
“…….”
Whether it was just those words that woke him up, Yoon Tae-hee rose silently. In response, Jae-gyeom brought him a toothbrush and toothpaste instead of ice.
“Here, brush your teeth to wake up.”
When Jae-gyeom handed him the toothbrush with a pea-sized amount of toothpaste, Yoon Tae-hee said, “Thanks,” and sat on the sofa with his knees up, putting the toothbrush in his mouth.
Only then did Jae-gyeom feel relieved and step away for a moment. He figured Yoon Tae-hee would wake up soon while brushing. However, by the time he went out to the yard and came back, Yoon Tae-hee was still in that same position, eyes closed, brushing his teeth at a snail’s pace.
“Hey, why are you brushing for over ten minutes? You’re going to wear your teeth down.”
One more thing Jae-gyeom learned about Yoon Tae-hee.
This guy is more high-maintenance than he looks.
While Yoon Tae-hee began getting ready for work in earnest, Jae-gyeom headed to the kitchen. It was to have breakfast with Yu Nam-saeng.
He placed a frying pan on the stove, turned on the heat, drizzled in cooking oil, and waited for the pan to heat up. Today’s breakfast menu was soy sauce egg rice; since it was such a simple dish, it was made quickly. The only thing to be careful about was the doneness of the fried egg. It had to be fried crisp in the oil, but the yolk had to remain runny to taste best when mixed with the rice.
It was then, while Jae-gyeom was focusing on the cooking with a solemn expression.
“What are you doing?”
Suddenly, a voice spoke up from behind him. Turning around, he saw Yoon Tae-hee standing there, wearing a light blue shirt with a mandarin collar. Having finished getting ready for work, he smelled as he always did. Especially on mornings like this, the scent of perfume mixed with the damp smell of shampoo was exceptionally pleasant.
“Are you eating?”
“Yeah.”
“Soy sauce egg rice again?”
When Jae-gyeom nodded, Yoon Tae-hee smiled silently.
Soy sauce egg rice was a familiar dish they had often eaten before, but the version Jae-gyeom had become obsessed with recently involved using butter instead of sesame oil.
Butter in soy sauce egg rice was unfamiliar to Jae-gyeom, but despite only one ingredient changing, the unique flavor added a richness that was eye-openingly delicious. That was why it had become almost a fixed menu item whenever he prepared his own meals.
Jae-gyeom sat at the dining table with the finished soy sauce egg rice.
“Kkaeng-al. It’s ready. Let’s eat.”
At Jae-gyeom’s call, Yoon Tae-hee picked up Yu Nam-saeng, who had been waiting at his feet, and placed him on the table. Then, he put a tea bag in a mug, brewed a cup of tea, pulled out the chair opposite, and sat down. Jae-gyeom, while scooping a generous portion of well-mixed soy sauce egg rice into Yu Nam-saeng’s dedicated bowl, asked:
“Are you all ready for work?”
“Yeah.”
Looking at the clock, there was still plenty of time before he had to leave. Rather than rushing to arrive exactly on time, he could have just left early, but seeing as he was deliberately killing time at the table, he must really hate going to work.
Jae-gyeom took a large spoonful of his own soy sauce egg rice and put it in his mouth. Yoon Tae-hee, who had been quietly drinking his tea across from him, rested his chin on his hand and asked.
“Is it tasty?”
Jae-gyeom nodded and said.
“Yeah. Want some?”
Yoon Tae-hee simply shook his head silently.
Unless it was a special occasion, Yoon Tae-hee generally didn’t eat breakfast. His reasons were that he found it tedious to eat immediately after waking up, he had no appetite, and it felt burdensome on his stomach.
He said he’d rather sleep a little longer if he had time to eat, and that he preferred being on an empty stomach in the morning. To Jae-gyeom, who would wake up from sleep if he were hungry, this was simply fascinating.
Yoon Tae-hee said that if he felt truly hungry, mixing a simple protein shake was enough, or if even that was too tedious, stopping by a convenience store on the way to work to buy a drinking yogurt sufficed.
Knowing this, Jae-gyeom still occasionally offered him breakfast. It was because he had seen experts on TV several times saying that eating breakfast was good for brain function and overall health.
“The soy sauce egg rice turned out great today, try some.”
Shake, shake.
“Then just one spoonful.”
Jae-gyeom took a spoonful of the rice and brought it close to Yoon Tae-hee’s lips. Yoon Tae-hee looked at the spoon right in front of his lips and seemed to contemplate for a moment before reluctantly opening his mouth slightly.
“How is it? Tasty, right?”
Nod, nod.
“Want another bite?”
Shake, shake.
“Then I have some steamed sweet potatoes left from yesterday, I’ll pack some for you to take.”
Shake, shake….
“Why? It’ll be good to eat when you get hungry.”
Shake, shake…….
Jae-gyeom squinted his eyes and glared at Yoon Tae-hee.
“…….”
“…….”
A brief silence followed. Noticing that Jae-gyeom was annoyed, Yoon Tae-hee silently sipped his tea, then shifted his gaze elsewhere and pretended to organize the supplement bottles on one side of the table.
I’m giving this to you because I care, and he’s still so picky. Do you just hate everything? Fine, see if I ever look after you again.
…If it had been in the past, he would have immediately snapped back with a cold remark. In the past, whenever Jae-gyeom found something he didn’t like or found irritating about Yoon Tae-hee, he tended to express his thoughts raw and unfiltered.
However, instead of saying something to Yoon Tae-hee, Jae-gyeom just gave him a displeased look and resumed his meal. He had now come to let things slide most of the time. This was one of the most noticeably changed things about him.
Considering his original personality, it was a huge leap forward. Rather than forcing himself to avoid conflict, it was more accurate to say it was a change stemming from a difference in mindset. Jae-gyeom wanted to treat Yoon Tae-hee with care.
Yoon Tae-hee quietly watched Jae-gyeom and Yu Nam-saeng eat.
“Aren’t you tired of it?”
Then, at some point, Yoon Tae-hee asked as if curious.
“What?”
“The soy sauce egg rice. I think you’ve eaten it almost every day lately.”
“Why would I be tired of it?”
“Don’t you get sick of it if you keep eating the same thing?”
As Yoon Tae-hee said, Yu Nam-saeng—whose specialty was eating anything as if he had been starving for days—was currently eating with a face that looked very tired of the meal.
He was eating because he was hungry and because it had been cooked for him, but he seemed unimpressed, his expression indifferent. It was only natural, as Yu Nam-saeng had also been eating soy sauce egg rice almost every single day thanks to Jae-gyeom.
“Is that so? I don’t really know what it feels like to be tired of something.”
As he spoke, Jae-gyeom took another large spoonful and put it in his mouth. Seeing him eat with such gusto, as if it were his first time eating it today, it was clear he meant what he said.
Yoon Tae-hee gazed at Jae-gyeom for a while before speaking.
“Are you always like that?”
“Like what?”
“When you like something, do you just keep liking it like that, over and over?”
At Yoon Tae-hee’s question, Jae-gyeom paused with his spoon in mid-air, lost in thought.
“Hmm…….”
He had never consciously thought about it, but thinking back, it seemed to be true.
When Jae-gyeom got hooked on something, he tended to focus on that one thing for a long time. Back when he lived glued to his game console, he would replay games he had already cleared countless times. When it came to food, there were times he ate only one kind of side dish for months without any others. Of course, part of it was because it was easier, but it would have been impossible if he were the type to get bored or tired of things quickly.
“Yeah. I guess I am.”
At Jae-gyeom’s answer, Yoon Tae-hee murmured, “I see,” and suddenly had a look in his eyes as if he were deep in thought. He looked as if he were chewing over and examining Jae-gyeom’s unremarkable answer several times. Then, as if he had reached some conclusion, he finally nodded in affirmation.
Jae-gyeom looked at him curiously.
“Why?”
“No, just because.”
For some reason, Yoon Tae-hee seemed to like Jae-gyeom’s answer.