The mixed-use apartment with a Han River View had Seo Hae’s residence and Pilates studio located on different floors.
The staff who knew Yoon Jooho’s frequent comings and goings immediately called the elevator for him.
It was a day when Seo Hae’s Pilates lessons were scheduled through the evening.
Either he would go out to the bar around midnight, or he would just rest at home today—those were the two options.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Jooho pressed the doorbell as soon as he stepped out of the elevator.
Then he kept knocking. Thud, thud, thud. Thud, thud, thud. At a steady rhythm and steady force.
As expected, Seo Hae, who was at home, opened the door.
“You only had to ring the bell, why knock so hard?”
He scolded sharply, but showed no surprise at Jooho’s sudden visit. He must have been expecting it.
Jooho stared directly at Seo Hae, who looked no different than usual, then pushed past his shoulder and stepped inside.
As far as Jooho knew, this place had four bedrooms. He knew the layout well. Without asking for permission, he opened the door closest to the entrance.
It was a home gym equipped with some exercise machines and tools. He then opened the door diagonally across the room. It was a study.
“What are you doing in someone else’s house?”
Ignoring Seo Hae’s voice, Jooho strode across the hallway. A spacious living room with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the southern Han River came into view.
Whether someone had been cooking or eating, a faint scent of food lingered in the air. Jooho headed toward the door on the left side of the living room.
Except for the master bedroom, this was the only remaining bedroom. Just as he reached out to grab the doorknob, Seo Hae grabbed Jooho’s arm from behind.
“What are you doing, messing around in someone else’s house!”
Jooho half-turned, roughly shook off Seo Hae’s hand, and grabbed his shoulder firmly. Lowering his head, he got close to Seo Hae’s face and smirked with a sardonic smile.
“And you?”
“What about me?”
“You’re the one messing around with someone else’s stuff.”
Seo Hae frowned.
“Someone else’s stuff? You mean Hyunsoo’s?”
“……”
“You said it was over with your own mouth.”
That day when Hyunsoo left the house after their argument.
Jooho couldn’t sit still in one place. Pretending to be fine, he tried ordering food, but not a single bite went down his throat.
He couldn’t focus on the script. The strawberries in the fridge, the rabbit slippers Monroe chewed on, Hyunsoo’s toothbrush in the bathroom.
He couldn’t stand being in that house—it was like a massive torture device.
The watch Hyunsoo had taken back from Cha Kyumin.
Since then, he wore that watch every day like a talisman. Until he finally took it off, sealed it in its case, and locked it away in a drawer.
Like someone trying to prove to himself that he was okay, Jooho dressed more extravagantly than usual and fled the house to Seo Hae’s bar.
“Where’s Hyunsoo? Why didn’t you bring him?”
When Seo Hae asked after Hyunsoo, Jooho was the one who answered, “It’s over.”
“That doesn’t mean you can just take him, you know.”
Jooho let go of Seo Hae’s shoulder as if pushing him aside and opened the door.
“……”
There were a few hastily packed bags of Hyunsoo’s belongings inside the room. Drawn in, Jooho stepped inside.
On the small desk lay a book and a notebook by Nietzsche. The same book and notebook Hyunsoo had given to Jooho as a gift.
Without realizing it, Jooho gently brushed the tops with his fingertips.
“I heard he’s staying with a younger guy he knows for a while, so I told him to come here.”
He didn’t even look back at Seo Hae standing by the door. Looking down at Hyunsoo’s well-used book and notebook, he said,
“Why do you even care?”
“What’s wrong with it? It’s not like they don’t know each other. Shouldn’t you be kind to someone in a tough spot?”
“Kind? You’re just teasing for fun, aren’t you?”
When he turned around, Seo Hae was standing with his arms crossed, looking at him with cold eyes. He quietly moved his lips.
“I was in the middle of making dinner.”
Then he left the doorway and disappeared.
Jooho looked around the room once. A single bed, a small desk, and a built-in wardrobe.
It was more modest than the guest room Hyunsoo had used in Jooho’s house, but didn’t seem particularly uncomfortable.
Of course, it would be better than two guys living in a one-room place. Better than being next to me, huh?
Fingering the strap of a backpack hanging on the chair in front of the desk, Jooho left the room and headed toward the kitchen. Seo Hae was standing in front of the induction stove.
Seeing that back, rage welled up inside Jooho.
The momentary tenderness he’d felt while looking at the room Hyunsoo was staying in turned harsh and fierce again—just like during the entire car ride from Myeonghaeri to here.
He stepped closer and sneered toward Seo Hae’s profile.
“You must be having a lot of fun.”
“What?”
“In the end, Hyunsoo found out and I’m screwed. How could that be anything but fun?”
“Yoon Jooho, I get that you’re worried sick because Hyunsoo left the house, but at least watch your words.”
Jooho scoffed.
“Who said I’m worried?”
“Then why the hell did you come all the way here after driving three hours?”
“……”
“You’ve got a shoot tomorrow, too. Why bother driving all that way?”
Seo Hae placed meat into the pan coated with olive oil. Sizzle. The ribeye’s marbling crisped in the oil, and instead of making Jooho’s mouth water, it gave him goosebumps.
“I don’t care where Hyunsoo stays. I’m pissed because of you, not him.”
“What did I do?”
Seo Hae, who had set a timer, turned around and faced Jooho squarely.
“As soon as you heard he left, you told him to come here? Are you out of your mind?”
Jooho furrowed his brows, wiggled his eyebrows, and shook his head.
“Why? Were you hoping I’d try to convince him to come back to you?”
“He could have come back after a few days of running away. You basically pushed him not to go back.”
Seo Hae sneered.
“So Hyunsoo’s not coming back because you gave him a place to be?”
“……”
“Did you think he’d miss the penthouse and return to you after living with another guy in a cramped one-room?”
“Cut the crap.”
“Don’t worry. Nothing’s going on between me and Hyunsoo… yet.”
The added “yet” was clearly deliberate, making Jooho’s eyes twitch.
“You’re always so overreactive whenever I touch Hyunsoo, so until now, I’ve just been teasing you for fun.”
When the timer beeped with 30 seconds left, Seo Hae flipped the meat with tongs and continued.
“But the more I get to know him, the more I realize how charming he really is.”
“……”
“He acts all worn-out and slick, but from where I stand, he’s just a pure soul who once got involved with the wrong people.”
Jooho slammed his fist down on the kitchen cabinet just inches away.
“If you know that, don’t mess with him. I told you clearly, he’s not someone you can touch.”
“Since when do you have the right to say that? Ex-boyfriend’s rights?”
Seo Hae pushed Jooho’s chest away, cracked a smirk, and crushed some garlic on the cutting board.
“No, not even an ex-boyfriend has any rights.”
“Stop provoking me.”
“Who knows? Maybe if I comfort the arrogant prince while he’s hurt and broken, I might get my chance.”
“Fuck, shut up already!”
“Ah.”
Ignoring the boiling-over Jooho, Seo Hae flipped the meat again. Then, as if recalling something, he raised his chin and looked back at Jooho with a meaningful smile.
“Hyunsoo’s in better shape than I thought. When he comes out of the shower, your eyes just naturally go to him…!”
Jooho lunged at Seo Hae. He knew the words were meant to provoke, but he couldn’t stand hearing more.
Seo Hae, shoved and pushed against the cabinet, clicked his tongue at Jooho with a look of disdain.
“Is this how your possessiveness ends? Pretending you don’t care?”
“……”
“I care about Hyunsoo more than anyone right now.”
Pushing Jooho away, Seo Hae picked up the tongs that had dropped to the floor and tossed them into the sink.
The timer blared again—it was time to flip the meat. Seo Hae grabbed a new pair of tongs and turned the meat.
“You found out about Jin’s work, right?”
Jooho didn’t answer but grabbed a can of beer from the fridge.
“Hyunsoo looked tough when he heard about Nam Seyeon’s story. But honestly, even knowing that, I thought they’d get through it.”
Jooho popped the tab and took several long sips. Seo Hae glanced back and asked.
“Is it really over?”
“I don’t know.”
“What do you mean you don’t know?”
“He got more pissed off because I kept things from him.”
“Did you at least say sorry?”
Seo Hae looked at Jooho incredulously.
“Why would I hide it? If I didn’t care whether he stayed or left, I wouldn’t have hidden it.”
“That doesn’t justify lying. Didn’t you think about how much shock Hyunsoo must have felt? I even felt guilty.”
Jooho’s gaze dropped to the kitchen floor, holding the beer can.
Like the shattered remnants of the cruel words he’d thrown at Hyunsoo that night were strewn there, utterly broken.
He muttered as he raised the can to his lips.
“I don’t care. If he hates me, I don’t need him.”
“Right. Because you don’t care and don’t need him, you drove three hours here and are acting like this.”
“……”
The once boiling-over Jooho now drank the beer slowly with a downcast gaze.
“Instead of giving me hell, why don’t you talk to Hyunsoo yourself? Tell him how much you hate staying at another guy’s place. Who knows? If you beg sincerely, maybe he’d pity you.”
Jooho gave a bitter laugh.
“When did I ever say something like that?”
“Do you have to say it for him to know? You’re acting like a lunatic right now. Give me Hyunsoo.”
Seo Hae looked at Jooho’s face and added provocatively.
“Scared?”
“Scared Hyunsoo might like you? Sorry, but like I said—his standards are way too high.”
“Since you couldn’t even hold onto Jung Jin, you’re afraid you’ll lose Hyunsoo, too?”
Jooho’s movements slowed as he drained the rest of the beer.
“Do you know why, after some time, you finally managed to get rid of Jin?”
Instead of answering, Jooho stared sharply at Seo Hae.
“Though it was late, it’s because you did everything you could. So you wouldn’t have any regrets.”
“So? You want Hyunsoo to do everything he can, too?”
“Yeah.”
“So he won’t have any regrets?”
“……”
“So eventually, he should forget about Hyunsoo?”
Jooho silently stared at the can in his hand, then slowly shook his head.
“I can’t.”
He placed the beer can on the table and walked out slowly and wearily, dragging his feet like he’d lost all strength, leaving behind a soliloquy that was no different from saying he didn’t want to forget Hyunsoo.