Kim Jaesik bowed his head and opened the rear door of the waiting car.
Seo Jeongwon awkwardly took his seat, feeling a bit uneasy with the polite attitude.
He checked that the small hand had fastened the seatbelt clip before closing the door.
Seo Jeongwon placed the empty bag on his thigh.
Looking at the middle-aged man with graying hair, he nodded several times, then relaxed the tense expression when the driver announced they were about to depart.
“Thank you.”
There was no reply to the quiet greeting.
The huge mansion slowly faded into the distance, feeling like a midsummer night’s dream.
It was hard to believe he had just been there.
Seo Jeongwon sighed deeply and carefully mulled over what Song Haeseop had told him.
If nothing went wrong, he said, they would get married, have children, and live happily together.
Then, would I become a hindrance?
Lost in thought about how to define himself, Seo Jeongwon returned to the garden.
After thanking the driver who had dropped him off, he inserted the key into the locked door.
It was past five o’clock, but the sky was still bright.
As soon as he arrived at the familiar place he belonged to, his tension relaxed and his legs gave out.
Unable to open the door, he stood there holding on, then collapsed right where he was.
The pain below his waist, which had lessened earlier, now felt as if it would give out completely.
“Hah……?”
The heat that hit him as soon as he got out of the car made sweat form.
Rubbing his forehead with the back of his hand, he barely opened the door and entered the garden, which smelled familiar.
The scent of soil and grass.
The warmth trapped inside, warmer than outside, and the humid air felt welcoming.
The first thing Seo Jeongwon did after moving from the door where he had stopped was turn on the ventilation fan.
The second was to check on the fish. Limping toward the small aquarium placed in the shaded area, his eyes moved busily.
“Sorry. Were you hungry?”
He tapped the aquarium and watched the tropical fish swimming actively.
They were so lively that his worry they might have died from the heat seemed unfounded.
The fry stuck to the bottom nibbled at the sinking food bit by bit.
Thinking he should bring in some hydroponic plants and separate some fish, Seo Jeongwon refilled the aquarium, which had lost water over three days.
“Next time, I’ll give you more. Sorry.”
Seo Jeongwon plopped down on the metal chair, placing the phone he had been holding down.
Leaning against the hard, worn chair, he stared blankly into space.
There was a lot to do.
He needed to check each flowerpot, water the plants with dry soil, open the door to let out the hot air, and check the bills…
“I don’t want to do anything. Maybe I’ll just leave.”
Since he had fed the fish, maybe it was okay to take care of the garden tomorrow, he thought as he rested his head on the table.
He must have been sleeping so deeply that he didn’t notice him leaving, but he didn’t know why he suddenly felt so sleepy.
As Seo Jeongwon’s eyes slowly blinked shut, his phone vibrated as if it had been waiting for that moment.
Startled, he shook his body and opened his eyes, checking the name on the screen.
Quickly, he swiped the green button with his finger.
“Hello.”
― It’s me.
“Hello.”
― I hadn’t heard from you, so I wanted to check if you got there okay.
A voice as charming as the person’s appearance came through.
Seo Jeongwon swallowed dryly and nodded, though the other couldn’t see it.
“Thanks to your care, I came here comfortably. Thank you.”
― I heard you woke up late. How’s your body?
“I’m, I’m fine. Now really… it doesn’t hurt anymore.”
― I applied the medicine while you were sleeping, but if it still hurts, call me. I’ll come apply it for you.
His face turned red instantly.
Wasn’t it strange to call because a part of the body hurt?
Seo Jeongwon bowed his head deeply as if trying to hide his flushed face.
“I think I’ll be okay.”
― You’re not good at lying, you know that, right?
― How about going home early today?
I told them to take you to the garden, but I didn’t expect you to really go there.
Scratching his flushed cheeks, Seo Jeongwon lowered his head.
He hadn’t asked to be taken there.
If he tried to explain, the driver didn’t ask where to go or say where he would go when he got in the car.
Should he have asked?
Before he knew it, he was in front of the garden.
“You just came here.”
Laughter came through the receiver.
― How are you going home?
“It’s close. I can walk.”
― Dinner?
He had planned to just eat something quickly, like ramen or frozen food at home.
But somehow, he felt like he shouldn’t say that.
“I’m going to cook… I have some side dishes I bought.”
To be precise, they were retort pouch foods like soups or stews you just need to open and heat in the microwave for a few minutes.
“I’ll take care of myself well…”
“You should take care of your dinner too, Director.”
He wasn’t sure whether to hang up or if the other wanted to say more.
There was a silence that continued for a while. It was quiet on the other end.
It didn’t feel like he had arrived home. It was a bit early to leave work.
Then was he still at the company?
― Are you going straight home?
“Ah… yes. I plan to organize things tomorrow.”
― Then come out, I’ll take you.
“What?”
Seo Jeongwon jumped up as if startled.
His previously foggy mind instantly cleared.
Without a moment to think, his feet moved.
Still holding the phone to his ear, he left the garden.
Running out hastily, he stumbled.
As he opened the door, a man who gave off a cool scent, unlike the humid weather, caught his falling body.
“Ugh…! Ha, ah.”
“You’re sweating.”
“It’s hot, but really, I didn’t expect you to be here.”
“What do I gain by lying?”
Kwon Taehee shrugged his shoulders.
Seo Jeongwon’s face quickly turned bright red.
After staring at him for a while, he shyly bowed his head deeply.
He roughly rubbed the hot cheek with the back of his hand.
“Finish organizing and come out.”
“Shall I bring you some water?”
“No.”
Kwon Taehee, who had been watching the rough spot Seo Jeongwon rubbed, reached out and gently stroked the soft skin.
“I’m planning to have dinner with you, Jeongwon.”
Unlike what he had said, since he was planning to roughly get by with just ramen, he was excessively flustered.
Seo Jungwon blinked as if he had heard something unbelievable.
“I told you I’d take care of eating properly.”
“That’s true, yeah.
“Wouldn’t it be enough just to put out one more set of utensils? That’s stingy, more than I thought. Or was it a lie?”
“That’s, uh… no, it’s not. If it’s okay, you can eat with me—I really don’t mind. But I don’t know if it will suit your taste.”
Even knowing he was flustered, Kwon Taehee didn’t care and replied it was fine.
He said he’d wait and told him to take his time to get ready and come out.
Pushed forward, Seo Jungwon entered the house and gathered his empty bag.
While leaving the house, he tried to recall what was in the fridge, then realized it was completely empty and was stunned.
***
Eventually, Kwon Taehee came into the small, old house.
Seo Jungwon muttered with a trembling voice, “Why is it so dark like this?”
It wasn’t dark yet, but the curtains were drawn, and the entrance sensor light had been off for a long time, making the inside of the house gloomy.
At the same time as saying to wait a moment, Seo Jungwon moved quickly.
With a click, the lights turned on.
Simultaneously, he pressed the remote to turn on the air conditioner that had turned yellowish.
The whirring sound of it running was loud.
Kwon Taehee stood at the entrance, checking the structure of the house.
Two rooms, a living room, kitchen, and bathroom.
A sweet scent from Seo Jungwon filled the entire house.
“Wait a moment. Come in, make yourself comfortable, and I’ll get things ready soon.”
Kwon Taehee smiled at Seo Jungwon’s serious expression.
Quietly, he took off his shoes and stepped inside.
“I’m looking forward to it.”
“Ah, well…”
Seo Jungwon trailed off awkwardly and turned around.
He put the bag in the bedroom and hurried out, going straight to the sink.
When Kwon Taehee spoke to the back of him washing his hands, Seo Jungwon’s thin shoulders twitched.
“Yes?”
“I was wondering if I could look around the house.”
“Sure. There’s nothing special, but you can look around. Have you tried kimchi stew?”
Kwon Taehee stopped moving and stared at Seo Jungwon’s back as if he had heard something absurd.
Seo Jungwon seemed busy rummaging through the fridge.
At a glance, there wasn’t much there, so why was he so busy?
“I’ve tried it.”
“I’ll make that for you. How about rolled omelet?”
“I like it.”
“Have you tried ham? Spam?”
He had tried it once before, probably when he was younger.
Maybe when he was nine years old.
Kwon Taehee nodded while recalling the memory.
“I like that too.”
Hearing the answer, Seo Jungwon smiled brightly.
He said he’d make it quickly and started moving around energetically.