Kwon Tae-hee naturally guided Seo Jeong-won.
He led him into his bedroom as if it were only natural—a space where even Seo Gyu-won, Song Hae-seop, or the Omegas he casually met and parted with had never entered.
“It shouldn’t be uncomfortable to use.”
Seo Jeong-won felt a bit awkward.
He thought he meant it would be better to stay in the space he used, but it seemed the meaning had been miscommunicated.
He didn’t have the courage to speak again, so he smiled awkwardly and looked around.
It was surprising that the bedroom was decorated like a living room.
Isn’t a bedroom supposed to have just a bed?
Though he had never visited one, it felt like a showroom interior had been transplanted here.
“It feels a bit… too big for just one person. Isn’t there a smaller room?”
“This is my bedroom.”
“…What?”
“You’ll be sharing my bedroom, so I don’t understand what you’re saying. You’ll only be here for three days—do you really need a separate room?”
Seo Jeong-won had naturally assumed he’d be using a separate space.
Realizing otherwise startled him a little.
Moreover, Kwon Tae-hee didn’t seem to be scolding him, but it still felt a little like that, which made him feel unnecessarily embarrassed.
“Ah… no, it’s fine.”
“If you have any food restrictions, let me know in advance.”
“Not really. I eat everything well.”
“Change into something comfortable and come out. That’s the dressing room over there, so just leave your bag somewhere appropriate.”
He pointed toward an arched doorway.
Without moving, he signaled with his eyes as if asking why he wasn’t going.
Honestly, his clothes were already very comfortable, but apparently not in his eyes.
Scratching his exposed arm, Seo Jeong-won placed his shopping bag on the floor and carefully took out a potted plant.
He placed it on a small table beside the sofa and gently touched a leaf.
“Is it okay to leave this here?”
“Sure.”
Seo Jeong-won instinctively bowed slightly.
Standing awkwardly for a moment, he then walked toward the dressing room.
The room was packed full of Kwon Tae-hee’s clothes, accessories, and bags, leaving almost no space.
He stood in the middle for a moment, unsure where to put his clothes, then placed his bag in a corner of the closet.
He changed into a T-shirt and shorts not much different from what he was wearing before.
Maybe he told him to change because he saw him fall earlier.
There had been some dust on his clothes.
After neatly folding the clothes he wore in and packing them into his bag, he didn’t spare another glance at Kwon Tae-hee’s belongings and left the dressing room.
He hadn’t expected him to be waiting, so he was a bit flustered to see him closely examining the potted plant.
Seo Jeong-won hurried his steps and stopped in front of him.
“What did you say this was called again?”
“Ah, it’s Alocasia.”
“Alocasia. But it only has one leaf.”
“It just started sprouting. If you wait a bit, new stems will grow quickly. It especially likes water, so you can give it a lot when you water it. But if water droplets form on the tips of the leaves, that means you gave it too much. In that case, you should stop watering until the leaves droop a little.”
Seo Jeong-won, forgetting his awkwardness, continued talking like he was ready to share everything about Alocasia.
“Also, the leaves resemble elephant ears, so it’s often called the elephant ear plant. There are even stories in Hindu mythology related to it. If you look closely at the leaves, don’t they really look like elephant ears?”
Then, catching the intense gaze fixed on him, he abruptly stopped talking as if snapping out of a trance.
He had gone on too much.
He probably didn’t want to know that much detail.
“They really do. Like elephant ears. But I’m not going to water it or anything.”
Kwon Tae-hee smiled gently.
It was surprising to hear him talk in such a pleasant, chatty voice.
When he looked at the occasional curl of his lips, he finally looked his age.
He usually had the damp, heavy mood of a rainy day, but when his eyes sparkled, he became as radiant as a freshly bloomed flower.
“Shall we go out? Or do you want to talk more here?”
His smooth hand gently stroked the leaf.
His gaze remained fixed on Seo Jeong-won.
“…I think it’d be better to go out.”
“I don’t think I’ll have the energy to eat anything later tonight, so should we have a meal now?”
“Ah… yes, sounds good.”
Kwon Tae-hee moved first.
Seo Jeong-won quietly followed behind.
On the long dining table, a warm, neat meal had been laid out as if someone knew the two of them would be dining together.
“Tell me which dishes you like after you try them.”
“Yes, thank you for the meal.”
Since Kwon Tae-hee was clearly older, Seo Jeong-won didn’t immediately pick up his utensils.
He scanned the delicious-looking food with his eyes and waited for him to begin eating.
“What’s wrong?”
“I was just waiting for you to start… because it’s the polite thing to do.”
“Because you’re older than me. You seem much older… I don’t know your exact age, but since you’re an executive director, I assumed you’re significantly older…”
Now it made sense why he was using such formal language.
Realizing this, Kwon Tae-hee looked at Seo Jeong-won incredulously.
The implication that he looked old offended him, however childishly.
Even if he considered the age difference and social standing—him being just twenty-one—it was a fair assumption, but still.
Maybe it stung more because no one had ever said something like that before.
“Eat.”
“Sorry…”
The mood had soured somehow.
Seo Jeong-won, well-versed in reading the room from years of practice, immediately apologized.
After an awkward and uncomfortable meal, Kwon Tae-hee said he had work to do and went upstairs.
He told him to make himself at home, but Seo Jeong-won couldn’t.
He felt like a misplaced sack of barley, sitting still in the living room for hours without moving.
He wasn’t there for leisure, so it felt strange to look around the house.
He just sat quietly, killing time.
Then he suddenly remembered what Kwon Tae-hee had said—that he probably wouldn’t have the energy to eat anything later.
What did he mean by that?
It must’ve had some sexual implication, right?
Seo Jeong-won asked himself, found his answer, and lowered his head.
“…Ha…”
Suddenly, he thought of Seo Gyu-won.
Was this really okay?
The emotion he was feeling now was not guilt.
It felt like he was committing a moral crime, something no human should do.
Even if there hadn’t been love between them, was it right to be with his sister’s ex-fiancée like this?
But it was already done.
What’s spilled can’t be gathered again, and certainly not undone.
He knew that, yet it felt like a stone was weighing on his chest.
“No… this isn’t right…”
These thoughts were doing him no good now.
Seo Jeong-won lightly shook his head.
He lifted the hand resting on his thigh to cover his face.
How long had he been like that?
At the sound of someone coming down the stairs, Seo Jeong-won turned his head.
“Uh… oh, you’re here.”
“Just going to wash up. Have you been sitting here the whole time?”
“Ah, I could see the garden well from here. So…”
As he fumbled to explain, Kwon Tae-hee walked closer.
Just like when he first stepped into the place, he didn’t sit beside him but casually perched on the table.
“So, have you finished looking around?”
“Yes. It’s beautiful, even from inside.”
Kwon Tae-hee reached out.
As he listened to Seo Jeong-won’s calmly resonating voice, he gently cupped his flushed cheek.
Even a few words of conversation were enough to tint his pale skin red.
So shy… Was it because he’d only ever dealt with worn-out people?
His pure and unfiltered reactions felt unfamiliar.
Even though he had already determined how he would be used—and should thus act as he pleased—Kwon Tae-hee hesitated, as if something was holding him back.
Under his silent, obvious gaze, Seo Jeong-won rubbed the back of his neck and finally opened his mouth.
“Should I… wash up too?”
“Do you want to?”
What was this feeling he got every time he saw his innocent, naive face?
He definitely knew the word, but for some reason, it wouldn’t come to mind.
Seo Jeong-won stood up, sneaking glances at the unmoving Kwon Tae-hee.
He asked him with his eyes which bathroom he should use.
Listening to his quietly spoken question, Kwon Tae-hee answered a bit late.
“The bedroom.”
“Okay.”
Without making a sound, Seo Jeong-won walked away.
Even after lunch, he had barely made his presence known.
The soft click of the door closing was the only noise he made.
***
It had been quite a while since Kwon Tae-hee finished his shower and returned to the bedroom to wait for Seo Jeong-won.
The sound of water had stopped, so he must’ve been done, but he wasn’t making a single noise.
At first, he waited patiently, but as time passed, mild irritation began to creep in.
He didn’t understand what he was trying to do.
Just as he was about to get up and go pull him out—Click, the door opened.
Seo Jeong-won finally appeared, walking through the corridor connected to the dressing room.
He wore a white short-sleeved T-shirt and dark shorts that covered his thighs.
“Come here.”
Kwon Tae-hee clicked his tongue as he looked at his flushed face.
As he hesitated and slowly approached, he reached out a hand.
As soon as Seo Jeong-won placed his hand in his large outstretched palm, he was pulled forward.
“Ah!”
He was pulled between Kwon Tae-hee’s spread legs and made to sit down.
It was a position he had never taken before, nor even imagined he would.
“Your body seems to have cooled down, but why is your face still so red?”
“I don’t know.”
“Is it nerves? Or… anticipation?”
“I think… it’s nerves.”
At his honest answer, Kwon Tae-hee gave a small laugh.
Seo Jeong-won was captivated by the smile on the man in front of him, whose handsomeness felt almost burdensome.