Yoonjo stretched his stiff shoulders and carefully slipped out of the bedding. When he glanced at the window, a bluish light was blooming as the sun rose. Yoonjo praised himself for his amazing body clock that woke him up even without an alarm.
A week had passed since they returned from Yeosu. He’d gotten used to the bandages wrapped around his ankle, and he’d gotten used to the life where he saw Ki Seonwoo whenever he opened his eyes.
However, the one thing he couldn’t get used to was not going out to farm. It was better to rest than to overwork himself when his leg was like this, but lately Yoonjo had started to wonder if this was really the right thing to do.
It was natural since he’d been going out to play every day. One day they went on a picnic, another day they went for a drive along the coastal road… Anyway, whether he was farming or not, the fact that he was away from home was the same.
Yoonjo carefully touched the wall so as not to wake Seonwoo and headed to the living room. His ankle didn’t throb and hurt as much as before, so it really seemed to be healing. That was quite disappointing. After all, the reason Yoonjo had come to stay by Seonwoo’s side in the first place was because of his swollen ankle.
But Yoonjo wasn’t one to give up like this. Flopping down on the sofa, Yoonjo vigorously petted Dongtae’s fluffy fur as the dog looked at him half-asleep. Anyway, like owner, like dog. After petting Dongtae for a while, Yoonjo muttered softly.
“It’ll work out somehow.”
He couldn’t imagine who would reject a younger guy who was this pretty, young, and even handsome, when he was sticking to them so closely. After fiddling with Dongtae for a while, Yoonjo got up and started humming.
“Let’s~ make~ breakfast~ Young~ and handsome~ Yoonjo’s~ delicious~ morning~ meal~”
After preparing Dongtae’s breakfast for the dog circling around his feet, Yoonjo put on an apron. He skillfully took out cooking utensils and started making something with practiced ease. It was cooking that Seonwoo always told him not to do, but he ended up doing anyway. At some point, Seonwoo had stopped trying to stop him too. No matter what, food was the number one contributor to captivating people.
Yoonjo’s cooking wasn’t elaborate, but it was customized for Seonwoo in its own way. With the perfect touch and sincerity that matched his picky taste, Seonwoo had clearly fallen head over heels for it.
That was because Seonwoo’s eating habits were… really picky. If he had to define it in just two words, it would be this:
A strange picky eater.
He looked like the second prince in line for the throne cutting steak in some European castle, but in fact he had a small appetite and was picky about many things. Coffee had to be an Americano with three shots, salads couldn’t have any moisture, he hated garlic intensely but ate grilled onions well. He wouldn’t eat mushrooms in stew because they were mushy, but he liked enoki mushrooms so he always ate those.
Yoonjo wondered where to set the standard, but after seeing it a few times, he got the hang of it. Now he’d reached the point where he could make dishes Seonwoo liked with his eyes closed.
Having finished preparing the meal, Yoonjo glanced over the steaming rice and soup, rolled omelet with ketchup, and side dishes. As always, today was perfect too.
Humming, Yoonjo entered the bedroom and carefully sat by the bedside. Right in front of him was Seonwoo, still in a deep sleep.
“Hyung, wake up. It’s morning.”
When he shook his shoulder a few times, Seonwoo’s eyelids fluttered and then opened slightly. His jet-black eyes weren’t focused yet, as if he hadn’t come to his senses.
There was one more thing Yoonjo had learned about Seonwoo while living together. He slept in a lot in the mornings. Whether it was because he went to bed late at night or just his nature was hard to gauge, but he particularly struggled with mornings.
“Will you sleep a bit more? Then I’ll wake you later.”
At Yoonjo’s words, Seonwoo blinked a few times. Before long, his focused eyes began to shine glossily. They looked just like glass jewels.
“Are you awake?”
“…Yeah.”
“You can sleep more. I’ve prepared the meal, so later you can eat and…”
“Today’s the day to go to the hospital… *ahem*, I can’t… sleep in.”
At the sight of Seonwoo hiding his face slightly under the blanket as if the sunlight was dazzling, Yoonjo’s heart skipped a beat. It was because he wondered if a person… could be that pretty. Watching Seonwoo looking a bit disheveled, Yoonjo pressed down on his chest and asked again.
“Can I kidnap you, hyung?”
“…Would that work.”
Along with a low, scratchy voice, Seonwoo got up from bed disheveled and fixed his hair. Even the sight of him holding a hair tie in his mouth and tying it roughly looked perfect. If it weren’t for his leg, he might have tucked him under his arm and run off somewhere right away.
Watching Seonwoo quietly, Yoonjo felt his body float up. Before he could even let out a single “Oh,” he found himself sitting on the soft blanket. Seonwoo was already fiddling with Yoonjo’s foot.
“How’s your foot.”
“It doesn’t hurt anymore. I told you. This kind of thing really heals if you just put some spit on it and get a good night’s sleep for a few days.”
When Yoonjo shook his foot lightly and answered playfully, Seonwoo stood up and chuckled. He lightly tapped the tip of Yoonjo’s nose as he smiled brightly.
“Being healthy is attractive.”
“I didn’t know health could be attractive these days. Then since I’m healthy, do I fit right into your heart, hyung?”
“That’s a problem of a different dimension.”
Was this really something that needed to go to dimensions? Yoonjo stuck out his lips and naturally stretched out his arms. Clinging to him using his leg as an excuse had almost become a habit now. Yoonjo, who until just moments ago had been walking around fine on his own, acted as if that had never been the case.
“You said your leg was all better.”
“I think I need to go to the hospital for it to heal. It still hurts a bit… Look here. See, it’s still all swollen like this.”
Slightly lifting his bandaged leg, Yoonjo made groaning sounds unlike himself. The ankle he glimpsed was far from swollen—it was smooth—but the truth wasn’t what mattered anyway.
“Ow ow ow… It hurts. At times like this, if Seonwoo hyung hugs me tight, I think it might all get better.”
At Yoonjo’s action of stretching his foot forward, Seonwoo made a displeased expression. Before long, he let out a sigh.
“Do you have any conscience?”
“I’m overflowing with it, so full.”
Seonwoo also reached out toward Yoonjo, who smiled without blinking an eye. Holding him like a child, Seonwoo sighed out of habit.
“Today’s the last time.”
“Ah, of course!”
Yoonjo, who answered readily, snuggled into Seonwoo’s arms. While being held and subtly swinging his legs, Yoonjo suddenly asked.
“But this… Even I think it’s a forced argument, but hyung grants everything. Actually, do you also have feelings for me in your heart…”
“If I don’t grant it, you’ll cry.”
Yoonjo’s gaze sharpened, wondering what he’d just heard. Even at that look, Seonwoo remained indifferent.
“You cried because the ice cream wasn’t tasty, so what if you cry again because I didn’t hug you?”
“Am I three years old?”
“So you won’t cry?”
“No. I’m always ready to cry.”
Yoonjo raised his index finger and brushed his eyes, then smiled cheerfully. At his brazenness, Seonwoo also let out a chuckle.
***
The distinctive smell of disinfectant in hospitals stung his nose. Yoonjo quietly waited for the doctor examining the X-ray. Before long, the doctor nodded and tapped the keyboard a few times.
“It’s good to be young. I was worried because it was a half-cast, but it’s healed cleanly. The stretched ligament has returned well too.”
“Then I don’t need to wear the bandage anymore?”
“Do light rehabilitation exercises and stretches, and refrain from strenuous work.”
“Can I farm by any chance? Um… I need to pick blueberries now and thresh sesame seeds too. I need to go to the mudflats and dig for cockles. It’ll be a disaster if I miss the season.”
“I know. That season. As long as you don’t do it for too long, it’s fine. Just be careful not to strain your ankle.”
The doctor explained a few more precautions and prescribed medicine he needed to take. Since he said there was no need to wear bandages either, Yoonjo left the examination room with light steps. Standing in the hallway, Yoonjo rotated his ankle a few times and immediately moved to go to Seonwoo.
The waiting room area was strangely noisy. Among the murmuring people, he heard words like ‘actor’ and ‘Ki Seonwoo.’ Yoonjo hurriedly stuck his head out and ran toward where Seonwoo was.
“Ah! Gangdo hyung!”
Perhaps because of the unfamiliar name, Seonwoo didn’t even respond and kept his head deeply bowed. Yoonjo subtly pressed down Seonwoo’s baseball cap and said casually.
“Gangdo hyung, let’s go. Kimchi stew today?”
Looking at Seonwoo who wasn’t saying a word, Yoonjo asked and answered by himself. People were still murmuring. Yoonjo tightly grabbed his sleeve and quickly whispered in Seonwoo’s ear.
“It’s okay, hyung. Straighten your back. Act natural.”
It was the moment they took just one step. A woman nearby carefully asked Yoonjo.
“By any chance… isn’t that the actor Ki Seonwoo over there?”
“That’s my hyung.”
“Ah…”
“Our hyung gets mistaken a lot when he wears a mask. He’s kind of… you know. A trickster? Even I can see that mom gave birth to him with good eyes. Me too, like this, when I wear a mask I get told I’m handsome so I know.”
Yoonjo, who covered half his face with his hand, spoke casually. His attitude was so confident that the woman glanced at Seonwoo a few times wondering if she’d really mistaken him, then stepped back.
“I’m sorry. He looked so similar… I was a fan.”
“You were really a Ki Seonwoo fan? Me too! I can really recite his entire filmography while sitting down. Wow… to meet a comrade in this small place… Ah, right. I need to eat to take my medicine. I’ll go first.”
Yoonjo rattled off his words and waved the prescription around. Then he lightly pulled on Seonwoo’s clothes. When he looked up, he saw Seonwoo pale as a sheet with his pupils fully dilated. Thinking they couldn’t stay here like this, Yoonjo left the hospital with steps almost at a run.
As soon as they headed toward the hospital parking lot, Yoonjo practically carried Seonwoo and ran, putting him straight into the passenger seat. After fastening his seatbelt firmly and heading to the driver’s seat, Yoonjo took a deep breath and grabbed the steering wheel. It was his first time driving since the day of the minor accident, but he had no time to think about it.
This car is a tractor, a tractor. After muttering to himself a few times, Yoonjo sped off without looking back.
