They were on their way to the filming location after picking up Haeseong for drama shooting. For some reason, unusually unlike him, Haeseong came out late, so time was a bit tight. Euiju was driving faster than usual.
—Euiju-ssi. Director Jo Yeongchun really hates tardiness. Make sure to take good care of Haeseong. Once he starts disliking someone, it’s troublesome, so if the kid doesn’t come out, you have to carry him on your back to get there on time.
Euiju anxiously looked at his watch, thinking that if he’d known this would happen, he should have lifted and carried the actor out on his back like Team Leader Kim Jaeho said.
It was when Euiju, distracted by driving, was skillfully turning the steering wheel while going as fast as possible toward the destination. Haeseong’s voice, sounding somehow annoyed, pierced Euiju’s ear.
“I’m curious about something. Isn’t the person who gives a gift supposed to report back on the recipient’s reaction?”
At Haeseong’s irritable words after being quiet until now, Euiju turned his head with a puzzled face.
“…Ah, are you talking about the toys?”
This morning, as soon as Euiju met Haeseong, he had said thank you several times. However, that didn’t seem to be what Haeseong wanted.
Haeseong was about to say something but closed his mouth. He seemed to ponder for a moment.
“…More than that, do they like it? Those tickets that Jang Yeonguk was going to give last time.”
“Tickets? What do you mean…”
“Unicorn Girls or whatever, the thing Jang Yeonguk was trying to get for you.”
“…Ah.”
—Ah, hyung. Can’t you make time just once? I’m not joking, you can really see them right up close. I heard your siblings like Unicorn Girls, so I got four tickets thinking we could all go together. It’s too much to refuse without even thinking about it!
He remembered that in the past, Jang Yeonguk had gotten Unicorn Girls tickets, saying they should go together with his siblings. Having already erased it from his memory, Euiju recalled the past for a moment and answered while looking at the rearview mirror.
“The twins like that singer, so they probably would have been very happy if they’d received those tickets. They’re a bit past the age of liking dolls.”
His eyebrows visibly distorted. Euiju, who held back the laughter about to burst out, completed parking and continued the rest of his words.
“But when I said it was a doll given by Prince Wonho from ‘The Man from the West,’ they were so happy they didn’t know what to do. No matter how much they like Unicorn Girls, children can’t help but like Prince Wonho who appeared as cool as a prince.”
“…”
Euiju, who stole a glance at Haeseong’s appearance through the rearview mirror, covered his mouth with one hand.
‘How does he even act?’
It was because the corners of Haeseong’s mouth, who was pretending to look indifferently out the window, were twitching slightly as if proud.
“…Well, I’ll give them an autograph next time.”
Haeseong said pompously. One corner of his mouth rose as if triumphant, and his shoulders straightened confidently.
Euiju could no longer hold back and raised the corners of his mouth fully. While turning his head so Haeseong couldn’t see.
***
Flower buds tinged with a soft pink color began to show their faces one by one. Spring energy filled with verdant life approached fully, and it had already been a month and a half since Euiju was put in charge of Jin Haeseong. The drama filming was also nearly at its end, and the date when the first episode would air was right around the corner.
The saying that people become close through contact seems to be true. Really, the effect of continuous contact through massage was tremendous.
Haeseong and Euiju. The massage not only greatly softened the cold air between them but also played a role in narrowing the distance between their distant hearts a little. The biggest change among them was that the two, who hadn’t exchanged any small talk at all, came to exchange very light jokes.
It was truly remarkable progress.
—A bamboo plant pot. Ahjussi will repot it or whatever. You have to do it this evening.
—…May I ask why you’re growing that?
—Fans say wishes come true. I want to grow taller quickly.
—I thought you didn’t believe in such superstitions.
—Fuck, I don’t believe it! Who believes in that kind of thing?!
If he didn’t believe it, why on earth did he plant the bamboo? Using the fine soil he had him dig up from the mountain behind his house, no less.
Actually, when he hadn’t been working long, Euiju had really gone to a secluded park near his house and gathered soil by hand at Haeseong’s command, saying out of the blue that he wanted to try growing plants and to get him some soil.
At the time, when he brought cultivation soil sold at stores, he only received a pathetic look from Haeseong, so how wronged he felt.
—Are you kidding? Not this crap, go to the mountain and dig it up yourself.
That day, Euiju had uttered his first words of objection to Haeseong who was stubbornly insisting on something strange.
—Soil lying around outside might be mixed with insect eggs.
—Wow. Now you’re even making excuses because you don’t want to do it. You must really hate it. There are lots of people to do it, so leave if you don’t want to.
Of course, it didn’t work at all…
But who knew there would be a problem with that soil?
“Ah fuck, do something about it—! Ah really!”
“Well, didn’t I tell you there might be insect eggs in the soil…”
The top floor of the luxurious officetel. Bugs had suddenly appeared in Haeseong’s empty and spacious house. Not just any bugs either, but异质蟑螂 (exotic cockroaches), large cockroaches the size of a thumb.
Despite their large bulk, they could fly. Once they took off, they made a kind of ‘drone’ sound like a giant hornet and wreaked havoc throughout the house.
In this high and luxurious house, three had already been discovered just in Haeseong’s room alone, so there was definitely a problem with the soil Euiju had brought.
“Burn it. No fuck, set it on fire and kill it! It’s still moving!”
Having lived in an old house for quite a while, Euiju wasn’t scared of bugs. Even though he had casually caught it with tissue and wrapped it up tightly, Haeseong started screaming that the tissue was wriggling.
“Fuck, kyaa—!”
He really couldn’t be anything but a noisy actor…
When another cockroach appeared from the table in the center of the room, Haeseong quickly fled onto the bed.
Seeing Haeseong clinging to the wall while thoroughly scared, Euiju somehow thought that Haeseong seemed to look his age for the first time. Because he was always indifferent or dull as if living a boring life with difficulty.
Seeing the restless Haeseong for the first time, Euiju swallowed his laughter inwardly and approached him.
“Will you be able to sleep here tonight?”
“Are you crazy? What kind of nonsense is that? Hurry up and get me out of here!”
It happened to be the day when Haeseong’s drama filming was nearing its end and he was going on a business trip to the provinces for 2 nights and 3 days tomorrow.
Looking at Haeseong’s condition, it seemed impossible to stay here any longer. Since they had to leave tomorrow morning anyway, Euiju judged it would be better to go first now and wait, so he immediately called Kim Jaeho and reported the situation.
[Okay. I’ll call a company tomorrow and have them disinfect everything, so go down to Jecheon first.]
“Understood.”
“Tell them to do it properly. Tell them to exterminate every single one without leaving a trace!”
[Haha. Haeseong must be properly scared? Well, he probably doesn’t have many memories of seeing bugs. Then good work, Euiju-ssi.]
“Yes. Please go in safely.”
Euiju, who hung up the phone, looked down at his phone with a dark face.
‘…What excuse should I make to Roun?’
Today was the day he had promised to watch her practice her dance in preparation for the talent show at kindergarten after work. Since the luggage was already packed in the car, it looked like he’d have to go straight down to the provinces without being able to stop by home.
It was when Euiju, who let out a deep sigh, turned around to load Haeseong’s carrier into the car.
“…Where are you going?”
“I need to move Haeseong-ssi’s luggage. We have to go down to Jecheon right away.”
“W-wait a minute!”
Haeseong, who had been clinging to the edge of the wall, strode to the end of the bed.
“Carry me on your back.”
“Pardon?”
“I said carry me on your back. Carry me and put me down at the entrance.”
“…”
Even though he lives alone in this spacious house at a young age and does well sleeping and living by himself, could bugs really be that scary? Euiju asked with an absurd face.
“Don’t you hate physical contact? Why all of a sudden…”
“Ah, is that what’s important right now? Stop talking nonsense and hurry!”
Because Haeseong was on the bed, unlike usual, Haeseong was looking down at Euiju. When their eyes met, as if embarrassed, he turned his head and started making excuses.
“I-I’m barefoot right now. What if I step on a cockroach while walking? Even with a dead mosquito stuck to my body, I can’t stand the sight and flick it far away, but if I step on that big thing, I really won’t be able to sleep.”
At those words, Euiju let out a hollow laugh. Haeseong’s face turned red as a beet.
“Understood. Please get o… ugh!”
Before he could properly turn his body, Haeseong jumped onto Euiju’s back as if leaping. Having grown slightly taller over the month, Haeseong’s weight was heavier than before, so Euiju unknowingly let out a groan.
“Hurry and go. I don’t want to stay in this place for even a moment longer.”
As if he was really scared, Haeseong tightly hugged Euiju’s neck. Euiju had an absurd face for a moment, but silently began to take steps.
No more cockroaches appeared in front of them.
