Soohyun only nodded his head. The bag he held wasn’t very large, and it didn’t even feel full. Soohyun entered the house, put down his bag, and asked Seojun quietly.
“Where should I stay?”
Since it was live-in format, it was natural to give him a room to stay in. Seojun’s house had a total of four rooms—the largest room was the bedroom, and the moderately sized rooms were being used as Seojun’s hobby room and study respectively. The smallest room was decorated like a guest room, giving off a rather bleak and dreary feeling, and Soohyun vaguely thought he would probably use that room.
“I haven’t organized the room yet, but you’ll have to use that guest room for now. I’ll organize it for you within this week. There’s only a bed in there….”
Even with only a bed, it was better than the shabby rooms Soohyun had looked at yesterday. There was a window so sunlight came in, and it was clean because Soohyun had carefully cleaned it every day.
“It’s fine. This is enough.”
Soohyun entered the small room with a bed, dresser, and small table, and Seojun followed behind him.
“Um… Lee Soohyun-ssi. There’s something I need to tell you.”
“Yes?”
Soohyun turned his head. His slightly tired, pale face was so beautiful anew that Seojun’s breath caught. I’m going to be living in the same house with this person now. Without waiting, without yearning, he could see him anytime. Seojun finally felt the reality of living together with him. Though for Soohyun, it might have been nothing more than finding a place to live.
“We need to revise the contract… no, modify it. Should we talk for a bit?”
Soohyun was very calm. It was natural. Since they were changing from commute format to live-in format, something would be different.
“First, this is what I was thinking.”
Seojun held out a paper with the content he wanted to add written on it. Soohyun read through his few lines of requirements.
“Choi Seojun-ssi, this is…”
“If you’ll just grant me that, I’ll accommodate everything else.”
Soohyun’s murmur was long.
-During the contract period, Lee Soohyun sleeps in the same room as Choi Seojun.
-Once a week, Lee Soohyun spends all day with Choi Seojun.
-Lee Soohyun tries to ride in Choi Seojun’s car.
No matter how he thought about it, these were extremely strange contract conditions. The first one aside, the second and third were really odd beyond measure. Soohyun couldn’t understand at all why he had included these conditions.
“Choi Seojun-ssi. No matter how I look at it, this is too strange…”
“It’s just what I want. Just at night, you absolutely have to sleep with me in my bed. And… once a week we go on a da— Ah! No, just spend time together…”
“Why the car…?”
“You said you’ve never ridden in someone else’s car, Soohyun-ssi. Isn’t it worth trying? I want to… help… would that be a reason?”
Seojun’s voice trembled as he finished his excuse. When Soohyun looked up from staring at the contract, there was Seojun looking at him with eyes full of warmth.
“I understand.”
“Oh and, um… may I say one more thing?”
“Yes.”
In truth, Soohyun wasn’t in any position to refuse Seojun’s demands. With no place to live and no money on hand either, if it wasn’t a demand he couldn’t handle, Soohyun intended to comply.
“Um… I’d also like pheromone care.”
His voice shrank as if crawling under the sofa. Seeing him with his cheeks and earlobes turned bright red, heat rose to Soohyun’s face as well. They had mingled bodies on the first day they met, and there had been such occasions several times after that too…. Even now, though the relationship and situation hadn’t really changed much from then, had something changed?
“If you don’t want to, you don’t have to force yourself…”
“…No. It’s fine.”
Seojun examined Soohyun’s face. Was his request hurting him by any chance? He had resolved never again to say words that would scratch at him.
In truth, what Seojun wanted most was for him to smile while looking at him, and for Soohyun to have feelings for him equal to half the weight he carried—no, even half of that half. Just that much.
“Twice a week! Once is fine too. I just…”
“I… understand.”
Soohyun confirmed the revised items and signed the contract again. By working in live-in format, Soohyun would work twelve hours a day and be able to rest for two hours.
“Soohyun-ssi, if there’s anything you want to say too, please tell me.”
Something he wanted to say. What should he say?
“Please take good care of me from now on, Choi Seojun-ssi.”
“I hope you’ll take good care of me too, Lee Soohyun-ssi.”
Soohyun’s face was quiet and peaceful like a gently flowing river. His face was still so beautiful that if someone asked whether he had just fallen for his face, Seojun definitely wouldn’t be able to deny it. He was simply a pretty and clear person to look at. Even just keeping his eyes on Soohyun, who looked like a painting despite having no makeup and no trace of forced embellishment, made Seojun’s heart feel full.
“I’d like to organize my things.”
“Please do. I don’t have anything today.”
“I’ll get ready right after organizing.”
In truth, there wasn’t much that could be called things to organize. After putting a few clothes, underwear, and socks in the drawer, the bag quickly emptied. Soohyun changed clothes as usual, put on an apron, and went out to the living room. He briefly made eye contact with Seojun sitting awkwardly, but soon averted his gaze and entered the kitchen to start his daily routine.
* * *
“I’m roughly done organizing, so I’ll rest a bit.”
“You worked hard. Soohyun-ssi, really…”
While Soohyun was working, Seojun observed how he cleaned. The fact that there wasn’t a single speck of dust or strand of hair was all thanks to his care. Running the vacuum cleaner and wiping with a rag, cleaning the tops of furniture. Only shine remained in the places his hands passed, repeatedly dusting and wiping even the hard-to-see spots.
-Hyung, where are you? What happened? The house?
When Soohyun returned to his room and checked his phone, there was a message from Chaeho. Seeing over a dozen missed calls, Soohyun called him.
[Soohyun hyung!]
“Chaeho-ya.”
[What suddenly happened? The house? When I asked the landlord, she said you left. Most of your stuff is still at the house. Where are you now, hyung? How could you do this without even telling me?]
“Well…”
He could picture his excited face beyond the phone. He must have been worried. Since five years ago, it was Chaeho who had been anxiously worried something might happen to him.
“I changed my Center work.”
[What do you mean? Changed?]
“It wasn’t easy to find a place right away either. I moved into live-in format…”
[…What?]
“I changed my Center work. To live-in format.”
[Then you’re saying you’re living at Choi Seojun’s house?]
Chaeho’s distorted face flickered before his eyes. Still, Soohyun had no choice but to answer.
“Yes.”
[…I’m coming there right now. Come down, hyung.]
“Chaeho-ya!”
[If you don’t come down, I’ll go in front of that house.]
Holding the phone that had been disconnected before he could say anything more, Soohyun stared at the dark screen. What should he say when Chaeho came? Whatever he said, it would end up being nothing but hurting him anyway.
“Choi Seojun-ssi.”
“Yes?”
“…Could I go out briefly in about 30 minutes?”
“Go out? Where to?”
For Soohyun to go out. It was his break time so he didn’t really need to tell Seojun, but it seemed he should at least let him, his employer, know where he was going.
“Someone’s coming to visit in front of the house. I’ll go down briefly and come back.”
Who could it be? The person coming to see Soohyun. Since he didn’t know much about him, Seojun was all the more curious about him. Where and how he had lived, what had happened, and why his body was sick, why he was doing this kind of work. There were too many things he wanted to ask, making it rather difficult to pick out any one thing specifically to ask.
-I’m here, so come down.
As soon as he checked the text, Soohyun left the house. His heart pounded roughly until the elevator arrived at the first floor. What would Chaeho say, what kind of face would he have? Even if he couldn’t accept his love, Chaeho was a child no different from his own younger brother. Though it was different from the love Chaeho had, Soohyun loved him.
“Chaeho-ya.”
He saw him with a tired face and his brow wrinkled messily. A span taller than himself, with a good physique and an amiable face, he was a wonderful man by anyone’s standards. He was a precious person Soohyun wanted to brag about as his younger brother.
“Hyung. How could you do this?”
“Well… it suddenly happened that way. I also have circumstances…”
“Did you forget what I said before? I said I’m fine living with you, hyung!”
“That’s…”
