Though they’d worked together for over half a year, this was the first time Kim Jaeho faced Euiju’s coldness, so he could only blink in surprise.
Euiju, who had roughly gathered his tears, meticulously tucked Haeseong’s blanket in one last time. He stood up from his seat and jerked his chin at Kim Jaeho.
Come out.
Kim Jaeho had no choice but to follow Euiju, who was giving off a frightening atmosphere.
“Euiju-ssi. What the hell is this?”
Kim Jaeho, angry at the sudden insubordination, snapped while placing his hands on his waist. However, Euiju spoke in a low voice without relaxing his expression.
“Cut off all the currently connected lunch box companies or restaurants. I’ll check and send you a list of companies focused on the meals Haeseong likes. From now on, Haeseong will eat meals centered on carbohydrates and protein, not greens. He doesn’t drink milk, but he takes his herbal medicine diligently, so always make sure he has it.”
“What? What are you suddenly talking about?”
“And if Haeseong continues to be depressed, don’t neglect it and have him see a specialist for counseling. Don’t leave him alone by himself saying he has a nasty temper or that he’s originally like that—I’m telling you that even Team Leader Kim should stay with him.”
“…Euiju-ssi. Are you teaching me right now?”
“I’ll leave the other parts I need to inform you about in a message. …Because I need to leave before Haeseong wakes up.”
“Ha, really.”
Euiju, who turned around just like that, began going around various places in the house. Since he was told not to leave a single thing of his behind, he had to take everything away.
Finally heading to the dressing room, Euiju began gathering the clothes he’d brought to wear comfortably. The black indoor slippers Haeseong had ordered as Euiju’s portion, the pajamas Euiju had bought for Haeseong, the neck pillow he’d bought for him to lean on comfortably on the sofa—he stuffed everything into a paper bag.
Everything, so that no trace of himself remained.
Then, an unfamiliar item entered Euiju’s view, who could recite everything in this room even with his eyes closed.
‘…What’s this?’
There was a case on the shelf where accessories were placed that he hadn’t seen before. Judging by the size, material, and appearance, which were larger than a ring case, it looked like a watch case. Since Haeseong never wore watches, Euiju, who was puzzled, carefully opened the case.
“……”
Inside the case was a watch with a flashy bezel but a simple band portion, along with a squarely folded note, and the corners of the note were messily torn. It seemed he’d roughly torn off the corner of a notebook.
Euiju’s eyes instantly widened as he unfolded it.
It was Haeseong’s letter.
Do you know our birthdays are exactly one month apart? I don’t know what ahjussi will give me, but I had Team Leader Kim buy ahjussi’s present in advance. Since yesterday you haven’t been answering my calls or coming to work, I’m annoyed so I probably won’t give it to you, but when the time comes, who knows.
Why aren’t you answering my calls? Why aren’t you reading my messages? One of the twins got into trouble, right? There’s only one reason ahjussi wouldn’t contact me, so I’m annoyed but not too worried. It’s probably because one of your family members got into trouble and you’re busy anyway.
This is my first time writing a letter. I’m writing it because I have nowhere to talk since I can’t contact ahjussi, but strangely I don’t feel bad while writing. This must be why fans write letters to me. I’m going to read those kinds of things from now on. Because I think I’d feel fucking terrible if this letter wasn’t read and was just thrown away. I worked hard to write it.
Tears that formed in an instant fell straight to the floor. His mouth was smiling, but the rapidly forming tears fell pitter-patter, contrary to their owner’s heart.
Unlike Haeseong’s delicate and pretty hands, his handwriting was crude yet round. Just looking at the content, it seemed he’d written it the day after Euiju came up from Jeju Island.
Of course, Euiju had also prepared a birthday present for Haeseong. It was the first birthday of Haeseong’s he was experiencing together while being his manager, and as their relationship had grown close, he’d wanted to give a special gift.
However, that gift was still in the wardrobe at home. It had been completely forgotten since the day he came up from Jeju Island. Haeseong’s words were right. Pushed aside by the youngest’s illness, he’d completely forgotten its existence, Haeseong’s birthday.
Euiju, who poured out another bout of tears, barely managed to breathe and controlled his eyes. He neatly folded Haeseong’s letter and put it in his pocket, and closed the watch case carefully and placed it back where it had been. He gathered the paper bag that was already full and left the dressing room.
“Euiju-ssi. Are you leaving for good now?”
Kim Jaeho, who had been standing in front of Haeseong’s bedroom door, asked casually. It was Kim Jaeho who had shrunk back slightly at Euiju’s sharp appearance.
“Yeah. Good thinking. You should hurry and go before Haeseong wakes up. If he wakes up, Euiju-ssi might really not be able to leave.”
“……”
“Even if the kid has a hard time at first, he’ll do well like before. It’s not like you’re completely separating and you’ll be able to contact each other, so why all this fuss, really. The kid is pretty tough, you know. He’ll endure well, so don’t worry too much. Take good care of your youngest’s treatment.”
Euiju’s chest, standing with his back to Kim Jaeho, swelled intensely and then deflated. As if lingering attachment remained to something, he couldn’t continue on his way and only hesitated. Kim Jaeho, who noticed Euiju’s hesitation while watching that back, scratched the back of his head and asked.
“…Want to see Haeseong before you go?”
“……”
“……”
“No. Please… take good care of him.”
Euiju, who adjusted the bag he was holding, left those words and departed from the spot.
On the floor where Euiju had been standing, three or four teardrops were sparkling as they caught the light.
***
Again.
‘Hae, Haeseong-ah. Where is your father? Isn’t… your father coming?’
Mom was always like that. Even if he stayed like a good child because he desperately wanted mom’s attention and love, even if he acted desperately cute seeking love, mom always consistently looked only for dad.
The mom who appeared in dreams was also always like that. She always looked only for dad.
Even when drowning and dying in the deep sea, even when falling from the sky, even when dying old and sick on a bed, always.
‘Haeseong-ah. Bring dad to me……’
But Lee Euiju was different.
How could you be like this even in dreams?
‘Tell me right away if you’re sick. What makes me most upset these days is you being sick.’
The warm touch gently stimulating his joints could be felt even in a dream. The touch moving carefully lest it cause strain was so kind.
‘…You won’t leave, right?’
‘Yeah. I won’t leave.’
‘You’ll continue to stay by my side?’
‘Yeah. I will.’
When he spread both arms, he naturally embraced me. The warm hug that even mom didn’t properly give, this man gave me like a gift whenever I wanted.
‘Why are you being so whiny today? Is something wrong?’
When I rubbed my face against his chest, that question always came down. This kind question shook my entire life.
I was afraid that if I opened my eyes, everything would disappear.
I wanted to stay here forever.
***
“…What can I do? If that’s the situation… Yes.”
The man’s voice heard in his sleep tapped at the ears of Haeseong, who had been asleep for a long time. Haeseong’s eyes, gradually regaining consciousness, opened with difficulty.
He wanted to move his body, but as if his whole body was paralyzed, he couldn’t move.
Kim Jaeho, who noticed that Haeseong had woken at the small movement, spoke urgently to the other party.
“Ah, he just woke up. No. I should be the one to tell him. …I understand. I’ll tell him well so he won’t be hurt.”
Haeseong’s head slowly turned toward where the sound was coming from.
It was Kim Jaeho’s voice talking on the phone while entering through the open door. The box he brought with him was so large it looked like it would fall at any moment.
He usually received many comments that he had a good impression because he went around smiling like a screw was loose, but now he was somehow giving off a gloomy and dark atmosphere. He put the box down on one side and approached Haeseong.
“…You’re awake.”
“Where’s ahjussi?”
Due to sleeping for a long time, Haeseong’s voice was horribly cracked. Kim Jaeho handed him the water cup on the nightstand, but Haeseong stared at Kim Jaeho without moving. He was waiting for an answer.
“You were asleep for three days straight. Euiju-ssi… already left for America.”
“……”
Haeseong let out a light snort. It was a self-deprecating laugh as if he’d somehow known it would be like this.
“I’m an idiot for collapsing. Thanks to that, I couldn’t even stop him from leaving.”
Haeseong, who threw off the blanket, put his feet on the ground. Since it was his first time moving in a while, his whole body was stiff.
“Give me his contact info. So I can at least call him.”
“……”
If he’d already disappeared, all he had to do was follow him by any means necessary. Even if his aunt interfered, there were countless methods. He’d even made plans in advance in case this happened. It was easy to think of it as letting him go first. He could endure it.
However, even at Haeseong’s urging, Kim Jaeho was stiff.
“I said give it to me. Ahjussi wouldn’t have gotten rid of his Korean number.”
Kim Jaeho was still silently unresponsive. Haeseong, who had his back to him, turned his head irritably.
“What are you doing right now…”
“Haeseong-ah.”
It was an unfamiliar tone. It was Kim Jaeho’s low voice he’d never heard until now.
“How about forgetting Lee Euiju-ssi from now on?”
“What the fuck are you suddenly talking about? Are you joking?”
Haeseong, who snorted, stood up from his seat. However, due to his legs having no strength, he ended up sitting back down on the bed.
Kim Jaeho’s eyes, watching that, squeezed shut. As if about to say words he didn’t want to say, his lower lip began to tremble little by little. Before long, a low voice flowed out.
“Euiju-ssi notified me that he won’t be in contact with you from now on and left. He said he’d cut ties.”
At those words, Haeseong’s hands, which had been irritably massaging his legs, froze in place.
