Despite such radical praise, Yiyoung frowned. Yiyoung looked over Chahyun, hesitated, then carefully opened his mouth.
“Chahyun-ssi, you have no idea how your words sound to the other person, do you?”
In the end, it meant they couldn’t date because their levels didn’t match, so he seemed offended. In any case, Chahyun’s intention had been praise. It was also the truth.
Chahyun shrugged and answered calmly.
“No. I know I’m irritating too. I just don’t care about it.”
That’s why up until this day and age, he had lived doing and saying whatever he wanted.
Because of that, even Igyeong and Juhyuk didn’t like Chahyun. Their main complaint was that he consistently said grating things, but if you listened, he wasn’t wrong, which made it more annoying. Chahyun found it strange and suspicious that Yiyoung said he liked such a person.
At Chahyun’s answer, Yiyoung widened his eyes and let out a short sigh of “Ha.”
Then he said something quite interesting.
“Honestly, I’m a little envious. Chahyun-ssi will never get hwabyeong in your life.”
Hwabyeong, he’d heard of it. A disease of the heart that people who suppress their anger suffer from, right?
Chahyun smiled and closed the car door, then stood in front of Yiyoung who had an expression of bewilderment and exasperation. Then behind Yiyoung’s back, the view of the empty lot became visible.
From here, one could look down at the neighborhood sparkling here and there in the orange streetlight, wet with rain. Beyond that, Seoul’s night view stretched far into the distance. This view was no less impressive than the sky lounge of the hotel he would be managing.
He never dreamed he would feel such sentiment coming to such a shabby neighborhood, but unexpectedly.
‘It’s beautiful.’
And at the center of this beautiful panorama stood Bae Yiyoung.
This must have been what the moments were like when twenty-eight-year-old Moon Chahyun had picked up a camera. Even if it wasn’t a brightly smiling face like in the photos, Bae Yiyoung receiving moonlight shone radiantly. Chahyun stared directly at Yiyoung’s large eyes sparkling with moisture and thought.
‘He’s prettier when angry?’
I wonder why he didn’t take pictures of this face.
Yiyoung seemed to glare at Chahyun, then soon gave up and relaxed his expression, letting out a light sigh.
“Even in this situation, I don’t think I’ll be able to regret meeting Chahyun-ssi.”
“What does that mean?”
Chahyun asked, tilting his head. Yiyoung answered hesitantly.
“The truth is, right now I resent Chahyun-ssi. Why did you start something that was obviously going to end up like this even if you hadn’t lost your memory? If I had known you were this kind of person, I wouldn’t have dated you either. So I regret having liked Chahyun-ssi.”
“That makes sense. When you think about it, it’s a more absurd situation for you.”
The memory loss was his own circumstance, and from Yiyoung’s position, the person he was dating perfectly fine had suddenly unilaterally notified him of a breakup saying ‘you’re not a suitable match for me,’ so it was natural to be angry.
That’s why Chahyun had thought Yiyoung would pour wine on his face at the sky lounge. That was also why he had ordered the alcohol. Of course, if that had happened, he would have inevitably threatened to sue instead of offering compensation to get rid of him.
Yiyoung said with a furrowed brow as if feeling a tingling pain somewhere in his body.
“But there were more good things about meeting Chahyun-ssi. Even if I’m a bit upset right now.”
Yiyoung added with a bitter face while smiling readily.
“You won’t remember, but I really liked Chahyun-ssi. So I enjoyed our time together. At least I won’t forget.”
Chahyun grew increasingly puzzled.
“What did you like so much about me?”
“Well… You were hard not to like. Affectionate, considerate. The way you always thought ahead and showed consideration felt mature too.”
That couldn’t be. He had roughly guessed how he would have treated Yiyoung after seeing the cringeworthy texts he had sent him, but he couldn’t quite imagine it.
Chahyun felt stuffy in his chest as if he had indigestion because he couldn’t understand at all.
‘I liked him that much?’
What on earth is dating, how great is it?
Of course, Chahyun also knew how to act pleasant when he was happy or joyful. If you just catered to his mood well, he could become infinitely generous. Looking at how he had even been affectionate and considerate, it seemed twenty-eight-year-old Moon Chahyun had been absolutely overjoyed while meeting Bae Yiyoung.
When his thoughts reached this point, Chahyun suddenly became curious about Yiyoung too.
More precisely, he wanted to know just how charming he was that his twenty-eight-year-old self had fallen for him helplessly. No, he needed to know.
Having reached that conclusion, Chahyun suddenly said to Yiyoung.
“Would you dump me?”
“What?”
At the words spat out cutting off context, Yiyoung frowned his lips and asked back. Chahyun explained.
“I need to know what was so good about it too. So I want to try dating once.”
“What do you… I don’t quite understand what you mean.”
“I mean it literally. Date me a little longer and then dump me. I have a history of falling for you so hard I couldn’t come to my senses.”
He was politely asking because it seemed like he might lose control if he wasn’t careful.
Right now, he couldn’t even imagine giving up hotel management rights over something like dating. But seeing what his twenty-eight-year-old self had been doing, it was also true that he couldn’t trust it.
On the other hand, Yiyoung seemed to be the type who clearly knew his place. Seeing him today, he was definitely not someone who could dream of a future with Moon Chahyun.
“Let’s date for just two more months.”
Yiyoung’s already large eyes grew rounder and rounder as his jaw dropped. Finding that face amusing, Chahyun burst out with a chuckle.
“Then I’ll pay off your debt for you. Since I’m a chaebol boyfriend in name.”
It might sound strange, but it wouldn’t be a bad proposal for him either.
It was just continuing the romance that had already started for a little while longer. Then after two months, Yiyoung just had to do what he did today. If he did that, Chahyun could give him much more than just paying off Yiyoung’s debt.
For some reason, Chahyun seemed to have become a penny-pincher as he aged, but now was different. Originally, in the Moon family lineage, there was no one as extravagant as Chahyun. If Yiyoung had liked his twenty-eight-year-old self, it was obvious he would fall in love with the current Chahyun.
‘It’s natural that a lover who generously gives everything would be more attractive than a miser who constantly says cringeworthy things but doesn’t even solve one debt, right?’
Though it was truly puzzling how Moon Chahyun had become such a prude. He must have thought he was being prudent in his own way. That’s what getting old was.
After reaching a conclusion, Chahyun felt refreshed as if his insides had been cleared out.
On the other hand, Yiyoung was frozen with a shocked expression. He seemed completely out of it, so Chahyun playfully pinched and shook Yiyoung’s cheek lightly.
“What do you think? This doesn’t seem like a losing deal for you.”
By the way, the texture of his cheek was incredibly soft. Finding it so fascinating, Chahyun cupped Yiyoung’s cheek with his palm and gently rubbed it with his thumb. It was a texture he had never felt anywhere on his own body.
‘Incredibly soft. Are you sure you’re the same species as me?’
He suddenly wondered if all the other places were like this too.
Yiyoung had such a flustered expression that he didn’t even seem conscious of Chahyun kneading his face. With rabbit eyes that couldn’t get any wider, Yiyoung asked an odd question.
“…Um, Chahyun-ssi. I’ve actually wanted to ask since earlier. How old are you right now?”
He should already know his age, so why ask?
He was probably asking how old Chahyun remembered himself being. Though he was slightly puzzled why that was curious at this timing, Chahyun shrugged and answered obediently.
“Twenty years old.”
“Really? Not a middle or high school student?”
So he meant immature. Chahyun’s face stiffened slightly.
But since Yiyoung showed no intention of insulting him and was purely surprised, he didn’t mind much. Chahyun had already heard ‘elementary schooler’ from his cousin noona Hyeyoung a hundred times. Middle school student was quite a generous evaluation.
Chahyun smiled and joked.
“Legally and conscientiously, I’m an age you can date, so don’t worry.”
To prove that fact, Chahyun slowly lowered his face toward Yiyoung’s lips.
Even at the clearly kiss-seeking gesture, Yiyoung didn’t turn his head. He just looked up at Chahyun wide-eyed in bewilderment.
Really cute. Chahyun smiled even wider with his eyes, then gently closed them.
The moment before their lips touched, Yiyoung murmured.
“I’ll dump you now.”
