While Yeojin was dazed, Haeju didn’t miss the opportunity and brought his face close to try to kiss his cheek. Yeojin was startled and backed away, throwing a pillow at the guy. Not knowing what he might do if he stayed beside him, he quickly got down from the bed. The ribs he’d tweaked earlier still throbbed a bit, but it was pain he could ignore, like what you feel when you pull a muscle.
“I want to sleep more, so why did you come in?”
Haeju threw words bluntly at the two people who had interrupted his sweet time with Yeojin. Unlike when he spoke to Yeojin, coldness was emanating from him.
“We called you to eat dinner.”
“I won’t die from skipping one meal. I’m not hungry.”
Han Daesik scoffed in disbelief. Yeojin was also dumbfounded.
“I’m hungry, man.”
“See, Doctor says he’s hungry too.”
As if happy to have his side taken, Han Daesik giggled. Haeju quietly glared at Han Daesik like that. Han Daesik also glared at Haeju with wide eyes as if picking a fight, saying ‘What, man?’ The two of them were so childish, perhaps because they weren’t far apart in age. Eventually Im Junwoo intervened between the two.
“Let’s stop and go down. Everyone’s waiting. Doctor, let’s go.”
Yeojin quickly stood next to Im Junwoo. When they talked about food, the hunger he’d forgotten came rushing in like crazy. His stomach felt like it was sticking to his backbone. When Yeojin followed Im Junwoo out, only then did Haeju also get up and follow behind Yeojin.
“Doctor, don’t indulge him too much just because he’s cute.”
Walking down the hallway, Im Junwoo muttered in a lowered voice. He had nothing to say. It was true that he was indulging Haeju.
“If you keep pampering him, his personality will get worse.”
His personality already seems bad. But he only thought it inside and didn’t say it out loud. He didn’t want to tell others about Haeju’s shortcomings.
“But he’s a good kid.”
Though he shouldn’t have said even this. Im Junwoo looked at Yeojin with an expression that said ‘What kind of person is this?’ and shook his head. He seemed to have realized his advice was useless.
“Never mind, Doctor doesn’t seem to dislike it either. You’re both adults, and if you both like each other, that can happen. Gender isn’t a problem either. But please restrain yourselves from indiscriminate displays of affection.”
“No, it’s not like we kissed in front of everyone—it was when we were alone.”
Getting worked up, he blurted that far, then belatedly thought oops and closed his mouth. It was tantamount to declaring that he’d kissed Haeju when they were alone. Im Junwoo didn’t even sigh now.
“Ah, yes. Please continue to do that only when you’re alone.”
Since he didn’t seem to want to hear any more, Yeojin also closed his mouth. When they went down the stairs like when they came up and headed to the kitchen, smelling the delicious food scents vibrating through the air, his insides went crazy. At the kitchen dining table, the three people he’d seen on the first floor before sleeping were already sitting.
The dishes placed on the large marble dining table were all neat. He wanted to rush over and gobble them up right away, but he couldn’t, so Yeojin sat down politely. Im Junwoo tried to sit next to Yeojin, but Haeju quickly took that spot.
“He’s really cute. Like a kid who only follows his mom.”
Im Yena burst into laughter looking at Haeju like that. Regardless, Haeju poured water into Yeojin’s glass and even nicely placed his spoon and chopsticks.
“Oh, thanks.”
Since you should praise when they do well, when he thanked him, Haeju grinned. Im Yena, who had been grinning at Haeju constantly, spoke to Haeju.
“Seo Haeju, you really only see Doctor, don’t you?”
Saying that, Im Yena tilted her head to the side. As he’d felt earlier, she was really a beauty. Her skin was white, her long flowing black hair was glossy, her build was delicate and slim. A beauty that anyone passing by on the street would turn to look at. Seeing her again after resting well, she was really pretty. She also seemed somewhat familiar.
With such beauty, anyone would be favorable toward her. In fact, Han Daesik’s cheeks were flushed red and he kept glancing at Im Yena. That was the normal reaction.
But Seo Haeju looked at her with an expressionless face. This guy who blushed and smiled just from making eye contact with Yeojin.
“Now you’re finally looking at me?”
“What are you trying to say?”
His tone bluntly spitting at her was utterly curt.
“Are you picking a fight?”
Im Yena laughed out loud. The young guy sitting next to Im Yena and the man wearing glasses also scoffed as if dumbfounded.
“No, why would I pick a fight with you? I’m saying this because you keep staring only at Doctor and completely ignore us.”
“I’m not interested in anyone besides Doctor.”
“Wow! You don’t have friends, do you?”
Im Yena exclaimed. Wrinkles formed between Haeju’s pretty eyebrows. Only Seo Haeju would show such an attitude even with such a beauty in front of him. Thinking about it again, it was absurd. Are you picking a fight? This kid really has some social problems. He felt that point anew.
“Now, let’s eat first. Yena, stop it too.”
The bespectacled man who had been watching clapped his hands to change the atmosphere. This was what he’d been waiting for. Everyone started eating with their spoons and chopsticks without any particular order. Whether there was a separate chef, there were a huge number of dishes, but they all looked appetizing. He quickly brought his chopsticks to the steaming bulgogi and took a bite.
It was a taste that made him exclaim. It was so delicious that Yeojin placed bulgogi, rice, and kimchi on ssam vegetables and handed it to Haeju.
“Haeju, try this. It’s really amazing. It melts in your mouth, melts.”
When he held out the neatly rolled meat wrap, Haeju obediently opened his mouth like a baby bird waiting for food. Watching him quickly take it and chew, he felt proud even though it wasn’t food he’d made. Haeju’s eyes also sparkled as he puffed his cheeks while chewing.
“Delicious, right?”
Haeju nodded while still chewing. He didn’t know how long it had been since he’d eaten meat. Even Yeojin was like this, so how delicious must it taste to Haeju who had only eaten Center meals? Trying to feed the guy even one more piece of meat, he scooped up a huge amount of bulgogi and put it on top of Haeju’s rice.
“Like a mother bird and baby bird.”
Im Yena’s laughter mixed with the clattering sounds of dishes. The person wearing glasses gave a warning saying “Yena,” but she ignored it and kept chattering.
“I’m jealous, I miss my mom too. My mom used to take care of me like that.”
It was a cute complaint mixed with grievance. Being like this, Im Yena felt endlessly young. She seemed no different from the girls who followed him around saying “Doctor, Doctor” at the Center.
“Noona, have this. I’ll take care of you, Noona.”
Han Daesik sitting across from her instead plopped jangjorim on top of Im Yena’s rice. Im Yena frowned and Han Daesik grinned. The young guy sitting next to Im Yena laughed loudly.
“Im Yena, you can’t treat Han Daesik like that. Is there anyone else besides him who puts up with your beggar-like personality?”
“Shut up, Seo Yul.”
The young kids who looked to be in their 20s ate their meals chattering noisily, while the men who looked to be in their 30s and somewhat older silently moved their chopsticks. Yeojin was also busy filling his own stomach and taking care of feeding Haeju. When the group had finished eating to some extent, a housekeeper quietly came out from behind the kitchen and took away the empty dishes.
“What would you like for after-dinner tea?”
Because the middle-aged woman taking away the dishes in front of him asked in an elegant voice, Yeojin was startled.
“Ah, co-coffee is fine.”
“I’d like coffee too, please.”
Even Haeju made his request nonchalantly. Only Yeojin had stammered in embarrassment.
Everyone seemed used to this kind of service. The housekeeper quickly cleared the table and brought out tea, fruit, and refreshments. Since there happened to be strawberry cream cake, Yeojin excitedly exclaimed.
“Haeju, it’s strawberry cream cake that you like!”
People burst into laughter noisily.
“Doctor is really like a mom, a mom! Doctor, be my mom.”
Im Yena laughed the loudest and clung to him. The pretty, airy girl acting cute with a smiling face was quite adorable. But it was just Ah, she’s cute? That was all. Interest as the opposite sex—there was none of that at all. Yet Haeju glared at Im Yena with wide eyes. As if finding Haeju’s reaction amusing, Im Yena clung even closer.
“Doctor, Yena likes strawberry cream cake tooo.”
Her appearance of deliberately acting cutely was really adorable. It was partly because Im Yena was pretty, but Yeojin was originally weak when kids younger than him smiled and clung to him saying “Doctor, Doctor.” He smiled contentedly without realizing it, but Seo Haeju wasn’t one to stay still seeing Yeojin like that.
“It’s unpleasant to hear a full-grown adult making excessively baby-like sounds. You seem a bit mentally strange.”
Haeju shot back bluntly.
“What? Then why don’t you act cute too?”
The wrinkles between Haeju’s eyebrows deepened. Unable to watch any longer, Yeojin finally intervened and changed the subject.
“Now that we’ve finished eating, shall we start our conversation?”
As if he’d been waiting, the bespectacled man who had been quietly drinking tea put down his cup with a thud.
“Yes, good. I briefly introduced myself earlier, but I’m Kim Hanseong, and those friends are Seo Yul and Im Yena. I’m the owner of this house and the representative of Earth’s Seoul branch. Seo Yul, Im Yena, and Mr. Im Junwoo are director-level.”
“I also gave my full introduction earlier, but I’ll formally greet you again. I’m Min Yeojin.”
