# Chapter 40
“Huh? What’s this? Look at how it looks. Insane. Even prettier than the photo. This is completely a visual knockout.”
Following him out, Tae Igyeol felt proud as Mo Eunje discovered the strawberry cream castella on the dining table and excitedly made a fuss. Seeing his sparkling eyes and joy was satisfying.
“Did you go to the department store? Did you go out just to buy this?”
“I happened to be passing by there, so I picked it up. I promised to be responsible for your castella for a year, remember?”
“Oh my goodness, you pretty boy. I totally understand why Grandma calls you ‘pretty one.'”
With a beaming smile, Mo Eunje, wearing only a pair of drawers, jumped on Tae Igyeol from behind, wrapping his arms around his neck. Caught off guard while basking in satisfaction, Tae Igyeol reflexively reached back to support Mo Eunje’s bottom.
He wanted to freely knead that bottom—the only part of Mo Eunje’s body with some meat on it. No, to reveal his ulterior motives, he wanted to strip down completely and roll around with Mo Eunje skin to skin. But it was still too early, so he had to suppress his desire and reluctantly make a mannerly hand by grabbing his own wrist.
“You crazy guy, you’re cold.”
Mo Eunje’s wet hair tickled Tae Igyeol’s cheek as he shook his head and bounced around excitedly.
“Why does our Igyeol-hyung only do such pwetty things?”
He was already on the verge of excitement just from the excessive contact, but with Mo Eunje hanging on him like he was being carried, his breath explicitly touched Tae Igyeol’s ear. His neck tingled, and all his body hair stood up. It felt so good he could die, but it was also agony because it felt too good. He truly didn’t know what to do with him.
“Stop messing around and get off before I throw you down.”
“Yes.”
When Tae Igyeol lowered his voice, Mo Eunje quickly detached himself and grinned. Tae Igyeol had expected him to resist and continue the playful struggle, so he felt disappointed when Mo Eunje dropped off at the speed of light.
“I wanted to eat it as soon as I saw the picture yesterday, thanks.”
“You could have just asked me to buy it.”
“I was going to buy it myself since it’s close to home, and make you buy the ones sold farther away. But our Igyeol did such a commendable thing?”
It had been almost a week since Tae Igyeol dropped his bombshell statement. Though he’d somewhat expected it, Mo Eunje seemed completely unconcerned. He showed not even a dust particle’s worth of resistance to sleeping in the same bed, and continued skinship without hesitation, acting exactly the same as always. Even now, he was parading around in just a pair of drawers after showering.
Tae Igyeol’s mind was chaotic and complex, unsure whether to be happy that Mo Eunje’s lack of wariness might make the hurdle lower when he tried skinship later, or sad that Mo Eunje wasn’t even concerned, still not considering him as a potential romantic interest.
“Iden said he bought us birthday presents too. If you’re not going, should I bring yours back too?”
“Go ahead.”
He had worried that Mo Eunje might act awkwardly considerate and careful around him, but that turned out to be the most extravagant concern of the year. Perhaps he had unknowingly underestimated Mo Eunje.
“How’s the weather outside? Would it be a bit chilly if I wear a short-sleeve?”
“Bring a light outer layer.”
“I should.”
Suddenly, it occurred to Tae Igyeol that the continuation of normal days might be Mo Eunje’s own way of being considerate.
&
After getting off the bus, Mo Eunje headed to the Italian restaurant located in a residential area. They had agreed to meet at 2 PM, so there was still plenty of time. He could walk slowly, getting some fresh air and taking a stroll. It made him wonder when Tae Iden had grown up so much, already turning eighteen.
When Tae Iden was born, Mo Eunje and Tae Igyeol were in second grade of elementary school. The two boys didn’t know how to handle the tiny, adorable newborn baby. Mo Eunje wanted Tae Iden as his own brother so badly that he once begged his parents to steal him from Tae Igyeol’s house, crying hysterically.
However, the time of boundlessly loving the younger brother wasn’t very long. The younger brother who kept following the older ones around became so annoying and troublesome that if Tae Iden hadn’t debuted as a child actor at age six, they might have gradually reduced their visits to their grandmother’s house. This was because when Tae Iden didn’t have a schedule, he would be at their grandmother’s house, and Mo Eunje and Tae Igyeol would go to the PC room after school. Older brothers naturally find younger ones bothersome.
Still, they never stopped treating Tae Iden like a real brother. Every summer and winter when the two families went on vacation together, Mo Eunje took care of Tae Iden even more attentively than Tae Igyeol did. When dramas or movies featuring Tae Iden came out, Mo Eunje would initiate watching them together with Tae Igyeol.
“Haa… That cute and adorable little thing is now repulsive… He transformed, truly transformed.”
Mo Eunje didn’t think about his own aging but felt the passage of time seeing how fast Tae Iden was growing. Just two years ago, Tae Iden was shorter than him, but now he had far surpassed Mo Eunje’s height. A 6cm difference might not seem like much, but perhaps due to his innate physique, when 179.6cm Mo Eunje and 186cm Tae Iden stood side by side, the difference was quite noticeable. Of course, Mo Eunje always rounded up his height to 180cm when telling others.
As he walked, pulling out old memories, he suddenly found himself in front of the restaurant. There was still about a 10-minute margin. The weather was very nice, so he considered walking more, but feeling hungry, he went straight in and confirmed his reservation.
“Could you tell me the name under which the reservation was made?”
“Tae Iden.”
“And your name, please?”
“Mo Eunje.”
“Confirmed. Please come this way. Your party has already arrived.”
The staff led the way to a private room. This restaurant was owned by a former celebrity who was acquainted with Tae Iden, and it was one of Tae Iden’s preferred places because they provided private rooms for people in the entertainment industry. This was necessary because whenever he sat in an open hall at any restaurant, people would crowd around asking for autographs and photos, making it difficult to eat.
Having a manager could provide some control, but it was impossible when meeting privately. Even if he politely declined, saying he was uncomfortable and needed to eat, or that his companions were uncomfortable, once he refused, people would curse him for various reasons—calling him arrogant, having celebrity disease, questioning why he signed for others but not them, or saying it wouldn’t take 10 minutes to sign an autograph. So if he started giving autographs and taking photos, he couldn’t eat, and his companions would be uncomfortable.
Of course, there were many people who said celebrities were humans too and shouldn’t be disturbed while eating, but from his past experiences, there were far more who didn’t think this way. While it might be just one autograph from one person for them, Tae Iden had to deal with all of them by himself.
Still, until he was sixteen, Tae Iden seemed to enjoy receiving such attention more than eating, but whether he had hit puberty or was just tired, since last year, he had insisted on enclosed spaces where he could avoid gazes, saying comfort was the most important.
“Here it is. When you want to order, please use the mini kiosk provided in the room.”
The staff member, substituting a knock, briefly explained and politely bowed before turning away. As soon as he opened the door, Mo Eunje was greeted by Tae Iden’s bright smile. Seeing a hat and mask placed on one side of the table, it seemed he had come by taxi.
“Hyung!”
As the door closed, Tae Iden jumped up and hugged Mo Eunje tightly. He’d heard that Tae Iden had been cast as the lead in Ban Hajun’s mother’s drama, and it appeared he had been working out diligently. Since the end-of-year party last year, Tae Iden’s shoulders had become broader and his body more toned. Well, at eighteen, he was still in his prime growing years.
“Hyung, why are you so late?”
“Late? It’s not even 2 PM yet.”
Mo Eunje checked the time on his phone as he sat down facing Tae Iden. It was 1:52 PM.
“I saw you walking while I was in the taxi. From there, it should have taken only 3 minutes, but you took almost 10 minutes.”
“…You saw me walking but didn’t think to give me a ride?”
“I couldn’t. You looked like you were savoring the spring day. That sunshine, temperature, humidity.”
“Oh, okay.”
Mo Eunje turned his attention to the mini kiosk in tablet form to order. Tae Iden touched the menu items one by one: Octopus Salad, Creamed Spinach, Beef Carpaccio, Margherita, Puttanesca, Ricci di Mare, and Slow-cooked Iberico Pork Neck.
“Now you choose, hyung.”
“You’ve already added 3 appetizers and 4 main dishes.”
“I want to order more, but I’m starting a project soon and need to watch my diet.”
Mo Eunje knew about the Tae brothers’ appetites, but somehow since last year, it felt like Tae Iden ate even more than Tae Igyeol. Probably because he was in his growth period. But if Tae Iden grew to be over 190cm like Tae Igyeol, he would be even more intimidating.
“Let’s order these first and add more if it’s not enough. What do you want to drink?”
“What about you, hyung?”
“Lemonade.”
“…I’ll have sparkling water. I can’t gain weight.”
Though he could see the menu items piled up enough to burst the cart, Mo Eunje simply laughed, not wanting to disturb the sensitive and delicate sensibilities of an eighteen-year-old who talked about sunshine, temperature, and humidity. He touched the order button and swiped his card at the payment screen.
