Chapter 8
“Hmm, I wonder. How would that even work…?”
“Why are you so half-hearted about it? We’ve basically been living together, but now you’re saying Tae Igyeol wouldn’t actually want to live with me?”
“I don’t know—I never asked. But if he didn’t like the idea, would he even say no? It’s your aunt’s building. If she told him to, he’d probably just shrug and go along with it, even if he didn’t want to.”
“Should I ask your aunt to put in a word? Want to pull the landlord card to move in?”
“No. She knows her son better than anyone. If we lived together, Tae Igyeol would just nag at me nonstop. There’s a difference between almost living together and actually living together. It’s easier to just drop by whenever.”
Song Yeonhwa nodded in agreement. She’d once mentioned—half-joking, half-serious—that she and her husband had kicked Tae Igyeol out the second he turned eighteen because his obsessive neatness and nitpicking gave her a headache the second she walked in the door.
“Auntie, aren’t you hungry? What should we eat for lunch? If you treat me, I’ll eat really well.”
“What does my Eunje want?”
“Hmm… Vietnamese-style wraps and shabu-shabu?”
“Is there a good place nearby?”
“There’s a great spot near Ritz Ville. Let’s call Tae Igyeol out to eat with us while we’re there.”
Song Yeonhwa narrowed her eyes. She’d caught on—Mo Eunje was deliberately picking a place near Tae Igyeol’s apartment.
“Do you like him that much? You two are closer than real brothers.”
“That’s why we’re still stuck together. You and Mom and Dad were even closer for longer, right? You’re not moving back to Busan, are you?”
“I like Seoul just fine. But I don’t get why you’re going out of your way to drag that brat out to eat just because you don’t want to look at apartments.”
“Yeah, that’s your son for you.”
“Right, you take better care of him than I do. You’re too kind. Your mom and Uncle Yeongwoo aren’t exactly the warmest people, so where’d you get it from?”
“From you, Auntie.”
Mo Eunje draped an arm around Song Yeonhwa’s shoulders as they walked. She laughed helplessly and pulled out her phone to call Tae Igyeol. Time to summon the runaway to drive them.
Despite his grumbling, Tae Igyeol listened to his mother. He didn’t smile, but he showed up and sat across from them. Given his size, Mo Eunje and Song Yeonhwa sat side by side, leaving the opposite bench for Tae Igyeol.
Mo Eunje busied himself wrapping Vietnamese-style rolls for both of them—skipping cucumber for Song Yeonhwa, who was allergic, and piling on extra meat for Tae Igyeol.
“Tae Igyeol, stop just eating and wrap some for Eunje too. He’s so busy taking care of us, he’s not even eating properly.”
“No, Auntie, I’m fine.”
“Don’t even think about it. He’s got hands too. Hey, stop wrapping for me and eat your own.”
Tae Igyeol, too lazy to even touch the wraps, just kept eating shabu-shabu. Mo Eunje had gone through the trouble of hand-wrapping them, but the ungrateful brat only knew how to eat, not how to appreciate it.
“……Eunje, you suffer so much putting up with our Igyeol.”
“People would think I’m the one mooching off him. He’s the one clinging to me—I can’t even date.”
“Then date me.”
Tae Igyeol’s spoon, halfway to the shabu-shabu pot, froze mid-air. Mo Eunje and Song Yeonhwa exchanged glances.
“Auntie, should I date your son?”
“Aren’t you two already dating? Still just friends?”
“Deeper than friendship, but a little shallower than love? Pseudo-dating?”
“If it’s dating, it’s dating—what’s ‘pseudo-dating’? You kids and your made-up words.”
“They say if we’ve been stuck together for 26 years, we should at least be married, not just dating. If I married Tae Igyeol, they’d all bring congratulatory money.”
Song Yeonhwa laughed at the joke. It was actually something Ban Hajun had said, and Tae Igyeol had been genuinely disgusted, scowling and throwing a fit. Gye Minho had even told him to lighten up—it was just a joke.
“Auntie, should I just take this chance to date Tae Igyeol, get married, and live together forever?”
“If Eunje became my son-in-law, I’d be thrilled! Please, just date him. He’s already 26—shouldn’t he experience love and marriage at least once before he dies?”
“Seriously? We’re both guys.”
“It’s fine. Tae Igyeol can be the daughter-in-law. I’m not that narrow-minded. But I don’t know if your mom and Uncle Yeongwoo would approve.”
“Dad, I’m not sure, but Mom might? Or maybe she’d be against it? She seems open-minded, but she’s actually really concerned about what others think and can be pretty stubborn.”
“Then I’ll convince her. I know her better than her own son does.”
As the conversation flowed smoothly, almost like a rehearsed skit, a loud sigh cut through the air. Mo Eunje glanced over—Tae Igyeol’s brows were furrowed, his expression twisted in annoyance. He always reacted like this when Mo Eunje and Song Yeonhwa ganged up on him.
“Am I not even a party to this? Am I an avatar? Do I not get a say? Why does no one ever consider my preferences when this topic comes up?”
“You should be grateful to have Eunje. You should be carrying him around 24/7, and you’re complaining about preferences? Your preferences don’t even matter.”
“You should’ve left it at that. What am I even doing here, eating like this… Can we please have a normal conversation for once while we eat?”
Song Yeonhwa and Mo Eunje exchanged another look. Mo Eunje was the first to avert his eyes, stirring the rich, savory broth in the shabu-shabu pot. He’d started it, but Song Yeonhwa would have to clean up the mess.
“If not on April Fools’ Day, then when? Right, Eunje?”
“Exactly. But, Auntie… I hate to say this about your son, but…”
“What’s there to hesitate about? I know him best. He’s not sweet, he’s got no sense of humor, and he’s always so serious—how does he even enjoy life?”
“Yeah, that’s exactly what I was going to say.”
Tae Igyeol’s face soured as he watched Mo Eunje and Song Yeonhwa, who were so in sync they could’ve been soulmates. He clearly hadn’t realized it was April Fools’ Day.
“But I am curious about my son’s taste. How picky is he that he won’t even date?”
“You said my preferences don’t matter, Mom. I’m seriously going to start dating just to avoid hearing this crap.”
He’s pissed.
Song Yeonhwa covered half her face with her hand and mouthed the words so Tae Igyeol wouldn’t see. Right on cue, her phone rang. She excused herself to take the call, stepping away from the table.
“Hey, I’m curious too. Now that I think about it, I’ve seen you get confessed to a lot, but I’ve never seen you actually date anyone.”
“……Why can’t I have dated behind your back?”
“Seriously? You dated someone behind my back? How? We’re practically together 24/7—how could you date someone without me knowing?”
Of course, they weren’t literally together 24/7, but there was no way Tae Igyeol could’ve dated someone without Mo Eunje knowing. He knew when Ban Hajun was dating, and he saw Tae Igyeol even less than once or twice a week.
Mo Eunje eyed Tae Igyeol skeptically as he shook his head. Then, as if struck by a thought, Tae Igyeol suddenly smirked—a smile that was anything but innocent.
“Mo Eunje.”
“Yeah?”
“My type… is Mo Eunje.”
“……”
This time, it was Mo Eunje’s spoon, headed for the shabu-shabu pot, that froze mid-air. From the talk of secret dating to that bombshell—he couldn’t tell what was real or not. His thoughts stalled for a moment, but only briefly. Mo Eunje’s mind, which had Tae Igyeol figured out, raced ahead.
“I think I just lost a friend. And…”
“……”
“……I gained a boyfriend.”
“What?”
“Babe.”
Mo Eunje’s eyes widened like a blooming flower, his voice sweet as he used a term only lovers would.
“Fuck, you crazy bastard. Isn’t today April Fools’?”
Only after Tae Igyeol confessed the truth did Mo Eunje burst into laughter. He’d always teamed up with Song Yeonhwa to tease Tae Igyeol, but this time, the tables had turned, and he’d been caught off guard. He never expected Tae Igyeol, who hated such jokes, to pull the same trick—but he’d played along well, and now he felt a strange sense of pride.
“Tae Igyeol, but seriously—don’t I actually fit your type?”
“No, seriously, you don’t fit at all.”
Not a hint of hesitation, not a trace of doubt—just a flat, decisive answer.
“Why not? I’m good-looking, capable, make good money, and have a great personality. What’s missing?”
“You’ve got some nerve saying that with your own mouth…. So that’s why you’re always so shamelessly cheerful.”
“You’re right. You just discovered another one of my strengths.”
“As if.”
“Cheerfulness. You always say I’m so cheerful.”
“……You’re something else. So full of self-love.”
Tae Igyeol sighed deeply as Mo Eunje happily slurped up the shabu-shabu broth.
