# Chapter 84
“What’s going on? Did I really talk nonsense because of the medication? What did I say?”
“If you don’t remember, it’s fine.”
“What’s fine about it? If you’re going to be like this, you shouldn’t have brought it up.”
“I expected it, but… I didn’t think you really wouldn’t remember.”
Tae Igyeol, having finished his meal, put down his spoon. Mo Eunje had also enjoyed the combination of castella and gumbo after a long time, so he continued eating without realizing how full he was until his satisfaction reached up to his chin.
“What exactly! I’m dying of frustration. Stop being like that and just tell me straight. Hmm? Hmm?”
“Why should I?”
“Wow, seriously. Making me super curious and then closing your mouth—what kind of personality is that?”
“If you’re curious, you should remember it yourself.”
“Ah, that’s really unfair…”
Tae Igyeol sealed his lips and stood up, collecting the empty bowls. Judging by his reaction, it seemed like Mo Eunje hadn’t said anything too embarrassing, which was a relief. If he’d talked about first love or something like that, Tae Igyeol wouldn’t have been offering him such lovingly prepared gumbo, finding it absurd and ridiculous.
This was a separate issue from Tae Igyeol’s sexual orientation. Just because he liked men didn’t mean he would pleasantly accept that someone who was like a brother to him had ever looked at him in that way. Therefore, if it was ever to be discussed, it would have to be much later, when enough time had passed to make it a funny anecdote over drinks. Now was too premature, and would likely only make things awkward between them.
“I’ll do the dishes.”
Brushing off the castella crumbs from his hands, he collected the empty bowls and went to the kitchen. Tae Igyeol was rinsing dishes covered with gumbo sauce under running water.
“We could just run the dishwasher, why bother?”
“There are only a few dishes, why use the dishwasher? Give them to me, I’ll do it quickly.”
He snatched the bowl from Tae Igyeol’s hand, placed it in the sink, and added detergent. He’d thought Tae Igyeol would go out to smoke, but he just shook the water off his hands and leaned against one side of the sink with his arms crossed.
“Are you monitoring whether I wash dishes properly or not?”
“What monitoring?”
“You’re making me nervous. Go smoke a cigarette. I’ll wash the dishes and clear the table.”
“Why are you kicking me out?”
“…Then just stay.”
Mo Eunje replied flatly and started washing the dishes. Come to think of it, trying to kick out the homeowner just to do the dishes did seem inconsiderate, even to himself. After all, Tae Igyeol had done all the cooking, so of course Mo Eunje should do the dishes, and it was Tae Igyeol’s right to choose whether to stay in the kitchen or not.
When the conversation stopped, only the sound of running water filled their ears. Mo Eunje felt like Tae Igyeol’s gaze would burn a hole in his left cheek. If he’d known he would receive such an intense stare, he should have just put the few dishes in the dishwasher.
“…”
“…”
Tae Igyeol was strange. Definitely strange. It was difficult to explain exactly what was strange, but he was doing things he didn’t normally do, as if trying to break away from the familiar, grabbing Mo Eunje’s attention and making him take notice. Even while knowing it was an oversensitive thought, he couldn’t shake the suspicion. That’s how much Tae Igyeol had disturbed his peace of mind in just under two hours.
This couldn’t be dismissed as his imagination alone. He wanted to ignore it and not be conscious of it, but it was too blatant to ignore. Finally, unable to endure it anymore, Mo Eunje asked while rinsing a dish he had cleaned with detergent. His neck was too stiff to actually turn his head.
“Do you have something to say?”
“No.”
“Then why are you staring at me like that? Is there something on my face?”
“No.”
“I know I’m handsome, but please stop staring. My face will wear out.”
The monotonous answers felt insincere, but he spoke jokingly as he turned his head toward him. Tae Igyeol’s gaze, which had been subtly lowered, slowly rose. He had thought Tae Igyeol was looking at his eyes or cheeks, but apparently he had been looking at his chin or neck. What was there to see?
After finishing the dishes and drying his hands on the towel hanging by the sink, he casually ran his palm over his chin and nape. Of course, nothing came off on his hand.
While Mo Eunje cleaned the table with wet wipes, Tae Igyeol stood in place, gazing deeply at him. He wondered what was wrong with him today. Staying quiet felt like the discomfort would continue, so it seemed better to say something. After thoroughly cleaning the table, leaving not a single crumb of castella, he threw away the wet wipes and walked heavily toward Tae Igyeol. He stopped when they were about one step apart and spoke with a profound expression.
“What is it?”
“What’s what?”
“That’s what I should know from you. Why do you keep just staring like that? Say something. Did I do something wrong to you? Or do you need a favor from me?”
“Neither.”
“I’m going crazy… Then why do you keep looking at me like someone who has something to say?”
“…”
Tae Igyeol, who seemed to have no intention of answering, still didn’t avoid Mo Eunje’s gaze. His deep eyes seemed to be saying something, but Mo Eunje wasn’t a mind reader, so he couldn’t understand.
“…Fine. Look all you want. It’s not like my face will wear out from being looked at. Go ahead and look as much as you want. But if you’re going to stare at someone annoyingly like that, it’s 100 won per minute.”
He challengingly spread out his palm. Tae Igyeol chuckled, put his hand in his training pants pocket, and took out a 50,000 won bill, slapping it onto Mo Eunje’s palm like a high-five.
“Why do you have money in your lounge pants… No, wait a minute.”
If it was 100 won per minute, 50,000 won would be…
Unable to calculate immediately, he rolled his eyes while multiplying and dividing in his head for quite some time. 10 minutes would be 1,000 won, 100 minutes would be 10,000 won, so 50,000 won would be… a full 500 minutes’ worth. 500 minutes would be… since one hour is 60 minutes, dividing would give 8 hours with 20 minutes left.
Damn, I should have said 1,000 won per minute.
No, that’s not the point.
Mo Eunje, who had been thinking along his stream of consciousness, snapped back to reality.
“Finished calculating?”
Tae Igyeol mockingly asked as Mo Eunje’s frantically rolling eyes came to a stop. It was an attitude of looking down on people because he had graduated with a science degree and was good with numbers. Mo Eunje was about to retort that if he knew the answer, he should have just said it immediately before Mo Eunje had to do intense mental calculations, or if he wasn’t going to say it, he shouldn’t act so superior—one or the other—but then he recalled something more important. Just because Tae Igyeol was acting like he’d lost a screw and his sense of judgment, it didn’t mean Mo Eunje should too.
“You crazy bastard. Seriously, what’s going on?”
He put the money in his pocket, having already accepted it.
“What? You said it’s 100 won per minute. I paid in advance.”
“No, I mean, what are you going to do staring at my face like that?”
“What’s the problem with me looking with my own eyes as I please? You took the money too.”
“You know you’re being really weird right now, right?”
“Not at all. You set a price, I paid the cost. I don’t see what’s strange about it.”
Talking to a wall wouldn’t be this fruitless. Doing something out of character could be a signal that something was wrong. He sighed in frustration and turned away. As he left the kitchen, he pondered what might have happened to Tae Igyeol. The answer came quickly.
“Did you lose big on stocks today? Is that why you’re taking out your stress on me?”
He asked as he dove onto the sofa and hugged a cushion printed with photos, a gift from Tae Iden.
“The stock market’s closed today.”
Tae Igyeol followed leisurely and sat on one end of the sofa, tilting his head slightly to meet Mo Eunje’s eyes. The affectionate gaze felt so tender it was almost ticklish, but that must be a misinterpretation. Not wanting to make any more arbitrary judgments, Mo Eunje avoided the warm gaze coming his way and lay spread out on the sofa, resting his head on the armrest.
Tae Igyeol naturally took Mo Eunje’s legs and pressed his thumbs firmly into the soles of his feet, massaging them. He must have meant it when he said he would treat Mo Eunje well even when he wasn’t sick. It made Mo Eunje feel strange, and he wanted to tell him to stop, but it felt too good to refuse, so he stayed still with his feet extended. Since Tae Igyeol had occasionally massaged his feet or calves before, he decided not to attach any special meaning to it. He closed his eyes, uncomfortable with being stared at when there was supposedly nothing to say.
“Aren’t you going to work out today?”
“I should go now.”
“Yeah. Please go. Go quickly. Oh, what should we do about the lamb skewers later? Should we contact the guys?”
“You were so sick yesterday, will you be okay drinking today?”
Mo Eunje, who had been staring at the ceiling contemplatively, made up his mind. Right now, it seemed better to be with a group of people making noise than just the two of them.
“I can drink in moderation. It’s good to celebrate good news loudly and quickly, right? Gye Minho must be excited now. Should we tell the guys to gather?”
“If you want.”
Tae Igyeol, having massaged both feet, stood up. He stared intensely, as if he had something to say, his lips quivering slightly before he quietly turned his back. Mo Eunje exhaled a long, silent breath he’d been holding.
Something intangible was going awry.
