And saying cooking is cheaper was something only people who already had basic ingredients and cooking tools could say. For example, someone like me…..
“Don’t you have a frying pan?”
“Nope.”
I was the kind of guy who had to buy a frying pan first.
Lee Hyun seemed terrible at cooking too, but I was surprised Eun Haejin, who’d stuck with him for years, didn’t know.
“You didn’t know I can’t cook?”
At my words, Eun Haejin thought for a moment, then nodded. And added.
“You originally ate so little. After your personality suddenly changed, you started eating a lot…. At first I wondered what got into you. Looking at what you were doing, you seemed brighter, so there were good aspects.”
Eun Haejin probably had no intention behind these words, but I felt cold sweat running down my spine. Even in Lee Hyun’s body, I’d been eating as usual, but since I didn’t visibly gain weight, I’d vaguely thought Lee Hyun’s food intake would be similar to mine. Well, there’s no way the book would describe something like that.
Anyway, I thought it was quite simple of Eun Haejin to just feel the kid had changed and move on. Well, it’s not like he could suspect anything else.
Watching Eun Haejin frown while looking at the fridge, I asked.
“Do you cook?”
“I do simple things.”
“Fried rice, stuff like that?”
“Yeah.”
I got up from where I was sitting. Since I’d been on an empty stomach for quite a while, I thought I should eat something. I was hungry too.
“Should we go out to eat?”
At my words, Eun Haejin thought for a moment, then nodded.
“What about the leftover pig’s feet from yesterday?”
“Honestly, even as a snack, I’d eat it in ten minutes…. Haejin, you need to take better care of yourself.”
“I think you’re mistaken about something, but I’m also the kind of person who heats up two instant rice packs at a time. Normal people don’t eat like you….”
…Is that so? Well, food expenses are the biggest expenditure. I stretched. My shoulders were creaking—it seemed I’d been stuck in a bad posture for too long. Let’s go out and eat something…. While thinking about what to eat, I opened the closet. I couldn’t go out in pajamas.
Looking at the closet full of uncomfortable clothes, I sighed and pulled out a knit sweater and jeans. To think these are the most comfortable clothes.
I briefly wondered if I should give Eun Haejin clothes too and looked him up and down. My aesthetic sense wasn’t particularly good, so it seemed better to let Eun Haejin pick what to wear.
“Pick whatever clothes you want to wear from here and let’s go out.”
“Just take out anything.”
“They’re all the same. Uncomfortable. Just wear whatever looks good to you.”
Eun Haejin sighed and rummaged through the closet, finding a black shirt and black slacks.
“What are you, a grim reaper or something?”
“You said to wear anything?”
I shrugged once and slipped off my pajamas. In my underwear, I stared at the ivory-colored knit sweater and pondered. Should I just wear a shirt instead? Though it might be a bit hot.
“Haejin, should I wear a shirt?”
At that moment, the black shirt Eun Haejin was holding flew over my head.
“What?”
“Please, please don’t walk around undressed and just put that on.”
“Excuse me. Don’t I have to take clothes off to put them on?”
“Ha….”
“Why? Are you being shy?”
At my words, Eun Haejin clamped his mouth shut and glared at me. There was something about Eun Haejin that made people want to tease him. Or was I just a bad person? But when he reacted so immediately, how could I not tease him?
I put down the shirt Eun Haejin threw on the floor for a moment and hooked one thumb on my drawers.
“Should I take these off too?”
“Ah, fuck. I’m seriously going to die.”
I could see Eun Haejin’s face turn red. Maybe because he was so pale, it was very obvious when his face flushed. But I felt like I’d really get hit if I teased him more, so I obediently picked up the shirt and put it on.
While I was buttoning up the shirt, Eun Haejin picked up the ivory-colored knit sweater I’d put down. When he took off his top to change clothes, his well-built body was revealed—the kind that made people say he should’ve been a phys ed major despite being a business major. Oh…. I should be less cocky from now on.
Eun Haejin’s body was a bit excessively good. He did exercise every day, but more than that, his frame and skeletal structure seemed innate. When clothed, our heights were almost similar so our sizes seemed about the same, but once undressed, Eun Haejin definitely had more bulk.
…Am I kind of a pervert for thinking about this while looking?
“What are you looking at? Turn your eyes away.”
“You’re sexy though….”
I obediently turned my eyes away and picked up the jeans I’d grabbed earlier and put them on.
After getting dressed, we stopped by a Korean restaurant in front of the house and both ordered set meals. When the food came out, Eun Haejin took a bite and said,
“It’s good to see you’ve pulled yourself together a bit, but what’s with that book? Did you enter some kind of contest? Is that why you didn’t get a job?”
“Calm down. It seems to fit together somehow, but it’s not that.”
“Then what is it?”
“I don’t really know either. That’s why I’m trying to find out.”
“…Will you tell me once you find out everything?”
“Uh… should I?”
It wasn’t just something I was saying—I thought if I figured it out to a reasonable extent, I should tell Eun Haejin too. Because Eun Haejin was a major character in the original work and was actually the only person who knew about Lee Hyun’s connection to the original work and Lee Hyun from the time when I wasn’t here.
Until a month ago, I’d just thought I’d brush it off since we wouldn’t see each other in a year anyway, but as we got closer than expected, the natural human guilt came. So I didn’t want to hide this fact from Eun Haejin while staying by his side until the end. Beyond the issue of conscience, it seemed like the right thing to do. If that happens… I might get cut off with different intentions than in the original work.
I’ll have to take a few hits. First, if it seems like begging will solve it, I’ll try begging a bit….
And then my thoughts turned to the original world. Until now, I’d vaguely thought that if I followed the original work’s structure, I’d naturally be able to return to the original world, but thinking about it, that was just my own thought and this wasn’t certain either. Since I didn’t know anything yet, it seemed right to keep more possibilities open.
“So you’re saying you won’t tell me?”
“I’ll tell you.”
“Really?”
“I’m always sincere, Haejin.”
Eun Haejin looked straight into my eyes and frowned as if guessing something, then just obediently nodded.
***
“I’d like to stay with you more, but I have to go to school again today.”
“You’re busy.”
“Yeah. There’s something I need to do with a professor before going to the company.”
“…Fighting!”
“Ha…. If anything happens, contact me.”
“Okaaay.”
Eun Haejin looked at me like a child left by the waterside, then soon sighed and got on the bus. I waved my hand toward Eun Haejin on the bus.
There was an important task left—checking the reply I got earlier.
I can see you briefly tomorrow evening, and Sunday is completely free—which is better for you?
Coincidentally, tomorrow was my deadline and Sunday was my day off, so there was only one answer.
Sunday is good.
Then let’s meet on Sunday. Where should we meet?
I felt slightly guilty because Jung Yoonseo had been picking me up and dropping me off too much. I have two legs too.
Let’s meet wherever is convenient for you, hyung
Again, Jung Yoonseo didn’t reply for a while, then sent me an address about 30 minutes later. When I searched the address, some villa came up. …It was a place that looked exactly like where Jung Yoonseo would live, and though I didn’t know well, it seemed like a place that would easily exceed 5 billion won in actual transaction price. No, since I didn’t know well, it could be much more expensive than that.
Anyway, was he calling me to Jung Yoonseo’s house?
I stretched and started reading the book I’d put down after reading a bit. For now, I had a strong feeling there would be clues in the book.
***
Time passed quickly again. Since payday was on Saturday, my salary was deposited on Friday. Cha Hyunwoo asked if I wanted to go clothes shopping together on Sunday, but I declined saying I had a prior engagement. It seemed better to go together when we were both off next time. Anyway, on Sunday, Cha Hyunwoo had to work until midday, so we didn’t have that much time to spend together.
So I was on my way to the address Jung Yoonseo sent, having transferred public transportation twice.
