Yeonrok looked down at his comfort doll Yeondoo. In truth, Yeonrok’s bond with his Name Partners wasn’t very solid, so he’d sometimes thought it might be better not to have a Name at all, yet somehow he felt melancholy. He both wanted to erase his Name and didn’t want to erase it. He soon shook his head.
‘Let’s think about something else.’
For instance, Moon Gyeonwoo’s ex-lover he’d met today… But it was strange. As he mulled over what the ex-lover had said, he suddenly recalled meeting his own ex-girlfriend too.
‘It was really brief. We didn’t even meet many times… I really tried not to fall for them, but they persistently seduced me like a fox.’
‘And then they left as soon as they broke up with Gyeonwoo hyung! They definitely approached me with a purpose! They were clearly trying to drive a wedge between me and Gyeonwoo hyung! I’m really wronged, so wronged…’
It really had nothing to do with anything, yet he didn’t know why he kept coincidentally remembering meeting his ex-girlfriend. Perhaps it was just an association triggered by the keyword “ex-lover”—that’s all Yeonrok thought.
* * *
After visiting Moon Gyeonwoo’s company, the days passed ordinarily without incident. Today, Yeom Cheonho came with a tired face as if he’d barely squeezed out time in his absence to hold Yeonrok’s hand. Perhaps because of that, Yeonrok’s condition was quite good.
No, actually it wasn’t just because of that. While he was sitting on the sofa diligently working on a puzzle, Choi Hwan, who’d returned after finishing his schedule, slyly brushed the nape of Yeonrok’s neck. When he jumped in surprise, Choi Hwan acted shamelessly indignant.
“What’s worn away? You make a fuss even when I touch you out of pity.”
“Go touch your own lover!”
Naturally, this time too he didn’t even pretend to listen. Moon Gyeonwoo, despite being unable to control his own lover, only glared at the innocent Yeonrok and disappeared. Having lost his concentration because the nape of his neck felt hot, Yeonrok returned to his room and went to bed early.
Thanks to that, Yeonrok, who woke up early the next day and came down to the kitchen, witnessed Yeom Cheonho at the breakfast table for the first time since moving in. Surprisingly, he seemed to be dozing off during the brief moment while Ms. Park was bringing out breakfast. He sat with his arms crossed and his head bowed forward, his face clearly full of fatigue at a glance.
Yeonrok pulled out his chair and sat as carefully as possible, but Yeom Cheonho alertly noticed his presence and immediately lifted his heavy eyelids.
“Yeonrok-ssi. Good morning.”
With a face that didn’t look like a good morning at all, Yeom Cheonho offered a warm greeting. The whites of his eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep, so Yeonrok felt quite sorry for him.
“You seem very tired.”
“There’s been particularly a lot of work lately. If it’s all right, could you hold my hand?”
Unlike when dealing with Choi Hwan or Moon Gyeonwoo, Yeonrok held his hand without hesitation. Making a sound like “mm,” Yeom Cheonho tilted his head back. Seeing his furrowed brow smooth out, he seemed to feel quite good. So, his condition was probably recovering and normally when making contact with a Name Partner it felt good… Even as he thought this, Yeonrok’s cheeks grew slightly warm.
‘It wouldn’t be bad if this time lasted a bit longer…’
When he was thinking such thoughts, another person appeared. It was Moon Gyeonwoo. Upon discovering him, Yeonrok flinched but didn’t let go of the hand. As if it were nothing—when had he been shocked that all his Name Partners were men—he’d become quite accustomed to these things now. Moon Gyeonwoo’s gaze lingered on Yeom Cheonho and Yeonrok’s clasped hands, then moved away.
“Gyeonwoo-ssi. Good morning.”
The now-awake Yeom Cheonho offered the same morning greeting he’d given Yeonrok. Usually Moon Gyeonwoo would give a short answer and be done, but today, unusually, his answer was long.
“I suppose so. Good morning.”
At this response different from usual, Yeom Cheonho observed Moon Gyeonwoo closely. His face, pale enough to be white, had vitality circulating through it.
“Did something good happen?”
Unusually, a bright smile spread across Moon Gyeonwoo’s face. Even Yeonrok looked over with curiosity.
“There’s been remarkable progress in a research project I’ve been working on recently. Normally I’d have to stick with it for a year or two, but luck seems to be on my side.”
“That’s really wonderful news.”
Perhaps because he was investing in Moon Gyeonwoo’s research, a smile appeared on Yeom Cheonho’s face too. Yeonrok fiddled with the Name on his chest for no reason.
“Hwan-ssi’s filming has also been going smoothly lately, and my business has been going well too. Since Yeonrok-ssi’s health has improved a lot, it’s something to celebrate.”
Research, filming, business. While everyone was doing one impressive thing each, he alone was just a personal health matter, so Yeonrok felt a bit embarrassed. Though Moon Gyeonwoo always looked down on him, since Yeonrok was still his Name Partner, he offered a greeting out of courtesy.
“Congratulations.”
He hadn’t expected much of a response, but unexpectedly Moon Gyeonwoo replied.
“Yeah, thanks.”
Wow. So there really was some progress in their relationship just because he’d cooperated a bit in catching the stalker? Yeonrok was deeply moved, remembering the time when he’d fooled around with mismatched toys trying to get a single response.
And that night.
Yeonrok, who’d woken up thirsty, yawned widely. After drinking water, sleep fled and he didn’t lie back down. As his condition improved, his sluggish body and excessive sleeping decreased, leaving him clear-headed. He came down to the first floor, intending to stroll through the garden until sleep came again.
But somehow the kitchen was brightly lit. Had Ms. Park forgotten to turn off the lights before leaving? Approaching without much thought, Yeonrok paused. Moon Gyeonwoo was sitting at the dining table, tilting a bottle of alcohol. He had a sense of déjà vu.
This morning he’d seemed so happy. But looking at his deeply bowed head and drooping shoulders, his mood seemed quite bad. Thinking he might be crying again, Yeonrok quickly tried to escape but ended up bumping into the doorframe and making noise.
Moon Gyeonwoo’s head snapped up. Fortunately he wasn’t crying, so Yeonrok unconsciously felt relieved. It seemed he wouldn’t have to go through the trouble of comforting someone he didn’t particularly like.
“…Come here for a bit.”
Moon Gyeonwoo, who’d sighed once, gestured with his hand. Yeonrok shook his head no. Moon Gyeonwoo stared intently with eyes whose edges had turned reddish, slowly tilting his glass. The movement of the amber liquor going gulp down his throat was clearly visible. Yeonrok reluctantly approached.
“Why?”
“Sit down.”
“I don’t want to…”
Normally if he was picky and acted cold, he’d be ignored, but Moon Gyeonwoo seemed to lack even the energy for that, so he couldn’t ignore him. When Yeonrok had no choice but to sit across from him, Moon Gyeonwoo said this:
“This is really soft.”
“No it’s not.”
Not wanting to be treated like a pushover, Yeonrok narrowed his eyes sharply, but the other party didn’t seem to care much about what he’d just said. After drinking a few more sips of alcohol, he finally began to complain like a drunk person.
“I really don’t understand…”
“I don’t understand you either.”
“I treat them so well, so why does everyone do this.”
“…”
“Is it my problem?”
“Yeah, it’s your problem…”
At the indifferent response, Yeonrok expected to be glared at and told to get lost now. However, Moon Gyeonwoo seemed to need a conversation partner and silently pushed forward a bowl with handfuls of cheese and dried fruit. Even though he’d annoyingly have to brush his teeth again, Yeonrok readily picked at and ate them.
“I devoted myself, was loyal, loved, and didn’t even expect anything in return.”
To summarize what followed: he bought bouquets, gave gifts, faithfully went on dates, and was sweet and affectionate enough to text and call every single day without fail, yet was always betrayed or dumped. After listening to his past romantic history, Yeonrok answered thoughtlessly.
“People shouldn’t just pull; they need to know how to push away appropriately too. If you act like you’ll devote your whole life, it’s burdensome. It feels like I could do whatever I want.”
As he said this, what came to mind was his own painful first love. The pain of being dumped for being burdensome after devoting himself sincerely day after day like Moon Gyeonwoo was still vivid even now. Moon Gyeonwoo propped his chin on his hand and blinked his eyes slowly as if sleepy. He hadn’t really noticed because of Yeom Cheonho and Choi Hwan, but seeing him up close like this, he really had a pretty face… Yeonrok was absorbed in such thoughts when—
“Is that your own story?”
Because Moon Gyeonwoo said this, Yeonrok was jolted out of the rare sentiment he’d been caught up in. He pushed away the now-empty snack bowl and stood up abruptly from his seat.
“…I think you have no eye for people either. I’m going to bed now.”
Moon Gyeonwoo didn’t hold Yeonrok back any further. While climbing the stairs, Yeonrok thought unconsciously: If I had a lover who treated me well like Moon Gyeonwoo does, I would never betray them.
Returning to his room in a restless state, Yeonrok heard a strange sound. He looked around. The source of the noise was the Bluebeard’s room. Hearing someone sobbing alone in the corridor in the dark dawn, goosebumps naturally rose.
Yeonrok, whose attention was drawn to the Bluebeard’s room he’d forgotten about for a while, didn’t approach but listened to the unidentifiable sound.
‘It definitely sounds like multiple people having a conversation.’
One person seemed to be pleading, and someone else seemed to be shouting. And at some point, the noise abruptly stopped. Yeonrok froze in place and listened quietly. The sound of his tense heart beating loudly echoed in his ears. Should he go check? When impulsive curiosity struck and he unconsciously took a couple of steps, suddenly the door to Bluebeard’s room opened. Yeonrok dashed into his own room.
In that moment, Yeonrok had the presence of mind not to close his door completely, driven by the impulse to peek. And he secretly spied through the gap. The person coming out of Bluebeard’s room was Yeom Cheonho. Walking slowly as if tired, he rubbed his brow firmly. In his other hand was a small black bag that looked heavy and damp. Wondering what that could be, Yeonrok waited for someone else to follow him out.
However, even after a long time had passed since Yeom Cheonho went down to the first floor, no one came out from inside. Having quietly closed the door completely and lying in bed, Yeonrok tossed and turned for a long time.
