“Well…… Should I bring you a few coupons I’ve collected from the bossam restaurant or something?”
Yujeong tossed out the joke in a nonchalant tone, politely adding “Excuse me” as he stepped into Seongjo’s house.
Seongjo naturally led him to the kitchen. Next to the dining table were the jumbo-sized rolls of toilet paper that Yeongeun had brought. When Yujeong’s gaze lingered on the pile of toilet paper, Yeongeun, seemingly pleased with herself, sat back down in her seat with a brightened face.
“What are you doing? For a housewarming……”
Yujeong asked in a reluctant voice. Seongjo opened the refrigerator and roughly answered while examining the ingredients.
“We have to eat something, right? You know, I’m trying to make pasta or something…… What goes in it?”
Yujeong’s expression turned as if he’d bitten into an unripe persimmon as he watched Seongjo pondering while holding a jar of mayonnaise. He seemed to have intuited his own fate of having to cook in someone else’s house that would soon befall him. Soon Yujeong sighed and stood up from his seat.
* * *
“Today was so, so fun! Thank you for inviting me. Thank you for the food. It was delicious.”
Yeongeun left her greeting with an extremely happy face before heading back. The person who shamelessly took credit and responded to the comment about eating well was Seongjo, but in reality, the one who handled about 90% of the cooking was Yujeong.
Yujeong, who seemed like he would leave immediately as soon as Yeongeun left, unexpectedly didn’t get up right away. Rather, after seeing Yeongeun off together with Seongjo, he moved his feet back to the kitchen. When Seongjo followed him with a curious yet intrigued feeling, Yujeong, who had pulled out a dining chair to sit, opened his mouth.
“Tell me now. Why did you call me today?”
“I told you Yeongeun wanted to see you.”
He didn’t think it would work, but still stubbornly stuck to the same excuse. Yujeong countered with a calm face as if he’d expected it.
“Whether you were scared or lonely being alone, she’s not the type to call someone so openly. She’s quite observant, you see. Lee Seongjo-ssi must have put the idea in her head. Or you just used her as an excuse to call me.”
“Your intuition is damn sharp.”
He had no intention of insisting otherwise any longer. When Seongjo smiled and shrugged his shoulders, Yujeong, who had been watching him quietly, asked still calmly.
“Didn’t I tell you last time?”
“What, not to mess around? Or just not to test the waters?”
“I didn’t say it like that, but yes. It’s similar.”
“I don’t mean I’m going to lightly poke around. Don’t be so serious.”
What Yujeong had said back then sounded exactly like telling him not to toy with him. Like telling him not to casually test things out. That was probably what he meant, but he couldn’t clearly grasp the intention behind saying such a thing. Aren’t there various reasons for such defensive words?
Whether Seongjo’s words got through or not, Yujeong looked at Seongjo silently. He suddenly opened his mouth and asked.
“Is there a reason you need to keep seeing me?”
A stiff and cold tone. Seongjo countered again with a smile as if trying to lighten the atmosphere.
“We’ve already eaten together twice now, shouldn’t we be getting comfortable with each other by now?”
However, Yujeong didn’t respond even to the words thrown out jokingly. Seongjo fell into thought for a moment. How should he say it to convince him? Should he be honest after all?
“You see, I recently broke up.”
“So what. Are you lonely?”
“No, listen to the end.”
Yujeong turned his head sharply without answering. That seemed to be his way of saying to go ahead and finish talking. There was something oddly childish about that gesture that made him want to laugh. Seongjo quickly compared Yujeong’s and his own height with his eyes.
He’s as tall as me…… No, taller than me, why does he keep acting so coy? Is he a cat?
Seongjo inwardly chuckled but outwardly continued speaking calmly.
“Then my father told me to change my mind and get married soon……. So I told him I have a lover.”
Yujeong’s brow furrowed slightly. Though he didn’t speak, Seongjo felt like he knew what he was thinking, what he wanted to say. Seeing the expression that seemed to say ‘Don’t tell me it’s me?’, Seongjo openly laughed this time.
“Yes, I said they’re a teacher, a man, and younger than me. That’s exactly Teacher Jeon.”
“Am I bait?”
Again, it was in a calm tone. He couldn’t tell at all whether it was an expression of displeasure at being used as bait, or if it just meant ‘I see.’ So he explained first.
“I didn’t intend to use you. I didn’t deliberately pick only Teacher Jeon’s characteristics to talk about to use you as bait either.”
“You didn’t just test the waters, you didn’t deliberately try to use me…… Then what is it?”
It was quite sharp content, but the tone itself wasn’t particularly sharp. He couldn’t tell if he was trying to interrogate, criticize, or if he was genuinely purely curious. Before Seongjo could answer, Yujeong continued speaking.
“You said it wasn’t scheming at all, is this that too?”
“……I wonder?”
He paused for a moment before answering. It wasn’t an intention to avoid the answer. Rather, that was his honest thought. Seongjo looked at Yujeong’s slightly furrowed brow and continued speaking.
“I just thought of Jeon Yujeong-ssi at that moment. I wonder why?”
That was the truth. As if those words sounded sincere to Yujeong’s ears too, he flinched slightly. Yujeong’s answer came after a brief pause. While sharply turning his head.
“……This is absurd.”
“Haha, no, look. You keep saying things that make me interested like this.”
Because I really can’t tell if you’re genuinely annoyed or if you’re actually embarrassed inside. Yujeong, who had been looking at the laughing Seongjo with a displeased face, coldly countered.
“I never intended to.”
Looking at that scowling face, it certainly seemed like there was no intention. Then does he just keep getting interested in a man who didn’t even intend it? But it wasn’t like there were no words to protest. Anyway, what you do is entertaining…….
“Do you find what I say amusing?”
“……Hm?”
What……. For a moment, he thought he’d said his thoughts out loud. But there’s no way the great Lee Seongjo would make such a mistake, and if not, then did he get his thoughts read completely?
“That’s right……. And just in case, I’m saying this but it doesn’t mean I’m taking you lightly.”
“I didn’t take it that way.”
Yujeong immediately responded to the explanation he bothered to add. Is he sincere? While examining that expression, Yujeong seemed to have come to some conclusion on his own. He turned his gaze from looking elsewhere to make eye contact with Seongjo.
“I don’t think of students quite so devotedly.”
“Hm?”
For someone who’s made a decision, it’s a somewhat random-sounding statement. However, his words continued.
“Using Yeongeun as an excuse won’t always work, that’s what I mean. Today I came because I was curious why Lee Seongjo-ssi keeps calling me……. I didn’t come because I fell for such tactics.”
What is he trying to say? At least his words didn’t deal a blow to Seongjo. Seongjo casually shrugged his shoulders and said.
“Is that so? Then well, next time I’ll use a different method-.”
But Yujeong cut off his words quite firmly and……
“Give me your number.”
Said that.
What sudden change of heart is this? After being so evasive?
It was bewildering. Still, Seongjo wasn’t a man tactless enough to waste time questioning the reason here. As soon as he typed in his number and handed it over, Yujeong tapped the keypad a bit as if saving the number, then called Seongjo’s phone just like that.
“Contact me. We won’t look like we’re seeing each other, but I’ll answer when I have time.”
* * *
It was like a lie. With those words as the end, Yujeong returned to his own home without any lingering attachment. It was a natural result that Seongjo, left alone, would wonder how things had just turned out, whether it was the correct number.
So he called.
“Hello?”
– Yes, hello.
A silence continued for a moment. Seongjo asked with a laugh.
“Aren’t you going to ask why I called?”
– Because you must have called without any business.
He thought he would still ask once even knowing that. He had prepared an answer like ‘Didn’t you tell me to contact you?’ in preparation for that moment. His expectation was broken and he had nothing to say, but still, the unexpected reaction itself was enjoyable.
“That’s true though.”
Since it seemed like he’d be told to hang up if he had nothing to say, Seongjo fell into thought for a moment. In fact, there really was no particular business for calling. If he had to nitpick, he was just curious whether Yujeong would really answer the phone. However, it felt regrettable to hang up like this.
“Don’t hang up and stay on. I’m thinking of what to say right now.”
– If you have to squeeze out business to that extent, why even have a call?
However, even saying that, the call wasn’t disconnected. Seongjo, who laughed briefly, asked.
“Haha, how old are you? Now that I think about it, it seems we don’t even know each other’s ages.”
– I know Lee Seongjo-ssi’s age.
……Well, I have nothing to say to that.
