# Chapter 105
“Ugh…”
When Iyeon opened his eyes, his head hurt. As he clutched his head and collapsed back down, closing his blurry vision, he heard the rustling of blankets.
He couldn’t remember exactly how much he drank yesterday. It seemed like they had soju along with beer later on… He knew mixing drinks would inevitably lead to a hangover, yet he always ended up doing it anyway. Humans were truly foolish.
“What time is it…”
While fumbling around the bed to find his phone, Iyeon realized the space next to him was empty. Did he go to exercise? Or… As he was thinking this, he listened carefully and heard cooking sounds from outside the door.
Je Sano must be on breakfast duty today… That’s fortunate. If it had been Iyeon’s turn, Sano would have already thrown him into the cold kitchen.
After rolling around in bed for a few minutes, using his headache as an excuse, the door suddenly flung open.
“Eat your food.”
The tone was unfriendly. What did I do yesterday? Even as he wondered in confusion, Iyeon groaned and buried himself deeper in the blanket. He really didn’t want to get up. Never had getting out of bed felt this difficult. Iyeon, who had mentally erased all his previous hangover mornings, hugged his pillow while fidgeting. It was a desperate pretense of sleep.
“I know you’re not sleeping.”
“…”
When Iyeon didn’t respond, silence fell. The strangely heavy atmosphere made it even harder to open his eyes. …Was pretending to sleep a mistake? While quietly regretting his choice, Sano remained silent.
Even without looking, Iyeon could clearly imagine how Sano must appear, with such a chilly aura emanating from him. Feeling like he’d made the wrong choice, cold sweat began to form on Iyeon’s back.
“Why.”
A voice so low it was almost ominous filled the room.
“Is reality so different from the ideal that you don’t want to eat?”
“…Huh?”
Iyeon let out a confused sound without thinking. What is he suddenly talking about… Startled, his eyes flew open and he looked toward the door, but whether Sano hadn’t heard him or was deliberately ignoring him, he had already turned and was walking toward the dining table. His broad back seemed especially cold today.
This isn’t right. Iyeon stared helplessly at Sano in confusion, but Sano never turned back around.
“Hey… Are you angry? I’m not saying I don’t want breakfast…”
Eventually, Iyeon got up cautiously and slipped out of the room. His shock had chased away his headache.
Despite Iyeon’s words, Sano neither answered nor turned his head. Iyeon remembered Sano getting tipsy after just half a glass of beer, but had something else happened afterward? No matter how desperately he tried to recall, nothing came to mind.
This was the first time Sano had acted this way, making it all the more confusing. Wasn’t he the kind of person who always did whatever he wanted regardless of what Iyeon did?
“Je Sano?”
At Iyeon’s appearance, Mungchi, who had been lying in the living room, perked up and came bounding over. Oof. Momentarily staggered by Mungchi’s body slam, Iyeon tried to calm Mungchi down while peering over Sano’s shoulder.
But Sano said nothing. He was clearly ignoring Iyeon.
“Hey, what’s wrong…”
Even when Iyeon lightly placed his hand on Sano’s shoulder, he remained motionless. Eating his meal without reacting to anyone’s touch, he seemed almost like a robot. After fidgeting anxiously, Iyeon finally released Mungchi and sat down across from Sano. Thankfully, Sano hadn’t completely cleared the table, so Iyeon’s portion remained. Clink. The sound of tableware seemed unusually loud.
Throughout breakfast, Iyeon kept glancing at Sano, but their eyes never met.
He thought he might choke. It was the most suffocating breakfast of his life. Even afterward, while washing up, getting ready, and leaving for work, Sano maintained the same demeanor. They were only able to leave together because Iyeon barely managed to intercept Sano as he was about to exit first. —As a result, he had to give up on drying his hair.— Sano acted as if Iyeon didn’t exist beside him.
They did make it to the office together, but the atmosphere was unbearably awkward. Finally, Iyeon escaped the office under the pretext of buying coffee, shaking his still-damp hair and letting out deep sighs.
‘Why… Why is he angry?’
That was the biggest mystery. If he at least knew the cause, he could try to address it, but he couldn’t even guess the reason. Did I perhaps pour beer on Je Sano’s head while drinking? If that were the case… I probably would have died on the spot. It couldn’t have been something that serious, right? His mind was so blank that he could only think of ridiculous possibilities.
In fact, the recent version of Sano would have quickly offered to go buy drinks together. But even after Iyeon mentioned going to the café about five times, Sano kept his gaze fixed on his tablet without moving. It was as if he had a grudge against the tablet.
No, no. The reason might not even be related to him. We were fine until yesterday. We even pretended to date… With a serious expression, Iyeon picked up his phone. He didn’t want to resort to this method, but he didn’t have many options.
“Can I ask you one thing?”
After waiting for a minute, the other party neither replied nor even read the message. Iyeon typed more carefully.
“Je Sano seems to be in a bad mood”
A call came in within a second.
“Hello?”
[What’s going on! Mr. Sano is in a bad mood?]
Jongchan shouted without even greeting. This guy, he was deliberately ignoring my messages. Iyeon grumbled.
“That’s what I don’t know and why I’m asking. He seemed angry this morning, so I was wondering if you and Jonghee-ssi might have done something.”
[Why would we do anything to make Mr. Sano upset? You must have done something.]
“Me? What could I possibly have done?”
[Why are you asking me that?]
Despite stalking us all the time, you don’t know this? You’re useless when it matters. Realizing Jongchan knew nothing, Iyeon casually wrapped up the call.
“Okay. Thanks.”
[Hey, are you using me as an informant?]
“Are you really in a position to say that, Jongchan-ssi?”
[Not only monopolizing Mr. Sano but also using me as an informant!]
“Have a nice day~”
Sigh. After staring at the dark phone screen for a moment, Iyeon sighed again. Judging by Jongchan’s reaction, it didn’t seem like Sano was in a bad mood due to work-related issues.
Even after pondering for a long time, Iyeon couldn’t find any plausible reason. When he finally trudged back to the office like a defeated soldier, carrying three cups of Americano, he was greeted by Hyegang.
“Oh, hyung. You’re back?”
“Where’s Je Sano?”
Iyeon’s gaze swept across the empty sofa. Judging by the lack of indentation, it seemed like Sano had been gone for quite a while.
“Sano hyung? He wasn’t here when I arrived.”
For once, Hyegang was buried in the sofa rather than sitting in front of his computer. His face, as he took one of the coffees handed to him, was completely bright. Despite having drunk at least twice as much as Iyeon last night by estimation, he looked nothing like the hangover-ridden Iyeon.
“Did Hyeseong-ssi get home okay?”
“Yeah. He said he’s resting today because of his hangover.”
Hyeseong had also drunk quite a bit. It must be the pristine Lee Hyegang who was the anomaly. Iyeon rationalized this to himself as he nodded.
“Oh right, my brother forgot to ask for your number yesterday, so I gave it to him.”
“Ah, that’s right. Got it.”
Since they had agreed to be food friends, Hyeseong would likely contact him soon. It was the most anticipated event in Iyeon’s otherwise dreary life.
After some light conversation, a brief silence fell. Warm sunlight streamed into the office. While staring blankly at the shadow cast in the shape of the blinds, Hyegang suddenly spoke.
“My brother left for a mission when I was seventeen.”
Hyegang’s face was calm as he said this. In the same tone he used for everyday small talk, his long-held past gradually flowed out.
“I was a minor with no parents, yet he left so casually.”
His brother, as devoted as he was to overprotection, had clear priorities. The first was his mission, and the second was family.
His brother, who had always lived as he pleased, was not only unrestrained in doing what he wanted but also lacked consideration for others. Even on that day five years ago, he merely announced his departure while packing his bags the day before.
Saying only that it would take longer than usual, his brother left and truly didn’t return for a long time. Not until the young Hyegang became an adult, found a job, and became independent.
“My brother was selfish, but he wasn’t irresponsible. He left me with a home, bank accounts, and appointed a representative to contact in case of emergency. So there was no practical inconvenience in my daily life.”
His brother disappeared, leaving only Hyegang, but not much had changed. The arrangements his brother had made were effective in helping Hyegang maintain his daily life. Hyegang was satisfied with that lifestyle.
Even though he gradually became accustomed to daily life without his brother, he was still too young to endure completely alone. Sometimes he missed him, felt sad, lonely, or resentful. He often grumbled about how it didn’t make sense to leave a minor alone. But he was never truly angry.
