The atmosphere brightened in an instant. At the same time, Haeseong raised his head in surprise and looked at Euiju. Kim Jaeho burst into a cheerful, hearty laugh.
“Haha. You’ll do that? Or should I contact a hotel linked with the company? If it’s uncomfortable, you can go there instead.”
“No. I absolutely have to go home today.”
“Okay. Sorry, Euiju-ssi. Since you’re already suffering, let me ask you for just one more day. If you really can’t, I’ll take Haeseong. Haha.”
Kim Jaeho, with a bright smile all over his face, seemed very excited about not having to take charge of Haeseong. Euiju smiled awkwardly in lieu of an answer.
He let out a small sigh secretly. A spare room, my ass. He would have to give his room to Haeseong, but there was no choice. In any case, since Haeseong had injured his right arm, he needed to watch over him from the side and help him, and his younger siblings were waiting with necks stretched out for their big brother to come, so he had to go home somehow. It would be a better choice than booking a hotel and constantly going back and forth.
At that moment, Haeseong, who had been looking at Euiju with a dazed expression, asked.
“I’m… going to ahjussi’s house?”
“Yeah. It’ll be much smaller than your house, so if you don’t like it, say so now. Team Leader-nim will take you to a hotel.”
At those words, Haeseong and Kim Jaeho’s faces simultaneously crumpled. Park Hyeonju covered her mouth quickly at the sight and burst into laughter.
Kim Jaeho, whose face had turned deathly pale, stamped his feet and clearly showed his distress.
“H, hey Haeseong-ah. Aren’t you curious about Euiju-ssi’s house? Euiju-ssi is more attentive than me, so it’ll be more comfortable. Haha……”
Haeseong, who had been listening quietly, crumpled his face as much as possible. A face that looked quite displeased was blatantly revealed.
“I don’t need to make that expression because I don’t want to go with Team Leader-nim anyway, so don’t worry. You’re so fucking transparent, shi……”
“Jin Haeseong.”
Euiju turned his head and gazed at Haeseong coldly. Haeseong’s mouth, which had been about to recklessly spew out curses, shut in a straight line. At that, the team leader and manager opened their eyes wide like surprised rabbits. Wasn’t it a sight like a well-behaved puppy going quiet just from having his name called by a mere manager? Euiju continued speaking as if nothing was wrong.
“First, we’ll slip out the back door so the reporters don’t know. Ah, if there’s another car available, I think you’ll need to lend it to me. The neighborhood is a bit tight to take the van.”
“Ah, right, right. I have a company car I was using, so take that.”
“Understood.”
The decision was finally made. Euiju, who let out a deep sigh, made eye contact with Haeseong, whose lower lip was protruding several inches, and smiled gently. Haeseong, who had been blinking, turned his head sharply away. His earlobes had turned red in an instant.
Park Hyeonju looked back and forth between Euiju and Haeseong with surprised eyes. His skill in handling that terrible and stubborn Jin Haeseong was no ordinary matter.
Euiju, who received the keys from Kim Jaeho, rummaged through his bag here and there. As if he couldn’t find what he wanted, he walked around various places in the office. Haeseong, who had been staring intently at Euiju’s back, sent a puzzled look at Euiju who suddenly approached him closely.
“…What.”
At that moment, Euiju reached his hand toward Haeseong’s face. Something was placed on his face.
“Done. Let’s go, to my house.”
Haeseong inadvertently grasped back the hand of Euiju who was holding his hand.
***
Sitting in the passenger seat side by side with Euiju for the first time, Haeseong seemed excited somewhere even though he acted indifferent. Looking around here and there at a neighborhood far removed from Haeseong’s house surrounded by flashy tall buildings, he looked as interested as a believer welcoming a new world.
Walls hanging between alley after alley. The graffiti and mold stains filling them. Newspapers and flyers that had blown into the corners made the bleak alley scenery even more gray. But perhaps it was because there was someone looking at even such things with curious eyes. Euiju, who was watching Haeseong with sidelong glances, also seemed to feel a bit excited unlike usual.
Even though it was just a familiar road going to the home he saw every day, his mood improved without realizing it.
“We’re here. Get out.”
When Euiju spoke while lowering the side brake, Haeseong’s eyes, which had been looking around, narrowed.
“This isn’t a house, it’s a parking lot.”
“We have to walk from here to the house. There’s no place to park near the house, so we have to walk for 10 minutes.”
Only then did Haeseong realize why Euiju had put a hat and mask on him. The two walked side by side down an alley so narrow that even illegal parking was impossible. Even in the midst of this, as if curiosity was rising, Haeseong stretched out his neck and looked around here and there.
Rustle-.
At the bleak sound coming from between the buildings, Haeseong stuck close to Euiju as if on guard. After checking here and there with narrowed eyes, he suddenly inserted his hand into Euiju’s hand.
Euiju flinched in surprise at the unexpected skinship. He looked down at Haeseong blankly as if not understanding the situation, then eventually burst into laughter.
“Hahaha!”
“Geez, what are you laughing at….”
Even though his face had been full of curiosity until they came by car, he seemed anxious now that he was actually exposed to the unfamiliar scenery. When Euiju put strength into their clasped hands, Haeseong flinched. As if not wanting to be caught with his reddened cheeks, he turned his head sharply to the opposite side.
The time at the boundary between day and evening shone the lighting called sunset on Haeseong and Euiju. Thanks to that, a very long shadow was created behind them as they silently walked down the alley. The hands of the two shadows didn’t separate until they reached their destination.
“It’s here.”
“……”
Euiju spoke awkwardly, standing in front of an old gate.
An old gate with peeling black paint, a high wall of brown bricks. A modest house visible beyond it. Haeseong’s curious gaze explored here and there around the house.
“I didn’t have time to call the kids, so I couldn’t tell them you were coming. They’ll be very surprised when they see you……”
“I know. You said they like me. Of course they’ll be surprised.”
“…Yeah. Right. The kids will naturally be surprised, but you shouldn’t be too surprised either. The kids are at an age with a lot of energy.”
When Haeseong nodded, Euiju opened the gate and let Haeseong inside.
Though it was worn here and there, it was a clean and well-organized house. Though small in size, there was also a yard, and on one side there were bicycles and kickboards that children would ride and play on. Haeseong, who instantly looked around the narrow yard, doubted his own eyes and asked Euiju.
“Is this all?”
“What is?”
“The house. Is this all there is?”
“……What else should there be?”
Since Haeseong lived in a place dozens of times bigger than the house before his eyes, it seemed he couldn’t understand that five family members lived together in this narrow house. At Haeseong’s look of disbelief, Euiju chuckled as if amused.
“This is how other people live. It’s Haeseong’s house that’s excessively big.”
Though it was an old front door, the locking device was state-of-the-art. When Euiju entered the password, a subtle vibration that couldn’t be identified rang from inside.
The moment the door opened, Haeseong couldn’t help but open his eyes wide in surprise.
“Hyung-aaaaah!”
“Oppa! Why are you only coming now!”
Two children came running out, kicking open the door with a rushing sound, and hung dangling on Euiju’s waist. Since it was a family reunion after several days, the twins were dancing a wild blues. Euiju, who was receiving the children’s energetic greeting, wore a kind smile and knelt on one knee to match their eye level.
“Where did noona and Roun go?”
“They went to the mart! They’ll be back soon. Did you buy something delicious?”
“Of course. I bought chocolate cake for you guys. The cheese one is Roun’s, so you can’t eat it. Got it?”
“Yeah yeah! My favorite choco…… huh?”
The twins, who had been in Euiju’s arms, opened their eyes wide as they discovered the person who hadn’t been visible because he was hidden by Euiju. When an unfamiliar person appeared, the two hid behind Euiju and timidly peeked out just their faces.
Haeseong’s eyes narrowed as if interested. It was because the children’s features were exactly like Euiju’s.
“Haha. We look very alike, right?”
Euiju laughed as if embarrassed, seeing Haeseong staring intently at his and his siblings’ faces. It was a familiar reaction since the five siblings had often been told wherever they went that they looked very much alike.
“Kids. You should say hello.”
“H, hello.”
“Hello……”
Seeing them timidly greet while each holding one of Euiju’s legs, it seemed they didn’t recognize who Haeseong was. It was natural. Because they couldn’t see his face at all due to the mask and hat.
“Well. You see. This person is……”
Before Euiju could finish speaking, Haeseong confidently took off his mask and hat. As if wanting to show who he was, he deliberately sent his good arm behind him and stood solemnly.
Just like ‘Prince Wonho’ appearing in “The Man from the West.”
“Pfft.”
Euiju had to try hard to hold back the laughter that was about to burst out, seeing Haeseong standing in a confident pose in front of the children.
“Uh, huh?!”
At the appearance of a person they’d only seen on screen, the children’s eyes grew as large as could be. They even rubbed their eyes as if doubting what they saw.
“Gasp……”
Whether surprised or shocked, the two children simultaneously opened their mouths wide. At their extraordinary reaction, Haeseong touched the tip of his nose as if proud.
“That’s right. I’m the Prince Wonho that you like……”
“Kyaaah-!”
At the familiar voice they’d only heard on TV, the twins screamed and rushed at Haeseong. Surprised Haeseong raised his eyebrows and stepped back, but Haeseong ended up being pounced on by the children just like that.
