“Since you’re here anyway, make me some food too.”
“I saw in the fridge that you already made something to eat today?”
“…I don’t want to eat that. Can’t you just make me something?”
“Alright. Then after I finish the massage, I’ll go to the mart and do some grocery shopping. Think about what you want to eat.”
Haeseong nodded his head while burying his face in the pillow. After staying like that for a while, he carefully asked Euiju.
“…Am I going with you too?”
“Where?”
“……”
When there was no answer even to his question, Euiju tilted his head slightly with a puzzled look. Then, as if realizing something, he narrowed his eyes and asked back in a suspicious tone.
“By any chance… are you talking about the mart?”
“……”
Silence settled over the spacious room. Seeing Haeseong’s earlobes flush faintly, it seemed to be the correct answer.
“Ah, seriously…. Hahaha-!”
Laughter burst out and Euiju bent at the waist. Unable to contain the laughter rising from deep within, he laughed for quite a while.
Was he even aware that he was a celebrity? If Jin Haeseong appeared at a regular mart, the surrounding area would obviously be completely devastated. Originally, celebrities stand out even when they try to hide, so getting caught would only be a matter of time.
Having barely suppressed his laughter, Euiju asked teasingly.
“Why. Do you want to go together? Have you never been to a mart even once?”
“…That’s part of it, and I don’t want to be home alone. Never mind. If you’re going to laugh like that, don’t even ask.”
“Haha. Sorry. I can do anything else, but I don’t think I can take you to a crowded place.”
Perhaps because Euiju laughed too much, Haeseong stuck out his lower lip in a pout. Seeing that, Euiju began to coax him while gently kneading Haeseong’s lotion-covered calves.
“Still, I’ll make you anything you want to eat right now. As long as it doesn’t take too long, I can make pretty much anything, how about it?”
“I don’t need anything else. I want to eat the doenjang-jjigae with ham that I had last time.”
“Okay, okay. I’ll make you as much as you want.”
Haeseong had been increasingly seeking regular food these days. Euiju had a proud look on his face, seeming pleased that Haeseong had abandoned, even a little, the notion that he had to eat only healthy things to grow taller.
“Lie down here before you go.”
After the massage was finished, Haeseong patted the empty space next to him and said. The meaning contained in those words was nothing other than this: he was sleepy and wanted to take a nap, so he wanted to borrow his arm.
Euiju flashed an affectionate smile and climbed onto the bed. He laid down on one side and spread his arms wide, making a place for Haeseong to lie down.
“Come here.”
Euiju playfully tapped the inside of his arm. As if hiding his bright red ears, Haeseong pulled the white blanket that was beside him over himself. In that state, he began wriggling and moving closer to Euiju’s side.
“Hahaha.”
Euiju let out a fresh laugh watching Haeseong like that.
***
Euiju, who had been working for almost three months now, had steadfastly dealt with whatever difficult tasks came his way. He didn’t complain about things being hard, and he postponed leaving work until he properly finished his assigned duties, and he was sincere about everything to the point of throwing his body to save Haeseong.
For the first time, he had encountered an obstacle he couldn’t resolve.
“Hey, Haeseong.”
“What.”
Haeseong, who had been listening to music with an earphone in one ear, answered indifferently. Euiju, who had been staring at Haeseong with a flustered face, opened his mouth in an awkward voice.
“A date, you see, is when two people who have feelings for each other spend time getting to know each other……”
“I know.”
“…If I, a third party, join such a date, wouldn’t it not be a date anymore? Even now, I’ll just watch from far away. This really doesn’t seem right.”
At those words, Haeseong snorted and gripped Euiju’s hand, which had been holding his with interlaced fingers, even tighter. He persistently intertwined their fingers as if telling him not to even think about running away somewhere.
“You said Seo Jiyul was fine with it too. What’s the problem? You just have to be there quietly as if you don’t exist.”
“……”
A few days ago, Euiju had asked Jiyul if she’d like to meet and hang out with Haeseong sometime. Relieved by her readily agreeable response, he had browsed through the secure locations the company had guided him to, looking for which place would be good.
When Euiju himself was racking his brains trying to choose a fun and wholesome place since it was where teenagers should meet—for something he had never done himself due to living a busy life—Haeseong suddenly asked.
‘Ahjussi will be there with us too, right?’
‘Of course. Naturally.’
Euiju had planned to accompany them on the date but from a distance, from very far away, to watch over the two of them. In other words, he had absolutely no plan to watch the date from right beside them.
‘Me? Ah, I originally thought ahjussi would be right next to us too… I’d like it if ahjussi was beside us too.’
Moreover, even Seo Jiyul said the same thing, so Euiju truly found himself in a situation he couldn’t escape from no matter what.
‘Even so, this is…’
Since it was supposedly their first date, Haeseong had dressed up brightly, and having his gloomy, dark self next to him felt awkwardly embarrassing for no reason. When Jiyul arrived here too, he would become the flower between two hands, creating an even more embarrassing scene.
“Haah……”
Euiju let out a deep sigh. Instead of the too-conspicuous van, he tapped the steering wheel of the ordinary sedan they had taken with his fingers, falling into thought. Eventually, Euiju checked the time and said to Haeseong, who was holding his hand tightly.
“Let go of my hand. We have to go pick her up now.”
“Do I have to get out too? That’s annoying.”
“Then get out and go to the back seat. When we go, you should at least sit with Jiyul-ssi.”
Euiju bent down and opened the passenger door for him instead. It was a kindness extended because Haeseong’s right hand was still uncomfortable.
Haeseong got out of the car with an extremely annoyed look on his face. Euiju also got out of the car and headed to the place where Jiyul was supposed to come out.
“Ah, hello, ahjussi.”
Jiyul, who came down prettily dressed up, blushed shyly when she saw Euiju. Unlike stage makeup, she had barely any makeup on, so she really looked similar to peers her age. When Euiju greeted her warmly with a smile, the blush on Jiyul’s cheeks deepened further.
After picking up Jiyul, they headed to a movie theater in the suburbs.
“……”
“……”
Inside the car where only greetings had barely been exchanged, a frighteningly heavy silence flowed.
Euiju, who swallowed his saliva, glanced at the back seat through the rearview mirror. Seeing Jiyul’s face looking more peaceful than expected, the atmosphere didn’t seem too bad. Since only greetings had barely been exchanged yet, it would be strange for the atmosphere to improve right away anyway.
It was when they were almost at their destination.
“Um, is it okay if… I call you oppa?”
Shiiik.
At Jiyul’s shy voice, the corners of Euiju’s mouth rose. Jiyul had broken the silence and tried to initiate conversation with Haeseong first.
“……”
However, Haeseong remained silent even at Jiyul’s question. Thanks to that, an awkward silence enveloped the inside of the car.
‘…Why isn’t he answering and making it awkward?’
While reading the mood, Euiju glanced back while stopped at a signal. But… Jiyul was staring intently at Euiju, not Haeseong.
“…By any chance, were you speaking to me?”
“Yes!”
Flustered, Euiju glanced sidelong at Haeseong, but he couldn’t make eye contact due to his position.
“I don’t mind, but….”
“Then you can speak casually to me too, oppa!”
“……”
Euiju nodded in bewilderment. Euiju, who had turned back to face forward again, glanced at Haeseong beside him through the rearview mirror. Haeseong’s face, which had been full of tedium until just now, was strangely crumpled.
While watching Haeseong’s reaction, he let out an unnecessary cough. Cold sweat rose abundantly on his hands.
The movie theater they arrived at shortly after was a private place frequently visited by famous celebs, politicians, businesspeople, and others who shouldn’t be noticed by the public eye. Because it wasn’t a place that accepted regular customers, the theaters were small in size, but much more luxurious, and each theater had a different entrance, so it was known for its security.
The movie Haeseong and Jiyul were going to watch today was a romance movie. It was rated for ages 12 and up, and was a work starring Lee Siwoo, famous as Haeseong’s rival.
“Go in first and sit down. I’m going to the bathroom for a bit.”
Before entering, Euiju deliberately left the scene in a hurry to create time for just the two of them.
“Haah……”
Being between those two awkward people had completely drained his energy.
Did he even realize it was a date? From the moment Jiyul spoke to Euiju, Haeseong didn’t relax his stiff face, as if something bothered him so much. Still, knowing he shouldn’t be rude, he followed along obediently, but he was radiating such cold energy that even Jiyul, who was younger than Haeseong, could notice it obviously.
Euiju splashed ice-cold water on his face to collect himself and left the bathroom. And the moment he entered the theater, Euiju rarely frowned and had no choice but to stop in his tracks.
Exactly… how should he describe the situation unfolding before his eyes?
“Why are you so late? Carry your phone from now on. Don’t leave it with me.”
The phone he had left with Haeseong for a moment because he had a lot of luggage was roughly handed over to Euiju. Euiju stood there blankly with an absurd look on his face, unable to sit down.
Because.
“Oppa! Come quickly and sit here.”
Haeseong and Jiyul were sitting separately with one seat between them. Jiyul suddenly stood up from her seat and grabbed Euiju’s arm, leading him, so he ended up bewilderedly sitting between the two teenagers.
“No, kids. This is a bit……”
Euiju tried to stand up from his seat in embarrassment. However, because Haeseong grabbed his hand, he couldn’t do so.
Since Jiyul was watching, it felt embarrassing, so he tried to pull his hand away. However, Haeseong’s grip strength was so strong that he couldn’t pull it out even if he wanted to.
Even though Jiyul looked surprised seeing Haeseong and Euiju holding hands, Haeseong showed no hesitation.
The corners of Euiju’s mouth rose awkwardly. An excuse slipped out uncharacteristically.
“…Haha. Well, you see, Haeseong is a bit timid… When he’s in a dark place like this, he gets a little anxious.”
“Ah. I see.”
Haeseong poked Euiju with his shoulder. When he turned around, Haeseong’s face clearly showed a displeased expression. Euiju tickled the inside of Haeseong’s hand with his finger as if telling him to stay still. The actions of Haeseong, who had been discontentedly poking Euiju’s shoulder, stopped instantly.
Perhaps because it was a place that only accepted VIPs, the movie started right away without a single advertisement. During the languid opening with only narration, Euiju leaned back comfortably against the backrest, thinking ‘whatever happens, happens’ about the movie viewing he was doing for the first time in a while.
That was when it happened.
“Euiju oppa.”
Jiyul spoke to Euiju in a whisper with an extremely gentle face.
“Is it okay if I hold your hand too?”
At Jiyul’s unexpected question, Euiju’s mouth fell open in surprise.
Haeseong’s hand movements, which had been stroking Euiju’s hand with his thumb, froze in place.
