Upon hearing that suggestion, Cha Seonwoo’s pupils dilated briefly before disappearing into his eyes narrowing into thin crescents.
“Yes, I’ll do that.”
He answered readily and changed direction, entering the dining room. At the sight of him, Haeyoung reflexively stood up. Then, as if it were natural, he approached the rice cooker and said,
“Take out a bowl from the cupboard and get some soup.”
Haeyoung, who had casually given the order and opened the rice cooker with a ladle and bowl in hand, paused for a moment. He stood there dazed, then came to his senses and glanced back. There he saw Cha Seonwoo obediently transferring soup into a bowl just as he’d instructed.
‘Ah… fuck, what is this?’
Yoon Haeyoung turned his head forward again, hiding the absurdity that appeared on his face. He couldn’t understand either his own behavior or the current situation. Haeyoung bit his lip, feeling his insides churning with anxiety that something was going wrong.
He couldn’t deny that he’d been more concerned because it was Seonwoo hyung, but even if it hadn’t been him, he would have offered breakfast to anyone at least once. So the defendant Yoon Haeyoung had merely extended simple goodwill, and even if his intentions weren’t entirely pure, it wasn’t a crime. The fierce battle that had been continuing in his head ultimately ended with victory for the defense.
‘…Still, I couldn’t just watch him go hungry.’
It was a ruling excessively favorable to one side.
Even to himself, the excuse seemed flimsy, and unusual force went into the hand scooping rice. Thud, thud—the ladle digging into the white rice made quite rough sounds. Before he knew it, Haeyoung, who had piled rice high on the bowl, belatedly came to his senses and closed the electric rice cooker again.
Haeyoung, who had turned around holding the rice bowl, stopped once more at the scene that entered his vision. There was only one scene that immediately put Haeyoung in a difficult position. Cha Seonwoo sitting at the table, waiting for him.
The dining table in the dining room was very large, equipped for eight people. It was spacious enough that it would definitely fill the room if brought into his studio apartment. Even excluding the seat he’d taken, there were still seven chairs left, so it could be considered quite roomy. Yet at that wide table, Cha Seonwoo happened to be sitting right across from him, waiting.
Thinking about it, it was natural. Since they were eating together, sitting separately would be stranger. The only problem was that the other person was Cha Seonwoo. This time too.
When their eyes met, Haeyoung watched him smile quietly with his eyes and smiled back awkwardly with an unsettled feeling. Then, roughly grabbing spoons and chopsticks, he approached the table. After placing the rice bowl and utensils in front of Seonwoo and sitting back down in his seat, Haeyoung, feeling a gaze on him, stopped mid-motion of picking up his spoon and raised his head.
Cha Seonwoo was looking at him without any thought of picking up his utensils. What’s with him? Haeyoung felt puzzled by Seonwoo’s gaze watching him silently.
“…What?”
Haeyoung, who had been fumbling at his chin and mouth with his left hand wondering if something was on his face, couldn’t help but ask.
Seonwoo shook his head with a silly laugh toward Haeyoung, who looked bewildered at being watched. Hesitating as if about to speak or not, he slowly raised his hand and fiddled with the end of the utensils placed in front of him. In the process, his forehead, clearly exposed because he’d swept back his hair, wrinkled slightly. At the same time, his long eyelashes below his furrowed eyebrows trembled rapidly.
A hint of dismay appeared on Haeyoung’s face. He knew when Cha Seonwoo made that expression. He also knew what would follow when he made that face.
“How did you know I use my left hand?”
Cha Seonwoo spoke quietly, laughing as if sighing. At his expression that looked like he might cry at any moment, Haeyoung’s heart somehow raced and he blinked anxiously.
What should I say? Yoon Haeyoung racked his brain to choose words to answer. If only those damn cameras weren’t there, he could have appropriately scolded him asking how he couldn’t know and been done with it, but the cameras installed here and there kept running without rest. The rule that they shouldn’t acknowledge knowing each other until the scheduled identity reveal tonight felt burdensome to Haeyoung for the first time.
Ah, whatever. Watching Seonwoo’s smile gradually fade, Haeyoung hastily opened his mouth.
“…Well, it looked like you ate with your left hand yesterday.”
“Did I?”
At the excuse offered without sincerity, Seonwoo’s eyes once again curved into thin crescents. A voice unable to hide its excited tone leaked from his mouth.
“I thought you weren’t watching me, Haeyoung-ssi.”
“……”
By making a pointless excuse, he’d ended up digging his own grave. Haeyoung took a breath as he watched Cha Seonwoo’s brilliant smile, looking pleased.
He hadn’t just been testing him. Yoon Haeyoung could tell that just by looking at his expression. As if he was truly in a good mood, dimples were carved next to Seonwoo’s firmly closed lips. That smile made Haeyoung feel uncomfortable inside for some reason.
He hadn’t been watching. That wasn’t just not giving him attention—it was closer to deliberately avoiding Cha Seonwoo. Yoon Haeyoung hadn’t looked at him for his own sake. However, seeing Seonwoo happy at the lie carelessly thrown out, the selfishness of only thinking of himself ultimately showed its limits.
Lying really didn’t suit his personality. Especially not in front of someone precious. Haeyoung, who had slightly frowned, disheveled with his own hands the hair he’d diligently combed down in the morning.
“I already knew. From before.”
Haeyoung corrected his words, casually tossing them out as if it were nothing, and picked up his spoon. Then he scooped up a large spoonful of rice and put it in his mouth. It was clearly a gesture refusing further conversation.
Seonwoo, who immediately grasped the meaning of his words, nodded slightly. Even if it was a lie, it was fine. Either way was good. To Cha Seonwoo, Yoon Haeyoung meant that much.
“I know. I was just moved on my own. That you didn’t forget.”
At the words that flowed out without filter, Haeyoung’s hand flinched and trembled. But that was only for a moment. Haeyoung, whose throat seemed to have closed up, picked up his cup and swallowed water, hesitated briefly, then diligently stuffed rice into his mouth again.
In contrast, Cha Seonwoo couldn’t easily pick up his utensils. Seonwoo, who had been rubbing his face as if wiping it with dry hands, covered his mouth with his hand. Through the gaps of his large hand completely covering his face below his eyes, a small murmur flowed out.
“I think I’m going to cry…”
It was a small voice, but it was loud enough for Haeyoung sitting right in front of him to hear. Ah, shit. After swallowing everything in his mouth, Haeyoung glared at him.
If it were someone else it would be one thing, but if it was Cha Seonwoo, he was more than capable of actually crying. Also, since he’d already somewhat anticipated it from the expression he’d been making, Yoon Haeyoung wasn’t flustered and soothed him.
“Just try crying, really. Hold it in.”
The words delivered in as low a voice as possible, like a whisper, were closer to a threat than soothing. Seonwoo asked back with drooping eyebrows.
“What if I can’t hold it in…”
“Why are you asking me that? Put strength in your eyes or something.”
Haeyoung, who had answered crookedly without realizing it, changed his words with an ‘oops’ expression.
“Ah, never mind that, just eat.”
Haeyoung, who had been whispering with his upper body bent, straightened his body. He couldn’t understand at all what he was really doing. He grumbled in response and pushed the plate with side dishes toward Seonwoo.
Haeyoung’s heart had been thumping since Seonwoo made that expression like he was about to cry. His words came out harshly without him realizing it, his heart urgent wondering if moisture might well up in his eyes. Though he hadn’t raised his voice much, Haeyoung couldn’t raise his head and only moved his hands busily, bothered by having responded so irritably for no reason.
Whether or not he’d noticed such feelings, he soon felt Seonwoo nod and obediently pick up his utensils. Only then did Haeyoung’s relieved hands gradually begin to slow down.
The meal that continued in a strange atmosphere finally ended only after Seonwoo put down his utensils. Haeyoung, who had been watching with an anxious face because he’d scooped too much rice, relaxed in relief when he cleanly emptied his bowl. After rinsing the bowls and placing them in the dishwasher, Haeyoung lowered his rolled-up sleeves and picked up his outerwear.
Since Seonwoo would also be on his way to work, if they parted like this there would be no chance of running into each other. Wanting to get out of the space where Seonwoo was as quickly as possible, he rapidly threaded his arms through his outerwear.
Finally, when he put on his clean black bag without patterns, his preparations for work were complete. However, Yoon Haeyoung, who had been hurriedly leaving the dining room, had to stop again at the voice that reached him.
“If you’re going to work, let’s leave together. I’ll take you.”
This time too, without fail, it was Cha Seonwoo.
