When he opened his eyes, he was on the bed. Perhaps he’d already grown accustomed to the sleeping arrangement, as he fumbled his hand toward the head of the bed without looking, and his phone caught on his fingers. He pulled it down close to his face and turned on the screen, and the time immediately appeared. 7:30.
He needed to get up right away and prepare for work, so Haeyoung threw off the blanket that had been covering up to his chest and sat up. And just as he was about to put his feet down on the floor beside the bed, he unconsciously frowned at an uneasy premonition. That is to say…
“…When did I get up on the bed?”
He remembered up to the point where he’d crouched down yesterday and cried pathetically. Crazy. Haeyoung, who had been mulling over the memory, let out a low sigh and raised his hand to cover his face. Why had he cried like that—it was the first time he’d cried like this since breaking up with Seonwoo hyung.
‘If Hajin noona sees this, she’ll tease me like crazy again…’
Thinking of the camera installed in the room, Haeyoung let out a deep sigh and rubbed his face with the hand that was still covering it, as if washing his face dry.
The night when he’d cried as if he himself had been hurt, even though he was the one who’d hurt someone, tangled up in complicated emotions, was cut off at the end like a broken tape. He might have crawled from the floor onto the bed with some sense left, but judging by the fact that he couldn’t remember, he clearly must have been out of it.
Leaving behind what he’d already done, Haeyoung got up from his seat and unconsciously turned his gaze. On the other bed in the room, not only was there no person, but the bedding had already been neatly arranged. The bed’s owner seemed to have already left for work. Thinking of him made him feel conflicted again, but rather, he thought it was fortunate not to have to face him.
Haeyoung headed to the bathroom to prepare for work, still carrying that uncomfortable feeling.
Fully dressed in his outerwear, he left the room and crossed the hallway. Jaehwi, who usually sat on the sofa in the common area every morning reading a book, was nowhere to be seen. Haeyoung looked around the house, which was unusually quiet yet strangely lively, then turned his head again and stepped down the stairs.
As soon as he descended to the first floor, what came to him was a smell. A familiar food smell that immediately aroused hunger. Thinking someone was already preparing breakfast, he headed toward the dining room, and an unexpected person appeared before him. Although it wasn’t strange for him to be there since they were living together, albeit briefly, Haeyoung had naturally assumed he would have already left for work.
“Haeyoung-ah.”
“…Hyung?”
Seonwoo, who had been about to leave the dining room when he spotted Haeyoung, stopped and called his name. He’d probably been waiting for Haeyoung. Haeyoung, who had thought he wasn’t the only one who’d suffered emotionally over yesterday’s events, felt his head get complicated seeing Seonwoo, who seemed far too unbothered.
And seeing Haeyoung, who had answered absently and was staring blankly up at him, Cha Seonwoo quickly smiled with his eyes crinkling.
“Eat breakfast before you go.”
The voice that flowed smoothly from his mouth was as affectionate as always. It would be, right? The proposal that followed was so sweet that Haeyoung’s shoulders unconsciously trembled slightly.
Cha Seonwoo sometimes seemed like he didn’t think at all that others might reject him or refuse his suggestions, and even if that were true, there was nothing to say about it. There would truly be few people who could refuse his proposals. There might be some, but at least Yoon Haeyoung wasn’t one of them.
Moreover, Haeyoung felt a bit sorry toward him because of yesterday’s events. Although it was natural to give back what he’d received, he didn’t particularly want to show Seonwoo the sight of himself giving a gift to another contestant here. Because of that, the uncomfortable feeling he still couldn’t shake off revived immediately upon seeing Seonwoo’s face.
After hesitating, when Haeyoung nodded, Seonwoo raised the corners of his mouth and entered first.
“Sit down.”
“Okay.”
Haeyoung replied simply to the words he’d dropped while walking. Following him into the dining room, there was yet another unexpected person sitting at the table.
“Are you going to work today too, hyung?”
“Hi, Haeyoung.”
Still in his usual comfortable attire but looking a bit more put-together, Jaehwi sat in front of the table, chewing on toasted bread. He waved lightly at Haeyoung, who looked surprised to see him, and put down the bread he’d been eating onto his plate.
“This week I’m going to work…”
The color gradually drained from Jaehwi’s face as he continued speaking. While working from home, he’d looked relaxed and happy even while reading books in the morning, but he too seemed tired of commuting to work. Soon, he went back to chewing his bread with an absent-minded expression. Haeyoung turned his head away from him and looked toward the kitchen.
The back view of someone standing in the kitchen in work attire came into his sight. The perfectly fitted shirt would briefly wrinkle along the muscles every time he moved. Haeyoung, who had been staring blankly at that sight, soon turned his body as Seonwoo approached him carrying dishes.
“Haeyoung-ah, not there.”
At the voice calling him before he could sit at the table, Haeyoung stopped short. He had originally been about to sit across from Jaehwi, who was already seated, but Seonwoo placed the dishes next to that seat instead.
“Your seat is here.”
Dumbfounded by the action of personally pulling out the chair for the seat next to it rather than where he’d been about to sit, Haeyoung obediently sat down. Now seated diagonally across from Jaehwi, he picked up the spoon neatly placed beside the bowl.
And when he raised his head to put a spoonful of rice in his mouth, he made eye contact with Jaehwi, who was chewing on bread while looking at him with an expressionless face. Perhaps because he happened to be sitting diagonally across, the gaze looking at him with his head turned felt a bit burdensome, so Haeyoung slightly raised his eyebrows.
“What is it, hyung?”
“Did you cry?”
It was a calm tone, but a rather sharp question. Surprised by the unexpected question, the strength left the hand holding the spoon, and the spoon and plate collided, making a clanging sound.
At that sharp sound, Haeyoung quickly came to his senses and gripped the spoon firmly, answering with a nonchalant face.
“It’s just because it’s morning.”
“You’re pretty swollen though.”
“But I’m still handsome, right?”
When he grinned shamelessly and changed the subject, Jaehwi nodded in agreement without much response.
Meanwhile, Seonwoo, who had approached carrying his own dishes, sat down in the seat Haeyoung had originally been about to take. Haeyoung stared at him for a moment, unable to understand, seeing the presence approaching his side, the familiar scent, and him sitting next to him as if it were natural.
He’d stopped him from sitting there and deliberately assigned him a seat…. Haeyoung watched him with unconsciously narrowed eyes, trying to deduce whether he’d done that because he wanted to sit next to him, or because he didn’t like him sitting across from Jaehwi. As if aware of the gaze fixed on his profile, Seonwoo glanced at him and grinned.
At that smile, Haeyoung reflexively turned his gaze away and started moving his hand to eat again. He wanted to finish breakfast quietly and quickly, but Jaehwi, who had finished eating first, didn’t leave his seat. He dusted the breadcrumbs from his fingers over his plate and spoke in a casual voice.
“You went on a date yesterday.”
At the not-so-pleasant topic, Haeyoung, who had been scooping up soup, lowered his head a bit more. Even in the midst of this, the food was delicious.
“How was it? I couldn’t hear from you two since you weren’t there when we all talked together at night.”
“……”
“Haeyoung-ssi went with Sehee-ssi.”
Ah. Haeyoung, who had been silently continuing his meal, inwardly swallowed a sigh and nodded at the question mentioning him.
It might have been different if it were just him and Jaehwi, but it was a topic he was quite conscious about discussing with Seonwoo present. He could have replied casually that it was fun, but somehow he couldn’t bring up the words without thinking. After pondering for a moment, Haeyoung hesitantly opened his mouth.
“With Sehee noona… after the date, I became more comfortable with her than before.”
“Becoming comfortable after a date means it was fun.”
Listening to the repeated question, Haeyoung thought that Jaehwi’s question was somehow directed not at him but at someone else. For example… Sehee.
Perhaps because he was about to go to work, Jaehwi had clearer eyes than his usual dazed look. Haeyoung’s head tilted subtly to the side. Without expressing his puzzlement on his face, he pondered silently. Does Jaehwi hyung have feelings for Sehee noona?
While he was thinking that, Minho, looking like he’d just woken up, trudged into the dining room swallowing a yawn. When Haeyoung gave a light eye greeting, he too waved his hand in a morning greeting. In that peaceful scene, Seonwoo, who had been eating quietly the whole time, opened his mouth for the first time.
“After yesterday’s date, I actually became more nervous.”
At that voice flowing out gently, a heavy silence suddenly fell over the dining room. It was a frozen atmosphere as if wind had leaked in through the glass door. The most flustered was Minho, who had been pouring milk from the refrigerator into a glass to drink.
“I think I was mistaken. I was going to wait and see, but…”
“……”
“I don’t think I should do that.”
Seonwoo quietly put down his utensils without a clattering sound and turned his head slightly to the side. Then, he smiled gently, crinkling his eyes as he made eye contact with Haeyoung, who was looking at him with slight bewilderment. In that moment, Yoon Haeyoung realized that thinking he was unbothered had been purely his own misconception.
At that smile, Haeyoung was at a loss for words, and Minho, as if sensing an ominous sign, frowned and asked stammering.
“What, what… what… can’t you do?”
“I don’t think I can just watch and wait.”
To that, Seonwoo replied in a plain voice. Gulp, the sound of swallowing was heard especially loudly. Without looking, it was definitely Minho. In the silence waiting for the words to continue, Cha Seonwoo said refreshingly.
“I should work harder.”
At what? Work hard at what? What happens if you work harder than you already do? His head filled with questions and became confused. Haeyoung looked up blankly at Cha Seonwoo, who smoothly smiled and got up from his seat, having casually dropped bomb-like words.
Thinking that the person he was talking about was Soyoon, Minho stiffened rigidly with a face as if the country had collapsed. Noticing that his tearful gaze was turning toward him, Haeyoung quickly turned his head, pretending not to see. What the hell is this situation, fuck…
