Munyeong hid the bitter curl at the corner of his lips and walked with great care, matching his stride to Yeon Haejeong’s pace. He knew everything — he knew all too well how shabby and empty-handed his own situation was — but just for now, just for this moment, he wanted to let himself have this.
**
He’d assumed they were just picking up groceries and heading back — but Yeon Haejeong’s car turned away from the direction of home and headed somewhere else entirely. As the car took the opposite road, a look of puzzlement colored Munyeong’s eyes. For a moment he nearly blurted out that home was the other way.
Without a word of explanation, Yeon Haejeong drove on. The car soon entered an eight-lane road, then moved into an area famous for its sky-high land and building prices, heading straight toward the tallest and most brilliantly lit building shining out of the darkness. Munyeong was no expert in expensive or luxurious things — but he knew exactly where this was. He’d been here before while assisting with Yeon Haejeong’s work, and it had left a clear impression.
“Get out.”
“…Why here……”
Baekil Hotel. The finest five-star hotel in Korea, under the Baekil Group umbrella.
“To eat.”
He answered briefly and stepped out of the driver’s seat without a second glance. Munyeong followed him out in a daze, moving awkwardly. Yeon Haejeong tossed the car key to the valet attendant waiting outside the building and cast an indifferent look toward the hesitating Munyeong.
“Not coming?”
The remark landed like a light rebuke aimed at Munyeong lingering in front of the car, and Munyeong quickly fell into step behind him. He’d thought they would eat at home since they’d done the grocery shopping… Yeon Haejeong crossed the enormous hotel lobby — complete with chandeliers — without a moment’s hesitation. There were even people who recognized him here and there, passersby pausing to offer him a greeting as he went.
Munyeong was reminded once again of what he looked like. Pajamas he wore around the house, topped with a suit jacket of Yeon Haejeong’s that didn’t fit him in the slightest. Anyone looking would find it absurd. He never in his wildest dreams imagined he’d be walking into a hotel for dinner dressed like this. As much as he tried not to care about other people’s eyes, with Yeon Haejeong right beside him, he couldn’t help it.
“What are you doing.”
Yeon Haejeong, who had gotten ahead, noticed him hanging back at a distance and tossed out the words. A gesture to hurry up came with it.
But that was his place, and there was nothing to be done about it. Munyeong trotted over to him.
“…I thought we’d eat at home.”
He murmured it quietly, almost to himself, as they stepped into a gold-paneled elevator.
“Do you know what time it is. And I never asked you to work that hard on cooking.”
“……”
“Why do all that extra work when you could just clean?”
He went even further and scolded Munyeong for the effort he’d put in. He wasn’t wrong. Yeon Haejeong hadn’t made any fussy demands — be particular about this, do that — and Munyeong had gone above and beyond on his own. Still, he’d felt that much was the bare minimum for things to be balanced. Yeon Haejeong had paid off his debt without asking for anything in return — even if Yeon Haejeong himself claimed he hadn’t — and just cleaning the house felt nowhere near enough.
“…I just wanted to do it.”
“Then do it. But you don’t need to be so desperate about it.”
Yeon Haejeong said this as someone who had polished off two bowls of rice at breakfast and acted like it was nothing. Munyeong gave a quiet nod and said no more.
“Welcome, sir.”
When they reached the very top floor of the hotel, the manager who had been waiting at the entrance recognized Yeon Haejeong immediately and bowed with perfect posture.
Yeon Haejeong answered with a wave of his hand rather than words and walked in as naturally as breathing. He looked completely at ease with all of it — as though everything here belonged to him, whether it was giving orders to people or anything else.
Inside the hotel lounge overlooking the night view, gentle classical music blended with the soft, measured sounds of other guests. It was a formal establishment so it wasn’t loud — but it wasn’t heavy in atmosphere either. For Munyeong, who had never been here before, he let his curious eyes wander quietly across the high-ceilinged interior. The lighting was rather dim, and between the shadows, small white lights flickered at intervals — like constellations in a night sky — drawing a silent gasp of admiration from him.
“Will you be having the usual course, sir?”
“Yes. All of it, nothing left out.”
“Shall we pair it with wine tonight?”
Yeon Haejeong responded to the manager’s courteous suggestion with a single nod of his head. The manager gave a practiced bow and glided away smoothly.
The seat the staff guided them to was a window-side table with an unobstructed view of the scenery outside. The luxurious interior, attentive staff, and lavish dining setting. Munyeong felt almost like a guest of honor — part of him embarrassed, another part quietly thrilled.
“…Is it really alright for me to be here……”
But thrilled as he was, the fact that he was sitting across from Yeon Haejeong, sharing a meal at the kind of fine dining establishment Yeon Haejeong would normally reserve for business — it was so out of place it was almost maddening.
“Don’t make it a big deal.”
“……”
“It’s just a meal.”
He scolded Munyeong as usual — but he was quietly covering his mouth with his hand, hiding his own embarrassment. Going grocery shopping together and coming out for dinner — the whole flow of it felt unmistakably like a date. The thought itself embarrassed Munyeong and he needlessly reached up to touch the back of his neck.
“……I’m here because I was hungry. Hungry, that’s all.”
Nobody had added anything or said a word to prompt it, yet Yeon Haejeong made excuses like someone who had panicked preemptively.
“…Okay.”
“……”
“It’s going to be delicious.”
Munyeong gave a small nod and murmured softly. He’d wondered once or twice in his life whether he’d ever get to visit a place like this — but he never actually thought it would happen. That said, the thought of eating for free made him feel guilty, so Munyeong carefully brought it up.
“Um… could you bill my share of the meal… separately?”
No matter how much a sum like this meant nothing to Yeon Haejeong, from Munyeong’s position, simply accepting it without a word felt wrong in every way. He was already indebted to him in more ways than one, and the weight of it was pressing.
At the sight of Munyeong making his awkward, tentative request, Yeon Haejeong let out a baffled scoff.
“…Would you quit it.”
Munyeong threw his own words back at him, and Munyeong’s lips pressed into a pout. He’d said it with Yeon Haejeong’s feelings in mind, and being dismissed so coldly made him look a little wronged.
“If I was going to split the bill with you, would I have come here?”
“……”
“And I don’t do things that look cheap when I’m seeing someone.”
“……”
“Going dutch — what kind of man does that.”
Yeon Haejeong said it with arrogant flair. Normally at this point the other person would say something like thank you, or answer yes in some small, compliant voice — but it was unusually quiet. At the strange reaction, Yeon Haejeong looked squarely at Munyeong across the table — and what he saw was a face drained of all color, lips parted open.
Why does he look so shocked……
In that instant, Yeon Haejeong replayed the words he’d just said. Damn. His face fell into one of dismay as he hurried to make an excuse.
“…Th-that was about when I was seeing… other people.”
He’d been putting on every air of sophistication on the way here, and now Yeon Haejeong was fumbling over his words so badly he nearly knocked the cutlery off the table.
“Ah……”
Munyeong’s expression softened at that, and a sigh of relief slipped out. Relief? Yeon Haejeong had been flustered — but at the oddly relieved quality of Munyeong’s reaction, a flash of irritation surged through him. What’s wrong with dating? Why the look of such horror at the very idea. Good grief. Something about it — that almost frightened look — struck him as completely absurd and he was instantly in a sour mood.
After that, a stiff silence settled over them. Both were visibly ill at ease and hesitating — and just then, the first course arrived. The manager came personally to present and describe the dish. Munyeong listened carefully to the introduction as he took in the food. The memory surfaced of Shin Juho, putting on his knowledgeable air, saying that at a fine dining restaurant you didn’t just eat the food, you experienced it as art. The excitement he’d been feeling in so many ways dimmed briefly at the thought of Shin Juho.
“Oh? Yeon Haejeong?”
From somewhere nearby, a delighted voice rang out, recognizing him. Yeon Haejeong, who had been looking at his food with total indifference unlike Munyeong, glanced up at the voice without any change in expression.
“Running into you here?”
