“Hyung! Hello! I’ll do that!”
“Yeah, hi. I’m almost done. It must have been hard getting here.”
“I left 30 minutes early thinking I’d be late, but it was still congested. So many people.”
“I’ll make you something warm. Let’s go in.”
“Yes! But hyung, did something good happen?”
“Huh? Why?”
“You look like you’re in a really good mood today!”
It was fascinating that I looked like I was in a good mood when I wasn’t doing anything different from yesterday. Honestly, I did feel good after spending time with Cha Jeonghan all night and sleeping facing each other’s body heat in that narrow bed, but I was a bit embarrassed that it was visible to other people too.
“Really? Well… I am in a good mood. What do you want to drink? Coffee?”
“Um… green tea latte for me! I’m into that these days. I didn’t like it when I was young because green tea was bitter.”
I subtly changed the topic toward drinks. Because I knew that once he latched onto one thing, he’d dig all the way in and ask and ask again. Fortunately I was relieved seeing Hyeonwoo not talking about my mood anymore. Honestly, it was true I was in a good mood and I clearly knew the reason, but still I didn’t want to share this feeling with others. For now I wanted to carefully observe this emotion while keeping it all to myself.
“Oh! Hyung, you’re vibrating.”
“Ah…. Thanks.”
Hyeonwoo, who pushed my phone placed toward the front of the counter inside, tied his apron properly and started cleaning the hall. I heated milk while checking the message from Cha Jeonghan.
[Jeonghan: I’m home already miss you]
I agonized and agonized over what to reply to his words saying he missed me. Because I’d never exchanged messages like this with Cha Jeonghan.
[Jeonghan: Don’t agonize just honestly say you miss me too]
[Jeonghan: Don’t you miss me?]
At the messages coming up quickly, understanding me so precisely as if he was watching me from somewhere, I pointlessly looked around.
[I miss you too]
[Jeonghan: I wish the day would pass quickly]
[Jeonghan: I’ll work hard and come see you later]
Even though they weren’t particularly special words, my heart tickled and I stared at the letters Cha Jeonghan sent for a long while. They were clearly letters but it felt like I could hear his voice in my ear.
“Hyung! The milk is overflowing!”
“Huh? Ah…!”
At Hyeonwoo’s words, I saw the milk was really overflowing. Startled, I quickly turned off the steamer and wiped the overflowed milk. Seeing myself make a mistake I’d never made before, it seemed my mind was completely focused on Cha Jeonghan.
“Sorry. I’ll make it again quickly.”
“Aw, that can happen.”
I watched Hyeonwoo take a dry towel and start wiping the tables, then subtly checked my phone vibrating again.
[Jeonghan: Ah but I really miss you]
Laughter I hadn’t had in a while came out. The expression he’d make saying this was so vivid that if I reached deeper toward the screen, I felt like I could touch Cha Jeonghan. To laugh like this even after making a mistake I’d never made—if Hyeonwoo saw he’d obviously say I was crazy, so I bit my lips tightly to hide my smile and poured milk back into the steamer.
[Jeonghan: Don’t talk more than ten words with Hyeonwoo or Hanwoo or whatever]
Inside my closed lips, laughter kept poking at me and it was hard. It seemed this pleasant torment would continue all day until Cha Jeonghan came.
* * *
I couldn’t even tell how time passed all day. Besides the lunch hour that became busy again after the snow stopped, there were unusually many people today so there wasn’t a moment’s rest. From when Hyeonwoo left until closing was usually fairly leisurely, but today I had to make drinks until right before closing.
Still, after closing and cleaning everything up, rather than thinking it was hard, I thought I’d spent the day quite fully. I barely caught my breath and drank a cup of water filled with ice. Then light flashed through the blinds I’d left slightly half-open only on the door side. The moment I saw the light, the name Jeonghan immediately came to mind, so I quickly left the counter and opened the door to meet eyes with Cha Jeonghan getting out of the driver’s seat.
“You’re here?”
Like someone extremely urgent, Cha Jeonghan closed the door, approached me, grabbed my hand, and entered the cafe.
“I’m in a hurry.”
“What’s wrong? What’s happen……”
Before my words could continue to the end, our lips locked. I felt Cha Jeonghan’s warm hands cupping my face and closed my eyes. Until yesterday I’d been very anxious and worried about Cha Jeonghan’s actions like this, but today was a bit different. Thinking that just as I’d waited for the time to meet Cha Jeonghan, Cha Jeonghan had also only waited for this time, my heart became fluffy like whipped cream.
Cha Jeonghan’s tongue that had been gently rummaging inside my mouth and holding my tongue slowly released. Through the slightly separated lips, breath warmed a bit more than warmth covered my lips.
“I missed you so much, hah…. I thought I’d die.”
“…Haah…. You startled me. You said you were in a hurry.”
“I don’t even remember how I drove here.”
“You’ll get in an accident like that. Be careful. When you drive, you should only think about driving.”
“Okay. I’ll listen to you. If I don’t listen to our Ji Yuhyeon, whose words would I listen to.”
Cha Jeonghan, who cupped my face with both hands and pressed my cheeks, kissed my lips several times making ticklish sounds.
“Did you pack your things?”
“I put it in the carrier when I came so there’s nothing to pack. I didn’t unpack. I was going to find a place quickly and move out.”
“Where’s all the stuff you moved out from the officetel?”
“Ah, that I left in storage.”
“Let’s move that back to the officetel. That’s okay, right? No need to waste money on something like that.”
“…Okay.”
“Good boy.”
Looking at Cha Jeonghan petting my head and grinning, he looked a bit different from this morning. I raised my hand and lightly touched his well-styled bangs.
“You cut your hair? Pretty.”
“You’re prettier.”
“……”
“…Ah, am I really in heat.”
“That sounds like something you meant to think.”
“No, I said it for you to hear too.”
Hearing him speak seriously and confidently, I was a bit dumbfounded but also found it cute on the other hand, so laughter came out. Laughter leaked out as I shook my head side to side, but thinking about it was funny again so laughter kept flowing. Cha Jeonghan looked at me like that and slowly tilted his head.
“We should have just done it yesterday. We could just change everything from that room’s bed.”
“…Absolutely not in there. Noona goes in there too, and sometimes Hyeonwoo goes in, how could we in there….”
“Wait.”
Cha Jeonghan, who suddenly became serious, looked at me with a very displeased face. I thought and thought trying to find what was wrong with what I’d said, but I couldn’t easily find my mistake.
“Why does the part-timer go in there?”
“Ah…. Well if there’s a need to change clothes or something….”
“It’s your sleeping room, what does he do going in there? Change clothes?”
“No, he’s never done that when I was there. That room isn’t originally like a room someone lives in every day….”
“And doesn’t the part-timer have a surname?”
“Huh?”
“Is he Mr. Hyeon?”
“…No. Mr. Seo.”
“I should call him Seo Hyeonwoo then. How distant and nice that sounds.”
I just nodded okay toward Cha Jeonghan speaking with a face sensitive without a trace of playfulness. Today I just wanted to do that. I didn’t want to upset Cha Jeonghan’s mood even a little.
“I’m not staying there anymore now.”
“That’s the only reason I’m letting it go. Let’s go quickly.”
“Okay. Let’s go quickly. I’ll just bring my carrier and come out.”
“Should I help?”
“No. I can do it myself. It’s not heavy either.”
“Okay. Then I’ll leave the trunk open.”
I watched Cha Jeonghan leave, then went to the room and came out with the carrier. Pulling the carrier that was just as light as when I brought it in, I went outside the cafe and Cha Jeonghan quickly took it and put it in the trunk. I confirmed the cafe door was locked and got in the passenger seat. Soon Cha Jeonghan, who got in next to me, gently stroked my head.
“I’m starting.”
“…Okay.”
Even though it wasn’t the first time riding in a car together, this moment of going together to that familiar house felt dreamlike. Of course, Cha Jeonghan and I didn’t completely have the name of lovers, and the emotions we had were still a bit different, but still, we were now heading in a similar direction. Just the fact that we could have conversations looking at things located in similar places rather than looking at and talking about completely different things was enough for me. I liked Cha Jeonghan’s steps moving forward without fear, voicing the word love, recalling it, and trying to face it.
