The next morning, I opened my eyes with a fatigue that seemed to weigh down my entire body.
I seemed to have had some kind of dream, but the memory wasn’t clear. Only the memory of tossing and turning several times around dawn remained faintly.
Something warm settled over my heart that was beating unpleasantly fast. The fact that it was warmth someone else willingly offered could only be known after lifting eyelids as heavy as if stones were attached.
“Hello.”
The man sitting at the bedside greeted me softly.
“You came back.”
You came back. Words that felt common and everyday, but the warmth contained within them was not. The tenderness and warmth contained in his tone, dry enough to be proper, seemed to wrap me very gently and pull me from dream to reality.
When I looked at Seo Nakil’s face speaking as if he’d been waiting for me, it sometimes felt as if this place was where I ought to be.
Unlike me, who was still a bit dazed, Seo Nakil looked neat and light without any sleepiness. I stared up at him like that and asked quietly.
“Did I oversleep?”
“Not really.”
When I got up groggily and checked my phone, there were only 50 minutes left until noon.
‘…He said I didn’t oversleep much.’
No matter how you look at it, I overslept. It’s much closer to afternoon than morning.
Seo Nakil pretended not to notice my flustered gaze and let it pass.
“Shall we eat first?”
A gentle touch approached and tousled my hair once. Then he playfully fiddled with one corner.
“I wonder if it’s because your hair is soft, but only one side is a bird’s nest.”
It seemed to be because of my habit of sleeping curled up on one side. Feeling a bit embarrassed, I moved my hand following the part his touch had reached. Each time hair sticking up like antennae caught on my fingertips, I somehow felt more ashamed.
Unlike me who clearly looked like I’d just woken up, Seo Nakil was in an extremely neat appearance. He didn’t seem to have gone out anywhere in particular, but he had a tidy atmosphere as if he’d washed up and changed clothes.
‘Is this what being of different caliber means…’
To be beside him like that, I felt I shouldn’t be this lazy either. When I got up with a determined expression, Seo Nakil handed me new clothes with a smiling face.
After washing away my shabby feelings and coming out, the dining table was truly set with a feast. Western food, Korean food, Japanese food, and even Chinese food. It seemed like every breakfast the hotel could prepare had been brought here.
The staff who spotted me pulled out the chair across from Seo Nakil and greeted me with a courteous attitude.
“Good morning. Have a good day.”
Even though I wasn’t the one paying for all these services, they were as polite to me as they were to Seo Nakil. I bowed my head awkwardly.
“What would you like to drink?”
“Just… anything warm is fine. I’d prefer it without caffeine.”
“Would warm chamomile tea be acceptable?”
“I’ll have that, please.”
While I moistened my throat with warm tea and started eating, Seo Nakil slowly finished his portion while watching what I was doing. His quiet gaze lingered on my fork the whole time, seemingly curious about what I would choose among these foods.
Unable to bear his intense gaze, I opened my mouth.
“…I can’t eat all of this.”
“I didn’t set it out for you to eat it all.”
“It feels wasteful…”
“How can it be wasteful when not even one plate here is regrettable?”
Now he wasn’t even pretending to eat. I made a small groaning sound and stabbed a small piece of sausage with my fork and brought it to his mouth.
“Please eat some too.”
“…”
“Yes?”
Seo Nakil readily complied with my request. He lowered his head and accepted what I offered, then looked at me. The gaze that had lingered only on my fingertips all along precisely fixed on my eyes from that moment on.
I lowered my head and hurriedly drank my chamomile tea. I couldn’t feel any heat from the steaming tea. Perhaps because something far more heated was consuming all my nerves.
After the meal, when I moved to the living room and checked my phone, I saw several messages piled up.
I deleted advertising texts with familiar hands and was quickly skimming through the stories piled up in the Starium group chat when a notification flashed on the screen that a new message had arrived.
[Seungwoo hyung: I heard you’re running until this solo concert.]
It was Min Seungwoo. It seemed he’d heard through the manager that I’d be moving back into the dorm around April.
[Seungwoo hyung: Will you be able to do activities?]
Looking at that characteristic dry worry for a moment, I slowly wrote and sent a reply.
[I’m fine]
[I’ll try not to cause any damage to the group activities]
[Seungwoo hyung: That’s not what I meant…]
It took a few more minutes for the next words to follow.
[Seungwoo hyung: Contact me the day you move in.]
[Yes hyung]
When I raised my head from staring at my phone the whole time, our gazes locked as if he’d been waiting. Seo Nakil was just sitting in the seat next to me on the sofa, looking at me.
Normally I would have turned my head away, even if just because that gaze was a bit embarrassing, but not now when I had something to say. I swallowed dry saliva and spoke calmly.
“Please tell me how to pay back the debt.”
It didn’t seem to be the words he was expecting. The space between his eyebrows narrowed subtly.
I continued speaking resolutely.
“I don’t know how it is for you, but 500 million is too much money for me. Too much to just accept as kindness.”
Seo Nakil was a very wealthy person, so he might give that much away without a care and forget it as soon as he turned around, but I couldn’t do that. I’d be heavy-hearted all the time and restless.
I didn’t want to do that. I didn’t want to act like a debtor to him who tried to pull me out from anywhere.
“Since you said you didn’t like the method from before, I’d rather have a contract…”
“Would I feel comfortable receiving 500 million from you without taking a single penny?”
“…”
“But, yes. I don’t want to see you unbuttoning your clothes again saying we should settle accounts like that.”
Seo Nakil, who slowly rubbed his mouth, continued.
“Since we’re on the subject, the sponsor thing was just an excuse. But I think you were hurt by words I said to cover things up appropriately.”
It was true. Even though I knew the words had no malice, they did hurt. It was because of scars left by bygone days that no one in this world could remember anymore.
“I sincerely apologize. I’m sorry.”
Even though there was no need to apologize if you thought about it, Seo Nakil was serious.
“Thank you for apologizing.”
The words “it’s okay” kept circling in my mouth. I realized the reason without difficulty.
“If I can find a way to resolve this debt, I think it might be okay.”
“I see.”
He agreed plainly.
“Then let’s do it this way. I’ll give you wish vouchers.”
“…Wish vouchers?”
“Yes. You to me.”
Seo Nakil tilted his head and answered.
“Five times from now on. When I want something, I request it from you, and you fulfill it as faithfully as possible. This isn’t a slave contract, so you can refuse as much as you want, but if you want to cancel the debt as you wish, you’ll have to grant the designated number of times.”
“100 million per wish.”
When I spoke with the meaning that it was too expensive, his eyes softened slightly.
“I’ll make wishes expensive enough.”
No matter how expensive a wish is, it’s still a wish. I don’t know what he thinks of me, but I’m not that competent. So whatever Seo Nakil wished for, it would be a losing business.
Reading my dubious look, he smiled gently.
“You don’t believe me.”
“…”
“Then shall I use one now?”
“Right away like this?”
Seo Nakil nodded.
“Is that not okay?”
“It’s not that it’s not okay, but…”
I became puzzled. Was it okay to use an opportunity that only comes five times so unhesitatingly like this? Did he happen to have something he wanted to ask?
In front of black, deep eyes sparkling with certainty, I felt a bit dazed and nodded creakily.
“…You can do it.”
As soon as permission was granted, Seo Nakil’s face came closer.
