He had a long dream.
He couldn’t recall the content, but he was certain it was a good dream.
He got up from his spot and stretched. While watching the sparkling fragmented sunlight pass through the window, he suddenly remembered last night’s events.
Startled, he checked his phone and the call had ended 30 minutes ago.
The battery was exposed at the bottom, blinking. He urgently plugged in the charger and approached the window with a nervous heart.
‘What’s there to be nervous about? Whether he’s there or not, it has nothing to do with me….’
No, it’s not that it has nothing to do with me. Didn’t he clearly say he came all the way here because of me?
This time he urgently opened the window to check outside. He thought he would have gone home.
“Huh?”
Below, Haesung’s car was still there.
The windows were rolled up though.
“Why isn’t he leaving and staying there?”
He was upset. Did he spend the night here, did he sleep in the car? Numerous thoughts overlapped and his two legs moved.
He quickly grabbed a cardigan and ran to the front door. The thought of what if someone was in front of the house had already flown away.
He flung open the door and ran to Haesung’s car. And he knocked on the driver’s seat window.
Beyond the heavily tinted window, he could see his silhouette. As if he had been sleeping leaning against the window, he got up groggily and quietly observed Dohyeong.
Looking at Dohyeong with hazy eyes mixed with sleepiness, he seemed to be recognizing the situation. Then, immediately surprised, he pressed down the hat from the back seat, put on a mask, and got out of the driver’s seat.
“You, if you do this—”
“Why didn’t you go?”
He knew Haesung was worried about him.
That’s why he came all the way here, waited for him to fall asleep, spent the night here, and was surprised by his reckless choice and got out of the car to ask.
He knew it all.
“You….”
But right now, Haesung was showing a side he didn’t know.
Flustered by Dohyeong’s words, unable to answer the question and hemming and hawing.
Dohyeong, with his fist tightly clenched, asked once more.
“Why didn’t you go home? You have location filming today.”
“I know.”
“You know but why—”
“I was worried.”
Could a single blunt phrase make his heart surge this much?
Thinking about what he hadn’t received until now, he didn’t need to be moved by just this, or give it meaning.
But if this fact just makes him happy.
If he’s grateful that he chased after him all the way to his house and waited for him.
Then what suddenly came to mind was Hakyung’s existence. Wasn’t he the one he liked? Last night, he was just so surprised and flustered that he accepted Haesung’s goodwill.
As long as he holds someone else in his heart, whether it’s pity, sympathy, or guilt. Shouldn’t he not do this to me?
Around the time thoughts were extending one after another, only then did Haesung’s outfit catch his eye.
“…Hyung, your clothes.”
He always maintained a dandy style.
Knits, shirts, slacks, cotton pants. The reason there were many dandy look concept pictorials was also because of the clothes he usually wore.
But today he wore a baggy hoodie that hid his body type, jeans, and even white sneakers he’d never seen before.
On top of that, pressing down a hat and even wearing a mask.
“…Really, no one would think you’re Jung Haesung anywhere.”
It was clear that no one would consider him to be Haesung.
“I wore something a bit… different to come here.”
“Where did you get it?”
“I borrowed it from Kyungsu.”
At the fact that he even borrowed from his manager to come here, laughter kept seeping out.
Even knowing he shouldn’t do this, hiding emotions isn’t an easy task.
Then he suddenly realized this was the alley in front of his house.
Dohyeong unknowingly grabbed Haesung’s wrist and moved his steps.
“Dohyeong-ah.”
“Let’s go in first.”
“Wait a minute—”
“Wait a minute nothing, quickly.”
Haesung also knew why Dohyeong was acting like this.
But wouldn’t going into his house make things bigger? No, since even Dohyeong said he doesn’t look like himself, would it be okay?
But thinking it’s okay as long as it’s not Jung Haesung seems too selfish. Do I even have the right to enter that house?
While ruminating on numerous thoughts, Haesung had already entered the house with Dohyeong.
Bang! As soon as the door closed, Dohyeong turned around to look at Haesung fiercely.
“What if someone going to work doesn’t get a wink of sleep?”
“I slept in the car.”
“Is that what an actor should say?”
This side of Dohyeong was also a first. Haesung, who had been hesitating for a moment, let out a faint laugh.
“You’re laughing? First… there are about two hours left until Wootae hyung comes, so get some sleep even if just a little.”
“If I’m going to sleep, I should go to the car.”
“No. Here. There’s a guest room so you can sleep there. Don’t tell me you were going to go without sleeping at all? Sleep even briefly before you move.”
It’s not the first time seeing Dohyeong nagging at him, but it seemed like the first time it sounded this lovely.
He could tell at once how he had thought of and treated him until now.
“…What should I do?”
At Haesung’s words that followed, Dohyeong faced him while taking off his cardigan.
“What? Why, is there a problem?”
He didn’t know why his heart was trembling like this. He breathed in and out several times trying to soothe himself, but he couldn’t shake off the strange feeling.
Haesung, who had been facing Dohyeong, took off his mask and smiled faintly.
“If I don’t want to go.”
If it would feel this tender.
“With you….”
If he had known he would regret it this much.
“What if I want to move with you, Dohyeong-ah?”
Would I have approached you a bit more seriously?
At Haesung’s bitter smile, Dohyeong also firmly shut his mouth.
The gazes directed at each other were subtle. Around the time the silence flowing in the house continued a bit more, Dohyeong quickly turned his head.
“F-first, hurry and go sleep. Then if you think about it again after that, you’ll find an answer. Right now it’s because you couldn’t sleep. Ah, the guest room is over there. Next to the study.”
At the sight of Dohyeong’s retreating figure, flustered and saying this and that as he avoided the spot, Haesung could only smile.
“…Okay.”
Let’s not say that he knows where the guest room is. There’s no need to say that he came to the house last time during Dohyeong’s heat cycle and looked around either.
Haesung took off his hat and moved his steps. Then, stopping in front of the guest room, he looked at Dohyeong standing with his back turned in the middle of the living room.
“You’ll wake me up, right?”
Words that recall a certain time.
Back then, without needing to ask permission, he left the words to wake him up.
“Yes. I will.”
Dohyeong would have also turned to look at him and smiled brightly.
It seems that returning to the place where he stayed in the past keeps making the old days overlap.
Swallowing his bitter feelings, he opened the guest room door and went in.
Click. As soon as the door closed, he slowly looked around the guest room. And he swept up his hair while exhaling a murky breath.
“…Indebted to the guest room.”
Even though he clearly knew he had to accept it, the bitterness in his stomach was unavoidable.
He moistened his parched mouth with his tongue and walked to the bed. As soon as he flopped down on it, he smelled Dohyeong’s scent.
The warm and fluffy scent of sunshine. The sweetness of peach fragrance entangled there. And even the cozy scent of home.
“…I’ve returned.”
Though it was words he uttered without realizing it, there was no time to be surprised.
Because he fell asleep just like that. The sound of soft breathing filled the room. After tossing and turning for a moment, he pulled the blanket fully into his arms.
Dohyeong-ah. The voice muttering quietly was scattering over the soft blanket.
***
Dohyeong, sitting on the sofa, couldn’t come to his senses for a long while.
Haesung waited in front of the house, and he brought him in.
Haesung is sleeping in the guest room, and he is determined to wake him up from the living room.
The fact that this situation is somehow not being accepted, or doesn’t feel like reality.
“…It’s probably because it’s Jung Haesung.”
Right, it’s probably only for that one reason.
Even after coming to such a simple and clear answer, the complexity in his head was unavoidable. After dry-washing his face with both hands, he messed up his hair.
“Get your mind straight.”
He shouldn’t waver, and he shouldn’t be swayed.
After continuing such resolutions alone, he got up from his spot. First, he should contact Yuchan, who sent messages along with missed calls, and tell Wootae.
When his thoughts reached there, his steps came to an abrupt stop.
“…I’m going to get scolded, right?”
He might not just get scolded but receive a barrage of nagging.
But if he has no regrets about his actions, if he rather thinks this choice now was right.
“Well, whatever….”
It seems insignificant. Though he found himself ridiculous for thinking like this while knowing the subject is Haesung.
He opened the door to his room, sat on the bed. And he sent a reply to Yuchan’s message.
Choi Sunshine
Yeah I’m okay
Thanks for worrying
Nothing happened
When we went to the department store with our Hakyung-ssi. He was about to say that but deleted it.
Since he told Yuchan it would be difficult beyond friends, it’s right to keep some distance now.
To remain as close friends like before, he should give him some time to cool his emotions too.
Chewing on his apologetic feelings, he called Wootae. After a long signal, a familiar voice was heard beyond the phone.
[You’re already up?]
At the surprised voice, he unnecessarily pouted his lips.
“Hyung, if anyone hears, they’ll think I wake up late every day.”
[No, hey. Since something like that happened yesterday… Anyway, hyung might take a bit. I have to stop by the company.]
“That’s fine. It’s not that, I have something to say.”
[Uh uh, what is it?]
His mouth won’t open. After hesitating and thinking for a while, he opened his mouth with difficulty.
“Right now at home—”
[What, did someone come in? Are they trying to come in?]
Hearing Wootae’s surprised voice made his own heart drop with a thud. He almost created another misunderstanding. He bolted up from his spot and quickly shook his head.
“No, no. It’s not that. It’s absolutely not that.”
[I’m shocked. Then what is it?]
“So, right now….”
After worrying, he looked outside the room.
He was the one who told him to sleep here and go, so why won’t his mouth open like this?
No, if he tells him in advance, he might chase over right now, so there’s no need to complicate the situation with unnecessary words.
He’ll find out when he comes anyway.
He sat down with a thud and shook his head.
“No, you’ll know when you come.”
[Hey, if hyung is curious, he can’t sleep.]
“It’s not time to sleep anyway. Drive carefully and come back, see you later. Hyung.”
[You’re always good with words.]
“And when you come, buy some salt bread from the bakery next to the company. I like the salt bread there.”
[Salt bread? How many. Is three enough?]
“Five.”
[You eat a lot. Okay, got it. See you later.]
“Yeah. See you later, hyung.”
As expected. When changing the subject, food is the best.
As soon as he hung up, he looked at his phone and breathed a sigh of relief. Though he was quite worried about the situation after Wootae arrives.
Right, it’ll work out somehow. There’s no law saying he’ll die.
Aigoo, he let out a groaning sound once more and tilted his head back. Is this really the right thing to do? Doubts didn’t leave his head.
