Jun-wan generally woke up early. Weekends were the same.
He woke without an alarm and left the bedroom. After showering, he brewed and drank a cup of coffee.
The house was unnecessarily large, but even he liked the lush garden. For someone who usually lived seeing only bleak concrete scenery, it provided a kind of change of pace.
Jun-wan finished his coffee in ten minutes and immediately washed the empty cup. Afterward, he started tidying the house.
The vacuum cleaner roared loudly from morning. You’d think he’d wake up from this, but the person in the bedroom showed no sign of coming down. Even while Jun-wan turned the entire two-story house upside down except for the bedroom, Yu-shin didn’t come out.
At this point, he just accepted it. From the weekends he’d spent, Kim Yu-shin was a heavy sleeper in the morning. Jun-wan brought his laptop from the study and settled on the living room sofa. He spent time alone while reviewing experiment reports.
After two hours of this, the time had already passed 10 a.m. Jun-wan’s eyes narrowed thinly as he looked up at the wall clock.
How can a person be this lazy?
He’d tried not to interfere as much as possible, but Kim Yu-shin’s oversleeping was excessive.
Thud, the laptop closed with a sound. Jun-wan got up and immediately climbed the stairs. The second-floor bedroom was reached quickly. He knocked lightly on the firmly closed door.
“Kim Yu-shin. Just how long are you going to sle—”
Yu-shin was awake. Perhaps having just woken up, he was sitting on the bed nodding off drowsily.
A soft scent lingered in the space where he’d stayed all night. A warm body scent—clearly they used the same shampoo and the same body wash, yet Kim Yu-shin’s body odor was somehow sweet.
“Ah… I slept too much.”
Yu-shin muttered while rubbing his puffy face. He seemed to be aware that he slept a lot.
Instead of adding words to that, Jun-wan just watched while leaning against the doorframe. I want to see how this lazy fellow moves.
Seeming unable to get up easily, Yu-shin slowly stretched his feet down from the bed. Still drunk with sleep, he moved with staggering steps, unable to control his body properly.
Yu-shin took medicine as soon as he woke up. Plastic bottles lined up in a row on the bedroom nightstand were waiting for their owner. Without even opening his eyes properly, Yu-shin stood before them and took out one capsule from the first bottle, then also removed several supplements and placed them on a small wooden plate.
Jun-wan quietly watched Yu-shin pour the accumulated pills into his mouth. It’s quite unexpected to see him take medicine as soon as he opens his eyes in the morning. Of course, he knew that Yu-shin’s bedroom was full of supplements. He’s someone who takes care of his own body terribly well.
“You’ll fill your stomach with medicine.”
Jun-wan spat out a dry comment. Yu-shin, who had been gulping down water, glanced over. He reached out and shook a heavy medicine bottle.
“Want a vitamin?”
“No thanks.”
Jun-wan straightened his leaning posture and left the bedroom first. Watching Kim Yu-shin’s carefree appearance made him feel like he was becoming lazy too.
Dark clouds had covered the sky that had been clear earlier. The gloomy weather looked like rain could pour down at any moment.
Yu-shin simply filled his stomach with a banana, then sprawled on the sofa. The single-seat sofa was like his designated spot.
He gazed out the window in a posture that was neither sitting nor lying—the laziest in the world. He’d woken up long ago, but perhaps due to the weather, his head felt heavier than usual.
“…It’s going to rain.”
Jun-wan heard those words half-heartedly. His gaze was fixed solely on the laptop screen.
“According to the forecast, it’s supposed to start around 1 p.m.”
“I hate going out when it rains.”
“……”
“How nice would it be to just sprawl on the sofa? Drinking warm tea while watching the rain—wouldn’t that be elegant?”
Yu-shin glanced over. Jun-wan, who had been staring at his laptop all along, met his gaze back equally. His long, narrow eyes were fierce as could be.
“You’re the one who said to go out.”
“How can people live exactly according to plan? We can change it flexibly.”
“Kim Yu-shin, do you think you’re quite a flexible person? Normally, that’s called avoidance.”
“I’m rather agile.”
Yu-shin threw out a joke. It was a joke worse than not making one at all. The other person didn’t laugh at all, and his already cold-looking face grew even colder.
Jun-wan practically slammed his laptop shut. His long legs reached Yu-shin’s front in just two steps. Crossed legs and two straight legs faced each other. Jun-wan glared fiercely with both hands shoved into his pants pockets.
“Kim Yu-shin.”
“Yes?”
“There are two types I hate—one is incompetent people who can’t do their job, and the other is people who postpone plans without reason.”
“……”
“If you’re going to keep acting like this from now on, tell me now. I don’t want to be stressed.”
In other words, this was an ultimatum. Depending on what answer came out, Jun-wan would change his attitude accordingly.
“…Am I stressing you out?”
“Yes, tremendously.”
Yu-shin’s eyes blinked slowly. Did I commit some big mistake? No, you haven’t exactly been warm either. What’s the big deal that you’re glaring like that?
What was certain was that Jun-wan was holding back a lot right now. For a thorough planner, Yu-shin’s spontaneous attitude was bound to provoke irritation. After exchanging glances for a while, Yu-shin let out a long breath. Marriage life really isn’t easy.
“Let’s go. We just have to go, right?”
“Get ready now. We’re leaving in an hour.”
“This isn’t the military… Jeez.”
Yu-shin grabbed the sofa armrest and stood up. His broad chest was close enough to touch his nose. He gestured with his chin for the man standing firmly in front of him to move aside.
Jun-wan stepped back without a word, and Yu-shin passed him and went up to the second floor. The rain that was supposed to start at 1 p.m. began to wet the lush green lawn in the garden.
Kim Yu-shin wasn’t the type to hold onto a sullen mood for long. Although he was forcibly following what amounted to a threatening notification, as he prepared to go out, his mood quickly lifted.
Coming down to the first floor, he found Jun-wan waiting at the entrance door. He was dressed in a shirt and dress pants just like when he went to work. Perhaps because he wasn’t wearing a tie, he still had a somewhat off-duty appearance.
“It hasn’t been an hour yet, right?”
“Yes, you just barely made it.”
Jun-wan checked the watch on his wrist. A black leather watch was fastened to his wrist today as well. The clean design suited Jun-wan well, but the watch face had several slight scratches on it. It was proof that he’d worn it comfortably and frequently.
Why is he neglecting the wedding gift watch when he’s not even going to work today? Does wearing nice things give him hives?
Yu-shin stared at the watch intently before turning his gaze away. He didn’t really feel like pointing it out. It’s his preference—thinking that way was beneficial in many respects.
They left the house together. The rain was falling more heavily than before. Using the narrow eaves as an umbrella, they headed to where the garage was. From the garage with wooden slats covering the exterior walls came the scent of pine trees soaked with rain. Yu-shin, who had never been to the garage before, quite liked this smell and took a deep breath.
“Should we take this one?”
Yu-shin pointed at the car parked quietly. Jun-wan nodded without responding and got into the driver’s seat first.
This was also Yu-shin’s first time in Jun-wan’s car. It was a domestic mid-size sedan commonly seen in Seoul. Yu-shin climbed into the passenger seat and pulled the seatbelt. The ride quality wasn’t as bad as he’d thought.
The car rolled smoothly. The raindrops wetting the car window had their own elegance. Yu-shin gazed at the scenery outside the window and spoke quietly.
“It’s been so long since I’ve been to a movie theater.”
“……”
“When was the last time I went? Was it 5 years ago? No, was it longer?”
Jun-wan gripped the steering wheel tightly. Yu-shin’s words were unexpected. Is that something someone who watches movies without sleeping until dawn would say? His heavy lips, which had maintained silence since getting in the car, opened.
“I thought you liked movies.”
“Mm, not really. Especially movie theaters—they’re crowded and the air is stuffy, so I ended up not going much.”
“……”
His grip on the steering wheel tightened. Jun-wan stared ahead with an expressionless face.
“Instead, I go to exhibitions often. Want to go together next time?”
“I have no interest in that.”
His cold voice cut off the conversation like a knife. Yu-shin smiled faintly, as if he’d expected that.
