One week. The time he could exist as Heo Wonyoung.
Wonyoung looked down at the button quietly, then put it in his pocket.
“Understood. I’m counting on you.”
“Yes! Then CUTE LOVE START!”
How long is he planning to keep saying that line? Wonyoung waited for the System to leave with a listless expression, then checked the mirror again. The self in the mirror had Narae’s face.
‘If it’s all going to be erased anyway, even if I’m Heo Wonyoung for a little while……’
No, no. Wonyoung shook his head vigorously. Even if the memories would be erased, he shouldn’t leave things that would hurt the three men. Didn’t Heegang just almost cause a huge accident?
Wonyoung suppressed his selfishness. As Heegang said, it was better to be Narae if he wanted to hold out as long as possible.
But then, someone knocked on the door.
“Rae-ssi. Are you there?”
The low voice that sounded somewhat cool was definitely Taerim’s. Wonyoung hurriedly opened the door. Before him stood Taerim dressed in a dark navy suit.
“Taerim-ssi? What brings you……?”
“I know today is your day off. I bought sushi so let’s eat together.”
“Uh……”
He’d just restored things, so it should be fine for a bit. It’s absolutely not because of the sushi. Wonyoung made that excuse and let Taerim in.
Taerim looked around the room and asked.
“Are you alone?”
“Of course?”
“I thought those two people couldn’t possibly not know it’s your day off.”
“Those two people…… Heegang and Siyeon?”
Taerim nodded. Well, he’d caused a huge commotion with Heegang yesterday, and Siyeon seemed especially busy with work these days……
No, more than anything, Taerim and those two shouldn’t be together. Taerim was now the only person who didn’t know he was Heo Wonyoung, wasn’t he? If he was together with those two, it was only a matter of time before Heo Wonyoung’s identity was discovered.
The moment Wonyoung thought that. There was a knocking sound on the front door again. And before he could even open the door, it opened first.
“Wonyoung, I’m here.”
Heegang appeared, casually calling out someone else’s real name.
‘Fuck.’
It was the moment when words became seeds and flowers bloomed.
Wonyoung immediately pressed the magical girl button.
* * *
In the fleeting moment of closing and opening his eyes, he heard a knock knock sound.
“Rae-ssi. Are you there?”
It was definitely the words he’d heard before. Restoration had proceeded and he’d returned to the past.
As soon as Wonyoung finished grasping the situation, he opened the door and pushed Taerim into the bathroom.
“What are you doing? You’re quite aggressive today.”
“Just stay there for a moment. 5 minutes is enough.”
“Why should I do that?”
“Well……”
Damn chaebol prince. He’d babbled about how he would come to love him, but now he hated him most in the world.
And a choice appeared before his eyes.
[Aing~ ☆⌒(ゝ。∂) (Melt his heart with aegyo.)]
[I’ll give you a kiss instead! ︶ε╰✿ (Propose a deal.)]
Wonyoung seriously considered whether he should press restoration mode here. However, he only had two chances left. Now was the time to watch the situation.
But even if he died…… even if he died soon, he hated ‘aing’……
He could endure ‘hiing’ but couldn’t endure ‘aing’.
“I’ll give you a kiss instead!”
In the end, Wonyoung abandoned ‘aing’ and stuck out his lips, and Taerim laughed as if dumbfounded and firmly pinched his plump lips like salted pollack roe.
“You’re audacious anyway.”
“Ooboo, oobooboo.”
“Understood. I’ll watch for now.”
Fortunately, Taerim quickly released Wonyoung and closed the door. Wonyoung ran at full speed to the front door and flung it open.
“Heegang!”
“Hm? You knew I was coming? Are you surveilling too?”
As if that would be the case.
“I, I just had that feeling. Haha. And listen, I have something to say……”
When Wonyoung gestured, Heegang lowered his eye level and brought his ear to Wonyoung.
“Keep it a secret that I’m Heo Wonyoung. Whether it’s Siyeon or Taerim-ssi.”
“……Doesn’t Ki Siyeon already know?”
“He doesn’t know the details. So, got it? It’s a secret?”
“A secret between just the two of us, I’m happy about that.”
Good, done. Thinking that, Wonyoung first got Taerim out of the bathroom.
“Why is that guy coming out from there?”
“Why is that guy here?”
Heegang and Taerim, who saw each other, spoke simultaneously, but Wonyoung ignored them and sat down thinking about eating the sushi first……
“Wonyoung-hyung! I’m here!”
At Siyeon’s energetic voice, Wonyoung stopped mid-sitting and pressed the magical girl button.
* * *
“Ooboo, oobooboo.”
When he turned back time 5 minutes, Wonyoung was again in the state of having his lips grabbed by Taerim. Fortunately, Taerim smiled and quickly released Wonyoung.
“Understood. I’ll watch for now.”
Wonyoung again hid Taerim in the bathroom, ran at full speed to greet Heegang, and this time, instead of bringing Taerim out, ran at full speed again and encountered Siyeon, who was just coming to the house.
“Siyeon!”
“Won……”
Wonyoung covered Siyeon’s mouth. Then, breathing heavily, he whispered.
“Don’t, call me, Wonyoung.”
“……”
“Promise?”
When Siyeon silently nodded, Wonyoung finally released Siyeon.
“Hyung, are you angry……?”
“N-no?”
At the sight of Siyeon asking with droopy eyebrows, Wonyoung only then regretted his actions, thinking he’d been too rough.
“Then why……? Why are you…… like that?”
“Well, um, Taerim-ssi and Heegang are at the house. Especially Taerim-ssi doesn’t know anything.”
“……Yes.”
At Wonyoung’s additional words, Siyeon’s expression hardened, but Wonyoung, exhausted from handling the incident, didn’t notice.
“Let’s go home first.”
Eventually, when Wonyoung said that and was about to turn around, Siyeon suddenly embraced Wonyoung.
“Hyung.”
Siyeon crumpled that large body and somehow burrowed into Wonyoung’s embrace, which was much smaller than his. Wonyoung smiled because it was so funny yet cute.
Of course, because of that weight, Wonyoung had to step back a few paces.
“Why again?”
“Hyung, I missed you.”
“Suddenly? ……You didn’t have something happen, did you?”
When Wonyoung asked worriedly, adding Siyeon’s occupation to the dream he’d had recently, Siyeon shook his head.
“Just. We haven’t been alone together lately. Last time too the nouveau riche butted in, and today other bastards are at the house too.”
“……”
“I know hyung has many precious people besides me, but I only have hyung.”
“Why are you saying that? Junseok-ssi was really worried about you too.”
At Wonyoung’s reprimand mixed with concern, Siyeon suddenly said.
“Hyung, I’m going to leave the organization.”
“……Huh?”
Wonyoung was flustered. It wouldn’t be something he suddenly decided. He’d heard things about it. But……
“Isn’t, isn’t it dangerous? Like cutting off fingers…… getting beaten up badly……”
At those words, Siyeon burst into laughter.
“No. There are conditions, but I’ve almost met them all.”
“……Really? Then you can just leave? Without problems?”
Siyeon, who answered ‘yes’, spoke with an awkward smile.
“But I haven’t thought about what I’ll do for a living from now on…… I have some money saved up.”
“What do you want to do? Should you study first? Do you hate studying? You’re smart so I think you’d do well. Or should you learn a skill? You’d have pretty good dexterity, wouldn’t you? No, maybe you don’t have anything that comes to mind right now. You need to rest too. Travel, how about travel?”
Listening to the excited Wonyoung pour out words, Siyeon’s expression became gentle.
“I like everything as long as I have hyung. I want to try traveling with hyung, and I want to learn and study from hyung.”
“Right, right, we have to do it all.”
Wonyoung nodded continuously. The fact that Siyeon could live an ordinary life, there was no better good news than this.
‘Still, I’m glad he’s leaving before seeing the ending.’
He didn’t know what the world after the ending would be like, but anyway, it was fortunate.
Wonyoung, whose mood had improved like that, smiled and entered the house, but somehow a chill was blowing from inside.
“Rae-ssi.”
“……Rae.”
It was because people who would be sad to be second in handsomeness were glaring at each other as if to devour one another.
Right. He’d forgotten about leaving Taerim-ssi in the bathroom.
Wonyoung gave an awkward smile.
“Haha. Did you two greet each other?”
Then Heegang quickly came to Wonyoung and said as if tattling.
“Rae, this person was hiding in your house.”
No, that’s not it. Wonyoung’s words were buried in Taerim’s rebuttal that followed.
“Do you think I’m a stalker like you? Rae-ssi told me to go in.”
“In the bathroom? Why? And what are you, going in just because you’re told to?”
“That’s……”
Taerim, whose facial muscles twitched for a moment as if displeased, recalled Wonyoung sticking out his lips and smiled.
“It’s none of your business.”
“Rae, I kind of want to kill that bastard.”
“It’s probably just your imagination.”
At times like this, changing the subject was best. Wonyoung quickly took the packaging bag Taerim was holding.
“Now now, everyone hasn’t had lunch yet, right? Taerim-ssi even bought sushi! Let’s share and eat.”
“It’s for 2 people though.”
“……”
At Taerim’s cold remark, Wonyoung deflated. Fortunately at least, all of his gongs were thoroughly prepared.
“I also bought Korean beef to grill and eat with you.”
“Hyung, I also brought packaged pasta. It’s from a really famous place.”
“Then that’s 6 servings!”
Wonyoung shed tears of joy inwardly. Thank goodness……
There won’t be any need to use restoration mode now, right? Wonyoung hoped desperately.
Anyway, like that, a harmonious East-West meal table of sushi, Korean beef, and pasta was set.
With three burly men and a small house owner sitting together in the narrow room, it felt like the room would burst, but somehow Wonyoung felt good. Perhaps thinking this might be the last time being with all of them…… he might have felt both glad and bittersweet.
“Rae, the ribs are all grilled. Hurry and try some.”
“Rae-ssi, it’s fatty tuna. Please eat this first.”
“Hyung, hyung, you know pasta isn’t good when it gets cold, right?”
“Hahaha, everyone, you can’t just shove everything in just because it all mixes in the stomach anyway. I only have one stomach and one mouth……”
Well, it wasn’t all entirely good.
Anyway, it was a pleasant time. And really fortunately, it seemed like nothing would happen.
For just a very brief moment.
