“No! I like it here. Oh, the room is really nice. Wow—”
Siyeon didn’t need to hear any more. He turned his back to Chae Yuno and set his coat down. Having Chae Yuno’s and Beom Yisu’s rooms on either side of his was a little unsettling — but the room itself was cozy. He liked it. At that, Chae Yuno smiled as though it were settled.
“Want to shower first? Or change clothes first?”
“……What for?”
“Hm? You need to rest. You’re not feeling well either. Sleep a little until hyung gets back.”
Siyeon shot him a suspicious look, and Chae Yuno made a wounded, exaggerated face. If Beom Yisu was the type whose expressionless face made him hard to read, Chae Yuno was the opposite — his emotions shifted so freely and visibly that it was somehow even harder to gauge what he actually meant.
He was an actor, wasn’t he? Unlike Siyeon, who fumbled through bad performances constantly, this was a man who would be expertly trained in hiding what was really going on inside.
Siyeon reminded himself not to take things at face value and glanced back at Chae Yuno. He was leaning in the doorframe — the posture of someone who looked like he was about to leave, but wasn’t leaving.
The moment Siyeon’s shoulders stiffened almost imperceptibly, Chae Yuno let his gaze sweep over him once — as if teasing — and then spoke.
“I’ll be in the room next door, so call me if you need anything. Left. Your left.”
Chae Yuno said “left” several more times than necessary and walked out. The door closed. Siyeon stared at it for a long moment. There were soft indoor clothes laid out for him, and he was still wondering whether it was alright to change — when his phone buzzed to life.
Since there was only one contact saved in it, he didn’t need to check who was calling.
[Beom Yisu]
Sure enough, the name blinking on the screen was his. Siyeon paused with his finger hovering over the answer button. Why is he calling again. That sideways thought flickered through him before he swallowed a breath and picked up.
— I’ve been informed that you’ve arrived.
Flat. Toneless. It was less of a check-in and more of a verification dressed in the clothes of one. Same voice as last night — nothing different — and yet Siyeon felt an inexplicable sense of being watched.
“Yes. I’ve arrived.”
— Report immediately if anything comes up. That’s what the phone is for.
“What kind of thing?”
Nothing inside this house was going to end him, surely. It wasn’t sarcasm — he genuinely wanted to know — but a brief silence settled in. Then Beom Yisu answered, as if he’d weighed something carefully.
— You said you were already acquainted with my partner?
“……If you mean Chae Yuno, yes. More or less.”
— I’ve asked him to show you around, so if you need anything, you can let him know.
He’d already been shown around and given a room. But what Siyeon needed to discuss with Beom Yisu wasn’t the furniture arrangement or what toiletries were missing — it was none of those small things. He got to the point.
“It’s not so much about needing anything…… it’s the contract you sent. There are things I want to revise. A few additional clauses.”
The moment Siyeon brought up the contract, Beom Yisu responded as though he’d been waiting for it.
— The contract will be settled tonight.
“Tonight?”
— I still have external appointments, so I won’t be home right away. Let’s sort it out face-to-face after I get back.
Effectively a notification, not a request. But Siyeon wasn’t in a position to push back, so he didn’t.
— Rest until then.
Tch. How am I supposed to rest when I’m on edge like this. But before he could even finish his reply, the call had already ended. The screen went dark.
Knock knock—
“Hey. I’m coming in for a sec.”
So much for resting — Chae Yuno’s voice slipped through the gap in the door. Siyeon resignedly told him to come in, and the door opened to reveal Chae Yuno holding a small tray. A lukewarm glass of water and something that looked like vitamins. A little fruit and some light snacks.
“Thought you might be running low on energy. Your face looked a little rough earlier.”
He’d been silently grumbling at him — and the tray was so thoughtfully put together that Siyeon felt a small stab of guilt. He reached out hesitantly and took it, and Chae Yuno followed up with a question.
“Wasn’t trying to eavesdrop, but — did hyung just call? What did he say?”
“……That we’ll all go over the contract together when he’s done for the day.”
“Mm. The contract.”
Chae Yuno shrugged. He had the look of someone with something on his mind.
“Alright. Give me your phone.”
“Why?”
“Why do you think — so I can save my number in it.”
Chae Yuno plucked the phone from Siyeon’s hand, punched in his own number, and called himself. The phone that had previously held only Beom Yisu’s contact now gained a new entry — saved as babe♥, courtesy of Chae Yuno himself.
Of course, since he’d been the one to type it in, it was a name Siyeon intended to change the moment he left.
“Now actually rest. Let me know if you need anything.”
Siyeon nodded, and the door closed. The sound of footsteps faded down the corridor.
The contract is tonight. Just keep your head straight.
The clauses he’d organized through the night cycled quickly through his mind. Starting with the pheromone partner terms. Clauses pertaining to pregnancy. There was a lot to go over, and his head was undeniably heavy. Maybe it was the sleepless night — his eyes were starting to close on their own. This isn’t the time to be lying around like this — the thought came and went, but it wasn’t enough to fight the weight of his eyelids pulling shut.
***
Thud-thud!
The knocking was loud. Eyes flying open, Siyeon blinked groggily at the window, where dusk had already settled outside without him noticing.
“Hey. Come downstairs for dinner!”
He’d only meant to close his eyes for a moment — and he’d slept like the dead. This is my problem. The second I relax, I’m out. A brief self-reproach, and then Siyeon caught a glimpse of his swollen eyes in the mirror and splashed water into his palm. The hair he’d sloppily pressed down kept doing its own thing, but he couldn’t bring himself to care.
He’d barely gotten the puffiness under control before heading downstairs — and waiting at the far end of the corridor, leaning against the wall, was Chae Yuno.
“Looks like you slept well. Feeling any better?”
“Oh, yeah……”
He’d put up every guard imaginable and then collapsed into deep sleep anyway — Siyeon answered with a vaguely sheepish mumble. Just then, movement came from the entryway. Beom Yisu must have just walked in — he was shrugging off his coat and draping it over the sofa, loosening his tie. His eyes swept up the staircase. Taking in Chae Yuno, and Siyeon standing behind him.
“Come down. The contract needs to be signed.”
He kept thinking it, but Beom Yisu’s manner of speaking was genuinely peculiar. It seemed more polite than Chae Yuno, who addressed him with careless informality — but then came that creeping sensation of wait, is this actually an order?
Not that it matters much.
The moment Siyeon lifted his hand from the banister and took a step forward, Chae Yuno moved first.
“Hold on. Before that, let’s eat. Our babe must be hungry.”
Beom Yisu’s gaze cut across — weary and sharp at the edges. But then, almost immediately —
Grumble. Siyeon’s stomach made its feelings known without giving him even a moment to brace for it. The rumbling rang out embarrassingly loud, and even Siyeon himself was caught off guard. He should have eaten at least some of the snacks Chae Yuno had brought. Siyeon ducked his head in mortification, and Beom Yisu’s brow creased faintly.
“You were with him this whole time and left him without food?”
It was close to a reprimand — but Chae Yuno batted it away without missing a beat.
“And who was it that called him over and showed up late? Even sent Secretary Han to pick him up instead of coming yourself. If that’s how it was going to be, I would’ve brought him myself.”
“In that flashy car of yours? Sure. You’d just end up with your picture taken by journalists.”
“I have quiet cars too, you know? Did you think I only have one or two?”
“Your spending habits are as excessive as ever.”
“Mind your own business — I bought it with money I earned. Have you ever contributed a single won?”
He hadn’t expected to be caught in the middle of a marital spat, face-to-face like this. And with himself wedged between them, no less. It was also considerably more petty than he’d anticipated. In the book, it was…… I don’t know, there was more atmosphere to it somehow. Siyeon sat on pins and needles, glancing back and forth between the two, before quickly cutting in.
“No, no! It’s because I was tired and kept sleeping. And earlier — he brought me snacks too.”
The words tumbled out in a rush. Chae Yuno didn’t waste the opening. He leaned in and pressed close to Siyeon’s side.
“Babe, I’m hurt. You saw what hyung was saying, right?”
A large hand settled naturally around Siyeon’s shoulder. Siyeon, expression growing increasingly uncomfortable, slid a glance toward Beom Yisu. His face was still unreadable as ever — but it was unmistakably clear that his mood had soured.
“……I’m hungry! Can we please eat first?”
“Sure, let’s eat. You said you like Korean food, right?”
Siyeon made a point of clutching his stomach with exaggerated desperation, purely to break the tension. Chae Yuno steered him toward the dining table and pulled out a chair with easy familiarity.
“Sit here.”
It was the seat next to him. But at the same moment, Beom Yisu had also lightly tapped the spot beside himself with his fingertips. He said nothing — but the intent was unmistakable.
What exactly are these two trying to do right now.
