“You just need to take off your shoes and put on slippers.”
Min-jun took out a pair of white slippers from the shoe cabinet and placed them in front of Do-hwa. As Do-hwa entered, he felt suffocated and wanted to leave again, but realizing he couldn’t overpower Min-jun, he didn’t dare to attempt it. With a resignedly heavy heart, he tried to take off his sneakers, but they didn’t come off easily. He hastily tried to exert force on his heels, but it wasn’t easy.
Then Min-jun sat down and personally helped Do-hwa take off his sneakers. His movements were so gentle that Do-hwa momentarily thought he was receiving a massage or something.
“I must have tied the shoelaces too tightly.”
Min-jun grinned sheepishly. Truth be told, these sneakers were ones Min-jun had offered, knowing they were ones Do-hwa frequently wore. They looked brand new to anyone else, but Do-hwa had pretended to be fooled and had put them on.
“I’ll set it up so you can easily take them off next time.”
With a smile, Min-jun even helped Do-hwa put on his slippers. At that moment, Do-hwa felt peculiar. It was because he felt like Min-jun knew him inside out. As the awkwardness lingered, Min-jun also took off his loafers and changed into slippers. Then he took Do-hwa’s hand again and led him into the house.
The overall interior of the house was similar to when Do-hwa had visited last spring, but there were some changes here and there. First of all, roses and freesias were placed in vases scattered around. These flowers were ones Do-hwa usually liked. The living room shelves were filled with picture frames. As he looked at the photos inserted there, Do-hwa shivered once again.
It was a scene of himself and Min-jun providing each other with moral support in the hospital room. Do-hwa had injured his left arm during a volunteer activity at a sheep farm during the summer break, thanks to a child who had come to visit there.
At that time, one of their classmates had brought a camera and took a picture to commemorate their discharge from the hospital. Do-hwa had received the photo through a group chat and had saved it on his phone, but it seemed Min-jun had printed it out and put it in a frame.
The problem was that there wasn’t just one photo like this. All the frames scattered around were filled with pictures of Do-hwa and Min-jun. Min-jun was usually quite affectionate, and seeing that in pictures made them look like a couple. While Do-hwa did often hang out with him, he hadn’t expected there to be this many photos. Do-hwa sensed that his plan to pin Min-jun down was going awry.
“Seonbae, I’ll guide you here too.”
Min-jun said, leading him by the hand to their destination, which turned out to be the bathroom.
“There’s one in the bedroom too, but this one is bigger.”
There were two toothbrushes, one pink and one blue, placed on the sink. Seeing this sight, Do-hwa’s feelings became complicated. That pink toothbrush looked identical to the one he had used when he stayed in this house last spring. Could it be that he had kept the toothbrush he used back then…? He shuddered at the thought.
Because of the two toothbrushes, Do-hwa felt even more like he was living together with Min-jun. Min-jun introduced him to various parts of the house: the kitchen, a small room, the balcony, and so on. Everywhere exuded an atmosphere that hinted at couples living together. Do-hwa felt his head getting increasingly tangled with thoughts.
“Here’s the dressing room.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Before he knew it, Do-hwa found himself stepping into the dressing room. It was his first time seeing this place since he hadn’t had a reason to go the last time he visited.
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With this, Do-hwa realized that Min-jun was not just wealthy but incredibly affluent, perhaps even a diamond spoon.
“Seonbae, your clothes and shoes are here.”
Do-hwa turned his head at Min-jun’s voice. There, he saw unfamiliar clothes, shoes, and other accessories. Everything, including the design and material, looked luxurious, and just looking at them made his eyes sting. Each item seemed to match Do-hwa’s taste. However, they were all things he could never afford with his budget, as someone who enjoyed visiting low-cost shopping malls.
Do-hwa barely managed to close his gaping mouth in astonishment before looking up at Min-jun.
“These are my clothes? I don’t own such expensive clothes.”
“It was a gift from me.”
“What?”
“Seonbae, your clothes got lost when you moved.”
Already feeling overwhelmed in many ways, Do-hwa couldn’t help but wonder what nonsense this was.
“Actually, it was the fault of the moving company, but I still feel sorry, so I filled it up.”
Whether it was another lie from Min-jun or the truth, it was astonishing either way. And Do-hwa felt like crying.
“Does that mean all my belongings are lost?”
“No, seonbae. Your belongings were safely moved without any losses. Come this way.”
Min-jun took Do-hwa’s hand and led him out of the dressing room into another room.
The spacious and tidy interior stood out. On either side, there were large bookshelves. In the center, there was a wide desk, and on top of it, there was an all-in-one computer and a tablet. The chair looked like an office chair, but it was so comfortable that it could almost pass for a bed.
“This is the study where seonbae and I do assignments or personal work.”
Min-jun stood in front of the desk and opened a drawer. Inside were Do-hwa’s belongings, like his bankbook, wallet, and personal seal. Do-hwa rummaged through the drawer and soon found a round, flat keychain with an antique design. It had a lid, and when he pressed a small button at the end, it opened. Inside was a neatly tucked photo of a middle-aged man. Do-hwa sighed in relief and closed the lid again. His heart, which had been turbulent like a storm just moments ago, began to calm down.
“Is it something precious?”
Even if Min-jun lied about being lovers, he couldn’t have pretended to know about this item. Do-hwa had never shown or mentioned the existence of this keychain to anyone. And he had no intention of doing so in the future, either. Do-hwa put the keychain back into the drawer and closed it.
“Ah… What… Huh? My books are all here too?”
Do-hwa changed the subject as he looked at the bookshelf. His textbooks and reports were neatly arranged, all of them feeling like they were brought from his own studio apartment. Min-jun didn’t give any particular response and was staring intently at the drawer. It seemed he was bothered by the keychain from earlier. However, Do-hwa found Min-jun’s attention burdensome and uncomfortable. Perhaps it would be better to move to a different space altogether.
“Show me to another room.”
“Alright, I’ll guide you to the bedroom now.”
Min-jun once again took Do-hwa’s hand and led the way, taking his gaze away from the drawer. Upon reflection, he wondered why he was doing this when Do-hwa could easily follow on his own. Moreover, Do-hwa’s hand was still sweaty, which made him uncomfortable… Min-jun’s actions seemed inexplicable and perplexing.
ꕥꕥꕥ
“Wow…”
Do-hwa’s mouth fell open in surprise as he faced the bedroom. It seemed to be the same room where he had stayed for a night last spring, but the atmosphere was completely different now. The room was filled with roses, and the sheets were a soft pink. Curtains were drawn, and only mood lights were softly lit, creating a cozy yet mysterious ambiance. Above all else…
“Isn’t this doll mine?”
Do-hwa picked up the rabbit doll lying on the bed. It was something he had won from a claw machine with Lee Jihoon after drinking. He had brought it back as a souvenir, but he had no interest in such stuffed toys, so he had stored it away in a corner of his closet.
“Yeah, it is. I put it up because it’s cute. Plus, it kind of looks like you, seonbae.”
“Oh…”
Lee Jihoon had also said the same thing as Min-jun. He had teased Do-hwa, laughing and telling him not to throw away the doll because it looked just like him. However, Min-jun’s expression was somewhat serious, which made Do-hwa feel a bit uncomfortable. So, he carefully placed the doll back on the bed.
Having checked around so far, if Do-hwa really had amnesia, he might have believed that he and Min-jun were lovers. Especially since this bedroom seemed to be the final piece of the puzzle.
Do-hwa felt like he had been caught by a lunatic, and his whole body felt prickly.
“Seonbae.”
In the midst of this, Min-jun pulled Do-hwa into a tight hug from behind. His arms were strong, radiating power.
“From now on, we can live together here.”
“Oh… I…”
“During the day… and at night…”
Min-jun’s lips eventually lingered on Do-hwa’s ear.
Do-hwa took a step back as he was startled by Min-jun’s lascivious breath. Min-jun’s gaze felt piercing. Do-hwa was feeling intimidated, as he wanted to avoid this situation as it was too uncomfortable.
He couldn’t understand why this bastard, after lying about being lovers, was now getting physically close. He felt that if he got swept up any further, things could become even more dangerous. So, he resolved to express his intentions.
“Min-jun, to be honest, I still can’t believe that I was your lover. So, I… I want to take things slowly.”
Right now, at this moment, Do-hwa felt like he was speaking from inside a freezer.
“…”
Min-jun remained silent, not saying another word. His silence deepened Do-hwa’s tension, and he couldn’t bring himself to meet Min-jun’s eyes, instead lowering his head. Objectively speaking, both of them were lying, but Do-hwa found himself in a more disadvantageous position. Above all, he didn’t know where to turn, like throwing a fire extinguisher. If Min-jun were to strike him, Do-hwa was prepared to kick him between the legs and run away.
But…
“Okay.”
Min-jun’s gentle voice sounded unexpectedly. Do-hwa was startled as he lifted his head and met Min-jun’s blue eyes. There was grace in his eyes and a slight smile on his lips. It was the kind-hearted hubae, Cha Min-jun, that Do-hwa had always known.
“Since we have plenty of time, let’s take it slow. Oh, there’s a strand of hair.”
Min-jun brushed Do-hwa’s cheek. The touch of his hand strangely felt unusually warm on Do-hwa’s cheek. It was a feeling that made his heart beat strangely faster.
