“If you’re sleepy, sleep more. Sleep as much as you want.”
“Lately… I feel like I’ve been sleeping a lot. Even at the café, I keep getting drowsy.”
“It’s for sure. I might have to raise you again.”
With a mischievous and lower-than-usual morning voice, Kwon Taejung, who had opened his eyes, met eyes with Yigyeom, who was now looking up at him. Yigyeom tilted his head as if he had something to say, and then opened his mouth slightly.
“Director, your voice is… really nice.”
“Do you like my voice?”
“…Yes.”
“Does it turn you on?”
Unable to answer, Yigyeom buried his face in Kwon Taejung’s chest again, seeking refuge. The sensation of being surrounded by the overwhelming cuteness enveloped Kwon Taejung’s entire body. Kwon Taejung continued to shower Yigyeom’s cheeks, ears, and hair with kisses. Yigyeom neither denied nor affirmed, but the fact that he didn’t deny it and couldn’t answer was beautiful and made Kwon Taejung feel like he was going crazy.
“Show me your face. I haven’t seen it for a long time because of sleeping.”
Kwon Taejung, nonchalantly throwing out words that would make others cringe, chuckled again while looking at Yigyeom lifting his head in response to those words. Indeed, Kwon Taejung and Yigyeom got along very well.
As I showered Yigyeom with love expressions, he eagerly consumed them all without letting any of it go to waste. Yigyeom, who loved every tickling expression I threw at him, was truly delightful.
“Kisses.”
When he extended his lips, Yigyeom followed suit, sticking his lips out and raising his head. They kissed, making a kissing sound twice, five times, ten times, and naturally, their lips met in a way that filled Kwon Taejung’s heart with all his feelings.
“Um…”
Hugging Yigyeom’s body and kissing him more deeply, Kwon Taejung inserted his hand into the T-shirt and touched the smooth back and waist, then pulled him close.
“Oh, right. I have something to say, Yigyeom.”
Yigyeom recalled the previous night at Kwon Taejung’s words. Kwon Taejung had said the same thing to him before going to answer the phone. It seemed like he had waited to hear it, but since he couldn’t wait, he must have fallen asleep after that.
“I’m sorry… I fell asleep while waiting for you.”
“No, it’s fine. You can listen now. Hmm, let’s go. Let’s go out and talk while having breakfast. I want to see your face in a bright place. There’s something to show you too.”
“I also have something to tell you. It’s nothing special, but…”
With the intention of getting Kwon Taejung’s approval, Yigyeom planned to tell him that he wanted to take on another part-time job and interview at a new editing shop nearby the café.
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.
He felt that Kwon Taejung wouldn’t be opposed to taking on another part-time job, but still, he wanted to convey his efforts to become a better person to help pay off the debt. Kwon Taejung was understanding and broad-minded.
“Yt? Qtja lr la? P’w meglber. Ofa’r ub delmxis. P kjca ab tfjg la rbbc.”
Vwlilcu, Bkbc Kjfpecu jcv Tlusfbw, ktb tjv gjlrfv tlr tfjv jujlc, ifoa atf yfv jcv tfjvfv bea bo atf gbbw. Bkbc Kjfpecu, kfjglcu bcis atf gbeutis qeiifv K-rtlga bc abq, mbcolvfcais qea lc atf mbooff yfjcr jcv ygfkfv mbooff. Vbbc, atf ogjugjca jgbwj bo mbooff rqgfjv atgbeutbea atf xlamtfc.
“Are you going to eat cereal?”
“Yes, this is really delicious. When you eat it, the milk turns into chocolate milk, and that’s tasty too. It also has marshmallows in it.”
Kwon Taejung, who chuckled as he watched Yigyeom explaining while holding a blue cereal box and pointing to the drawings on it, took a sip of his coffee. Lately, Yigyeom had become deeply immersed in the fun of eating cereal for breakfast. It was a chocolate-flavored cereal shaped like a donut, just as Yigyeom described, with marshmallows inside that made it extremely sweet and appealing.
“Do you want some too, Director?”
“No, I’m good with just coffee.”
“It’s delicious…”
“Then, feed me when you eat it. I’m curious because you say it’s delicious.”
Seeing Yigyeom eagerly offering him a taste, Kwon Taejung took out milk from the refrigerator, placed it on the table, and went back to his room to get the envelope containing the loan agreement. The thought of Yigyeom smiling brightly as he saw what was inside filled his mind.
“Director, please try it.”
Holding a cereal bowl preciously, Yigyeom poured milk in it and stirred it properly, then scooped a spoonful and offered it to Kwon Taejung. Although he felt a bit concerned about the sweetness just by looking at it, Kwon Taejung opened his mouth willingly, nodding as he tasted the sweet cereal and marshmallows.
“Well, it’s not bad. Tastes better than I expected.”
Seeing Kwon Taejung speaking positively, Yigyeom, who had already turned the milk into chocolate color, scooped a spoonful of cereal into his mouth.
“Should I speak first?”
“You go first, Director. You’ve been waiting since yesterday.”
“Well, shall I? Here, this. A present.”
Kwon Taejung swiftly pushed a bag containing the loan agreement toward Yigyeom. Yigyeom, who was munching away, looked at the bag with his eyes after seeing Kwon Taejung’s gesture.
“You can look. It’s yours.”
Only then did Yigyeom carefully take the bag, opened it, and found a thin piece of paper inside. With an expression that showed he had no idea what to expect, Yigyeom’s eyes widened at the three letters written at the top: “Loan Agreement.”
“Is it… How…”
Debtor Goo Daebom. Creditor Yeon Gyuhak. Yigyeom’s eyes shook as he read his grandfather’s name.
Under the amount of one hundred and fifty million won were details about when the money was borrowed and the interest rate. The last line stated that Yeon Yigyeom would repay the debt if the debtor failed to do so by the specified date or breached the agreement. It was written in his grandfather’s handwriting.
“How… is this possible?”
“Now you don’t have to worry about the debt. I met Goo Daebom yesterday, and it’s all settled.”
Yigyeom’s eyes, quietly listening to Kwon Taejung’s words, shook once again. Although the words were not difficult and there were no confusing terms, they didn’t easily register.
“…What is that…”
Smiling at the surprised Yigyeom, Kwon Taejung patiently explained the situation to him once again, making sure Yigyeom could fully comprehend.
“Now you don’t have any debts, Yigyeom. You don’t have to suffer because of that.”
“…Ah…”
Yigyeom’s eyes, finally grasping Kwon Taejung’s words, widened significantly. It meant that Kwon Taejung had paid off all of Goo Daebom’s remaining debts on his behalf. A significant debt of nearly 300 million won.
“Surprised, huh?”
“…When did you meet him?”
“When you were working. After Goo Daebom got released, I attached someone to him. I was worried he might come after me or take it out on you.”
“…”
“Thinking it was quiet, I went to Daram-dong a few days ago. After hearing that, I thought it’s time to end it for real. So, I met him right away and settled everything cleanly.”
In Yigyeom’s mind, the faces of Kwon Taejung’s sister and brother, who had such a different atmosphere from him and were looking for a new part-time job all day long, flashed by.
It had been just one day since he thought he should strive to become a person who would suit Kwon Taejung even a little bit more. However, so many things had suddenly changed.
“…”
He really didn’t want to cause any more trouble for Kwon Taejung. Though he was grateful and happy for Kwon Taejung’s consideration, he wanted to handle at least the debt, the debt that had now become his responsibility. This thought had only formed in his mind just a day ago. Yet, Kwon Taejung was now telling him that the effort had paid off.
“…”
He no longer wanted to, really didn’t want to burden Kwon Taejung. Although the heartwarming feeling of being cared for was appreciated, he couldn’t feel relieved now that the burden of the three billion won debt that had been weighing on him was suddenly lifted.
“…”
The emotions Kwon Taejung was talking about were not something he could currently comprehend. The debt that had been pressing on him all this time, amounting to nearly three billion won, had disappeared. It should have felt liberating, relieving, but he didn’t feel that way. All that filled his mind and heart was the overwhelming sense of guilt and embarrassment at the thought of Kwon Taejung’s face.
Yigyeom lowered his head and bit his lip. He knew he had to say something, but right now, he couldn’t figure out what to say to Kwon Taejung.
“Yigyeom.”
As soon as his parted lips opened again, tears started streaming down. Surprised, Kwon Taejung quickly got up from his seat, came over to Yigyeom’s side, held his face with both hands, and gently wiped away the tears.
“Are you very surprised?”
“I…I don’t know what to say… I’m not sure… it’s just so sudden… and I’m sorry.”
Yigyeom had thought that if he heard that all the debts were resolved, he might cry. However, the tears Kwon Taejung imagined were not like this. Tears of joy were expected, not tears so close to sadness. It left Yigyeom with complex feelings.
“No need to apologize, really. Ah, right. Earlier, you said you had something to tell me too, Yigyeom? Tell me. I’m curious.”
Trying to lighten the mood, Kwon Taejung asked, stroking Yigyeom’s moist cheek.
“I…I wanted to take on another part-time job, so I looked into it yesterday. It’s a cafe not far from here, and it’s a new… editing shop. They said I only need to work from ten to four. I’m going for an interview tomorrow…”
“You want to take on another part-time job? You don’t need to do that now. You don’t have to do any more difficult work.”
Even though the large debt was gone, and there was no need for more hard work, Yigyeom couldn’t feel the joy. He felt like he had lost the path he had just decided to take to become a better person for Kwon Taejung.
“…I wanted to work harder and pay off the debt a bit, even a little faster.”
“Still, it’s a relief you found out before going to the interview. Let’s say you can’t go tomorrow. If you apologize, they’ll understand. I should have resolved it sooner; I’m sorry.”
Yigyeom stared blankly at Kwon Taejung apologizing. Hearing apologies from Kwon Taejung, who had spent an unthinkable amount of money to clear the debt, made his heart pound loudly. Why? Why was Kwon Taejung apologizing to him?
“In fact, I wanted to resolve it from the beginning, but I was worried it might burden you. We weren’t even close until recently.”
“…”
“But now, it’s okay. What’s yours is mine, and what’s mine is yours.”
Kwon Taejung looked at Yigyeom, who kept shedding tears the more he spoke. It seemed that it wasn’t tears of joy but something else. The more convinced he became that it wasn’t because of happiness, the more his heart swayed strangely.
“Yigyeom, why are you crying like this?”
“I’m sorry…”
Yigyeom, wiping away his tears, finally lifted his head and looked at Kwon Taejung. He didn’t want to be a burden to Kwon Taejung, and contrary to his thoughts, he felt too sorry for constantly causing trouble and only receiving help, making it even embarrassing to meet his eyes.
My heart just goes to Yigyeom. my babyyy 🥹
Thank youuu for the update 💕💕💕
Poor baby🥺🥺🥺🥺. Yigyeom is struggling with his self worth.