Chapter 29

On a late autumn morning, the house felt chilly. Naru, asleep on the sofa, pulled the thick blanket to his chin and shivered; the large, empty living room only amplified the cold.

Gyu-yeon woke to Naru’s whimpering and came into the living room. He casually walked over, lifted the quilt he had been using, and draped it over Naru. The whimpering finally subsided.

Leaving Naru asleep, Gyu-yeon went to the kitchen and made a simple breakfast—sliced tomatoes, scrambled eggs, and toasted bread. A fairly decent meal was set out.

A cup on the table held milk, another had freshly brewed coffee. By the time the drinks were ready, a little over thirty minutes had passed.

“Hey, wake up.”

“……”

Gyu-yeon came into the living room and poked at Naru, sprawled on the sofa, to wake him. Sometimes Naru got up at dawn and made a mess in the kitchen; last night he’d watched TV until late and fallen asleep like this.

Staring at Naru’s face, Gyu-yeon wondered whether he should just leave him sleeping. He breathed softly like a baby, and his peaceful, cute expression made Gyu-yeon want to leave him alone.

Ah—what am I thinking.

Lately, every time he looked at Naru he thought he was cute—not just his face, but his actions and the atmosphere he gave off had a strangely compelling pull.

Snapping back to himself, Gyu-yeon slapped his own cheek a couple of times. Lately it had become a problem how easily he lost his composure over Naru.

“What are you doing?”

“Whoa! Shit, you scared me.”

“……”

Naru, who had opened his eyes without him noticing, stared at Gyu-yeon with a blank expression. He was flustered to see him as soon as he woke, but it was a pleasant fluster. Grinning, he grabbed the hem of Gyu-yeon’s clothes and stood up. A delicious smell had been teasing his nose for a while—apparently Gyu-yeon had made breakfast.

“What are you staring at? Come and eat breakfast. I have to leave early.”

“Where are you going? Can’t you take me with you?”

“I’m going to take you, so eat quickly.”

Now he no longer needed to plead—Gyu-yeon would just take him along. Naru was genuinely happy. He had always worried that Gyu-yeon might leave him behind, so he felt proud that such incidents had decreased recently.

Sitting across from each other at the table, the two began to eat. Naru focused solely on his food, busy moving his spoon, while Gyu-yeon leisurely sipped his coffee and checked his phone.

Gyu-yeon’s schedule on the screen looked full. Today was the first day for the new employee, Do-min, so he needed to get there early. It had been a while since they’d hired someone, and Gyu-yeon resolved to treat the new hire well—busy season was coming soon, and it would be troublesome if they quit.

As Naru scooped a heaping spoonful of scrambled eggs into his mouth, he darted his eyes to steal a look at Gyu-yeon’s phone. Naru didn’t have a phone yet, so he was curious about what Gyu-yeon was staring at so intently.

“What are you looking at?”

“My schedule.”

“Why are you looking at that?”

“To check today’s tasks.”

“What are you doing today?”

A barrage of questions fell again. Gyu-yeon answered curtly without taking his eyes off the screen. Naru, not satisfied, asked more questions. Only after several asks did Gyu-yeon finally avert his gaze from the phone.

Now he’ll get mad and say I’m doing it on purpose, right? Gyu-yeon always did that.

Waiting for the scolding, Naru counted in his head: one, two, three, four, five. But even after five, Gyu-yeon’s irritated voice did not return. He usually got annoyed at this point—why was he quiet now?

“It’s the new employee’s first day, so I’m going to stop by briefly.”

“……”

Gyu-yeon had become strange.

He’d started acting like this after returning from the café tour. He, who was usually irritated as a matter of course, for some reason answered gently and even gave a faint smile. It wasn’t that Naru disliked this behavior, but it felt awkward because he couldn’t get used to it.

Naru began to watch for signs. Was he simply in a good mood? No matter how he looked, there didn’t seem to be anything that would make him happy. It was strange.

“New employee?”

“Yeah, the one we saw the other time.”

“Ah……”

That cat-like person—Naru’s face twisted for a moment. If it was a new employee, he must mean Do-min, the one they saw at the café last time. Something about him rubbed Naru the wrong way.

Naru hoped Gyu-yeon wouldn’t work with Do-min. Do-min gave off a familiar vibe that oddly provoked irritation; seeing him felt like facing a haughty cat.

Would Gyu-yeon chase that cat-like man away? Hmm.

If he didn’t fire that employee, Naru would have no choice but to follow closely and keep watch himself. As he shoveled food from his plate with his spoon, he set a determined expression as if making a vow. Gyu-yeon noticed that face and couldn’t help but crack a small smile.

“Why are you smiling?”

“Did I just smile?”

“You did.”

“I didn’t. And I’m asking out of curiosity—why do you always use informal speech at times like this?”

Frowning at Naru’s casual speech, Gyu-yeon asked in disbelief. He had never brought it up before, but Naru habitually used informal speech at odd times. It wasn’t rebellious or anything.

Hit on the nerve, Naru zipped his mouth shut and refused to answer. At times like this he was unusually stubborn. Gyu-yeon gave up and cleared the plates, knowing Naru would do it anyway; he had no intention of nagging.

Misunderstanding Gyu-yeon’s action, Naru quickly jumped up and grabbed him. He usually timidly held only the hem of Gyu-yeon’s clothes, but this time he was so urgent he wrapped his arms around Gyu-yeon’s waist.

Startled by Naru’s sudden skinship, Gyu-yeon froze. Every time Naru’s small body pressed against his back he felt warmth, and the feeling made him oddly soft and fuzzy, to the point that he found it hard even to swallow.

“Hey, why are you acting like this all of a sudden?”

“I’ll keep using polite speech……”

“What are you saying? You won’t stick to it anyway. Do whatever you want.”

“Really?”

“You talk as if you ever ask for permission.”

Feigning annoyance, Gyu-yeon carefully removed the arms wrapped around his waist. Naru, who had been hugging him without realizing it, belatedly felt disappointed and pouted.

Why the lip-smacking fuss? If you looked closely, the kid had a lewd little side.

Glancing at Naru, Gyu-yeon tried to clear his head and loaded the dishwasher. Oblivious to Gyu-yeon’s unsettled feelings, Naru calmly went to wash up; his relaxed back left Gyu-yeon staring with a hollow expression.

After washing, Naru picked out the neatest, prettiest clothes he had and got dressed—the outfit Gyu-yeon had bought him at the department store. He nodded at himself in the mirror.

This is good enough. I won’t be embarrassed even if Gyu-yeon is next to me!

After getting ready, Naru sat on the sofa and watched a dog documentary while he waited for Gyu-yeon. As the routine repeated, it had naturally become familiar.

“Why do you keep watching that?”

“They’re pitiful, the dogs……”

Gyu-yeon, heading to the dressing room, glanced at the TV and shook his head; he couldn’t understand why Naru always cried at that documentary. He couldn’t see what’s so appealing about a program that deliberately shows only pitiful scenes.

Today, watching another heartbreaking clip, Naru sniffled. Gyu-yeon, having changed his clothes, looked genuinely fed up and handed him a tissue.

“Don’t watch that. You cry every time you see it.”

“Ugh, still, watching it makes me feel at ease……”

“Someone who says it makes them feel at ease cries? Are you crying? Anyway, wipe your tears and come out quickly.”

“……”

“Don’t look at me with that face, okay?”

Naru’s crying face was a little dangerous. His eyes and nose reddened, his moist, tear-filled eyes so mournful they tugged at the heart. On top of that, his round face added an extra cute charm.

Gyu-yeon felt he couldn’t handle that face. So when Naru cried, he would intentionally grumble more and avoid looking at him. He had just done that.

Oblivious to the reason, Naru roughly wiped his tears and clung to Gyu-yeon like a piece of gum. His still-moist face reminded Gyu-yeon of a soft peach. Gyu-yeon turned his head sharply and drove straight to the parking lot.

Naru, much shorter than Gyu-yeon, had to half-run to match his stride. With the subdued patter of his steps, Gyu-yeon shortened his stride so as not to make it obvious and opened the car door.

“Get in.”

Naru climbed into the passenger seat and waited for Gyu-yeon to get in beside him. He knew Gyu-yeon wouldn’t leave him, but it had become a habit to obsessively watch his movements.

As soon as Gyu-yeon sat in the driver’s seat, he leaned toward Naru and naturally fastened his seatbelt. He used to wait for Naru to put it on himself, but now he did it for him without being told.

Naru’s mouth curled into a smile at the increasingly affectionate gesture. They used to spar over who would fasten the seatbelt every time they got in the car, but even that had become a memory now.

Gyu-yeon started the car smoothly and glanced at the passenger seat throughout the drive. Watching the scenery outside, Naru noticed Gyu-yeon’s reflection in the window and quietly turned his head. Gyu-yeon then looked forward as if nothing had happened.

What is this? What is Gyu-yeon doing?

Naru averted his gaze, pretending to look out the window, but stared intently at Gyu-yeon. Sure enough, it wasn’t his imagination when their eyes met—Gyu-yeon was glancing at him again.

“Did I do something wrong…?”

“Ah shit, you scared me.”

“Because you keep staring at me.”

“When did I?”

Oh, Gyu-yeon was lying.

Naru stifled a quiet giggle and shook his head. Whether it was a lie or not, he was happy just knowing Gyu-yeon had been looking at him, so he decided to let it go.

When Naru looked away, Gyu-yeon broke into a cold sweat. Not long ago he had bulldozed through his emotions, and now he was suddenly indifferent—he felt awkward about it.

Why is he like that all of a sudden? When was he all over me? Now he pretends not to know me?

Gyu-yeon, misinterpreting things on his own and scowling, stomped on the accelerator. He had purposely been slowing down thinking they might talk a lot before arriving at the café, but Naru staring out the window upset him.

Startled by the sudden increase in speed, Naru glanced over and silently burst into laughter. Gyu-yeon’s sulky expression was somehow cute.