Chapter 64

“For now, stay home.”

“I want to go out too, though…”

A dark cloud fell over Naru’s face. Because his suddenly popped-out ears meant he couldn’t go to work with Gyu-yeon.

After finishing his shower, Gyu-yeon looked pityingly at Naru curled up on the sofa. He was so upset that the area around Naru even seemed dim.

Naru, who had been looking enviously at Gyu-yeon preparing for work, darted into the bathroom. He was getting ready just in case.

Gyu-yeon changed his clothes and came out before Naru could cling to him. There wasn’t much time until work, so he needed to get out the door as quickly as possible.

Once Naru clung to someone he never let go. It was worse when her desire to go out was strong. Despite being small, he was stubborn and would do whatever it took to get what he wanted.

Ssssh.

The sound of water trickling from the bathroom leaked out. Gyu-yeon planned to slip out of the house during this gap.

It was then. Beyond the bathroom door came Naru’s loud shout.

“Gyu-yeon! I disappeared!”

His voice reflected Naru’s mood perfectly. He was surely excited and stamping his feet by now.

Anyway, it was a relief that the ears had disappeared. He had quietly worried about what he’d do if they never went away, but apparently they weren’t always out. Gyu-yeon carefully removed his hand from the doorknob.

Clack!

“My ears disappeared!”

“Hey, dry off properly before you come out.”

“See, they’re gone. I’m going out. I have to go to work.”

The bathroom door opened and Naru ran out wrapped in a towel. He was so urgent he didn’t even dry off. Gyu-yeon looked despairingly at the floor becoming a sea of water.

Naru kept thrusting his head at Gyu-yeon. He didn’t care about the dripping water; the most important thing was having him check whether his ears had gone in.

As Gyu-yeon absentmindedly fiddled with his hair, he naturally draped the towel more securely. It was odd that the ears were gone, but for now he had to deal with the water dripping from his hair.

“You’ll catch a cold.”

“I can go to work now, right?”

“Yes, you can. But if your ears suddenly pop out while we’re outside…”

Gyu-yeon trailed off thinking about that possibility, and Naru shook his head vigorously.

A similar thing had happened when they worked on the farm before. At night his ears and tail would pop out, and by morning they’d be gone as if nothing had happened.

Today’s popping-out would be the same. Since they’d gone in once, it was likely they wouldn’t come back out for a while.

“No, it’s fine.”

“Do you like going to work that much?”

“Yeah, a new person is coming today.”

He liked going to work. More than half of salary workers said the word ‘going to work’ made them sick, but Naru was different. Gyu-yeon hadn’t exactly forced him to go, yet he booted away the chance to rest.

A new person. Right, today was the day a new employee would come.

For Naru, who loved meeting people, it was a big event. He was sad to see Do-min leave, but his heart fluttered at someone new taking his place.

“Go change your clothes and come back.”

“Wait!”

Naru sped up to the dressing room, changed, and perfectly dried his hair before reappearing. His damp face had become fluffy and dry.

Before stepping out the door, Naru looked in the mirror and pressed on his head. Just in case, he pressed the spot where his ears would be with his palm.

Gyu-yeon looked at the crown of his head below him with wonder. The ears that had fluttered a moment ago were truly gone.

It felt a bit disappointing now that they were gone.

“I wonder who’ll come, I’m really curious.”

“What are you curious about?”

“The new person. I hope they’re nice.”

Naru’s cheeks flushed peach-pink. He always looked like this when he was expecting something. Maybe because his skin was fair, the blush showed clearly. Unlike him, Gyu-yeon’s expression was meaningful.

Again, the two of them rode together in the car to the Cafe. Naru, humming as he watched the quiet street, boldly opened the door.

Ding.

Even the bell sounded cheerful. When they opened the door, Seo-yeon, who had come in early, was sweeping the hall. She was always a diligent employee.

Naru, tactfully, ran up and snatched the broom. Seo-yeon told her it was fine, but Naru insisted and took it, which looked admirable. Gyu-yeon watched the two of them fondly and started opening preparations.

“I heard a new employee is coming today.”

“I hope a handsome person comes.”

“A handsome person?”

“Yes, someone handsome like the boss and Naru!”

Seo-yeon’s flattery was always embarrassing to hear. But aside from that, it felt good. Naru never refused a compliment.

Gyu-yeon, standing by the picture window and lifting the blinds, cleared his throat. It was a hint to change the subject before he said something. Seo-yeon, as if sensing it, immediately shut up.

Naru, watching Gyu-yeon’s cues, whispered to Seo-yeon. He looked perfectly adapted to the workplace atmosphere.

“What time will they come?”

“If it’s a new employee they’ll probably come in the morning. Oh, they’ll be here soon.”

Seo-yeon peeked out the door showing his wristwatch. The current time was 8:40 a.m. New employees usually arrive at 9.

Naru, glancing at the watch, brightened. He needed to hurry and finish opening preparations but couldn’t focus because he was so interested in the new employee.

In the end, Gyu-yeon did all the opening preparations alone. No matter how many times he nagged, Naru and Seo-yeon only answered and moved lazily. It seemed both had guts sticking out.

“Song Naru, you want to get fired, huh.”

“No?”

“Then go do your job quietly.”

“But I wiped all the tables…”

Muttering and trailing off, Naru walked to the counter. Seo-yeon, taking out the beans, called him over playfully. Lately those two were getting on Gyu-yeon’s nerves.

He didn’t like that they weren’t preparing to open and were just getting together to reinforce their camaraderie.

Ding.

Even though it wasn’t opening time yet, the Cafe door opened. Naru and Seo-yeon, who had been whispering, both looked up as if on cue.

“I’m here.”

“Oh, you’re here.”

It was the new employee the two had been waiting for.

The man who entered bowed his head as soon as he stepped in. Gyu-yeon returned the greeting quite familiarly. He had said they’d rushed the interview, and it seemed he’d brought someone he knew.

“Wow, he’s really handsome.”

Seo-yeon gasped when she saw the man. Naru tilted his head and stared intently. He looked somehow familiar, like he’d seen him before.

Red hair, piercings in his ears, and a somewhat delinquent face.

Tall and lanky, hmm. So who was he again…

“Geon-hu! Do Geon-hu!”

After thinking for a while, Naru recalled the man’s name and shouted. His loud voice focused everyone’s attention on him. Gyu-yeon in particular looked at Naru quite surprised.

“Song Naru?”

Yes, the man who came in as the new employee was none other than Geon-hu. The same Geon-hu whom Naru had met when he ran away from Gyu-yeon. The Geon-hu who had dug potatoes with him on the farm!

What a small world—how could such a coincidence happen?

Naru ran from the counter and stood in front of Geon-hu. Geon-hu greeted him warmly and called his name.

“Hey, you work here? That’s awesome.”

“How did you end up here?”

“I came to work. Looks like you and I have some luck with jobs, huh?”

“It’s strange…”

Geon-hu grabbed Naru’s hand and shook it. Naru, who frowned at the vigorous handshake, soon relaxed and smiled. No matter how he thought about it, it was amazing to meet him again in a place like this, and he couldn’t take his eyes off him.

Meanwhile, Gyu-yeon was suspicious of the relationship between the two. All the people Naru had met so far had been people he knew, so he wondered when he’d made friends.

Unaware of Gyu-yeon’s mood, Naru started talking to Geon-hu. He had a lot of questions.

“Do you live around here?”

“From now on I’ll be living here. Want to come visit? It’s small, though.”

“I’d like that.”

Before long a world of just Naru and Geon-hu formed. Seo-yeon and Gyu-yeon were completely left out. Their atmosphere was so good it felt as if flowers and butterflies were fluttering around them.

Gyu-yeon openly scowled at Naru’s unguarded behavior. Greeting someone was one thing, but going to their house? That was absurd.

“Where are you going?”

“Eek!”

Gyu-yeon grabbed the nape of Naru’s neck and pulled his away. As he separated them with displeasure, Geon-hu made an inscrutable face.

“How do you know this kid?”

“Because we worked together at the farm before.”

“A farm? What, oh…”

“I forgot to tell you. What is your relationship with this kid, bro?”

Geon-hu, who answered without flinching at the sharp tone, turned the question back. The pairing of Naru and Gyu-yeon, who seemed to have a backstory, was oddly fascinating. Gyu-yeon, with tired eyes, kept his mouth shut.

Naru, standing behind Gyu-yeon, measured his chance in silence and then spoke up.

“My boyfriend is, ugh!”

“Stop saying useless stuff and come sign the contract.”

“Mmph!”

“Song Naru, you clean the windows.”

His lively voice was forcibly cut off. Gyu-yeon had hurriedly covered Naru’s mouth. Trying to announce they were lovers in front of all the staff—such naive behavior made Gyu-yeon’s heart drop.

But Geon-hu and Seo-yeon had already understood Naru. Seo-yeon smiled lecherously as if she’d expected it, and Geon-hu let out a small, incredulous sigh.

Given the window-cleaning mission by Gyu-yeon, Naru had no choice but to start working. Only then did the situation fumble to a close.

“Bro, that’s unexpected.”

“Shut up and just sign.”

“Song Naru’s personality is surprisingly something else, is that okay?”

“…”

“No, you’re quite the character too. It’s fascinating to think the two of you would clash.”

It was a harmless question. Geon-hu knew Naru and Gyu-yeon’s personalities well. He’d come to know Naru’s character from living together on the farm, and he’d known about Gyu-yeon for a while.

A contract was pushed across the table. Gyu-yeon handed over a pen and rested his chin on his hand. His look at Geon-hu was mixed with all sorts of emotions.

Worry, jealousy, pity—those things tangled together in his complicated eyes.

It was perhaps natural that Geon-hu understood Gyu-yeon’s personality well.

Because Do Geon-hu was the half-brother of Do Geon-hyuk.