Chapter 136
Seo-jung, who had fallen asleep without realizing when, slowly opened his eyes. Soon, his brown eyes hidden behind his eyelids were revealed. Seo-jung immediately turned his gaze towards the large window. The sky visible between the curtains was dark, indicating dawn. Rising from the bed, Seo-jung pressed his stiff eyes and looked around.
Perhaps because he had fallen asleep while reading and re-reading Cha Yoon’s messages until just before sleeping, his phone was left in a corner of the bed, unlike usual.
Seeing the phone left like a trace, the events of the previous day quickly flashed through his mind. The conversations with the other cast members, the shock that felt like being hit hard on the head, and then returning to his room as if fleeing, until finally admitting it.
After everything had passed, Seo-jung had thought all night about what was to come. In fact, this too was a simple matter. He just needed to turn around and face Cha Yoon. Cha Yoon had always been waiting for him in that place.
There was no time to think further. Seo-jung left his room without a plan. He wanted to see Cha Yoon right away. As he hurriedly made his way to Cha Yoon’s accommodation and was about to knock on the door forcefully, it happened.
“Hyung?”
Amusingly, Cha Yoon’s voice came from behind Seo-jung. But that didn’t matter to Seo-jung. It was the voice of Cha Yoon he had waited for so long, so he immediately turned around.
“Yoon, I…”
But Seo-jung’s words were scattered in the air before they could be completed. It was because of the production staff visible behind Cha Yoon.
Seeing their puzzled expressions looking at him, Seo-jung closed his mouth. He reflexively looked around. He noticed cameras blinking red lights, filming him and Cha Yoon from all directions. Only then did he start to see things that had been obscured by Cha Yoon. It felt like being suddenly pulled back to reality.
“What’s wrong?”
In the meantime, Cha Yoon’s voice was heard as he approached.
“What’s the matter?”
Huh? I need to tell you to know. At Cha Yoon’s voice full of concern, Seo-jung clenched his fists. He wanted to grab Cha Yoon’s hand right then and convey his feelings. That he had been foolish. That he thought leaving Cha Yoon’s side was the best he could do. That he only now realized that wasn’t the case.
But what acted as a brake on his actions was Seo-jung’s reason, which had been waiting silently. He recalled the cameras that were still capturing him and Cha Yoon. He couldn’t act selfishly based on his emotions in a place like this. Seo-jung eventually suppressed his impulsive feelings.
“…It’s nothing.”
“Hyung.”
Cha Yoon’s voice was still full of worry, but Seo-jung couldn’t tell the truth. The more urgent the matter, the more one needed to step back. It was right to solve the most pressing problem in front of him first.
“I’ll be going. Sleep well.”
Seo-jung returned to his room without being able to say anything. Cha Yoon’s gaze followed him as he returned to his room, but there was nothing he could do.
“…Two days.”
There were only two days left until the final choice. Compared to the 9 months Seo-jung had spent alone since Cha Yoon lost his memories, two days were just a moment. As Cha Yoon had said, this wasn’t their end. So there was no reason to be hasty, just wait a little, and hold Cha Yoon’s hand in a place where there were no more obstacles or interference standing in their way. Seo-jung suppressed his racing emotions.
As Seo-jung closed his eyes deeply to calm his heart, a vibration sound woke him. He picked up the phone still lying in its place.
Congratulations! Ki Seo-jung, you have successfully matched for the X designation date, which is the last official date.
Please move to the address below by 11 AM today for the date. You can meet today’s date partner at that location.
A look of dismay crossed Seo-jung’s face as he confirmed the content. A date at a time like this. He couldn’t know who Da-bin had chosen, but he thought the date wouldn’t happen regardless of who it was. So he had thought he would remain in the X House with Cha Yoon today. As the situation became complicated, a sigh escaped Seo-jung’s lips.
But who could he blame? It was he who had answered that anything was fine when asked for his opinion. Seo-jung rubbed his face. Given the situation, he decided to finish the date quickly and return to the X House. With that in mind, Seo-jung got up and headed to the bathroom.
After the sounds of water and a hair dryer, Seo-jung finally came out of his room. As he went down to the living room on the first floor of the accommodation, he saw Soo-ho and Min-wook talking with messy bed hair, as if they had just woken up.
Sensing his presence, the two also looked towards the stairs where Seo-jung was coming down. Min-wook, who quickly scanned Seo-jung’s outfit, opened his mouth in surprise.
“What? When did you wake up, Seo-jung? You’re already fully prepared?”
“Yes. I have something to do.”
“Oh! Hyung, don’t tell me you’re going on a date?”
Though he tried to speak indirectly, they couldn’t have misunderstood. At the mention of a date, Seo-jung just smiled with his eyes.
“That’s nice. We’ll probably be guarding the house.”
“Yeah. Who are you going on a date with, hyung?”
“I don’t know. I don’t know who Da-bin chose.”
“So you’ll only find out when you get there? That must make you more nervous and excited.”
The two continued their fuss. It was somewhat ironic that they were envious, contrary to the feelings of Seo-jung, the person actually involved. As Seo-jung was briefly caught up in conversation, he checked his wristwatch. It was really time to leave now.
Min-wook, seeming to have noticed the meaning behind Seo-jung’s gesture, waved his hand as if seeing him off.
“Bring back something delicious when you return, okay?”
“That’s right. You have to bring back something really delicious. Don’t forget us.”
Seo-jung smiled and said goodbye to their chatter, which sounded like children seeing off their father to work, and left the accommodation. As he tilted his head back and looked up, a clear sky without a single cloud was welcoming him.
It’s good weather for a date. As he was thinking this, he heard the sound of a door opening from a short distance away. Seo-jung turned his head and unconsciously stopped in his tracks. It was Cha Yoon who had opened the door and come out.
Seo-jung reflexively scanned Cha Yoon’s outfit. It was neat as usual, but somehow different. All his senses were telling him one thing. That Cha Yoon was also going on a date.
As this thought crossed his mind, Seo-jung unconsciously opened his mouth.
“Looks like you’re going somewhere.”
As if he hadn’t expected Seo-jung to speak first, Cha Yoon raised one eyebrow, then nodded with a smile.
“Yes, it seems you’re going out somewhere too.”
At this response, Seo-jung’s eyes trembled slightly. It was just as he had thought. As soon as he realized this fact, the emotion that arose was jealousy.
Jealousy? After going on so many dates leaving Cha Yoon behind, and even now going out for a date himself.
Even though he knew in his head that he shouldn’t feel this way, the emotion wouldn’t easily disappear. As he was licking the edge of his lips, he heard a voice again. When he turned his head, he saw Cha Yoon who had somehow approached right in front of the accommodation door.
“You look even more handsome up close.”
Jealously. Though it was a voice so small it wouldn’t be picked up by the microphones, for some reason Seo-jung heard it very clearly. For a moment, words like ‘I don’t think so’ rose to the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed them.
Seo-jung, calming his heart, descended the three steps connecting to the garden. This brought the two much closer. Cha Yoon, who had been following Seo-jung with his eyes, nodded at him as he stood beside him.
“Let’s go together.”
It was a reasonable suggestion given that they both had to leave. Yet, he didn’t like it. Going together while heading to dates with different partners. Having to quietly watch Cha Yoon go to meet someone else.
He knew that Cha Yoon had always watched such scenes. So he should understand too. Nevertheless, it wasn’t easy at all.
Cha Yoon, unaware of Seo-jung’s feelings, opened his mouth once more to persuade when an answer didn’t come quickly. Or rather, he tried to.
The reason he couldn’t speak his prepared words of persuasion was entirely because of Seo-jung. Just before Cha Yoon opened his mouth, Seo-jung had moved his feet and started walking forward.
What’s this? As he stood there watching Seo-jung’s back as he walked a couple of steps ahead, Seo-jung, who had been walking well, suddenly stopped. Then he turned around and spoke to Cha Yoon.
“Didn’t you say we should go?”
“……”
“Are you not coming?”
Then, I’ll just go ahead. At those words, Cha Yoon, who had been standing dazed, came to his senses and started moving.
“I’m coming now.”
Thanks to Cha Yoon quickly catching up, the two walked side by side.
“How do you feel?”
How do I feel? I’m struggling because I want to hold you back from going on a date right now. I’m having a hard time holding back the urge to embrace you. Even though it’s just two days, every minute and second feels so long that I’m impatient. Only words he couldn’t say swirled in his mouth.
“I’m okay.”
In the end, only these words came out of his mouth. Cha Yoon looked at Seo-jung’s face as if trying to gauge his true feelings, then nodded.
“You’re not going to tell me why you came looking for me, are you?”
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to, but that he couldn’t, to be precise, but he didn’t bother to add that explanation. Taking Seo-jung’s silence as affirmation, Cha Yoon changed the subject as if not wanting to make things more difficult.
“Isn’t the weather nice today?”
“Yes, it’s nice.”
“It would be perfect for a walk on the beach on a day like this.”
“……”
“If only someone would walk with me.”
At the words muttered as if for him to hear, Seo-jung couldn’t help but throw out a comment.
“You’re going on a date anyway, Cha Yoon-ssi.”
As soon as he blurted it out, he regretted it. It must have sounded like someone who would have gone for a beach walk together if there was time.
Due to the unintended sincerity that had popped out, he rolled his eyes and glanced at Cha Yoon, only to meet his eyes again. Cha Yoon was seen blinking as if checking if he had heard wrong. Ki Seo-jung, what are you doing? Seo-jung scolded himself internally as he turned his eyes away, pretending not to have seen from the start.
Meanwhile, as feared, Cha Yoon seemed to have grasped the meaning of the words, as he leaned in slightly with a playful expression.
“We can go when we come back.”
“……”
“So let’s walk together later.”
“……”
“It’s a promise.”
Cha Yoon’s voice brushed against his ear. Somehow, it felt ticklish all the way to his heart. In the end, though he couldn’t give any answer, Cha Yoon seemed to have noticed. That it wasn’t a rejection, but permission.
Before they knew it, they had passed through the large gate and reached their destination. Due to the slower than usual pace of the two, it had taken quite a long time to arrive at the entrance.
But it felt like it had passed very quickly. When did we get here? Seo-jung thought as he stood in place, looking around. It felt like they had arrived so quickly, as if someone had cut and shortened time with scissors.
“We’re already here.”
And then Cha Yoon’s voice was heard, as if reading his mind. So it’s not just me. Seo-jung realized that Cha Yoon was thinking the same thing and fidgeted with his bangs for no reason.
After repeating this meaningless action a couple of times, Seo-jung cleared his throat unnecessarily and opened his mouth.
“Then I’ll go first.”
“Okay, have a good time.”
“…You be careful too, Cha Yoon-ssi.”
“I will.”
Ah, don’t come back too late. Don’t forget our promise. Cha Yoon pretended to stamp in the air with his thumb and then waved at Seo-jung.
Seo-jung watched Cha Yoon’s waving hand and then got into the parked car. In the rearview mirror, he could see Cha Yoon still standing in place, watching him.
After a considerable time of not being able to take his eyes off the rearview mirror, Seo-jung belatedly grabbed the steering wheel. Let’s come back quickly. Repeating these words like a mantra internally, Seo-jung took his foot off the brake. Soon, the car Seo-jung was in smoothly left the New X House.
***
The car drove on the road without any traffic. Seo-jung, who quickly arrived at his destination, parked the car in one corner of the parking lot and opened the door. Looking around, it seemed his date partner hadn’t arrived yet, as there were no other cast members visible besides the staff.
It was still unknown who would come, but he wanted to finish the date quickly and return home. It was too unfair to his date partner, but that was Seo-jung’s true feeling.
How long had he waited like that? He saw a car coming in from the distance. The car slowed down and then came to a complete stop behind Seo-jung’s car. Looks like they’ve arrived. He straightened his back a bit more and waited for the other person to get out.
But contrary to expectations, the car door didn’t open for quite some time. After staring at the parked car with a puzzled expression for a while, there was a click sound and the firmly closed car door opened.
And only after seeing the face of the person who opened the door and got out did he realize why the other person had taken so long.
“…Cha Yoon?”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
