Jae-young deliberately ignored that gaze and got up on his own.
It was all because of those eyes. The strange thoughts he had were all because Sa Gong-hyun looked at him as if he were a beloved. He was simply caught in that gaze.
That’s why he had almost tried to persuade him to consider doing something more ordinary. This level of immersion was excessive.
It was truly a pointless thought. Truly, unnecessary meddling.
Jae-young looked down quietly at the rough hand firmly holding his own. Since his legs had stopped trembling, following Sa Gong-hyun’s lead wasn’t particularly burdensome.
“By the way, was my smile that pleasant to see?”
“…Are you asking because you don’t know, or are you trying to tease me?”
“Ah, it’s the first time someone has told me not to die in such a way, so I found it amusing.”
Sa Gong-hyun chuckled as if reminiscing about the past. Watching this, Jae-young regretted his choice to deliberately speak indirectly. If he had known Sa Gong-hyun would interpret it so literally, he would have chosen a different approach.
“I didn’t say it to make you laugh.”
“Didn’t you once say you wanted to see me for a long time?”
“Not with that kind of smile.”
Pulled around like a piece of luggage, Jae-young found himself standing next to Sa Gong-hyun’s car before he knew it. Sa Gong-hyun opened the passenger door and pressed down on Jae-young’s shoulder. Jae-young’s buttocks settled on the seat in a flurry.
“Then.”
Sa Gong-hyun grinned as he slightly bent his waist. Jae-young gently grabbed his cheeks as if lightly slapping them.
“I won’t tell you.”
His eyebrows seemed to contort, so Jae-young quickly pressed his lips against his and pulled away.
“Please bring me here again next time.”
“How much will you tremble then?”
“I won’t tremble then. Since I’ve experienced it once.”
In reality, it was a promise without a guarantee. There was no ‘next time’ for them. Unaware of this, Sa Gong-hyun smiled calmly as if he had never frowned.
***
He received the contact. They had found the location of the safe.
On the night they spent in Gangwon Province, Jae-young secretly left a voice message to his group, without Sa Gong-hyun knowing. Along with the entrance code to his house and the message that the house would be empty.
The safe was in the end room on the second floor, as expected. They said that if you lifted the floor tiles under the desk, you would see a hidden safe.
The only way to unlock the safe was with a fingerprint, and the tools for fingerprint collection were placed under the bed in the shared apartment. They also added that before D-day, he should check and confirm the location himself.
The conclusion without any intermediate process was satisfying. The only strange thing was whether they really could have infiltrated the house without a hitch.
Ver had sharp ears. Even while sleeping, if he sensed a presence, he would start checking from that spot.
Despite hearing about the safe’s location, the first question Jae-young asked was one: What about Ver?
Seung-kwon didn’t say anything. When the question was repeated, he kept his mouth shut, which made Jae-young anxious. After hesitating, he asked if they had killed him. Seung-kwon said no.
Even after hearing that answer, the uneasiness didn’t completely disappear.
“…What did the dog do wrong?”
Unconsciously letting out a deep sigh, Jae-young stopped walking. He looked around absent-mindedly. And something caught Jae-young’s eye.
Just a moment ago, Ver had filled his mind, but crowding into that space, one by one, appeared a new face. It was Sa Gong-hyun, Ver’s owner.
Jae-young blankly looked up at the sign raised in front of him. A sudden thought crossed his mind, but he found himself wondering if it was a good choice.
For a long time, Jae-young stood rooted to the spot, debating whether to enter or not, and scratched his head.
“Would you like to come in and look?”
Just then, an employee who opened the store door spoke kindly to Jae-young.
“No. I was just standing here waiting for someone.”
Despite having a face covered in all sorts of worries as he mulled over his concerns, his expression changed instantly. Thinking it might have been an unnecessary idea after all, he turned around and walked away with a nonchalant face.
After walking about ten steps, even he could see the reluctance dripping with each step he took. Argh. Jae-young swallowed his irritation and retraced his steps.
Having come back, there was no more reason to deliberate. As he opened the door and entered, the scent of flowers dizzily wafted to his nose.
The employee at the counter smiled softly at Jae-young, who had returned. In truth, that was more embarrassing.
Jae-young approached the employee while pretending to look at the flowers and smiled naturally.
“I saw it in a book before.”
“Yes?”
“I think there was a flower that helps chase away nightmares. …Is there really such a thing?”
What came out of his mouth was a very awkward story. He didn’t know why such a memory suddenly came to mind.
This wasn’t his taste at all, but strangely, his feet were tied to the spot. After pondering for a while, he realized that it might be better if Sa Gong-hyun could sleep soundly without nightmares.
After all, Jae-young could only check the ledgers in the safe when Sa Gong-hyun was asleep. It wasn’t just because he felt sorry that Sa Gong-hyun had nightmares every time.
“Are you talking about rosemary?”
“…There’s really such a thing?”
As the employee responded immediately, Jae-young’s eyes widened even more. It had been a fleeting content, so he had been half-skeptical.
“Of course. Rosemary’s scent reduces anxiety, chases away nightmares, and is also known to help improve brain function. Lavender also helps with anxiety and insomnia.”
“How can one see its effects? Should I place it by the window?”
“Yes, you can place it at the bedside or window when sleeping.”
Jae-young, who had been pressing his lip with his teeth as he deliberated, eventually nodded.
“Then please give me rosemary.”
“It’s a gift, isn’t it?”
It seemed like entering was the right decision after all. As Jae-young gazed at the employee with self-satisfaction, his eyebrows suddenly twitched. What the employee was holding was a potted plant without a single flower blooming. There was barely one bud attached.
“Doesn’t this come as a bouquet?”
“No, it’s usually sold as a potted plant.”
“Ah… Yes, it’s a gift.”
That bothered him a little. He was also worried about whether Sa Gong-hyun would properly take care of the potted plant.
“The recipient will be pleased. Do you know the flower language of rosemary?”
“No.”
“It has the meanings of chastity, happy memories, family happiness, and ‘your existence revives me.’ Here, I’ll also give you a card with the flower language and care instructions…”
That bothered him even more. What kind of flower has only such good meanings? Among them, the most disturbing flower language was ‘your existence revives me.’
What revival? It was rather the opposite. Sa Gong-hyun would sooner kill Jae-young than be someone with the temperament to save him.
Jae-young grumbled internally as he accepted the card offered by the employee. Looking at the time, it was already around when Sa Gong-hyun would get off work.
Jae-young happened to meet Sa Gong-hyun on his way home from the flower shop. A car parked on the roadside honked its horn, and when he looked to the side, he saw a clean, handsome face through the open window.
Brightening at this, Jae-young hurriedly sat in the passenger seat.
“What’s that?”
“A potted plant. Hyun-ssi, have you ever grown plants before?”
“I was hoping that plant wasn’t a gift for me.”
Sa Gong-hyun wrinkled his face as if he had already been burdened with a troublesome task. Nevertheless, he had no intention of rejecting the beautifully wrapped gift now.
“You guessed right. This is a gift for you, Hyun-ssi. It’s rosemary, and they say it helps chase away nightmares.”
“Why did you believe such a baseless claim and buy such a thing?”
“What do you mean ‘such a thing’? I bought it all for you, Hyun-ssi. I like it. They say it’s not that difficult to maintain. You’ll take good care of it, right?”
Jae-young smiled brightly as he stared at Sa Gong-hyun. He placed the potted plant on the car floor and recited the care instructions written on the card.
Of course, he omitted the flower language. If he had blurted out the flower language directly, he would have bitten his tongue in embarrassment.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
