The road stretched endlessly ahead, no matter how long they drove. The initial excitement had long since faded, and Yu-jin had fallen silent. He looked somewhat bored, but he didn’t complain to Winston.
Glancing at his wristwatch, Winston spotted a gas station in the distance and spoke up. “Should we stop for dinner? That place looks alright.”
Yu-jin, following Winston’s gaze, widened his eyes in surprise. The dining hall next to the gas station looked exactly like the one he had seen in an illustration. There was no need for words—his answer was obvious. Winston leisurely pulled into the parking lot, parked the car, and took Yu-jin’s hand as they stepped inside.
“This place feels just like a restaurant from a book I read.”
Yu-jin couldn’t hide his excitement as he whispered, still scanning his surroundings.
“What book was it?”
Winston chuckled and lowered his voice as well. Yu-jin opened his mouth to respond but hesitated. Glancing furtively toward the owner, he leaned in closer and murmured even more quietly.
“The owner wouldn’t like to hear this… A guy who was dealing drugs got shot and died here. The whole place was wrecked.”
“Oh my.”
Winston barely managed to stifle a laugh. Yu-jin, oblivious to Winston’s amusement, continued with a serious expression.
“The poor owner… He must’ve been devastated to see his precious restaurant ruined.”
“Wouldn’t he have had insurance?”
Winston couldn’t suppress the slight smile creeping onto his lips. At his words, Yu-jin’s eyes suddenly went wide, as if he had never even considered that possibility. His voice turned excited.
“Then what happens? Does that mean the restaurant is okay?”
“Of course. He might have even ended up richer if he had a good insurance policy.”
Honestly, Winston didn’t care either way. But if making up this little detail could make Yu-jin happy, then what was the harm? Watching Yu-jin sigh in relief and smile brightly, Winston was once again convinced that he had made the right choice.
“They’re just fictional characters in a book. You don’t need to think that deeply about it,” Winston teased, pointing at the menu on the table.
“But wouldn’t it be sad if they lost their home?”
When Winston lifted his gaze, he saw Yu-jin focused on the menu. After a brief silence, he muttered, almost to himself, “You’re too soft-hearted. How are you going to survive like that?”
“Huh?”
Yu-jin looked at him in confusion, but Winston simply smiled as if nothing had happened and smoothly changed the subject.
“I’ll have the classic sandwich with extra patty. What about you?”
“Oh, um… I’ll take this one. Avocado sandwich.”
“Do you know what’s in it? Want to try it?”
Winston pointed at one of the menu items and asked. Yu-jin’s eyes sparkled as he looked at him.
“Actually, I read about this in a book too, but… if I order this as well, it’ll be too much. I won’t be able to finish it.”
“You can just leave what you can’t eat. What about a drink? How about this one?”
After finalizing the rest of their order based on Winston’s suggestions, Yu-jin waited with a pounding heart.
“Where are we going?”
He took a sip of the drink that arrived first, then curiously sipped a couple more times through the straw before finally speaking again. Winston answered casually.
“I have a summer house. It won’t be used for a while, so if we go now, it’ll just be the two of us there.”
“A summer house? Just the two of us?”
Yu-jin repeated his words, his face quickly flushing red. Winston wanted to kiss him, but with the table in the way, he had no choice but to gently pinch his cheek instead.
Not long after, their food arrived. As Yu-jin continuously murmured in admiration while taking small bites, Winston watched him with an unwavering smile.
***
By the time they reached their destination after a long drive, the sun had already set. Yu-jin had fallen asleep somewhere along the way, and before darkness completely took over, Winston closed the convertible’s top to make sure he wouldn’t get cold.
Passing by several secluded mansions set at a considerable distance from each other, Winston followed a familiar route and finally slowed the car. Pressing the remote control attached to the sun visor, he opened the garage door with a rattling sound. He drove the car inside, stepped out, and quickly made his way to the passenger side.
Yu-jin was still fast asleep. Winston let out a small, amused sigh before carefully lifting him into his arms and carrying him inside. The summer house was utterly silent. Thanks to prior arrangements, the place had been cleaned in advance, though a faint scent of dust still lingered.
Holding Yu-jin securely, Winston took the stairs two or three at a time and headed straight for the bedroom. Even when he gently laid him on the bed, Yu-jin didn’t stir. Brushing back his hair, Winston gazed at his sleeping face for a moment before pressing a soft kiss to his lips. Then, making sure to keep his footsteps quiet, he exited the room.
Now then.
Back in the living room, Winston stretched his shoulders and scanned the house.
First, let’s check the fridge.
***
“UWAAAAH!”
Yu-jin let out a scream as he sank. Winston quickly grabbed him by the waist and pulled him back above the water. With a gasp, Yu-jin clung desperately to Winston’s neck, breathing heavily.
“It’s okay, Yu-jin. Just take your time and learn slowly. Don’t be too scared.”
“B-but…”
Yu-jin was drenched, his shoulders rising and falling as he panted. It was their third day at the summer house, and Winston had offered to teach him how to swim. Yu-jin had agreed without much thought.
But he hadn’t expected that even floating on the water would be such a challenge.
“If you can just float, that’s already half the battle.”
Winston spoke gently, encouraging him.
“You don’t have to push yourself too hard. Let’s just get you comfortable with floating while we’re here, okay?”
At this point, Yu-jin couldn’t bring himself to back out. Reluctantly, he nodded. And so, the special training continued for nearly another thirty minutes.
“Haaa…”
Completely exhausted, Yu-jin collapsed onto the sunbed, exhaling a deep sigh. Winston followed him, chuckling as he placed a kiss on his cheek.
“You did well. You must be really tired, huh?”
Yu-jin didn’t even have the energy to answer—he just blinked. As if he understood, Winston stroked his hair before straightening up.
“I’ll go make us something to drink. Rest a little, and then we’ll go out for dinner.”
Winston whistled as he walked away, and Yu-jin simply stared blankly at his retreating figure. It had already been several days since they arrived, yet everything still felt surreal. That he had left the annex, that he was living so freely in an entirely new place—just the two of them.
When he turned his gaze, the endless ocean stretched out before him. He had never imagined the summer house would be by the sea, so he had been stunned when he first found out.
“Once you get more used to the water, we’ll go to the beach.”
Swimming in the ocean would be easier, Winston had said. But Yu-jin was still too afraid to even consider it. From what he had heard, this was the Campbell family’s private beach. No one outside the family would come here, and the family members themselves rarely visited. Right now, this place belonged entirely to them.
Whatever the reason…
Maybe it was something similar to why Harold couldn’t come here. That was Yu-jin’s guess, though he couldn’t bring himself to ask. Even if Winston explained it, he wasn’t sure he would understand. And was he even supposed to know? The fear of overstepping kept him silent.
If it were something I needed to know, Winston would’ve told me.
With that thought, Yu-jin decided to focus on the present. This might be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity…?
The words sent a sharp pang through his chest. His eyes flickered, blinking rapidly.
Would we… ever have to part ways?
Someday, of course. The thought hit him like a bucket of cold water. What would happen to them in the future? Did they even have one? It was obvious—this was just a relationship, and no one knew what lay ahead.
Winston could marry someone else…
It was such an obvious reality. Just the thought of it sent a searing pain through his chest.
And then, suddenly, the doorbell rang.
Startled, Yu-jin flinched and instinctively turned around.
But there was no one in sight.
Where had Winston gone?
Anxiety crept in as the doorbell continued to ring persistently. The pressure to answer was unbearable.
Feeling uneasy, Yu-jin hesitantly stood up. As he carefully stepped through the open doorway into the living room, he caught sight of Winston striding toward the entrance. Relief flooded him, and his shoulders sagged.
Just then, the door swung open, revealing the visitor.
A tall, stunning woman with long, meticulously styled hair stood there. Winston froze for a moment before finally speaking.
“Evelyn, what are you doing here?”
