10
After walking around the house, Junghyun let out a cheer when he saw the dust settled on the furniture in the unused rooms.
He had worried there might not be any dust at all, but finding something to do made him incredibly happy.
But it felt a bit strange to be pleased about finding dust in someone else’s home. Feeling embarrassed even though no one was watching, Junghyun cleared his throat once.
To clean, he first needed to find cleaning supplies. Although Seunghyeok had told him to use anything in the house freely, he couldn’t just grab random items to use as cleaning rags.
With his cheeks puffed out, Junghyun finally decided to send a message to Seunghyeok after some deliberation.
[Can I use a towel? There’s a lot of dust in the house_]
Maybe he didn’t need to mention that there was a lot of dust.
[Can I use a towel? I want to clean the house a bit_]
Perhaps he didn’t need to mention that he was going to clean.
Wouldn’t that seem like he was trying to show off how much trouble he was going through? Junghyun stared at his phone screen silently.
[Would it be okay if I use a towel?]
After staring at the completed message for a while, Junghyun decided it was good enough and sent it to Seunghyeok. A reply came shortly after.
[Yes]
It was a brief, one-letter response, but he felt good that Seunghyeok hadn’t ignored him and had replied.
Junghyun put down his phone and immediately selected a towel to dampen with water. As he started cleaning, his thoughts began to organize themselves. Only then did he finally realize that he had a concern he hadn’t been fully aware of.
He hadn’t dared to ask questions about Seunghyeok’s parents, but he thought it might be okay to ask casually in passing. It wasn’t like he was trying to do anything with the information—he was just asking—so Seunghyeok might take it lightly.
Junghyun nodded to himself as he continued wiping.
By the time he had diligently cleaned all the dusty surfaces and furniture in the house, it was a bit past lunchtime.
Grumble, grumble.
His stomach was protesting, demanding food.
He had kept thinking he could finish just a little more, just complete this one thing, and before he knew it, it had gotten this late.
Rubbing his hungry stomach with one hand, he opened the refrigerator to find nothing inside except the leftover chicken from yesterday. There weren’t even any bottled water, probably because of the water purifier, and not even juice. At this point, it seemed like it would be better to unplug the refrigerator.
He closed the high-end, double-door refrigerator with a deflated feeling.
It seemed the only food available was the instant rice he had found while cleaning. Fortunately, it was a cup-rice type. If it had been just plain rice, Junghyun might have actually shed a tear.
Junghyun briefly contemplated what to have for his meal. He had to choose between the two options. Finding that he wasn’t in the mood for greasy chicken on an empty stomach, Junghyun chose the cup rice.
With familiar movements, Junghyun tore open the plastic, placed the rice in the built-in microwave, and started it.
With the whirring sound of the microwave, Junghyun finally realized how quiet the house was. When he turned on the TV, the sudden burst of noise hurt his ears. Just then, the microwave also sounded an alert indicating that cooking was complete.
Junghyun began his late meal accompanied by the TV sound, which he had turned down to a reasonable level.
Thinking that he should finish eating quickly, rest a bit, and then be ready to greet Seunghyeok when he returned, Junghyun cleaned his sweaty body and flopped onto the bed.
He had definitely woken up early today. His eyes felt dry and tired.
Deciding to take just a short nap, Junghyun set an alarm on his phone.
* * *
“…Huh.”
Sometimes people suddenly wake up from a good sleep, and that’s what happened to Junghyun.
He sat up abruptly and looked around. It was getting dark outside.
How long had he slept? Hadn’t he set an alarm? Feeling confused, Junghyun checked his phone. Good heavens. It seemed he hadn’t properly heard the alarm sound. The time was now just past 8 PM.
Junghyun quickly got out of bed and went outside the room.
When he opened the closed door and went out, the living room lights were on. Seunghyeok had returned home. To think he hadn’t even heard that sound.
[It’s close to the entrance, so if you happen to go out or come in, I’ll hear the sound. That makes it easier to see you off or greet you.]
Junghyun recalled what he had said just yesterday and felt embarrassed.
There wasn’t particularly much noise, but he was surprised at how different it felt having someone in the house versus not.
“Um… CEO…?”
Junghyun’s voice echoed in the quiet space.
“Did I wake you?”
“No, that. When did you get back?”
“Not long ago. Just a moment ago.”
His words seemed genuine, as Seunghyeok was still in his suit.
“Welcome back.”
Seunghyeok’s eyes widened slightly. His eyes seemed to soften a bit before curving downward gently.
“This is the first time I’ve been greeted at my own home.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
“No. I’m not criticizing. Thank you. I’m back safely.”
Surprised by Seunghyeok’s unexpected response, Junghyun opened and closed his mouth before responding with a “Yes.” He felt a strange tickling sensation near his navel and an odd feeling overall.
“I wondered why you asked if you could use a towel, but you were cleaning?”
“Ah. Yes.”
“I think I said I didn’t bring you home to do such things, but it’s fine. It must have been tiring, thank you for your hard work.”
At first, Junghyun was anxious, thinking he might have done something unnecessary, but in the end, he received thanks. Although he hadn’t started the work expecting anything in return, he felt satisfied.
“But isn’t it uncomfortable to keep wearing those clothes? They must have dust on them too.”
“Ah. It’s fine. I took them off while cleaning to avoid that.”
As Junghyun was rubbing the back of his head, feeling a bit awkward about Seunghyeok’s concern, he felt a gaze on his cheek and looked up.
When their eyes met, Seunghyeok’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“Hmm, I see. So that’s what you did.”
Seunghyeok nodded, touching his lips.
“I should have shown you where the clothes are. I’ll get you a new one, would you like to change now?”
Junghyun initially declined the offer of new clothes, but eventually accepted what Seunghyeok handed him. He added that Junghyun should change in his room, which was quite embarrassing. After all, he had no intention of changing clothes in front of Seunghyeok, no matter what.
After changing clothes and coming out, Junghyun discovered boxed meals on the dining table.
“I thought you might not have eaten, so I bought these. Would you like to eat together?”
Having just woken up, he honestly wasn’t feeling particularly hungry, but it was clear that if he didn’t eat now, he would be hungry later. Junghyun immediately said yes and sat at the table.
Junghyun took out two boxed meals, placing one in front of himself and one on the opposite side. Seunghyeok put a cup of water next to Junghyun, not forgetting to thank him.
It was a recognizable brand from a franchised boxed meal shop that could be seen anywhere. After saying “Let’s eat,” they each opened the lids. Seunghyeok asked Junghyun as he was eating:
“I didn’t know what you liked, so I just bought something.”
“Ah. This is something I like. I enjoy eating this. Thank you.”
In truth, despite what he said, the 30,000 won meal was too expensive for Junghyun to order regularly as a single meal. That was fortunate, at least.
“There’s chicken in the refrigerator, but you didn’t eat it.”
“Ah… that. Um, I just. There was also an instant cup rice.”
Junghyun swallowed his food before mumbling a response.
Thinking about it, he realized it might not look good that he had left the leftover food and eaten something else. Before Junghyun could offer any explanation, Seunghyeok said “Is that so?” in a casual tone. Only then did Junghyun realize he had been tensing his shoulders.
As he ate, Junghyun was trying to gauge when would be a good time to ask about Seunghyeok’s parents.
Now that he was actually trying to ask, the words wouldn’t come easily. When he was alone, it had seemed like something he could do so easily, but now, facing Seunghyeok, his tongue felt as if it had grown bones and wouldn’t move properly.
Seunghyeok spoke to Junghyun, who was carefully picking up and eating the side dishes that weren’t spicy.
“I forgot there’s nothing to eat at home. I’ll send over some food for tomorrow’s meals.”
“What? Ah, I can just eat the chicken.”
“You can’t eat only that all day long.”
Indeed. That was true.
Junghyun nodded and agreed. However, he did think that he could just go out and buy food himself if needed. But he didn’t voice this thought out loud.
By the time Junghyun was putting a spoonful from his half-finished meal into his mouth, Seunghyeok had finished his meal. When had he eaten it all? Looking at the cleanly emptied box with surprise, Junghyun heard Seunghyeok say:
“I tend to eat quickly. Don’t worry about it and take your time.”
Junghyun nodded as he watched Seunghyeok drinking water. It seemed like he was going to wait until Junghyun finished his meal, despite having finished his own. Feeling that he might be holding Seunghyeok up, Junghyun began to feel rushed. Seunghyeok watched as Junghyun moved his chopsticks more quickly.
“Also, I think we need to buy clothes that fit you.”
“What?”
“Why are you so surprised? Are you worried I’ll add that to your loan amount?”
Seunghyeok said in a teasing tone, as if finding it amusing.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
