# Chapter 20
That evening, Dohyun entered the empty kitchen after Haegang had finished his meal and some time had passed. He was still hesitant, unsure if he was allowed to eat freely, but judging by the sigh Haegang had let out when he saw Dohyun eating instant ramen, he would likely receive a disapproving look if he did so again.
‘Don’t cook yourself.’
If the issue was making a mess and that’s why he shouldn’t cook, did that mean he should eat something like salad? Dohyun’s eyes sparkled when he saw the milk and jam in the refrigerator, along with cereal, bread, and other items on the nearby table.
A little while later, after bustling about for quite some time, Dohyun sat down with several spoons in front of him. He opened a jar of jam, spread it evenly on a slice of bread, folded it in half, and placed it on a wide plate.
“This is… apple jam.”
Changing to a different spoon, Dohyun opened another jar of jam, spread it on another slice of bread, folded it in half, and placed it on the plate. After repeating this several times, slices of bread with various jams, except for strawberry jam, were neatly arranged in front of him. While debating whether to eat the bread first, Dohyun suddenly remembered Haegang’s words and, instead of picking up the bread, put all the spoons in the sink. Only after thoroughly washing all the spoons did he sit down and munch on the bread.
“……”
For a moment, his mouth stopped. Dohyun, whose eyes met Haegang’s as he stood at the kitchen entrance watching him, put down the bread he was eating on the plate.
“Why did you stop eating?”
“…Because you keep staring at me.”
Haegang, with an expression that suggested he was overthinking trivial matters, turned away. Dohyun’s eyes sparkled when he saw Haegang not adding any further comments. It seemed he hadn’t done anything wrong while eating. With that picky personality, if there had been even the slightest thing that bothered him, a torrent of explanations would have followed like the day before.
“Esper Baek Dohyun.”
“Pff-“
Dohyun had picked up the bread again to compare the taste of different jams but coughed in surprise at the voice calling him. What is it? As Dohyun struggled to keep the bread in his mouth, Haegang pointed to a mug in the cabinet.
“That’s the cup for milk.”
“……”
“The mugs you’re taking out now are for hot drinks, so use a different one.”
Dohyun thought he shouldn’t stay in this house for long. It hadn’t even been 24 hours yet, and he was already tired.
But since the homeowner said so, he had to change it. Dohyun obediently switched cups and placed it on the table. Only then did Haegang, seemingly satisfied, withdraw his sharp gaze and disappear into his room.
…I wonder if coming into this house was the right decision.
❖ ❖ ❖
After the mug incident, Dohyun tried his best to follow Haegang’s instructions to avoid drawing his attention. He deliberately reminded himself and made an effort not to disobey anything Haegang had told him. For matters not explained, like the purpose of cups, there was nothing he could do, but thanks to his improved memory, he wasn’t likely to make mistakes unless he deliberately disobeyed.
Dohyun thought he would avoid running into Haegang unnecessarily and not do anything that would irritate him.
“Are you protesting on purpose?”
But that didn’t work out. After staying in his room the whole time, Dohyun had come down to receive a package when the doorbell rang, only to be met with a fierce glare from Haegang who had come down to the first floor.
“…Excuse me?”
“Do you know how many packages have arrived now?”
Today alone, it was the fifth. Not all of them were ordered by Dohyun; some were sent by his friends. Dohyun had only ordered three, but it couldn’t be helped.
He had no clothes to wear. Since he couldn’t borrow from Haegang, Dohyun was still wearing the same clothes as yesterday and the day before. His dirty sneakers could be washed, but he needed shoes to wear while they were being washed, and he also needed underwear.
“Are you planning to just pile up these packages? You haven’t even opened them yet, and you keep coming and going chaotically. What on earth do you have so much to order—”
“I also!”
“……”
“I also… need clothes…”
At this point, Dohyun felt wronged. He could accept being scolded once for misusing cups because he hadn’t been explained their purpose, but living with only one set of clothes was a bit much, wasn’t it? Haegang, who was about to snap at Dohyun, stopped when he saw his aggrieved expression.
“…Clothes?”
“……”
When Dohyun slowly nodded, Haegang didn’t continue. With a face as composed as usual but slightly wronged, Dohyun opened the package box as if to say, “See this.” Inside were two pairs of identical jeans and two thick hoodies. The underwear was also the same style, and the shoes were as plain as the ones he was wearing now, showing almost no difference.
“I’m sorry if it bothered you, but I need to change clothes too, and I ordered things I need when going out. I’ll change now, go out and buy more, so please just bear with what I’ve received so far.”
As soon as he entered the house, he had to listen to a long scolding, and despite being careful, he had to receive additional explanations about cup usage. And now hearing this today, Dohyun felt truly wronged. He had ordered online because he felt uncomfortable wearing the same smoke-infused clothes for three days.
After Dohyun explained the situation, Haegang silently turned around and went up to the second floor. It was a relief that he didn’t say much. After organizing the packages and taking a shower, Dohyun put on new clothes and placed the unwillingly long-worn clothes in the laundry basket.
“Don’t put those clothes in that basket; sort them in the laundry room. That’s only for towels. Actually, you can just throw them away. They’ll smell like smoke.”
Haegang spoke as he came down carrying an overcoat. He’s so demanding. Despite thinking this, Dohyun kept his mouth shut and took the clothes out of the basket. After placing them in the laundry room, Dohyun asked Haegang, who seemed ready to go out.
“Where… are you going?”
Haegang usually wore shirts and suits. Unlike usual, Haegang was wearing a black turtleneck and dark jeans, holding a long coat that Dohyun had never seen before.
“I’m sorry for not taking proper care of things.”
“…What?”
“Come out.”
“Why?”
“We need to go buy clothes.”
Together? At Dohyun’s question, Haegang went out first as if there was no need to answer. As Dohyun stared blankly at the closed door with dumbfounded eyes, the door swung open again a moment later, revealing Haegang. Then, slightly furrowing his brow and gesturing with his head, Dohyun couldn’t resist any longer.
Reluctantly putting on his coat and heading out, he was half-forcibly put in the car. Blinking awkwardly, they arrived at a place Dohyun could never afford.
“Um… I don’t have money.”
“It’s fine.”
What’s fine about this? Dohyun tried his hardest not to let out the words that had risen to the bottom of his chin. Following a line of shiny cars, Haegang stopped in front of a department store, got out, and handed the car over for valet parking, drawing attention from those around.
‘Well. He’s tall and has an impressive face.’
Dohyun felt a bit miserable. If he had to inherit genes, he wished for the kind that gave him a tall stature that drew attention like that, not Esper genes. This was especially true for Dohyun, who had just passed 170cm. Since non-combat Espers weren’t guaranteed to grow tall, Dohyun just hoped to reach at least average height.
Haegang walked ahead. There are plenty of wearable clothes at the market. Even at a regular mart, you can buy decent clothes. Dohyun felt a slight resentment towards the person walking ahead but soon gave up. If I don’t buy anything, that’s that. Haegang turned his head to Dohyun, who was trudging along dejectedly, and asked bluntly.
“Do you always walk this slowly?”
“What? No.”
I was walking behind because I didn’t want to stand next to you. But since he couldn’t say that to his face, Dohyun shook his head. Seeing Dohyun’s head shake, Haegang adjusted his pace.
“Let’s just buy comfortable clothes for now.”
“I don’t need to buy any.”
Regardless of what Dohyun said, Haegang navigated through the department store with familiarity and spoke to a store clerk, pointing at Dohyun.
“Please check his size.”
I said I don’t have money. However, Dohyun’s wishes were ignored by Haegang. With a resolute face, Haegang quickly scanned the clothes rack and pointed to a few items. Unlike the stiff suits he usually wore, these were casual outfits suitable for Dohyun.
When the clerk brought out Dohyun’s size, Haegang frowned.
“Is it this small?”
“Yes. The customer has a slim build.”
At the clerk’s smiling response, Dohyun felt a bit sad. It’s because I couldn’t eat well. But at least they said slim, not small. Haegang handed the clothes to Dohyun, telling him to try them on.
“Um, so,”
“Put them on and come out.”
Yes, master. Reluctantly, he went into the fitting room and changed. When he came out nervously, the clerk approached and adjusted his clothes.
“It suits you well.”
It was a shirt that was more comfortable and wearable than it looked. Dohyun awkwardly checked himself in the mirror. It was certainly a good piece of clothing. It didn’t feel scratchy, and despite being a bit thick for winter, it was light. The style of the clothes also suited Dohyun well, as if they were tailored for him.
“Can I take it off now?”
“Just a moment.”
Everything was fine, but I was afraid to look at the price tag. Surely I don’t have to buy it just because I tried it on. Though he wanted to take it off quickly, Haegang stared intently at Dohyun wearing the clothes he had chosen, seemingly dissatisfied with something.
“The fit is loose.”
“Though he has a slim build, his arms and legs are quite long, so if he wears a smaller size, it would be too short.”
Haegang nodded slowly, as if agreeing, and told the clerk to ring it up. Haegang turned his head without answering when he saw Dohyun’s stunned expression.
“No, why for me…”
“Don’t you need to meet the condition of dressing according to TPO?”
“Well…”
But wasn’t that just saying to dress reasonably neatly?
“…Then let me buy something within my price range.”
“I’m saying don’t feel intimidated every time you get in the car.”
“……”
“I don’t care what you wear as long as it’s not dirty, but it seems Esper Baek Dohyun isn’t like that.”
Dohyun just rolled his eyes, feeling like his inner feelings of being intimidated when riding in Haegang’s car or entering his house had been exposed.
Dohyun had never wished for a life of luxury. He just wanted to live without trouble. But perhaps it was because he had never seen such a life up close. He couldn’t help but be conscious of Haegang’s wealth and compare it to his own situation. It was embarrassing that it was so obvious.
This was why he didn’t want to get close to others. It kept disrupting his equilibrium. Dohyun hated this feeling of accumulating emotional baggage that he didn’t want to carry.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
