He should’ve woken up in his own apartment—but Baek Hye-seong opened his eyes in Yoo Ji-ho’s house instead. The moment he sat up, he instinctively checked the clock on the nightstand.
The time was clearly later than usual. It was no surprise, considering how long he’d tossed and turned before finally falling asleep.
Not that it mattered anymore—he didn’t have to report to work starting today anyway.
Ji-ho had said he’d accept Hye-seong’s decision to step down as his Pair Guide, and Hye-seong had already informed the Center.
Then what was the point…
If only he’d at least made it to the front door, or handed over the gift he’d prepared—it wouldn’t feel so meaningless. Now it was as if that entire conversation about quitting had never happened, leaving him dazed and adrift.
He’d made such a firm decision to part ways with Ji-ho.
But instead of a farewell, he hadn’t even managed to leave the house. Overnight, he’d just become an unemployed freeloader in Ji-ho’s home.
“Huh?”
When he sat up, he saw breakfast neatly arranged on a bed tray. It was nothing fancy—simple and nutritionally balanced, just like Ji-ho always prepared.
Next to the glass of water was a single sheet of white paper. Hye-seong unfolded it.
[Sorry about yesterday. I’ll be back around lunchtime. Eat your breakfast and rest.]
“So he went out……”
Checking the time, he saw it was nearly noon. What would happen once Ji-ho returned?
Sure, he’d locked Hye-seong in a room yesterday, but this morning, he’d brought him food. He’d even left a note apologizing.
So… was it safe to think he’d calmed down a little?
“……I hope so.”
Hye-seong’s tear-streaked face relaxed slightly as he picked up the spoon. He took a bite of the seaweed soup, rich with generous chunks of beef. Ironically, maybe because he was hungry, it went down surprisingly well.
After slowly finishing the meal, he got up from the bed. A chill in the air made him glance down—he was still completely naked.
I should probably put something on.
After a moment of hesitation, he opened the wardrobe. It was full—practically overflowing—with neatly washed clothes Ji-ho had bought him.
Socks, underwear, shirts, pants—everything was there, just as he’d carefully folded them, planning to return all of it when he left.
And beyond those, there were even brand-new clothes he hadn’t worn yet. He hadn’t realized how much had accumulated.
He even bought winter clothes… When did he manage all this?
It wasn’t cold enough to wear that stuff yet. Scratching his head as he looked at a large fur-lined parka, Hye-seong headed into the en suite bathroom.
He was familiar with the upstairs hallway bathroom—he’d used it more often than his own. But this bathroom, the one in this room, felt less so. Since returning from Jeju, he’d been using this room, but he’d still spent most nights in Ji-ho’s room.
Still, it was Ji-ho’s house, so everything inside was familiar.
Wearing a troubled expression, Hye-seong slowly washed with the shower gel and shampoo. The toothbrush he’d forgotten to throw away yesterday was still there, so he used it and felt thoroughly refreshed afterward.
Squeaky clean, he applied the lotion Ji-ho had bought for him, then blow-dried his hair.
But even during those routine moments, his head was filled with questions.
“……Still, I should at least be dressed.”
With a glum face, he looked back into the wardrobe he’d checked earlier. Eventually, he picked out a pair of cotton pants and a simple T-shirt. This wasn’t some battle—he didn’t want to be stubborn for no reason.
He grabbed some underwear too, but skipped the socks. None of these things were really his, and since he was only borrowing them briefly, he wanted to keep what he wore to a minimum.
After getting dressed, he picked a book from the small bookshelf in the room to kill some time while waiting for Ji-ho. Then he sank into the cozy single-seat armchair next to it.
And the moment he opened the book, his hands froze.
“You could’ve stayed here forever, happy, without knowing anything.”
It was something Ji-ho had said yesterday—one line, among many spoken in that unusually cold, low voice, that stuck with him the most.
“Without knowing anything……”
Yesterday, Ji-ho had spoken as if Hye-seong had been completely clueless all along. As if he were someone entirely different. That unfamiliar, foreign presence lingering around him—it still wouldn’t leave Hye-seong’s mind.
When he thought about the way Ji-ho had looked at him then…
It made him seem like a bad person.
There were more than a few things that didn’t add up since yesterday. And the longer he went without talking to Ji-ho again, the more impossible it seemed to ever understand him.
It was strange that Ji-ho hadn’t laid a hand on him, if this was really just about unstable wave patterns. It was even stranger that he’d told him to stay here regardless of whether he offered guiding or not.
Right. What he needs is guiding.
…….
But he said he didn’t give a damn about that, that he just wanted me to stay.
Ji-ho had always been the one asking “why,” but now it was Hye-seong who wanted answers.
“Stop trying to leave, for fuck’s sake……”
Why had someone who lacked for nothing—who always seemed so composed—blocked him so desperately, like even he didn’t understand what he was doing?
Why?
“No way……”
Frozen by his own thoughts, Hye-seong shook his head frantically.
No. No way. That can’t be it. He tried to dismiss it, forcing his eyes back to the page.
After maybe ten pages of reading, he heard Ji-ho’s voice.
Hye-seong rose awkwardly from the chair and approached the door. Standing in front of it, he spoke quietly.
“……Ji-ho?”
“Hye-seong, come downstairs.”
Downstairs?
He reached for the door handle—just like yesterday. And this time, it turned easily, with the gentlest touch.
“Huh……”
The door swung open as if it had never been locked.
Was it open this whole time?
Why hadn’t he tried earlier?
Scratching his head, he stepped outside—and there was Ji-ho, coming up the stairs. He seemed slightly concerned that Hye-seong had taken so long.
“Don’t tell me you’ve been in your room since morning?”
“……Yeah.”
“Didn’t you feel cooped up?”
His voice was unexpectedly gentle. Hye-seong, caught off guard, looked up and met his eyes.
“Oh, I was fine……”
Ji-ho chuckled softly and reached out to ruffle his hair.
He seemed… pleased.
“You look way better now that you’re dressed.”
“…….”
He wasn’t entirely sure, but it really seemed like Ji-ho’s good mood was because of what he was wearing.
“Thanks……”
With nothing else to say, Hye-seong bowed his head politely. Ji-ho let out a quiet laugh. For a moment, Hye-seong wondered if yesterday had all been just a bad dream.
That’s how normal Ji-ho seemed now. His tone, his manner, the way he touched his hair—everything was the same.
It felt like he was the only one still feeling awkward.
“You ate everything, right?”
“……Yeah.”
So maybe Ji-ho had just gotten a little rough yesterday because of a guiding-related issue?
He didn’t know the exact reason, but clearly Ji-ho was stable now. Which meant… maybe today, he could finally go home.
“By the way, where did my stuff end up……?”
“Do you need anything from it right now? Just tell me, and I’ll take it out for you.”
“…….”
Hye-seong stared at him silently.
So I have to ask to access my own things?
His belongings were modest, sure—but inside that backpack were plenty of important things. The binder full of documents he’d collected about Ji-ho, the little glass jar filled with the glittering stones Ji-ho had given him…
“Want to water the garden, Hye-seong?”
“Huh? Me?”
“You said it was cool last time.”
He was talking about the time Hye-seong had stood watching, fascinated, as Ji-ho’s gardener watered the sprawling garden. Apparently, Ji-ho remembered that.
“You don’t want to now? That’s okay. We can do it another time.”
“…….”
This was weird. Too weird. So weird that it couldn’t just be in his head—but Ji-ho was acting like nothing was out of the ordinary.
