“Uh—this is bad.”
“Why?”
“It might start raining soon.”
“Whoa…… a human weather forecast. That’s seriously cool.”
Yi-hyeon didn’t have time to bask in Han Jun’s awestruck stare. He muttered that they needed to find a place to stay, fast, and immediately started scrolling through his phone.
Patter.
Yi-hyeon’s sense of smell was practically a clock. Just as he’d said, raindrops began to fall not long after. Judging by their size, it looked like a sudden downpour was about to hit hard. Familiar with the area, Han Jun grabbed Yi-hyeon’s wrist tightly and led him toward a bus stop with a roof, pulling him inside.
As if things couldn’t get worse, drip—blood fell from Yi-hyeon’s nose. Seeing the panic flicker in Yi-hyeon’s eyes as he hurriedly covered his nose with his hand, Han Jun opened Yi-hyeon’s bag and pulled out a pack of wet tissues. He quickly took one and wiped the blood from Yi-hyeon’s nose and the hand that had been smeared red.
“There aren’t many people around here, so buses hardly ever come—but just in case.”
This time, he pulled a cap from his own bag and placed it on Yi-hyeon’s head. Then he took out a windbreaker that had been folded up, snapped it open with a shake, and wrapped it around Yi-hyeon’s waist.
Water was dripping steadily from Han Jun’s head as he smoothly handled every one of Yi-hyeon’s physical changes without missing a beat. Yi-hyeon hurriedly rummaged through his bag and pulled out the towel that had been buried at the very bottom. He began carefully drying Han Jun’s head as Han Jun tied the sleeves of the jacket around Yi-hyeon’s waist. When Han Jun lifted his head slightly, their gazes collided sharply.
“You were really soaked, so……”
Yi-hyeon was the one who looked away first.
“You’re soaked too.”
After firmly tying the jacket around Yi-hyeon’s waist, Han Jun took the towel from Yi-hyeon’s hand. He used it to wipe the water running down Yi-hyeon’s face, then paused, his gaze drifting to Yi-hyeon’s upper body.
Frowning slightly in irritation, Han Jun suddenly slipped the hand holding the towel inside Yi-hyeon’s clothes.
“Hey—why all of a sudden……?”
“Hold still. It’s see-through.”
Keeping it there, Han Jun pressed the towel against Yi-hyeon’s T-shirt, soaking up the water that had seeped into the fabric. Every time the back of Han Jun’s hand brushed Yi-hyeon’s skin, it tickled unbearably, forcing Yi-hyeon to bite down on his lower lip. Just as he started thinking his heart might actually burst, a bus came barreling through the rain in the distance, trailing the thick smell of oil.
Han Jun quietly withdrew the hand that had been inside Yi-hyeon’s clothes.
Hisss.
The bus’s front door opened, and the driver poked his head out.
“Students, you getting on?”
Stepping forward as if to shield Yi-hyeon, Han Jun answered.
“No, we’re not.”
As soon as Han Jun finished speaking, the doors closed and the bus pulled away. Watching the bus disappear, Han Jun seemed to hesitate for a moment before stacking the two bags he’d set down on the bench and slinging them over his shoulder.
“Let’s go.”
“We still haven’t found a place to stay.”
“There is one. A place.”
“Huh?”
“Follow me.”
Retracing their steps, Han Jun stopped in front of the small wooded hill he’d climbed as soon as they arrived in Gangwon-do. Yi-hyeon had noticed a single building while they were hiking up earlier, and the thought that Han Jun might be taking him there left Yi-hyeon staring at him in a daze.
Han Jun squeezed Yi-hyeon’s hand slightly, tugging him along as if to say, come on.
“The password better not have changed.”
Having already figured out the location, Yi-hyeon followed without complaint. Just as he’d expected, when they reached the middle of the hill, Han Jun pointed at a lone building standing there.
“There’s no one maintaining it, but it’s not bad once you go inside.”
Han Jun suggested they stay just a little while, only until they found a clean hotel while avoiding the rain. Yi-hyeon nodded slowly. From afar, the overgrown weeds made it look eerie, but up close, aside from the ivy creeping along the walls, the exterior was clean and stylish.
Stopping in front of the entrance, Han Jun punched in the password and closed the cover on the door lock. Ding-ding, a bright melody rang out.
“Oh, the password hasn’t changed. That’s a relief.”
Pressing the handle down firmly, Han Jun pulled Yi-hyeon inside. He didn’t say anything else, but Yi-hyeon knew—this was the last place where Actress Joo Mi-yeon had wrapped up her life.
It might’ve been a place Han Jun didn’t want to come back to.
Considering he’d booked a pool villa despite having Joo Mi-yeon’s second house—more comfortable and familiar than any hotel—this place probably hadn’t been part of his plans. Maybe even setting foot inside was a trial in itself. Thinking that Han Jun might’ve made a choice he didn’t want to because of Yi-hyeon’s physical condition, guilt welled up stronger than relief at not being seen by anyone.
Click. Han Jun flipped the switch. The familiar interior came into view. The very spot where Actress Joo Mi-yeon had once turned back with a bright smile. Everything was exactly the same as in the photos—except she was gone.
“The caretaker was let go, so of course there’s nothing to eat.”
Opening the fridge, Han Jun sighed and shut the door.
“I guess I’ll have to take a taxi to the mart. It’ll be a little scary going alone, but just rest and watch your phone until your ears disappear.”
Because it was private property, no one would come in, and since no one was using the place now, even the CCTV and security cameras were just decorative—that explanation, coming from Han Jun, sounded strangely lonely. Han Jun watched Yi-hyeon nod silently, then said he’d be right back and headed for the front door.
“Um…… Han Jun.”
Yi-hyeon had been agonizing over what to say since the moment they stepped inside. He finally managed to speak.
“Thank you.”
Even without any elaboration, Han Jun seemed to understand exactly what he meant. He nodded and replied with a soft smile.
***
Maybe the mart really was close. Han Jun was back before Yi-hyeon could even finish watching one YouTube video. Yi-hyeon hopped up and scampered to the entrance, where Han Jun stood, arms full of food, grinning brightly.
“You’re running over like Louis waiting for me.”
Yi-hyeon clamped his mouth shut, at a loss for words.
After putting everything away together, Han Jun popped a frozen pizza into the microwave, then turned back toward Yi-hyeon, who was sitting at the dining table, looking a little sheepish.
“Sorry for dragging you on a trip and feeding you this.”
Han Jun explained that since he’d already reserved the pool villa’s barbecue system, he hadn’t bothered grocery shopping at all. Yi-hyeon shook his head, saying it was fine.
“No, it’s okay. You know how good big corporations’ seasoning skills are these days. I honestly like frozen pizza more than real pizza.”
“Ah…… I’m actually really confident with pasta.”
Han Jun said he’d wanted to buy ingredients for pasta, but since it was a small neighborhood mart, they didn’t even have grated cheese or fresh cream. There was more missing than available, so he couldn’t. Yi-hyeon nodded along, murmuring, “Right, right.”
Han Jun seemed like the type who thought a single missing ingredient would ruin a recipe—classic for someone who couldn’t cook. That pointless bravado of his made Yi-hyeon’s chest feel tight in the best way.
They set the heated pizza and pasta in the center of the table and sat facing each other. Twirling the noodles around his fork and popping them into his mouth, Yi-hyeon’s eyes widened at the taste of the creamy pasta before he broke into a shy grin.
Seeing Yi-hyeon’s ears—still not gone—twitching slightly, Han Jun laughed along with him.
“You really show how good it is with your whole body.”
“What?”
“Your ears and tail. They’ve been moving nonstop.”
Yi-hyeon whipped his head around.
Just like Han Jun said, the tip of his tail, tucked beneath the chair, was swaying gently on its own. He grabbed it tightly and hurriedly wedged it between his legs.
“What? It’s cute.”
“Cute? It’s gross.”
Resting his chin in his hand, Han Jun looked at Yi-hyeon at a slant.
“It’s cute. Really.”
