“I brought you here to introduce you. Just come over here and stop fussing with your hair. And don’t drip water all over the floor.”
“Does my hair really matter right now? It’s Seo Eui-woo… Oh no, what should I do? Um… I’m really sorry, but could I ask for a favor? A picture, can I take a picture…?”
“Are you planning to take a picture with Kwon Jae-jin? They say he practically melts when he gets wet.”
“Ugh, why do you keep butting in, Oppa? Are you his guardian or something? Whatever. Forget about fixing my hair, I’m coming.”
Jae-hee sprinted off toward my room with loud thumping steps as soon as she heard that. Her behavior was exactly the same as always, to the point that it was almost reassuring. She didn’t even seem to feel any sense of fear. My father scolded Kwon Jae-jin, clicking his tongue.
“Jae-hee! Watch your mouth in front of our guest, seriously…!”
“Dear, let it go. You know how Jae-hee is—the thing that scared her the most was you. She cried so much because of how strict you were back then… Sigh.”
“Jae-hee did that?”
“Don’t even mention it. We had to take her to the hospital a few times…”
“I thought at the time that a couple of stitches would do the trick.”
“…I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. It’s all in the past. Yes… it’s all in the past.”
“Yeah, Jae-jin. It’s all in the past… Today is a good day, so let’s smile.”
Only after seeing Jae-hee’s face did he finally leave the front door and step into the living room. The living room had an antique interior that carried the marks of time, but it was well-maintained and gave off a cozy atmosphere. A wooden table sat in the middle of the living room, and the floor was covered with a large sitting mat.
To the right of the room, beside a tree pillar, there were carved height measurements marking the growth of Jae-jin and Jae-hee since they were little. The walls of the living room were plastered with framed pictures of the two siblings.
Oh, of course, there were also plenty of photos of the youngest, Soo-noo. A large framed family portrait taken at a studio occupied the most prominent spot.
“Sit down and wait for a bit. The rice needs to cook a little longer.”
“Alright, I’ll bring out some chairs from the storage.”
Their mother left the two in the living room and headed out to make space.
At that moment, Kwon Jae-jin took off his mask and turned to look at Seo Eui-woo.
“You did well. You really did well.”
“…I did well?”
“Yeah, yeah. Just like this. Right now is perfect.”
Overcome with happiness, Jae-jin grinned and clapped Seo Eui-woo on the back. Honestly, he couldn’t contain his excitement.
Seeing Jae-jin’s bright, unguarded smile, Seo Eui-woo’s eyes quivered slightly.
Then, he grabbed the mask he was wearing and slowly took it off. Seeing this, Jae-jin immediately wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him closer.
“Kwon Jae-jin, you’re cute.”
Seo Eui-woo’s face leaned in dangerously close.
“I want to kiss you.”
“What? No way.”
Seo Eui-woo, you crazy bastard!
One second of being complimented, and he was already in crisis mode. Jae-jin jerked his head back and pressed his hands against Eui-woo’s shoulders.
“Back off. No. Move away.”
He couldn’t raise his voice, afraid the family might hear, so he could only reject him with a desperate whisper.
“What if it’s just a little peck?”
“No. I said move away…?”
“Then, can I kiss your cheek?”
“Later. Eui-woo, at home, okay?”
“If I don’t listen, you’ll have no choice. Should we shift coordinates for a moment and come back?”
“No, no. Later…”
“Then, later, Jae-jin, you have to kiss me instead.”
“…Fine. I’ll do it.”
Kwon Jae-jin responded with a lifeless tone. Right now, if he could just shake off Seo Eui-woo, he’d be willing to promise anything for later. What’s the big deal? It’s just a stupid kiss.
“Where will you kiss me?”
What the hell was this now?
Jae-jin sighed. He kept glancing around the house anxiously, worried the family might return at any moment.
“I’ll kiss you wherever you want.”
“On my lips?”
“I’ll do it on your lips.”
“And somewhere else.”
“Where else?”
“On my eyes.”
“My eyes? Like, your eyelids?”
“Yeah.”
“Gross, you perverted bastard…”
“Ugh, do you really hate it? Is it that weird?”
“It’s weird. You could get conjunctivitis.”
“I won’t, you know that. There’s plenty of healing factor.”
“Still…”
“But I always kiss you on your eyes. It feels really nice. I want Jae-jin to try it on me just once…”
Just then, a tiny noise came from behind him.
Jae-jin’s shoulders jumped.
Did someone hear them? His head whipped around in panic, and he hastily shoved Seo Eui-woo away.
“Alright. I’ll do it. I’ll do it later.”
And when he turned around…
All he saw was Sun-woo sitting quietly in a sunlit spot, focused on playing with his toy.
“I like that.”
“……”
“You said you’d do it, Jae-jin.”
Seo Eui-woo smiled lazily as he blinked. That relaxed expression of his made it obvious he already knew Jae-jin had no way out of this.
“Hey, you…”
“Haha, this is great. Jae-jin, can I take a look at this?”
“……”
“This picture here. It’s from when you were little, right?”
Seo Eui-woo pulled Kwon Jae-jin toward the display cabinet. Jae-jin swallowed a string of curses and followed him. If he tried to stop him now, it’d only make things more suspicious, so he had no choice but to let him do as he pleased.
I’m raising a damn pervert…
Seo Eui-woo stood in front of the cabinet, gripping his chin as he gazed at the photos like a child discovering treasure.
“Wow, Jae-jin, you were tiny.”
“……”
“I can’t believe it. Little Jae-jin is smiling and running around!”
“……”
“What’s up with this picture? Why are there so many small kids next to you?”
Seeing them all clinging to him was kind of adorable, but considering Eui-woo’s mind, Jae-jin wasn’t sure what weird thoughts he might be having. His head started aching.
“…Birthday party.”
Jae-jin replied in a dry voice.
“I had a birthday party with my friends when I was little. I told you before, on the main Earth, birthdays are commonly celebrated as a tradition, right?”
“Yes, your birthday is October 25th. It’s a commemorative date, like our anniversary.”
“Yeah, something like that…”
“You know, today is the 217th day. Your birthday, October 25th, is the 282nd day.”
Seo Eui-woo provided the details smoothly. Whether he had that number stored in his brain like a calculator or if he’d just memorized it for no reason, Jae-jin didn’t know. Maybe it was just an instinct for counting special days.
‘The chaos that broke out on the 100th day anniversary was insane…’
The 200th day too…
Always…
“Wait, today is the 217th day?”
Jae-jin paused, rewinding his memory for a moment. Just then, Jae-hee, who had been fussing with her hair in the hallway, came back, appearing out of nowhere like a ghost.
“Are guardians supposed to count days like that? Is it some kind of anniversary thing?”
“Jae-hee!”
“What?”
Jae-jin met her gaze with a meaningful look. His younger sister’s eyes sparkled with curiosity.
“…Never mind. Forget it.”
“What the—”
“…I’ll tell you later. After dinner, when our parents aren’t around.”
“Okay? But hey, um, Seo Eui-woo, could I ask for a favor? Could we take a picture together?”
Jae-hee eagerly pulled out her phone. Seo Eui-woo glanced at Kwon Jae-jin, and Jae-jin begrudgingly gave in.
“Fine, just one. But you only take the picture. Don’t go posting it everywhere.”
“Who do you take me for? I know how to be discreet. There’s already enough rumors at school about me being Kwon Jae-jin’s sibling, so don’t worry.”
Jae-hee turned on her phone’s camera, tilting it slightly to find the perfect angle with a subtle filter. At that moment, Seo Eui-woo grabbed Kwon Jae-jin’s shoulder and pulled him closer.
“Jae-jin should be in the picture too.”
“Huh?”
Kwon Jae-jin ended up getting pulled right into the frame. The three of them huddled together in a tight group.
“If we’re taking a picture, we might as well frame it for the display cabinet too.”
“That’s—”
“Yeah! Let’s do that, Oppa.”
Click, click, click.
Jae-jin had agreed to just one shot, but Jae-hee kept pressing the shutter repeatedly. His younger sister clearly had no intention of listening to him. She even changed the filter and snapped more photos while dragging the phone around.
“That’s enough, we’re done.”
“Wait, Oppa, just a sec. Since we’re taking some, let’s get Sun-woo in too. It’ll go on display, remember?”
In the end, even Sun-woo, who had been quietly playing in the corner, was pulled into the shot. Then their mother and father, who had just come in carrying chairs from the storage, were naturally drawn into the frame as well.
“Alright, look here! One, two, three!”
At some point, it had turned into a full family photo.
It wasn’t planned, but it was the perfect day for taking pictures. Warm summer sunlight poured in through the window, casting a golden glow over them.
Everyone’s expressions were bright, and even Sun-woo, who was usually shy, sat comfortably in the pose. When Jae-jin turned his head, he noticed Seo Eui-woo gazing directly into the camera lens, a faint smile playing at his lips.
“……”
Jae-jin’s stiff expression gradually softened.
Maybe Jae-hee wasn’t entirely wrong to push for this.
Thinking about it, this was probably the only chance they’d have to take a picture like this. In just 24 hours, Kwon Jae-jin would have to return to the special operations base. Before they had to part ways, it was better to capture these moments now.
‘I’ll have to thank Jae-hee later…’
As soon as the photos were taken, Jae-hee ran off, saying she’d print them out and put them in her room.
“Jae-hee! The galbi’s getting cold!”
“Oh, I’ll be right back. Start eating without me!”
“Ha… Let’s just eat first.”
None of the adults even tried to stop the siblings from running around. Jae-jin and Seo Eui-woo followed the rest of the family to the table.
The meal was set with a fragrant spread of well-seasoned dishes, filling the air with an inviting aroma.
At the center of the table, a steaming plate of soy-marinated short ribs took the spotlight, surrounded by an impressive spread of meticulously prepared dishes. It was as if every possible delicacy had been gathered in one place—flower crab soup, pan-fried three-color pancakes, grilled pine mushrooms with aged beef, tofu, seasoned raw octopus, and braised kimchi.
There wasn’t even enough room to fit a platter of crispy pan-fried fish. On top of that, the side dishes seemed endless—fermented cabbage kimchi, sesame leaves, spinach, seasoned bean sprouts, bellflower root, and spicy seasoned seaweed stem, to name a few.
Once the freshly steamed rice was served, everyone took their seats at the dining table. The rice was still too hot to touch, yet somehow, Jae-jin already felt full just looking at the feast before him.
