Haah, a sigh of excitement escaped involuntarily. Yu-jin tightly embraced the man, whose body was so large it overflowed from his arms.
“I love you.”
Yu-jin whispered softly. Could anything be this perfect? Winston chuckled and said,
“My father is going to try to kill me.”
“Are you scared?”
Winston let out a short laugh.
“Should we go again?”
Yu-jin liked that answer very much. As he smiled and cupped Winston’s cheeks, the man tilted his head. Their lips met again, and between them, Winston murmured,
“That’s why I’ll be lying beside you until morning.”
Their lips, which had barely parted, pressed together once more in reverse.
“My love…”
His voice seeped into Yu-jin’s mouth along with his warm breath.
“My life…”
Winston recited a line from Annabel Lee, stroking Yu-jin’s cheek.
“Beside my bride.”
Yu-jin lifted one leg, wrapping it around Winston’s waist.
“Winnie.”
With that soft whisper, their tongues entwined once again. Why Annabel Lee of all things? Did Winston know? That the angel—or was it a demon?—who envied their love had stirred a cold wind that took the girl’s life, separating them forever.
If I had known that in advance, I probably…
***
…Ah.
Sunlight poured in, and Yu-jin opened his eyes. The clock on the wall pointed to 8 a.m. Winston was already gone. It had become a routine lately.
Yu-jin slowly rose from the bed. Since that day, they had not fought once. He hadn’t rejected Winston’s truce proposal. If they kept engaging in such battles of nerves every day, Yu-jin would undoubtedly be the first to fall. In any case, as long as Winston didn’t criticize or mock him, there was no real harm. After all, the man was nothing if not gentlemanly.
“Getting pregnant is your duty.”
That was what Winston had said that day when he demanded Yu-jin in bed. He had braced himself for it, yet surprisingly, Winston held him with great politeness. Their sex had been so indifferent, so matter-of-fact, that it bordered on dull. Afterward, Winston didn’t touch him at all and simply slept apart.
Two weeks had passed like that.
As Yu-jin stepped out of the bathroom, a knock came at the door, as if waiting for him.
“Daddy, Daddy!”
Angela burst in like an alarm. Yu-jin scooped her up, rubbing his cheek affectionately against hers as he asked,
“Did you sleep well, Angie?”
“Yeah! Did Daddy?”
Yu-jin felt a smile spreading across his face as he showered his daughter with kisses. It was a peaceful morning.
“What should we do today, Angie?”
I should probably start looking for a job soon.
As he listened to his daughter’s voice, Yu-jin sank into thought. Before leaving this place and returning to his old life, he needed to come up with a plan. Without a letter of recommendation, finding a good job would still be difficult.
Is there some kind of short-term job training I could take…?
Back then, he never even dreamed of such things—he simply didn’t have the luxury. But now, while living here, his basic needs were secured, meaning he could afford to do anything. He didn’t particularly feel grateful to Harold, but he decided to appreciate the situation itself. There was no point in dwelling on negativity.
Opening his phone for the first time in a while, he habitually checked his emails. As expected, his inbox was flooded with spam, which he mechanically deleted. Then, something at the very bottom caught his eye.
“Huh?”
A soft exclamation slipped out. He hesitated for a moment before moving his finger. It’s probably just more spam, he told himself. And yet, for some reason, he felt an odd sense of excitement as he clicked on the subject line. His eyes skimmed the contents quickly before going back to the beginning. He repeated the process several times, his eyes widening with each read—until finally, he clamped a hand over his mouth.
***
No way. This can’t be real.
He spent the entire day in a daze. Could something like this actually happen? Was he dreaming?
Was it really, truly happening?
“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”
“H-huh?”
A sudden voice snapped him out of his thoughts. Startled, Yu-jin turned his head to find Winston looking at him with curiosity. Only then did he realize he was sitting at the dinner table with him. Hastily lowering his gaze to his plate, Yu-jin mumbled,
“Oh, it’s nothing. Nothing at all.”
He quickly stuffed a piece of meat into his mouth and chewed diligently, sneaking a glance at Winston. Whether Winston believed him or not was unclear, but the man simply resumed eating.
As he mechanically chewed his food, Yu-jin sank back into contemplation.
Should I tell him? Or…
After a brief moment of deliberation, he pushed the thought aside. Not yet. It would be better to wait until things were more certain.
Lately, Winston’s attitude had changed a lot from how he was at the beginning. But that didn’t mean things had gone back to the way they used to be. If he spoke too soon and everything fell apart, it would just be embarrassing…
Resolving to keep it to himself for now, Yu-jin refocused on his dinner. I shouldn’t get my hopes up too much. It might just be a simple meeting. People make offers all the time.
Yeah. It’s not like I’ve ever been particularly lucky.
That thought cooled his excitement a little. Maybe it was for the best. With that, Yu-jin finished his meal. That night, just like the previous one, they had mechanical sex before turning their backs to each other. But for their own reasons, neither of them could fall asleep easily.
***
On the morning of the promised day, Yu-jin woke up earlier than usual. When he checked the clock, it wasn’t even 7 a.m. yet. Since the meeting was scheduled for lunch, there were still several hours left.
“You’re up already?”
Winston, who was getting ready for work, seemed to have noticed his movement and turned to look at him. Yu-jin, who had been halfway sitting up, rubbed his eyes and straightened his posture.
“Yeah… Are you heading to work now?”
“I am.”
Winston, now wearing his suit jacket, stepped closer to the bed and leaned in. Their eyes met, and for a brief moment, Yu-jin froze.
Those deep violet eyes were staring right into his.
And just like that, old memories surfaced. It had always been like this before. Every time they parted ways, they would share a kiss as if it were the most natural thing in the world. More often than not, those kisses would escalate into deeper caresses, until they inevitably ended up back in bed together. And after it was all over, Winston would place one final kiss on Yu-jin—who was too exhausted to move—before finally leaving.
And now, those same eyes were looking at him in exactly the same way.
Yu-jin’s lips parted slightly, his breathing slowing, as if in anticipation.
Winston leaned in closer, as if answering that silent expectation.
Realizing his intent at the last second, Yu-jin instinctively pulled back. An awkward silence settled between them. Winston studied him intently, narrowing his eyes slightly as if he were suspicious of something. Flustered, Yu-jin quickly turned his head away and blurted out an excuse.
“W-we’re not exactly in a relationship where we kiss each other affectionately, are we?”
It wasn’t a lie. And Winston, too, acknowledged it.
“…Right.”
After a brief pause, he straightened up again.
“Well then, have a good day.”
With a faint smile directed at Yu-jin, Winston turned and left the room.
Once alone, Yu-jin finally released the breath he had been holding. His heart, which had been oddly calm until now, suddenly began pounding in his chest.
What the hell? Why now, all of a sudden?
They had sex every night, so it made no sense for his heart to race like this over something so trivial.
It’s probably just because I’m looking forward to this afternoon.
Yes, that’s all it was.
Yu-jin repeated that thought to himself over and over, forcing his excitement to settle.
***
The meeting was set at a trendy French restaurant that had been gaining popularity lately. Yu-jin dressed as neatly as possible and arrived at the restaurant exactly on time.
“This way, sir. They’re waiting for you.”
When Yu-jin gave the name at the entrance, the staff member smiled and guided him to the table. Taking a deep breath to steady his nerves, Yu-jin followed.
The opulent interior, reminiscent of a royal palace, was said to have been meticulously designed to replicate a French château, down to every last brick. Remembering what he had heard from the butler beforehand, Yu-jin couldn’t help but be impressed.
As he walked past the still partially empty tables, a man seated in the distance locked eyes with him. At first, the man seemed uncertain, studying Yu-jin intently, but as realization set in, he slowly rose to his feet.
By the time they reached the table, the staff member gestured toward a seat with a polite smile. Swiftly, they moved behind Yu-jin, pulling out the chair for him.
Just as Yu-jin settled into his seat, the man spoke first.
“Mr. Seol Yu-jin? It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Jay Grant, the one who emailed you.”
Flashing a bright smile, he extended his right hand.
“You’re the editor-in-chief of Grant Publishing, correct? It’s an honor to meet you.”
