Holding tightly onto Winston’s neck, Yu-jin darted his eyes around in all directions. He had never been to a place this extravagant before. The walls, the ceiling—everything gleamed so brilliantly that it was almost blinding. The walls and floors were entirely made of marble, and the chandeliers hanging from the ceiling illuminated the space so brightly that it felt like broad daylight. And the people—elegantly styled hair, flawlessly tailored suits, refined makeup, and poised, graceful manners. Yu-jin was so overwhelmed by the sheer grandeur of it all that he could hardly think straight.
As they passed through the towering doors—which looked incredibly heavy—past the waiting staff and stepped inside, another vast, luxurious space unfolded before them. Winston carefully settled Yu-jin onto a grand, deep-gray leather sofa before taking a seat beside him. It was only then that Yu-jin realized he hadn’t taken a single step on his own since getting out of the car.
“What do you want to drink?”
Winston’s question caught Yu-jin off guard, and he hesitated, unsure of what to say.
“W-Water…”
Choosing the safest option, he stammered out his answer. Winston seemed to consider it for a moment before suggesting, “Can I pick for you? I know something really good.”
“Uh, yeah. Sure.”
Relieved that he didn’t have to decide, Yu-jin let out a small breath—but just as he did, Winston suddenly pressed a kiss against his lips. Before he could even react, Winston pulled away, leaving Yu-jin staring in confusion, blinking rapidly. Seeing his dazed expression, Winston sighed and let his shoulders slump.
“Yu-jin, you can’t tempt me in a place like this.”
“…What?”
Yu-jin had absolutely no idea what he was talking about. He was still feeling a little indignant about the unexpected kiss when Winston frowned and leaned in again. But this time, Yu-jin turned his head at the last second, dodging him.
“I-I wasn’t tempting you or anything!”
As Yu-jin stammered out his protest, Winston gazed at him with a serious expression. His contemplative silence made Yu-jin uneasy, but soon, Winston straightened up and raised a hand. The waiting manager immediately approached, and Winston, as if nothing had happened, gave him an order—though Yu-jin didn’t understand a single word of it.
“…What kind of place is this?”
He couldn’t quite grasp what they were supposed to be doing in such an exclusive setting. Winston smiled and replied,
“There’s something I want to buy for you.”
“Buy? For me?”
Yu-jin echoed in shock, but before he could press further, the manager returned, setting down their drinks and an assortment of beautifully arranged desserts. Yu-jin’s eyes widened at the glass in front of him—a nearly black coffee-brown liquid topped with a swirl of white cream. As he curiously examined it, Winston gave him an encouraging nod.
“Try it. If you don’t like it, I’ll order something else.”
“O-Okay.”
Following Winston’s suggestion, Yu-jin wrapped his lips around the straw and took a long sip. The moment the flavor hit his tongue, his eyes went wide in astonishment. He couldn’t even speak—just stared at Winston in utter disbelief. That reaction was enough to make Winston burst out laughing.
“Do you like it?”
Brushing Yu-jin’s hair back from his forehead, Winston asked in a warm voice. Yu-jin hastily nodded.
He never knew something could taste this good. It was sweet yet had just the right amount of bitterness…
It was ice-cold, sharp enough to jolt him awake, yet it glided down his throat with incredible smoothness. Yu-jin drank in a daze, utterly engrossed—until an unpleasant squeaking sound suddenly rang out. Startled, he pulled away, only to realize that his glass was already empty. Feeling a little embarrassed, he placed the empty glass down, and Winston, noticing, ordered another drink for him before adding another request.
“A shirt and trousers. Something that suits him.”
“Understood.”
The manager responded with a pleasant smile before swiftly disappearing. Yu-jin tentatively took a bite of the soft, butter-scented pastry in front of him and immediately sighed in delight, closing his eyes.
It was delicious.
At the mansion, food was always brought to him, and anything he needed was prepared without hesitation—but Yu-jin had never known what to ask for, so he never made requests. The one time he had been curious about a dish he read about in a book and asked for it to be made, it had turned out so bizarre that eating it had been pure agony. After that, he never dared to make a request again. He would have felt too guilty if he asked for something and then couldn’t eat it.
But this—this he could ask for.
Feeling a surge of excitement, Yu-jin tugged at Winston’s sleeve a couple of times. Winston, who had been sipping his coffee, turned his gaze to him. Flushing red, Yu-jin hesitated before speaking.
“What’s this called? What do you call it?”
“Financier.”
Glancing at the half-eaten pastry still in Yu-jin’s hand, Winston supplied the name.
“Financier, financier…”
Yu-jin mumbled to himself, trying to commit the word to memory. Amused by his determination, Winston asked, “Do you like it?”
“Yeah, I do.”
Yu-jin’s eyes sparkled as he eagerly shared his grand plan.
“The next time they bring me a meal, I’ll ask them to make financiers too. I never knew these existed before, so I never thought to ask.”
Winston silently studied Yu-jin’s face again. As Yu-jin happily nibbled at the remaining piece, savoring every bite, a flicker of complicated emotions crossed Winston’s expression. He seemed deep in thought, about to say something—when a knock on the door interrupted him.
The manager entered, followed by one staff member carrying a tray of drinks and two more wheeling in a clothing rack.
“Would you like to try them on now, or would you prefer to rest a little first?” the manager asked with a smile.
Yu-jin, caught off guard, hurriedly wiped his butter-streaked fingers on his clothes. Winston watched him but said nothing, simply shifting his gaze to the manager.
“We’ll take our time, so if you could give us some space? Thank you.”
For a moment, the manager looked slightly surprised, but she quickly regained composure, smiling as she nodded before leading the staff out.
Once they were alone, Yu-jin finally turned his attention to the clothing rack and blinked in surprise.
“You’re buying me clothes?”
“Yeah.”
Winston nodded without hesitation, leaving Yu-jin gaping in shock.
“Um… Do the clothes I have now look… weird?”
“No, Yu-jin. Not at all.”
Yu-jin’s face went completely pale, prompting Winston to quickly smile and deny any misunderstanding.
“I just want you to wear the clothes I buy for you when we meet. Not the ones my father bought.”
“Oh…”
Yu-jin looked a little reassured, but soon tilted his head in confusion. His expression seemed to ask, But isn’t the money you spend ultimately Harold’s money too? Winston, unfazed, casually added,
“This is my own money. I earned it myself, so you don’t have to worry about it.”
“You earned money? But you’re still a student. How?”
Yu-jin’s voice rose in surprise. There were plenty of ways to make money, but considering how sheltered Yu-jin had been, it was only natural that he had no idea about such things.
“I did a little stock trading.”
“Stocks?”
“Yeah.”
Winston didn’t elaborate further and instead smoothly changed the subject.
“Do you want to eat a little more, or should we try on the clothes first?”
Yu-jin immediately caught on to Winston’s attempt to divert the conversation. He glanced at the tray, hesitated for a moment, then made up his mind.
“I’ll eat a little more.”
***
That was a good decision.
By the time Yu-jin came out in the fifth outfit, he was utterly exhausted. Every time he changed, Winston would make him turn this way and that, walk from one end of the room to the other, and even pose in different angles. Then, he’d hand him yet another outfit to try on, repeating the process all over again.
Yu-jin had never changed into so many clothes in one sitting before. He wanted to tell Winston that they should stop now, but Winston had worked hard to earn this money to buy him clothes—he couldn’t bring himself to say anything that might dampen his enthusiasm. So, gritting his teeth, he endured it, trudging in and out of the fitting room more times than he could count.
But when Winston held out yet another set of clothes, Yu-jin couldn’t help but let out a deep sigh.
“Tired?”
Winston burst out laughing before asking. Yu-jin hesitated, then murmured shyly,
“A little…”
“Isn’t this enough…?”
“Baby, just one more, okay?”
Winston coaxed, holding out a pair of pants along with a neatly folded shirt.
Yu-jin, however, was too caught off guard by something else to focus on the clothes. His eyes widened in shock.
“Baby…?”
“Yeah.”
Yu-jin gawked at him, utterly bewildered, but Winston remained completely nonchalant. Leaning in, he pressed a light kiss to Yu-jin’s forehead before adding in a low voice,
“Want me to help you change?”
