Chapter 86
Yuwon hummed from the moment he put on his shoes. Even though they were just going to the mart right in front of them, he was as happy as someone going on a distant trip.
“Are you that happy?”
“Extremely.”
Yuwon nodded in response to Jeonghyeok’s question.
“Going outside is nice, but it means ajeossi trusts me now. That makes me even happier.”
Yuwon’s bright smile was so pretty that Jeonghyeok couldn’t take his eyes off him. At the same time, guilt arose in his heart.
I still don’t trust you enough to even tell you that your birth parents came looking for you. If you knew that fact, would you still smile this prettily for me? Would you still look at me the same way?
“…”
He knew that would be absolutely impossible. Hoping for that was contradictory in itself. If Yuwon found out what he had done, he would probably be furious. He might cry endlessly.
His heart burned black with this obvious fact. Even though it was a future that hadn’t come yet, he already felt suffocated as if he had experienced it.
Unlike Jeonghyeok’s gloomy inner thoughts, the outside was very bright. Warm sunlight poured down endlessly, and the leaves on the street trees swayed with the wind.
Beneath them, Yuwon smiled freshly. He walked energetically, taking deep breaths and saying he didn’t know how long it had been since he’d done photosynthesis. Even after arriving at the mart, Yuwon enthusiastically selected items.
“We need to buy cucumbers and chives. I’m going to make cucumber kimchi. Oh, and red pepper powder too.”
“Okay.”
Jeonghyeok just answered. When Yuwon gestured, he picked up those items and put them in the cart, organizing the cart’s contents intermittently while following behind the quick-footed Yuwon.
However, he also didn’t forget to keep all his senses alert and look around.
If they happened to run into Yoon Misook or Kim Minhyeon, it could create a difficult situation. Even if not those two specifically, he kept checking the surroundings to see if anyone who might recognize Yuwon appeared.
“Ajeossi, should we buy some bread too? I think it would be nice to make French toast for breakfast.”
“I like that too.”
“I’ll buy the small size.”
Unaware of Jeonghyeok’s worries, Yuwon smiled brightly and tossed a small-sized loaf of bread into the cart. When he unconsciously glanced into the cart to check if it went in properly, Yuwon finally realized the cart was full.
“Oh… I think we put in too much.”
“We can eat it quickly.”
“Our moving day is the day after tomorrow. We have to eat it all before then.”
“We can eat it all. Five meals a day.”
At Jeonghyeok’s joke, delivered without any playfulness, Yuwon pursed his lips.
“You really need to eat five meals a day. Let’s use this opportunity to put some weight on you.”
“I’ll try my best.”
The two pushed the cart together toward the checkout. It took three bags to barely contain everything they bought. Jeonghyeok gave Yuwon the lightest bag to hold and carried the other two himself.
On the way home, they ate ice cream they had bought at the mart. Yuwon, who had a free hand, held the ice cream and they shared it by feeding Jeonghyeok a bite and then taking a bite himself.
“It’s really delicious eating it after so long. When I was young, I didn’t really crave this flavor.”
Savoring the chestnut-flavored ice cream, Yuwon spoke as if it was fascinating.
Sometimes when the director bought lots of ice cream in various flavors, the children would search for chocolate or strawberry flavors like they were treasure hunting. Chestnut-flavored ice cream was always the unpopular one that remained until the end.
“When was this ‘when you were young’?”
“Middle and high school.”
“That was only three years ago at most, wasn’t it?”
At Jeonghyeok’s words, which carried a subtle teasing tone, Yuwon bristled.
“Ha, are you looking down on me for being young right now?”
“As if. I’m just envious.”
“That’s obviously not true.”
Yuwon pouted and sucked up the remaining bite of ice cream. Jeonghyeok laughed silently because he looked cute.
Warm wind blew constantly over their heads. It was a peaceful afternoon.
When they returned home, they filled the empty refrigerator. They put in the ingredients bought from the mart and threw old side dishes and vegetables into the food waste disposal. After putting even the eggs in the tray, the previously empty refrigerator interior was nicely filled.
“This is it.”
Yuwon smiled to himself.
He didn’t know about other places, but he wanted to organize at least the kitchen himself. He wanted to cook with his own hands too.
Looking back, he had loved cooking for others since he was young. When teachers were busy and meal times were delayed, he would make sandwiches for the younger children, and when ingredients were lacking, he would mix rice with gochujang and sesame oil for them to eat.
At those times, he would sometimes dream of opening a restaurant under his own name. A Korean restaurant would be good, and if he could study, it would be fun to learn Western cuisine and open a fancy restaurant.
He knew it was closer to fantasy than a dream, but that’s exactly why he could imagine it freely. Without considering realistic possibilities, when he pictured himself cooking, his heart would swell.
“Are you already done organizing?”
When he turned around, Jeonghyeok was standing there, changed into comfortable clothes.
“Yes, I’m all done.”
Yuwon ended his happy imagination and picked up small pieces of trash from the floor. Then Jeonghyeok took the things from Yuwon’s hands and asked.
“Should we watch a movie?”
“Sounds good. I’ll go change clothes too.”
Yuwon went into the dressing room, and Jeonghyeok, after throwing the trash in the waste basket, sat on the sofa first and turned on the TV.
He pressed the remote control buttons repeatedly to search for a movie they had once said they would watch together. Since he couldn’t remember the title, he had to browse through the movie list several times before finding it.
Just as he was about to press the play button, Yuwon came out of the dressing room wearing a white t-shirt. Instead of coming straight to the living room, he took something out of the kitchen cabinet. It was snacks they had bought in bulk at the mart earlier.
When their eyes met, Yuwon grinned like a child. With a face that said “please let it slide just once,” even though he knew he’d get scolded.
Yuwon approached with a bag of snacks in his hand and sat right next to Jeonghyeok.
“This looks fun, right?”
Making casual conversation, he skillfully tore open the snack bag and placed it between Jeonghyeok and himself. He grabbed a handful of snacks, glanced at Jeonghyeok one last time, and then popped them into his mouth.
Jeonghyeok asked with an incredulous expression.
“If you’re going to eat them anyway, why bother reading the room?”
“Well, I do have a conscience.”
With a mischievous smile, Yuwon chewed with his mouth moving.
“Just don’t skip dinner later saying you’re not hungry.”
“I’m the chef today. I won’t do that.”
Saying this, Yuwon snatched the remote from Jeonghyeok’s hand. He pressed the movie’s play button and sank back into the sofa.
Jeonghyeok, who had been quietly watching Yuwon as he instantly focused on the movie, sat up straight and watched TV.
The movie was about people traveling through space. It was a story where people with different thoughts misunderstood and fought each other, then were forced to cooperate to survive, and through that, a touching friendship bloomed—something like that.
When about half the running time had passed, Jeonghyeok gradually felt bored. He hadn’t been interested in movies from the start. He was only staying in his seat because Yuwon was next to him.
Just as he was patiently waiting for time to pass, a scene appeared on screen where the male and female protagonists, having confirmed each other’s feelings, kissed. They kissed so passionately that the smacking sounds made his ears tingle.
Jeonghyeok grabbed a handful of snacks with an expressionless face. They were too sweet for his taste and he wondered what people found appealing about them, but living with Yuwon, he had started eating a few bites whenever they were in front of him.
Just as he was finishing the snacks in his hand, he thought the seat next to him was too quiet. He felt like he had heard the crunching sound of snacks being eaten just moments before.
Jeonghyeok subtly turned his head to look at Yuwon.
“…”
Yuwon, who was focused on the screen while even swallowing his saliva, was completely unaware of the gaze directed at him.
Jeonghyeok chuckled inwardly. Here he was, concentrating so intently on mere kissing and sucking scenes when he had done much more—he didn’t know whether to call this innocent or not.
Curious about when he would notice his gaze, Jeonghyeok silently stared at Yuwon.
But the man and woman on screen were now taking off each other’s tops, and Yuwon’s concentration only increased.
Jeonghyeok’s eyes, which had initially been watching Yuwon for fun, gradually turned cold. Just how long was he going to remain oblivious? A sudden desire arose to turn that gaze, which was endlessly looking ahead, toward himself.
And Jeonghyeok didn’t suppress that desire. Without hesitation, he reached out to cup Yuwon’s cheek and turned his head toward himself.
Yuwon’s eyes widened in shock.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
