The first thing to greet Ha-jin when he opened his eyes was the bright window—and, strangely enough, a body that felt light and refreshed. The room was still and quiet. When he turned his head, he saw that Yushin’s bed was empty. Ha-jin jumped at the sight of the clock showing it was past 9 a.m., only to quickly remember it was Sunday.
He usually woke up on his own when it was time, even without an alarm. Feeling a bit sheepish, he thought he must’ve slacked off the moment Cheon Tae-seong left the country. Maybe he was finally able to relax. He’d slept so deeply without a single dream that even his body felt loose and languid.
When he stepped outside the room, Yushin was preparing a late breakfast.
“You’re up?”
“Yeah. You could’ve woken me.”
“You looked dead asleep. I figured you’d get up on your own once I started cooking.”
“You made doenjang jjigae?”
Ha-jin walked over, washed his hands, and helped prepare the rest of the meal. Standing next to Yushin, who was stirring the stew, he made a rolled omelet and stir-fried some well-fermented kimchi in oil. Once they laid out a few store-bought side dishes, the small dining table quickly filled up.
“Looks good.”
The two of them sat across from each other and slowly began eating. They didn’t check the time or look at their phones, just kept chatting casually. It was the most leisurely morning in a long while.
The contract with Cheon Tae-seong. Yushin’s sudden hospital stay. And then Kang Sung-oh’s arrival.
He’d practically been glued to Tae-seong the entire time. So a completely tension-free day like this felt like it had been ages. It was almost jarring not to have that man—who constantly pushed him to the brink—looming nearby.
And now this would go on for a full week? It felt surreal, like he’d lost his job overnight.
Was it really possible to feel this empty just because the evil boss was gone?
Has he arrived by now…?
As Ha-jin unconsciously drifted back to thoughts of Cheon Tae-seong, he shook his head firmly.
It’s a vacation—might as well not waste it thinking about the CEO.
After breakfast, he lazily lay back down again, even putting off clearing the table. Curling up sideways on the messy bedding, he picked up the novel he’d left face-down.
Sunlight poured through the windows, and the wind outside rustled the drying laundry.
I hope he remembered to take his meds… I should take mine too.
The novel, with its gloomy protagonist, wasn’t working for him anymore. Ha-jin couldn’t bring himself to read another line and shut the book again. He really didn’t get Kwak Mari’s taste sometimes.
Having sworn off using his phone for the duration of his vacation, he now truly had nothing to do.
Maybe Tae-seong was right—he did live a boring life.
I should probably go meet him at the airport when he gets back…
There it was again. More thoughts about Cheon Tae-seong.
Ha-jin finally sat upright with a grunt. If he stayed like this, he’d just spend the entire day worrying about that man. Yushin, seated at the computer, briefly turned around but then looked back at his monitor. Ignoring the itch in the back of his mind to check his phone, Ha-jin wandered into the living room.
“How about washing the blankets?”
When he peeked into the room, Yushin shook his head. Right—they’d done a full bedding change just three days ago.
The living room, which they’d cleaned the night before, was spotless. Not even a speck of dust.
Their breakfast dishes were so minimal that cleanup took barely any time. Ha-jin even opened the fridge to see if there was anything to tidy up, but of course, Yushin had already organized everything.
“I’ll take out the food waste. Maybe go for a walk while I’m out.”
Taking out the trash was the only chore left. Ha-jin mumbled it into the air, not really expecting a reply, and scraped together the minimal scraps of food waste.
As he passed the dining table, his gaze snagged on the car keys again.
“…Seriously.”
Did he really buy me all that just for this?
Looking at the shoes by the door made his heart twinge again.
He could vividly recall Cheon Tae-seong kneeling in front of him, insisting on putting the shoes on himself. That ticklish touch on his ankle…
“……”
Trying to shake off the lingering images, Ha-jin clicked his tongue sharply. He opened the door wide—only to come face to face with a tall, shadowy figure standing just outside.
“Wh-Who are you?”
Startled, Ha-jin instinctively raised a fist, which only made the man flinch even harder.
“P-Please don’t be alarmed! I’m not suspicious, I swear!”
Yeah right. He looked exactly like a suspicious guy. Ha-jin gripped the trash bag tightly just as Yushin called out from inside, asking if someone had come.
“Yushin, stay inside!”
Ha-jin’s eyes narrowed further. The man in the black suit, clearly flustered, frantically waved both hands.
“The CEO said he contacted you. You didn’t get a message? He sent me.”
The man pulled out a business card from his inner pocket—it looked familiar. According to the card, he was a subordinate of Kim Dae-hong. But Ha-jin couldn’t just trust that. He’d learned the hard way with Kang Sung-oh and his thugs that fake business cards were easy to make.
Sure, the guy looked straightforward, with a kind of pure honesty in his eyes… but still.
After a long moment of eye contact, Ha-jin finally relaxed his shoulders a little.
“Wait here a moment, then.”
He shut the door again. Engaged all three locks. Then turned to find his phone.
The phone he’d flipped over to sever ties with the outside world—or more accurately, with Cheon Tae-seong—was now full of missed notifications. Sure enough, one of them was from Tae-seong.
[I’m the one who sent him. Don’t be alarmed.]
Below the brief message were the man’s name, team, basic profile info, and a photo.
“Lim Han-soo, 28 years old… former Special Forces counter-terrorism unit…”
Ha-jin stared at it in disbelief for a while, and over his shoulder, Yushin let out a soft “Whoa.”
When he reopened the door, the man—Lim Han-soo—was still standing there with a pitiful expression, as if begging to be believed.
“You’re Lim Han-soo, right.”
“Yes. The CEO sent my team to ensure your safety from any potential… unpleasantness.”
“Unpleasantness? What kind of… Wait—team?”
“Yes, I’m stationed here, and the others are monitoring the surrounding area. I can’t go into details for security reasons.”
“Ah… So you’ll be here all day?”
“Yes. We rotate shifts at night.”
Wouldn’t the neighbors start noticing? Ha-jin leaned out the door to look around, but didn’t see anyone else like Lim Han-soo nearby.
“Why don’t you come in, then?”
If Tae-seong sent him, he had to be a Beta. There weren’t any pheromones coming off him, anyway. Ha-jin stepped aside, holding the door open, but Lim Han-soo immediately tensed.
“I can’t. The CEO strictly ordered me not to go inside the residence.”
“You’re a Beta, though. It’s fine.”
Ha-jin insisted, but the man stubbornly shook his head. Said he preferred the breeze outside—as if that made any sense.
“We’ll guard the outside. Please enjoy your vacation in peace, Mr. Lee Ha-jin.”
The extreme formal tone made Ha-jin’s shoulders twitch, and behind him, he heard Yushin stifling a laugh. Clearly, he’d been watching the whole thing.
Ha-jin moved to shut the door, but the man’s massive hand suddenly caught it.
“Ah! I forgot—I have something to give you.”
He pulled a stiff, black envelope from his coat, handing it over with such care it was like watching a slow-motion video.
Then, glancing at the trash bag in Ha-jin’s hand, he swiftly snatched it away and passed him the envelope in exchange.
“Please take care!”
That booming voice must’ve alerted the whole neighborhood. Back inside, Ha-jin clicked his tongue and sank onto the sofa.
He’d looked indifferent when taking the envelope, but once he started opening the sealed flap, he couldn’t keep his expression neutral.
It smells like the CEO…
The thick, weighty black envelope had a smooth surface with embossed floral patterns along the edges. A soft scent, unmistakably his, drifted out from the pristine white invitation inside.
The flower etched onto the card resembled the one associated with Tae-seong’s scent. Inside were two cards—one a credit card with Cheon Tae-seong’s name on it, the other a room key for a famous hotel that Ha-jin recognized instantly.
On the back of the invitation, as expected, was a short note in his familiar handwriting.
[If it’s uncomfortable there, go stay here instead.]
“….”
He’s the one who made it uncomfortable in the first place.
The man really had a talent for leaving him speechless. Ha-jin brought the invitation to his nose. Breathing in deeply, it almost felt like Tae-seong was right in front of him.
Like he was telling him to wait—thinking only about him.
“Ha, shit. What the hell am I doing?”
Snapping out of it, Ha-jin jerked the invitation away from his face in a panic. He hastily separated the credit card and room key, then stuffed the white paper back into the black envelope like he was hiding it.
Just then, Yushin passed by on his way to the bathroom, glancing curiously.
“Yushin.”
“Yeah?”
Putting on a casual expression, Ha-jin held up the hotel room key.
“Wanna go on a hotel staycation?”
The unexpected offer made Yushin’s eyes go wide in surprise.
