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#Side 1. Small Changes in Daily Life (8)
Hayun deliberately entered without ringing the intercom, opening the door himself. As soon as he stepped into the entryway, a savory aroma wafted towards him. Hayun tilted his head at the tantalizing smell. Was there someone in this house who could cook?
“Jeong Dawoon.”
As Hayun called out to Dawoon while heading towards the kitchen, he heard something crash inside. Simultaneously, he heard Dawoon cry out in alarm.
What on earth was he doing to make such a noise? He had never even asked Dawoon to do the dishes, let alone cook. The thought of that person being in the kitchen made Hayun more anxious than expectant.
“What was that sound just now…”
Hayun swallowed a groan as he peered into the kitchen, unable to finish his sentence. The kitchen was in a worse state than he had imagined. It was hard to tell if cooking had happened or if the place had been bombed.
“I was in the middle of cleaning up!”
Dawoon quickly explained, as if making an excuse.
“You came home earlier than expected, so I didn’t have time to clean.”
He muttered that if he’d had a little more time, he would have cleaned up without leaving a trace.
If he made something here, would it actually be edible food?
Though a very fundamental question came to mind, Hayun suppressed it for now and first checked the floor around Dawoon’s feet. Despite the loud noise, fortunately, it didn’t seem like anything made of glass had broken. Instead, a stainless steel bowl was rolling around.
“I dropped an empty bowl.”
Dawoon sighed, picking up the fallen bowl and putting it in the sink. The sink was full of other items besides the bowl. At a glance, they looked like large mixing bowls and cooking utensils needed for cooking, which seemed difficult to fit in the dishwasher.
“Come out. I’ll clean up.”
It seemed like things would get worse if he let Dawoon do it. As Hayun took off his suit jacket and started to roll up his shirt sleeves, Dawoon hastily replied that it was fine, he would clean up later.
“More importantly, this first.”
Seeming to realize it was hopeless, Dawoon came out from in front of the sink, approached Hayun, grabbed his arm, and pulled him along.
Dragged to the dining table, Hayun almost let out an exclamation at the food laid out on it. He barely swallowed it on the tip of his tongue and turned to look at Dawoon.
“Did you do all this by yourself?”
Dawoon nodded instead of answering. Hayun’s gaze returned to the table. Several Korean side dishes, including braised short ribs and japchae, were arranged quite impressively. In the center was an apple pie slightly larger than a palm with a candle stuck in it.
“A cake was a bit difficult.”
Dawoon rubbed his neck with his hand, explaining why it was an apple pie instead of a cake. Whether it was an apple pie or a cake didn’t matter. Hayun felt a lump in his throat at the fact that Jeong Dawoon had made all this food for him by himself, without anyone’s help. He had guessed Dawoon might be preparing something, but this was truly unexpected. He thought Dawoon might have bought a modest gift with his part-time job earnings and maybe decorated the house with ‘Happy Birthday’ balloons.
“I was expecting something, but…”
Hayun couldn’t fully express the overwhelming emotion he felt.
“This is beyond my expectations.”
As Hayun spoke with a faint smile, Dawoon, who had been tense and stiff, finally relaxed as if relieved. However, he soon became serious again.
“But I can’t guarantee the taste. I followed recipes I found on the internet, but…”
He seemed unsure, as it was his first time cooking.
What did the taste matter? This was Jeong Dawoon’s first-ever cooking. Hayun had no intention of leaving any of it or sharing it with anyone else.
“Sit down first. It won’t kill us to eat it.”
Dawoon pulled out a chair for Hayun to sit in, seeming resigned. Hayun frowned as he saw Dawoon’s hand holding the back of the chair.
“What happened to this? Are you hurt?”
He grabbed Dawoon’s wrist and showed it. There was a bandage wrapped around his left index finger.
“I just got a small cut.”
Dawoon answered, pulling his hand away. He had clearly cut himself while cooking.
“From now on, you’re banned from cooking.”
When Hayun said this with a serious expression, Dawoon made a sound of protest and frowned.
“Isn’t it too much to ban me from cooking just because of this little injury?”
“We can live fine without you cooking. Of course, this birthday meal is very touching. But I don’t want you getting hurt.”
Even while scolding, Hayun coaxed and comforted him.
“Thank you. Really.”
Hayun seated Dawoon in the chair he had pulled out, then lightly kissed his cheek. When their eyes met again and Hayun smiled brightly, Dawoon also smiled back, as if he couldn’t help it.
“This is my gift to you.”
Hayun took out a small box from the inner pocket of his suit jacket that he had hung aside and held it out to Dawoon. Dawoon just blinked, wondering why Hayun was giving him a present.
Hayun opened the box himself and showed it to Dawoon. Inside were two pendants. They were circular ring shapes – one had a black PVD and diamond line between yellow gold and pink gold, while the other had the same black PVD and diamond line inside white gold.
“This is…”
Dawoon’s eyes moved from the pendants to Hayun’s face. Hayun just nodded.
Recently, he had accidentally seen Dawoon searching for these pendants on the internet. When asked what it was, Dawoon had hastily cleared the screen and said it was nothing, but Hayun wouldn’t have missed it. After Dawoon fell asleep, Hayun had checked the internet browsing history to confirm the pendants he had been looking at.
Since Dawoon usually had no interest in accessories, Hayun thought he might have wanted to give it as a birthday gift to him. However, it was from a quite expensive brand, an amount Dawoon couldn’t afford with his part-time job earnings. It would take at least half a year of part-time work to buy one of these pendants.
Hayun took the white gold pendant from the two and put it around Dawoon’s neck. Dawoon, who had been quietly watching Hayun’s actions, exhaled deeply.
“I wanted to buy it for you.”
“I know.”
“But why did you buy mine too…”
“If I bought rings, you wouldn’t wear them.”
Dawoon stared blankly, not understanding what Hayun meant, then his eyes widened a beat later. Hayun chuckled and picked up the other pendant, placing it in Dawoon’s hand. Then he pointed to his own neck.
He had bought couple pendants instead of couple rings. He thought Dawoon would wear it quietly if it was a pendant, as it could be hidden under clothes.
Realizing the meaning, Dawoon looked down at the pendant in his hand.
“Won’t you put it on me? It’s my birthday gift.”
At Hayun’s words that this was his birthday gift to himself, Dawoon smiled weakly. He put the pendant around Hayun’s neck, who was slightly bending forward as if urging him to do it quickly, and stared at the pendant hanging on Hayun’s neck.
“It really suits you well.”
He mumbled as if talking to himself. From the first time he saw this pendant, he thought that color would suit Hayun well. The simple design, with gold mixed with black, would suit Hayun even better as he usually wore suits.
It was unexpected that Hayun had bought it as a couple item including Dawoon’s share, but seeing how well the pendant suited Hayun as if it had always been his, Dawoon was relieved that his judgment hadn’t been wrong.
If only he could have saved money and bought it himself… Who would have known each pendant would cost several million won? He had planned to save money until next year’s birthday since it was impossible this year, but he didn’t expect the sharp Hayun to notice and buy it already.
“That necklace…”
Hayun’s face was suddenly close to Dawoon’s as he bent his waist. His hand fiddled with the pendant hanging on Dawoon’s neck.
“What would you do if I said I put a tracking device in it?”
At these outrageous words, Dawoon stared at Hayun. He had just removed the tracking program from his phone, and now it was the pendant…
“Will you not wear it?”
A mischievous smile played on Hayun’s lips. It was hard to tell if he was joking or if he had really put a tracking device in it. Taking a deep breath, Dawoon extended one arm and wrapped it around Hayun’s neck.
“I’ll wear it.”
He had heard from Director Park about how anxious Hayun had been when they couldn’t contact Dawoon recently, mobilizing a security company to search all over London. He was genuinely sorry to hear that Hayun had really worried that Dawoon might have gotten involved in some crime.
I don’t mind if he tracks my location.
Others might say it’s suffocating to have every move controlled like this. But Dawoon thought it wouldn’t matter if Hayun was this upfront about it.
Maybe I should ask him to put the same tracking device in his pendant and let me check it too.
He smiled, thinking half-jokingly and half-seriously. Watching Dawoon’s smile, Hayun leaned in closer.
“Happy birthday.”
Hayun whispered softly just before their lips met, and Dawoon saw the corners of his eyes curve gently.
***
As Dawoon was coming out after finishing his lecture, he saw a familiar car parked in front of the lecture building. Sure enough, as a short horn sounded and the window rolled down, Hayun’s figure appeared.
As Hayun waved at Dawoon, Theo and Lily, who were leaving the lecture building with him, turned to look at Dawoon.
At Lily’s question, Dawoon nodded while keeping his gaze on Hayun.
Since there seemed to be an age difference and the car Hayun came in was noticeable, Theo was curious about their relationship.
The quick-witted Lily narrowed her eyes as she looked at Dawoon.
At the short answer, Lily let out a shriek. Theo’s eyes widened, and his mouth gaped open.
Leaving the two behind, Dawoon slowly walked forward. Towards Jeong Hayun, who was waiting for him.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
