The time spent with Kim Sol was quite enjoyable, except for one thing that bothered him.
He had just returned home, cleaned up, and was waiting for Cha Jae-woo. Ever since their paths had crossed on his birthday, Cha Jae-woo had started letting him know his approximate arrival time, so he had been spending more time on the first floor lately.
Actually, it was also because Cha Jae-woo had recently brought in some furniture for the first floor. It was just a sofa and a table, but it was enough. He could clearly see that Cha Jae-woo cared about him.
He never would have imagined that Cha Jae-woo could be so kind when they first met. Kim Sol knew nothing about Cha Jae-woo, which is why he insisted that they wouldn’t last a day.
‘No, it’s because Cha Jae-woo likes me that he does all this.’
He knew he was being a bit silly, thinking this to himself and feeling proud, but he couldn’t help it.
After waiting on the sofa for about ten minutes, he heard the front door open. He jumped up and headed to the entrance, and sure enough, there was Cha Jae-woo.
“You’re home?”
He couldn’t help but smile broadly, happy to see him.
“Yeah.”
Cha Jae-woo smiled back. Just the slight curve of his lips looked incredibly handsome.
“Have you been waiting here long?”
“No, I came down just in time for when you said you’d be home.”
“Good.”
He naturally wrapped his arms around Cha Jae-woo’s waist, and Cha Jae-woo kissed the top of his head.
This natural gesture made him both happy and nervous. He clenched his trembling fingertips and hugged Cha Jae-woo tighter around the waist.
Will he ever get used to this? Will that day ever come? Maybe not, but… he hoped he would get more comfortable. He wanted to be more at ease with Cha Jae-woo.
Hiding his nervousness, he looked up at Cha Jae-woo and said, “I met Sol hyung today. Oh, did you hear about it?”
“Yeah, I heard.”
It had been a while ago, but ever since he had snuck out to have fun, the driver had been asking about his exact destinations and who he was meeting. He knew that his answers were being reported directly to Cha Jae-woo, but he didn’t mind too much.
“Sol hyung told me that there was a burglary at President Jang’s house. Is that true?”
As he asked, still holding onto Cha Jae-woo, they awkwardly climbed the stairs together. Cha Jae-woo glanced down at him. He felt embarrassed to meet his gaze but also didn’t want to look away, so he desperately kept his head up.
“That’s what I heard.”
Cha Jae-woo sounded indifferent. He hesitated for a moment before speaking up.
“But, um…”
He knew it was none of his business, but he couldn’t help his curiosity. He had actually heard Jang Gi-jun’s voice briefly during a phone call on Christmas Eve. He wanted to know what had happened and if Cha Jae-woo was really not involved. Of course, he probably wasn’t, but asking directly seemed like the quickest way to find out.
“Oh, do you know the guide Lee Ju-yeon?”
But before he could finish his question, Cha Jae-woo spoke first, catching him off guard with the name he mentioned.
He had heard from Kim Sol that Lee Ju-yeon and Cha Jae-woo were sometimes seen together, but he hadn’t planned on asking about it. Something must be going on. He had been trying not to worry about it. But hearing Cha Jae-woo bring up his name was surprisingly shocking.
“Uh, yes… I know him. We met because of the matching rate test…”
“I see.”
Cha Jae-woo nodded slightly. He didn’t say anything more until they reached the second floor, so he let go of Cha Jae-woo and asked, “Why are you suddenly talking about that guide?”
“He might be coming and going from the house for a while.”
“……What?”
This was completely unexpected. Why would that person be coming and going from here? There must be a reason. He held back the questions he wanted to ask immediately and waited for Cha Jae-woo to speak.
“There’s something going on.”
However, Cha Jae-woo’s explanation wasn’t very helpful. What was going on? What reason could there be for someone to be coming and going from the house?
His confusion grew, but Cha Jae-woo didn’t seem inclined to explain further.
“It’s not about receiving guiding.”
Cha Jae-woo clearly had no intention of elaborating. He shook his head vigorously. He knew it wasn’t about guiding; Cha Jae-woo had said he wouldn’t do it, and he believed him. He just wanted to know what was going on.
“I’m not asking because of the guiding… I’m just curious about what’s happening. Why is he coming?”
Despite his efforts to ask, Cha Jae-woo didn’t answer. He just lightly ruffled his hair. It was clear he wasn’t going to explain.
The vague response left him feeling unsettled and a bit resentful. Why did that person know something he didn’t? Why didn’t he know about Cha Jae-woo’s work? After all, Cha Jae-woo knew everything about him.
“It’s for work.”
Cha Jae-woo added when he remained silent.
‘What kind of work?!’
He wanted to demand an answer but held back. Why wouldn’t he tell him? Did he think he would blab it to everyone? Didn’t he trust him? Did he seem too talkative?
He clamped his mouth shut. Whatever the reason, it was for work, so there was nothing he could say. And this was Cha Jae-woo’s house. He had no right to complain about who came and went.
“Lim Haeyul, are you mad?”
“Huh? No, I’m not. Why would I be mad if it’s for work?”
He figured he at least had the right to sulk a little. Cha Jae-woo laughed as if he found the whole thing amusing.
“It’s nothing serious. He’ll only be coming and going for about a week.”
“Oh, okay…”
If it was nothing, why not just explain? Would he seem too clingy if he kept asking?
In the end, he just nodded. Cha Jae-woo kissed his cheek, and he responded half-heartedly. He couldn’t help feeling bothered, but he didn’t want to make a big deal out of it.
* * *
A few days later.
“Hello.”
“Hello.”
Just as Cha Jae-woo had said, Lee Ju-yeon, the guide, showed up at the house. Cha Jae-woo was out, so he was left to figure out what to do. The visitor’s expressionless face made it even harder to know how to act.
After an awkward exchange of greetings, an uncomfortable silence fell. Most people would at least look around a bit, but Lee Ju-yeon just stood there, expressionless.
“Um, please have a seat. Cha Jae-woo stepped out, but he should be back… soon? Actually, I’m not sure when he’ll be back.”
“Okay.”
“You can wait here, or usually, he uses the upstairs living room, so you could wait there too…”
Honestly, he didn’t really want Lee Ju-yeon going upstairs. It felt like the second floor was his and Cha Jae-woo’s private space. But if he wanted to go up, he wouldn’t stop him.
Fortunately, Lee Ju-yeon shook his head.
“I’ll wait here.”
He nodded, relieved. He still found it hard to read Lee Ju-yeon’s blank expression. He hesitated for a moment, then decided to just go up to his room. Cha Jae-woo would be back soon, and they would probably want to talk alone. He figured it was okay to escape the awkward atmosphere.
“Um, Lim Haeyul?”
But he didn’t make it upstairs. Lee Ju-yeon, who he thought would just stand there silently, suddenly called out to him.
“If you don’t mind, could you wait with me?”
His polite tone made it hard to refuse.
“There’s something I’d like to talk to you about.”
In the end, he found himself nervously sitting down in front of Lee Ju-yeon. He was a bit curious about what he wanted to say, but the whole situation was uncomfortable.
