Seon-woo stepped into the bedroom, towel-drying his slightly damp hair.
Seung-hyeon, who had finished showering first, was sitting on the bed, eyes fixed on his phone. Judging by the phone’s horizontal orientation, he seemed to be playing that mobile game he’d recently started.
As soon as he saw Seon-woo walk in, Seung-hyeon paused the game and set the phone down. Seon-woo casually draped the towel over the doorknob before making his way toward the bed.
“Were you baking pizza again?”
The mobile game Seung-hyeon had started was apparently a game about baking and selling pizzas. Seon-woo couldn’t for the life of him understand what was fun about it, but the way Seung-hyeon kept playing it whenever he had a spare moment suggested there was some addictive quality to it that eluded Seon-woo.
Rather than offering an explanation, Seung-hyeon just gave an embarrassed smile. Seon-woo didn’t press further about the game either. Without another word, he climbed onto the bed and sat next to Seung-hyeon.
“Wanna lie down?”
Seung-hyeon asked that and, without waiting for an answer, lay down first and stretched out his arm—offering it as a pillow.
Though Seon-woo still wore a slightly serious, contemplative expression, he didn’t reject the gesture. He obediently rested his head on Seung-hyeon’s arm.
As he lay there, he replayed the mental simulations he’d been running during his shower. What had he decided to say first again? If he just blurted out, “Let’s go on a trip,” it would probably make things awkward for both of them. He’d planned to test the waters with a lighter question to ease the mood.
“Hey, um.”
“Yes, Director.”
“What do you think about people who are… impulsive? A bit reckless, maybe?”
“What?”
Even Seon-woo realized it was a bizarre question.
Seung-hyeon, who had been lying straight on his back and staring at the ceiling, turned on his side to face Seon-woo the moment he heard it. Feeling awkward under Seung-hyeon’s gaze, Seon-woo turned as well, so they were both facing the same direction.
Seung-hyeon laughed softly and wrapped his arm around Seon-woo from behind.
“Why are you dodging me? Not even gonna look at me?”
“Just answer the question first.”
Seon-woo replied, forcing a composed tone.
Seung-hyeon let out a thoughtful “Hmm…” as if mulling it over, though it was obvious he wasn’t seriously thinking about it.
“Wait, is this one of those trendy couple debates? Just so you know, I wouldn’t be okay with you peeling someone else’s perilla leaf or zipping up someone else’s jacket.”
Figures. Instead of an answer, he gave some random comment.
Feeling a twinge of frustration, Seon-woo turned back around to face Seung-hyeon—only to end up nestled right into his chest.
But when he saw Seung-hyeon’s smiling face, any irritation he felt melted away almost instantly.
Seon-woo stared at him for a moment before speaking again, this time with a different question. He’d decided to give it another go.
“Do you have plans tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow? Hmm… other than work, not really.”
“Then what about the day after tomorrow?”
“That one’s about the same.”
“And the day after that?”
“You mean three days from now? Aside from work… nothing else.”
“And the day after that.”
“Ah, all the way to four days from now? That day… oh. I do have one thing scheduled that day.”
It was a random line of questioning, but Seung-hyeon answered without even a hint of suspicion.
Still, the fact that there was something planned on the last of the four days Seon-woo had in mind was unexpected.
…Was I thinking too much on my own?
Ever since they’d started dating, Seung-hyeon had shaped his lifestyle almost entirely around Gwak Seon-woo. It was rare to even catch him meeting friends—maybe once in a blue moon. Seon-woo had already checked company obligations and other official matters before planning everything, but he hadn’t looked into personal relationships, and now it seemed like that oversight might cause a problem.
“……Is it something you can’t cancel?”
“They’re old classmates I haven’t seen in a while, but it’s not something I can’t cancel. Honestly, I wasn’t that eager to go anyway… Skipping it might actually be better.”
The calm expression on Seung-hyeon’s face showed no sign of dishonesty.
Seon-woo, who had been trying to think through the possibility of cutting the trip short and returning on the third day, exhaled in quiet relief.
But the conversation didn’t end just because Seung-hyeon said he had no other plans. With a slightly puzzled tone, he asked,
“So… what’s going on? Do you have a business trip or something?”
He was already saying that if it was something like that, he’d cancel his plans, take the wheel, and go with him.
Seon-woo hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“Did you know the birthplace of pizza isn’t actually Italy, but Greece?”
“What?”
Another baffling comment that seemed completely unrelated to everything that had come before.
Seung-hyeon blinked in confusion.
“I think I might’ve heard that somewhere…”
An awkward silence settled between them.
Seung-hyeon looked at Seon-woo, uncertain whether to be confused or concerned.
Realizing how utterly ridiculous he must have looked, Seon-woo felt a wave of secondhand embarrassment crash over him. With a small sigh, he covered his face with the back of his hand.
“Ha…”
“What’s wrong, Director?”
Seung-hyeon immediately scooted closer, wrapping his arms around him with a playful voice.
As Seung-hyeon burrowed into his arms, Seon-woo returned the embrace, falling into a brief moment of contemplation.
Trying to come up with a smoother, more perfect way to broach the subject had been nothing but overthinking.
Instead of springing it on him a day before the flight, he should’ve just had the conversation sooner, fully prepared to convince him no matter what.
But it was already too late for that.
Now, there was only one thing left he could do—tell him the truth.
Seon-woo gave Seung-hyeon one firm, tight hug before letting go and rising from the bed.
There on the floor, just in front of the door where he’d left it, was the envelope with the tickets he had planned to bring in after confessing everything. He picked it up and returned to the bed.
Sensing something unusual, Seung-hyeon had already sat up from his lying position and was now kneeling properly atop the bed.
Sitting down across from him, Seon-woo put on the most serious expression he could muster.
“Do you know what month it is right now?”
“Um… August?”
“And what kind of month is August?”
Seung-hyeon looked like he was giving the question some real thought. After a few moments of contemplation, he answered,
“…Summer?”
Seon-woo nodded right away.
“Exactly. Summer means vacation season.”
Seung-hyeon’s face, initially filled with confusion, began to take on a curious expression.
Seon-woo had momentarily forgotten just how sharp this man’s intuition was. Feeling a bit embarrassed, he gave a sheepish smile and cleared his throat.
“I’ll get straight to the point.”
Though truthfully, far too much had already been said for it to be called ‘getting straight to the point’ now.
Seung-hyeon simply stared at him, lips sealed, face a mix of suspicion and curiosity.
“Summer’s nearly over. Everyone’s off enjoying their vacations, honeymoons… going everywhere they want.”
As he watched Seung-hyeon remain silent, Seon-woo fell into thought. What should he say next? Should I tell him I felt guilty that he hasn’t gone on a single trip because of me?
But if he said that, Seung-hyeon would no doubt insist he was fine and end up refusing the trip altogether.
Choosing his words carefully—honestly—Seon-woo finally spoke.
“I wanted to go too. A trip, or whatever… with you.”
The moment the words left his mouth, he felt unbearably self-conscious.
Unable to meet Seung-hyeon’s eyes, he lowered his head and tore open the envelope. Slowly, he pulled out the plane ticket and held it out to him.
Seung-hyeon stared at the ticket, which had tomorrow’s date printed on it.
“I kept thinking about how to bring it up, and before I knew it, it was today. Sorry for springing it on you last minute and dragging you off in such a rush.”
“No.”
Seung-hyeon responded immediately.
He continued to stare at the ticket as if he might burn a hole through it, his expression unreadable.
“I picked Greece… You’ve been baking so much lately—I figured we could at least go eat some real pizza together.”
That finally made Seung-hyeon laugh.
He looked up from the ticket and met Seon-woo’s gaze squarely.
Whether it was the line ‘I wanted to go with you’ or something else, it seemed to have worked.
Contrary to Seon-woo’s worries, Seung-hyeon didn’t mention the director’s busy schedule or health, didn’t try to talk him out of it. He just smiled.
A pure, radiant smile that seemed genuinely happy.
Seon-woo found himself momentarily speechless, captivated by that expression.
“I’m happy, Director.”
To others, his voice might’ve sounded silly—maybe even laughable.
It held an unexpectedly shy tone. But to Seon-woo, it was everything.
Filled with warmth, he looked at Seung-hyeon with more affection than ever before, then gently bowed his head toward him.
A soft kiss landed on Seung-hyeon’s cheek.
Caught off guard by the sudden kiss, Seung-hyeon’s eyes curved into a smile as he chuckled and spoke.
“I’ll get ready right away. So I can take care of you there, too…”
