The once-dazed gaze, still fogged with sleep just moments earlier, now locked clearly and directly onto Seon-woo.
Seon-woo gently let go of Seung-hyeon, caught in a strange blend of half-relief and half-regret.
“Director, why are you up so early?”
He briefly considered tossing out a playful remark like, ‘You were calling me hyung just a second ago, and now you’re putting up walls again?’—but in the end, Seon-woo opted for a more composed response.
“The sun’s already high in the sky. We should probably head out soon.”
“Hmm…”
Seung-hyeon picked up his phone and let out a small hum as he checked the time. It seemed more time had passed than he’d expected. Muttering to himself—“Guess I slept more than I thought…”—he soon lifted his head again.
“Yeah. Let’s go.”
“Alright. So, where are we headed today? How about the royal tombs? I heard Anapji Pond changed names… maybe we can check that out?”
Unlike yesterday, where Seung-hyeon had been swept along passively, today Seon-woo was offering suggestions more actively. Since they’d come all the way here, he wanted Seung-hyeon to see and enjoy as much as possible.
But Seung-hyeon shook his head without hesitation.
Saying he “shook his head without hesitation” felt oddly off, yet somehow it fit perfectly. His expression was so bright and carefree—it really did seem like he had no lingering regrets.
“No, I think I’m fine just heading home today.”
“…What?”
It was Seon-woo who found himself flustered by Seung-hyeon’s unexpectedly straightforward answer.
“Yesterday we went to Bulguksa, the botanical garden, and even saw Cheomseongdae. That’s everything I wanted to do.”
“Oh… if you’re just saying that for my sake, then of course—”
“What I want to do is whatever you want to do.”
Seung-hyeon paused for a beat at the sincerity of Seon-woo’s answer.
“…What?”
“Nothing, I just can’t believe you say stuff like that so easily…”
Was he actually getting shy? Seon-woo let out a short laugh.
“Don’t act like this is something new.”
“I know, right? And yet, it still feels new every time.”
Seung-hyeon smiled at Seon-woo for a moment, then stood up and continued.
“Anyway, I’ve done everything I wanted to do in Gyeongju. Now I just want to go back and, during the rest of my vacation, watch movies with you, make dumplings at home, pick out new furniture together, relax at home… stuff like that. If you’re okay with it, of course.”
It caught him off guard. Just yesterday, they’d dashed all the way to Gyeongju and packed a full day’s worth of activities into a single trip. But after just one night, Seung-hyeon now said he didn’t care about anything else and was ready to leave—with not a hint of reluctance.
Seon-woo wondered if Seung-hyeon was doing it for his sake. He had genuinely enjoyed himself yesterday too, but maybe Seung-hyeon thought he hadn’t… and that’s why he wanted to head back already.
“…Okay.”
But after closely studying Seung-hyeon’s expression, Seon-woo concluded that wasn’t the case. He didn’t know the reason, but it really did seem like Seung-hyeon had gotten everything off his chest yesterday.
If that was true, then there was no need to stay here any longer. Just like Seung-hyeon had said, they could go home, and Seon-woo would simply do whatever Seung-hyeon wanted. Reaching a quick conclusion, Seon-woo nodded without hesitation.
“Yeah. That’s not a big deal at all. Let’s head back and do it all. Wanna start with a movie?”
Maybe because he responded so readily and without any sign of reluctance, Seung-hyeon chuckled softly from behind as Seon-woo immediately began packing. Curious about what kind of expression Seung-hyeon was making, Seon-woo turned to look back—but before he could see his face, Seung-hyeon had already wrapped his arms around him from behind.
“What is it, Seung-hyeon?”
Seon-woo clasped the hands around his waist with his own, deliberately softening his voice in a soothing tone. Was it just his imagination, or had Seung-hyeon been acting a little clingier since yesterday? Normally, Seung-hyeon was mature—so much so that their age gap hardly registered, and at times he even felt more like Seon-woo’s guardian.
Even after dating for quite a while now, Seung-hyeon still used formal speech with him. That alone said a lot about the kind of upright man he was.
Seon-woo liked that about him. And maybe because of that, he couldn’t help but feel a particular affection for these rare moments when Seung-hyeon let that mature façade slip and acted a bit needy.
Because he only ever showed that side of himself in front of Seon-woo.
When a man taller than him curled up in his arms like this, Seon-woo always felt a mix of tenderness and responsibility. He even wondered if, during the past few weeks when work had kept him away for long stretches, Seung-hyeon had developed something like separation anxiety.
If Seung-hyeon ever heard that, he’d probably just laugh it off, saying it was a silly thought.
Still, Seon-woo made up his mind—once they got home, they’d stay glued together for as long as possible. With that resolve, he turned to face Seung-hyeon and pulled him tightly into an embrace.
The sound of their hearts beating in sync felt unusually loud and vivid.
***
Just like their departure, the journey back was swift and seamless. The impromptu trip, which had started on a whim, wrapped up just as quickly with a short 2-day, 1-night schedule.
A part of Seon-woo wondered, “Is it really okay for it to end like this?” But every time he glanced over at Seung-hyeon’s face, which radiated with such a bright, untroubled expression, he decided not to question it any further.
Almost home, a question popped into Seon-woo’s head—one he had meant to ask back at the restaurant yesterday, but had missed the timing and forgotten.
“What was it you were going to say yesterday?”
He’d asked in the car, but then fell asleep right after, so he never got to hear the answer. That story Seung-hyeon had started about “back in school days.”
Since Seung-hyeon had brought it up when Seon-woo prompted him, there had to be a reason behind it—something important, perhaps. That’s why Seon-woo had really wanted to hear it.
Just as expected, Seung-hyeon hesitated a bit, seemingly buying time. But he didn’t avoid the question. Even with a bit of reluctance in his tone, he eventually spoke up.
“Back in middle school, we went to Jeju Island for our school trip.”
Seon-woo imagined a younger Seung-hyeon posing beside a dol hareubang statue for a souvenir photo and chuckled quietly to himself.
Seung-hyeon kept his eyes on the road ahead, not turning to look at Seon-woo—probably because he was focusing on driving.
Seon-woo kept his gaze ahead. But because of that, he added a little prompt to show he was still listening.
“Yeah? And then?”
He could feel Seung-hyeon hesitating again. It was as if he regretted bringing the topic up in the first place.
“In elementary school, we went to Gyeongju… but I didn’t get to finish the trip. I got a call from the hospital. They told me… my mom collapsed.”
“…”
The story had suddenly taken a heavy turn, and Seon-woo’s expression stiffened. Seung-hyeon glanced at him through the rearview mirror and gave a strained, apologetic smile—like he was silently saying, This is why I didn’t want to bring it up.
“…Your mother?”
Of course, she must’ve recovered since nothing serious had happened back then. But still, Seon-woo asked. Seung-hyeon answered, almost defensively.
“It wasn’t anything too bad. At the time, both Mom and I were going through a rough patch. She was just worn out and stressed…”
His voice trailed off. As if he was trying to wrap it up as quickly as possible, he rushed through the rest.
“And… in high school, I didn’t go on the school trip. That one was supposed to be Gyeongju too.”
“…”
“So…”
So that’s why.
Even without him finishing, Seon-woo could already guess the next part.
“When you asked me if there was somewhere I wanted to go, that was the first thing that came to mind.”
“…I see.”
“Yeah. I’m glad I got to do all the things I missed out on—especially with you.”
Maybe it was just his imagination, but Seung-hyeon’s tone, his voice, even the look on his face as he said it—all felt especially boyish.
Seon-woo turned to look at him. Seeing the shy, slightly sheepish smile on Seung-hyeon’s face made something ache faintly in his chest.
Before they knew it, the car was pulling into the underground parking garage of their apartment.
Just as Seung-hyeon parked the car, Seon-woo spoke up again.
“What was on that list of yours? The stuff you wanted to do?”
“Huh? Um… Watch a movie together, make dumplings, pick out furniture, just spend time together…”
Even with the sudden question, Seung-hyeon only paused once before listing everything off.
Unbuckling his seatbelt, Seon-woo replied,
“Add this to the list.”
And before Seung-hyeon could even ask what “this” meant, Seon-woo was already in motion.
He climbed over into the driver’s seat and practically straddled Seung-hyeon’s lap.
The first reason: because that look on Seung-hyeon’s face just moments ago had genuinely moved him. The second reason: because he didn’t want to give him even a second to dwell on painful memories.
Of course, he had no intention of saying the second one out loud.
Wrapping his arms around Seung-hyeon’s neck, he kissed him—short and firm.
Seung-hyeon blinked, dazed for a second, then suddenly burst out laughing.
“Haha!”
He wrapped his arms tightly around Seon-woo’s waist and held him close.
The short trip had ended in a whirlwind.
And yet, somehow, it felt like the real vacation was only just beginning.
And Seon-woo was absolutely certain— Seung-hyeon felt the same way.
Waah! What a beautiful and sweet ending. Thank you for your wonderful translations!