#Side Story 2 – 04
Pressing firmly around my solar plexus, I came out to find Saheon preparing breakfast in the kitchen. The strong coffee aroma was fragrant. Saheon, who was dipping bread in egg wash while bending his tall frame awkwardly, lifted his head as if sensing my presence.
I quickly hugged Saheon from behind before he could turn around. It had become a habit of mine lately. Today again, I gave Saheon a back hug before he could greet me with a “Did you sleep well?”, and I heard his laughter as I fumbled around his stomach area.
Noticing his muscles were more pronounced than usual, I figured he must have gone swimming at dawn. It was truly impressive stamina. It was clearly a level of fitness I could never match, even if I were to die and be reborn.
“Did you sleep well?”
“Yeah… Looks like you went swimming.”
“I had eel with a friend yesterday. I couldn’t contain my energy…”
I lightly pinched Saheon’s stomach for saying such strange things so shamelessly first thing in the morning. He let out a short “Ack!” and chuckled.
“It’s dangerous with the oil splattering. Go wait somewhere else.”
I gently rubbed the area of Saheon’s stomach I had pinched before slowly releasing my arms. As he suggested, I watched him prepare breakfast from the dining table.
Saheon, who was grilling bread with his sleeves rolled up for no particular reason, mumbled something like “I should have worn an apron to be sexy.” Remembering how he had persistently pestered me for days when I casually replied “Hyun-oh said the same thing” to a similar comment around the winter of my 21st year, I kept my mouth shut this time.
The simple cooking was done quickly. Saheon brought two plates, placing one in front of me and one in front of himself, along with the coffee he had already brewed.
“I’ll take payment in kisses.”
I was already planning to kiss him even without him saying that. After a playful morning kiss like children, we had a late breakfast of French toast with strawberry jam that Saheon had made.
On our day off, we cleaned together, watched a movie with snacks like nachos and fruit. Although there was some distraction during the movie due to me liking to sit cross-legged on the sofa and Saheon liking to lie down with his head on my lap and touch various places, it was a good movie to watch mindlessly.
While blankly watching the blockbuster movie full of explosions and fights, we suddenly had a meaningless discussion about an impossible scenario. The topic was ‘If I had a superpower, what kind of power would be good?’
It was truly a discussion without any nutritional value, but it was also quite a serious topic. A 24-year-old college student who had completed military service and a 35-year-old co-pilot exchanged this frivolous discussion quite earnestly.
I seriously contemplated between the ability to turn back time and the power of teleportation, eventually choosing teleportation.
If I could teleport, I could come home quickly and never be late. I gave it high bonus points for the reason that I might be able to be together with Saheon even when he was abroad.
On the other hand, Saheon chose the ability to manipulate metal without hesitation. His reason was that if he could control metal in emergency situations like plane crashes, explosions, or hijackings, he might be able to prevent loss of life.
Unlike me, who just wanted to follow Saheon around, his choice was due to a noble sense of professional duty. Just as I was about to reflect on myself, feeling like I had realized something, Saheon added one more opinion with a grin.
“Well, that’s the public reason. The real reason is I want to be rich. Like, swoosh, taking entire safes full of jewels and money…”
I felt like I had realized something again.
“…Then I’ll choose metal manipulation too.”
In the end, the conclusion of our nutritionless discussion was ‘The ability to manipulate metal is the best.’
This was how a couple approaching their 4th year spent their day off. We ate together, lounged around reading comics or watching movies. We had passionate debates on meaningless topics, kissed until we were tired of it, and spent time blocking wandering hands that slyly tried to grope buttocks.
It seemed like an ordinary weekend was passing. The heart-dropping post I had seen as soon as I woke up had already disappeared from my mind. At the end of what I thought was a well-concluded day, the forgotten post returned as a bomb that night.
Before going to bed, after washing up cleanly, I found Saheon leaning on the bed, looking down at his phone with a serious face.
I was about to turn on the hair dryer, knowing my hair would look like dandelion fluff in the morning if I didn’t dry it, when I turned my head at Saheon’s angry voice pretending to be playful.
“Baby? The kid you had a blind date with?”
“…Wh-what?”
Not understanding a single word Saheon was saying, I froze with the hair dryer in my hand. A blind date? It felt like I had committed adultery behind Saheon’s back. Having no such intention at all, I hastily opened my mouth.
“It, it wasn’t a blind date, I, I told you, I didn’t know either…!”
“Is this the bold little kid who asked to be introduced to you? Ttoing?”
I didn’t know who ‘Ttoing’ was, but based on Saheon’s usual habit of intentionally mispronouncing names of people he doesn’t like much, and the context, there was only one name I could guess.
“It’s not Ttoing… Anyway, yes, that’s right, but why suddenly Seo-hee…”
“Seo-hee? You’re calling her quite affectionately?”
“…Tto, that kid… why…”
Cold sweat ran down my back. Saheon’s lips were tightly pressed, causing walnut-like wrinkles on his chin. He let out a light “Phew” and pushed back his damp bangs, speaking as if it was nothing, just like usual.
“…I went on your Instagram and saw this in your tagged list. Don’t worry about it. I do this every day.”
“You do this every day?”
I swear, I really had no idea Saheon had such a habit. That he checked my SNS every single day! Even after dating for nearly 4 years, I truly had no clue.
It was an account with nothing but a single photo Saheon had taken of me wearing a co-pilot’s hat, saying I looked pretty, and it had been abandoned for years. Why would he check such an account every day?
“Can oppa check our baby’s phone?”
Saheon asked, pretending to be gentle. Stunned by the fact that Saheon had been looking at my account every day, I obediently handed over my phone.
“…It’s on the table over there.”
Due to mutual trust, we rarely checked each other’s phones unless it was a really special case, but rather than getting angry and asking if he didn’t trust me, I thought it was better to show him. I’m not good at talking back to him in the first place, and I thought it would be better if this could reassure him.
I dried my hair while sneaking glances at Saheon. Meanwhile, he naturally unlocked the phone and started searching through it very familiarly. His actions were so natural that for a moment, a seed of doubt sprouted in my mind, wondering ‘Does he do this regularly?’, but it withered again due to my complete trust in Saheon.
I observed Saheon nervously. He was focused on the phone screen, moistening his lower lip. Judging by how he occasionally gnawed on his thumbnail, it seemed there was something he didn’t like.
By the time I finished drying my hair while watching Saheon’s expression, my damp hair had completely dried. I slowly approached him. Saheon glanced at me briefly, then looked back at the phone.
However, having caught a glimpse of Saheon’s eyes, I was surprised. Because an emotion that anyone could see was ‘jealousy’ was childishly rippling in them.
Jealousy? Saheon is jealous? My shrunken heart suddenly loosened. I had been inwardly worrying about what if Saheon was angry, so I almost smiled slightly.
Clearing my throat with a “Ahem” and composing my expression, I climbed onto the bed. Saheon’s gaze, which had been focused on the phone, shifted to the gap in my robe.
It had been quite a while since I started wearing only a robe instead of pajamas when going to bed after showering while living with Saheon. Feeling his gaze that didn’t miss even a short moment, I had to try to speak as usual.
“Are you done checking?”
Saheon opened his mouth as if displeased at my deliberately lowered voice. Now that I was aware he was jealous, every word of his brusque speech dripped with emotion.
“Hey Cheongmyeong, did you get in well? How did it go with Ttoing? Heh heh, hope it went well for you two? Tch… talking bullshit…”
It seemed the curse words at the end were not part of the message sent by Yoo Do-jin’s junior, but rather Saheon’s personal feelings added on. I bit my lip hard and settled between Saheon’s legs.
“Oppa. I’m Ttoing. Hee-hee. You were surprised yesterday, right? I should have approached more slowly. I asked without realizing because I wanted to be close with oppa. I hope you didn’t feel burdened… I’d like to greet each other as close oppa and dongsaeng from now on! Would you follow me back?”
Saheon’s gaze, after reading selected messages that had arrived who knows when, pierced me sharply. I pressed my lips even harder.
“Well, Mr. Popular Lee Cheongmyeong. What do you have to say?”
“Hyung… are you jealous?”
