Chapter 38
Seo-jung opened his eyes to a scent tickling his nose. Despite feeling like he had slept for a long time, he was still tired. How long had he been asleep? Massaging his stiff shoulders, Seo-jung stared blankly at the ceiling.
The scent he had caught while half-asleep still lingered around him. Blinking his sleepy eyes, he wondered where it was coming from.
“…What time is it?”
The curtains in the X House were thin enough to let sunlight through. Usually, after showering and leaving the bathroom, bright sunlight would shine on his bed.
But today was a bit different. As if split in half, the sun only shone on the foot of his bed. Rolling his eyes with a dazed expression, Ki Seo-jung turned his head to follow the shadow blocking the sun.
“…What’s this?”
There stood a lavender pot so large it could be mistaken for a tree. So that’s why the sunlight wasn’t coming in. It was because of this. Seo-jung stared at the pot for a moment.
The pot, large enough that even a grown man would struggle to move it, seemed somehow familiar. After examining the lavender for a while, Seo-jung bit his lip. Then he remembered where he had seen this lavender before.
The lavender in front of him was the one that had stood out among the many pots on the second-floor terrace. It wasn’t there when he fell asleep, but now it was right here. Who could have done this? There was only one person it could be.
Ha, a bitter laugh escaped him. Seo-jung turned his gaze towards Cha Yoon’s bed. The stems were so tall that they completely blocked the view of the bed next to it. Seo-jung closed his eyes tightly and then opened them.
The meaning behind this action was clear. It meant that Cha Yoon didn’t want to see his face even when sleeping. Ki Seo-jung rubbed his chest, feeling a strange ache in his heart.
Did Cha Yoon dislike him that much? Was he acting like this because Seo-jung had gone on a date with Song Joo-ah? Ki Seo-jung pressed his throbbing temples and sighed. If Cha Yoon disliked him this much, there wasn’t much else he could do. He headed straight to the bathroom.
Ki Seo-jung woke up his groggy mind with cold water. Cha Yoon, who had even brought in this obstacle, seemed to have no intention of improving their relationship anymore. Had he liked Song Joo-ah that much?
Unnecessary thoughts kept invading his mind. Ki Seo-jung put on his clothes and left the room.
“Seo-jung, did you sleep well?”
“Yes. It’s already past noon.”
“We were just about to go grocery shopping.”
The cast members, except for him, were gathered near the kitchen. Song Joo-ah spotted Seo-jung first and greeted him. Several pairs of eyes turned to Seo-jung. He awkwardly smiled and joined the conversation.
“Shall we divide into teams for shopping and cooking?”
“I’ll cook today! I found it fun when I prepared breakfast once!”
Min-ha was the first to respond to Yeo Ji-yoon’s words. Min-ha was one of those who always went shopping because she wasn’t confident in cooking.
“Me too.”
Seo-jung, who had been smiling at Min-ha, froze at Cha Yoon’s low voice. Seo-jung ran his tongue inside his mouth.
If Cha Yoon didn’t want to see him that badly, was there any need to stay together? It was obvious that it would only create uncomfortable situations for everyone around them, as it always did. Seo-jung relaxed his frozen expression and spoke.
“I’ll go shopping.”
As soon as he said that, a sharp gaze pierced his face. Ki Seo-jung ignored the look he felt on the side of his face.
The shopping team consisted of four people: Yeo Ji-yoon, Kim Sae-young, Gong Min-wook, and Ki Seo-jung. The four smiled at Jung Soo-ho, who followed them to the shoe rack telling them to buy lots of delicious things, and got into the car. Ki Seo-jung, as if it were natural, sat in the driver’s seat first.
“Is Seo-jung driving?”
“Yes, I’ll do it.”
“Then I’ll drive on the way back.”
“No, it’s okay. I like driving.”
Seo-jung immediately shook his head at Yeo Ji-yoon’s words. Letting someone else take the wheel was unacceptable to Ki Seo-jung.
The car smoothly headed towards the supermarket. As they chatted casually, Seo-jung felt that this was the most comfortable he had been since coming here. A space without Cha Yoon or Song Joo-ah. Seo-jung took a deep breath and forced a smile.
“Wow, this supermarket is really big!”
As they parked and entered the building, Sae-young’s eyes widened. As Sae-young said, the interior was incredibly spacious and large. While they were contemplating what to put in the still empty cart, Gong Min-wook stopped walking.
“Oh, didn’t you say you like seafood, Ji-yoon?”
“That’s right. I’m a seafood fanatic.”
“How about you, Sae-young?”
“I prefer seafood over meat too! What about you, Seo-jung?”
Uh… Ki Seo-jung momentarily lost his words. Although Seo-jung ate almost everything without being picky, he didn’t eat seafood. The reason was the shellfish allergy he discovered as a child. Seo-jung’s lips quivered as he scanned the eyes directed at him, then smiled.
“I like it too.”
Ki Seo-jung didn’t know how to go against the majority. This was a habit that represented the environment in which Seo-jung had grown up. During his orphanage days, he would eat regardless of allergies or anything else, and then get sick afterward. If he didn’t, he would have to go hungry. He couldn’t carelessly say whether he liked or disliked something. Ki Seo-jung, who was deeply ingrained with the habits of group living, had always lived like this.
“That’s good. How about seafood stew then?”
“That sounds great!”
Everyone was smiling at the thought of eating something delicious. Ki Seo-jung also wore a smiling face to match theirs. He could just avoid eating the seafood stew anyway. There would be other side dishes, so he could fill his stomach with those.
After paying for plenty of snacks and drinks, the four got back in the car. When Yeo Ji-yoon was about to go to the driver’s seat, Seo-jung hurriedly stopped her.
“Oh, Seo-jung.”
“Ji-yoon. I’ll, I’ll drive.”
For a moment, it felt like all the blood drained from his body. When would this trauma ever get better? Yeo Ji-yoon seemed surprised by Seo-jung’s touch for a moment, but soon smiled shyly and got into the passenger seat. His pounding heart gradually calmed down. Seo-jung brushed up his bangs and got into the driver’s seat.
“Seo-jung, aren’t you being too fond of Ji-yoon?”
“Yeah, seriously! Why are you two so lovey-dovey?”
Gong Min-wook spoke in a playful voice. Kim Sae-young immediately chimed in, giggling. Seo-jung just smiled, worried that Ji-yoon might feel embarrassed if he denied it. Ji-yoon did the same. Neither Seo-jung nor Ji-yoon explicitly denied it.
“But they really do look good together.”
“Right? Don’t we feel like siblings sitting in the back of our parents’ car?”
“Oh my, really! But I’m the older sister, right?”
“What? I should be the older brother!”
Kim Sae-young and Gong Min-wook chattered endlessly in the back, like a comedy duo. The conversation continued without pause. Listening to their banter as if tuning into a radio show, they soon arrived at the X House.
As the front door opened with a sound of people approaching, Cha Yoon, who had been sitting on the sofa, stood up as if he had been waiting. As he headed towards the entrance hallway, Seo-jung came into view, his hands full with shopping bags. Cha Yoon’s expression automatically crumpled.
Why is he carrying all that alone, it must be heavy. Gong Min-wook, following behind, was carrying just one shopping bag, which irritated Cha Yoon even more. He didn’t need to see it to know. Seo-jung must have volunteered to be the pushover again.
His body moved faster than he thought. Cha Yoon immediately took all the shopping bags from Seo-jung. He could feel Seo-jung looking at him as if to ask what he was doing, but he ignored it and walked to the kitchen.
There was no other intention. It just bothered him that Seo-jung was doing this alone while the others were idle. Attaching a suitable reason, Cha Yoon placed the shopping bags on the dining table.
“Wow, there’s so much stuff!”
“Yes, ingredients for seafood stew.”
Min-ha approached with sparkling eyes. Min-wook, who had followed, answered as he put down his shopping bag. The eyes of Seo-jung and Cha Yoon, who had just entered the kitchen, met in mid-air. Seo-jung was the first to avert his gaze. There was no point in maintaining eye contact; it would only upset Cha Yoon more. It was better to avoid it quickly.
“They said it’s already cleaned, so we just need to rinse it with water.”
“Really? That’s a relief. I was a bit worried because I’ve never prepared seafood before.”
Seo-jung deliberately turned his back on Cha Yoon and conversed with Min-ha.
Amidst the murmuring voices, Cha Yoon watched Seo-jung’s back, his eyebrows twitching. The gaze that immediately turned away. It seemed as if Seo-jung was avoiding him. What on earth was the problem that made him act like this? This wasn’t the reaction he had expected.
In the early dawn, Cha Yoon had woken up in a better mood than ever before, thanks to the scent of lavender. As he sat up, he could see Seo-jung still sleeping peacefully beyond the dainty purple flowers.
As he took in that sight, Cha Yoon found himself unconsciously smiling before catching himself. Shit, what are you doing? Why are you grinning? He forcibly pulled down the corners of his mouth, but he couldn’t control his wandering gaze.
After admiring the sleeping Seo-jung for a long time, Cha Yoon finally left the room. He was more than 30 minutes later than his usual exercise time, but strangely, he didn’t feel bad about it.
Throughout his jog, Cha Yoon’s mind was filled with thoughts of Seo-jung. What would Seo-jung think when he saw the lavender? Although it wasn’t his intention at all, Seo-jung might think of it as a gesture of reconciliation from him. This incident was entirely Seo-jung’s fault. The person who should be receiving an apology had reached out first, so Seo-jung would likely be moved by his thoughtfulness.
‘Thank you, Yoon. And I’m sorry. I won’t stay out overnight without telling you anymore. I won’t invite anyone else to our room either. This is a space just for the two of us, after all.’
