Chapter 73
The car speeding down the road gradually slowed and came to a stop. Unlike a few hours ago, Cha Yoon’s car was now parked in front of the X House. Seo-jung glanced at the black car briefly before parking in his spot.
Unlike when he left, only Ki Seo-jung got out of the car. He had dropped off Sae-young, who had an evening appointment, at her destination. Considering the awkward atmosphere that had lingered since receiving the necklace gift, he thought it might have been better this way than returning to the X House together. He got out of the car, thinking this. As he locked the car with a clicking sound and was about to head towards the main gate, he heard a meow.
Seo-jung turned his eyes towards the source of the sound. A slight smile appeared on his usually expressionless face.
“Kitty.”
It was the same cat he had met before. At Seo-jung’s call, the cat blinked and then approached him.
Stopping about two steps away, the cat looked up at Seo-jung’s hand and licked its lips. Seo-jung examined where the cat’s gaze fell and let out an “Ah.”
“You’re hungry, aren’t you?”
As if answering Seo-jung’s words, the cat meowed. What should I do, the only food I have is the cupcakes I made with Sae-young. After pondering for a moment, Seo-jung said, “Wait here for a bit,” and headed to a nearby convenience store. He stood at the counter with wet cat food, bottled water, and a disposable plate.
The time it took to pay and return to the cat felt unusually long. What if the cat was gone when he got back? He should have carried something the cat could eat if he had known this would happen.
Chiding himself for his lack of preparation, he walked quickly for a while. When the X House came into view, Seo-jung hurriedly scanned the spot where the cat had been.
“Ah.”
Fortunately, the cat was still waiting for Seo-jung in the same place. He hurried towards the cat. As soon as he opened the wet food can and put it on the plate, the cat started eating hurriedly, making cute “nyam nyam” sounds.
“Eat a lot.”
He was watching the cat fill its stomach diligently with a smile when suddenly, the cat perked up its ears and raised its head. Just as Seo-jung wondered why, a shadow fell over him.
“Feeding a stray cat, huh?”
He heard a soft whisper near his ear. Although the voice wasn’t yet familiar, it wasn’t hard to recognize who it belonged to.
“Ah. Woo-jun, you’re coming in now, I see.”
“Yeah, I had to meet some clients. Were you on a date today?”
“Yeah.”
Woo-jun shook his briefcase and crouched down next to Seo-jung. His gaze was fixed on the cat. Seo-jung also looked ahead again and answered lightly.
“Ah, I hope your date partner isn’t Da-bin.”
Because I don’t want to compete with you as a rival. Though it sounded like a joke, there was a hint of sincerity in his words.
Park Woo-jun, who had joined the X House late as a catfish, didn’t seem to have noticed yet that Seo-jung was Da-bin’s X. Remembering the rule to keep the identity of one’s date partner secret, he just smiled without giving a specific answer.
“How’s life in the X House?”
“It’s fun, really fun. Although it’s only been two days, it feels like the best thing I’ve done this year. Ah, there is one thing I regret though.”
“What’s that?”
“Joining the X House too late. I wish I had come earlier and been there to welcome Da-bin on the day she arrived. I feel like I could have gotten to know her better than now.”
“That could be regrettable.”
“But well, regretting won’t change anything. Since I came in late, I’m trying to pay twice as much attention.”
Park Woo-jun said this while pouring water into a spare plate and pushing it towards the cat. Seo-jung quietly looked at Woo-jun’s profile as he directly expressed his feelings.
He already knew that Woo-jun had feelings for Da-bin. It was impossible not to notice. He was showing his interest with his whole body.
But Seo-jung hadn’t realized the depth of these feelings, and it gave him a lot to think about. Objectively speaking, Park Woo-jun was a good person. If Da-bin also developed good feelings for Park Woo-jun, it would be best for him to step aside.
After all, he had joined at Da-bin’s request to help with her happiness. If there was an ending she desired more than becoming the final couple with him, that would be enough for Seo-jung. He thought he might need to talk to Da-bin about this as he turned his eyes back to the cheese-colored cat.
“The little one seems to have finished eating. Shall we go in?”
As the cat finished its meal and stretched its legs with a yawn, Seo-jung also stood up. Woo-jun nodded in agreement and got up, dusting off his clothes. The two of them moved towards the main gate after saying a light goodbye to the cat, promising to see it again.
“What’s that in your hand?”
“It’s cupcakes. You can eat them. They might not look great, but they should taste good.”
“Perfect timing. I’ve been craving something sweet after dealing with clients all day. I’ll enjoy them.”
Woo-jun immediately took the box containing the cupcakes and peeked inside.
“What’s this drawing supposed to be? A penguin?”
“It’s a rabbit.”
“…That’s a rabbit with a really long beak.”
The two of them entered the living room through the entrance, exchanging trivial conversation. Contrary to expectations, there was no sign of activity on the first floor. Woo-jun seemed to have the same thought as he looked around.
“Looks like many people haven’t returned to the dorm yet.”
“Yeah, everyone seems to be late.”
Seo-jung nodded at Woo-jun’s words.
“I was hoping to eat with others who haven’t had dinner yet… Seo-jung, have you eaten?”
“No, but I don’t have an appetite.”
“Really? Then I guess I’ll have to eat dinner alone.”
Park Woo-jun muttered, sounding a bit disappointed, but soon turned his attention to the box of cupcakes. He seemed to intend to eat at least this before washing up. Woo-jun took one of the six cupcakes and took a big bite.
“This is really delicious, you know?”
“Really? I hadn’t tried it myself, so I wasn’t confident. I’m glad.”
“You should try it too.”
“Huh?”
“You made it, so you should taste it too.”
Park Woo-jun held out the cupcake he had already taken a bite from towards Seo-jung. Seo-jung waved his hands, seemingly flustered.
“No, it’s okay. I’ll eat later…”
“Don’t be shy, come on. Here, say ‘ah’.”
Faced with Woo-jun’s insistence, Seo-jung reluctantly took a small bite from the part Woo-jun hadn’t touched. Woo-jun watched Seo-jung’s chewing mouth and grinned.
“How is it? Delicious, right?”
“Yeah, it’s good.”
As Seo-jung nodded, Woo-jun looked proud as if he had made the food himself. Finding his expression somewhat funny, Seo-jung also smiled.
As they smiled at each other, Woo-jun’s eyes suddenly widened slightly, and he leaned forward.
“Oh, you’ve got some cream on you.”
“Where? Here?”
“No, not there.”
Following Woo-jun’s words, Seo-jung fumbled to wipe his mouth. But as he kept wiping the wrong spots, Woo-jun seemed to grow impatient and frowned.
“Hold on. Let me wipe it for you.”
“Huh? No, I’ll look in the mirror when I go upstairs…”
“It’s frustrating to watch. Just stay still for a moment.”
I’ll wipe it off quickly. Despite Seo-jung’s refusal, Park Woo-jun popped the rest of the cupcake into his mouth and grabbed Seo-jung’s shoulder. Soon after, Park Woo-jun tilted his head with a concentrated expression and reached towards Seo-jung’s mouth.
A slightly awkward and uncomfortable feeling washed over Seo-jung, but it wasn’t something to be overly sensitive about. He lowered his eyes, hoping Woo-jun would quickly wipe off the cream and move away.
That’s when it happened. A loud crash echoed through the X House. The sound came from the stairs leading to the second floor.
Seo-jung and Woo-jun turned their heads in surprise to look at the stairs.
“……”
“……”
Standing on the stairs was Cha Yoon in casual attire. Unlike usual, he was looking at Seo-jung with an expressionless face.
Despite the considerable distance, Seo-jung could feel where Cha Yoon’s gaze was fixed. It was on his lips, slightly shiny from the melted cream, and near his collarbone visible through the gap in his shirt. Seo-jung shuddered.
