Han Jun pressed down on Yi-hyeon’s head with his large palm, applying firm pressure as he spoke.
“Really?”
Then that means we get to spend time together while he teaches me!
Even while completely bombing his exams, Yi-hyeon hated himself for being happier about the fact that he’d get to be with Han Jun after school than about getting help with his grades.
He was slowly learning that liking someone wasn’t something you could suppress by sheer will.
“If the top student in the whole school is offering to teach me, I’d be grateful, obviously.”
Hiding his pitch-black ulterior motives, Yi-hyeon smiled softly.
“When are you free?”
Han Jun asked.
“I’ll work around your schedule. But… are you sure it’s really okay? What if your grades drop because of me?”
He wanted to say Sunday, but what if their schedules didn’t line up? Worried about that, he handed the decision over to Han Jun. At the same time, the thought that Han Jun might end up resenting him if his grades suffered because of this made Yi-hyeon ask carefully.
“My fundamentals are rock solid, so they won’t drop. How about this Saturday?”
Seeing how confident Han Jun was—clearly convinced his grades would never fall—Yi-hyeon felt relieved and nodded with a bright smile.
***
Yi-hyeon was back at the Orphanage reviewing his work when a message came in from Han Jun. Apparently, his house would be empty until next Tuesday, so he was telling Yi-hyeon to come by anytime.
[Photo of Louis’s paw pads] xxhanjunini
– – –
[Photo of Louis’s paw pads]
—[Until next Tuesday, I’m basically abandoned at home all alone]
[Photo of Louis’s paw pads]
—[So come before I die of loneliness]
‘By “home,” he means Chairman Joo’s place, right?’
The move-in date for the apartment Aunt Mi-jin gave him as a gift still hasn’t arrived, after all.
[Is the weekend okay? Saturday or Sunday]
[Photo of Louis’s paw pads]
—[Saturday]
He’d lived together with Han Jun at Chairman Joo’s house for about a month, but this would be his first time visiting as a human. That made him half excited, half nervous.
But is Han Jun really okay with me coming over?
He’d heard bits and pieces about the secret of Han Jun’s birth during the school picnic, but Han Jun had never spoken about his mother. And yet, Chairman Joo’s house was filled with photos of Actress Joo Mi-yeon—so Han Jun had to know Yi-hyeon would realize who his mother was the moment he went there.
Still, inviting him anyway must mean Han Jun trusted him completely. Thinking he shouldn’t be a burden or say anything that might hurt Han Jun’s feelings, Yi-hyeon let his thoughts spiral before finally closing his book and flopping backward onto his mattress.
“I miss you.”
Murmuring to himself, Yi-hyeon opened Han Jun’s Byulstar. He dragged through an account filled only with everyday photos, not a single picture of Han Jun’s own face, then flipped his phone face-down. With a deep sigh, he closed his eyes. While picturing Han Jun’s brightly smiling face from his memories, he ended up drifting off to sleep.
***
Early Saturday morning, the day he was supposed to go to Han Jun’s house, Yi-hyeon woke up early and headed to the wooded hill behind the Orphanage with the younger kids—who didn’t have school on the weekend—to pick wild raspberries.
Going empty-handed felt awkward, but there was no way he could afford a gift that matched the “Chairman Joo’s house” level of class. So he decided to give something a little special among the things he could prepare himself—wild raspberries he’d picked with his own hands.
“Ugh, it’s so hot!”
After dumping a bag stuffed full of raspberries in the kitchen, he ran straight to the showers.
Once he’d washed off the sweat soaking his body and returned to his room, Yi-hyeon stood in front of his closet for a long time, agonizing. Today, his clothes all felt especially shabby.
At the very least, he wished he had a T-shirt that hadn’t stretched out at the collar—but the only clothes that still retained their original shape were his school uniform.
Should I have bought something new?
The Director, who had come by to tell him the raspberries were washed, smiled warmly at his troubled back before quietly closing the door.
***
There’s still twenty minutes left.
Arriving early at the meeting spot, Yi-hyeon kept checking his reflection in a roadside convex mirror. Even when he made an effort to dress up, he still looked plain. Just as his shoulders were drooping with disappointment, someone tapped him lightly on the back from behind.
Startled, Yi-hyeon flinched and turned around—only to find Han Jun standing there with a bright grin.
“Why did you come out so early? Too excited to see me?”
As always, Han Jun wore an easy, teasing smile. In his large hand was a cup filled with bead-shaped ice cream in a refreshingly cool color, matching his scent.
“And you?”
“I came out early to buy ice cream for you.”
“You didn’t have to get me anything like this.”
Despite his words, Yi-hyeon’s heart felt sweet—just like the scent of the ice cream Han Jun had bought for him.
Following Han Jun, Yi-hyeon soon found a familiar massive gate blocking their path. Sticking close behind as Han Jun unlocked it with a fingerprint scan, Yi-hyeon looked up at the stone steps leading to the mansion, memories surfacing of all the times he’d sprinted up them whenever he needed to relieve himself.
He said the house would be empty today, so I guess only the staff will be around.
Even while climbing the steps, Yi-hyeon kept glancing around the house. Then his eyes met a photo of Actress Joo Mi-yeon, smiling radiantly. Harboring impure feelings toward her son, Yi-hyeon lowered his head as if he’d committed a grave sin.
After being shown into Actress Joo Mi-yeon’s room, Yi-hyeon handed over the paper shopping bag he’d been holding as Han Jun turned to leave, saying he’d bring drinks. It was a shopping bag decorated with a cute heart-shaped teddy bear.
“This isn’t a grocery bag today?”
“Don’t tease me.”
When Yi-hyeon shot him a sharp glare, Han Jun lightly tapped his shoulder with his palm.
“Alright, alright. You’re scary, so relax your eyes. But seriously, why’d you spend money? You didn’t have to bring anything.”
“I didn’t buy it. I picked it myself.”
“You picked them? You? Where?”
“The mountain behind the Orphanage.”
“There? It looked pretty rough.”
“It just looks that way. It’s actually really gentle. And I’ve been running around there since I was little—might as well be my playground.”
“Really?”
Han Jun peeked into the shopping bag, then met Yi-hyeon’s eyes again.
Now that he’d given the gift, Yi-hyeon suddenly worried—what if Han Jun found it annoying, like he’d brought some pathetic present? Fidgeting with their joined hands, Yi-hyeon hesitated—only for Han Jun to curl his lips into a soft smile and ask,
“If you picked them for me, that means you were thinking about me every time you picked one, right?”
“Huh?”
“I’m asking if you thought about me while picking them.”
“Well… I mean, since it’s a gift for you.”
As Yi-hyeon mumbled and rubbed the back of his neck, Han Jun said he’d enjoy them and left the room with the shopping bag. For some reason, the sound of his footsteps heading down the stairs felt light.
Left alone, Yi-hyeon glanced around the spacious room, hesitating over where he should sit. When he was Louis, he’d rummaged through the entire room without restraint—but now that he was human, even choosing a place to sit made him self-conscious.
It really has been a while.
Drawn by the scent, Yi-hyeon walked toward the vanity. There, perfumes and cosmetics that seemed to have belonged to Actress Joo Mi-yeon sat abandoned, having lost their owner.
This scent too… it’s been a while.
He lowered his head toward a pretty glass bottle that gave off a warm yet bright fragrance. It felt familiar—he’d been drawn to it ever since the first time he entered Actress Joo Mi-yeon’s room in Han Jun’s arms.
After Han Jun’s scent, this perfume was Yi-hyeon’s favorite.
No matter when I smell it, it’s comforting.
There were two identical bottles. One had no cap, while the other was more than half-used but still sealed with its cap on.
Hearing footsteps climbing the stairs, Yi-hyeon hurriedly dashed back to the desk and stood stiffly, bracing himself against it as if nothing had happened.
“Was it awkward being alone?”
The door opened right away, and Han Jun came in carrying a tray piled with fruit and drinks. Seeing the heap of yellow flesh stacked high on a beautiful, luxurious plate, Yi-hyeon let out a soft smile at Han Jun’s unchanged love for apple mangoes.
