“So this is what you meant by ‘syncing up,’ huh.”
Han Ju-oh muttered darkly, staring down at the red shopping basket clenched tightly in both hands. Seo-ha, walking a step ahead, turned around.
“What, did you actually think we were gonna sync up our guiding or something?”
They’d already done that more than a few times—what was the point now? Seo-ha’s tone dripped with indifference, clearly finding the notion absurd. Han Ju-oh looked like he had a hundred things to say but no idea where to start.
“Ah, so you thought we were heading out for some training?”
Seo-ha gave a nod like he understood—but it was half-hearted at best. His eyes were elsewhere, the gesture more of a brush-off than genuine acknowledgment.
“Still, even training needs to wait until after you’ve eaten, right?”
That was the real reason Seo-ha had brought Han Ju-oh out with him in the first place.
“It’s already dinnertime. Even if we grab something simple on the way, we at least need water at home.”
Dinner was important, sure—but more pressing was the fact that their fridge was completely bare. Seo-ha had just moved in yesterday, so his was empty. Han Ju-oh’s? Always had been.
“So let’s get grocery shopping out of the way first.”
Seo-ha looked over at Han Ju-oh, as if asking, You’re good with that, right? If Han Ju-oh said no, he would’ve just done the shopping alone—but there was a quiet, hopeful plea in his gaze for them to do it together.
Han Ju-oh looked down at the cart he’d somehow ended up pushing. He handled it awkwardly, like someone who’d never touched one before, then gave a small nod. A silent agreement to go along with whatever Seo-ha had in mind.
“Perfect.”
Seo-ha smiled faintly. There was a trace of smugness in it, like his trap had worked better than expected—but before Han Ju-oh could notice, he quickly looked away.
After grabbing two packs of bottled water—one for each home—they headed to the drinks aisle. Seo-ha picked out a few of his usual favorites and tossed them in. Then he looked back at Han Ju-oh, who was quietly following behind.
“You gonna want anything besides water?”
Han Ju-oh glanced between the drinks already in the cart and those lined up on the shelves. His stare was so intense it was almost a glare, prompting Seo-ha to wordlessly toss in an extra of each drink he’d picked out.
“Do you eat cereal?”
He remembered hearing that Han Ju-oh had lived overseas. Maybe cereal had been a regular thing. But Han Ju-oh shook his head, so Seo-ha just grabbed one for himself and pointed toward the snack aisle.
“If there’s a snack you like, go ahead and grab it.”
Seo-ha already knew what he wanted and tossed it in. Han Ju-oh, meanwhile, still hadn’t let go of the cart.
Seo-ha was cheerfully piling snacks into the cart like a kid building a fort when he looked over.
“You don’t eat snacks?”
“Not really.”
“What about gummies or anything like that?”
“Not really.”
It wasn’t that he disliked them—if they were around, he’d eat them—but he wasn’t the type to seek them out. Seo-ha wished he’d just give a straightforward answer, but Han Ju-oh had already wandered off toward another aisle.
And it kept going like that. When Seo-ha picked up instant rice, Han Ju-oh didn’t even glance at it. Same with the beer—he just stood there, watching Seo-ha toss it into the cart like it was someone else’s business.
Of everything in the cart, the only things that could be considered Han Ju-oh’s were the water and drinks.
“So that’s why your fridge looked like it was just for show.”
Han Ju-oh’s fridge didn’t even have power. Usually, even an empty one lights up or hums when you open it. His? Pure darkness. It really was nothing more than a big box taking up space.
“I don’t go home much.”
“Then where do you sleep?”
Seo-ha asked casually as he made his way to the meat section—the last stop on his list.
“…Here and there.”
“By ‘here and there,’ do you mean the guildmaster’s couch or one of the guiding rooms at the guild?”
Seo-ha was basically asking if Han Ju-oh just passed out wherever there was a flat surface. Han Ju-oh turned his head away. A shot in the dark—but dead on.
“You should be sleeping in your own bed. At home.”
Seo-ha grabbed a massive pack of beef and dumped it into the cart. Just seeing the meat seemed to put him in a better mood—his expression now completely satisfied, like he’d already eaten. He looked like he’d forgotten what he’d just said to Han Ju-oh a moment ago.
“Well, I guess being comfortable isn’t exactly your thing.”
After they paid, Seo-ha loaded the groceries into the company car, then paused to think.
“Let’s make one more stop.”
As Seo-ha spoke, Han Ju-oh flinched. He’d just used his ability to send the cart rolling back to its place and worried Seo-ha had caught him. Too distracted by that fear, he completely missed what Seo-ha had said.
***
After dropping the meat off at home and stuffing it into the fridge, they headed to a department store.
“Still got a few more things to pick up.”
For someone who had casually said, “Let’s stop by one more place,” the destination turned out to be way more ambitious than expected. Seo-ha let out an awkward laugh, while Han Ju-oh didn’t give it much thought. He hadn’t actually heard what Seo-ha said earlier, so he just accepted that they were now headed into a department store.
“What are we buying?”
“Lots of things. Curtains, for starters. And if I find decent bedding, I’ll get that too. I already have a blanket, but it doesn’t suit me.”
Seo-ha ticked off items on his fingers as he spoke. Han Ju-oh listened, a strange feeling settling in his chest—hard to describe, harder to ignore.
“On the surface, it looks like everything’s there, but it still feels like something’s missing, you know? I’ll take a look around and see what we might need. Even if we hurry, we’ll be cutting it close.”
Muttering something about probably skipping dinner and ending up with late-night snacks, Seo-ha stepped ahead. Han Ju-oh silently watched his back.
‘What an unpredictable guy.’
It wasn’t just that Seo-ha didn’t care what people said about him—he was actively using his own bad reputation to his advantage. Han Ju-oh had left him alone, thinking Kim Mi-yeon was backing him. But before he knew it, Seo-ha had already gotten close with her assistant.
This was the same guy who’d flat-out said he wouldn’t sign the contract, only to come knocking the moment he did. There was no putting him into a single category.
Did Seo-ha even realize how they must look, wandering around a department store like this?
Since Han Ju-oh had no plans to buy anything, he kept a step behind—which let him see the situation more clearly than Seo-ha likely could.
***
“This bed is amazing. The moment you sit, it’s like your whole body just melts into it.”
“Uh, I came here to check out blankets, not beds…”
“You can’t tell just by looking. Come on, sit. There, now don’t just perch—lie down.”
Seo-ha, who had come to shop for bedding, somehow ended up lying flat on a bed instead. He stared up at the tall ceiling, eyes unfocused.
“Feels good, right?”
“…Yeah.”
It really did feel like the bed was sucking him in. If you slept on something like this, you’d probably wake up the next morning halfway sunken into it.
“It’s ridiculously comfortable.”
Maybe someday, when he had his own place, he’d buy a bed like this. He couldn’t afford it now, so with a quiet sigh, he ran his hand across the mattress—then sat up, only to freeze.
The sales associate who’d encouraged him to lie down was now leading Han Ju-oh over.
“Wait, maybe don’t bring him…”
It wasn’t that Han Ju-oh used his abilities on people—he didn’t. But he was still scary. That didn’t faze the associate, though. Smiling brightly, she coaxed Han Ju-oh over and got him to sit.
Wow…
At this rate, the scariest man in the world might get replaced by a department store salesperson.
Having successfully placed Han Ju-oh on the bed, the associate encouraged them to browse at their leisure, then stepped aside—but didn’t leave. Not exactly a relaxing setup. Seo-ha brushed off the awkwardness and glanced at Han Ju-oh, who sat stiffly, still upright.
“You should lie down too.”
Han Ju-oh glanced sideways at Seo-ha, then turned his head in the opposite direction. His posture was so awkward that Seo-ha took pity.
“If you’re not gonna lie down, let’s just get up.”
“Oh, but this is one you really need to lie on to understand. It’s not enough if only one person likes it. You both need to see if it fits. Compatibility matters—more than just adjusting for the other person.”
“Uh… what? I—yeah?”
Seo-ha fumbled his response, words spilling out unfiltered. The longer the associate went on, the weirder this all sounded, though he couldn’t quite pinpoint why.
“Are we staying or…?”
“Huh? Oh—no, let’s look around and come back.”
Seo-ha tossed out a polite excuse and quickly guided Han Ju-oh away. After fixing his now tousled hair from lying down, he headed toward the curtain section.
Curtains were, frankly, more urgent than bedding.
“I’m thinking blackout curtains. You’d prefer those too, right?”
While speaking with the associate, Seo-ha turned to Han Ju-oh, who stood silently beside him. Han Ju-oh gave a quiet nod, and Seo-ha took that as consent and continued.
“We’ll need one set for the bedroom and another for the living room. Something a bit lighter would be nice for the living room.”
The associate glanced between them, then gave a knowing nod and retrieved a sample book.
“The blackout styles are over here. These are especially popular with newlyweds—they offer privacy and a sleek design. This one has a soft, natural texture, and it’s layered. The outer fabric is styled with butterfly pleats…”
As the explanation continued, Seo-ha’s expression turned blank. He glanced at Han Ju-oh. Their eyes met, and Han Ju-oh gave a subtle nod toward the associate—Just listen to her. Did he not get what was going on?
“Are you purchasing separately? If so, could you tell me your home layout…”
Noticing the growing discomfort on Seo-ha’s face, the associate seemed to realize her mistake.
“…They’re the same.”
Of course they were. The associate nodded as if she’d expected that and continued her pitch. Meanwhile, Seo-ha looked exasperated.
Clearly, she’d mistaken them for a married couple. But that wasn’t it. Not even close.
It’s just… they were both in company housing. That was the only reason their floor plans were identical!
