“Why didn’t you say anything? You should’ve told them we’re not newlyweds.”
After finishing the curtain order and stepping out, Seo-ha shot a glare at Han Ju-oh. Thinking back now, it had felt off from the moment the staff member told him to lie down on the bed. There was another bed right next to it, but the staff member insisted on them trying out just one. There had been a reason for that.
“What about you?”
“I did say something… not right away, but still.”
He had kept quiet during the order but explained just before they left.
“We’re not married, we’re just neighbors. The layout is the same, so we each need one. Only one person lives in each place. I didn’t want to say we’re not newlyweds right away in case you thought we were just being shy or something.”
“Ah… okay.”
The staff member gave a rather reluctant nod.
“I waited because if I suddenly said we weren’t newlyweds midway, they might’ve gone, ‘Yeah right, you’re just pretending because you’re embarrassed.’”
“Who would even think that far?”
Seo-ha ignored Han Ju-oh’s response and looked away.
“We’ll get the comforters later. Curtains are done… anything else we need?”
Pointing around, Seo-ha asked if there was anywhere else to go. Han Ju-oh tilted his head slightly.
“Didn’t you say we should look around and see if there’s anything more to buy?”
“Want to go straight home? I was thinking the same, actually.”
“But you were the one who wanted to walk around more.”
“Guess we’re totally in sync.”
“…”
“Let’s go home.”
They weren’t on the same page at all…
After interpreting things completely on his own, Seo-ha turned toward the entrance. He marched forward with confidence, but kept glancing around cautiously, clearly worried.
He was trying to avoid going anywhere they might get mistaken for newlyweds.
***
By the time they finished grocery shopping and made a trip to the department store, it was well past dinnertime. As they arrived home, Seo-ha called out to Han Ju-oh.
“Hey…”
When Han Ju-oh looked over with a what is it now kind of expression, Seo-ha cleared his throat and scratched his neck.
“Aren’t you hungry?”
It wasn’t like he hadn’t been thinking about dinner—he’d just put it off. And knowing Han Ju-oh hadn’t eaten either was starting to bother him.
“I’m gonna grill some meat. If you’re interested, come join me.”
His tone said I don’t care if you don’t, but the message was a subtle nudge to say he should probably come. Han Ju-oh didn’t hesitate long before approaching.
“…”
Seo-ha stared at him as he waited by the door.
“If you’re just gonna stand there like that, I won’t be able to enter the passcode.”
“Didn’t you see mine though?”
“You can’t see it. I have my reasons.”
Seo-ha shamelessly shielded the keypad with his body. The sheer boldness of it left Han Ju-oh too dumbfounded to respond.
“Come in.”
Seo-ha opened the door and held it open.
***
While unwrapping a pack of meat, Seo-ha stole glances at Han Ju-oh, who stood planted right in the middle of the living room. Today’s situation had all started with Seo-ha going out of his way to find him. He’d even openly asked others about Han Ju-oh. He hadn’t tried to keep it a secret, and the man hadn’t seemed to care.
‘He kind of seems dense… and a little unguarded.’
That was the impression Seo-ha got from watching him. All he really knew was that Han Ju-oh sometimes couldn’t be guided during specific moments. Of course, that was the most important part—but even so, wasn’t it necessary for him to at least understand the basics?
Sizzle—the sound of meat hitting the pan filled the room as Seo-ha kept thinking about him.
‘There’s no warmth in that house.’
He recalled the stark emptiness of Han Ju-oh’s place. If it was just a temporary lodging and he was trying not to bring anything in, it might make sense—but to Seo-ha, it looked more like pure disinterest. The place gave off the vibe that he could leave at any moment and it wouldn’t be strange.
‘First, we need to talk.’
No matter what, conversation was the key to getting to know someone.
“Come eat… oh.”
Seo-ha paused mid-sentence, surprised to find Han Ju-oh already sitting down. Holding the plate of meat, he stopped in his tracks.
“You were hungry too, huh.”
And here he’d been dragging him all over the place. Seo-ha quietly scolded himself for being so inconsiderate, then placed the meat in front of him.
“This is beef I haven’t even shared with my friends yet, so eat up.”
He added the ssamjang and lettuce they’d bought for this exact purpose. With kimchi and instant rice on the side, the table wasn’t looking too bad at all.
“There should be a stew here.”
Before leaving, he’d seen a frying pan in the kitchen, but who’d have thought there wouldn’t even be salt or sugar? Not that he would have used any even if there were.
“Let’s eat.”
Since he had no intention of waiting for Han Ju-oh to start, Seo-ha immediately scooped up some white rice, dipped the beef in ssamjang, and took a bite. The savory, tender beef blended with the rice, and the rich flavor was satisfying enough to lift his mood.
If Moon Roi had been sitting across from him, he would’ve gotten scolded for dipping beef in ssamjang. But with Han Ju-oh in front of him, Seo-ha ate it how he liked.
“Yeah, home-cooked meals really are the best…”
As Seo-ha went for another spoonful, he felt a stare and glanced at Han Ju-oh.
“What? What is it?”
He’d gotten him to sit and eat—what more did the guy want? Seo-ha looked at Han Ju-oh’s hands.
“Do you not like meat? Or you just not into rice?”
“I do.”
Despite the answer, Han Ju-oh didn’t move a muscle.
“If you’re gonna eat, then eat. What the hell is the problem?”
With a hint of irritation, Seo-ha slapped rice, beef, and ssamjang onto a lettuce leaf, rolled it up, and practically shoved it toward Han Ju-oh’s mouth. Though taken aback, he didn’t avoid it—he accepted the bite.
“Is it bad?”
“……”
“I’m a diehard ssamjang fan. Carrots, cucumbers, pork belly, beef—everything’s ssamjang.”
Han Ju-oh didn’t respond, too busy chewing, but he was clearly listening.
“Screw salt, soy sauce, wasabi—ssamjang’s the best.”
Seo-ha kept rambling, even though Han Ju-oh hadn’t asked, then shifted tone as he looked over for a reaction.
“What do you like?”
The question was part of his ongoing attempt to create some kind of atmosphere. Watching Han Ju-oh while he wrapped another bite of beef, he waited.
“…Nothing.”
Han Ju-oh half-heartedly picked at his rice and shook his head. Seo-ha couldn’t tell if it was the truth, but the unenthusiastic answer made his lips purse in annoyance.
“Then do you just eat whatever you’re given? Do you like cafeteria food or something?”
If he was someone who preferred a place where you didn’t have to think about what to eat every day, then Seo-ha figured he didn’t need to put much more effort into it.
“I just walk until I see something and go in.”
“So you’re not picky. That’s good. No food quirks.”
Even at Han Ju-oh’s throwaway comment, Seo-ha exaggerated his reply and wrapped another ssam to give him. When Han Ju-oh didn’t take it, he stuffed it into his mouth again. If Seo-ha didn’t wrap it for him, he wouldn’t touch the meat—he’d just keep eating plain rice.
“Eat some meat, will you?”
As he made a wrap for himself, Seo-ha scolded Han Ju-oh’s half-hearted chopstick work. If he followed him all the way here to eat together and sat down before being told to, he might as well eat properly.
“What about you?”
“What?”
With a huge lettuce wrap in his mouth, Seo-ha blinked as Han Ju-oh pointed to the ssamjang with his eyes.
“You don’t only like ssamjang, right?”
“Ah… I mean, yeah, just depends.”
Prompted to talk about what else he liked besides ssamjang, Seo-ha finished chewing and answered.
“It changes all the time. But if I really like something, I’ll eat only that for a while.”
Today, he’d just been craving meat.
Seo-ha was about to make another wrap but suddenly glanced at Han Ju-oh and shoved an especially large one toward his mouth. Without hesitation, Han Ju-oh accepted it and ate it cleanly, not at all fazed by the size. He clearly didn’t dislike the meat—he just wouldn’t pick it up himself.
“I drink vanilla lattes when I want coffee. Maybe it’s the milk, but when I’m hungry, they’re better than an Americano. I snack a lot too, but if I’m full, I won’t touch anything.”
“……”
“I like stocking up on snacks even if I don’t eat them. Just having them there makes me feel full.”
Thanks to Seo-ha’s non-stop talking, dinner didn’t pass in silence. Still, wanting more than just small talk, he kept tossing questions at Han Ju-oh—but the replies were always brief or completely silent.
‘This isn’t getting me anywhere.’
In the end, he felt like he’d only ended up oversharing about himself. That’s when it happened.
“I just eat enough not to die.”
“What, no one else takes care of you?”
Insinuating Kim Mi-yeon as he spoke, Seo-ha watched Han Ju-oh shake his head.
“Not really.”
“You’ve got family though?”
“Don’t have any.”
The unexpectedly firm answer slowed Seo-ha’s hands. He hadn’t expected there to be a reason behind it.
‘I rushed things.’
It was a mistake born from his eagerness to understand Han Ju-oh faster.
“I don’t have family either.”
Seo-ha dropped the line casually, but the atmosphere dulled instantly. Even so, they kept eating. Since Han Ju-oh only nibbled on rice, Seo-ha diligently fed him meat until the meal was done.
“Thanks for the food.”
As Han Ju-oh stood from the table, Seo-ha said,
“I’m cooking again tomorrow. Come if you want.”
Gathering the empty dishes, he addressed Han Ju-oh, who still hadn’t given a clear reply. Seo-ha tossed him an unopened water bottle without warning. When Han Ju-oh effortlessly caught it, Seo-ha raised an eyebrow at the reflexes and added,
“If I’m not here, just enter the passcode and come in.”
Han Ju-oh looked up, and at that same moment, Seo-ha stood up and turned away.
“It’s 4321.”
“……”
