* * *
Jingyeom, startled by Wonbeom’s voice, quickly stepped back to escape from his embrace.
Feeling the emptiness in his now-empty arms, Wonbeom clenched and unclenched his fist.
“I didn’t realize you were right behind me.”
“I didn’t expect you to turn around so suddenly, either.”
“Oh, I’ll go get the drinks!”
At that moment, the pager rang, and Jingyeom hurriedly made his way back inside the café.
As he walked, he instinctively checked his watch, seemingly startled a few times today.
Fortunately, his heart rate hadn’t increased. It was probably just a momentary thing.
Jingyeom handed over the pager at the pickup counter and retrieved two glasses of green grape juice.
He headed to the spot he had scouted earlier and noticed that, without being told, Wonbeom had already seated himself there, as if understanding Jingyeom’s choice.
Jingyeom placed one of the green grape juices in a takeaway cup in front of Wonbeom and immediately took a sip of his own drink through the straw.
His cheeks hollowed as the green juice moved up the transparent straw.
“Oh! This is green grape juice, and it’s delicious!”
“……”
“I didn’t expect much, but it’s actually really good.”
It was not just grapes, but syrup had been added as well, making it sweet and tasty.
As Jingyeom kept drinking, he noticed that Wonbeom’s cup was still untouched.
“Aren’t you going to drink?”
“Do you think it’s okay for you to drink that? I remember you weren’t supposed to eat grapes.”
Jingyeom’s eyes widened.
“How did you know that?”
“…And you drank it knowing that?”
Wonbeom reached out and snatched the juice from Jingyeom’s hand.
Jingyeom looked back and forth between his hand and Wonbeom’s, his lips drooping like a child whose candy had been taken away. He looked utterly distressed.
“I thought you’d know the difference between what you can and can’t eat when I asked you to buy it. What’s the point if you buy something you shouldn’t have?”
“It’s not like I’m having a lot; it’s fine.”
“That’s only true after your body has fully recovered. There’s no need to put extra strain on a body that’s still adjusting to the medication.”
Jingyeom, sensing the concern hidden in Wonbeom’s stern words, lowered his gaze.
Even though he knew it was because Wonbeom cared, every time they argued about food like this, he felt miserable.
“……”
“Jingyeom.”
“…Yes.”
“I told you not to look away.”
His name was spoken gently, but the following words felt oddly chilling.
Jingyeom shivered and lifted his eyes again, meeting Wonbeom’s dark gaze directly.
“I’m not saying you can’t ever eat it. Just wait until you’re a little healthier, and then you can have it.”
Jingyeom nodded in understanding.
After that, the conversation halted. Jingyeom wasn’t in the mood to talk, and Wonbeom was never very talkative to begin with.
Jingyeom felt the breeze brush past him and looked around the garden.
He could still feel glances coming his way, but since they weren’t too obvious, it was bearable.
Even he could understand why people would naturally look at the two of them, with their contrasting appearances sitting together like this.
“Are we going home now?”
It had only been 30 minutes since they arrived at the café, but he was already longing for home. It wasn’t because he couldn’t drink the green grape juice—he just felt more comfortable at home.
Jingyeom instinctively raised his hand to his chest, feeling a slight itch, but then curled his fingers into a fist.
“What’s wrong? Feeling unwell?”
“No, just a bit itchy…”
The itching from the scar came and went.
Although it had healed well, scratching it could cause it to worsen, so he still refrained from touching it.
“They said the surgery area healed well, didn’t they?”
“Yes, but they also said the itching is… unavoidable. It should go away soon, though. Apparently, itching is normal when a scar heals, but it kept itching even after it healed.”
He’d heard that it could be real itching or a psychological illusion.
So, he didn’t pay much attention to it.
It wasn’t a serious issue, but it seemed Wonbeom didn’t think so, narrowing his eyes as he looked at Jingyeom.
“There’s no other issue, right?”
“No, none at all! No problems.”
Jingyeom replied with a bright smile, and Wonbeom nodded slightly.
Since Jingyeom would probably give the same answer again, he decided it might be better to ask Hoonil instead.
“Shall we go if you’re done looking around?”
“You haven’t had a sip of yours. Maybe I should’ve gotten something else.”
“I don’t usually eat outside.”
The juice bought for Wonbeom remained untouched and was eventually discarded. Jingyeom licked his lips in regret.
He hadn’t even had his fill, and now the untouched one was wasted.
He made a small resolution that if he got confirmation from Hoonil later that one drink was okay, he’d start with the green grape juice.
“Oh, right. Here.”
Jingyeom took out Wonbeom’s card from his pocket and handed it to him.
Since Wonbeom had brought him to the café, he intended to pay himself, but Wonbeom had given him the card, saying he wouldn’t accept a free meal from someone unemployed.
Jingyeom, who would place the order anyway, thought about using his own card but decided to use Wonbeom’s to avoid any scolding.
Wonbeom took back the card and slipped it into his wallet, then into the inner pocket of his suit.
“Let’s go.”
They left the café, and Jingyeom assumed they were heading home, but he was wrong. Once again, the destination wasn’t disclosed.
He noticed Assistant Kim, setting the navigation, but from the address alone, he couldn’t tell where they were headed.
So, they ended up sightseeing again.
“What are you looking at so intently?”
“Just everything passing by.”
“Why?”
“When I look at things rushing past quickly, I don’t think about anything.”
Jingyeom kept his gaze fixed on the window, and it was only when he realized there was no response that he turned his head.
Sure enough, his eyes met Wonbeom’s directly.
It seemed like every time he looked at him, their eyes met, probably because Wonbeom was always staring at him.
“Is there something you want to say?”
“No.”
“Then why do you keep… looking at me?”
“Can’t I look?”
“No, it’s not that I can’t, but…”
Jingyeom trailed off, fidgeting with his fingers.
He couldn’t help but wonder what kind of answer Wonbeom wanted whenever he asked questions like this.
Why couldn’t he just say what he wanted to say?
Jingyeom found Wonbeom’s probing tone incredibly frustrating.
Soohyuk often used this kind of speech as well.
He would say things that made no sense to others and never gave a straight answer when asked. What was he even trying to achieve?
“I just wanted to see you.”
What kind of answer was he supposed to give this time?
As Jingyeom hesitated, Wonbeom smirked and raised his hand.
His large, rugged hand covered the top of Jingyeom’s head, gently patting it with a much softer touch than before.
From that touch, Jingyeom felt a strange sensation.
Wonbeom’s expression seemed much more relaxed and soft than it used to be. It was both awkward and nice to see.
To Jingyeom, Wonbeom had always been like the leader of a pride of lions in a fierce jungle—a lion who basked in the sun but would bare his sharp teeth and overpower any threat to his pride without mercy.
But now, he seemed like a well-fed lion, lounging lazily under the warm sun, grooming himself leisurely.
Yet, he was still someone you couldn’t afford to let your guard down around—someone who could pounce into attack mode at any moment.
He had thought this before, but somehow, today, that impression seemed even stronger.
And today, it felt like the one being groomed wasn’t Wonbeom himself, but him.
A shiver ran down Jingyeom’s spine, and he involuntarily trembled at the sudden sensation.
“Are you cold?”
Without waiting for an answer, Wonbeom told the driver, Assistant Kim, to turn on the heater.
Warm air quickly filled the car, and soon they arrived at a restaurant. It seemed they were out to have dinner.
The meal was delicious.
Wonbeom had asked Cheongoh to exclude most foods containing Vitamin K, which didn’t interact well with the medication Jingyeom was taking.
Of course, Jingyeom had no idea about this consideration and simply enjoyed the meal, marveling that there wasn’t anything he had to be cautious about.
By the time they were finishing their meal, darkness had already settled outside.
It had been so long since Jingyeom had stayed out this late that he felt he had truly gotten a refreshing change of pace.
‘It would’ve been even better if Jinwoo could have come with me.’
Whenever Jinwoo wasn’t working late, they always had dinner together.
But today, since he was eating out, Jinwoo would have to eat alone, and that thought weighed on his mind.
Jingyeom asked Wonbeom, who had finished eating, “Shall we head home now?”
“Do you want to go home?”
“It’s late, so shouldn’t we?”
Although he had messaged Jinwoo that he would be eating out, he needed to return home before it got too late, so Jinwoo wouldn’t worry.
Moreover, Soohyuk might message or call him soon.
While he was in the hospital, Soohyuk would contact him during the day, but since going abroad, he often called in the evenings or at night, perhaps because of the time difference.
Though being with Wonbeom didn’t mean he couldn’t take calls, Jingyeom believed it was impolite to exchange messages with someone else for too long while in someone else’s company, so he rarely took his phone out of his pocket.
He suspected there might be several missed calls and messages by now.
Even earlier, when he briefly checked while going to the restroom, there had already been quite a few messages from that tiresome person.
As he rubbed his full stomach, Jingyeom felt a sharp gaze on him, causing his eyes to wander again, this time rolling upward instead of looking at the floor as he’d been told not to.
“Let’s go see a movie.”
At the sudden suggestion, Jingyeom turned his gaze back to Wonbeom.
“There’s a drive-in theater not far from here. You haven’t been to one of those, right?”
“A drive-in theater? A movie theater you watch from a car?”
“Yeah.”
Jingyeom’s eyes sparkled at the mention of a drive-in theater.
Although he had been to a regular theater with the others before, he had never been to a drive-in theater.
He was tempted for a moment.
They had already eaten dinner, and if they left now, they’d likely get stuck in traffic during rush hour. It might actually be better to leave a bit later, he reasoned.
In the end, Jingyeom was easily persuaded to go to the drive-in theater.
* * *
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Jingyeom so cute
Thank you
Thanks
Wonbeom is so considerate
Can someone spoil me who he ended up with?
Thank you!