* * *
Opening the laptop, he navigated to a search portal, noting that no recent searches popped up anymore.
“You changed it so nothing shows up, huh?”
“Shut up… I mean, not ‘shut up’—”
Jihoon cursed at himself for the slip-up, brushing his bangs back in frustration.
Watching Jihoon mutter an apology under his breath, Yeongdeok leaned in and pressed a light kiss to his lips.
Then, as if nothing had happened, he pulled back with a satisfied expression, leaving Jihoon stunned.
“…What was that?”
“Your efforts to impress me are kind of adorable, don’t you think?”
“Seriously….”
Jihoon scoffed at the ridiculous comment, but his heart thudded loudly in betrayal.
Clearing his throat unnecessarily, he resumed searching for travel destinations.
“How about Busan? A friend told me the night view there is beautiful.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah. Or maybe somewhere like Sokcho or Gapyeong….”
As Jihoon continued speaking, his focus locked on the laptop screen, Yeongdeok glanced at his face.
For some reason, he found himself scrutinizing Jihoon’s features, realizing they weren’t exactly unpleasant to look at.
Rebellious eyes, a sharp nose, skin that wasn’t pale but still clear.
Lost in thought, Yeongdeok found Jihoon’s voice fading into the background.
“Where should we go?”
“……”
“Yeongdeok?”
When Jihoon waved his hand in front of Yeongdeok’s face, he finally snapped out of his daze.
“What did you say?”
“Wow, you were zoning out? I just showed you a bunch of options. Where do you think we should go?”
“Hmm….”
Having lost track of Jihoon’s suggestions midway, Yeongdeok couldn’t recall any specifics.
“Anywhere you think is good works for me.”
“Don’t tell me you weren’t listening to a word I said.”
How did he figure that out?
Yeongdeok thought Jihoon, usually clueless, was surprisingly sharp in moments like these.
“Then, I choose you.”
“…Can’t you say stuff like that in less random situations?”
Grumbling at how unfair it was, Jihoon pulled Yeongdeok closer by the shoulder.
“Let me show you again. Pay attention this time.”
“Got it.”
This time, Yeongdeok stayed focused as they browsed travel options together.
After narrowing down the choices, they settled on Busan.
With the destination decided, it was time to pick transportation and accommodations.
“What about accommodations?”
“We should go for somewhere convenient, where we can quickly drop off our luggage and easily get around.”
Jihoon, though unsurprised, noted that romance was nowhere to be found in Yeongdeok’s practicality.
Not that he could disagree with the logic.
“Alright, let’s do that.”
Jihoon had expected some clashes given Yeongdeok’s personality, but surprisingly, he went along with Jihoon’s suggestions.
Thanks to that, they planned the trip without much trouble.
“What’s going on? Are you really Yeongdeok?”
“You should see an eye doctor. Or maybe you ate something weird?”
“The Yeongdeok I know wouldn’t agree so easily.”
Though pretending to be suspicious, Jihoon secretly found himself pleased with Yeongdeok’s change.
The old Yeongdeok would’ve mocked every suggestion—calling Jihoon’s plans pathetic, his ideas subpar, and the accommodations shabby.
“I’m excited. Traveling with you, I mean.”
“Same here.”
“You say that, but your tone and expression are so stiff.”
Jihoon chuckled as he closed the laptop, letting his hand rest on the floor.
When his fingertips brushed against Yeongdeok’s, Yeongdeok took the opportunity to grab Jihoon’s hand firmly, making Jihoon think that the pressure felt unexpectedly good.
A week before their trip, they went shopping for necessities.
Upon arriving at the mall, Jihoon remarked in surprise, “I thought for sure you’d suggest ordering everything online to save time.”
“Spending time with you—how could that be a waste?”
Yeongdeok’s effortless flirting left Jihoon momentarily speechless.
‘Does he do everything so well that he can even flirt like it’s nothing?’
The sudden attack sent Jihoon’s heart into overdrive.
“What’s wrong?”
“…Nothing. Let’s go in.”
Walking ahead like a malfunctioning robot, Jihoon led the way to the luggage section, with Yeongdeok following closely behind.
Among the various suitcases on display, Yeongdeok’s eyes fell on a bright yellow one with a pair of eyes painted on it.
For some reason, it felt like destiny.
“I like that one.”
“That? Isn’t it too big for a two-day trip?”
While Jihoon only pointed out the size, he also found the design unsettling—almost terrifying enough to haunt his dreams.
“You’re right. I wonder if you’d fit inside it.”
Sizing Jihoon up with his eyes, Yeongdeok’s curious gaze was so unnerving that Jihoon hurriedly grabbed another suitcase to divert his attention.
“How about this one?”
The suitcase Jihoon brought was a plain black one.
Yeongdeok erased the curiosity he had shown earlier and carefully examined it.
“Too plain.”
“True, it might be easy to lose since it doesn’t stand out. What’s your favorite color, hyung?”
“Me?”
“Of course, I asked you. Who else would I be asking?”
“Let’s see…”
Yeongdeok pondered deeply before pulling out his phone to search for a color palette.
Jihoon couldn’t understand why someone would take colors so seriously, but since Yeongdeok seemed genuinely focused, he decided to wait quietly.
“Colors like #000000, #FFFFFF, or #A6A6A6 seem good.”
“…What’s that?”
“It means I prefer neutral colors.”
Then just say that! Jihoon thought to himself that maybe Yeongdeok was a weirdo from birth.
“What about you? I’ll make a note of it.”
“Me?”
Jihoon generally liked colors like green or blue, which blended well with nature, but as he looked into Yeongdeok’s jet-black eyes, he felt an odd urge to change his answer.
“Black?”
“How dull.”
“Hey, you just said you liked neutral colors. How are you and I any different?”
“Reacting so strongly is exactly why you’re so easy to tease.”
With a languid smile, Yeongdeok ruffled Jihoon’s hair.
Jihoon, who had been ready to argue, softened as though he had never been annoyed in the first place.
The two focused again on choosing a suitcase, eventually settling on a sky-blue one with a large paper airplane design.
“It’s not great, but it’s not bad compared to the first one.”
“Now that I think about it, hyung, you’re worse at picking designs than you are at driving.”
“Me? That’s impossible. My aesthetic sense is impeccable.”
Yeongdeok scoffed and shrugged confidently.
He was so full of himself that Jihoon didn’t even bother trying to argue and just let it go.
After selecting a suitcase, they found themselves browsing other vacation items in the same store.
Jihoon pulled a white Hawaiian shirt with bright red flowers off the rack and held it up to Yeongdeok.
“This is perfect for you.”
“Really?”
“You’d look like a gangster in it.”
Jihoon was reminded of a movie villain he’d been impressed by in the past.
The actor was so charismatic that everyone ended up liking the villain more than the protagonist.
“A gangster…”
Unaware of Jihoon’s thoughts, Yeongdeok wondered why anyone would think he resembled a gangster when he’d never even thrown a punch in his life.
“There’s even a flamingo floatie. Don’t you think that’s a must-have for you?”
Jihoon’s attention shifted to a large flamingo float on display deeper in the store.
He kept pointing out odd items, insisting they were “perfect” for Yeongdeok, but the latter couldn’t figure out what made them so fitting.
“Instead of browsing useless things, let’s just focus on what we need.”
“Okay, okay.”
In the end, Jihoon added the Hawaiian shirt and a straw hat he impulsively picked up to the shopping basket before approaching Yeongdeok.
“Let’s get these. It’ll set the vacation mood.”
“Fine. Is there anything else?”
“Hmm… Are you planning to go swimming?”
Jihoon gestured toward racks displaying rash guards and swimsuits.
“No.”
“Then let’s just pay for these and head out.”
“Alright.”
Translator: Please support the new Novel that I’m translating. The title is ‘Judging you as pitiful because you don’t know love!’
* * *
Thanks for the translation
Thanks!