* * *
It was the day Yoo Joohwan had been waiting and longing for.
Since he had only looked forward to the day he would give the final gift, today might be the day Yoo Joohwan had spoken of.
‘It’s a good thing I took a shower.’
He inwardly felt relieved, then flinched in surprise.
Just a slight drop in tension, and his desire abruptly surfaced.
His ears burned red from the contradictory feeling that he seemed to be eager for it.
“What is it? Did you fall for me?”
Yoo Joohwan, misunderstanding that he was touched by his own thoughts, smiled sweetly and seemed pleased.
Looking at the deepening dimples, he thought, ‘I guess this is the type of person I like.’
“Do you want to come in first? I have a buchimgae on the stove, so give me a minute.”
Whether Yoo Joohwan came in or not, he quickly went to the gas stove and flipped the buchimgae.
Fortunately, it hadn’t burned because he had turned the heat down low.
He took out a plate, transferred the buchimgae onto it, then poured oil and put a ladleful of batter onto the frying pan.
He could feel Yoo Joohwan, who had closed the door and come in, putting his umbrella in a container and approaching the dining table.
He pretended to be busy and didn’t look, but Yoo Joohwan familiarly placed the shopping bag on a dining chair and came over to wash his hands in the sink.
“Smells good. What kind of buchimgae is it?”
“Squid and chive pancake. I went to the mart because I wanted to eat it.”
“Moon Dowon did mention you went to the mart, actually.”
“…”
The app he had momentarily forgotten flashed in his mind.
He had felt uneasy and planned to delete it immediately but postponed it, thinking he should delete it in front of Moon Dowon when they met.
He had been waiting, unsure of what kind of retaliation Moon Dowon would take, but he hadn’t realized he was constantly checking it whenever he had a spare moment.
It made sense that the three of them had been unusually quiet.
“Do you want to see the gift after eating the buchimgae? It won’t taste good if it cools down.”
He nodded without looking at Yoo Joohwan next to him.
Being alone with him was strange, but the word ‘gift’ added to the tension.
He quickly made the dipping sauce, placed it on the dining table with the plated buchimgae, grabbed a pair of chopsticks, and placed them in front of Yoo Joohwan.
“I don’t know if it will suit your taste…”
Thinking of Yoo Joohwan, who likely only ate food prepared by professionals, his cooking might not be to his liking.
He watched Yoo Joohwan pick up the chopsticks with trembling eyes.
The pancake, torn into a bite-sized piece, went into his mouth without even touching the dipping sauce.
Unlike him, who ate strong flavors, Yoo Joohwan seemed to prefer the food’s original taste.
“It’s delicious.”
“Really? That’s a relief.”
As he let out a sigh of relief, Yoo Joohwan stared at him intently.
It was a serious gaze, unlike Yoo Joohwan.
“Do you like cooking?”
“It’s not so much that I like it, but I just happened to start doing it.”
In the world before he transmigrated, his parents had divorced, and he often cooked for himself under a father whose work involved frequent field trips.
The cooking he started to get compliments from his father had become a habit ingrained in him.
He smiled.
He had only been thinking about the transmigrated Seo Siho, forgetting all his own memories.
A bitterness lingered on his tongue, but Yoo Joohwan, who interpreted the smile differently, asked as a courtesy.
“If you’re interested in cooking, should I tell Moon Dowon? His father is the top in the food service industry, you know.”
The day the three of them met at his house suddenly came to mind.
Thinking of Moon Dowon, who easily brought in the finest food and ingredients and was skilled at preparing meals, that odd day made sense.
Since the stalking Seo Siho shouldn’t be ignorant of this fact, he nodded.
“It’s okay. I’m just going to do it as a hobby.”
“Alright. But didn’t you say you couldn’t cook?”
“…Huh?”
“You told your colleagues you hated cooking.”
That was a sharp question. He wondered if that was why he was staring so intently.
“I’m a person who lives alone. You have to do it even if you hate it to eat and survive. Shall we clean up now that you’ve finished eating?”
He subtly changed the subject, picking up the now-empty plate and getting up.
As he naturally cleared the table, Yoo Joohwan went to the sink and rolled up his sleeves.
“I’ll do it.”
“It’s not my style to just be served.”
“Have you done it before?”
“No. You just have to scrub, right?”
He squeezed detergent onto the sponge, naturally made foam, and scrubbed the plate.
Watching Yoo Joohwan cleanly wash the dishes, saying it was manageable for a first-timer, made him realize Yoo Joohwan was good at everything.
“We should get a dishwasher, then. Calling an auntie would be too much of a burden.”
He refused the suggestion to install one tomorrow, saying they were well-made these days, but Yoo Joohwan was insistent.
He added that he should use it temporarily until he moved residences later.
It felt strange talking to Yoo Joohwan normally without any sexual content.
Glancing to the side, Yoo Joohwan took a small green box from his pocket.
It was gum with the word ‘Xylitol’ written on it in white letters.
“Chew this to freshen up.”
“Okay.”
Yoo Joohwan placed two pieces of gum on his palm.
Usually, he would have told him to open his mouth or poked his finger in to put it in directly.
But Yoo Joohwan was acting like an overly ordinary person.
Seeing him act normal, in contrast to his entrance, he silently put the gum in his mouth.
“My mouth felt heavy after eating the buchimgae.”
He chewed the gum, saying it felt refreshing.
He was suspicious of Yoo Joohwan, who wore a subtle smile next to him, but he didn’t want to stir up trouble unnecessarily.
He liked the peaceful state where nothing was happening.
“Shall we create the group chat now, as I suggested?”
“To delete the app?”
“Yeah. I don’t like the feeling of being monitored.”
He lightly shook his head, saying his feelings hadn’t changed since he mentioned it in Busan.
“Give me your phone.”
Yoo Joohwan came over, standing face-to-face, and held out his hand.
He unlocked the phone with face recognition and placed it in Yoo Joohwan’s hand.
“It’ll be better if I delete it than if you do it yourself.”
Saying this was also consideration for him, Yoo Joohwan entered the app, pressed ‘Withdraw,’ and then deleted it from the home screen.
Just deleting the app felt like one constraint had vanished, and he could breathe a little easier.
“You have a call.”
Yoo Joohwan looked at Moon Dowon’s name displayed on the phone screen with a dry gaze.
It was a reaction that showed he had expected it.
“Hello.”
Yoo Joohwan answered the call directly and spoke to Moon Dowon.
It was mostly just stiff replies that ended with ‘uh’.
He answered repeatedly in a way that was different from the demeanor he showed him, then carelessly hung up the phone.
He had thought that the smiling Kang Taeyun, who rarely revealed his thoughts, would be the most terrifying, but seeing Yoo Joohwan’s true self right in front of him made him think he, too, was a formidable opponent.
“Make sure to contact us well, no matter what happens. And always answer the phone, no matter what situation you’re in.”
“Okay.”
“Then it’s fine. Because I trust you.”
“…You trust me?”
“Yes. Our trust hasn’t been broken yet.”
The words also contained a subtle warning: the moment that trust was broken, the opportunity for freedom would not come.
The plan to escape when he felt safe needed to be approached with more caution.
When he looked at him with a submissive expression, Yoo Joohwan stroked his head.
“When you do that, you look like a well-behaved puppy. Normally, you’re like a cat.”
Uttering words loaded with various meanings, Yoo Joohwan handed the phone back. He went to the dining table, pulled out a tissue, folded it neatly, and held it out in front of him.
He was asking him to spit out the gum in his mouth.
“The sweetness is probably all gone.”
It was just about to lose its flavor anyway.
He took the tissue in his hand, spat out the gum, and threw it in the trash can.
Yoo Joohwan threw his own away nearby and held out the shopping bag, which he had picked up at some unknown point.
“We’ve filled our stomachs, and our mouths are refreshed. Then what’s left is opening the gift.”
Yoo Joohwan’s eyes urged him to open it quickly.
It was the moment the third gift he had spoken of would finally be revealed.
With a face more nervous than ever, he opened the shopping bag, revealing a box inside.
He untied the beautifully decorated ribbon, like last time, and opened the box, only to find another box.
He looked at Yoo Joohwan at the appearance of the box, which made his nervousness seem pointless, and Yoo Joohwan placed the empty box on the table.
“It wouldn’t be fun if it was too easy.”
He sent a look that implied that was the charm of a gift, urging him to open the next box.
With trembling fingertips, he opened the lid once more, revealing various items.
There was a large container of something that looked like the slime his nephew used to play with, a pump-style container, and an electric machine resembling hair clippers.
And a visible transparent case.
‘Is this where he put the mold of Yoo Joohwan’s penis?’
His lips twitched and trembled as if convulsing at the unexpected contents.
“…What is all this?”
“What do you think it is?”
I wouldn’t ask if I knew, his eyes seemed to say, but he slowly picked up the pump-style object.
Reading the text written on the side, it was an item used to remove beards or body hair.
He was frozen, only blinking in confusion, and Yoo Joohwan answered kindly in a sweet tone.
“You’re right, it’s used for shaving.”
“Then why are you… using this?”
“Why? You have to remove the hair to make a mold. It can’t come out messy, can it?”
“…Hair?”
He was so dumbfounded that his voice didn’t come out fully.
When he asked in a trembling voice, like a small spark, Yoo Joohwan picked up the container that looked like slime and spoke.
“I specially made and kneaded this. They say it’s harmless to the human body.”
“…Does that mean you, too…”
“Yeah. I did too. Waxing. Should I show you?”
* * *
