* * *

As Jinwoo had said, the mountain was colder than the city, though the greenhouse was warm, bathed in sunlight.

With the many trees around the garden, standing among them felt like being in the middle of a forest, and it put Jingyeom in a good mood.

Jingyeom stood beside the middle-aged gardener, chatting away as he watched him work.

He thought he could help by pulling out some weeds, but after accidentally uprooting valuable seedlings, he now just watched.

When the gardener finished and left, Jingyeom, as usual, lay down on the bench in the greenhouse, the book he brought remaining unopened, used as a pillow instead.

“…I’m getting sleepy.”

Just as he was about to move, knowing he’d doze off if he stayed still, Lady Jung came to inform him that someone had arrived.

Jingyeom quickly got off the bench and hurried outside.

“Is it Jinwoo? Or maybe Soohyuk-hyung?”

Having been out of contact with anyone for the past two weeks, he assumed the visitor could only be Jinwoo or Soohyuk, and hastened his steps.

Standing in the garden, he looked inside the house through the large windows and was startled to see someone unexpected.

“Wonbeom-hyung?”

Wonbeom, who had been inside, spotted Jingyeom in the garden.

After waiting a moment and seeing Jingyeom not coming in, he lifted his hand and gestured for him to come inside.

Finally, Jingyeom moved and entered the house.

“Hyung, how did you…?”

Wonbeom tilted his head at Jingyeom’s dumbfounded question.

“Is it that surprising that I’m here?”

“Uh… A little, yeah.”

Jingyeom hadn’t forgotten about Wonbeom while staying here, but he had thought about him less than Jinwoo or Soohyuk.

Still, seeing someone familiar made him happy, and he greeted Wonbeom with a bright smile.

“It’s been a while! Did you know I was here?”

“Yeah. You’re looking good.”

At Wonbeom’s words, Jingyeom rubbed his cheek with his palm.

Since his time at the hospital, he had been eating well and going on regular walks, so he had gained a bit of weight.

Though he wanted to call it muscle, he had to accept that it was just fat since there weren’t any firm areas.

“Hyung, do you realize it’s been a really long time since we’ve seen each other?”

Jingyeom looked up at Wonbeom, who had slimmed down since they last met.

His sharp features were even more pronounced, causing Jingyeom to frown with concern.

“Are you eating properly? You’ve lost more weight since the last time I saw you… Your jawline is too sharp.”

“You even remember my jawline?”

“I guess I do. I’ve been looking up at you for so long.”

Seeing Jingyeom’s concern, Wonbeom smirked slightly.

Originally, he shouldn’t have come here.

He hadn’t planned on visiting until everything was settled and cleaned up without complications.

But after a sudden attack left him hospitalized, he chose this place to lie low for a while.

Wonbeom scanned Jingyeom’s face, which looked healthier than before.

The last time he saw him, Jingyeom had been lying in a hospital bed, so seeing him in good health now eased some of his worries.

“The last time we met was at the drive-in theater, right? Wow… It’s been so long!”

“…It really has.”

Two months ago, Wonbeom had subtly hinted at his feelings for Jingyeom.

Fearing that Wonbeom might confess if they met again, Jingyeom cautiously observed his expression.

But there didn’t seem to be any signs of that.

Then, Jingyeom noticed a scar on Wonbeom’s chin and instinctively reached out.

“You’ve got… a scar here.”

“Oh.”

Lowering his eyes, Jingyeom saw a cut on Wonbeom’s hand as well.

“…And here, too.”

A bright red scratch stood out on the back of Wonbeom’s hand.

Though healing, the small scabs caught Jingyeom’s attention.

Realizing something was off, Jingyeom grabbed Wonbeom’s hand and pushed up his sleeve, revealing more small wounds on his forearm.

“…Did you get into a fight?”

“…”

“Did someone hit you?”

“Do I look like someone who would get beaten up?”

“Then… are you hurting yourself?”

Wonbeom didn’t answer, and Jingyeom’s mouth fell open in shock, his voice rising with alarm.

His face clearly reflected how he was processing the situation.

“Seriously?”

“It’s good to have an active imagination, but don’t drag me into it.”

Wonbeom, though speaking stiffly, didn’t brush off Jingyeom’s touch.

Instead, he remained still, quietly hoping that Jingyeom would hold onto him longer.

But contrary to Wonbeom’s desire, Jingyeom lowered his sleeve and released the hand he had been holding.

“You startled me. If it wasn’t what I thought, you should’ve said so sooner. You guys didn’t really fight, did you?”

“…We fought.”

“Wow… You didn’t answer earlier. Is the other guy okay? If you’re this hurt, the other guy must be…”

“Must be?”

“Completely wrecked!”

Wonbeom let out a small laugh at Jingyeom’s innocent expression.

Instead of asking what kind of accident he had, the first question was whether he had fought.

It was clear how Jingyeom saw him.

As for the self-harm talk, it was exactly as Soohyuk had said—Jingyeom was unpredictable.

Wonbeom grabbed Jingyeom by the shoulders, pushing him onto the sofa, and then sat down next to him, leaning against the backrest.

“I didn’t go that hard.”

The word “wrecked” didn’t quite fit. “Cleanly handled” was more appropriate.

Jingyeom, who had been nodding in agreement, briefly glanced at Wonbeom’s posture before fixing his gaze on his legs.

“You’re not crossing your legs anymore?”

“Yeah, someone told me not to because it messes up your hips.”

Jingyeom smiled widely, clearly happy that Wonbeom had listened to him.

It wasn’t something that had to be taken seriously, but seeing Wonbeom actually pay attention made Jingyeom feel oddly ticklish all over.

“Good job! They say it’s hard to fix that when you get older.”

“…I’m not that old.”

“Oh, I wasn’t talking about now. Just later. When you’re older, it’ll be harder if you let your hips get misaligned.”

“…Got it, but can we stop with the age talk?”

The tone, which seemed to repeatedly remind him of their age difference, made Wonbeom turn his head.

Especially since Jingyeom looked even younger, being with him often made Wonbeom feel like some shameless bastard for having inappropriate thoughts.

He couldn’t deny it, which made it all the more bothersome.

Taking the opportunity, Wonbeom scanned the interior of the mansion.

Soohyuk had clearly put some effort into the place.

“Hyung.”

“Yeah?”

“How long are you staying here?”

“Not sure. How long do you want me to stay?”

“Honestly, I’d like you to stay for a while…”

At Jingyeom’s hesitant tone, Wonbeom shifted his gaze from the ceiling to Jingyeom.

His light brown eyes darted around nervously.

“There’s no phone signal here, and the internet doesn’t work.”

“So?”

“I’m fine, but you have work, and that’s a problem for you.”

“You don’t need to worry about that.”

“…”

Seeing Jingyeom purse his lips with a pout, Wonbeom straightened his posture and hurried to add more.

“No, what I mean is…”

“It’s fine. You must’ve already known about all this, but I’m just being nosy, huh? Sorry.”

Noticing Jingyeom was sulking, Wonbeom quickly reached out and grabbed his wrist.

Jingyeom looked like he was about to get up, and Wonbeom’s hand moved instinctively.

Despite Jingyeom’s thin wrist, Wonbeom’s grip still left some space.

“…I was just trying to say thank you for thinking about me.”

“…That’s not the tone you were using.”

“…”

Jingyeom, with a squinted gaze, twitched his lips, trying to suppress a smile.

It was strange and surprising to see someone who had once been so intimidating now softening up and looking for his approval.

Even the last time they met, Jingyeom had noticed that Wonbeom had become gentler toward him.

‘Even in messages…’

Although Wonbeom’s text replies were still brief and stiff, his voice during phone calls had noticeably softened.

‘…Do people usually act like this when they like someone?’

It seemed like Wonbeom had a bit of a pushover side. In the original story, even though he was strict, he did everything for Jinwoo.

It seemed like that was the case now too.

He hadn’t asked for it, but Wonbeom had set up a resting area for him, taken him to a drive-in movie theater, something he’d never been to before, and even covered his medical bills.

He had promised to grant him one wish when he got his certification.

Reflecting on all the things Wonbeom had done for him so far, it was clear that while he spoke bluntly, he always treated Jingyeom well.

As Jingyeom got lost in his thoughts, his mouth snapped shut.

Wonbeom, after a few moments of hesitation, finally spoke again.

“…I’ve taken care of all the urgent matters, so there’s nothing pressing.”

“Did someone say something?”

“You were just worrying a moment ago.”

“You told me not to.”

“…”

Jingyeom had always known that Wonbeom spoke bluntly.

But knowing and understanding are two different things.

Jingyeom, who had been happy to see someone he knew after a long time, felt a bit down from the curt words.

Wonbeom glanced at him for a moment before letting out a short sigh.

“Sorry.”

“…”

“I said, I’m sorry.”

“Wow…”

“Why that reaction?”

“It’s just surprising to hear an apology from you, hyung.”

It surprised Wonbeom too. He had never imagined himself apologizing to anyone.

He had never felt that kind of emotion before.

But the thought that Jingyeom might actually leave if he didn’t say something made the words slip out unconsciously.

“…It’s not that big of a deal.”

“Still, I didn’t think you were the type to say sorry, so it’s a bit surprising.”

“That’s true.”

When Wonbeom admitted it, Jingyeom erased his sulky expression and flashed a big smile.

It was refreshing to see Wonbeom, who had been so stiff just moments ago, suddenly become more gentle.

With his mood lifted, Jingyeom relaxed and leaned back on the sofa.

He shook his wrist, asking to be released, but Wonbeom still didn’t let go of his hand.

“If you’ve finished everything, stay for a long time. There’s plenty to do here! There’s a game console, we can watch movies, there’s a swimming pool too! There’s even a glass greenhouse where you can get some sun!”

“You mean sunbathing.”

“Sunbathing, photosynthesis, same thing!”

“Are you a plant?”

When Jingyeom scrunched up his nose in a mock glare, Wonbeom quickly shut his mouth.

They hadn’t seen each other in a while, and he realized he much preferred seeing Jingyeom smiling rather than frowning.

It made him resolve to watch what he said from now on.

* * *