* * *
“…Cha Yoonjae?”
“Junhee, it really is you! What brings you here? Did you use to live around here too?”
Junhee suddenly recalled that Yoonjae’s atelier was near the supermarket.
“No, I just came here to take care of something…”
“Perfect timing. I was going to eat dinner alone, and that’s always boring. How about we eat together? You haven’t eaten yet, have you?”
“Uh, no… not yet.”
“Do you like beef brisket? Oh, but it’s been a bit hot today. Maybe naengmyeon and bulgogi would be better… What do you think?”
Before Junhee could even process the sudden invitation, Yoonjae smoothly took charge of the situation.
By the time they left the supermarket, both Junhee and Yoonjae’s hands were full of groceries.
“It’s not far, so walking should be fine, right?”
“…Yes, that’s fine.”
“If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have been able to carry all this on my own.”
Given how Yoonjae had stuffed the cart to bursting, it was obvious he couldn’t have managed alone.
After a brief pause, Junhee cautiously asked, “Do you usually… stockpile groceries like this?”
Yoonjae chuckled lightly at the question.
“Stockpile? That’s a bit harsh. Actually, no, maybe you’re right. I don’t shop often, so when I do, I try to buy as much as I can.”
It was a stark contrast to Junhee’s usual approach of buying only what he needed.
As if justifying himself, Yoonjae added, “Normally, I come with Daeheon, but as you can see, I’m alone today.”
“…Oh.”
Could it be that Yoonjae and Daeheon had a falling out because of what happened last time?
Did Moon Doyoung spread rumors or snitch to Kim Daeheon?
Junhee’s face darkened at the thought, though Yoonjae seemed oblivious as he brightly shifted the topic to dinner plans.
“Since you helped me carry everything, I’ll treat you to dinner. Let’s head to the atelier. I was actually thinking of contacting you, but I figured you’d be busy.”
Junhee followed quietly behind Yoonjae, feeling unsettled by the possibility that Yoonjae might be putting on a cheerful front.
“What? So you thought we’d broken up?”
Yoonjae’s sudden loud voice startled Junhee, causing him to drop his chopsticks.
Junhee quickly picked them up, replying, “…I must have misunderstood.”
“We agreed to take some time to think, but that doesn’t mean we broke up. I don’t intend to, either.”
Yoonjae’s firm tone left Junhee puzzled.
Even with so many obstacles between them, he was adamant about not ending the relationship?
“Does Kim Daeheon know? Did Moon Doyoung spread rumors?”
“Nope. I told him myself.”
That answer surprised Junhee.
If it had been him, he would have been too scared, desperately trying to avoid the situation.
‘…Just like now.’
“What was his reaction?”
“What do you think? Exactly what you’d expect.”
Junhee immediately thought back to Daeheon crying during Doyoung’s birthday party.
Despite his tough appearance, he was someone deeply emotional.
“Did he cry?”
“Yeah. He bawled his eyes out… and even I teared up a little. I felt sorry and regretful.”
“And that’s why you’re taking time to think?”
“No, it’s not to consider breaking up. It’s to figure out a solution.”
“A solution?”
“Running away won’t solve anything. Since neither Daeheon nor I want to break up, we’ll have to fight for it. Whether we break or his mom’s stubbornness does, one of us has to give in for this to end.”
Junhee found Yoonjae’s perspective fascinating yet hard to fully grasp.
“…But what if both sides end up hurt? You might end up hurt too.”
“Of course we’ll get hurt. But if we avoid it now because it’s hard, the problem will rot to the core later. Even plants need pruning to grow. What matters isn’t the immediate pain but the eventual outcome.”
Yoonjae’s soft demeanor contrasted with his firm resolve, like a hard seed within a gentle shell.
“Ah, I’ve been rambling about myself again. Sorry about that…”
“It’s fine.”
“How about you share what’s on your mind, Junhee? Don’t you trust me?”
“No, it’s not that…”
Junhee hesitated, his eyes landing on the vibrant greenery of the plants around them.
The secret garden was greener and more vibrant than before, steadily growing.
Only Junhee remained stuck in place.
As he gulped down a glass of water, trying to calm the heat rising within him—
“Is it because of Ki Taeryu?”
Cough!
Junhee choked, coughing uncontrollably.
Yoonjae handed him a tissue, but Junhee’s startled mind refused to settle.
“You two… are a ‘thing’, right?”
“No, we’re not.”
“Come on, even someone as clueless as Daeheon noticed. What’s there to hide?”
“…Kim Daeheon noticed?”
Junhee recalled Daeheon vaguely hinting, asking if Taeryu was threatening him.
“Well, Daeheon thinks Taeryu’s just harassing you, but I don’t see it that way.”
Yoonjae’s knowing tone left Junhee at a loss for words.
Avoiding eye contact, Junhee heard Yoonjae chuckle softly.
“He’s obviously chasing after you. Don’t tell me you didn’t notice.”
“…Director Ki and I are—”
After a moment’s pause, Junhee echoed someone else’s words.
“Business partners.”
Yes, that’s all they were.
Ki Taeryu had approached him with a purpose, spouted nonsense about having feelings, and played with him.
And Junhee had foolishly fallen for it.
Junhee gripped his spoon tightly as frustration simmered inside.
Yoonjae, watching his closed-off expression, called out softly.
“Junhee.”
“…Yes?”
“Even the best liars can’t fake their eyes. And from what I saw, he looked sincere.”
“You’re mistaken.”
“Are you sure you’re not wavering?”
“…”
The words no reached the tip of Junhee’s tongue but never left his lips.
“Don’t keep everything bottled up inside. Talk to someone, anyone. It doesn’t have to be me.”
Yoonjae’s words sank deep into Junhee’s heart.
Junhee admired Yoonjae’s honesty, but he also realized he could never be like him.
To speak one’s mind and bear the weight of those words—perhaps that, too, was a privilege reserved for those with power.
“Honestly, I’m not sure what it means to like someone. I’ve never liked anyone before.”
“It’s simple. If you keep thinking about someone, if they’re constantly on your mind, that’s what liking someone is.”
Thinking about someone repeatedly?
But if that’s the case…
“Don’t we also think about things we utterly despise or find horrifying?”
Like Baek Seunggyo, for instance.
“Hmm. But Junhee, you’re not so clueless that you can’t tell the difference. It’s about knowing where those persistent thoughts will lead you. Some lead to a pit you can already see coming, while others leave you wondering, hopeful even.”
“…”
Baek Seunggyo would definitely drag me into a gutter and throw me there.
But Ki Taeryu…
“If he makes you hope, only to eventually pull you into the same fiery pit, wouldn’t that make the latter even crueler and more malicious?”
There was a certain bitterness in Junhee’s reply, as if anger was laced within.
Seemingly understanding that, Cha Yoonjae gave a silent smile and answered, “That’s just how it is when you like someone.”
And yet, you still want to see it through to the end.
Those softly spoken words, like leaves whispering in the wind, rendered Junhee silent.
The faint, bitter scent of earth lingered at the tip of his nose.
Saturday arrived.
Junhee spent the morning lazily rolling around in bed, idly scrolling through his phone.
Then, on a whim, he stepped out into the living room and started vacuuming.
Vrrrrr—
After sucking up every speck of dust, his next task was dropping off clothes for dry cleaning.
“Gotta get these cleaned properly.”
The suits he’d received from Ki Taeryu and the clothes purchased with his card.
Since there were several pieces, all high-end items, the cleaning cost came out to double the usual price, but Junhee handed them over without complaint.
It felt necessary, as if he needed to be prepared to return them at any moment.
Over the past week, there hadn’t been a single call from Ki Taeryu.
He’d assumed Ki Taeryu would either call or suddenly show up, leaving him tense and on edge.
But contrary to his expectations, there wasn’t even a single message.
Junhee scrubbed the bathroom, erasing every trace of grime, all the while replaying the events of the past few days in his mind.
As Cha Yoonjae had said, avoiding the situation wouldn’t solve anything.
He had to either sever ties or scrape away what lingered between them.
He needed to handle it, one way or another.
“We don’t have any real connection anyway. I just need to be honest, return his phone, and that’ll be the end of it.”
Returning the suit, now almost as good as new, and saying those words would be enough to close this chapter.
Cha Yoonjae was wrong.
Junhee and Ki Taeryu had only ever been that—a relationship devoid of sincerity.
Having sorted his thoughts, Junhee stood up, pushing off the floor with determination.
“Ugh…”
After crouching for so long while cleaning, standing up caused a rush of blood, and his legs cramped painfully.
Limping slightly, he took a shower and flopped onto his bed, utterly exhausted from a full day of cleaning.
By tomorrow, he’d likely be sore and confined to bed all day, which was fine—it had been his routine before Ki Taeryu came into his life.
“Haa…”
Junhee’s chest rose and fell as he lay still, eyes closed.
Then, suddenly, he bolted upright, reaching for the gray phone on the bedside table.
His fingers moved quickly across the screen, hesitating, erasing, and typing again.
Finally, he pressed the “Check Matching Rate” button with a desperate prayer in his heart.
* * *
