* * *
Jihoon had been annoyed by Yeongdeok’s composed attitude just moments ago, but now, that calmness seemed contagious, and Jihoon found himself feeling more at ease.
Maybe they could leave once the morning came.
Strangely enough, his anxiety began to fade.
“Hey…”
“What?”
“Can I take a quick nap?”
“Don’t you dare die here. If you’re going to die, do it somewhere else.”
It would be a hassle to deal with such a big corpse, not to mention the rumors that someone had died here would definitely ruin the chicken business.
“That’s not it. I’m just tense because it’s my first day at work….”
“…….”
“Hey. Let me borrow this for a bit.”
“Borrow what?”
When Yeongdeok asked that, Jihoon’s head slowly drooped down until it rested on Yeongdeok’s shoulder.
The weight made one of Yeongdeok’s shoulders sag.
Yeongdeok glanced disapprovingly at Jihoon, who had laid his heavy head on his shoulder without permission.
As much as he was doing this to get back at PetitRolang, how much more of Jihoon’s whims was he supposed to put up with?
Listening to Jihoon’s soft breathing, Yeongdeok debated whether to push him off or not.
But after seeing Jihoon’s face, which looked even more foolish than when he was awake, a sense of pity welled up, and he decided to let it be, turning his head away.
Now that Jihoon had fallen asleep, the only sound left in the storage room was his breathing.
Yeongdeok stayed awake, eyes wide open, keeping watch over the night.
“Hmm, ugh…”
Jihoon stirred, his heavy eyelids slowly lifting at the cold air brushing against his cheek.
It was still dark outside, so he wasn’t sure if morning had come yet, and everything around him felt unfamiliar.
He blinked his eyes a few times, then jerked his head up at the presence he sensed beside him.
“Wow… damn.”
His neck, which had been bent at an awkward angle, throbbed with pain.
The discomfort snapped him fully awake.
He had only meant to close his eyes for a moment.
How did he manage to fall asleep in this situation?
And on Cha Yeongdeok’s shoulder, no less.
Jihoon suddenly felt his face heat up.
“You’re awake? You caused such a fuss and then fell asleep. Impressive.”
Yeongdeok teased, brushing off the spot on his shoulder where Jihoon’s head had rested.
Jihoon was baffled that despite the annoyance, Yeongdeok hadn’t pushed him away.
“Why didn’t you just shove me off? Why let me stay like that?”
“You looked so pitiful sleeping like that, I couldn’t help it.”
“Tsk.”
Just then, the sound of the store’s door jingling from outside caught Jihoon’s attention, and he quickly straightened up.
“What the hell…? Why are the lights still on? Owner, are you still open?”
A slurred, drunken voice echoed through the space.
A passerby, likely tipsy from alcohol, had wandered into the store.
Jihoon banged on the storage door and shouted toward the customer.
“Hey! We’re trapped in here! Help us!”
“Huh?”
The footsteps grew closer, and Yeongdeok slowly got up, watching Jihoon’s frantic reaction.
But suddenly, a cold shiver ran down Yeongdeok’s spine.
What was that?
“Hey, I definitely heard someone talking in here.”
“Please help! We’re locked in the storage room!”
“It wasn’t my imagination! Are you guys okay?”
The sound of the doorknob being turned from the outside could be heard.
But all they heard was a clinking noise, and the door remained firmly shut.
“I think the doorknob’s broken. I’ll call a repairman. Just hang tight for a bit.”
The drunkard’s voice sounded much clearer now, as though the shock had sobered him up.
Jihoon let out a deep sigh of relief.
“Hey, looks like we’ll be able to get out of here after all. I really thought we were stuck for good.”
“Seems that way.”
“From now on, let’s never close the door when organizing the storage room. Imagine if something like this happened again.”
“I agree.”
When Yeongdeok readily accepted Jihoon’s suggestion, Jihoon shot him a curious look.
“What’s with you? Why are you acting like that?”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t know, you just seem… different.”
Jihoon squinted, scrutinizing Yeongdeok’s face.
The intense gaze made Yeongdeok feel like a zoo animal on display, making him visibly uncomfortable.
“That’s rude. What are you staring at?”
Seeing Yeongdeok openly express his displeasure, Jihoon realized he wasn’t acting any different from usual and turned away.
“Never mind.”
As they waited for the repairman, the sun began to rise, and by the time they were freed from the storage room, it was already morning.
“Are you both alright?”
The repairman expressed his concern as he helped Jihoon and Yeongdeok out.
“We’re fine. Thank you so much for getting us out. Really, thank you.”
Jihoon repeatedly thanked the repairman and the drunk who had called for help.
Yeongdeok, arms crossed, simply watched from the side.
“Is the door fixed now?”
“Yes, it’s been repaired, but be careful, as it could happen again.”
“Got it. We’ll be more cautious.”
Jihoon thanked them a few more times before they finally left, leaving him alone with Yeongdeok inside the shop.
“Hey, couldn’t you have at least said thanks?”
“The repairman was just doing his job. It’s what he gets paid for.”
“Yeah, but do you know how early in the morning it is? Imagine if they hadn’t come. Who knows what could’ve happened.”
Jihoon shuddered at the thought. Ignoring him, Yeongdeok turned off all the lights in the shop and stepped outside first.
The bright morning sun greeted Yeongdeok, who squinted at the light.
Jihoon rushed out and draped his jacket over Yeongdeok’s shoulders—it was the cardigan and coat Yeongdeok had lent him.
“Thanks for lending me these. You’re heading home in your truck, right?”
“Yes.”
“The buses are running by now, so I’ll take one home.”
“…….”
“Cha Yeongdeok?”
When Jihoon grabbed his shoulder, Yeongdeok, who had been dazed, snapped back to reality.
“Oh…”
“What’s with you? Are you tired?”
“I guess so. Unlike someone, I didn’t get any sleep.”
At Yeongdeok’s jab, Jihoon flinched, feeling guilty about falling asleep on his shoulder.
But he quickly retorted with a scowl.
“Yeah, sorry I fell asleep on you. Just don’t fall asleep at the wheel and crash, okay? Take a taxi.”
“That sounds like a good idea.”
After locking the shop, Yeongdeok began walking toward the road to hail a taxi.
But then he paused. His head suddenly felt fuzzy.
Squinting, he stared blankly at the sidewalk ahead.
“What’s wrong? Hey, there’s a taxi over there. Hey! Taxi!”
Jihoon waved down the approaching taxi enthusiastically, and it pulled up right in front of them.
Yeongdeok got in first, followed by Jihoon.
“Weren’t you going to take the bus?”
“Since we’re going the same way, we might as well ride together.”
Jihoon gave the taxi driver the address on behalf of Yeongdeok.
The taxi soon started heading towards the address Jihoon had mentioned.
Yeongdeok leaned against the window, staring outside.
“What the hell is this? On my first day at the part-time job, no less… Didn’t this kind of stuff never happen when you were working alone?”
“……”
“Hey?”
“Stop yapping. My head’s pounding, and it’s annoying.”
Exhausted, Yeongdeok snapped back coldly at Jihoon.
Jihoon was left speechless by Yeongdeok’s sudden change in attitude.
It wasn’t long ago that Yeongdeok was the one being annoying, and now he was acting like this.
“What the hell? You’re the one who was being annoying earlier.”
“……”
“Don’t you dare bother me from now on, either.”
Feeling irritated for no reason, Jihoon sharply turned his head towards the window.
He planned to spend the rest of the ride looking outside, but as Yeongdeok remained silent, Jihoon couldn’t help but steal glances at him.
The two of them stayed silent until the taxi arrived in front of their destination.
* * *
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Love is in the air ~
🤭
🫶🏻
🤗
thank youuuu
Hope Yeongdeok is okay, I almost thought he was going to faint this chapter with the whole being in a daze and being dizzy.
The tension is 🤭
Thank you for the chapter !
Thanks for the chapterr.
Wahhh what will happen next?
Seems the author interfered
I think he’s having a fever
Thanks for the chapter 😁 ❤️☺️
oh yeongdeok must be feeling sick
What wrong yeongdeok?
I seriously thought that Yeongdeok was gonna faint
Hello