* * *
For a few days, things were peaceful.
But that peace didn’t last.
Suspicious of the ongoing delays with the electrical work, Jinwoo called in another technician, who quickly resolved the issue.
As a result, Jingyeom had to return home.
“Can’t you just stay here? You said you were comfortable. How are you going to manage on your own back there?”
“I won’t be alone; Jinwoo’s there. And that’s my actual home, remember?”
Thanks to Soohyuk, who had ensured that Jingyeom had everything he needed during his stay, life here had been incredibly convenient.
Clothes, bags, shoes—everything was prepared.
He hadn’t needed to worry even when heading out for his part-time job.
That left Jingyeom with only the canvas bag he had brought with him originally.
When he tried to leave, Soohyuk clung to his bag strap.
Jingyeom slapped the back of his hand playfully.
“Let go already. I waited for you to finish work so you could drop me off.”
“Have some snacks before you go.”
“I’m still full from dinner.”
At Soohyuk’s rare sulking expression, Jingyeom couldn’t help but laugh.
Who was the child here, really?
Contrary to Jingyeom’s fears, Soohyuk hadn’t acted like the possessive tyrant he’d expected.
He’d grumbled about Jingyeom leaving now that the repairs were done, but he didn’t stop him.
In fact, over the past few days, Soohyuk had been nothing but accommodating, as if trying to prove he could give Jingyeom the world.
Late nights were nonexistent, and he even came home an hour or two early.
“Did you see the like I left on your post?”
“Yeah, I saw it.”
“Should I take another photo to post on the way back?”
“…Sure, let’s go.”
Only then did Soohyuk finally start the car, albeit reluctantly.
From the moment they started driving, Soohyuk’s hand found its place on Jingyeom’s thigh, where it stayed until they arrived.
Jingyeom snapped a photo of it and sent it straight to him.
When they reached Jingyeom’s home, Soohyuk let out a heavy sigh.
“Thanks for the ride. Oh, don’t get out of the car. Just head straight back.”
“You won’t even let me see you off?”
“Seeing me off here is more than enough.”
Jingyeom smiled and pressed a brief kiss to the back of Soohyuk’s hand.
“Drive safe.”
“Huh? That’s it?”
“Of course. We’re right in front of my house.”
“My car windows are tinted.”
Ignoring Soohyuk’s protest, Jingyeom reached for the door, but Soohyuk grabbed him by the nape and pulled him back.
Without hesitation, he claimed the kiss he’d been craving all day.
They were in front of the house, and he could hear the sound of someone approaching—likely Jinwoo.
It was night, and the windows were tinted, so no one could see inside, but he kept the kiss brief, knowing Jingyeom might feel awkward.
Afterward, he gently wiped Jingyeom’s lips with his thumb and sealed it with a soft peck.
“Go on now. Be careful.”
“…Let me know when you get home.”
Flustered by the affection, Jingyeom quickly climbed out of the car, his cheeks burning despite the chilly weather.
He fanned himself as he ascended the stairs.
“Oh? Jinwoo.”
Halfway up, he spotted Jinwoo leaning against the railing.
Elated to see him after several days, Jingyeom hurried up the rest of the stairs.
“How long have you been waiting out here?”
“Not long. Let’s go inside.”
“Okay!”
Jinwoo had already stepped outside long before he even heard the sound of Soohyuk’s car.
He had been watching the alley, thinking that Soohyuk would arrive around this time since he’d said he’d be back after dinner.
Sure enough, Jinwoo spotted the car coming.
He thought Soohyuk would get out immediately, but the engine stayed on, and the door didn’t open for quite some time.
Jinwoo suppressed the urge to storm down and drag Jingyeom out of that car himself.
Even after Jingyeom got out and came upstairs, Soohyuk’s car didn’t leave.
There wasn’t anything particularly strange about it, but something about the situation left a peculiar, unpleasant feeling lingering in Jinwoo’s chest.
It was like a dirty stain that refused to come off.
A gnawing unease crept in.
Standing at the door, still ajar, Jinwoo couldn’t shake the feeling.
“……”
Jingyeom, blissfully unaware of any of this, looked around the house with a smile and said it felt nice to be home after so long.
The first thing he did was open the fridge.
“There’s nothing to eat. Did you have dinner already?”
“……”
“You didn’t eat dinner?”
Jinwoo, still unsettled, didn’t reply.
Instead, he stepped outside again.
Jingyeom called after him, but Jinwoo went straight to the railing and peered down the alley.
Soohyuk’s car was still there.
‘What is he doing?’
The sight of the car refusing to leave made Jinwoo’s heart pound with agitation.
When Jingyeom followed him to the balcony, Jinwoo turned around.
“What’s wrong, Jinwoo?”
“Nothing. It’s cold. Let’s go back inside.”
Jinwoo gently ushered Jingyeom back into the house, but his gaze kept straying toward the alley.
Once inside, Jingyeom glanced at the sink.
It looked untouched—no sign of any dishes being washed.
They’d planned to come back together tonight, so Jinwoo must have eaten out.
“Won’t Secretary Yang feel a bit put out? You spent a whole week together.”
“She was delighted to have one less mouth to feed.”
“Wow… Really? I’ll have to treat her to something later. She must have been uncomfortable the whole time. Sorry about that…”
Misunderstanding Jinwoo’s words, Jingyeom mulled over what kind of gift would be appropriate as he headed to his room to change.
“Do you have plans tomorrow, Jinwoo?”
“No, why?”
“I figured the house must be dusty by now. We should clean— Oh?”
As Jingyeom turned around after changing clothes, he was startled to see Jinwoo suddenly standing right behind him.
He hadn’t even sensed him approach.
“Let’s clean if you don’t have plans.”
Jingyeom quickly composed himself and pretended nothing was unusual.
He couldn’t let himself appear overly startled, even over something as minor as this.
He started to move toward the laundry basket to put away his clothes, but Jinwoo didn’t budge.
Even when Jingyeom tried to step around him, Jinwoo remained in the way.
“Do you need to say something?”
“No, I’m just happy to have you here again.”
Jinwoo’s warm smile was infectious, and Jingyeom couldn’t help but smile back.
“Me too. I guess that’s why people say there’s no place like home. Even though some things have changed, the layout’s still familiar, so it feels comfortable.”
Living at Soohyuk’s house had been nice, too.
Even staying in the hospital hadn’t been bad.
But after living in a small space like this, moving to a bigger one left an odd sense of emptiness.
Jinwoo opened his mouth to say it wasn’t the same for him but stopped himself and just smiled instead.
‘I just missed seeing your face again.’
The words stayed locked in his chest.
Later that night, a photo Jingyeom had taken earlier appeared on Lovestagram.
(Photo of interlocked fingers in the car)
I miss you.
#Couple #7Days #Mine #MissYou #SSH♡BJG #Lovestagram
Jingyeom, scrolling through it before bed, smiled to himself and pressed the heart button.
Earlier, while exchanging messages with Soohyuk, he’d been on edge because of Jinwoo’s constant presence.
Normally, Soohyuk was casual about their chats, but today he used terms like “darling” and “honey” alongside heart emojis, overloading the conversation with affection.
It made Jingyeom hyper-aware of Jinwoo’s gaze, forcing him to tread carefully.
‘I didn’t realize secret relationships were this difficult…’
He had stayed at Soohyuk’s house for so long without needing to hide anything, so this was a new experience.
But there was a strange thrill in the tension, mixed with a heavy dose of guilt.
The next morning, the two of them got up early to clean.
With the windows wide open, Jingyeom wore thick clothes at Jinwoo’s insistence, despite knowing he’d get sweaty.
“It’ll feel colder once you stop moving,” Jinwoo reasoned.
“The house isn’t as dusty as I thought, considering it’s only been a week.”
“Yeah. Let’s finish up and eat. Hungry?”
“There’s nothing in the fridge. Should we go to the store? The one downstairs opens early.”
The power had been cut off, so all the food in the fridge had gone bad.
Jinwoo had only put bottled water in last night for drinking.
After buying groceries, they returned to find Soohyuk sitting on the porch.
Jingyeom froze, dropping his bags.
“My tofu!”
He crouched to check the bag, relieved to find the tofu unharmed.
Sighing, he stood up again.
Startled by Jingyeom’s exclamation, Soohyuk had already gotten up.
“What are you doing here, hyung?”
“What do you think? I remembered you saying you’d cook for me, and it popped into my head this morning. So, I came for breakfast.”
“…Seriously?”
“Yes, seriously,” Soohyuk replied with a nod.
Jingyeom wasn’t the only one caught off guard by his sudden appearance.
“You came without notice? And this early in the morning?”
“Ten o’clock isn’t early. Besides, you hadn’t eaten yet, had you?”
“How did you know that?” Jinwoo’s eyes narrowed.
He glanced around, wondering if Soohyuk had installed some kind of surveillance during the renovations.
But nothing seemed amiss.
Soohyuk shrugged, noticing Jinwoo’s suspicion.
“Why so serious? I just saw you weren’t home earlier and figured you’d gone grocery shopping.”
“…”
“Come on, am I not even worth a meal?”
When Soohyuk feigned offense, Jinwoo exhaled sharply and opened the door.
“If you wait on the porch, I’ll bring your breakfast out.”
“You’re making me wait here? In the cold?”
“Then you’re welcome to wait in your car with the heater on. Let’s go, Jingyeom.”
Jinwoo held the door open, urging Jingyeom inside with a pointed look.
When Jingyeom hesitated, glancing at Soohyuk, the latter gave him a pitiful look, his brows drawn together.
“Well… It’s cold. Maybe you could wait inside…”
“…”
“It’s only right to offer him a meal, considering how much I’ve already imposed on him…”
Although his words were careful, Jingyeom knew how much Jinwoo disliked having people over.
Still, Soohyuk and Wonbeom had both been inside before when Jinwoo wasn’t home, and Jingyeom couldn’t bring himself to leave Soohyuk out in the cold.
Reluctantly, Jinwoo allowed Soohyuk to come inside, his expression far from pleased.
* * *
Get a grip jinwoo
Poor thing