DP Episode 68

Deep Pivot, Episode 68

The security staff left Seo-joon’s apartment after thoroughly inspecting every corner.

“Any issues?”

“No, sir. Please refer to this for the sensor placements.”

One staff member handed over a blueprint of Seo-joon’s apartment, marked in red where sensors had been installed in every room, the living room, and the kitchen. These would detect any unauthorized devices connected to the apartment in the future.

“Thanks for your hard work.”

Seo-joon saw them off. The door clicked shut, and the electronic lock beeped, leaving him alone in the now silent apartment.

The cleaning lady, who used to visit once a week, could no longer come, but the apartment remained neat and empty, untouched by daily life.

Feeling slightly out of place, Seo-joon looked around the living room, rubbing his arms absentmindedly. The chill in the air made him realize that fall had arrived.

He went into the dressing room and put on a light knit cardigan, but the cold didn’t quite leave. He thought of Cha Yeon-woo and how warm he always seemed to be. He hadn’t noticed the chill while they were together.

At that moment, his phone chimed with a message notification.

Cha Yeon-woo
[Lieutenant]
[Did you get home safely?]
11:41 p.m.

[I just arrived.]
11:42 p.m.

A smile crept across Seo-joon’s face. As the saying goes, when a tiger is mentioned, it appears. In this case, thinking about his little puppy Cha Yeon-woo made him “come running.”

Ji Seo-joon
[I got home just a little while ago.]
11:42 p.m.

He sent a simple reply and went to the shower. After washing away the chill with hot water, he returned and checked his phone again. In the mere 20 minutes he was in the shower, Cha Yeon-woo had kept himself busy chatting away.

Cha Yeon-woo
[The house is so messy.]
11:43 p.m.

[I left my clothes everywhere when I went out.]
[If someone saw it, they’d think a robber broke in.]
11:44 p.m.

[I think it’s getting colder.]
11:48 p.m.

[I’m finally trying on the clothes you bought me.]
11:51 p.m.

[Photo]
[Photo]
[You were worried the size wouldn’t fit, haha.]
[They fit perfectly.]
11:56 p.m.

[Photo]
[I’m wearing this to bed tonight.]
11:57 p.m.

[Like I said before,]
[I’ll make good use of the clothes you bought me.]
[Even now, I really love them.]
12:01 a.m.

[Thank you.]
12:02 a.m.

A smile lingered on Seo-joon’s lips as he stared at Yeon-woo’s photos. They were taken from an upward angle, as if taking a selfie, showing only his body while cutting off his face, possibly due to the lack of a full-length mirror.

Wishing the face had been visible, Seo-joon swiped and zoomed on the images before saving them with a wistful click of his tongue.

Ji Seo-joon
[Yeon-woo, I can see the clothes look great,]
[but show me your pretty face too.]
12:07 a.m.

After setting his phone aside, Seo-joon dried himself off, put on clothes, and started drying his hair. Preoccupied, he noticed the soft notification chime even through the noise of the hairdryer. He immediately switched it off and looked at his phone.

Cha Yeon-woo
[My face?]
12:19 a.m.

[Photo]
[I just washed up.]
[So embarrassed, T_T]
12:20 a.m.

Despite saying he felt embarrassed or shy, Yeon-woo always complied. Seo-joon laughed at the candidly angled selfie, then saved it.

With his hair slightly damp and messy, Yeon-woo’s eyes looked softer and rounder in the photo.

Ji Seo-joon
[Take one with your forehead showing.]
12:24 a.m.

Cha Yeon-woo
[Photo]
[Like this? T_T]
12:25 a.m.

Yeon-woo was using one hand to brush his hair back, his expression looking slightly grumpier than before. Seo-joon wondered how far Yeon-woo would go. He felt that no matter what he asked, Yeon-woo would quickly send another photo.

After saving the image, Seo-joon tapped on the screen.

Ji Seo-joon
[Smile a bit.]
[Again.]
12:27 a.m.

Cha Yeon-woo
[Photo]
12:28 a.m.

Even in the middle of the night, Yeon-woo’s responses took less than a minute. Seo-joon saved the smiling photo and then zoomed in to admire it again. As he examined the rounded curve of Yeon-woo’s smiling eyes, a new message notification blinked.

Cha Yeon-woo
[But, Lieutenant,]
[you’re teasing me, right?]
12:30 a.m.

[Why are you asking for photos over and over again? It’s so embarrassing, T_T]
12:31 a.m.

You just give them so well… Seo-joon chuckled, leaning against the wall in the powder room.

Ji Seo-joon
[I’m asking because you’re pretty.]
12:32 a.m.

Cha Yeon-woo
[Then,]
12:32 a.m.

The typing indicator flashed on and off as Yeon-woo wrote and deleted, the three dots blinking continuously. Seo-joon stared at the screen, oblivious to his half-dried hair growing messier.

Cha Yeon-woo
[Lieutenant, you send me a photo too.]
12:34 a.m.

Ji Seo-joon
[Why would you want a photo of me?]
12:35 a.m.

The three typing dots blinked as Cha Yeon-woo hesitated. Watching him deliberate, Seo-joon couldn’t help but smile. After several rewrites, Yeon-woo finally sent a message after five minutes.

Cha Yeon-woo
[Because I want to see you.]
12:40 a.m.

The message was meticulously punctuated, and Seo-joon stared at it for a long while before standing up. He tidied up the scattered clothes, left a bedside lamp on, and turned off all other lights in the house.

Lying in bed, the glow of his phone illuminated his face. Because I want to see you. After staring at the short message for a while, he tapped the screen.

After a few rings, Cha Yeon-woo’s surprised face appeared on the screen.

“I don’t take selfies.”

He seemed caught off guard by the unexpected video call. His face, which had been too close to the camera, quickly pulled back.

— I don’t take selfies either.

His distinctive low, soft voice came through the speaker.

— I only took them because you asked for them, Lieutenant.

“But look, I’m showing myself to you through this video instead. Isn’t this better than photos?”

— …I think hearing your voice is even better.

Yeon-woo smoothed his tousled bangs and smiled shyly. Seo-joon was mesmerized and instinctively pressed the record button.

“When are you going to sleep? It’s almost 1 a.m. Don’t you have school tomorrow?”

— I do.

“Then lie down.”

The camera shifted. After the screen briefly went dark, a soft light illuminated Yeon-woo’s face as he lay on his pillow.

Seo-joon watched as Yeon-woo gazed back at him, slightly off-center from the camera. Yeon-woo was now looking directly at Seo-joon’s face.

His blue-tinged eyes sparkled brightly. A gentle smile spread across his lips.

Is this how he always looks at me?

Though they’d made eye contact countless times before and Seo-joon had seen him through CCTV, focusing so closely on his face made it feel different.

— Are you warmly dressed? It’s cold.

“I’m warm enough.”

Seo-joon adjusted the phone’s angle and pulled the blanket to show his body. Yeon-woo leaned closer to the screen, eyes widening.

— Aren’t you dressed too lightly?

“I’m warm enough.”

— You’ll catch a cold.

“Then you’ll have to heal me.”

— …Okay.

Half of Yeon-woo’s face disappeared into the pillow. He smiled faintly, then furrowed his brows and covered his face with one hand. He seemed embarrassed about something again.

— …I miss you next to me every night.

“Me too.”

— …

“…”

Should I come over there?

Or do you want to come here?

These two thoughts clashed in Seo-joon’s mind and then vanished. He stared silently at Yeon-woo before speaking first.

“Goodnight, Yeon-woo.”

Otherwise, he might have said something else.

—…Goodnight, Lieutenant.

Seo-joon smiled faintly at the camera and pressed the end button. If the silence had lasted much longer, he would have spoken one of the two thoughts.

It’s getting harder to hide. It’s a desire that’s impossible to hide or contain.

Does Cha Yeon-woo know that I want him this much?

The previously unnoticed silence now settled emptily throughout the house. Seo-joon eventually got up from bed and put on a thicker sweater.

The weather was cold.