ETP Ch 11

Meanwhile, Seongyeon, unlike Yoohyun, was dumbfounded by the sight unfolding before his eyes.

Yoohyun’s house had a structure he’d never seen before in his life; the front door was visible right from the elevator, not a hallway.

No wonder there were only two buttons in the elevator. There was a reason why they had to take the elevator located on the far left of the lobby.

Being invited to a house he’d only seen in dramas made it sink in once again that Hwang Yoohyun was from a wealthy family.

The house itself wasn’t large, but the fact that such a penthouse existed in a university district was surprising. More than anything, it was incredibly enviable. Seongyeon, whose bank account balance was 150,000 won (∼102.52 USD) because he hadn’t received his part-time job pay yet, repeatedly chanted “envious” internally.

Both of them were lost in their thoughts until, just before the elevator doors closed, Seongyeon finally took a step out.

“Hello, Sunbae. Thank you for inviting me today.”

“Uh.”

After expressing his gratitude, Seongyeon held out the 30-roll pack of toilet paper he had bought from the mart.

He’d heard you shouldn’t go to someone’s house empty-handed the first time. So, this was quite a large expenditure for him as a housewarming gift.

“I wish you all the best in your future endeavors, Sunbae.”

The conventional phrase flowed smoothly from Bokseung’s mouth. It was what he always said when attending housewarming parties of colleagues or superiors at work.

However, for Yoohyun, Bokseung’s natural behavior was an unfamiliar greeting and an unusual gift. Yoohyun simply stood still, unsure of how to respond in such situations.

Yoohyun was born into a relatively well-off family. A future, more open than an eight-lane highway, was already laid out before him. He never dreamed that someone would worry about his future.

No one who knew Yoohyun had ever worried about his future. Most were worried about their own. They either envied Yoohyun, were jealous of him, or were just looking to see if they could get any scraps.

However, Bokseung, struggling to carry a pack of toilet paper thicker than his own torso, even offered him well wishes. It was an unexpected surprise.

Touched by the unexpected gesture, Yoohyun tightly gripped the handle of the toilet paper packaging. His fingertips tingled, needing to grasp something.

Meanwhile, Seongyeon sighed inwardly as he watched Yoohyun staring blankly at the toilet paper.

He hadn’t expected a warm response like a thank you or a welcome.

Quickly giving up on Yoohyun’s gratitude, Seongyeon lowered his gaze to Yuja. Bokseung’s lips curled up involuntarily, charmed by the yellow eyes gazing up at him from beside Yoohyun.

Since he’d been invited to see the cat, he intended to fully enjoy the cat’s company.

“Yuja, it’s been a while! Hasn’t it?”

As Seongyeon reached out his hand, the cream and white cat started rubbing its nose against his hand.

Liking the warm, soft feeling, he squatted down and started gently stroking Yuja’s chin. The cat, as if remembering their brief previous encounter, purred and acted affectionately.

“Oh, Yuja, you’re so cute. Are you about two fists big now?”

Bokseung beamed. He looked like he was about to settle down right there in the doorway.

Yoohyun watched Bokseung and Yuja for a moment before clearing his throat softly.

He had made quite a few preparations for Bokseung’s visit. Yoohyun turned around and headed into the house before the food got cold.

“Come in.”

…along with a very courteous command.

🍑‧₊ ⋆˙

Seongyeon had attended fewer than ten housewarming parties in his life, but most of them had a similar atmosphere.

The food served for guests was usually delivered food like Chinese, pizza, or chicken, or relatively simple home-cooked meals like mille-feuille nabe or galbi찜.

However, this Sunbae, Hwang Yoohyun, far surpassed the usual. No, surpassing it would be an understatement. This was on a completely different level.

Roast turkey, sukiyaki, lamb steak, and Peking duck were the only dishes he recognized. The rest were expensive and extravagant dishes he couldn’t even identify, adorning the dining table and living room table.

It was the first time he felt overwhelmed just by looking at food.

“Um, Sunbae?”

Yoohyun, still holding the toilet paper, looked at Bokseung. His expression asked, “Why are you calling me?”

Looking around at the food, Seongyeon asked,

“Did you invite other people besides me?”

“No? Why?”

‘Why?’ he asks! Then he prepared all this for just me?! Do rich kids show off their wealth like this? Or is it to intimidate me with the food?!

Seongyeon was thinking that he couldn’t understand the spending habits of the wealthy.

“I didn’t know what you liked. So I prepared a variety of things, is that a problem?”

…said Hwang Yoohyun, a third-generation chaebol, holding a very commoner item, a 30-roll pack of toilet paper.

This is the housewarming version of what young people these days call, ‘I didn’t know what you’d like, so I prepared everything’!

This time, Seongyeon gave an awkward smile, unsure how to react.

Seeing food worth several times his entire net worth spread out and cooling everywhere made him feel incredibly uneasy.

“Um. Sunbae, then I’ll enjoy the meal.”

He couldn’t just stare at the food, though. Looking at a few familiar dishes, Seongyeon took a seat at the dining table and said,

Nodding in acknowledgment, Yoohyun looked at where Bokseung was sitting and wondered where he should sit.

Diagonally across from him, facing him, or maybe next to him or in the corner.

There were many empty seats, and choosing was difficult.

When Yoohyun didn’t sit down for a long time, Seongyeon stood up again and pulled out the chair directly across from him.

“Please sit down. You haven’t had dinner yet, have you?”

At the question from Bokseung’s small mouth, Yoohyun shook his head this time. He was actually quite hungry after ordering, receiving, and setting up all that food himself.

At Yoohyun’s gesture, Seongyeon smiled and said they should eat quickly. Inwardly, he grumbled, wondering if he really had to pull out a chair for the young master.

Even though most of the dishes were unfamiliar, they all tasted excellent. Although he ate his fill, there was still a considerable amount of food left untouched, demonstrating the sheer quantity that had been prepared.

Of course, if he were in Lee Seongyeon’s body, he could have eaten twice as much, but it was clear that it was too much for two men to finish.

Seongyeon walked into the living room, feeling the fullness in his stomach. The cat was already settled on the sofa. Seongyeon sat down next to the cat, enjoying the feeling of satiety.

However, despite enjoying his full stomach, Seongyeon’s eyes followed the remaining food.

If he could take that food, he wouldn’t have to worry about food expenses for several days. His gaze, fixated on the food, was filled with longing.

Yoohyun, acting as the host, was clearing the dishes, but the intense stare from Bokseung made the back of his neck prickle.

Just as Yoohyun started to feel self-conscious under the burning gaze, Bokseung quietly approached.

“Sunbae. What are you going to do with the leftover food?”

It was a secretive and quiet question. Why was asking about what to do with leftovers so embarrassing?

Yoohyun suppressed the urge to scratch his ear and answered,

“Throw it away.”

At the short reply, Bokseung’s expression crumbled as if the sky was falling. Yoohyun almost chuckled at the expression, but the nagging that followed made him frown slightly.

“Sunbae, I know I shouldn’t say this since I’m the one who ate all this, but honestly, you prepared so much food for just two people. Throwing it all away is just wrong. What did the food do wrong? It’s the person who was greedy and prepared too much who’s at fault.”

Is he criticizing me for preparing too much food?

Yoohyun’s mood soured. Bokseung, sensing this with uncanny accuracy, quickly added a cushion to his nagging.

“Of course, I didn’t tell you what I liked beforehand. I’m probably about 3.7% at fault for this.”

“So?”

Yoohyun, 96.3% at fault, tilted his head and crossed his arms, as if to say, “Let’s hear what else you have to say.”

Seongyeon faltered momentarily at the assertive posture of the alpha who was ten years younger than him, but continued speaking to achieve his goal.

“So, could I take the leftover food? Since you were going to throw it away anyway, if you give it to me, I can prevent food waste and enjoy it all deliciously.”

The bottom line was that he wanted to take the leftovers home. He had certainly taken a long route to get to that point.

Yoohyun looked at Bokseung’s innocent face with a dumbfounded expression.

“Do as you please.”

“Ah! Thank you!”

After a brief pause, Yoohyun gave his permission.

Bokseung, immediately delighted, clung to the cat’s heels and diligently packed the food from the dining table and the living room table.

He looked even more excited than when he was eating.

Seongyeon cheered inwardly. He could take care of his meals with this luxurious food for the next few days, and Yoohyun would have less cleaning to do. It was a true win-win situation.

Finally finished packing, Seongyeon struggled to lift three large bags of food onto the dining table.

Yoohyun, who had been watching him quietly, opened his mouth.

“When are you going to eat all that?”

“Huh? Ah, it’ll be fine if I put it in the freezer!”

That’s why Seongyeon had carefully selected and packed only the freezable items among the many dishes. Usually, if it went into the freezer, it could be eaten even after a few days.

It’ll be fine if he puts it in the freezer? Yoohyun’s expression crumpled further at this unfamiliar storage method.

Regardless, Seongyeon, having secured his food, started playing with the cat that had been following him.

At first, Seongyeon played with his hands, but he soon regretted it. Just lifting and lowering his shoulders a few times drained his stamina rapidly.

Giving up on playing with his hands, Seongyeon used a cat toy lying on the floor. Yuja seemed to like it, jumping all over the living room to catch the toy.

Since the living room was spacious, there was plenty of room for Bokseung’s legs to move around. He took full advantage of this, running around with Yuja and stirring up every corner.

He was so engrossed in playing that he didn’t even notice Yoohyun’s expression becoming increasingly sullen as he watched every detail.