HSF 60

“And…next time, just call me early. Everyone’s waiting.”

“…What?”

With that, the call ended. Lee Cheong-hyeon stared blankly at his phone. Seo Hee-won’s last words sounded as if he had been waiting for Lee Cheong-hyeon’s call this whole time. Could he have deliberately gone silent, knowing Lee Cheong-hyeon would call him? Surely, none of this was because he didn’t reply to the text?

Thinking calmly, he tried to sort out his confused thoughts. Seo Hee-won definitely knew. He knew that Lee Cheong-hyeon had noticed his feelings and was pretending not to know while avoiding him. Acting this way despite knowing…it meant he had no intention of giving up. Moreover, he was trying to take advantage of Lee Cheong-hyeon’s pretense to lure him to his house. All of last night’s lengthy deliberations had become meaningless. Seo Hee-won’s approach was completely unexpected.

“Everyone here?”

“Everyone except you has been here for ages, you shameless guy!”

Having finally detonated the bomb, Seo Hee-won reappeared in the voice chat as if nothing had happened. The more Lee Cheong-hyeon thought about it, the more ridiculous it seemed. Shouldn’t someone become dejected when they realize the person they like doesn’t reciprocate their feelings? If Seo Hee-won was going to be this brazen, there was no need for Lee Cheong-hyeon to be considerate.

“Hee-won, I just realized I can’t come tomorrow.”

“Hmm…okay. Then, when will you come?”

“Well…I don’t think I’ll need to come at all?”

[Party] Tiramisush: I thought you said you guys didn’t fight?

Their conversation continued like a battle of nerves.

“Are you sure it’s okay not to come? Don’t you have something you left at my place? That thing.”

Inwardly, Lee Cheong-hyeon screamed at those words. The only “thing” Lee Cheong-hyeon had left at Seo Hee-won’s house was his underwear. Caught off guard by the unexpected attack, he couldn’t even speak properly. Like a broken machine, he couldn’t control his character properly and ended up dying after being hit by Artilens’s consecutive attacks.

“Oh dear…you need to concentrate.”

Though his words expressed concern, his tone was flat.

“Did you…touch my stuff?”

“Yes, I folded it neatly on one side.”

“Why, why would you…”

“Why are you so flustered? I was talking about your scarf…”

“…”

His energy suddenly drained, and he slumped in his chair. He felt completely manipulated. Wasn’t it usually the person whose feelings had been discovered who became restless in such situations? He couldn’t understand how he had ended up being the only one floundering. He rubbed his face, muted his microphone, and heaved a long sigh.

“You’re coming tomorrow, right?”

“Ah shut up, are you using this channel privately? Be quiet!”

“You have to come anyway, so stop resisting unnecessarily and come tomorrow. Okay? You’ll come, right?”

[Couple] Seohee1: Hyung?

[Couple] Seohee1: Why aren’t you answering?

Now even his phone was ringing. It was obviously Seo Hee-won. Lee Cheong-hyeon flipped his phone over and held his throbbing head.

* * *

“Thank you. Enjoy your meal.”

The café, though not very spacious, had a cozy and warm atmosphere with plants placed everywhere and warm-toned wooden furniture. Lee Cheong-hyeon had been working here as a weekend morning part-timer for about a year. The café wasn’t particularly busy at first, but after becoming famous on social media as a “mood café,” it became crowded with customers from opening time, leaving no room to breathe.

After finishing serving a customer with a business smile, he took a breather, when Seo-yeon, another morning shift part-timer, discreetly approached and whispered. She subtly pointed with her chin toward a person sitting in a corner.

“Oppa, do you know that person?”

“…Yes. He’s a younger fellow I know.”

“Ah, I thought so. He’s been staring over here for a while. Your friend is very good-looking too.”

The person Seo-yeon mentioned turned out to be Seo Hee-won. He had ordered a cup of coffee and pretended to read a book while watching Lee Cheong-hyeon work. When Lee Cheong-hyeon first spotted Seo Hee-won, who had suddenly appeared at opening time without any notice, he was startled. He had casually mentioned the café where he worked before, but he never expected Seo Hee-won to remember it. As he desperately tried to avoid Seo Hee-won’s persistent stare while working, he found it impossible to ignore him completely.

Lee Cheong-hyeon moved toward the tables to clean up after some customers had left. As luck would have it, it was right next to where Seo Hee-won was sitting. He tried his best to pretend not to notice, but Seo Hee-won wouldn’t leave him alone. He reached out and pulled on the ribbon of Lee Cheong-hyeon’s apron tied at the back. The dark blue apron loosened, and Lee Cheong-hyeon turned around to stare quietly at Seo Hee-won.

“I think the apron suits you well, hyung. Why don’t you wear it when cooking at home too?”

No matter what expression Lee Cheong-hyeon had, Seo Hee-won just said what he wanted to say. As Lee Cheong-hyeon tried to ignore him and wiped the table, Seo Hee-won pulled on his apron again. Unable to bear it any longer, Lee Cheong-hyeon snapped in a low voice.

“Why did you come here anyway?”

“Just visiting, watching you work…I’ll drive you home when you’re done.”

The “home” he spoke of was obviously Seo Hee-won’s house. Lee Cheong-hyeon didn’t want to argue about whose home they would go to while he was working. He glared daggers at Seo Hee-won once before returning to the counter. Despite claiming he just came to visit, Seo Hee-won kept distracting Lee Cheong-hyeon as he tried to work.

With a suspicious troublemaker following him around, the end of his shift arrived quickly. He went to the changing room and removed his apron. Normally, he would have been excitedly preparing to leave, but today he didn’t want to clock out at all. As he reluctantly changed clothes and stepped outside the café, Seo Hee-won followed right behind him.

“Can I visit tomorrow too?”

“You didn’t ask for permission today either.”

“Then I’ll come tomorrow too.”

“…”

Seo Hee-won’s intention in coming all the way here was obvious. He must have come to pick up Lee Cheong-hyeon after work so he wouldn’t avoid going to Seo Hee-won’s house. Looking quite pleased with himself, Seo Hee-won led the way to the small parking lot attached to the back of the café. Lee Cheong-hyeon hesitated, wondering whether to follow Seo Hee-won or flee the scene. Standing at a distance, Seo Hee-won looked back and tilted his head to one side as if asking why he wasn’t coming. Eventually, Lee Cheong-hyeon followed him. He had to visit his house anyway to retrieve his belongings. Seo Hee-won showed his manners by opening the passenger door, urging him to get in.

“…Don’t do this.”

“Get in quickly.”

After reluctantly accepting the courtesy, Lee Cheong-hyeon fastened his seatbelt as soon as he got in. He needed to defend himself before Seo Hee-won tried anything else. Seeing this, Seo Hee-won started the car with a wry smile. Despite Lee Cheong-hyeon’s wariness, Seo Hee-won seemed unfazed by the whole thing. In truth, Lee Cheong-hyeon had been uncomfortable for a while. Being in the same space with a man who obviously liked him and pretending everything was normal took a lot of energy. Why did the moments he wanted to avoid always come so quickly? The car sped along and they soon arrived at Seo Hee-won’s house. The front door that Seo Hee-won opened wide looked just like a tiger’s mouth.

“Just to be clear, I’m only going to get my things and go home.”

“So cold…”

“I don’t want you to get the wrong idea just because I came here.”

“What wrong idea?”

Looking as if he didn’t understand what Lee Cheong-hyeon meant, Seo Hee-won simply shrugged his shoulders and pushed him into the house. Until just a few days ago, Seo Hee-won’s house had felt as comfortable as his own, but today it felt strangely unfamiliar. Seo Hee-won followed him inside, and the door closed with a thud behind him.

“Why are you just standing there? Go wash your hands.”

“Ah, okay.”

He went to the bathroom to wash his hands out of habit, then thought, I’m leaving right away anyway, so why bother? After finishing washing, he came out to find Seo Hee-won walking barefoot from the bathroom in his room. Lee Cheong-hyeon noticed the bandage he had applied a few days ago on Seo Hee-won’s foot. It didn’t look like he had been taking proper care of it, as the damp bandage didn’t look good at all. Noticing Lee Cheong-hyeon’s gaze, Seo Hee-won took out a box containing first-aid supplies. From it, he pulled out the same bandage, ointment, and antiseptic that Lee Cheong-hyeon had used two days ago, walked over to Lee Cheong-hyeon, and held them out. His matter-of-fact attitude was bewildering.

“You can do it yourself.”

“I told you, I can’t.”

Seo Hee-won drooped his eyebrows and put on a pitiful expression. Lee Cheong-hyeon thought he shouldn’t indulge him like this, but it seemed like Seo Hee-won would leave it untreated indefinitely. Reluctantly, Lee Cheong-hyeon took the supplies.

“…Don’t you have a waterproof bandage?”

At the question, Seo Hee-won smiled broadly and rummaged through the first-aid kit again. He found a waterproof bandage and had Seo Hee-won sit on the sofa. After having him raise his knee and put his injured foot on the sofa, Lee Cheong-hyeon disinfected the wound again. When he had seen it at night, it was too dark to tell, but the wound was deeper than he had thought. Seo Hee-won rested his chin on his knee and watched the treatment up close.

“Want to go to the hospital for treatment?”

“I prefer when you do it.”

Lee Cheong-hyeon froze at the sudden comment about liking it when he treated him. Seo Hee-won casually stood up and tested his foot by stepping on it a few times.

“I’m shy around doctors.”

Lee Cheong-hyeon’s mouth fell open at those words. Seeing him smile so brazenly as he spoke, he naturally recalled the meetup at the pension house. Back then, he had also claimed to be shy and awkward, but now it was clearly all lies. Forgetting that this wasn’t the time to dwell on such matters, he couldn’t contain the sense of betrayal that swept over him right then. Leaping to his feet, Lee Cheong-hyeon pointed accusingly at Seo Hee-won.

“You…you!”

“What’s wrong?”

“Wow…I really fell for it. I actually believed you were shy and how much I…!”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about…”