MM 56

It was just before dusk. With a warm cup of tea in one hand, Yu-young sat absentmindedly on the sofa, gazing at the sunset outside. After watching television or playing music all day, even that had become tiresome, so he turned everything off. As a result, he was quietly enjoying the beautiful sunset in the peaceful silence.

He didn’t know what to make of it. He had spent an exhausting weekend since Saturday. Of all times, to have this happen while he was at his parents’ house yesterday, the timing couldn’t have been worse. There was nothing more to say except that. Though, on the other hand, being with his family when he was sick might have made it less dangerous.

“What the hell are you doing looking like that!”

“I slept well, and after getting the IV, I feel much better. I can really go home and rest.”

With his mother pacing angrily and his father silent, Yu-young had eventually come back home. His mother had tried to follow, worried about sending him alone, but Yu-young had insisted she stay behind. He didn’t want to worry his parents any longer.

Also, as he had told his parents, after sleeping and eating all morning at home, he really did feel a lot better. At this rate, going to work tomorrow shouldn’t be a problem. Thinking that, Yu-young began to gently rub his stomach. He realized she might be a bit hungry.

‘What should I eat for dinner… Ah… everything feels like a hassle, should I just order delivery?’

Nothing else really came to mind. Come to think of it, he felt like having some warm porridge or soup… but were there any places to deliver that? Just as he was about to open his phone and select a delivery app, the doorbell rang, startling Yu-young.

‘Who could it be?’

There wasn’t anyone who would come at this hour. Could it be his mother? Yu-young tilted his head and stood before the intercom, his eyes wide open.

“Huh? Team Leader?”

-Open the door.

For a moment, he thought he might be seeing things, but even after blinking hard, the blunt voice from the intercom was undoubtedly Do-won’s. Yu-young quickly ran to open the door.

“Team Leader? …What brings you here?”

“I came to drop this off for you. Have you had dinner?”

The bag Do-won was holding had the brand mark of the porridge shop Yu-young had just been thinking about wanting. The savory aroma that wafted out made his appetite surge. Yu-young, caught off guard, took the bag from him, and Do-won turned around without any hesitation.

“Make sure you eat and take your medicine. Rest well.”

“Wait, Team Leader, just a moment.”

He was always in a hurry. Yu-young quickly grabbed his arm.

“How can you leave without even accepting my thanks?”

“Say it now, then.”

Seeing Do-won raise his eyebrows arrogantly, Yu-young unknowingly made a grimace. That’s right. This person had always been a bit annoying… He’d forgotten for a while because of everything going on lately. But still, Yu-young bowed his head slightly.

“…Thank you. You really bought this for me, right?”

“Who else would I buy it for?”

Typical. He even had to act like he picked it up on the way here. He was being especially blunt today, so he must be a little embarrassed. But still, he wasn’t a child.

Despite grumbling inside, Yu-young couldn’t help but smile again. It was still nice of him to take the time to care like this.

‘Come to think of it, I haven’t seen him leave work at this hour… Could it be because of me?’

No, that couldn’t be it. That would be too much. He had almost started to imagine things when he abruptly stopped himself. Just as Yu-young was about to step back into his thoughts, Do-won spoke again.

“Make sure you take your medicine. If you’re tired, rest until tomorrow.”

“No, I’m fine! I slept well, and I really feel better now. I’ll be fine to go to work tomorrow.”

“Alright, then rest well.”

Yu-young nodded and bowed his head again as Do-won turned to leave. He had already stopped him once to thank him, and now they had exchanged all the words needed, so there was no longer any reason to keep him there.

But still, he didn’t know why he felt so uneasy. There was a sense of urgency, as if he was missing something. Just before the door completely closed, Yu-young quickly pushed it open again and asked as Do-won turned back to face him.

“Team Leader… Would you like to come in for a cup of tea?”

It was purely an impulse. He had invited him even though he had felt embarrassed to bring his boss into his home before, and today, with no makeup and only wearing indoor clothes after just a quick wash, he probably looked a mess. His hair was a mess too from sleeping all day.

As expected, Do-won slowly shook his head.

“I’m fine. Don’t trouble a sick person unnecessarily.”

“No, no! Please come in, Team Leader. I feel bad, really. Okay? Hurry up.”

Even as he pulled on his arm, Yu-young thought he would refuse and go home. But surprisingly, Do-won obediently followed his lead. Once inside the entrance, he sighed briefly and looked down at Yu-young.

“…Then, I’ll just excuse myself for a moment.”

“Yeah. Feel free to come in… It’s a bit embarrassing since I haven’t cleaned…”

“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”

Yu-young led Do-won inside, seated him on the sofa, and then went into the kitchen.

“Team Leader, would you like some tea?”

“Anything is fine.”

What should he make him? He felt like no matter what he made, Do-won would be picky about it. After hesitating for a moment, Yu-young took out two mugs and added peppermint tea bags. He brewed the tea to the right temperature, placed it on a tray, and brought it over to Do-won, sitting down next to him.

A brief silence filled the room.

‘Ah, damn it… Maybe I shouldn’t have invited him in. Why is it so awkward all of a sudden?’

While Do-won silently held his cup and took a sip, Yu-young nervously fidgeted with his fingers. Maybe it was because they had done so many things together in such a short time, but now, being in his most personal space with him, Yu-young couldn’t help but feel overly conscious of his presence.

Rather than continuing to fidget, he decided to speak. Trying to force a smile, he opened his mouth.

“…Did you have a good weekend? I bet it was hectic.”

“I’m fine. I think Assistant Manager Han had a tough time being sick.”

“I’m fine now.”

Exchanging simple pleasantries helped relax him a bit. Yu-young ran his tongue over his lips, then conveyed the greeting he hadn’t been able to give two days ago.

“About… now, we’re done with that, right?”

“Which thing are you referring to?”

“That… thing. The pretending to be lovers… meeting each other’s parents. We don’t need to do that anymore, right? We can just tell our parents that we’re still seeing each other, and after some time, we’ll just say we broke up.”

From the beginning, everything had been set up just for that, so there was no need to double-check. Now, handling things with each other’s parents was their own responsibility. Everything was over.

But Do-won didn’t answer. He only quietly stared at him with deep eyes. The smile that had been faintly present on Yu-young’s face slowly faded. Soon, only confusion remained on his face.

Why… why does he look like that?

“Assistant Manager Han.”

“Yes?”

“Actually… I have something to propose regarding that matter.”

Yu-young was curious about what he was trying to bring up, but instead of immediately responding, he just blinked at him. Do-won sighed briefly, shaking his head.

“…Thinking about it, I don’t think this is something I should bring up to a sick person. Let’s talk about it tomorrow.”

“Team Leader, I’m fine. Please, feel free to tell me.”

“No. I’ll organize it more specifically and tell you tomorrow. With that in mind, can you spare some time after work tomorrow?”

Yu-young nodded, not understanding fully. He was honestly curious about what Do-won was going to say, but since he said he would tell him tomorrow, he thought there was no rush.

It seemed that Do-won had come only to say that, as he stood up without hesitation. He tried to stop him, asking him to finish his tea, but he simply responded that it would be inconvenient for a sick person. There was no reason to stop him further, so Yu-young nodded and watched him get ready to leave.

However, as he stood up to see him off, Do-won’s movement toward the door suddenly halted. His gaze lingered on a photo album of Woon that was casually piled on the sofa. Slowly, his eyes drifted toward the small photo frames decorating the sofa. All of them were postcards of Woon’s that Yu-young had received as perks.

“…I guess you really like that photographer.”

At first, his voice was so flat that Yu-young didn’t realize he was talking about the photo album. When he finally understood the situation, he nodded energetically.

“Yeah, I really do. I just took them all out to look at them, so I didn’t clean up… It’s a little embarrassing, haha.”

Embarrassed, Yu-young quickly went to the sofa, gathering the photo albums scattered around and neatly stacking them. During this, he could feel Do-won’s gaze on him.

“…The cover’s all worn out.”

“Yeah. I bought a new one, but I’ve looked at it so many times… haha.”

“How did you get these special edition postcards?”

“Well, I just get them somehow. They usually give them out on a first-come-first-served basis, so I wait with the server clock running, and if that doesn’t work, I just get them from someone else.”

After saying that, Yu-young felt a bit embarrassed, like an overly enthusiastic fan, but since Do-won had even gotten him the photo album, he thought it was fine to say. Seeing his awkward smile, Do-won casually remarked,

“Why do you like this person’s photos so much?”

It was the second time he had asked. Once, in the office, Do-won had asked the same question. Back then, Yu-young had excitedly rambled on, and seeing his lack of response, he had just brushed it off.