MM 73

Yu-young opened a large box and began to carefully pack books and photo albums inside. The other larger items would be taken care of by the company that her mother had called, so there wasn’t much for him to do. He was only packing the valuables himself.

The house they were moving to was in the process of getting furniture placed. Since interior experts were handling the furniture and its arrangement, all they needed to do was take a quick look once everything was finished. Do-won was likely organizing his own things at his house right now.

To be honest, Yu-young still felt dazed. The fact that he was leaving his old home and moving to a new place. And, most absurdly, the fact that he would now be living with his team leader, who was neither a lover nor family member.

No matter how he thought about it, it seemed too sudden, and he had even considered discussing with Do-won whether it would be possible to avoid living together.

But there was no other choice. Since the imprinting, wedding ceremony, and marriage registration had all been postponed, the attention of both families was naturally focused on the new home they were going to share. It wouldn’t make sense to set up a flashy newlywed home just for appearances and then go look for new homes separately. It would be a huge waste of energy, and if their parents found out, it would be the end.

As Yu-young pondered all the different aspects, the conclusion was clear: the two of them had to live together.

It felt like he had been hypnotized by a spirit of some sort. Everything that had happened between them, the series of unexpected events that led to this point, felt like a dream from just one night. However, as he pulled out all the books and photo albums and looked at the empty bookshelf, it made him realize that this was really happening.

‘…I must be losing my mind.’

After finishing the packing, Yu-young collapsed onto the bed. The ceiling of this familiar room was now saying goodbye for the last time. It was Sunday afternoon, and the move was in full swing. By tomorrow, after work, he would be returning not to this house, but to the new house.

And that, too, with Choi Do-won.

‘This is insane. Is this really happening? …Ha.’

Yu-young buried his face in the pillow and flailed around. With a loud thump, the bed sagged beneath him. He wanted to struggle a bit more, but then he remembered that this bed was going to be donated to some orphanage, so he stopped. It hadn’t even been a few years since he bought it, and though he had taken good care of it, if it was going to be donated, he wanted it to be in as good a condition as possible.

Just then, the phone rang.

“Ah, Team Leader.”

-Assistant Han. Have you finished packing?

It was his usual indifferent voice, but with just a hint of warmth. Recently, his voice always sounded like that.

“Yes, I’m done.”

-The house is all set up. Do you want to go take a look with me?

“Yes! I’d love to see it.”

-Alright. I’ll contact you as soon as I’m ready, or just ring the bell when you’re set.

“Got it. I’ll be ready soon!”

Yu-young quickly jumped up. Since it was the weekend, he had been relaxing and lying around all day, wearing very comfortable clothes as he slowly packed up. But he couldn’t go looking like this, so he hurriedly went to the bathroom to wash his hair.

Hd changed into some comfy jeans and a sweater before heading out the front door. He rang the bell, and Do-won opened the door right away. He, too, was dressed casually, already ready to go.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes, Team Leader.”

It now felt completely natural to ride in the same car as Do-won. Climbing into the passenger seat as usual, Yu-young automatically fastened his seatbelt without Do-won even needing to say anything. Do-won, seeing this, smiled lightly as he gently pressed the accelerator.

The new house was closer to the office. Since he had driven by there so many times, it didn’t feel unfamiliar, even though he was moving in.

Once they parked in the lot, they both used their registered fingerprints to open the shared entrance. When they entered the elevator, an unfamiliar scent filled the air.

“……”

“……”

Though he had thought he was getting used to it, now, as they were going up to the house where they would be living together, an awkward feeling suddenly surfaced. Yu-young fidgeted with his fingers without saying anything.

At that moment, a gentle hand rested on his shoulder.

“Ah.”

“Let’s go inside.”

The warmth in his eyes seemed to tell him not to worry, that they would figure things out and everything would be fine. It was like a small surge of energy had flowed into him, as if his battery had been recharged.

“Yes. Sounds good.”

“I could set up fingerprint recognition, but for now, the entrance door’s set to a password.”

With that, Do-won naturally pressed the numbers in front of Yu-young. 0220. It was an alarmingly simple combination for a password. Yu-young’s eyes widened.

“Eh, how did you know my birthday?”

“Do you think I wouldn’t know the birthdays of my subordinates?”

“…Ah.”

No, which team leader remembers all their team members’ birthdays? Just as he was about to argue, Yu-young closed his mouth upon seeing Do-won’s indifferent expression. His intelligence and credentials came to mind, and for a moment, he felt a little embarrassed.

However, the moment he opened the door and stepped inside, Yu-young couldn’t help but gasp in awe, forgetting everything else.

“…Wow. Team Leader… this is really amazing.”

Yu-young had grown up in a large and luxurious home, and the house he was living in now was also tastefully decorated and impressive. Yet, as he slowly explored the inside, he couldn’t stop exclaiming in admiration.

Do-won, who was standing next to him, smiled. While they had chosen the furniture and appliances together, the overall layout of the furniture and the finer details of the interior design had all been handled by Do-won.

Yu-young couldn’t say that Do-won’s taste and the instructions he gave were “simple” or “gentle,” so the interior designer had probably had a hard time. Thinking of that person, whom he didn’t even know, Yu-young couldn’t help but feel sympathy, letting out a bitter smile. But, despite that, the view inside the house was truly beautiful.

As he carefully admired the decorated objects and the tastefully arranged furniture, Yu-young’s eyes sparkled.

“This really looks like something out of a magazine. Wow… Team Leader, you really have great taste.”

“If Assistant Han likes it, that’s enough for me.”

“This painting is beautiful, and this shoe rack is pretty too… Wow. Team Leader! Look at the sunset over there!”

As Yu-young was moving from the entrance to the living room, admiring the decorative items under the soft lighting, he suddenly ran toward the living room and screamed.

While everything else was nice, what immediately captured Yu-young’s heart was the entire wall made of glass windows. Looking at the sunset sky and the view of Seoul, it felt as though he were in a luxurious hotel, enjoying the view.

“Wow…”

Yu-young made a soft sound, as if he were dreaming. The sky, having already burned a deep red from the sunset, was bidding farewell to the short autumn evening. It felt like he had forgotten to breathe, standing absentmindedly by the window, taking in the scene.

A familiar, comforting warmth wrapped around him from behind. Even though they weren’t physically touching, Yu-young could feel his presence all around him.

“It’s beautiful.”

“…Yes. It really is.”

The two of them stood for a while, silently watching the view outside. In the flowing silence, the only sounds that reached their ears were soft breaths and the rustling of clothes. In that almost perfect stillness, they took in the sky slowly turning a shade of violet. It felt as though time were passing very slowly, as if a weight had been tied to it.

“…Achoo!”

The silence was broken by Yu-young’s small sneeze. He hadn’t realized the temperature had dropped while he was staring outside. After all, it was a full autumn evening, and the temperature in the empty house was enough to give him a slight chill.

Without hesitation, Do-won took off the thick cardigan he was wearing and placed it over Yu-young’s shoulders, who was dressed in a light outer layer.

“Team Leader, I’m fine. I’ll be leaving soon anyway…”

“Don’t think about leaving early because you might catch a cold. Just wear it.”

Yu-young was about to return the cardigan in surprise, but all he got in return was a blunt scolding. “Such a lovely way to speak,” he muttered, pouting as he shot Do-won a glance.

“…Ah, okay. Thank you.”

“Your expression doesn’t match at all.”

Although he didn’t say anything, Do-won was clearly smiling, finding it amusing. The man who had been so blunt at first was now occasionally teasing him with this mischievous look. As Yu-young closed hid mouth and shot him a more pointed glare, Do-won extended his warm palm and playfully covered his eyes.

“Who glares at their superior like that?”

“Hmph. You didn’t come here as my superior, did you?”

“Then what are we?”

Yu-young, who had been about to respond, suddenly found himself speechless. Staring into his eyes, Do-won tilted his upper body slightly closer, as if waiting for his answer.

Right. What are we? It was a foolish question, but for a moment, Yu-young was at a loss for words. Realizing the silence might stretch too long and become awkward, he forced a smile and answered clumsily.

“…Well… how about we just call ourselves allies?”

“An ally.”

Do-won repeated the word thoughtfully and then frowned slightly.

“That sounds a bit off. Assistant Han’s sense is really lacking.”

“No… Ha… Then why don’t you, the super-sensible team leader, name what we are? What exactly is our relationship?”

Yu-young pouted and grumbled. Do-won couldn’t hide his amusement and smiled as he tilted his head slightly.

“You figure it out, Assistant Han. This is your homework.”

“What? You don’t have anything to say, so you’re making me do it!”

“If you keep grumbling, I’ll have you write a report.”

“Hmph, if you ask me to write a report on a Sunday night, I’ll file a grievance.”

With the playful exchange, all the tension had melted away. As Yu-young and Do-won exchanged glances, they both burst into laughter. Standing there, watching the sky turn from violet to a beautiful navy blue, the two of them continued to chat and joke around for quite some time.