PEN Vol 2 Ch. 23

While scolding himself, Cheon Sejoo got out of the car and walked into the alleyway, just after 9:30 PM.

Taking advantage of the fact that the customers were leaving, and the staff were busy closing up, Cheon Sejoo headed toward the back of the restaurant, where the employee exit was located. Hiding in the shadows near a storage area filled with large refrigerators and snow shovels, he waited.

Around 9:50 PM, Sejin sent him a message, telling Cheon Sejoo to meet him at a nearby subway station at 10:15 PM.

Cheon Sejoo responded, confirming the plan, and continued to wait. Soon, the restaurant staff began to trickle out after finishing their shifts and several of them passed by him unnoticed. It wasn’t until after 10 PM that Cheon Sejoo finally heard Sejin’s voice.

“Sejin, are you okay? Did you get in trouble? Why did the manager act like that?”

“One of the customers slapped my butt, and I told them to stop. So it was because of that.”

“What? Hey, don’t stress about it too much. People like that show up sometimes. They treat you like their kid or something and pat your head or whatever. Even if it pisses you off, you’ve got to hold back. If you make a big deal out of it, the store manager could get called in, and it could become a real mess.”

“Yes.”

Cheon Sejoo let out a dry laugh in disbelief as he overheard Sejin’s conversation with the girl. If he was going to lie and work a part-time job, he should’ve at least chosen something better. The fact that he had been harassed at work made Cheon Sejoo feel uncomfortable.

Hidden in the shadows, Cheon Sejoo swallowed his frustration and continued to listen to their conversation.

“But still, Sejin, you must’ve made a lot of tips tonight, right? See? I told you serving is much better.”

“I know. But the manager said they had no choice but to let me do it today because someone needed to fill in. Since I’m a minor, I’m not allowed to do it yet.”

“Oh, really? Man, that’s too bad… But hey, just one more year and you’ll be an adult, right? You’ll probably be able to serve starting in January. If you save for just two months, you could easily gather enough for a security deposit for your own place.”

Cheon Sejoo had only been upset because Sejin hid that he was working a part-time job, but while waiting for Sejin in the car, he hadn’t thought much about why Sejin wanted to work in the first place.

He had just assumed it was just for spending money, but a security deposit…?

That was a word Cheon Sejoo hadn’t expected to hear, and his expression hardened.

“I need to save more.”

“Why? Ah, do you want to live in a bigger place? Or are you aiming for somewhere nicer?”

“Yes…”

Sejin was likely preparing for the day he left Cheon Sejoo’s house—or worse, he was worried about being suddenly kicked out. If he was indeed preparing for the latter, Cheon Sejoo would feel particularly upset. Because he had no intention of throwing Sejin out.

Had he made Kwon Sejin feel anxious?

Just as a bitter expression crossed his face, Sejin spoke again.

“Noona^[1], can you spray this for me?”

“Sure. Turn around.”

Sejin and the girl stopped not far from where Cheon Sejoo was hiding. Sejin pulled out a fabric freshener from his bag and handed it to her. In a familiar manner, she sprayed the freshener all over Sejin’s clothes and bag.

He had probably kept his coat in a locker while working, so it shouldn’t have picked up any smells. Yet, Sejin was meticulous enough to use a fabric freshener on everything anyway.

“Alright, I’m heading off first. See you tomorrow!”

“See you.”

After parting ways with the girl, Sejin left the restaurant and started walking toward the alley leading to the subway station. He adjusted his bag over his shoulder and rummaged through his pockets, pulling out an old wallet and carefully tucking away the bills he had received as tips.

Following behind him, Cheon Sejoo could see that it looked like a little over 200,000 won.

A faint smile spread across Sejin’s face as if he was pleased with his earnings. That look was both endearing and heart-wrenching to Cheon Sejoo. Quietly watching Sejin’s proud figure from behind, he had to admit his own feelings.

Despite having lied to him for nearly two weeks, rather than feeling angry, Cheon Sejoo found himself more hurt. That, more than anything, proved he harbored a significant amount of affection for Sejin. To Cheon Sejoo, who lived precarious days, affection was a burdensome thing.

Even toward his team members in the disposal team, who were arguably the closest people to him, he had never felt any sense of disappointment toward them. He merely cared for them in a general sense. Since losing Hye-in, this was the first time in years that Cheon Sejoo had felt these kinds of emotions.

It terrified him to think that he could feel this way about someone who would leave in just a year. To him, such feelings were excessive, and the connection between them felt like too much. But on the other hand, perhaps that’s exactly why it wasn’t so bad.

It was only a year. If that was all the time they had, perhaps it was okay for him to care for Kwon Sejin as much as he wanted. After all, once Sejin left, any affection would be left with nowhere to go…

As the turmoil in his head quieted, Cheon Sejoo made up his mind. Just before Sejin could step out of the alley, he called out in a clear voice.

“Kwon Sejin.”

At the cold voice, Sejin’s steps halted. He turned slowly, wearing an expression as if he had seen a ghost. As Cheon Sejoo looked at Sejin’s pale face, illuminated by the streetlight and seemingly withering away, he quietly lifted the corners of his lips.

In a calm tone, he asked.

“You said you were meeting a friend. That girl earlier—is she your friend? Or your girlfriend?”

“…”

Sejin’s eyes wavered, his lips pressed tightly together as he took in the sight of Cheon Sejoo standing there. His confusion was obvious—he seemed unsure whether this was reality or a bad dream. Of course, it wasn’t a dream.

Cheon Sejoo walked over and reached out his hand. He tugged up the zipper on Sejin’s padded jacket until it reached his neck, adjusting it for him as he spoke.

“You’re taking your supplementary classes in some strange places.”

“That’s… that’s not it.”

“Is it not?”

Cheon Sejoo tilted his head and smiled.

He was giving Sejin a chance to come clean about his lie. If Sejin told the truth now, he was fully prepared to let it slide. But it seemed that Sejin, thinking Cheon Sejoo only knew he had left the restaurant, was gearing up to deny his part-time job.

Swallowing nervously, Sejin nodded and began to explain.

“After the supplementary class ended, I was heading home, but… my friend, my friend asked me to grab something to eat first. So, uh…”

“Is that so?”

“Y-yeah…”

Smiling gently, Cheon Sejoo licked his dry lips. His tongue rolled inside his mouth. The cold air brushed against his fingers as he gently ran them through Sejin’s neatly swept hair. Despite Cheon Sejoo messing up his hair, Sejin, clearly feeling guilty, stood frozen in place, unable to say a word. Cheon Sejoo looked down at him and whispered.

“You even had a nametag on.”

“…What?”

“You’ve been working hard since early in the morning. Very diligent.”

“…”

Of course, this was a lie.

Cheon Sejoo had only seen Sejin at the restaurant after 3 PM. While the story about eating with a friend was a lie, it was still possible that Sejin’s part-time job had been a one-time thing. After all, Sejin could have really been at school before 3 PM when Sejoo hadn’t seen him.

However, based on the conversation Sejin had with the girl and the name tag on his shirt, Cheon Sejoo was certain that Sejin had been working part-time since the start of winter break.

As Sejin mulled over Cheon Sejoo’s words, which were meant to probe him, he suddenly snapped, his brows furrowing in defiance.

“Were you spying on me?”

“I figured you’d react like this.”

“What?”

Sejin’s delicate brow furrowed as Cheon Sejoo sighed and turned away. Walking towards where the car was parked, he spoke.

“Follow me. The car’s over there.”

“I asked if you were spying on me?!”

Sejin snapped, understandably misinterpreting the situation from his perspective. It made sense that he was upset, as it probably seemed to him like Cheon Sejoo had been following him around all day.

 Cheon Sejoo ignored his sharp tone, which he hadn’t heard in a while, and walked towards the alley.

Though Sejin stood there fuming for a moment, he eventually followed, grumbling under his breath. Only after Sejin, bristling with irritation, was shoved into the passenger seat did Cheon Sejoo finally explain the situation.

“I wasn’t spying on you. I just happened to be at the restaurant and saw you, so I waited.”

“…”

Sejin, his eyes filled with suspicion, glared at him as if he didn’t believe a word he had said. Ignoring Sejin’s accusatory stare, Cheon Sejoo continued.

“If you don’t believe me, ask your coworkers. Just ask them if an extremely handsome guy came to the last room at the end of the hallway on the first floor.’”

“Are you serious right now…”

Sejin looked exasperated at the mention of “handsome guy,” which made Cheon Sejoo chuckle quietly. He started the car and pressed the accelerator to pull out of the alley before asking Sejin with a smirk.

“Sejin, think about it. I find you, who’s supposed to be diligently attending supplementary classes, serving at some Japanese restaurant instead. Who do you think should be the one dumbfounded here? Me or you?”

“…”

Sejin clammed up. Whenever he was in a disadvantageous situation, Kwon Sejin had a habit of staying silent. For Cheon Sejoo, that silence was as good as an admission of guilt, so he let out a soft laugh.

“You have nothing to say, huh?”

Sejin bit his lip in response to the mocking tone, his pale cheeks twitching slightly. It looked like he had something to say but eventually just kept his mouth shut.

That left Cheon Sejoo to ask the inevitable question.

“Why did you lie?”

Sejin, who had been staring down at his lap, raised his head. He had a reasonable explanation for why he needed to work part-time, one that anyone could understand, but Sejin found it difficult to explain to Cheon Sejoo. It was a reason that felt too humiliating, too pathetic to even say to him.

He couldn’t bring himself to say that he wanted to save up enough money to find a home as bright, warm, and spacious as Cheon Sejoo’s house once he moved out someday. He was afraid that Cheon Sejoo might mock him hold him back. Or maybe, for some strange reason, it just felt… too difficult to admit such things in front of him.

“Is it that you don’t want to tell me?”

When Sejin didn’t respond, Cheon Sejoo finally pulled over to the side of the road. They were on a bridge over the Han River, and cars sped by in the night, but for the two of them, everything remained motionless. In the silence, which made it feel as though time had stopped, Cheon Sejoo spoke first, as he often did.

“Kwon Sejin. Don’t I deserve at least this much?”

“…What?”

Sejin, who had expected Cheon Sejoo to scold or lecture him, was caught off guard by the unexpected question. His wide, surprised eyes darted to Cheon Sejoo, who looked back at him with a faint trace of weariness. As cars passed, their headlights cast light over him and then left Cheon Sejoo’s face in the dark repeatedly.

“The right to understand your situation. Is that something I don’t have?”

“…”

Cheon Sejoo asked in a low voice which held no hint of his usual laughter or teasing. His expression was serious, far from his typical laid-back demeanor.

Sejin looked at him, finding that expression both unfamiliar and yet oddly familiar. He thought back, trying to remember when he had seen that face before. And then, a memory naturally surfaced. It was the day Cheon Sejoo had come to his school, declaring himself as Sejin’s guardian.

On the day Cheon Sejoo stood up for him in front of those who accused him as the perpetrator, declaring Sejin as the victim and offering him protection—on that day, Sejoo also wore the same expression.

“Think carefully, Kwon Sejin.”

It was Kwon Sejin who had called Cheon Sejoo that day. He was the one who had given his number to Seo Bohyung, and then hid behind him, avoiding the situation without so much as an apology, while escaping the trouble he had caused.

Looking at Sejin as if he understood that realization, Cheon Sejoo asked again.

“Aren’t I your guardian?”

“…”

“Still not?”