TSG 133

Shin Tae-oh gently stroked Se-hyun’s hair as he slept with his head resting on Shin Tae-oh’s lap. All they had done in the attic was talk, but Se-hyun had quickly grown tired and fallen asleep, even on the bare floor.

“Well, Se-hyun did do a lot today.”

He had driven here himself, stayed by Shin Tae-oh’s side when he was drunk, and had been waiting for the right moment to propose like this. No wonder he was tired.

“I’ll give you the ring at the wedding.”

Though Shin Tae-oh claimed to have purposely not given a ring yet, his own eyes sparkled with anticipation as he spoke. Until recently, he had hesitated on the topic of marriage, but now he seemed to accept it too.

It could be that he was doing it reluctantly, but seeing Se-hyun’s recent behavior, that didn’t seem to be the case.

Se-hyun never rushed through anything, he moved forward step by step, with care and deliberation. It wasn’t just thoroughness—it reflected his desire not to neglect even the smallest detail.

“Why do you keep making people fall for you?”

Shin Tae-oh looked back at the board.

– Left side of the face is more handsome. Should seat Shin Tae-oh on the left during interviews.

– Always wear navy suits for important contracts!

– Why does he keep styling his coat collar up…

There were many RS Construction press releases collected, but Shin Tae-oh’s eyes were drawn more to the personal information about himself. He wondered how Se-hyun had seen him, especially when his work demeanor had been so rigid and unyielding.

“Se-hyun, don’t I look good with my coat collar up?”

“Mmm…”

When Shin Tae-oh spoke, Se-hyun furrowed his brow and mumbled, his lips moving slightly.

“Are you lying on my left to see my better side?”

Shin Tae-oh kept talking to the sleeping Se-hyun, even though he couldn’t hear a word.

“I went my whole life thinking there wasn’t anyone out there for me.”

To think he had been giving attention to others, not realizing the person meant just for him was by his side. Se-hyun had stood beside him, silently receiving and passing on gifts meant for others. Whenever he recalled that past, Shin Tae-oh couldn’t help but feel ashamed of himself.

As Shin Tae-oh sighed at the self-loathing he still couldn’t shake off, he inadvertently noticed something. It was a notepad hidden behind the board.

Shin Tae-oh reached out to grab it but hesitated. His hand just barely missed the pad. Moving closer would mean shifting his position, and Se-hyun was still asleep with his head on Shin Tae-oh’s lap. He couldn’t bring himself to risk waking him up.

Finding himself in this awkward situation, Shin Tae-oh looked at the notepad regretfully.

Should he give up?

Then he could stay still and let Se-hyun sleep soundly. But curiosity, once piqued, is hard to suppress.

After deliberating for a moment, Shin Tae-oh bit his lip and waited for Se-hyun to shift in his sleep. When Se-hyun moved in his sleep, he quickly pulled out his leg and supported Se-hyun’s face with his hand. Enjoying the soft skin against his palm for a moment, Shin Tae-oh sighed in relief when he confirmed Se-hyun hadn’t woken up.

Realizing how absurd his actions were, Shin Tae-oh couldn’t help but laugh to himself. Still, he stretched out and grabbed the notepad.

There were many books scattered around the board, but Shin Tae-oh didn’t know why he had to look at this memo specifically. It was just a hunch.

Shin Tae-oh picked up the notepad. It was yellow paper with lines, the kind you could jot notes on and tear off as needed. Shin Tae-oh had seen Se-hyun carrying this notepad tucked between files a few times. Though Se-hyun used his phone most often, he sometimes wrote things by hand too.

In Se-hyun’s hurried handwriting…

– Please give a more sensible reason

– Ah, another pathetic excuse

– He probably won’t accept the gift…

– …Is it mine?

– Taenyang… do you have any intention to date?

– Do you really like me?

“Haha.”

Shin Tae-oh laughed, realizing when these notes must have been written. Back then, Se-hyun had always seemed so composed and efficient, handling everything without a hint of smile. Yet here were his thoughts, scrawled so candidly.

Shin Tae-oh suppressed his laughter and looked at the last line again.

– Do you really like me?

Se-hyun had sensed the feelings Shin Tae-oh himself realized late.

No wonder Se-hyun treated it like a joke when Shin Tae-oh said he’d fallen for him. He knew it then, but now understanding Se-hyun’s inner thoughts, he could see how Se-hyun had struggled to believe him.

“And yet you still dealt with me so well.”

He didn’t accept right away, but he didn’t reject harshly either.

“Haa.”

Shin Tae-oh buried his face in the notepad.

“Why is Ahn Se-hyun so lovable?”

He really, truly adored him.

***

Feeling the hard floor against his back, Se-hyun realized he had fallen asleep in the attic. Maybe he should have slept when Shin Tae-oh did. At least his mother had turned on the heating, so it wasn’t cold.

He wasn’t alone anymore. With Honey Rice Cake, he had one more reason to be careful.

“Tae-oh.”

Se-hyun sat up, looking for Shin Tae-oh first. He wondered if he had gone downstairs alone.

“I’m here.”

Hearing the voice right beside him, Se-hyun turned and jumped back in surprise.

“What’s wrong with your face?”

“What about my face?”

Shin Tae-oh touched his cheek, shaking his head in confusion, then winced and bit his lip hard.

“Are you in pain?”

Something seemed off. Shin Tae-oh’s face was pale, and he couldn’t completely hide his pained expression. Se-hyun quickly grabbed his shoulders to check his condition. For Shin Tae-oh’s face to be so strained, what could be wrong?

“…Leg.”

“What?”

“My leg…”

At Shin Tae-oh’s words, Se-hyun looked at his legs. One was stretched out demurely, but he couldn’t see anything wrong.

“It’s numb from lack of circulation.”

“Ah.”

Hearing why Tae-oh was in pain, Se-hyun suddenly recalled where he had rested his head while sleeping.

“Does it hurt a lot?”

As Se-hyun reached towards the leg while asking, Shin Tae-oh shook his head.

“Don’t, don’t touch it.”

Shin Tae-oh frantically stopped Se-hyun. As if he couldn’t bear it even from his beloved Se-hyun, Shin Tae-oh pleaded not to touch it as sincerely as when he confessed his love.

But Se-hyun’s concern for him was too great to simply let it go.

Grab.

“Aaaagh.”

At Shin Tae-oh’s groan, as if all the air had left him, Se-hyun massaged his leg with even more vigor.

“This will help the blood flow faster!”

“No, it won’t—”

“It’s better than leaving it alone! Trust me on this.”

“…”

Now seemingly unable to speak, Shin Tae-oh just opened his mouth, his face full of agony. His pale face quickly gained color, perhaps from the restored circulation. Watching Shin Tae-oh’s face redden was entertaining in its own way.

How pitiful that he couldn’t even struggle in the meantime.

Should he stop teasing now? Shin Tae-oh had offered his leg as a pillow, causing it to go numb, so he couldn’t keep tormenting him.

“Okay, answer this. Who do you choose, me or Honey Rice Cake?”

“That…”

Se-hyun kindly gave Shin Tae-oh a chance to escape. As Se-hyun looked at him expectantly, Shin Tae-oh squeezed his eyes shut.

“I’d rather endure this.”

“Wow…”

It would be better to choose him over Honey Rice Cake, who wasn’t even born yet, but he was being stubborn.

“You really can’t choose?”

Se-hyun sat right on top of Shin Tae-oh’s leg.

“Argh.”

This should be enough to relieve it completely. Yet Shin Tae-oh, who had endured for so long, still seemed unable to escape the pain. Even so, his unyielding stubbornness left Se-hyun utterly dumbfounded.

“Honey Rice Cake… might take after Se-hyun.”

“…”

“So I can’t choose.”

Shin Tae-oh shook his head, insisting he couldn’t prefer one over the other. Seeing this, Se-hyun tilted his head.

“What if it takes after you?”

“I’d rather not think about that.”

Shin Tae-oh simply expressed his desire for a Honey Rice Cake that resembled Se-hyun, beyond choosing.

What a man, to endure such pain over something so trivial.

Se-hyun climbed off Shin Tae-oh’s leg, as if doing him a favor. It wasn’t because he could see that Shin Tae-oh was finally recovering. Absolutely not.

“Let’s go downstairs now.”

They needed to check how long they’d been in the attic. If it was still early, it would be better to sleep in bed.

Thinking about it, Se-hyun wasn’t sure if Shin Tae-oh had slept at all. He had drunk so much and barely rested for a few hours.

Se-hyun moved first, opening the attic door.

“I prefer Honey Rice Cake takes after Tae-oh.”

With that, Se-hyun gave an answer to a question Shin Tae-oh hadn’t asked, grinning as he went downstairs.

“A Honey Rice Cake that looks like me? Then what about me?”

Belatedly recovering from the shock, Shin Tae-oh asked as he followed Se-hyun down.

“Honey Rice Cake isn’t born yet. So I…”