YHP 20

Standing in front of the bright white window, Jeong-in began to fidget with his lips—a habit that surfaced whenever he fell into deep thought. From the moment he woke up until now, he’d been trying to recall the layout of the mansion in his head.

When Jeong-in had asked for help with his work in exchange for helping with training, Ho-jin agreed without asking a single question, saying he’d do anything. Of course, Jeong-in had no intention of taking advantage of that enthusiasm. The plan was to take Ho-jin to the mansion, show him the garden, and if Ho-jin said he couldn’t do it, then Jeong-in would simply send him away. But first, he had to find a way to sneak Ho-jin inside.

Going through the front gate, which was monitored by CCTV 24/7, was out of the question. Jeong-in had considered several scenarios, but the only way to get Ho-jin inside without Hyun-wook or Ju-young noticing was to have him climb over the wall. Sure, the wall was a bit high, but Ho-jin was tall. If they placed a ladder on the outside, he should be able to get over it somehow.

The issue was the decoration on top of the wall.

“…Hm.”

Jeong-in wasn’t sure if it was legal, but it wasn’t uncommon for the walls of a corporate chairman’s residence to have high-voltage wires. He vividly remembered the time he had thrown a water balloon at Cho Hyo-jun’s house wall as a child and almost gotten electrocuted on the spot. Similarly, the vine-shaped decorations on Hyun-wook’s wall looked like they were clearly made from highly conductive material.

Jeong-in couldn’t just ask directly. If he suddenly started asking whether there was an electric current running through the wall after years of coming and going without a care hin is whole life, the sharp-witted Hyun-wook would catch on immediately. However, attempting it blindly without any information could result in someone getting seriously hurt.

His only option now was Ju-young. While Ju-young probably didn’t care about such things, he was probably the only person who might know whether the wall was live or not. Besides, Ju-young would probably be busy preparing for filming right now, so he would quickly forget whatever Jeong-in said.

Just as Jeong-in decided to call him, there was a sudden knock on the door. Setting down the book he had been holding, Jeong-in checked through the peephole first. No one was there.

Puzzled, he opened the door, and something rustled and slid in. It was a black plastic bag with a sticky note attached to it.

Jeong-in didn’t want to touch it because it looked suspicious. Keeping his distance from the bag, he read the note.

 I noticed last time that your room doesn’t have a fridge. Thought you probably didn’t have breakfast, so I’m leaving this for you. Please make sure to eat it.

— Yoo Hojin

The neat handwriting bled slightly into the paper from the dark ink. Jeong-in reached out and flipped over the sticky note, revealing more densely written text.

Salad (Toppings: sous-vide chicken breast, salmon, shredded egg)

Cold-pressed juice (kale, celery, carrot, lime, orange)

Chicken soup, Greek yogurt

Inside the plastic bag, several clear glass containers were neatly stacked along with a tumbler.

“Doing things no one even asked for…”

Jeong-in really shouldn’t have told him where he lived. Frowning deeply, Jeong-in turned away and shut the door without touching the bag. He grabbed his book and left home without sparing another glance at what Ho-jin had left behind.

The weather had warmed up quite a bit since he first arrived here. A light cardigan was enough to keep him comfortable even into the evening. As Jeong-in stepped into the street, he saw other students trickling out, their classes about to begin. Blending in among them, he called Ju-young.

-Hey, what’s up?

“Hyung. I need to ask you something.”

-What is it?

Jeong-in could hear the bustling noise in the background. Ju-young was probably busy preparing for filming.

“About the wall around the mansion—is there by any chance a high-voltage wire installed?”

-There’s a line, yeah. You know those vine-shaped decorations, right?

Of course. Jeong-in let out a quiet sigh so Ju-young wouldn’t hear. Then, Ju-young added,

-But we can’t turn it on because the cats might get hurt.

“…Oh.”

That sounded exactly like something Hyun-wook would do. Jeong-in wondered why he hadn’t considered that possibility first.

Every night after Taffy went to sleep, stray cats would come to feed at the mansion, so many that Hyun-wook had even installed a dedicated entrance for them. There was no way someone like him would allow electricity to run through those walls.

“Got it. Hyung, are you coming home today? Ah… okay. See you next time then.”

Apparently, Ju-young wouldn’t be coming home for a while either.

That made everything easier. By the time Jeong-in headed for the mansion, Hyun-wook would be at the office. He only allowed staff to enter when he was home himself, and no one from the security company would show up unless specifically called. All Jeong-in had to do was avoid getting caught by the CCTV.

As Jeong-in headed uphill with a noticeably lighter step, he noticed a small crowd gathered near the edge of a building. Jeong-in paused at the fork that led to the TH Building and noticed an all-too familiar head in the center.

Sure enough, Ho-jin was the one standing in the middle. He was busily scribbling autographs on pieces of paper that people were holding out to him.

There were less than ten minutes left until the hour. Ho-jin clearly must have been on his way to class—clearly skipping training—but the crowd either didn’t know that or didn’t care, and swarmed around him with chatter. Still, Ho-jin just kept smiling without showing any signs of displeasure.

Honestly, what a fool, Jeong-in thought, about to turn away. He was just about to move on when Ho-jin suddenly looked up and their eyes met.

“…”

From behind the layers of people surrounding him, Ho-jin spotted Jeong-in. The smile on his face wavered for just a second.

He looked at Jeong-in for a moment with an unreadable expression, then raised the corners of his lips again and smiled. Somehow, he looked a little tired.

Just then, someone said something to Ho-jin. Jeong-in was too far away to hear exactly what they were saying, but judging from Ho-jin’s expression, it didn’t seem like anything bad. Still, letting him get to class would’ve been far kinder than saying a hundred nice things right now.

Jeong-in turned away again and resumed walking toward class. A strange discomfort nestled in his chest like a tiny fish bone caught in his throat. The feeling stayed with him even after he entered the building and sat in class.

What an irritating person. 

Why couldn’t Ho-jin just ignore him? Why couldn’t he just walk away? Why did he go out of his way to make food no one asked for? What time did he wake up to prepare all that?

…That’s why he looked so tired.

“Hyung.”

Resting his chin on one hand and blankly staring at his desk, Jeong-in raised his head.

“…”

The person he’d just been thinking about was now standing in front of him.

As Ho-jin entered the room, the room buzzed with commotion. Amid the sudden noise, he walked in with a smile and took the seat beside Jeong-in.

***

Why did he come out dressed so lightly when it was still cold? That was the only and very first thought that came to mind when Ho-jin saw Jeong-in for the first time.

With thinner clothes, Jeong-in’s slightly slender frame stood out even more, making it impossible for Ho-jin not to notice.

That body, doing manual labor? While Jeong-in’s naturally good posture and balanced physique gave no indication of weakness, his frame clearly wasn’t suited for such grueling work. As admirable as his working spirit was, Ho-jin’s memory of Jeong-in walking through the alley, utterly exhausted and unaware that his delicate skin had been torn and bleeding, still lingered in Ho-jin’s mind.

“I thought this class sounded interesting, so I signed up. I didn’t expect to see you here too, hyung. How strange!”

It was a general education course about modern poetry. Ho-jin had spent the entire night combing through student rosters, and he enrolled himself in the class after spotting Jeong-in’s name. Truthfully, he had zero interest in the curriculum.

“Did you eat breakfast?” Ho-jin asked.

“Don’t ever do that again. I don’t eat breakfast anyway,” Jeong-in replied.

Jeong-in’s voice was crisp and clear, pleasant to the ear. However, the content of his words was far from it. There were many eyes still looking their way, so Ho-jin lowered his voice just enough for Jeong-in to hear.

“Even if it’s a hassle, you should really eat. Skipping breakfast makes you crave unnecessary carbs at lunch or dinner, and that leads to—”

“Yoo Ho-jin,” Jeong-in interjected. “I agreed to help with your training, and you agreed to help with my work. Are we clear so far?”

Ho-jin obediently nodded.

Jeong-in continued, “You and I are essentially strangers. Outside of what we’ve agreed on, we have no reason to interact with each other.”

“…”

“So stop doing unnecessary things. Don’t visit me without permission.”

I doubt that’s true, Ho-jin thought. However, he swallowed the words rising in his throat. He instead said something else.

“If you think about it, I wasn’t the one who visited. The food containers found their way to you…”

At those words, Jeong-in raised one eyebrow. “Do you actually think that makes sense?”

Jeong-in made it very clear that he was annoyed, but he didn’t push Ho-jin away as coldly as he did when they first met.

Hojin suppressed a smile threatening to escape. His guess had been right—Choi Jeong-in was someone who would eventually soften if pressed enough.

That was why he acted this way—drawing lines in the sand and warning others not to cross them because he knew that once someone stepped over those lines just a little, he wouldn’t be able to push them away anymore. Yet, Ho-jin could feel that he had already crossed halfway over that line.

Now, the question was how much farther he could go. How deeply would he need to sink his teeth in to get closer?

“I’m sorry. I was just worried…” 

Ho-jin deliberately trailed off, feigning dejection. It was a low move, so manipulative that it surprised even him. As expected, Jeongin’s expression subtly changed. It was a very slight difference, but he could tell.

“I’m just so worried. I usually make large portions, so I just decided to give you the leftovers… Please don’t feel burdened and just accept it. If you don’t eat it, hyung, I’ll have to throw it away anyway.”

He repeated his plea almost like a child begging for understanding.

Finally, Jeong-in asked, “Are you always like this?”

“Huh?”

“Do you act this foolishly with everyone?” Jeong-in said sharply.

“…”

“Does it really bother you that much if someone skips a meal?”

Of course not—but Ho-jin didn’t answer truthfully.

“Yes. Even if it weren’t you, I’d still feel the same way. It would have bothered me so much that I probably wouldn’t have been able to …”

Jeong-in fell silent for a moment.

Ho-jin silently counted in his head. One, two, two and a half, two and three-quarters.

“Anyway, don’t do it again.”

“…”

“Don’t make your life harder for no reason.”

There it was again—his teeth sinking in.

 Ho-jin couldn’t hold back his smile any longer.

“It’s not hard at all! Like I said—it’s just leftovers.”

“…”

“I’ll only make it on days when I have time, so please—make sure to eat, okay?”

When he repeated himself with an earnest “Okay?” Jeong-in reluctantly nodded.

“…Fine.”

Hojin stared intently at Jungin’s pale and smooth cheeks—so soft-looking it seemed almost unreal—and felt an urge rise within him. He wanted to ask: How can someone be this gentle? Were you always like this?

And there was one more thing he wondered but didn’t say aloud.

“…”

Do you know how beautiful you are?