Without even remembering to sit up, Seo-eul asked the question, but the answer that came back was the same as yesterday.“I’m hungry.”Seo-eul realized it was just an excuse to dodge questions like Since when have you been here? and lost the words to respond. Then he felt a small tap—Sa-heon’s nail brushing against his hand, as if saying he hadn’t touched him all night just so he wouldn’t wake him.He didn’t look well.Catching sight of the faint flush around Sa-heon’s eyes, Seo-eul bit his lip.No, that can’t be it. Even as he told himself that, a chill sense of foreboding kept crawling up his spine. Old memories started overlapping naturally, and before he knew it, he reached out to sweep under Sa-heon’s eye with his thumb.“Did you not sleep? Why are your eyes red?”“It’s hot.”“Already?”Summer hadn’t even arrived yet. Seo-eul glanced down at the modal blanket he’d been using. The nights were still cold enough to keep the boiler running. Unlike him, Sa-heon apparently already felt the heat.Well, he did run hot by nature—maybe it couldn’t be helped. Thinking that comparing their conditions was meaningless, Seo-eul sighed.“Turn on the AC. …Ah, wait, you didn’t clean it, right?”He trailed off, realizing he hadn’t called a technician this year. Sa-heon might seem easygoing, but he was annoyingly picky about that sort of thing. The air conditioner got taken apart for cleaning at least twice a year because of him.The service from last year was good, Seo-eul thought, turning toward the nightstand to grab his phone. The wireless charger sat there, but the phone was gone. He was sure he’d left it there last night. He scanned the bed, retracing his memory, and that was when Sa-heon—who had been watching quietly—spoke up.“Your phone?”“Yeah. I think I have the number for the cleaning service.”“It’s in my room.”“What number would be in your—”Seo-eul stopped mid-sentence and looked at him. Is he talking about my phone? If so, there was no reason it should be in Sa-heon’s room. He blinked in confusion, but the other simply gestured at the charger with his chin.“That one’s broken. It wasn’t charging, so I plugged it in on my charger.”“Oh, really? Maybe it’s a bad connection. It’s new, though.”“Stop buying fakes.”“I bought it from the official site…”He muttered, wounded. He’d bought two when they first came out—one for each of their rooms. It was strange that only his had suddenly stopped working.Then Sa-heon, as if to demonstrate, picked up his own phone from the floor and set it on the charger. When no charging symbol appeared, Seo-eul frowned and sat up. Maybe the adapter was loose? He leaned over to check the outlet beside the nightstand—and saw the cable bent sharply at the connector.“……?”Why is that bent?Puzzled, he bent down for a closer look—only for his body to tip sideways.To be exact, he was pinned down.“Hey…!”Seo-eul yelped softly, suddenly crushed beneath Sa-heon. He’d barely gotten out of bed, only to end up lying down again within a minute. Sa-heon’s habit of physically pressing in whenever he wanted something was exhausting, and Seo-eul hit the blanket in protest.“Again—ugh—what are you doing… get off!”“I’m hungry. I don’t have any strength…”“Don’t lie.”“So now you don’t believe me either?”“Then prove it—ah—Heon, you’re heavy, you idiot…!”He wasn’t some overgrown puppy who didn’t realize his size. Seo-eul gasped under the weight and tried to push him off, but it was useless. Sa-heon’s half-muttered nonsense—help me up—was absurd when Seo-eul couldn’t even move. Huffing, he tried again, but all he managed was to twist his shoulder painfully.Before he could even groan, his body was flipped onto its side.Startled, he found himself staring up at Sa-heon, who had propped himself up on one elbow. He hadn’t made a sound, yet somehow the man had instantly noticed the pain. Seo-eul glared at him in silence, but Sa-heon just gave a cheeky grin.“Want me to fall over again?”“…Do you even want breakfast?”“Mm, yes, I do.”Instant surrender. Sa-heon sluggishly got off the bed. Only once that massive frame moved away could Seo-eul breathe again. It was ridiculous to feel so exhausted this early in the morning, and he sighed, tempted to just go back to sleep. ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) Still, with filming going on, he tried to keep his schedule disciplined.Steeling himself, he asked,“So what do you want to eat this time?”“Braised pork belly.”“……”Did I hear that right?The absurdity of the request left him speechless. Sure, they’d made it together once—but that had been a major project, not something you whipped up like ordering takeout. Seo-eul took a deep breath and answered as calmly as possible.“…That takes five hours. If you want that, it’s for lunch.”“Curry.”“That’s also lunch.”“Chicken soup.”“You’re kidding me, right?”“No. I’ll help.”Sa-heon could handle simple prep work, even if Seo-eul usually managed the cleanup. But seeing him list off only long-cooking dishes one after another made Seo-eul stare in disbelief.“I want to eat something that takes a long time to make.”“What kind of weird hobby is that…”“I don’t have any schedule today, Seo-eul.”So let’s just cook together. The way he lowered his voice, half-pleading, half-playful, reminded Seo-eul of a dog proudly carrying back its favorite ball. He couldn’t help but nod. It was hopeless, the way his affection blinded him, though he himself didn’t realize it.In the end, the agreed-upon menu was caramelized curry with roasted eggs.Since they didn’t have the ingredients for anything else, Seo-eul rummaged for aprons and—by then—had completely forgotten about the broken charger and his missing phone. Even when boiling eggs, peeling shells, or chopping onions, Sa-heon stayed close, practically glued to his side, and Seo-eul simply let him.“I’ll do the frying. You sit down.”When he dropped butter and thinly sliced onions into the pan, Sa-heon finally spoke.Since the task only required stirring to prevent burning, Seo-eul handed him the spoon, and Sa-heon stepped up to the induction stove, familiar and at ease. The range hood was a bit low for his height, so he leaned forward, one hand braced on the table. Watching that from the dining chair, Seo-eul asked idly,“You’re not running today?”Normally, Sa-heon would run for an hour every morning without fail. It was the only routine he kept despite his otherwise erratic lifestyle. Come to think of it, he hadn’t gone yesterday either. Tilting his head, Seo-eul heard him answer without turning around,“I don’t feel like it.”“You used to say you run without thinking.”It was a light retort, but there was no reply. He used to run even in the rain—what was with him lately? Seo-eul wondered, but quickly brushed it off. Everyone has off days.Today, he’d promised himself he’d go to the realtor alone.Judging by how things were going, though, that didn’t seem likely. Resting his chin on his hand, Seo-eul closed his eyes. Even with the hood on, the sweet, buttery scent of caramelized onions filled the room, stirring his appetite—and, without realizing it, he nodded off.“……!”When he startled awake, he found himself slumped over the table.Had he just dozed off? Or had he actually slept for a long while? Seo-eul jerked upright, the blanket that had been draped over his shoulders sliding off the chair. And right in front of him—those black, unblinking eyes.Sa-heon.Leaning on the table, perfectly still, staring straight at him.How long has he been sitting there like that? Seo-eul’s lips parted, and he glanced toward the clock behind him. It was already past one in the afternoon.He couldn’t have been sitting there the whole time… could he?The unease he’d tried so hard to suppress gathered under his feet again. The image of a much younger Sa-heon—who once neither ate nor slept, just stared at him with those same dark eyes—overlapped vividly. His stomach twisted. The therapy had worked, everything was supposed to be fine—but faced with the same scene, Seo-eul couldn’t help freezing up.“Did you sleep well?”Maybe noticing his tension, Sa-heon spoke first.His tone was playful, his fingers brushing through Seo-eul’s messy hair, but Seo-eul wasn’t fooled this time.After a long moment, he gave a stiff nod. Sa-heon said he’d finished the curry himself. “Good job,” Seo-eul murmured quietly and thanked him, and they ate together. His mind was too tangled to really taste anything.Even afterward, Sa-heon shadowed his every step, making it impossible for Seo-eul to visit the realtor. He didn’t mention the move again, true to his word that he didn’t want to fight—but somehow, that only made Seo-eul more uneasy.“Good night.”Another empty day came to an end.Having spent the entire day stuck at home, Seo-eul pushed Sa-heon toward his own room, murmuring the words more as a plea than a farewell. After pacing a few times in front of the closed door, he returned to his room, turned off the lamp, and lay down.He usually fell asleep easily—head to pillow, out within minutes. But tonight, even though his body sank deep into the bed, his mind stayed sharp.He prayed silently, please, not again, while staring into the darkness behind his eyelids.Maybe an hour passed. Around 1 a.m.—click.The door to his room opened, and with it came the sound of his heart dropping in sync.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.