Episode 15

Tae-seo sipped his orange juice and rolled his eyes, taking in the sights of Se-heon’s house. Se-heon had been acting like a maniac earlier, but he still let Tae-seo in.

‘It’s surprisingly well-decorated.’

It seemed like Se-heon only kept the bare necessities in his house. Tae-seo had imagined a stark, empty house with black furniture and a kitchen that showed no signs of use, but it was completely different from what he had expected.

Tae-seo’s gaze fell on the rug that gently wrapped around his toes. The thick, gray rug was spotless and clean, but it also gave the house a warm atmosphere. And the light gray fabric sofa, which replaced the black, wrapped his body comfortably.

On the round table, there was a row of remote controls and a vase of flowers. Overall, the house was clean, but the small touches of everyday life made it seem like Se-heon was living well on his own. The fact that he had even made Tae-seo orange juice himself was a testament to that.

But then again, he didn’t seem to know where the cups were and was about to just drink water from the fridge…

“Done looking around?”

“I’ve seen the living room.”

“Then I can talk, right?”

Se-heon, who had been waiting patiently for Tae-seo to finish looking around the house, asked for confirmation. When Tae-seo nodded, Se-heon pulled out the things that had been on his mind one by one, as  if he had been waiting for this moment.

“For now, change the way you address me. I don’t feel comfortable being called ‘Mr. Se-heon’ by someone who’s still wet behind the ears.”

“Alright,”

There are many ways to address someone anyway. Tae-seo replied readily.

“If you want something more informal, just tell me. I’ll pick something appropriate for you.”

“What kind of service attitude is this?”

“Should I call you by your job title? Or Mr. Se-heon? What about Hyung (older brother)?”

“…Let’s think about that later.”

Se-heon couldn’t decide on an honorific right away, so he put it off. Hyung was the best option, but it felt like it would increase their personal closeness, so instead, he scanned Tae-seo’s head to toe again. Tae-seo was wearing the same clothes he had been wearing earlier that day. Maybe it was because he had seen him at the hotel, but Tae-seo had looked like the son of a wealthy family, but now that he was wearing the same clothes, he looked strangely pitiful.

“You…”

He thought about it for a moment, wondering why, and the answer quickly came to him. He was uncharacteristically cautious about what others thought of him.

The Yoon Tae-seo Se-heon knew was a brazen kid. He would boldly demand what he wanted, and he even had an air about him that suggested he dared anyone to refuse him. He wasn’t the kind of kid who would be hesitant and cautious like this.

“No, I feel like something’s up with you, but I don’t want to ask because it might get complicated.”

Se-heon said it in a tone that suggested he would listen  if Tae-seo wanted to talk, but he didn’t want to get involved. He wondered  if Tae-seo would understand, but despite his young age, he was quite smart, so Se-heon didn’t doubt it.

Tae-seo hesitated for a moment before setting down the glass he was holding. Then, he placed his hands on his knees and looked up at Se-heon.

With a pitiful expression that seemed to beg for Se-heon’s understanding.

Of course, he didn’t get the reaction he wanted from Se-heon. Even after seeing Se-heon’s serious and displeased expression earlier, Tae-seo stubbornly pressed on.

“What were you thinking when I was eating alone earlier?”

“That you were pitiful?”

“So you wanted to be with me?”

“I guess so?”

Tae-seo, who had been throwing questions at him, stopped talking for a moment. It was because he didn’t like Se-heon’s reaction.

“Why do you keep ending your sentences in question form?”

“I’m suspicious of why you’re laying down such a long preamble before you say what you want to say.”

Tae-seo laughed, struggling against Se-heon’s iron wall. Well, even I would be wary in a situation like this.

“I think we communicate well.”

“Get to the point?”

“Can you just put me up for a while?”

Se-heon rejected him outright.

“No.”

“At least pretend to be considering it.”

Don’t you know that it’s embarrassing to be rejected so bluntly? Tae-seo grumbled, but Se-heon absolutely refused.

“I’d rather get a dog than take you in.”

“Am I better than that?”

“How so?”

For a moment, Tae-seo was stunned by the fact that he was being compared to a dog. He pouted and snapped his fingers.

“I can listen well, hold conversations, and keep myself clean. I can be quiet when I need to be, and most importantly, I’m cute.”

“Not a single thing you said from beginning to end resonated with me. You’d be a sight to behold  if you were in charge of a project later.”

Se-heon clicked his tongue, finding Tae-seo’s persuasion so ineffective.

“The problem is that you understand words too well. You’re too shameless. We don’t communicate well. Cleanliness… didn’t that include having to wash you when I take you in? And you’ll probably act like you’re not there. You’re lying about being quiet when you’re not. And lastly, you’re not cute.”

“Wow… you’d be a sight to behold  if you were in charge of any project right now.”

It was even more ridiculous that he remembered all of that and refuted it one by one. I bet all the employees who make presentations like that would be crushed. No, even without seeing it, it’s obvious. Tae-seo bit the inside of his cheek, looking at Se-heon’s expression.  If it came to this, there was only one thing left to do.

“Please.”

“You ate at the hotel. Sleep at the hotel.”

“If I could, I would have.”

“I told you not to cling to me.”

“Because you felt sorry for me…”

Se-heon’s snort cut off Tae-seo’s words.

“You’ve only ever met me at hotels, so what’s so pitiful about you? Are you a hotel beggar?”

He needs to make sense. Se-heon kicked Tae-seo’s tactic to the curb. Tae-seo’s anger surged and he rummaged through his pockets.

“Well, I guess there’s nothing I can do.”

“Why does that ‘I can’t help it’ sound so uneasy? Don’t try to say something like you’re going to take responsibility for what happened that day.”

“What responsibility? I’m the one who wants to take responsibility. You keep bringing up that incident.”

Tae-seo turned on his phone’s camera and took a picture of Se-heon. Se-heon squinted his eyes at the sudden flash and watched Tae-seo without knowing why.

In front of him, Tae-seo pretended to be fiddling with his phone and turned it off again. Of course, he held it up so Se-heon couldn’t see the screen.

“I’m going to tell my parents that you’re my love.”

“You bark really well.”

“You said you were better than a dog earlier, so why did you become a dog?” Tae-seo went all-in even at Se-heon’s muttering.

“Then my loving parents will come right away and ask who stole my son’s heart.”

“Then why are you trying to run away from home where your loving parents live?”

Se-heon seemed to be begging him to just spill the beans. He was now at the point where he was curious why Tae-seo wouldn’t listen. However, Tae-seo clung to him without explaining anything.

“Just for a few days. I have a reason.”

He won’t be here long. He’ll eat less. He’ll be quiet, so you can treat him like a rug, and so on. Se-heon’s strong iron wall was slowly crumbling under Tae-seo’s barrage of words.

Maybe he had expected this from the beginning. Ever since he met Tae-seo, he couldn’t help but keep an eye on him and worry about him, and eventually, he found himself dealing with him.

Se-heon rubbed his forehead with his index and middle finger as  if he had lost.

“Did you get into an accident?”

“I had an accident with Sehun-hyung.”

“Are you getting kicked out because of that?”

“No, it’s not that.”

The two of them were engaged in a tense standoff, exchanging puns and wordplay, but neither one of them was backing down. Tae-seo was trying not to reveal his true feelings, while Se-heon was trying to get information out of him.

“How long is ‘a few days’?”

“I don’t know. I need to figure out what to do while my parents are still upset. I might even leave tomorrow  if things work out.”

“…I shouldn’t have given you my business card.”

Tae-seo let out a small cheer at Se-heon’s words, which were tantamount to permission. Then, he quickly changed the subject, afraid that Se-heon might change his mind.

“Can I look around the house?”

“Not yet.”

Tae-seo, who had been fidgeting at Se-heon’s sharp rejection, sat down on the sofa.

“Why?”

“I need to hear at least the precautions, even  if not all of them.”

“…I see.”

“You can wander around freely when I’m not here, but don’t bump into each other when I’m here. I’m not always in a good mood, so I don’t know how I’ll treat you.”

“Of course. I’ll do as the homeowner says.”

“And…”

Up until now, he had been talking about basic things, but this was a bit more personal. Se-heon looked at Tae-seo’s face for a moment and then blurted out.

“I’m not going to have a relationship with you. I’m not going to release pheromones either.”

“I don’t want that. You don’t recklessly sleepwalking and come into the guest room, do you?”

“…”

“Can I look around the house now?”

“Do whatever you want.”

At Se-heon’s resigned answer, Tae-seo got up briskly and moved quickly. He grabbed any handle he saw and opened it, shouting, “Wow, the room is really nice!” A sigh was heard in response.

‘Got it.’

Tae-seo held the doorknob and smiled, wrinkling his nose. He had ended up owing someone he didn’t expect anything to, but it was important that he had bought some time for now. He had to stay here for a while and think of a way to escape his fate.

While Tae-seo was lost in thought, Se-heon looked back at him and shook his head.

“Should I give you that bathroom as your room?”

Tae-seo closed the bathroom door without a word at Se-heon’s words.