TWELVE 1

Waking up in the morning is always a struggle. The only part of my body not plagued by drowsiness was my nose. The smell of delicious food seemed to be gently tickling it.

As I was about to leave the room, just as I had gotten out from under the covers, I realized I was only wearing a single pair of underwear. At the same time, I remembered the guy who would be in the kitchen. I frantically searched for the t-shirt and pants I had carelessly taken off last night and put them on.

As expected, as soon as I came out of the room, I saw his back. Even though he must have sensed my presence, Gi Seoin was completely absorbed in cooking. Seeing him like that, it seemed more likely that he wasn’t here because he wanted to take care of me, as he claimed, but rather because he himself enjoys cooking and that’s why he wakes up at the crack of dawn every morning to stop by my place.

“Seoin-ah.”

Only after I called him did Gi Seoin turn to look at me. He scooped up some of the stew with a spoon and approached me. The aroma that had woken me from my morning sleep spread thickly right in front of my nose.

“Is it soybean paste stew today? Smelling it is making me hungry.”

“Have a taste.”

Gi Seoin blew on the stew, whoo, gently cooling it before holding it to my lips. I didn’t refuse and immediately brought my mouth to the spoon.

“How is it?”

“Uhm…!”

Seeing Gi Seoin’s serious expression, I felt like I had to give him my impression right away, but it wasn’t an easy task to express this complex and subtle flavor in one go with my limited vocabulary. It wasn’t quite at the level where the word ‘delicious’ would immediately pop out, but it wasn’t an inedible taste either…

“Wow, how should I put this? Maybe because your sincerity went into it, Seoin. The moment I ate it, my insides felt all warm and cozy, and it made me think of my great-aunt’s embrace. And my tongue is going crazy right now, telling me to hurry up and add a spoonful of rice. This is a total rice thief, for sure.”

He must have accidentally added too much salt, as the saltiness was strong enough to make my tongue tingle. But it’s fine since I’m the type who likes salty food.

In any case, the evaluation was sincere. I raised both my thumbs. Considering that Gi Seoin, a successful lawyer who is so busy he doesn’t have a moment to spare, was cutting back on his sleep to come to my house and make this stew, even five thumbs would not have been enough.

“Let’s eat. You haven’t had breakfast either, right?”

Gi Seoin quietly transferred the stew and rice into bowls. I knew that he stops by my place instead of his office as soon as he finishes getting ready for work, so it was fine even without an answer.

I sat down at the table first.

Back when my great-aunt, who was my only family, passed away, Gi Seoin started making meals for me, worried about me being left alone. At that time, I felt awkward just sitting still, so I tried to help with this and that. The problem was that the more I tried to step in, the more uncomfortable Gi Seoin became.

Only after a few squabbles did I learn to wait quietly until he had the entire table set.

However, there are also things that are difficult to get used to, no matter how many times you experience them daily.

“Pfft… choke, ha, hahaha!”

I burst out laughing again while looking at Gi Seoin coming to the table holding his own rice bowl. Gi Seoin looked at me with a ‘what’s wrong with you’ expression.

“No, hahaha…! It’s nothing.”

I took a deep breath to stop myself from laughing more, but it wasn’t very effective. In the end, I had to confess.

“No, it’s because you’re funny.”

It was hard to speak properly because my mouth was filled with explosive laughter. As I just kept laughing, Gi Seoin narrowed his brow slightly.

“Why am I.”

It was a lost cause to try and explain calmly.

I deliberately met Gi Seoin’s gaze. His aristocratic features, which are better suited for the compliment ‘beautiful’ rather than ‘handsome,’ felt new all over again. I’m certain that if he were stupid, he would be making a living with his face, not as a lawyer.

Anyway, unlike me, who had just woken up and was in pajamas, Gi Seoin was well-groomed without a single strand of hair out of place, and his suit was also ironed so sharply it felt obsessive-compulsive.

He was truly impeccable from head to toe. And yet, when I dropped my gaze from his face, my laughter started bubbling up again. That was the problem.

The pink apron worn by the perfect Gi Seoin. The shoulder straps were adorned with frills, and there was even a cat character with a red ribbon drawn on the chest.

Even though I see it every day, that contrasting combination was always ridiculous. I especially found it hard to hold back my laughter at the fact that Gi Seoin, who has built a world of elegant taste that I know nothing about, casually dons that apron every day as if it’s nothing.

“Ah, this is driving me crazy. How can I see this every day and not get used to it? Gi Seoin, you wear that apron on purpose to make me laugh, don’t you.”

“The apron again?”

His tone implied that it was no big deal.

“You’re the one who told me to wear it.”

It was the first day Gi Seoin started coming to my house to prepare meals. Kimchi broth had splattered onto his pristine white shirt, so I had asked him if he would consider wearing an apron. It was because I didn’t want him to go to work looking messy just because he was making me a meal.

“I did, I did say that, but… Where on earth did you get that apron?”

“I asked my aunt.”

“The woman who works at your family home?”

Gi Seoin nodded his head.

“And she bought you that?”

Gi Seoin bobbed his head once more.

“That’s hilarious. Why did she choose a design like that?”

At my question, which was more like a mumble to myself, Gi Seoin lowered his eyes slightly. He seemed to be contemplating his answer. Then he raised his gaze to me and moved his lips.

“She mistook it for being for my girlfriend.”

“Huh?”

The misunderstanding that ‘Gi Seoin has a girlfriend’ was so unexpected that a snort of laughter escaped me.

“She doesn’t know you don’t date?”

Uncharacteristically, Gi Seoin had never been in a relationship before. Furthermore, he had no intention of hiding that fact. Naturally, no one believes it.

But I, who have been friends with him for nearly 20 years, know. I know that Gi Seoin is surprisingly indifferent to other people, and when it comes to dating, he loathes it pathologically.

“Well, it’s hard to imagine that the apron would be for your use, Gi Seoin. It seems natural she would have thought you got a girlfriend…”

“Seungkyun-ah.”

“Yeah?”

He called me out of the blue, so I looked at him. Gi Seoin was consistently expressionless, but his deep eyes were filled with emotion. Annoyance.

Oops, I thought. Gi Seoin detested dating itself. He didn’t even find it a pleasant topic of conversation. He had absolutely no interest in the love lives of others, let alone his own, and would unabashedly show his displeasure if he were ever put in a situation where he was forced to listen.

“Haha… Did I misspeak again?”

Gi Seoin, who had been staring at me continuously, gestured toward the table with his chin.

“You’re not eating?”

“Ah, I should eat. I should eat.”

Wait, was he annoyed not because I brought up the word ‘girlfriend,’ but because he thought I was neglecting my food?

I was confused about what had soured Gi Seoin’s mood. If it was because of the dating talk, I could just change the subject, and if it was about the food, I just had to eat it, so I figured I didn’t need to worry about it too much.

As I picked up my spoon again, Gi Seoin also moved his hand, which was holding chopsticks.

“Don’t leave any, eat it all.”

“Yeah, when have you ever seen me leave food?”

“For lunch today, too…”

I was wondering what he was going to say, but Gi Seoin suddenly put down his chopsticks and grabbed my wrist.

“Eat something proper, not something pointless. You’ve lost weight recently.”

“Uh, uh… Have I?”

Even though he had only brushed against it, my wrist throbbed. It was because he was so strong. Back when we were in elementary school, he was much smaller than me, but now I couldn’t match him in height, build, or strength. And it’s not like I’m a small guy wherever I go, either.

“…That’s strange, I feel like I’m the same.”

“You’ve lost weight. Take a picture of your lunch and send it to me.”

“Yes, yes.”

I answered immediately without arguing. Having a friend inspect your meal menu wasn’t normal, but it was a common situation between us.

Gi Seoin was a meticulous person and had his peculiar side. And I try to accommodate him as much as possible. It was the secret to how we had maintained our friendship for so long. If I started being stubborn, the flames of a fight would spread in an instant. This, too, was information acquired through many years of experience.

Of course, it’s not like I have no complaints at all.

“Have dinner with me tonight. I’ll come pick you up when you finish work.”

“You’re not working late today?”

I asked because it had been quite a while since Gi Seoin had taken on an important trial and had been swamped with work until late at night.

“I’m not.”

It was a short reply with no explanation one way or the other. Gi Seoin never spoke at length in the first place, except when he was nagging. It was so bad that when he revealed he was going to become a lawyer, I advised him to seriously reconsider. I couldn’t for the life of me imagine him, who often omits even necessary words, presenting a legal argument.

“Then shouldn’t you get some rest? You haven’t been sleeping much lately. We can have dinner together any other day…”

“What time do you finish work?”

Just as he keeps his own words short, he doesn’t listen properly when the other person’s words get long. I was sick and tired of that trait as well.

“Probably the same as usual. Around six?”

“I’ll come pick you up.”

“Hey, but you really don’t have to push yourself. You need to rest when you can. It’s not like I’m a kid who can’t eat without you.”

I was already upset that he seemed to be cutting back on his morning sleep just to make me breakfast, so it was hard to understand why Gi Seoin insisted on having dinner together on a day he was getting off work early for a change.

“Seungkyun-ah.”

Gi Seoin stared at me.

“Is eating a meal with you and me work?”

If his gaze had a physical form, I would already be bruised. It’s honestly scary whenever Gi Seoin looks at me like that.

“…Hey, why would you say something like that? That’s hurtful. I’m just saying you should get more rest.”

“Eating with you is rest for me.”

The fact that he was a precious friend, like family, remained unchanged.

“Woo Seungkyun, isn’t it the same for you?”

But at times like this…

“I like it too, eating with you, Seoin, and resting.”

…the question of whether this is what being friends is really like comes to mind.

Gi Seoin is like a piece of jewelry made of enormous gems and gold bullion. It’s beautiful and brilliant, but it’s heavy to keep by your side at all times. Sometimes, even leaving it quietly to one side feels burdensome.

But I can never distance myself from him. Because no one would throw away a precious treasure.