MERRY 51

She grumbled, patted Somerset on the head, and left. Ethan’s eyes followed her as she moved away, while his mouth and hands stayed busy.

“Thanks for introducing me to a good place.”

Along with the thanks, he moved a sandwich and a few roasted potato wedges onto Somerset’s plate.

“Are you actually thankful?”

“Think of it as a gesture of sincerity. The portions are huge. I can’t just leave it.”

“You’re taller than me, yet you eat like a bird.”

“By my standards, you’re the one who eats a lot.”

Regardless, it was a satisfying meal for both. Seeing Somerset call the clerk to pay the bill, Kittish slipped through the growing crowd of customers and stopped him.

“This little brat dares to act up in my shop. Get out of here.”

She spoke in a scolding tone, but it wasn’t scary. Somerset chuckled and draped an arm around her shoulder.

“I’d be sad if you didn’t take Ethan’s money too. I thought I was the only one getting special treatment.”

“Is that any way to tease a friend? You naughty puppy.”

“I was just teasing Kittish, who has a weakness for handsome men.”

“The lad is good-looking, I’ll give you that.”

“Not as much as me, right?”

“He looks like he’s miles ahead of you.”

Accompanied by a farewell peppered with jokes, they left the shop. Kittish winked at Ethan, who bowed politely as they departed. One of Somerset’s sly, charming habits must have been learned from her.

“Ethan, you’ve officially joined the ranks of New York’s handsome men. You’ve been certified by Kittish.”

Not to be outdone, Somerset also threw a wink at Ethan—after sliding his sunglasses up to his forehead so his eyes were clearly visible. He was needlessly thorough.

Ethan took his sunglasses out of his pocket, put them on, and walked past him. Although they were heading in the opposite direction of home, Somerset caught up and walked alongside him without a word of complaint. The midday heat clung to them like a shadow.

People busily going about their daily lives were embroidered into the city’s backdrop. Somerset showed interest when he spotted a food truck with office workers lined up. He craned his neck to check the sign and the menu.

“Aren’t you full? You’re going to eat again?”

“No, I’m scouting it out so I can come here with you next time.”

“Did I say I’d go?”

“Not yet. But you will.”

Ethan hid the movement of his eyes behind his sunglasses and examined the food truck. It was a place selling various kinds of kebabs.

“It looks like your heart is already standing in line in front of that kebab truck.”

Somerset teased, somehow having noticed.

“The performance of these sunglasses is lacking.”

“You guessed wrong. I knew because I heard the sound of your eyes rolling.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

“Actually, it was a gut feeling. My hit rate is incredible.”

The smell of kebabs, which made his mouth water despite his fullness, spread far. By the time they finally escaped it, a cool scent captured Ethan’s sense of smell. It was Somerset’s, drifting over on a thin stream of wind.

Ethan took a deep breath, suddenly stopped, and took off his sunglasses. Looking at Somerset anew, his appearance in all-white clothes felt like a god out of mythology. A god of pleasure, well-versed in wine and women. His bronze skin, showing loosely through his shirt with only three buttons fastened, was pure.

Somerset, who had been walking backward while meeting Ethan’s gaze, returned with large strides.

“Do your legs hurt? Should we stop walking? Want a piggyback ride?”

Regrettably, his body was perfectly fine. It was just that his mind had grown dull. He couldn’t think about anything other than the man in front of him. It felt like his brain had shrunk. The current Ethan was full of openings. He had lost his renowned vigilance and could no longer exercise judgment.

Somerset approached the defenseless man. How close do I have to get before you react? His steps—neither cautious nor entirely light—seemed to ask that question. Before he knew it, he was close enough that their toes could touch. Luckily for Ethan, they both had large feet.

“You look like you’re in a state where you’d accept anything I do.”

He was accurate. Therefore, it was dangerous. If Somerset harbored any wicked intentions, he could do anything. There were two “accidents” he committed while taking advantage of the lapse in guard: staring heatedly with trembling pupils, and whispering.

“How can you be so pretty? It might be an insult to a man, but it’s the truth. You’re so pretty.”

The sweet voice was more powerful than a punch.

“If I were given the chance to name you, I’d definitely include ‘Emerald’ or ‘Blue.’”

Ethan snapped to his senses when Somerset’s mouth held the word ‘Blue.’ This was because his middle name, given to him by Serena’s mother—his maternal grandmother—was Blue. He started to tell him that fact but kept his mouth shut. It was obvious Somerset would become insufferable with pride.

Let’s talk about it next time, when this conversation is forgotten. Though, it might never be forgotten. Ethan imagines leaving Somerset with a permanent riddle. It went beyond being unpleasant; it was strangely offensive.

If the secret had been kept, there’s a high chance our relationship would have stayed at a mediocre level. I guess I don’t like that—he was trying to dismiss the emotion blooming inside him as if it belonged to someone else when a drop of water fell on the bridge of his nose. Ethan wiped it away and looked up at the sky.

Dark clouds that had gathered dramatically began to block the light. The moisture seeping into the air, which had suddenly turned dark, felt like a punishment meant to urge his awakening.

Raindrops fell, drip, drip. Somerset spread his palm and caught a few of them.

“It’s going to pour soon.”

“Probably.”

“Are you the type to get annoyed when you get wet?”

“I don’t know. I guess it depends on the occasion.”

“It’ll be fine today. You’ve got me.”

He spoke cheerfully, then crouched down to fix his loafers that he’d been wearing like slippers. He stood up, looking satisfied after confirming that Ethan’s shoes were sneakers.

In the meantime, the raindrops that had landed on his curly hair sparkled like dew. However, they couldn’t match the vitality that made his amber eyes look golden. He took off his sunglasses, stuffed them haphazardly into his back pocket, and shouted.

“Let’s run!”

Ethan moved his feet as if possessed, following him. They raced back the way they had leisurely walked. He saw places where they could take shelter for a moment, but he didn’t stop. By the time they passed Kittish’s sandwich shop, the rain had grown significantly heavier.

“Kitty! Bye!”

Somerset greeted Kittish, who happened to be outside unfolding an awning. Toward the two people dashing past, she shouted, “You crazy bastards!” Puhaha, her boisterous laughter followed them, making it feel like the three of them were running together for a while.

They turned the corner and stopped in front of a crosswalk. Somerset, panting for breath against the red light blurred by the rain, suddenly acted casual as he noticed Ethan breathing relatively quietly.

“You know I enjoy jogging, right? This is nothing.”

“Don’t overdo it. Huff, I’m out of breath too.”

“Right, huff, exactly. Huff.”

They hadn’t run fast enough to be overwhelmed, but the problem was that their entire bodies were absorbing water and getting soaked in real-time, taking double the energy. Additionally, Ethan admitted he had been lazy with exercise lately. The cause was right next to him. Due to an unexpected variable—due to this man who kept prying like a puppy—his daily life was not the same as usual.

But it wasn’t annoying or bothersome. That’s why it’s a problem.

Somerset leaned his body in as if to bump shoulders. He backed away before touching and gave a broad grin.

“Still, running is fun, isn’t it?”

It did feel like a weight had been lifted. The feeling of sweat being washed away by the rain was refreshing. Even though, chemically, it probably wasn’t clean. Ethan brushed back his wet hair and said:

“I think it’s okay to get hit by the rain on purpose sometimes.”

“By yourself?”

“I don’t know.”

“It’ll be lonely. It’s only complete when I’m there.”

Confidently asserting himself, Somerset suddenly slapped his chest with his hand. Slap!

“It doesn’t hurt. It just sounded loud because it’s wet.”

He kindly eased the worry and grinned.

“Here, I can feel my heart going thump-thump. I’m a bit confused if it’s because of the running or because I’m with you.”

Ethan had no choice but to blame him. He wasn’t confused at all—or so he thought—but now he was starting to get confused too. His heartbeat grew violent to the point of running wild. Not just his chest, but his entire body was ringing.

After causing such a massive accident in someone else’s body, Somerset started talking about something else.

“Oh no, this is bad. Is my clothes completely see-through?”

It was a serious situation in its own way. Ethan looked down to check the state of himself and Somerset.