NTH 23

[Web Message]

Korea Card VIP Approval

Mr. Kwon*Ha

147,590 KRW lump sum

9/24 14:51

C-Mart Everyday

• Nana: (Photo)
• Nana: I went to the laundromat again today. I hung up the clothes I picked up neatly. Did I do well?
• Nana: (Photo)
• Nana: I watered the plants too. Don’t they look fresh?
• Nana: (Photo)
• Nana: (Photo)
• Nana: I went grocery shopping and now I’m finally taking a bubble bath!
• Nana: It’s amazing! You should come try it too!
• Nana: But why is this bathtub so big? It’s bigger than the ones I saw at the jjimjilbang!
• Nana: Should I invite friends over to bathe together here?
• Nana: I’ve never seen a TV in a bathroom before. I don’t want to get out.
• Nana: I fell asleep and my fingers got all wrinkly ㅠㅠ The bubbles all melted too ㅠㅠ
• Nana: Are you busy? When are you coming? Tonight’s dinner is going to be really delicious.

Jeha could only return to his office after a hectic afternoon filled with back-to-back lectures and faculty meetings. Finally getting a moment to rest, he sipped an iced Americano while checking messages on his phone.

When he saw the third photo Nana sent, he nearly spat out the coffee he was holding.

“What the… ha.”

It was a selfie of Nana with a bathtub filled with cloud-like bubbles as the background.

Since he was sitting on the edge of the tub, his bare upper body, without a single thread of clothing, was fully captured in the photo. To top it off, the corner of the image even included Nana’s reflection in a distant mirror, clearly showing his back.

If Jeha hadn’t already experienced how careless Nana could be, he might have suspected that the angle was deliberately calculated, as the scene was strikingly provocative.

His skin was so fair it seemed almost translucent, with a flat, smooth chest and a peach-colored nipple at its center. The mirror reflected a slender waist and the partially visible curve of his hips below.

Unconsciously biting his lip, Jeha shook his head in disbelief.

The fourth photo sent along showed Nana sitting in the middle of the bathtub, playing with the bubbles in his hands, so only his shoulders and above were visible. Even so, the sleek line of his neck, his collarbone, and the sharp contours of his shoulders made it impossible to look away.

Jeha immediately opened his recent call list and pressed the name at the top without hesitation. After a moment, a sulky voice came through the receiver.

“What’s up? You didn’t reply all day. Were you that busy?”

“Classes and meetings. Where are you right now?”

“Where else? Your place. I’m waiting to make dinner for you.”

Faintly, the sound of a TV could be heard in the background of Nana’s voice. After a brief hesitation, Jeha spoke.

“Hey, those photos… do you send stuff like that to other people too?”

“Which photos? The ones of your closet? Or the plants?”

“No, the ones you took in the bathroom.”

“Oh, the bubble bath? It’s my first time trying one, so I took them to remember it.”

“So you didn’t send those photos anywhere else, right?”

“Of course not. I don’t even have friends. Why do you ask?”

“No reason. I’m heading home now.”

“Okay. Be careful on your way.”

“Got it.”

After ending the call, Jeha reopened the message thread and looked at the problematic third photo again. It was the kind of image that, if it got out, would be perfect fodder for unsavory types.

“Tch, how can he just carelessly take and send stuff like this?”

Jeha tossed his phone onto the desk, frowning as he prepared to leave work. Suddenly, a vibration alerted him, and he saw the name ‘Gu Minho’ on the screen. He pressed the call button.

“This is Kwon Jeha.”

“Hey, long time no talk.”

A playful voice rang in his ear. It was the same voice, unchanged for the past nine hundred years.

“Yeah. How’ve you been?”

“Me? Same as always. How about you? Is playing professor any fun?”

“Pretty busy. I was actually going to call you soon.”

“You, calling me first? What’s up? Something interesting going on?”

“Just have a few things to ask. When are you free?”

“You know I’m always bored out of my mind. Want to come over?”

“Yeah. And I’m thinking of bringing someone along.”

“Who?”

“A guy I recently met. I’m kind of worried about him, and I thought you might be able to tell me something if you meet him. I’ll explain more in person. How’s this Saturday?”

“Sounds good. Bring a lot of macarons when you come.”

“Will do.”

After hanging up, Jeha left the office. It was time to head home, where Nana was waiting.

“How’s this? Pretty impressive, right? They said it’s top-quality stuff you can’t even find at regular markets.”

Nana’s dark eyes sparkled. That evening’s dinner was fresh sashimi.

“You know you don’t need side dishes when you’re eating sashimi, right? Only low-quality places pile on a bunch of extras. It’s so customers feel full and don’t complain when they get less fish.”

“Yeah.”

Thinking that coming up with a menu that requires minimal preparation must be quite a task, Jeha reached into the fridge for a beer when Nana hesitated behind him.

“Um, I guess I’ll head out now.”

“Head out where?”

“Huh? Home. My work for today is done.”

“What are you talking about? Sit down and eat.”

“Why? Am I washing dishes again today?”

“Yeah. Stop asking and just eat here every day.”

“Alright then!”

Grinning, Nana quickly grabbed chopsticks and sat across from Jeha. Perhaps he even chose the dinner menu with this moment in mind.

“Hey, I think I’m going to gain weight soon.”

Nana placed a piece of sashimi dipped in red sauce onto a perilla leaf. Jeha set a can of beer in front of him.

“Why?”

“Because I keep eating so well at your place. Wow, you’re giving me alcohol today too?”

“You know how to drink?”

“Come on, I’m an adult! I only don’t drink because I can’t afford it.”

Smirking, Nana popped open the can and gulped down the beer. Letting out a satisfied “ahh,” he grinned to himself before suddenly looking at Jeha with sparkling eyes, as if he’d just remembered something.

“Hey, I quit smoking.”

Come to think of it, at their first official meeting, Nana had been picking up cigarette butts to smoke. Recalling that moment, Jeha asked.

“How?”

“The day you got me that card, you gave me an advance on my pay, right?”

“Yeah.”

“So I went to a convenience store and bought katsu kimbap and two packs of cigarettes.”

“Two packs?”

“Yeah. Not ones I picked up or bummed off someone, but ones I bought for myself to smoke.”

“And?”

“I smoked both packs in two days. By the end, my chest hurt, and my head was pounding so bad. I was so dizzy I just lay in bed all day.”