PAO 28

“I brush my teeth before I go to bed, so you don’t have to look at me like that.”

“When did I ever ask about that? You’re not a kid. What is this? Are you here to buy candy?”

“The important thing is coming here with you. This is just a bonus.”

Junghoo stood next to Seowon and looked at the candies and chocolates with sweet eyes. And at Seowon’s face, for good measure.

“Seowon likes sweet things like this too, right?”

“No.”

“Really?”

Junghoo tilted his head and turned away. Feeling uneasy for some reason, Seowon grabbed his arm.

“What is it? There’s something, isn’t there?”

“It’s nothing like that. It’s just… I was thinking the person Seowon likes must be a very sweet person.”

Seowon’s face contorted strangely at Junghoo’s lingering words.

“What makes you act like you know my type?”

That must be why he was going on about sweet this and that, but that was absolutely not it. He preferred someone with a cool and heavy scent over someone who smelled sweet.

Despite Seowon’s complaint, Junghoo, pleased about something, looked around and then suddenly held a heart-shaped chocolate to his chest.

“This is my heart.”

Watching Junghoo’s little antic, he realized. He doesn’t know about my pheromones. Seowon, letting out a sigh of relief inwardly, looked at him still holding the chocolate and smiling with his eyes.

People passing by glanced at Junghoo’s face. He drew attention just by standing still, and even more when he smiled. Then, if they thought he and I were nothing, they would approach Junghoo, ask for his number, and express their interest.

“Let’s go.”

He’d already experienced it enough to have it memorized, so there was no need to wait and go through it again. He didn’t want to see Junghoo get excited, either. He was worried it would be bad for his health if he got worked up for no reason. He concluded it would be better to get out of there quickly. In any case, he had granted his wish to go grocery shopping, so the rest was up to him.

“We haven’t looked at everything yet.”

“We have some at home.”

When Seowon pulled Junghoo’s arm, he followed obediently. Though he was embarrassed because people’s stares gathered even more as Junghoo smiled even more brightly than before.

“Why are you grinning like that?”

“Because I’m happy to be with you.”

“Just a moment ago you were saying my type is a sweet person.”

“That’s why I’m trying to become sweet.”

“You’re hilarious.”

Seowon snorted. Go ahead and eat candies and jellies until you’re sick of them, see if you become sweet.

“As if that would make you sweet. Don’t even think about getting cavities and having bad breath.”

When Seowon reacted as if it were ridiculous, Junghoo looked down at the box filled with candies and other things, then handed it over to the approaching driver as if falling into his arms. The driver, looking inside the box without thinking, had a surprised look in his eyes.

“Have them.”

Junghoo didn’t even glance at the box, after having picked them out so excitedly.

“Thank you.”

Even though the driver thanked him, Junghoo showed no reaction, leaving Seowon, caught in the middle, to feel awkward. It was clear he was sulking because of what he’d said, but he was taking it out on an innocent person.

So Seowon apologized to the driver and took a bag of mint candies from the box.

“Let’s have just this one.”

“You told me not to have bad breath.”

So he was holding it against me. Seowon forced a smile and pushed a candy into Junghoo’s mouth, then ate one himself.

“We can just eat them together. Then we’ll have the same bad breath.”

At Seowon’s excuse-like mumble, Junghoo’s displeasure momentarily subsided. He’s so easy to handle. Seowon looked at his face for a moment, then turned his head to look out the window. I really can’t figure out why he’s like that.

‘Huh?’

Come to think of it, he had forgotten. Seowon whipped his head around and glared at Junghoo with eyes full of displeasure.

“You, have you been going around showing your family that you like me too?”

“There’s nothing to show.”

“Because they all know?”

Junghoo nodded brightly. It was amazing that someone with such handsome features was so hung up on just one person, but the fact that this ‘one person’ was him was what bothered him.

Junghoo stared at Seowon with a calm face, as if he had no intention of hiding his feelings. As they held each other’s gaze for a long time, it was Seowon who turned his head first. As the emotion in Junghoo’s eyes deepened, there was a limit to how long he could pretend not to notice. Seowon clicked his tongue at Junghoo’s straightforward affection, who didn’t know how to hide his feelings.

That guy is a lost cause, a real lost cause.

“Staring at me like that won’t make me accept your feelings.”

As Seowon spoke with a sigh, he heard Junghoo click his tongue shortly.

“How cheap.”

Seowon decided not to say anything more. It’s not like him liking me is anything new, and continuing to talk about it will just be a waste of breath.

As soon as he returned home, Seowon, who had just showered, found Junghoo rummaging through the refrigerator. Junghoo, who had taken out side dishes that only needed to be heated, prepared rice and soup, and set a full table, finally picked up the cake box that had been left on the table. Peeking inside through the transparent plastic, Junghoo frowned as if he had an inkling.

“My father gave you this, didn’t he?”

“How did you know?”

“It has all the cakes of your taste in it.”

It wasn’t normal for a friend’s father, not even Seowon’s own father, to know his preferences, but the person who had made it that way was now angry.

“Who are you to blame when it was all revealed because you made it obvious?”

Instead, he wished he wouldn’t reveal it to his family anymore, but Junghoo didn’t even pretend to listen. That guy is a real piece of work. He only responds to what he wants to answer and just lets the rest slide, is that it?

Junghoo placed the cake on the table and even stuck candles in it.

“Why are you putting candles in it? We can just eat it.”

Seowon, who had picked up his chopsticks to dig into the cake as soon as he sat down, asked in confusion. Instead of answering, Junghoo lit the candles and turned off all the lights in the living room. The house quickly grew dark, and the candlelight on the cake between them became the brightest light.

Yellow light and shadows mingled on Junghoo’s pale face.

“Seowon, make a wish and blow them out.”

“It’s not even my birthday. Do I have to make a wish?”

“You like cake because you eat it on special days.”

Seowon, who was about to grumble, shut his mouth. Seowon’s father called Seowon a cake fiend and only knew that his son liked cake. He didn’t know that Junghoo knew he liked special days, and that he liked having the whole family gather around a cake on those days.

“That’s the reason you eat cake so well. Did you think I wouldn’t know?”

“You’re a ghost, a ghost.”

Instead of denying it to Junghoo, Seowon just admitted it. Well, he’s so interested in me, I guess he could find out something like this.

“Or should I make a wish and blow them out?”

“Do as you please.”

Junghoo closed his mouth and stared at the candlelight. His expression was so serious that it made one wonder what wish he was making. Would he wish for his own health? Or for things to go well with me? That I would present?

“What did you wish for?”

In the end, he couldn’t hold back his curiosity and asked. Junghoo replied nonchalantly.

“Please don’t let Seowon get angry.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m about to say something that might make you angry.”

Junghoo’s voice became subdued. The slight excitement he had in the elevator and while grocery shopping was all gone, and the Junghoo now had an unfamiliar face he had never seen before.

“Seowon, don’t help me.”