Chapter 19: A Lingering Farewell

Upon arriving home, Yeon-chae, wearing an apron, greeted them with a brilliant smile, much like a newlywed bride. For a moment, Yoonwoo found himself confused about whose house this truly was. This feeling only intensified when Yeon-chae served them dinner.

Unlike Jinwoo, who still maintained a grumpy disposition, Kangwoo seemed completely smitten with Yeon-chae. This was likely because Yeon-chae had been exceptionally charming, had prepared a delicious dinner, and had even promised to take Kangwoo to an grilled eel restaurant the next time they met in Seoul.

“I’m tired, Hyung. Can we sleep in the main bedroom?”

Kangwoo yawned early, his voice heavy with fatigue from the day. They were all gathered on the living room sofa, watching TV. Yeon-chae, who was peeling an apple, felt a subtle tremor run through his broad shoulders.

Yoonwoo pondered for a moment, but it seemed like the most practical arrangement for their sleeping situation.

“Alright. Yeon-chae and I will sleep in the small room.”

“Okay. Got it.”

Just as Kangwoo nodded with an innocent expression, Yoonwoo stood up, intending to lay out bedding in the small room. However, the hem of his pants was caught. Looking down, he saw the face of a teenager staring up at him intently. Yoonwoo asked, a hint of reluctance in his voice.

“Oh, Jinwoo… Why?”

‘What now?’

“Hyung, you have to take care of me. Sleep with me.”

‘Why are so many people asking me to take care of them today?’ Yoonwoo wiggled his foot, dislodging Jinwoo’s hand.

“Aren’t you a dominant Alpha? You should be fully recovered by now.”

He tried to push Jinwoo away with an excuse similar to the one he’d used to distance Yeon-chae, but the young man proved to be formidable.

“I’m not recovered. I’m still young.”

The 184cm dominant Alpha declared.

“Hey, you’re perfectly fine.”

It was, surprisingly, Kangwoo who spoke first. Kangwoo placed a hand on Jinwoo’s forehead, then shook his head emphatically.

“You have amazing stamina. You must be all better already. You don’t have a fever at all.”

“Are you a thermometer?”

“You try touching him. How can someone eat three whole spoiled eels and recover so quickly?”

“No, I’m still sick. How would you know when I say I’m sick?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. You’re completely fine. And I’m sleeping in the bed, so don’t even think about kicking me out.”

“Who said you can’t sleep in the bed?”

“You said you’re sleeping with Little Hyung. So, are you going to sleep with Hyung in the small room?”

“Yeah. Why not?”

“You can’t, dude.”

“Why not?”

‘Indeed. Why not?’ Yoonwoo, now curious, stared intently at Kangwoo. Yeon-chae, seated beside him, looked slightly tense. Yoonwoo heard the audible gulp of a dry swallow.

Kangwoo shrugged nonchalantly, his expression asking ‘Why are you even asking such a thing?’

“So, Yeon-chae Hyung and I should sleep in the main bedroom?”

“Yeah. That’s what should happen.”

“Yeon-chae Hyung can’t sleep in Mom and Dad’s bed.”

“Oh…?”

“Yeon-chae Hyung would feel awkward, and Mom and Dad would be uncomfortable if they found out later, right?”

“Oh…”

“Isn’t that right?”

“Yeah…”

Jinwoo let out a deflated sigh, his face blank. ‘That’s true,’ Yoonwoo thought, feeling a strange sense of pride in Kangwoo. He had thought they were just two teenagers, but Kangwoo, born a mere ten minutes before Jinwoo, was certainly acting like an older brother.

“So, Little Hyung, you go to the small room with Yeon-chae Hyung, and you, Jinwoo, sleep with me in the main bedroom. We should make the most of Mom and Dad’s bed while they’re not here. Big Hyung said it’s a really expensive bed.”

Kangwoo, who clearly didn’t want to give up the new bed Seowoo had brought in, triumphantly concluded the arrangements. Just as Jinwoo’s cheeks began to puff out in a sulk, Yeon-chae, who had been lost in thought, suddenly sprang to his feet and exclaimed, “Let’s do that!” as he grabbed Yoonwoo’s wrist with a decisive tug.

Lying on the bedding, Yoonwoo reflected on the day.

Since Yeon-chae had arrived in Tongyeong yesterday, a whirlwind of events had unfolded, yet upon closer inspection, they hadn’t really done anything specific. Yesterday, he had gone to the terminal to pick up Yeon-chae, eaten charcoal-grilled salted eel, then seasoned eel, and topped it off with snowflake bingsu and strawberry tart. Today, after Yeon-chae’s breakfast, they had visited Somaemuldo Island, where they drank iced mocha topped with a mountain of whipped cream. After rushing to the emergency room because of Jinwoo, they returned home to dinner prepared by Yeon-chae. Aside from Jinwoo’s emergency room incident, all they had done was eat.

“Come to think of it, I didn’t get to eat seasoned eel today.”

A sense of regret still lingered.

Yeon-chae, who had been squirming beneath the thick quilt laid out beside Yoonwoo, poked only his face out from between the covers and looked at him. His freshly showered, clear cheeks were so smooth that Yoonwoo’s gaze was drawn to them involuntarily.

“Shall we go eat it tomorrow?”

As Yoonwoo silently observed Yeon-chae’s pristine face, he felt an inexplicable urge to tease him. Even though he fully intended to go eat seasoned eel, Yoonwoo spoke otherwise.

“No, you’re really going back to Seoul tomorrow.”

“Why…?”

Yeon-chae’s spirits immediately sank, and he cast his eyes downwards. His damp bangs, neatly covering his forehead, made him look much younger than usual. A droplet of water, not yet wiped away, fell from the tip of his bangs and traced a path down his cheek. Yoonwoo reached out and stroked Yeon-chae’s cheek, the lingering moisture dampening his palm.

“How long are you planning to stay here? You’ve seen everything there is to see, haven’t you?”

“No, I haven’t. There’s still so much to do. We haven’t even been to a raw fish restaurant.”

“My parents are coming tomorrow. You won’t have anywhere to sleep.”

“I can sleep on the living room sofa.”

“There aren’t any extra blankets.”

“It’s summer. I don’t need one.”

“Honestly.”

Yoonwoo let out a soft chuckle, and Yeon-chae quickly returned a gentle eye-smile. The way his eyes crinkled into a gentle smile was so charming it melted Yoonwoo’s heart.

“It’s been chaotic today, hasn’t it? Coming for a trip and suddenly being dragged to the emergency room, then having to take care of the kids’ meals.”

As he spoke, a wave of apology washed over him, and his voice softened. Yeon-chae slowly shook his head from beneath the covers.

“No, not at all. It was nice. I mean, not that Jinwoo being sick was nice, but…”

“I know, I know.”

When Yoonwoo gently accepted his rambling words, Yeon-chae smiled brightly.

Yeon-chae spoke in a soft voice, sharing various disjointed stories. How he’d spent his summer vacation, what he planned to do next. Lying on their sides, facing each other, their conversation continued late into the night. His soft, hushed voice enveloped Yoonwoo like a lullaby.

A faint streetlight glow filtered in from outside the window. In the dim light, Yeon-chae blinked softly, his eyes heavy with sleep.

“Go to sleep now. It’s late.”

Yoonwoo whispered into Yeon-chae’s ear. Yeon-chae slowly shook his head.

“I’m not sleepy…”

However, his voice, thick with sleep, stretched out before finally trailing off. The quilt slipped loosely, revealing his fresh, clean neck. His chest rose and fell evenly with each soft, even breath. Soon, Yeon-chae’s cheeks flushed a soft red, and he drifted off to sleep.

The next day, Yoonwoo, accompanied by Yeon-chae, went to an eel restaurant. They filled their stomachs with seasoned grilled eel, then cleansed their palates with salted grilled eel. Jinwoo and Kangwoo had tagged along as well.

Yoonwoo, attempting to replicate Yeon-chae’s payment trick he’d learned last time, stood up as if to go to the restroom, then approached the counter. However, the owner shook his head, informing him that Yeon-chae had already paid.

“What? When did he do that?”

“When you first came in. When everyone else went to find a seat first.”

Only then did Yoonwoo recall Yeon-chae’s dawdling, how he had lagged behind. He had paid before they even ordered. Yeon-chae had paid so much that even after eating their fill, they still had enough leftover eel to pack into a to-go box.

As they left the eel restaurant, Yoonwoo whispered to Yeon-chae.

“Today, I’ll pay. Especially since the kids also ate.”

“It’s in lieu of lodging fees.”

“For lodging fees like this, I could stay in a luxury hotel.”

“It was better than a luxury hotel.”

“Hey…”

Yeon-chae smiled shyly after uttering such an absurd statement. His cheeks, plump from eating so much eel, were as red as ripe apples.

“When I go to Seoul, I’ll buy you lots of delicious food.”

Yoonwoo said this, implying it was time for Yeon-chae to return to Seoul. Yeon-chae quietly lowered his gaze and replied, as if embarrassed.

“On which days?”

“Huh?”

“Anytime is fine for me. Just pick the dates when you’re free, sunbae.”

Yoonwoo gazed down at the phone Yeon-chae offered with a shy smile. A scheduler blinked on the screen.

Yoonwoo, looking a bit flustered, took the phone and tapped a few dates in late August. He meant for them to choose one of those days, but Yeon-chae flashed a bright smile and slipped the phone neatly into his pants pocket.

“Then on the 17th, we’ll have stewed tteokbokki, on the 22nd, we’ll go to the Jjukkumi restaurant in Cheonho-dong, and on the 27th, we’ll have Gopchang-jeongol. On the 28th…”

“Oh? That many?”

A long list of restaurants Yoonwoo had previously enjoyed spilled out. When he interrupted, flustered, Yeon-chae’s expression immediately turned crestfallen.

“You said you’d buy me lots of delicious food.”

“…Oh, well, yes, I did… That’s true.”

Even all those meals combined wouldn’t amount to the cost of one eel dinner, and Yeon-chae hadn’t said anything wrong, so Yoonwoo had no retort.

That day, Yoonwoo somehow managed to appease Yeon-chae and finally sent him back to Seoul. Only after they had decided on Baek-jjajang at Incheon Chinatown for the 28th did Yeon-chae board the express bus to Seoul. It was a struggle to peel him away from clinging so stubbornly, as he kept insisting he didn’t want to leave. Once on the bus, Yeon-chae sat by the window, looking down at Yoonwoo with a dejected expression, and waved.

After the bus left the terminal and completely disappeared from view, all the energy drained from Yoonwoo. He sat there blankly for a long time on a bench in front of the terminal.

Yeon-chae was gone. It would be three more weeks until they could meet again. It felt as though a noisy puppy, one that had been frantically wagging its tail, had suddenly vanished. Yoonwoo watched the express buses come and go before him, and he suddenly found himself missing that puppy. Even though they had only parted five minutes ago, he already did.