Chapter 44: The Universe’s Greatest Villain

‘Is he using his blanket as a body pillow?’

Seo Yeon-ho was struck by Han Tae-young’s ingenious use of his blanket, marveling at the incredible power of human instinct. It was astonishing how, even unconscious, Tae-young managed to find a position that allowed him to sleep comfortably.

Suddenly, a suspicion dawned on Yeon-ho: could Tae-young have been the one who turned off his phone?

Yeon-ho wasn’t someone who easily heard his alarms. He might let them blare repeatedly, but he never actually turned his phone off.

Of course, he might have exceptionally turned it off just for today, but it was more rational to suspect Tae-young than to assume he’d done something entirely out of character.

‘So, I’m late because of him?’

Yeon-ho glared at Tae-young’s back with an disapproving gaze. However, he quickly withdrew his irreverent stare, reminding himself that the owner of that back was the very patron who had transferred 200 to his account.

‘Where did I put the key?’

Yeon-ho spent more time than anticipated searching for the scooter key. His concentration was shattered by constantly glancing at Tae-young’s back, afraid of waking him.

Tae-young’s back, devoid of any excess fat and sculpted purely with muscle, brought to mind a marble sculpture displayed in an art gallery. Yeon-ho felt an urge to run his hand over it, then vigorously shook his head.

‘Don’t do this. It’s Han Tae-young, of all people. Get a grip.’

Yeon-ho decided to forget the scooter key for now and simply leave his house as quickly as possible. He thought it best to linger at Moonlight Flower until Tae-young departed for Elysium.

“Why are you pacing back and forth so much?”

A deeply slumbering Tae-young’s voice drifted from behind him as Yeon-ho put on his sneakers.

“You’re awake?”

“Yeah. Thanks to someone.”

Tae-young rolled onto his back, facing the ceiling, and let out a long, heavy sigh.

“Sorry. I’m leaving now, so it won’t be noisy anymore.”

“Leaving where?”

“Moonlight Flower. I have some business there and need to pick up my scooter.”

“Who asked you that?”

Tae-young looked bewildered, then sat up.

“Then what were you asking? You said, ‘Leaving where?'”

“I wasn’t asking about your destination… Ugh, my head.”

Tae-young cut himself off mid-sentence, clutching his head. It seemed the hangover that had somewhat subsided during his sleep was now surging back.

“Want some water?”

“Yeah.”

Tae-young, sitting cross-legged, pressed his temples as he responded. Seeing that he could barely lift his head, his headache must have been severe. Yeon-ho took off his sneakers, stepped back inside, and retrieved a bottle of water from the refrigerator.

He hesitated for a moment, wondering whether to open it for him, then decided, ‘Since he’s my benefactor,’ and twisted the cap open before handing it over.

“Room service?”

Tae-young chuckled incredulously, taking the water bottle. His lips, slightly swollen and plumper than usual, enveloped the clear plastic bottle.

Yeon-ho watched the water rapidly diminish, like water filling a parched field, and Tae-young’s throat bobbing up and down. He then abruptly turned his head away.

“…I paid 200 for the room, so I should at least do this much.”

“Before you flaunt your ‘service,’ how about getting the basics right? What’s so great about waking someone up entirely?”

Tae-young wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, grumbling. Yeon-ho silently cursed him as a nuisance but quickly changed the subject, fearing Tae-young might demand his money back.

“I’ll go get you a hangover remedy.”

“Not a hangover remedy, honey water.”

Tae-young shook the last drops of water onto his tongue, his bottle completely empty. Yeon-ho, thinking ‘he’s so demanding,’ slipped his feet back into his sneakers.

“It’ll take about ten minutes to go and come back. The bathroom’s over there, so if you want to wash up, go ahead.”

“The room’s tiny; I don’t need you to tell me where the bathroom is.”

‘What a rude way to speak. He never says anything nicely.’

Yeon-ho grumbled as he descended the stairs, recalling how Tae-young had mingled and joked with his peers among the staff at yesterday’s drinking gathering. It was the first time he’d seen Tae-young act so affable.

He had smiled readily, skillfully deflected awkward or uncomfortable topics, and happily posed for photos.

Yeon-ho stopped abruptly on the villa stairs, which smelled musty due to the lack of light. The suspicion he’d harbored since riding the staff bus yesterday burst forth.

“Is he only being obnoxious to me?”

‘No, that can’t be it.’

Yeon-ho shook his head and continued down the stairs. If Tae-young truly had a good personality, he wouldn’t have been plagued by personality controversies since his debut.

‘Then what did I see yesterday? Was he just in an unusually good mood because of the alcohol?’

‘Indeed, some people become strangely more sociable when they’ve had a drink.’

Attributing everything to alcohol brought him a sense of ease. Yeon-ho descended the hill with light steps, exiting the villa.

Upon arriving at the convenience store, Yeon-ho grabbed a hangover remedy and honey water. Tae-young had said only honey water, but his opinion might change if a hangover remedy was right in front of him.

‘Did I get everything?’

Feeling as if he’d forgotten something, he circled the convenience store once. He suddenly remembered hearing that chocolate milk was also good for hangovers.

Yeon-ho grabbed a basket and picked up a mint chocolate flavored milk from the dairy section. Though he hadn’t bought it with his own money recently, he used to always grab this milk when he stopped by a convenience store.

He wasn’t fond of chocolate because of its sweetness, but the mint flavor suppressed the sweetness of the chocolate milk, allowing him to enjoy the chocolate taste without it being overwhelming.

‘Will he need underwear too?’

Yeon-ho paused in front of the daily necessities aisle. He didn’t know if Tae-young would shower before leaving, but if he did, he would need underwear. He added underwear to his basket, thinking he could always return it if Tae-young didn’t use it.

Returning to the rooftop room, he found it empty, with the sound of water running from the bathroom. Yeon-ho thought he’d done well to buy underwear, and he placed the underwear and a towel in a bag.

“I’ve hung the towel and underwear on the doorknob.”

“Uh-huh.”

A voice laced with annoyance mixed with the sound of water. Yeon-ho thought, ‘At least he answered,’ and began tidying up the room. He also picked up Tae-young’s clothes, shook them out, and sprayed them with fabric freshener. He wished he had sprayed them when Tae-young had first discarded his clothes, but it was too late now.

Meanwhile, Tae-young’s phone was constantly accumulating messages. Although it was set to silent, so no sound was emitted, the screen flashed with each new message, drawing Yeon-ho’s gaze.

[Oppa, did you get home safely? I’m worried because you drank so much. Please reply to confirm you’re okay.]

[Why are you so interesting? Tae-young, talking to you in person completely changes your image. Let’s hang out again sometime.]

[Thank you so much for listening to my worries. Could you give me relationship advice again if you have time?]

[We ate so much meat yesterday, thank you! But it’s a bit disappointing it wasn’t beef lol]

[Have a delicious lunch, Hyung-nim! See you at the filming set later.]

Many people had sent messages, but the content was largely similar. And every single one subtly flirted with Tae-young, their true intentions practically leaping off the screen.

‘Is he the type to give a lot of leeway?’

If not just one or two, but several people were openly flirting like this, it suggested a problem with Tae-young’s conduct. He was the type to easily lead others on; the rumors of his promiscuity weren’t baseless, Yeon-ho realized.

After tidying the entire room, Yeon-ho went up to the rooftop to sort recyclables. Owner Yang called him midway, so he stopped crushing a plastic bottle and answered the phone.

“Yes, Owner. Did you return from the funeral home yesterday without any issues?”

– “Yeah, kid. You said you stopped by our store yesterday. I checked the backroom, and it looks like there’s something you’re looking for. Is it the bag labeled ‘Da Capo’?”

“Yes, that’s right! I’ll come pick it up soon.”

Yeon-ho replied, thinking he could go when Tae-young left.

– “Okay, I’ll leave it at the counter, so come whenever. And the scooter parked outside the store, is that yours too? Not using it today?”

“No, it just happened that way. I’ll pick up the scooter when I go for the bag.”

Ending the call, Yeon-ho felt as light as if he’d dropped a heavy burden and entered the room. Coincidentally, Tae-young had also finished showering and was out in the room.

“…!”

Yeon-ho was about to ask Tae-young if he was done showering but turned away as if he’d seen something he shouldn’t have.

He had expected Tae-young to at least be wearing underwear, but Tae-young was standing, with only a towel wrapped around his waist, looking at the whiteboard on the wall. On the whiteboard were Yeon-ho’s family photos, various receipts, and a repair shop business card.

“Does the underwear not fit?”

Yeon-ho asked, his back to Tae-young.

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know? You didn’t try them on?”

“Of course not. How could I wear such cheap stuff?”

‘He didn’t wear them because they’re ‘cheap,’ not because they don’t fit?’

It was such an absurd answer that Yeon-ho inadvertently turned around.

However, Tae-young had somehow closed the distance and was now right in front of him. Even considering the small room, the space between them had vanished too quickly.

‘Is he trying to pick a fight?’

Yeon-ho tensed his body as if preparing for a surprise attack. Yet, strangely, strength kept draining from him. The faint scent of soap emanating from Tae-young bothered him. It was the same scent as the soap he usually used, but the impression was entirely different.

“…Why are you picking a fight?”

“I haven’t picked a fight yet.”

“If you’re not trying to pick a fight, then back off a little. Are you doing this on purpose to intimidate me?”

“You talk as if I’m some kind of villain.”

“Of course! From my perspective, you’re the universe’s greatest villain, you jerk.”

“Universe’s greatest villain?”

Tae-young furrowed his brows. His reaction was as if he’d heard a word that triggered a memory.

“Are you offended?”

Tae-young paused in thought, then, with a look that suggested ‘no, it can’t be,’ he took a deep breath.

“I’m not offended; I just thought you used a very old-fashioned expression. Our generation doesn’t really use words like that.”

‘Was he indirectly calling my expression childish?’

Yeon-ho felt a needless embarrassment and said defensively, “I used it a lot when I was little. It’s a nostalgic expression.”

He used it often in ‘Ping Pong Star.’ But to someone who hadn’t seen that drama, it would naturally feel unfamiliar, even if they were the same age. And Tae-young didn’t seem like the type to watch children’s dramas.

“Well, let’s assume that’s the case.”

Tae-young shrugged and brought up another topic.

“You have a license, right? Not just a motorcycle license.”

“I do, but why?”

“You need to be my road manager today, and it would be a problem if you didn’t.”

“…Road manager?”

“Go get my car from the café and drive a bit for me. I feel like I’ll cause an accident if I get behind the wheel today because of this hangover.”