Chapter 52: A Lighthouse in the Storm

“What do you mean, ‘nothing’s wrong’?”

His voice, suddenly lowered, held no discernible emotion. Yoonwoo, startled, gazed up at Yeon-chae.

Yeon-chae was clearly upset. Yet, Yoonwoo couldn’t pinpoint the reason, leaving him utterly bewildered. He lowered his eyes, unsure what to do, then mumbled a soft reply.

“I just… I thought it would be good if you got along with your friends, since we can’t always be together forever, you know…”

No answer came. Yeon-chae simply stood there, silently, his gaze fixed on Yoonwoo with an unreadable expression.

The breeze brushing against Yoonwoo’s cheek had grown noticeably warmer. Late spring was fading. Yet, Yeon-chae’s soft scent, carried on the wind, filled the air so completely that it still felt like the heart of a blooming spring. The vibrant floral fragrance enveloped Yoonwoo.

“That’s right.”

Finally, Yeon-chae’s lips parted. His low voice was slightly hoarse.

“Even so, you’re by my side right now.”

“Yeon-chae.”

“While you’re here, Hyung, I want to do well. Can’t I?”

“……”

‘What did the baby in his belly mean to Yeon-chae?’ Yoonwoo suddenly pondered.

Nothing had been decided beyond the choice to have the baby. Not where they would raise it, nor who would care for it.

And what would become of them after the baby was born?

Perhaps he had been unconsciously pushing Yeon-chae away all this time. It seemed he had been thinking that once the baby was born and Yoonwoo graduated, there would no longer be a place for Yeon-chae in Yoonwoo’s life. It was a habit Yoonwoo possessed—always envisioning the worst-case scenario.

So, he had gradually distanced himself from Yeon-chae, imagining a future where it was just him and the baby, without another father.

‘What will you do on your own if I’m not here?’

The worried joke he’d offered Yeon-chae with a smile was, perhaps, a concern directed at himself.

“I’m sorry. I was only thinking of myself.”

“Hyung.”

“You’re the baby’s father too.”

It was Yoonwoo who had first tried to take Yeon-chae’s place, excusing himself by claiming it was for Yeon-chae’s own good.

“I guess I was a little scared.”

That was why he’d done it.

“Both you and I will eventually go our separate ways, and after that, I’ll be alone… I think that felt too vague and overwhelming.”

The baby would be born before long. It was truly a monumental event, enough to turn the world upside down.

“Don’t push me away, Hyung.”

Yeon-chae lowered his head, his forehead resting against Yoonwoo’s shoulder.

Yoonwoo carefully stroked Yeon-chae’s back with a hand that trembled faintly. His fingertips brushed against solid back muscles and prominent shoulder blades.

Yet, Yeon-chae wasn’t trembling. Yeon-chae’s body heat was warm, and the skin where they touched was soft. He extended his long arms and pulled Yoonwoo into an embrace, their chests pressing together, their heartbeats echoing out of sync.

Yoonwoo listened quietly to the rhythm against his ear. Surprisingly, his wavering heart found peace, and the tremors throughout his body gradually subsided. It was as if, adrift in a wandering storm, he had found a steadfast lighthouse beam.

There was no need to argue about whether Yeon-chae should be a kitchen assistant or not. The space for the pop-up pub was so small that the kitchen was only a few steps from the tables, and the cooking area was clearly visible.

“See? It’s right in front, so you’ll get plenty of pheromones while serving.”

Yoonwoo pointed first to the dining area and then to the kitchen, causing Yeon-chae to let out a long sigh.

“You were worried I’d do too much work, weren’t you, Hyung?”

“They say exercising a lot and moving around is good for when you give birth.”

“Labor and exercise are different.”

Yeon-chae retorted dismissively, yet still meticulously inspected the kitchen equipment.

Yoonwoo had come to scout the pub location with Yeon-chae to decide on a menu. Although Yeon-chae had been reluctantly coerced into being the one-day chef, once he started preparing, his expression was unexpectedly serious.

“Wouldn’t something like Kimchi Pancake be best?”

“That sounds complicated… Let’s pick something that doesn’t require too much effort.”

“It’s quick. If I just make the batter, Jooyoung can do the frying.”

“Really? Is it simple?”

“Yes. And I should make Stir-fried Udon too.”

“Oh? Two dishes?”

“I think it’ll suit your taste, Hyung. It would be nice to have a stew too. Shall we do Spicy Crab Stew?”

“What does my taste have to do with it… What? Hey, who serves Spicy Crab Stew at a festival’s pop-up pub!”

The scale kept expanding. Spicy Crab Stew? Yoonwoo didn’t know how much blue crab cost, but it sounded expensive. They wouldn’t even cover the ingredient costs at this rate.

However, Yeon-chae merely shrugged and replied casually.

“You like it, Hyung.”

“Me?”

Yoonwoo’s eyes widened. ‘Why am I being brought into this?’ As Yoonwoo, flustered, struggled to speak, Yeon-chae made the decision on his own.

“So, I’ll just make Spicy Crab Stew.”

“No, Yeon-chae…”

The three-year-old in him had emerged again. Yeon-chae sometimes became stubborn in the strangest ways. Yoonwoo tried to dissuade him with a troubled expression.

“Anyway, I can’t even eat it. I’ll be too busy serving to even think about food.”

“What? Really?”

“Uh-huh. All that food is for the customers. When would I eat it? Just make Spicy Crab Stew for me later, by yourself.”

Just as Yoonwoo was frantically grabbing at any excuse he could think of, Yeon-chae responded.

“Okay, then.”

“Hm?”

“When should I make the Spicy Crab Stew for you? Tomorrow? Today?”

“Hm?”

Yeon-chae answered instantly. He was swayed too easily, which only flustered Yoonwoo more. As Yoonwoo blinked, speechless, Yeon-chae, looking oddly pleased, whistled.

“Then we’ll have Spicy Crab Stew for dinner later, and for the pop-up pub, I’ll just buy some frozen mussels and make mussel soup. I’ll skip the Stir-fried Udon since it’s too much work.”

That was it. If Yoonwoo had gone as far as to say he didn’t even like Kimchi Pancake these days because it didn’t suit his taste, Yeon-chae seemed poised to remove that too, leaving only frozen mussel soup.

“Why do you, a Korean, dislike Kimchi Pancake?”

Seowoo tore a piece of Kimchi Pancake with his chopsticks, then took a large bite and mumbled the question. Yoonwoo glanced at his older brother, Seowoo, and snapped back.

“Swallow it before you talk. Don’t talk with your mouth full.”

“This is really delicious. Aren’t you going to eat it?”

“It’s spicy. It upsets my stomach.”

“It’s not even Cheongyang chili pepper; why are you calling kimchi spicy?”

“Kimchi Pancake isn’t what’s important right now!”

“It’s just so strange that you dislike Kimchi Pancake.”

Yoonwoo had visited Seowoo’s newlywed home and inadvertently brought up Yeon-chae’s story. He recounted how he’d tried to stop Yeon-chae from serving Spicy Crab Stew, almost resulting in the entire menu disappearing. In the end, Yeon-chae had initially planned to offer only Kimchi Pancake and frozen Mussel Soup but finally decided to buy a frozen mixed seafood pack and add Seafood and Green Onion Pancake. The long, arduous menu selection process had finally concluded.

While Yoonwoo was relaying this, Seowoo, who had been listening intently while patting the bottom of a dozing baby in his arms, offered only one reaction: “I want Kimchi Pancake.”

Sihyung, who had been peeling an apple nearby, heard this, rose silently, whipped up a Kimchi Pancake, then took the baby to put them to sleep and disappeared into the bedroom. Yoonwoo had been in the middle of elaborating on Yeon-chae’s menu selection journey when, suddenly, only a half-eaten apple and a plate of Kimchi Pancake remained on the table.

“I said I don’t like Kimchi Pancake. I’m the guest, after all…”

Yoonwoo mumbled with a wronged expression, simply staring at Seowoo, who was busily devouring the Kimchi Pancake. Seowoo, still inhaling the pancake, glanced at Yoonwoo.

“But you used to eat Kimchi Pancake just fine before.”

“Huh?”

‘Did I eat Kimchi Pancake well?’ He pondered, rummaging through his memories. Seowoo looked puzzled.

“You like Spicy Chicken Feet, but Kimchi Pancake is too spicy?”

“Ah… I guess so.”

Come to think of it, Yoonwoo had never been particularly picky about food. This was also the first time he’d thought a dish was spicy.

“Maybe my taste buds have changed. I don’t think I could eat Spicy Chicken Feet either.”

He murmured, recalling the spicy and salty taste of chicken feet. In the meantime, Seowoo, who had finished one Kimchi Pancake and was tearing into a second, said with a laugh,

“Why are you acting like someone who’s pregnant?”

“Uh… huh?”

“That’s how I was when I was carrying Eun-hyung. Things I used to eat well suddenly made me sick just thinking about them. Or I’d crave something, but then couldn’t eat it when it was brought to me.”

“Oh…”

“But are you feeling sick? Why do you look so pale?”

“No, no, I’m not.”

Cold sweat broke out spontaneously. He knew he’d have to tell Seowoo someday, but being suddenly hit so squarely on the mark made Yoonwoo feel like he had indigestion from the Kimchi Pancake he hadn’t even eaten. Seowoo was often oblivious, yet sometimes his intuition was eerily spot-on.

“But… he’s not interested in you, is he?”

Of course, with that same intuition, he often poked around aimlessly and missed the mark spectacularly. Like this nonsense now. Yoonwoo shook his head with a bewildered expression.

“What are you talking about? It’s not like that.”

‘Besides, he already had someone else he liked.’ It had been surprising when he declared he had no intention of dating or marrying that person. Given his resolute stance, it truly seemed there was no possibility of things working out with Yoon-hyung. Perhaps Yoon-hyung was completely unaware of Yeon-chae’s feelings, or Yeon-chae had already been grandly rejected. Or, as he’d thought before, that person was dead… passed away… Or perhaps, were they married?

As Yoonwoo gathered all sorts of random thoughts, Seowoo’s suspicion continued.

“He’s not interested in you, but he’s only trying to make dishes you like?”

“That’s because I’m his…”

Yoonwoo almost blurted out, ‘He’s just accommodating me because I’m pregnant with his baby!’ He barely managed to clamp his lips shut before the truth could spill out.

“He, what?”

Seowoo narrowed his eyes, his gaze full of suspicion as he peered at Yoonwoo.