TTDOTO 6.5

As he did any other day, Jae-an stepped out of the restaurant with an Americano in hand after finishing his tutoring session. He was no longer afraid of passing the spot where he had once been cornered by Jang Han-seong. Now, he only feared Seo Jae-rim—the man who could erase someone from existence as if they had simply evaporated.

Walking slowly, Jae-an took a deep breath as he felt himself growing winded. In the past, a thirty-minute walk wouldn’t have even qualified as exercise, but after being confined to the house, his plummeted stamina hit rock bottom almost instantly. Unusually, sweat began to bead at the nape of his neck.

Yet, this sweat from walking was precious. It wasn’t the cold sweat he broke into while sleeping with Jae-rim or catering to his whims; perhaps that was why he felt so refreshed when he washed up after a stroll.

Jae-an, who had been moistening his throat with coffee, came to a halt when a repetitive voice reached his ears. A voice calling out, “Excuse me, excuse me,” had been drifting toward him, but he had vaguely assumed it was for someone else. It was only when the voice reached him directly that Jae-an turned his head.

“Ah, it’s been a while.”

The man panted, hands on his knees, as if he had been chasing Jae-an from a distance. Jae-an instinctively took a step back.

“Who…?”

The man flashed a flustered smile, seemingly not expecting to be unrecognized. He pointed a finger at the coffee Jae-an was holding and then at his own clothes.

“You spilled this on me before. Don’t you remember?”

“Oh.”

Only then did the blurry memory of the man’s face come into focus. He was the man in the white shirt from the restaurant. He had held back his friend, who had been fuming over coffee stains on his leather shoes, and had reacted gracefully to Seo Jae-rim’s borderline-rude handling of the situation, helping to thaw the frozen atmosphere. Realizing he resembled the silhouette in his hazy memory, Jae-an gave a belated bow.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t recognize you…”

“It’s okay. To be honest, I went back to the restaurant a few times after that, but our timing didn’t work out, so I couldn’t see you.”

The man’s eyes crinkled as he smiled, but Jae-an’s first instinct was defensive. Why is he trying to see me again? Jae-rim said he would take care of it…

“Are you here because of the compensation…?”

Before he could finish, the man stomped his feet and waved his hands dismissively. He jumped with such emphasis that it was clear how much he wanted to deny the suggestion.

“No! No, absolutely not. Actually, you looked so flustered that day that I couldn’t stop worrying about you. That’s why I went back, but you weren’t there… I was worried you might have been fired because of that incident.”

While Jae-an struggled to find a response, the man continued to chatter.

“I’m just glad that wasn’t the case. I saw you coming out of that restaurant again today.”

Realizing the man had mistaken him for an employee, Jae-an finally spoke up after a long silence.

“Ah… I’m not actually an employee there.”

“Really? The Sajangnim stepped in to resolve things, so I naturally assumed you were a staff member.”

Now that Seo Jae-rim had been mentioned, Jae-an bit his lip, wishing he had just pretended to be an employee. He needed to explain his relationship with Jae-rim, but for some reason, sweat began to trail down his back. Jae-an forced a smile, his lips trembling slightly.

“I’m an acquaintance.”

“I see.”

The man nodded lightly and, fortunately, didn’t pry further. Jae-an looked up at him. Standing under the direct, pouring sunlight, the man’s earlobes were slightly flushed. Perhaps because he was taking the sun’s glare head-on, he used one hand to shield his eyes. With his other hand, he gestured toward a nearby cafe.

“You didn’t get to finish your coffee last time because of me, right? I was hoping to buy you a drink.”

“No… it’s fine.”

Even at this very moment, Jae-an felt his precious free time slipping away. Every second of solitude was ticking down.

Seo Jae-rim had a rough estimate of how long it took for him to return home. He would notice immediately if Jae-an was late or diverted elsewhere. After all, Jae-rim had known exactly when Jae-an had returned twenty minutes late on the day he ran into Jang Han-seong. If he let this man take up too much of his time, he might have to sprint the rest of the way home.

Things had been peaceful lately, and he didn’t want to give Jae-rim an excuse to find fault. Jae-an, who wanted to be tamed before being broken, asked the man for his understanding.

“Um… if you’re finished with what you wanted to say, may I go?”

Before receiving an answer, Jae-an hurriedly moved his feet, but the man began to walk alongside him.

“In that case, could I at least get your number?”

“Why…?”

“Meeting like this again must be fate. It would be nice to grab a meal and be neighborhood friends.”

“…I’m alright.”

Jae-an, who had neither a number to give nor even a name he felt comfortable revealing, stopped and bowed once more. Seeing the rejection, the man opened his wallet and pulled a card from the storage slot.

“Then at least take this.”

What the man held out was a gift card for a coffee shop that could be used like cash.

“Please buy yourself a coffee later. I was truly sorry about that day.”

“…….”

“You can throw it away on your way if you want, but please just accept it. It’s so embarrassing having acted so familiar… I’ll leave once you take it.”

The man drooped his eyes, making a pitiful expression, and Jae-an eventually relented and took the card. However, a business card was tucked underneath the gift card.

“I think you gave me your business card by mistake, uh—”

At that moment, Jae-an stumbled. He was pushed forward by the weight of an arm draped over his shoulder. As soon as he caught the scent of a specific perfume, Jae-an realized the person holding him was Seo Jae-rim. Panic-stricken, Jae-an looked up.

Seo Jae-rim had a cigarette in his mouth. Letting a plume of smoke escape his lips, he moved the barely-lit cigarette to his fingers. He snatched the business card from Jae-an’s hand and ground the lit end into it. Jae-an watched as Jae-rim’s golden eyes leisurely scanned the name and title on the blackened card.

“I was wondering what kind of bug was pestering our Hyung to make him so late today…”

Jae-rim dropped both the card and the extinguished cigarette to the ground, then turned his gaze toward the man.

“It’s Yu Jong-uk… I see.”

A shadow fell over Jae-an’s face. He had been worried about explaining why he was late, but he had run into an even greater disaster.

Cold sweat broke out on his back.

He knew he had to stop Seo Jae-rim, but Jae-an was frozen, unable to think or move. That characteristic low voice—the kind that chilled one’s ears—was shackling his limbs.

The man, on the other hand, immediately showed his discomfort toward Seo Jae-rim.

“Excuse me? A-A bug? Are you talking about me?”

“Bugs are always drawn to things that are sweet and soft.”

“I don’t know why you’ve suddenly shown up to pick a fight, but I don’t think this is any of your business.”

The man was shorter than the 190cm-plus Seo Jae-rim, but he was still quite large. Standing between the two of them, Jae-an felt his entire body shrinking from the sheer pressure.

The man’s gaze instinctively shifted to Jae-an. In Jae-an’s pale, frozen expression, he discovered that same subtle sense of wrongness he had felt the day the coffee was spilled.

It was an expression that had weighed on his conscience for days. He didn’t know what Jae-an was so afraid of, but this ‘acquaintance’ was always present. The man spoke coldly to Seo Jae-rim.

“Don’t interfere and just go your own way.”

Judging by how he didn’t easily lose his temper at Jae-rim’s provocation, both now and at the restaurant, the man seemed to have a calm personality. Even after being called a bug, he was trying to assess the situation and respond rationally.

As if he found it boring to poke at such a man, Seo Jae-rim turned his head to look at Jae-an.

“Is it none of my business?”

“…….”

“I asked if it’s none of my business.”

Jae-an flinched, his fists clenching tight. When the answer didn’t come quickly enough, he heard Jae-rim let out a sigh. Making Jae-rim angrier would be disastrous for himself, and even worse for the innocent man in front of him.

“…No, it’s your business.”

A cracked voice escaped his throat. Seo Jae-rim had been rhythmically tapping Jae-an’s shoulder with his fingers, like he was playing piano keys. The pressure wasn’t heavy, but the spot felt like it was burning. The tapping stopped, and Seo Jae-rim replied with a pretty smile.

“Right. It’s not like we’re just acquaintances.”

Just how long had he been watching and listening? The moment Jae-rim emphasized the word ‘acquaintance,’ Jae-an’s heart plummeted. He shut his eyes tight.

“I was wrong.”

The apology flew out reflexively. But it seemed to be too late; Jae-rim didn’t respond. His face was now devoid of any trace of a smile as he stared silently, which was far more terrifying. Jae-an felt like he was stripped naked before a predator that was deciding which part of him to devour first.

Reading the strange atmosphere between the two and grasping the situation, the man grew more frantic as he looked at the deathly pale Jae-an. Just like last time, Jae-an’s expression, reaction, and even his breathing seemed far more unstable than expected. He felt compelled to defend Jae-an once more.

“Look, I think you’re misunderstanding something. I didn’t mean anything weird by it, I just wanted to be friends—”

“Shut the fuck up.”

In that instant, Seo Jae-rim spat out the curse in a savage voice and glared at the man. Unlike his earlier mocking facade, Jae-rim’s statue-like face was now filled with murderous intent.

The moment Jae-rim moved toward the man, Jae-an gasped and grabbed his scar-covered hand. Despite trembling, he desperately tried to hold Jae-rim back. Jae-rim came to a sudden halt and jerked his chin toward the man.

“It seems this bastard still doesn’t understand. I think I’ll have to kiss you for him to get the message.”

Jae-an looked up at Jae-rim, his eyes asking, ‘Here?’ As usual, Jae-rim’s mouth curved upward, but his eyes remained cold. The choice was already made. This was a moment where he had to take his punishment—either through violence or through shame.

Still holding Jae-rim’s hand, Jae-an hesitantly moved closer to him.

Just as he stood on his tiptoes to press his lips against Jae-rim’s sculpted cheek, Jae-rim turned his head further and captured Jae-an’s lips. When the startled Jae-an tried to pull back, Jae-rim’s hand gripped the back of his neck painfully.

“……!”