[Hyung. I sent that last one by mistake. I was texting someone else and got confused]

[I'll be there around 7. Take your time eating and wait for me]

[I won't be late]

[See you soon]

Before I could even reply, Jeong Haejun sent a series of messages, as if he had realized his mistake.

[It happens. Got it, see you later]

I replied, trying my best to shake off the uneasy feeling. Whatever Jeong Haejun was doing behind my back, as long as it didn't involve me, there was no need for me to worry about it.

[Yes^^]

Perhaps flustered by the mistake, he sent back a reply containing a smiling-eye emoticon—something I had never seen from him before.

“Your food is ready, enjoy your meal.”

As I stared at the messages for a long while, still feeling somewhat unsettled, the food I ordered arrived. Only then did I take my eyes off the phone screen and pick up my chopsticks.

By the time I finished my meal and returned home, it was almost 7 o'clock, the time Jeong Haejun said he would arrive. After doing a bit more organizing, I was spacing out from exhaustion when the phone rang exactly at 7.

“Hello.”

-

You're home, right?

“Yeah.”

-

I've arrived. Do you have a lot of luggage?

“Not really.”

-

Got it. The alley is narrow, so I can't drive all the way in. I'll park first and then come over. Let's move your things together.

“Okay.”

I stopped spacing out and stood up. There were about two large boxes, and since I had packed the smaller items in a bag, I didn't have much. It would have been difficult if I had many books, but the only books I owned were school textbooks, all of which were in my school locker.

Just as I had moved everything near the entryway to make leaving easier, I heard a couple of knocks on the front door.

“Come in, the door is open.”

At my words, the door opened and Jeong Haejun appeared. As he stepped inside, the house felt suffocatingly small, even though only one more person had entered.

“Is this all your stuff?”

“Yeah, not much, right?”

“I guess so. But is all of this necessary?”

“Ah, just things I use.”

“Let's just throw most of it away. You can just buy new daily necessities.”

After glancing around the house, Jeong Haejun spoke with a dissatisfied look in his eyes.

“I didn't know the house was like this. How did you live here?”

It seemed unbelievable to Jeong Haejun that I had lived in a place like this. He even openly frowned upon discovering the black mold covering the walls.

“Just take the things you absolutely cannot do without. No, actually, it's better to just throw everything away.”

My nonexistent pride took a hit at Jeong Haejun's behavior, which clearly showed his intention of not wanting to bring anything dirty into his own home. But there was nothing I could do. I was the one asking for a favor, and I had no choice but to bow to him. Moreover, it stung even more because I couldn't even say his reaction was unreasonable.

“Then just some clothes.”

“You can just buy clothes too.”

“Ah...”

“I'll buy them for you.”

“Ah, no. Why would you? You don't have to go that far.”

“Since I'm doing a good deed anyway, I might as well do it properly. Shall we head out? I don't think there's any benefit to staying here long.”

After scanning the house I had lived in with a frown one last time, Jeong Haejun finished speaking and left the house first. I watched his back as he walked out the door with a quick pace, as if he were escaping, and then looked at the luggage I had spent the day struggling to pack.

Even if there were no expensive or high-quality items, it felt strange to throw away everything I had used up until now all at once. Once this house is demolished, every trace of my life here will vanish. Thinking that, this wretched place I had wanted so badly to escape suddenly felt like somewhere I might miss one day.

“Yiwon-hyung, hurry up and come out.”

I heard Jeong Haejun urging me from outside. I swallowed the strange bitterness rising in my throat and left the house with nothing but a single backpack on my shoulders.

We walked side by side to the entrance of the alley where Jeong Haejun's car was parked. I climbed into the passenger seat out of habit. The luxury seats wrapped softly around my hips and back, making me feel comfortable.

The car started smoothly and silently. As the car glided forward, the shabby neighborhood I had lived in receded into the distance. I had known I would be leaving eventually, but perhaps because I was leaving so abruptly, as if fleeing in the middle of the night, my heart felt restless.

“Is it far?”

“Where? My house?”

Jeong Haejun, who was driving, answered my question immediately.

“Yeah.”

“It doesn't take that long by car.”

“And from school?”

“School is manageable by car, but public transport... I don't know. I've never been to school using that kind of transport.”

If it was further than where I originally lived, I would have to cut back on sleep. Still, I figured that not being thrown out onto the street was a win, so I replied with a nod.

“Do you want to listen to some music?”

“Sure.”

As Jeong Haejun operated the audio with one hand, music soon filled the car.

“But how did you even think of contacting me?”

“I didn't have anywhere else to turn.”

“What about your friends?”

“Not really.”

Honestly, this would be a difficult request even between close friends, but there was no such tension coming from Jeong Haejun. On the contrary, he seemed quite pleased. I wondered if something happy had happened to him before he came here.

“Anyway, thanks for helping me. I'll help with the housework as much as I can and try not to be a burden while I'm there.”

“You don't need to do that. A cleaning lady comes anyway, and I hardly ever eat at home. Just make yourself comfortable while you're there.”

“I'll still do whatever I can. You even introduced me to the tutoring job. I'm receiving a lot of help from you lately.”

“I guess so. I'm happy to be of help to you, Hyung.”

At this point, it was hard to judge whether Jeong Haejun was genuinely kind or not. Regardless, what was certain was that I was now irrevocably in a subordinate position to him. Pride aside, I had no choice but to adapt to Jeong Haejun for the time being in order to survive.

“I was actually feeling a bit lonely living alone lately. This worked out well.”

“What about your family?”

“They're at my parents' house.”

“Did you start living alone when you entered college?”

“No, even before that. It's suffocating living with family. They hover too much.”

Jeong Haejun tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. The movement synced perfectly with the rhythm of the music playing in the car.

“Did you leave something you were doing because of me?”

I asked, suddenly remembering that the surroundings had been noisy when I called him earlier.

“Actually, I have to head back out after dropping you off.”

“Ah, really? Sorry.”

“It's fine. It was a pointless gathering anyway. But it's a bit rude to just ignore it, so I'm going to go back for a bit to wrap things up.”

While we talked, the car left the open road and entered a quiet alley. The atmosphere was different from where Choi Jung-seo lived. While Choi Jung-seo's neighborhood consisted mostly of detached houses, the area where Jeong Haejun lived was dominated by officetels.

Soon, Jeong Haejun's car passed through the security system and descended into the parking lot of a mixed-use officetel building. The parking alarm rang loudly.

Numbers were written on the parking lot floor, indicating assigned spots. Without checking other empty spaces, Jeong Haejun habitually parked in the widest spot.

The moment the engine turned off, it felt as if all the noise was being sucked into a black hole. Jeong Haejun stepped out of the car, and I followed.

“It opens with vein recognition, so tell the management office to add yours later. Until then, you can use the key card. It should be somewhere in the house if you look for it.”

I thought the lock on the glass door leading from the parking lot into the building looked unusual, and then Jeong Haejun spoke as he placed the back of his hand against it.

“The house is on the 24th floor.”

Jeong Haejun told me the floor as he entered the elevator. The elevator ascended rapidly to the 24th floor without stopping once. It was the fastest elevator I had ever ridden.

Just as awkwardness began to wash over me from being in a cramped, enclosed space alone with Jeong Haejun, we arrived at the 24th floor. There were only two units per floor, with one front door at each end of the hallway.

Jeong Haejun headed toward one of them. I quickly looked up to check the unit number.

“The passcode is 7422.”

Beep-beep-beep-beep.

Jeong Haejun entered the passcode quickly. A cheerful mechanical sound echoed through the hallway with every press of the keypad.

“7422.”

I repeated the passcode aloud to memorize it.

“Yes, easy, right? I hate things that are tedious, so I chose something easy to type.”

“Yeah.”

“What about you, Hyung? Do you tend to assign meaning to small things? Like a birthday, or a number associated with someone you like.”

Caught off guard by the unexpected question, I stammered a reply that I wasn't really like that.

“Me neither.”

After that bland answer that left me tilting my head, the door finally opened and I stepped into Jeong Haejun's home. With its pristine white marble floors, the house felt more like a well-maintained luxury hotel room than a living space.

As Jeong Haejun passed the shoe rack and entered the house, the curtains opened automatically, revealing a stunning night view.

“The guest room is further inside, so you can use that room.”

While all of this was breathtakingly surprising to me, it seemed to be just another ordinary part of daily life for Jeong Haejun, as he didn't even glance toward the night view. I simply replied that I understood while looking where he had nonchalantly pointed.

“Feel free to look around the house. I'll be heading out for a bit.”

“Uh, okay.”

“Get some rest.”

Jeong Haejun said, facing me as I stood there slightly dazed. I only nodded in response. He immediately turned around and headed back toward the front door.

“I'll be back.”

“Yeah.”

A moment later, the door opened with the sound of the lock releasing. As Jeong Haejun stepped out, the door closed, leaving me alone in the vast house I had visited for the first time.

The first thing I did once I was alone was flop down onto the living room sofa. Through the balcony window, a city night view unfolded—the kind of view people would pay to see.

So, people actually live in places like this. Seeing it with my own eyes, I now understood the reaction Jeong Haejun had when he visited my place, which was barely even worth calling a house.

After admiring the night view for a long time, I picked up the remote from the table in front of the sofa and turned on the TV. Since I had lived without a TV while living alone, it had been years since I'd watched one inside a home.

Soon, the noise from the TV filled the silent house. With the TV on, it finally felt a bit more like a home where people lived.

I slowly stood up. Since the owner had given me permission to look around, I intended to explore. First, I headed toward the guest room where I would be staying for the time being. The guest room was located behind the living room wall.

“Wow.”

As soon as I opened the door, an exclamation I had been holding back escaped my lips. It was called a guest room, but it was a space where one could handle almost everything without even leaving the room. Not only was there a pristine white bed, but a TV—smaller than the one in the living room—was mounted on the wall opposite the bed. There was also a desk in front of a large window that took up half the wall.

I slowly entered the room. There was a door to the left as soon as I entered; opening it revealed a bathroom. The wall with the mounted TV consisted of built-in closets on both sides, excluding the space for the TV. Although there were no clothes yet, opening them revealed enough storage space for one person.

After looking around the room to some extent, I tossed my bag to one side and dove straight onto the bed, spreading my limbs wide. It felt like I had fallen onto a cloud. The sound of the TV I had left on in the living room drifted in from afar. I felt as if I could fall asleep right then and there if I just closed my eyes.

I resisted the urge to drift off and pushed myself up. I stepped back out of the room and looked around the entire house. It seemed true that he didn't cook much at home; there wasn't a trace of moisture on the sink, and the kitchen was so clean it looked like it had never been used.

Even though it wasn't my house, I excitedly explored here and there, but then a worry suddenly struck me: if I lived in a place like this and then returned to a place that suited my actual status, would I even be able to adapt? However, that worry was short-lived; I soon decided to just enjoy the moment, as this was all like a midsummer night's dream.

“Ah, I'm tired.”

I explored every corner of the house except for a few rooms. There were a few more doors that looked like bedrooms, but since I didn't know which one was Jeong Haejun's, I couldn't open them recklessly.

I sat back down on the living room sofa. The TV was showing a clip saying the 9 o'clock news would start soon.

I hadn't actually done much today, yet my body was exhausted. It wasn't even 9 yet. Should I just go to sleep early? In any case, there was no telling when Jeong Haejun would return. He mentioned a gathering, and if it was with friends, he probably wouldn't come home early since it was the weekend.

I turned off the TV and headed to the guest room where I would be staying.

[Sorry, but do you happen to have a new toothbrush? I'm tired, so I think I'll sleep early]

As soon as I entered the room, I lay on the bed and sent a message to Jeong Haejun. Just as he had said, since I had thrown everything away and come with only one bag, I had nothing. Not even a toothbrush. Contrary to my expectation that his reply would be late since he was meeting other people, he checked the message quite quickly.

[There are new toothbrushes on the shelf in the large bathroom outside the guest room. Use one of those. Also, opposite that bathroom is the dressing room; in the first and second drawers on the left as you enter, there's underwear. Use the ones that are still in their packaging. You can wear any clothes that look comfortable]

I had only asked about a toothbrush, but Jeong Haejun sent a detailed list of everything I might need, as if he had entered my mind. Thanks to that, there was no need for further questions.

[Yeah, thanks]

[Are you going to sleep right after washing up?]

[I think so]

[Got it. I intended to leave early, but I think I'll be a bit late]

[Yeah, don't worry about me]

[Alright, get some rest]

Thinking that replying further to the closing message would only interfere with his fun, I put my phone down and headed to the dressing room.

As soon as I entered the room, there was a waist-high chest of drawers on the left, just as Jeong Haejun had said. When I opened the first drawer, new, unpackaged underwear was neatly arranged on one side. While the neatness was impressive, it felt like a sight devoid of any human touch.

Without hesitation, I took the underwear from the very front and closed the drawer. Then, from the rack where clothes were hung by type, I took a basic white short-sleeved T-shirt and training pants and headed straight to the bathroom.

The bathroom was also devoid of a single strand of hair. It seemed the cleaning lady had visited before Jeong Haejun and I arrived. Otherwise, such cleanliness was inexplicable. I searched for the shelf to get the toothbrush, but there was nothing that looked like a shelf except for the inside of the shower booth.

Just in case, I tried sliding the mirror above the sink to the side. As expected, the mirror slid, revealing a shelf. There, just as Jeong Haejun had mentioned, were new toothbrushes. Just as I picked one up and was about to close the door, I accidentally knocked over an item next to the box of toothbrushes.

“Ah.”

Something spilled out in abundance from the small box that had fallen to the bathroom floor.

“What is this...”

Wondering what it was, I crouched down to examine the items. They were condoms. I was slightly flustered, but since it was an item that could easily be in an adult male's home, I simply tidied them up, put them back where they belonged, and left the bathroom.

Still, the fact that he stocked them up like that meant he had plenty of opportunities to use them. I found it a bit curious since I had never heard any rumors about Jeong Haejun having a partner. Well, it was a personal matter, so it wasn't for me to worry about.

Clutching the items I had acquired as if completing a game quest, I went straight into my room's bathroom. After brushing my teeth and showering, I stepped out feeling refreshed and immediately got dressed.

Jeong Haejun must have some kind of mysophobia, as the clothes smelled of fabric softener as if they had just been washed. Usually, it's a relief if boys don't smell musty, but Jeong Haejun was not like ordinary boys. While it was likely due to the cleaning lady's management, he seemed to be fundamentally a clean person.

Even in the short moment between leaving the bathroom and heading toward the bed, the slightly long pants felt cumbersome. Eventually, after nearly tripping over the hem, I just climbed into the covers without taking them off. Since I had already told him I was going to sleep, there was no way Jeong Haejun would enter the room.

As I peeled back the duvet—which felt as if it had just been dried in the sun, without a hint of dampness—and sank into the bed that seemed to absorb my body, sleep washed over me as if it had been waiting. With the thought that I had never slept in such a comfortable bed before, I drifted straight into unconsciousness.