However, Doh Yihyun had asked out of genuine curiosity. If anything, Seo Jeongun had a tendency to overcomplicate everything.
“Are you flirting with me right now?”
Seo Jeongun deliberately tilted his head, looking up at him.
Doh Yihyun blinked slowly. It felt a little strange to look down at him with just his eyes instead of tilting his head back like usual.
“I’m not.”
“Then is it just coming out naturally?”
It didn’t seem like Seo Jeongun had any intention of answering this time either. Ignoring his riddle, Doh Yihyun drank some water.
Having achieved his purpose, he quickly turned to go back to his room. But Seo Jeongun suddenly stepped in front of him, blocking his path.
“Want a snack?”
Doh Yihyun didn’t like eating outside of regular meals. He wasn’t fond of sweets either.
But the word “snack” suddenly made his mouth feel empty.
“…What do you have?”
“Anything you want. Just say the word.”
Seo Jeongun whispered softly, smiling with his eyes as if in an unusually good mood.
‘Anything I want…’
He had spent nearly two months searching for something he could eat, so being told to choose what he wanted felt strange. And the fact that he could eat without gagging at the thought of food felt just as unfamiliar.
“I want cake. Something with a lot of whipped cream.”
After a brief moment of thought, Doh Yihyun decided quickly. He didn’t know why something he had never touched before suddenly appealed to him.
“That’s unexpected. Sure. You’ll want something to drink too, right? Americano—”
Mid-sentence, Seo Jeongun suddenly shut his mouth.
Come to think of it, there had been a time when Doh Yihyun had pushed away the iced Americano Seo Jeongun offered because of nausea. Since then, he hadn’t been able to drink it at all, but today, it felt like he could swallow it without any issue.
“Decaf, please.”
“…Alright. Wait over there.”
Seo Jeongun answered in a noticeably calmer tone, gesturing toward a glass wall and a small table beside it.
Sitting on the chair and looking outside, Doh Yihyun soon found three slices of cake and two iced Americanos placed in front of him.
Even with the cake right in front of him, he instinctively reached for the Americano first.
Each slice of cake was different. One was layered with soft sponge and neatly spread whipped cream, one was topped with bright red strawberries, and one was covered in thick ganache.
“Enjoy.”
When Doh Yihyun glanced around, Seo Jeongun handed him a fork. There was only one. Despite being the one who suggested the snack, Seo Jeongun didn’t seem to have any intention of eating.
Doh Yihyun lightly scooped just the whipped cream with the tip of the fork and tasted it. He had expected it to be overly sweet, but the cream melted smoothly in his mouth, rich and sweet.
He ended up finishing all three slices of cake by himself.
Even while Doh Yihyun was completely absorbed in the cake, Seo Jeongun continued to observe him.
That persistent gaze should have been uncomfortable, yet strangely, it wasn’t all that bothersome.
‘I’m full.’
Since becoming pregnant, his tightly wound nerves had loosened slightly.
Whenever he was with Seo Jeongun, his body felt at ease, and even the time spent together felt comfortable. It must have been his brain playing tricks on him.
Still, he couldn’t afford to be confused. Doh Yihyun steadied himself.
Beep— Beep— Beep—
The monotonous alarm disturbed Doh Yihyun’s deep sleep.
“…Haa…”
He raised his arm to cover his eyes and let out a long breath. He needed to get up, but his body felt heavy, like waterlogged cotton.
Come to think of it, it had been a while since he last heard an alarm. Ever since becoming pregnant, he had been waking up far earlier than the set time due to restless sleep.
‘When did I fall asleep yesterday…’
“Yihyun, are you going back to sleep?”
As he tried to trace back his hazy memory, a now-familiar voice broke through his thoughts. When he opened his eyes, Seo Jeongun was sitting on the edge of the bed.
For some reason, Seo Jeongun was already dressed neatly in a muted purple suit this early in the morning.
‘Isn’t that uncomfortable?’
There wasn’t even anyone to impress. Dressing up like a peacock this early felt like a waste of time.
Doh Yihyun glanced toward the wide window, where the bright morning sun scattered light. The sea, which had blended into the sky last night, now shimmered in vivid blue.
‘…He does look flashy.’
People often said that you eventually grew immune to good looks if you saw them often. On the contrary, because of his face recognition impairment, Doh Yihyun had finally begun to understand why everyone at the company made such a fuss over Seo Jeongun.
“Surprised I look good even in the morning?”
Seo Jeongun leaned forward, bracing himself against the bed. Smiling brightly, he shone as vividly as the sunlight scattering across the sea.
If anything, “beautiful” suited him better than “handsome.” Though with his tall frame and straight nose, no one would mistake him for a woman.
“Why are you in my room?”
Doh Yihyun glared at him without getting up. He had no intention of forcing his heavy body to move just to be polite. After all, Seo Jeongun was the one who had entered his room without permission.
“I came to wake you. I just got here. But even when you wake up, your voice sounds nice.”
“I’m awake, so please leave.”
Still clutching the blanket, Doh Yihyun glared at him as he dismissed him.
He was fully dressed in the pajamas Seo Jeongun had prepared along with the suits. If he had had a habit of sleeping naked, this would have been a problem.
“Mm, come out for breakfast.”
Seo Jeongun left without resistance. He would stubbornly insist on strange things, yet withdraw without hesitation at moments Doh Yihyun didn’t expect.
‘What a strange person.’
Only then did Doh Yihyun push back his messy hair and slowly sit up.
He had tried not to show any weakness so Seo Jeongun wouldn’t cling to him, yet since yesterday, he had already exposed himself twice in a defenseless state. Today, Seo Jeongun had even barged into his private space.
He should have felt irritated, but just like yesterday, he didn’t feel much resistance.
After finishing a quick shower, Doh Yihyun took out a navy suit from the dressing room. He had half expected it not to fit, but it fit perfectly, as if it had been tailored for him. It was comfortable too.
‘How did he know my size?’
Tilting his head slightly, Doh Yihyun put on the vest over his shirt.
After a moment of thought, he left the tie and jacket behind and stepped out. Dressing fully would feel like he was matching Seo Jeongun, and that didn’t sit well with him.
“As expected, it suits you well.”
Sitting at the table with a cup of coffee, Seo Jeongun looked him over from head to toe with a gentle gaze, a faint smile forming on his lips.
Doh Yihyun gave a casual nod and sat down. Seo Jeongun slid the menu placed in the hotel room toward him.