Kwon Sejin was looking at Cheon Sejoo with a triumphant expression, as if daring him to deny he was right. That smug confidence overflowing from such a pretty face left Sejoo deflated, and he simply stood up with a laugh.
"Anyway, just do as I say. Unless you want to see your mom crying her eyes out and suffering."
Even then, he didn’t forget to leave a snide remark behind. Ignoring Sejin’s furious glare, Cheon Sejoo headed to his room. No matter how rebellious he acted, Kwon Sejin would end up going to school. He was simpler than expected—it was almost cute. Thinking of Sejin going to school with a sullen look made Sejoo smile without realizing it.
***
Since the urgent issue had been resolved, there was no need to rush into the office.
Cheon Sejoo stayed pinned to his bed until the next day. As if it were his grave, he lay there with his back to the mattress, not moving an inch, as though the blanket and bedding were a coffin. Eventually, he went to the gym at dawn, then went back to sleep. When he emerged into the living room that afternoon, the house was silent. Sejin had probably gone to school.
Sejoo lazily grabbed some fruit rolling around in the fridge and crawled back into bed. Like someone with nothing to do but sleep, he wasted time with abandon. While dozing in and out, he heard a clattering sound from somewhere. His eyes opened slowly, and thinking it might be an intruder, he reached for a jackknife from the nightstand—but then remembered he had a housemate now, and left the bedroom empty-handed.
Rubbing his eyes, he spotted someone poking around the kitchen. Sejin was rifling through all the cabinets, clearly looking for something. Sejoo, dragging a hand down his still-sleepy face, stared at him for a moment before asking in a hoarse voice,
"What are you doing?"
Startled by the sudden voice, Sejin spun around. His hair was damp, as if he'd just showered, and his face looked even paler and softer than yesterday. He was striking—so much so it took Sejoo aback. He was practically glowing.
The T-shirt and shorts Sejoo had lent him were far too big. The loose shirt hung past his elbows, and the shorts covered his knees. Seeing this, Sejoo was suddenly reminded of how Doyoon had looked wearing his clothes once, and he felt an odd urge to buy Sejin new clothes. For some reason, the thought of Sejin wearing the same way Doyoon had rubbed him the wrong way.
"I thought I’d… maybe make some side dishes."
Sejin mumbled the words awkwardly.
Just like Kim Hyunkyung had said. Prickly and sensitive as he was, Kwon Sejin had a soft heart. At first, he probably didn’t feel any obligation—thinking Sejoo was just some thug exploiting his mother. But now, crashing at someone else’s house without lifting a finger must have felt too shameless. It was obvious in his face. He must’ve felt guilty for talking big and then just mooching off Sejoo.
While Sejoo stood there, lost in thought, Sejin gestured toward the countertop like he had more to say. Did we have that in the house? Maybe he bought it on the way home from school? The neatly washed radish sitting on the counter looked completely out of place. As Sejoo stared fixedly at it, Sejin asked again.
"I'm going to make mujorim—do we not have any red pepper flakes?"
Of course there wouldn’t be. Sejoo didn’t know how to cook and never once had the thought of making food at home. Occasionally he’d eat side dishes Sunhyuk dropped off or whatever Chae Beomjun brought from Ihwagak, but that was it. The induction stove on the 41st floor had never been used properly—not unless you counted the microwave.
When Sejoo shook his head, Sejin frowned slightly. Staring at that pale face, Sejoo opened the fridge and pulled out a beer. If nothing else, he was never short on alcohol.
"You know how to make side dishes?"
Click. The can opened with a cool hiss, the scent of beer wafting out. Sejoo chugged the entire thing like water, leaning against the island counter. As the alcohol cleared his head, he opened his eyes and saw Sejin staring at him with one side of his mouth curled up—like he was watching an alcoholic. Their eyes met, and Sejin quickly looked away. Gazing down at the large radish, he muttered,
"I can make most stuff. But there’s nothing here. No red pepper flakes, no anchovies, not even salt or sugar."
"What else do you need? I’ll go buy it."
"Vinegar, soy sauce, dashida…"
"Kombu?"
As Sejoo spoke while pulling out a bottle of water, Sejin narrowed his eyes. Clearly unimpressed, he gave Sejoo a long look, then tilted his chin toward the front door.
"Don’t go by yourself—just come with me. I’ll grab what we need."
"Sure. But you mean right now?"
"If we don’t go now, we won’t be able to eat dinner."
His reply carried an obvious duh tone, and Sejoo furrowed his brow slightly. There was a grocery store nearby, but if they were going out, he’d rather stop by the department store. Sejin needed more clothes—he only had the one outfit.
But that would mean driving. And he’d just had a beer. They could take a cab, but that felt like too much effort. Sejoo hesitated, then returned to the bedroom and picked up his phone. He ordered sundaeguk for Sejin and informed him bluntly.
"I ordered sundaeguk for dinner. Just eat that. We’ll go tomorrow after you get back from school. I can’t drive right now."
"…Then I’ll just go by myself. I saw a store right out front."
At Sejoo’s indifferent reply, Sejin scowled like he was annoyed again.
"The market’s way cheaper. Why go to a department store? I said I’ll go."
Being young, he couldn’t just let a single word go. Sejoo looked down at him with weary eyes. This is why I never dated younger guys, he thought, then said something he didn’t even mean.
"I break out in hives when I eat cheap stuff. Don’t even think about stuffing my mouth with bargain trash."
Even to his own ears, it sounded obnoxious. Sejin twitched with irritation again. With a long sigh, he looked at Sejoo like he was pathetic. Sejoo chuckled and headed straight for the sofa to lie down.
***
The next morning, Cheon Sejoo ran into someone in the house he wasn’t expecting.
It was around 9 a.m.—not a gym day—so he’d gotten up late. After finishing a call with Moon Sunhyuk and confirming work progress, he was heading to the bathroom to shower, shirtless, when he heard a click just as he grabbed the doorknob.
He froze and pulled back, scanning the hallway with sharp eyes for any signs of an intruder. But nothing looked out of place. Still, he was sure he’d heard a door close just now.
Narrowing his eyes, Sejoo looked toward the side of the hall where Sejin’s room was. He had given Sejin a transit card and told him to go to school. The last time they’d spoken was fairly late in the afternoon, after all.
At that time of day, it made sense to assume Sejin had gone to school. But Sejin had already skipped before while staying here, and the house was big enough that if Sejin holed up in his room, Sejoo wouldn’t notice a thing.
Feeling uneasy, he grabbed a robe and threw it over himself before heading to Sejin’s room. Even as he walked, he was hoping he’d just misheard…
"What are you doing here."
He threw open the door—and there was Kwon Sejin, frozen mid-step, right in front of him. It was clear he’d been about to step into the hall, saw Sejoo, and backed up.
Realizing the situation in an instant, Sejoo let out a dry laugh and ran a hand through his hair. He rolled his tongue inside his cheek, suppressing the absurdity, and then demanded:
"You little fucker, you didn’t go to school, did you?"
"…I did."
"The hell you did! Even if you only showed up to mark attendance, there’s no way you’d be home at this hour. What, you flew back?"
"……."
At Sejoo’s interrogation, Sejin looked like he was about to answer—but then clamped his mouth shut and pleaded the Fifth. Sejoo stared down at that sulky face in disbelief, then shook his head as if he’d given up. No bus fare, my ass. He obviously just didn’t want to go. This kid’s out of his damn mind. Has no idea what actually matters…
A thousand things to scold him about surged up to Sejoo’s throat. Honestly, he felt like he could lecture Sejin for ten hours straight. But he held it back. There was no point wasting his breath on an 18-year-old in the middle of puberty. He knew it wouldn’t do any good. But there was one thing he couldn’t stop himself from asking.
"You didn’t go yesterday either, did you?"
"……."
This time, Sejin turned his head to the side, feigning indifference. It was obvious he wasn’t going to answer. Sejoo let out a suppressed sigh and rubbed the back of his neck. His blood pressure was rising… But saying anything now would just lead to another dragged-out argument. Calm down… There were kids at school who bullied Kwon Sejin. Maybe that’s why he didn’t want to go.
Thinking that calmed the fury that had reached the top of his head. Having finally succeeded in not yelling at him, Sejoo was able to speak in a neutral tone.
"Good timing, then."
Good timing, my ass.
"Since you're home anyway, let’s go to the department store now."
What he really wanted to ask was whether it was because of those assholes at school or if Sejin just didn’t feel like going. But judging from how mouthy and defiant Sejin always was, it probably wasn’t the bullying.
Still, it was only a day or two—or four if you counted from last week? Close to a week, even. Skipping school for that long wouldn’t end the world. Sejoo steeled himself with the thought that maybe Sejin just needed some time to adjust to a new environment.
"I’ll shower. Wait for me."
At that, Sejin looked up at him like Huh, you’re not mad? Then he nodded and replied quietly, "Okay." If only he were that well-behaved all the time, how cute would that be?
Thinking that, Sejoo turned and headed back to the bathroom. After his shower, he got dressed and took Sejin down to the parking garage.
They didn’t go to the food section once they reached the department store—they headed straight for the mall. Sejin followed him around with an expression that screamed waste of time, but once Sejoo started handing over shopping bags full of clothes he’d picked out, Sejin stopped in his tracks. Standing outside a sportswear store, holding two giant paper bags, he looked up at Sejoo like he’d lost his mind. This story is hosted at novelping.com.
"Why the hell am I holding this?"
There were so many things Sejoo could’ve said in response. How long are you going to keep wearing that one hoodie? Or You reminded me of my sister, so I wanted to get you something. Or simply I just couldn’t stand seeing you wearing the same thing every day. But none of those would go over well with Kwon Sejin.
So, as always, Sejoo lied.
"What, you think I’m going to let a freeloader walk around looking like a bum?"
"……."
"I’m billing your mom anyway. If you don’t wear them, I’ll toss the clothes and still collect the money. So throw them out if you want."
He could almost hear Sejin mutter You bastard. Sejin stared down at the clothes in his hands like he was stunned, then glared at Sejoo.
If he was really going to charge his mom, he could’ve bought something cheaper and more practical. Instead, Sejoo had spent hundreds of thousands of won on brand-name outfits without even asking. Sejin looked like he wanted to scream con artist but kept his mouth shut.
Sejoo, who had completely mastered how to handle him, smiled with satisfaction. He didn’t care if Sejin cursed him in his head—he just dragged him along to finish the grocery shopping. When Sejoo said he’d cover the cost since Sejin was basically acting as the housemaid, Sejin retaliated by filling the cart to the brim. Choosing the largest and most expensive versions of everything, even soy sauce, made Sejoo snort. No matter how mature he acted, the kid was still just a kid.
And so, they spent the day together. After returning from the department store, Sejin immediately made a full spread of side dishes and stuffed the fridge. Sejoo was quietly impressed—the food was better than the side dishes Moon Sunhyuk had been bringing him for years. Good call taking him in as a housemaid, he thought.
The next day, Sejoo decided he’d guide Sejin not with nagging but with action—and surveillance. His studio, Shinsa Capital, and Sejin’s school were all nearby. Even if he didn’t have anything urgent to do, he could kill time at the studio. So he woke up early, finished his workout, and roused Sejin, who showed no signs of preparing for school.
"Get up. I’ll drive you."
Sejin entered the bathroom with a sullen face, but didn’t try to argue. That alone was a relief.
Showered and dressed in a suit, Sejoo walked out into the living room. Sejin had already eaten and was sitting on the couch, hoodie zipped over his school uniform. As expected, there was no school bag. He looked like he was just going out for a stroll. Sejoo clicked his tongue and turned around, Sejin trailing behind him like a duckling.
Traffic was heavy. It took 40 minutes to cover 10 kilometers. By the time they reached the school gate, it was nearly 9 a.m. Sejin got out of the car, and just as he reached to close the door, Sejoo called out the one thing he’d been meaning to say.
"Go study."
"……."
It was peak arrival time, and the area in front of the school was packed. As Sejin stepped out of a sleek white sports car, students stared like he was some kind of celebrity. Sejin pulled his hood low over his head, ignored Sejoo, and disappeared into the crowd.
After watching him blend into the swarm of students, Sejoo was about to head to the studio—when something made him change his mind. He moved his car around to the back of the school, parked, got out, and walked toward a street with a view of the main gate.
He lit a cigarette and calmly watched the entrance of Dong Seoul High. A few minutes passed.
Then, with a short, incredulous snort, Sejoo started walking. It was just past 9 a.m., and there—like a salmon swimming upstream—he saw Kwon Sejin pushing through the crowd in the opposite direction.
Right on cue. Sejoo had known he wouldn’t listen. He strode toward that small, fast-moving back of a head. As Sejin waited at the crosswalk to leave school grounds, Sejoo walked up beside him.
Sejin flinched at the sudden presence and looked up. Sejoo draped an arm around his shoulder with a cold smile on his handsome face.
"Heading to school?"
The pretty face turned to stone. Like a kid caught stealing, Sejin pressed his lips together and blinked rapidly. Sejoo smiled sweetly at him and said,
"You’re gonna be late. Better get going, Sejin-ah."
The gentle tone held a clear message: You get one chance.
Overwhelmed by Sejoo’s presence, Sejin frowned but turned around. Practically dragged back, he trudged toward the gate.
It was nearly 9:10. Right in front of the half-closed school gates, Sejin stopped and let out a sigh like this was the worst day of his life.
"Don’t you have anything better to do?"
What are you, unemployed? That’s what he really meant.
Understanding exactly what the boy was getting at, Sejoo gave his signature actor’s smile. He brushed his bangs back and patted the cheek of the world-weary teenage boy.