76.
“Hyung, you’re here!”
Chae Yoo-jeong drove out to meet me in front of the station near my house.
Chae Yoo-jeong called me in the brightest voice I’ve ever heard and stopped his car right in front of me. Perhaps because his destination today was home, he was wearing a black t-shirt and jeans.
“Why are you so excited?”
When I sat down in the passenger seat and asked, Chae Yoo-jeong immediately started the car as if he was afraid that I might run away.
“Of course I’m excited. I thought Hyung would eventually reject it. So I was giving up.”
“Why are you giving up after even talking about your parents?”
Despite my harsh response, Chae Yoo-jeong smiled brightly.
“It’s not like I had a bad relationship with my parents or any major disagreements. But my mother’s personality isn’t very friendly, so we’re not as close as other families. She also remarried.”
“...There is no need to tell me in such detail.”
“I think I made you worry for no reason by talking about my parents.”
It was a bit surprising. I thought he was from a rich family who grew up with a lot of love.
The idea of being like a rich boy was just something I came up with on my own.
‘The reasons for accepting the offer are different.’
It wasn’t a decision I made because I felt sympathy for his parents. Since I was using Chae Yoo-jeong to resolve my doubts, the reason could even be considered much worse.
The car drove on the road without stopping and arrived at the apartment complex about 40 minutes later. After parking in the underground parking lot, I got out of the car with Chae Yoo-jeong and asked as we got on the elevator.
“Didn’t you say you live alone?”
“Yes, I live alone.”
I felt an unusual energy from the elevator and realized it the moment Chae Yoo-jeong opened the front door of his house.
This guy... he’s from a rich family.
A wide entrance and living room appeared. A quick glance at the house, which was large enough for a family of four, seemed to have more than three rooms.
“You live here alone?”
“Yes.”
When asked again, Chae Yoo-jeong nodded his head with a bright expression. It was like he doesn’t even understand why I kept asking the same old questions.
Suddenly, the story I heard about his parents in the car earlier took on a different meaning to my ears. I see... I actually heard about the indifferent family life of a rich family that I only saw in dramas……
“Hyung, why aren’t you coming in?”
As I was lost in thought for a moment, thinking about my own living room, Chae Yoo-jeong, who had been hesitating next to me, grabbed my wrist.
I was obediently dragged by the force and took off my sneakers and entered the living room, where Chae Yu-jeong ran to his kitchen in a huff and brought out a glass filled with juice.
“Drink!”
“Un.”
It looks like it was poured and put in the refrigerator to give to me when I arrive to his home. The way he acts seems like a puppy bringing a toy to its owner.
I asked, taking a quick look around the house as I sipped in some orange juice.
“Where should I start organizing?”
“Huh? Ah, organizing?”
“Yes. It looks neat at first glance.”
There were no messy items and it wasn’t dirty. For some reason, it feels like he just finished cleaning.
Chae Yoo-jeong responded with an embarrassed expression when he was told that it was neat.
“I did some cleaning before Hyung came.”
“...You said you cleaned it in advance? Then what did you call me for?”
“Hyung, you just need to pack up a few things. This is my room.”
Chae Yoo-jeong casually took the empty glass from my hand and led me to the room closest to the living room. The room with the bookshelf and computer and the books and trophies was filled with a refreshing scent.
“Have you ever sprayed perfume or deodorant?”
“No, I didn’t?”
He didn’t spray anything, but a room owned by a boy smells like this? It’s as believable as sleeping in an apartment alone with no other tenants.
“You can comfortably look around the other rooms. I’m going to wash that cup and then come back.”
After seeing Chae Yoo-jeong leaving the room, I walked over to the computer that was turned on. The clean desktop had only the Internet, a couple of folders, and the Hero game icon.
Before Chae Yoo-jeong returned, I had to look for any traces of Zenoris. First, I searched for the English name of Zenoris in the file search window.
Usually, once a game is installed, even if you delete it, some of the files remain, and they may have been hidden by hidden folder settings, so using the search function was the most accurate method.
‘It doesn’t show up.’
However, even though I searched for various words, there was no file that came up. Lastly, I turned on the control panel and looked at the list of installed programs, but there were no other games installed other than Hero.
‘I think there’s only one computer in the house.’
Since he knew I was coming, there is a possibility that he deleted the file in advance. However, this was only a guess; the reality was that Zenoris was not installed on the computer.
“…….!”
“Zenoris?”
As I was lost in thought while looking at the control panel folder, I was startled by Chae Yoo-jeong’s voice coming from behind me. I quickly turned off the control panel and looked back to see Chae Yoo-jeong standing there with a puzzled expression.
‘Oh my god.’
It was suspicious behavior to anyone and lack of courtesy. In an instant, I became a gloomy person who visits other people’s houses and secretly browses their computers.
“S-sorry. This.......”
“What are you sorry about? Hyung, do you want to play a game?”
“Uh?”
But Chae Yoo-jeong approached me without any sign of offense and said.
“I only have Hero installed, so I have to install a new one to do it. Still, the installation will be pretty quick, shall we?”
“...I came to pack up my things. What are you going to do while I play games?”
“For me, just watching from the side is enough.”
“…….”
If you turn on Zenoris here, you can find out whether Yoo Chae is currently connected to the game. but.......
“That’s enough.”
I didn’t really want to do that. I have another method in mind.
As I looked into Chae Yoo-jeong’s eyes, which did not contain the slightest unpleasant emotion, I felt guilty that I had done something very bad. I lightly tapped Chae Yoo-jeong on the shoulder and asked.
“Let’s pack up your things. What else am I here for?”
***
The innermost room that Chae Yoo-jeong guided us to was the bedroom.
There were disorganized clothes and belongings scattered on the bed, and an empty box was placed underneath it.
“These are clothes and things to wear when living in the dorm. I’m just going to fill up the box and take them with me.”
“Can I just fill in the clothes here? What about the other clothes?”
“Just taking that much is enough. The other clothes are in the room across from me since that’s where I store my clothes.”
There’s also a dressing room, right? It’s amazing, really.
“It’s only a small amount, so it will be over quickly. I’ll go right away once everything is sorted out.”
“What? Why? Come eat with me! There are a lot of delicious things around here.”
“No.”
I was about to go into the bedroom, briefly answering Chae Yoo-jeong’s whining, when hia big hand grabbed my arm.
“Uck!”
At that exact moment, I stepped on the box cover underneath, my legs slipped, and my body stumbled backwards.
“Hyung...!”
At the same time as Chae Yoo-jeong’s cry, a loud roar rang out. Chae Yoo-jeong, who fell with me while holding my body, looked at me with a pensive face.
“Are you okay? Are you hurt?”
“Awww.”
A tingling pain rose from the area around my tailbone where it hit the floor.
When I raised my upper body, making a groaning sound, Chae Yoo-jeong fidgeted and grabbed my waist with both hands.
“D-does it hurt? Where are you go...ack!”
I smacked Chae Yoo-jeong’s forehead with my palms while he hurriedly checked my condition. Ppak! Chae Yoo-jeong let out a scream with a light hitting sound.
“Why does this bastard keep pulling at me dangerously like that? Can’t you be more careful?”
“Sorry.......”
“It’s a good thing there’s nothing around. What would have happened if you had made a mistake and hit your head on a corner?”
Chae Yoo-jeong lowered the corners of his eyes and looked tearful as I was scolding him severely to prevent something like this from happening again.
“I’m sorry.”
“My ass hurts so bad because of you.”
“D-did you get bruised? Let me see.”
“……”
This guy is really crazy....
Chae Yoo-jeong, who belatedly realized what he had said, blushed brightly and shook his head as I glared at him with my salty, cold eyes.
“N-no! I didn’t ask you that with the intention to look at your ass!”
“Shut up.”
“It’s because I’m genuinely worried! It’s a misunderstanding!”
“Let go of my waist so I can get up.”
“……!”
Only then did he notice the hands holding my waist, which trembled and belatedly let go. Chae Yoo-jeong’s face and even his neck were now bright red.
When I saw that, I felt a little sorry for him. It’s true that he was wrong... but he seemed really startled. Was I being too harsh? Is he going to cry like this?
“You can make a mistake once. It’s okay. Just be careful next time.”
“Y-yes.......”
Chae Yoo-jeong got up from where he was sat after me and mumbled while covering half of his face with his hand.
“I’m really sorry. Please rest. Okay, I’m going to go to the bathroom for a moment, find some medicine, and then come back.”
“I don’t need medicine....”
Before he could hear my answer, Chae Yoo-jeong turned his back and hurriedly left the bedroom. When I glanced at him, the corners of his eyes were moist, as if tears were about to fall at any moment.
What do I do? Is he really going to go to the bathroom and cry? I scratched my head and clicked my tongue.
I was planning to go right after I finished packing his bags and go looking for evidence, but things got weird. Anyway, not a single day goes by without an accident. A sigh came out of my mouth.
---
Credits:
Translator: Hoshi Miya
Editor: Meimei
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