About ten minutes had passed since Haneul left for the restroom.
Taekyun glanced at the empty seat beside Haru before shifting his gaze toward her.
"Haru,"
He said calmly,
"stay here. I'll be back."
Haru looked up from her food.
"Abba…. you going?"
Taekyun nodded slightly.
"I'll check on Umma. I'll be back in no time." His voice softened a little.
"So stay here and don't go anywhere."
Just then, a lady waiter approached from the side and bowed politely.
"Sir, I'll look after her."
Taekyun gave a small nod.
Haru slowly lowered her gaze to the table.
Without saying anything else, Taekyun turned and walked toward the restroom corridor.
The waiter who had escorted Haneul earlier was still standing outside the restroom entrance.
When he noticed Taekyun approaching, he immediately straightened.
"Sir."
Taekyun stopped in front of him.
"Is he still inside?"
"Yes, sir,"
the waiter replied quickly.
"He's still inside. I haven't moved from here."
Taekyun nodded once.
"You can return to your work.
I'll check myself."
The waiter bowed respectfully.
"Yes, sir."
He left immediately.
Taekyun pushed the restroom door open and stepped inside.
The room was quiet.
He glanced around briefly before walking deeper inside, checking each stall as he passed.
Finally, he stopped in front of one door and knocked lightly.
"Haneul."
Inside the stall, Haneul had been sitting there for nearly ten minutes, lost in his thoughts.
The sudden knock made him jump.
"Haneul,"
Taekyun called again from outside.
"Are you inside?"
Haneul quickly stood up.
When he looked down, his breath caught.
There was blood on his pants again.
Not much.
Just a small stain.
It had been happening recently.
Whenever his emotions became too strong when he felt too sad, too relieved, or too overwhelmed a sharp twist would form in his lower belly, followed by a small amount of blood.
Haneul had convinced himself it was just because of his unstable emotions.
So he never told Taekyun.
Before Taekyun could knock again, Haneul slowly unlocked the door and opened it.
He stepped out hesitantly.
His fingers were gripping the sleeve of his shirt tightly.
Taekyun looked down at him and took a step closer.
"What's wrong?"
he asked.
"Did something happen?"
Haneul immediately lowered his gaze.
"Oh…. it's…. it's nothing."
Taekyun frowned slightly.
"Nothing?"
Haneul nodded quickly.
"I….. I was just cold."
"You were cold?"
Haneul nodded again, still clutching his sleeve tightly.
Taekyun's eyes moved down to his hands.
His fingers were curled tightly around the fabric, almost like he was holding onto it for comfort.
Slowly, Taekyun reached out and took Haneul's hands in his own.
Haneul's hands were small and soft, almost like a child's.
Taekyun's large hands easily covered both of them.
"Are you nervous?"
he asked quietly.
Haneul looked up at him.
"Nervous.…? No.… I'm not"
Taekyun studied his face for a moment.
"Was it because of what happened earlier?"
Haneul's eyes slowly met his.
After a few seconds, he nodded.
Taekyun looked at him silently.
Then, without another word, he stepped forward and gently pulled Haneul into his arms.
Haneul's face pressed against Taekyun's chest.
For a moment, everything went still.
But Haneul's heart suddenly began racing again.
Too fast. Too loud.
His breath became uneven.
Panicking, he stepped back abruptly.
Taekyun froze.
Why did he push me away?
For a brief second, surprise flashed across his face.
Then his expression slowly turned cold.
"I'm … sorry,"
Taekyun said quietly.
"I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."
Haneul's eyes widened.
"No..... it's not like that. I…. I"
But Taekyun had already looked away.
"Let's go,"
he said calmly.
"Haru is waiting. It's getting late."
Haneul stared at his face.
Was he hurt?
Or annoyed?
Haneul couldn't tell.
He lowered his head and quietly followed him.
Why can't I tell him the truth?
Haneul clenched his hands slightly.
I want to tell him
That I like him too much.
That when he comes close, my heart beats so fast it feels like it might explode.
That I get so dizzy it feels like I'm about to collapse.
But the words refused to come out.
So he followed Taekyun in silence.
When they returned to the dining area, Haru immediately looked up.
"Umma!"
She ran over and grabbed Haneul's hand.
Haneul smiled softly and held her small fingers.
The restaurant staff bowed politely as they walked toward the entrance.
Outside, their car had already been brought to the front.
Taekyun opened the passenger door for Haneul.
Haneul sat inside, and Haru climbed in beside him.
Taekyun briefly thanked the restaurant manager.
Then he walked around to the driver's seat and got inside.
The car engine started.
Neither of them spoke.
The whole way back, the car remained silent.
Haneul sat quietly in the passenger seat with Haru resting against him.
From time to time, he stole small glances at Taekyun.
But Taekyun's face remained completely expressionless.
His eyes stayed fixed on the road ahead.
Haneul slowly looked away again.
In his arms, Haru had already fallen asleep.
Her small body leaned comfortably against Haneul as he gently supported her.
Not long after, the car turned toward the residence.
The large gates opened as the staff recognized Taekyun's car.
The vehicle drove inside and stopped in the parking area.
Haneul carefully opened the door.
He was about to step out while still holding Haru when Taekyun came around to his side of the car.
Without saying anything, Taekyun gently lifted Haru from Haneul's arms.
She didn't wake up.
Her head simply rested against Taekyun's shoulder as she continued sleeping peacefully.
For a moment, Taekyun looked at Haneul.
Then Haneul slowly stepped out of the car.
Taekyun closed the door behind him and moved slightly aside, giving Haneul space to walk first.
Haneul lowered his gaze and began walking toward the house.
His steps were a little faster than usual.
Somehow, he felt Taekyun's eyes on his back the entire time.
Behind him, Taekyun quietly followed while holding Haru.
Inside the house, the residence was calm and quiet.
The staff bowed politely as they passed.
Taekyun carried Haru upstairs to her room.
Haneul followed a few steps behind, walking slowly.
When they entered Haru's room, Taekyun gently laid her down on the bed.
He carefully adjusted her position before pulling the blanket over her small body.
After making sure she was comfortable, Taekyun turned around.
Haneul was still standing near the door.
He hadn't moved.
Taekyun looked at him briefly.
"You should take your medicine and go to sleep,"
he said quietly.
Haneul looked up at him.
He wanted to say something.
He wanted to apologize.
But when he met Taekyun's gaze, his mind went blank.
His lips parted slightly, yet no words came out.
After a moment, he simply nodded.
Taekyun watched him for a few seconds longer.
When nothing else came from Haneul, his expression slowly hardened.
Without another word, Taekyun lowered his gaze.
He walked past Haneul and left the room.
The door closed behind him.
Taekyun returned to his room.
He took a shower and changed his clothes.
But even after that, the heavy feeling in his chest didn't disappear.
His thoughts kept returning to what had happened earlier.
The moment when Haneul pushed him away.
It had never happened before.
It wasn't like they had never hugged.
And it wasn't as if they were deeply in love either.
Yet somehow
It felt uncomfortable.
Ever since Haneul came to the house, whenever he felt scared or upset, he would instinctively hug Taekyun.
And every time, Taekyun had simply accepted it.
Haneul had always been very open about liking him.
Because of that, Taekyun himself had slowly started changing without realizing it.
But tonight
Taekyun frowned slightly.
Why did he push me away?
The thought lingered in his mind.
It shouldn't have been a big deal.
Still, the feeling remained.
After a while, Taekyun picked up his laptop and went downstairs.
It was already past eleven at night.
The house was mostly quiet.
He entered his study and began working.
But even as he looked at the screen, his mind kept drifting back to the same moment.
Haneul stepping away from him.
Taekyun rubbed his forehead and leaned back in his chair.
"Damn it"
He muttered under his breath.
"What's wrong with me?"
He sighed quietly.
"Am I really this bothered just because he pushed me?"
The silence in the house suddenly felt heavier.
Taekyun stood up from his chair.
Most of the lights in the residence were already turned off.
He walked toward the kitchen and opened a cabinet.
Inside was a bottle of wine.
He took it out and poured himself a glass.
Then another.
And another.
At some point, he stopped counting.
Before he realized it, two entire bottles were already empty.
Taekyun leaned back against the chair, staring at the empty glass.
"Ahhh"
"I'm dieing cause I didn't got what I wanted"
"Haha for sure I'm crazy."