The water on my freshly washed hands brushed against the dry towel, drying unevenly. Droplets of water still clung to my fingertips and dripped onto the sink. I stared blankly at the trace they left before leaving the bathroom.
When I returned to the room, Yohan was sprawled out on the sofa, idly tapping his stomach with a single finger. He wasn’t listening to music. He wasn’t looking at his phone.
The moment I opened the door, his head slowly turned toward me.
“See? You got lost, just like I said you would.”
“What are you talking about? I wasn’t even gone that long.”
Yohan clicked his tongue and shook his head. His fine hair, pressed down against the sofa, shifted with his movements. I could have told him, I saw your family eating dinner without you, but I didn’t bother bringing it up. If it were me, I wouldn’t want to hear it. Instead, I went straight for my bag—something I had planned back in the bathroom.
“What are you doing?”
Yohan asked. I turned to glance at him before pulling a chocolate bar from the front pocket of my bag, the one I had packed in the morning.
“Just having a snack. My mouth feels bored.”
“Are you hungry?”
At the mention of hunger, Yohan immediately sat up halfway, his face suddenly serious. I guessed that expression meant worry—worry that I’d ask him to go downstairs and eat together. I shook my head.
“No, I just feel like chewing on something.”
“What kind of excuse is that?”
“You never get that feeling? Like, you’re not actually hungry, but you just want to chew on something?”
“Huh. Now that you mention it... I think I have.”
“Right? That’s exactly how I feel right now.”
As I tore open the end of the chocolate bar, I walked over to Yohan. The bar I had grabbed in the morning as a meal substitute was surprisingly thick. Holding the wrapper’s bottom, I gently pushed it up. The thick bar slowly slid out through the torn opening. I took a bite.
Honestly, it was good. I generally liked all kinds of sweet desserts. And the housekeeper would never buy a brand I disliked. But as the rich, sweet flavor filled my mouth, I scrunched up my face.
“Ugh. Why does this taste so bad?”
“What? Is it that bad?”
I licked the lingering sweetness from my tongue, frowning as I nodded.
“Let me see. What is it?”
Yohan reached out his hand. His long fingers wiggled expectantly in front of me. Smacking my lips, I placed the half-eaten bar into his palm. Yohan held it up to his eyes and read the name on the wrapper.
“Hey. Try a bite first. It’s got nuts in it. I hate this kind of stuff.”
Yohan, who had been oddly fixated on the label, suddenly went quiet. He slowly peeled back more of the wrapper and stared at the part I had bitten into.
That reaction annoyed me.
What? Was he disgusted because I’d already bitten it? What, suddenly he cared about that now? Like he hadn’t snatched food from my tray before in the cafeteria? Now, of all times, he was going to act clean?
“If it bothers you, just flip it over and eat from the other side.”
I motioned with my hand, mimicking a flipping gesture. But Yohan ignored me and took a big bite right from where I had bitten.
Then what was the point of staring at it like that?
My lips twitched in irritation. Yohan must have misunderstood my expression because, after hesitating for a moment, he looked at me and spoke.
“What? It’s good.”
Well, if you put it that way, I guess that’s fine.
“Yeah? Then you can have the rest. I don’t want it.”
To begin with, this whole act was just a setup so I could give it to him.
And it wasn’t until 9 PM that Yohan finally ate dinner.
Just like before, Yohan served himself. I didn’t comment, nor did I help. The most I did was hover near the kitchen, standing next to him as he moved around, and then followed his lead by bringing utensils to the table. That was it.
If anything, I added what could be considered a compliment.
“You’re more self-sufficient than I expected.”
Yohan glanced at me while lifting the lid off a pot. His face clearly said, What the hell are you talking about? I just shrugged casually.
“I don’t even know how to fry an egg.”
“Wow. You’re really a pampered little prince.”
“I don’t think so. There are plenty of broke kids like me who are just as useless.”
Having money doesn’t automatically mean parents spoil their kids. Case in point—standing right in front of me.
“I bet more than half the guys in our class have never even stepped into a kitchen. At most, they know how to make instant noodles.”
Yohan bit down on the end of his chopsticks. I added,
“We go to an all-boys school.”
Yohan didn’t argue with that. I didn’t have much else to say, so I looked at the food in the pot. It was the same meal his family had eaten earlier. Back then, it had been served neatly in porcelain bowls, but now, it was still in its original, freshly cooked state inside the pot.
“Well, I’ll eat well.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
I was curious.
Had Yohan skipped dinner by choice, or had he been forced to?
Was this a usual thing?
Or had I, as a variable, changed his dinner schedule today?
But there were no answers to be found.
And no one to give them to me.
So I stopped thinking about it.
After we finished eating, Yohan stacked all the dishes into the pot and carried them to the kitchen. This time, though, I picked up the remaining plates and followed him in.
I watched as Yohan opened a drawer and, without washing the dishes, started placing them inside. It made me curious.
“Do the maids clean them for you if you put them there?”
Yohan froze.
Still crouched down, he tilted his head up to look at me, his expression saying, I’ve seen some dumbasses before, but you take the cake.
Did... did I say something wrong? I suddenly felt awkward.
“W-what?”
“If someone drew the most stereotypical rich, spoiled only child, it’d probably be a portrait of you.”
“...What?”
“It’d be identical.”
Yohan scoffed, shaking his head.
It wasn’t until a few minutes later that I realized the drawer wasn’t actually a drawer—it was a dishwasher. Right. Those things exist.
I only noticed that fact on my own, which meant I had to suffer the embarrassment alone.
Yohan’s amused smirk was just a bonus.
A little past 10 PM, my parents called.
They freaked out, saying they’d call their secretary in Korea to bring me my house key.
"Son, we’re sorry. Just wait thirty minutes."
That was the last thing they said before hanging up.
Shortly after, an unknown number called. Probably their secretary.
The person introduced himself and said he’d contact me once he arrived in front of my house.
“In thirty minutes, someone’s coming to unlock my door.”
“What is your house, the Blue House?”
Yohan sneered.
“It’s way too hard just to get inside.”
I live alone in that huge house. That’s why my parents are ridiculously strict about security.
Normally, I would’ve said that without a second thought, but right now, it felt like I was bragging. So, I just kept my mouth shut.
Not even thirty minutes passed before my phone rang. I picked up the call and immediately grabbed my bag. As I slung it over my shoulder, I felt Yohan’s gaze trailing after me.
“What?”
“You’re leaving now?”
“Of course.”
“I thought you were staying over.”
Yohan’s curt voice brushed against my ear.
“You’re such a liar.”
“You lie better than I do. Who was the one who said no in the first place?”
You didn’t want me here to begin with.
Annoyed by his accusatory tone, I shot back a little harsher than I intended. Yohan listened, then licked his lips before speaking again.
“Well, can’t argue with that.”
So he really did hate the idea of me staying over. The confirmation felt like an execution shot.
But I had a vague idea why he didn’t want me here, so it didn’t bother me.
“I’m leaving.”
“I’ll walk you out.”
Yohan stood up slowly. I waited by his bedroom door. The hallway outside was dimly lit by small lamps. For the most part, this mansion was drowned in darkness. As we stepped out and walked down the stairs, silence pressed in from all sides. Even the sound of my footsteps felt intrusive. Instinctively, I tried to walk as quietly as possible.
Yohan had to open the front door for me. I’d never had trouble unlocking a door before, but now that I thought about it, I had never opened someone else’s front door on the first try.
He leaned forward slightly, his shoulder barely brushing against mine as he reached past me. The breeze stirred by his movement tickled my ear.
“Go.”
The door swung open. Yohan shifted to the side, giving me space to step out. He even held the door so it wouldn’t close on me.
Sometimes, Yohan was surprisingly considerate.
I adjusted my bag and took a deep breath. The cold night air prickled my throat. The lingering scent of rain-soaked asphalt filled the air.
“The rain’s almost stopped.”
“Yeah.”
I stretched out my palm—cold droplets still fell, but just barely. It wasn’t enough to need an umbrella.
Just as I was about to step outside, I suddenly turned back to look at Yohan. He was standing in the doorway, gripping the doorknob, looking down at me.
“Thanks for today.”
“Yeah. I know.”
Expressionless, Yohan replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
“Pay me back.”
“Sure. See you in the morning.”
There was no point arguing with Yohan. At some point, I had stopped trying to counter him and just started agreeing. Thinking too hard about his words was a headache.
I waved. Yohan didn’t bother responding properly—he just gave a lazy flick of his hand.
Heartless bastard. Seriously. He couldn’t even give a proper goodbye.
But that’s just how it was. I didn’t expect anything different.
I shoved my hands into my coat pockets and stepped down the stairs. Each breath I exhaled came out in faint white puffs.
And then, for some reason, I thought of Yohan again.
I stopped walking and turned around.
I had expected him to be gone by now, but—
Yohan was still standing there. Looking right at me.
From a distance, the massive mansion loomed behind him. A dark, unlit house.
Yohan, standing there in nothing but a thin T-shirt.
A strange feeling crept over me.
This was his house.
And yet, it felt like I was the one leaving him behind.
I sniffed once, clearing my nose from the cold. Sniff.
“...Yohan.”
I called his name softly, but he didn’t react. Maybe he didn’t hear me.
I changed direction and walked toward him again.
Not all the way up—I stopped just before the steps. Looking up at him, his face seemed even taller now.
“If staying over is such a big deal for you...”
“Hm?”
“If it bothers you so much, then you come stay at my place.”
I just couldn’t bring myself to leave him behind.
If that was pity, then so be it.
I didn’t know why Yohan was being treated like an outcast in his own home.
But the fact that it was Yohan bothered me.
If it were anyone else, I wouldn’t care. Let them be ignored or bullied at home—what did it matter to me?
The source of this c𝐨ntent is freёwebnovel.com.
But Yohan was different.
Yohan looked a little surprised. He let out an awkward chuckle.
“...What?”
It was strange.
That expression—seeing it on his face gave me a thrill.
What was this feeling?
It was probably something like conquest. Possession.
Like leaving the first footprint in freshly fallen snow.
That was it.
An awkward, unsettled Yohan.
Since meeting him, this was the first time I had ever seen this expression on him.
And that unfamiliarity made me feel victorious.
“My house is empty. The housekeeper quit. I’ve been alone all this time.”
I added that last part.
Yohan’s face shifted—from surprise to something closer to unease.
To be honest, I felt a little excited.
It was like I had won.
A flustered Yohan was unexpectedly sweet.
His lips parted slightly as he blinked.
His long eyelashes brushed against each other with each slow blink.
Finally, he scoffed.
A breath of warm air burst from his mouth, mixing with his laughter.
“...Are you trying to seduce me?”
Normally, I would’ve panicked and denied it.
I would’ve scrambled for an excuse, backpedaled as fast as possible.
But not tonight.
Maybe I was drunk on the winter night.
Or maybe I was drunk on his misfortune.
“...Yeah. I guess I am.”
I laughed along with him. A clear, lighthearted laugh.
“See you later, Yohan.”
And with that, I was finally able to walk away without looking back.
The moment I stepped outside the mansion gates, I spotted the man waiting for me.
My parents’ secretary.
As soon as he saw me, he unlocked the gate with a key.
He held the door open and watched me enter before leaving.
I thanked him. Told him I was sorry for the trouble.
Then, I walked into my house.
My steps felt light.
I even hummed a little tune.
...Maybe I really was drunk on Yohan’s misfortune.
Yohan was pitiful.
I, a guy who liked other guys, was pitiful too.
But a Yohan who was abandoned by his parents—he was just as pitiful.
I didn’t enjoy suffering.
I just enjoyed knowing that I wasn’t the only one suffering.
Even someone as high and mighty as Yohan had to endure this.
And somehow, that made the flaws in my own life plan feel a little less bothersome.
And of all people—
It had to be me who found out.
Unfortunate.
But everyone has misfortunes they’d rather hide.
So tonight, I reached out to Yohan with a hand of salvation.
If Yohan reached for my hand tonight, I was more than willing to pull him out of that abyss.
Just as he had dragged Han Junwoo—the devil himself—down to hell for my sake, I resolved to be his salvation.
I sat in the empty, silent living room, sinking into the large sofa, waiting for my lost lamb.
The doorbell rang.
A shiver ran through me as I stood up. I hurried to check the intercom, and there he was—Yohan, standing at the gate with a bag slung over his shoulder.
I didn’t even bother changing shoes. Still in my indoor slippers, I rushed outside to the garden.
The moment I opened the gate, I was met with Yohan’s usual crooked stance.
He had a sports bag slung over his shoulder, his hands shoved into his pockets. He tilted his head, raising one corner of his lips in a smirk.
It was the same sneering smile as always.
“I came to get seduced.”
“......”
“You gonna make me ramen?”
Yohan’s sudden words came with an impish grin. I furrowed my brows.
Then, I started thinking about what kind of ramen I had in the storage room.