BTL Ch 6

“I’m home.”

Hayeon habitually greeted as she stepped inside, then her eyes lit up at the unfamiliar shoes by the shoe rack. She immediately knew they were Chaeheon’s, who was staying at Taegeon’s place for a month starting yesterday.

“Oppa said he’d be late today.”

Her planned dinner with Jieun was postponed because of Taegeon’s schedule. Remembering Taegeon’s text telling her not to wait up and to go to bed early, Hayeon bit her lip.

It was just her and Chaeheon in the house, as the housekeeper had also left early. It was definitely worth ditching Shin Kangmin, who tried to drag her to eat tteokbokki.

Before taking off her shoes, she peeked her head in to check the house. The lights were on, but no one seemed to be in the living room. Hayeon’s gaze flickered towards the guest room inside, then dropped back down.

She subtly moved her foot next to a pair of plain white sneakers with only a brand logo. “Oh!” she gasped, her mouth forming a perfect circle. The size difference, about two finger widths, somehow made her heart flutter, and Hayeon chuckled softly.

Just then, she felt a gaze on her. She slowly looked up, and there was Chaeheon, leaning against the doorway, looking at her. He must have come out when he heard someone at the door.

“Why are you just standing there? Come in.”

“I-I was just taking off my shoes.”

Hayeon chuckled awkwardly, quickly slipping into her indoor slippers and fully stepping inside.

“Did you have dinner? Taegeon uncle’s schedule suddenly changed, so dinner was canceled. The housekeeper probably thought we were eating out with Jieun unnie today, so she left early without preparing dinner.”

Hayeon rambled on, a rare occurrence that would surprise Kangmin and Taegeon, and then she cautiously glanced at Chaeheon.

“Um, I’d like to make you something to celebrate you being back in Korea, but… Taegeon uncle told me never to think about cooking again.”

She couldn’t forget the expressions on Taegeon’s and the housekeeper’s faces last year when she cooked seaweed soup for Taegeon’s birthday as a thank you.

The messy kitchen was just the beginning. There was the seaweed that had swelled endlessly because she messed up the proportions, and the soup that, despite following a blog recipe exactly, tasted nothing like seaweed soup. The white rice was undercooked and clumpy in her mouth. The housekeeper said she’d learn in time, but after that, she seemed to have no intention of teaching her anything.

While Hayeon was cringing at the memory of her first cooking disaster, Chaeheon spoke.

“You.”

Hayeon blinked at the sudden remark.

“Me?”

“Did you eat yet?”

Hayeon quickly shook her head.

“No. I haven’t eaten anything yet.”

She tucked away the words “I wanted to eat with you, oppa!” deep in her heart.

“Okay.”

For a moment, something like a smile appeared on Chaeheon’s lips before vanishing. While Hayeon blinked rapidly at the mirage-like smile that had appeared and disappeared, Chaeheon walked into the kitchen, opened a cupboard, and peered inside. Then he asked, “Do you like pasta?”

“Yes.”

“Cream? Tomato?”

Hayeon blinked as she watched Chaeheon pull out a container of tomato sauce, wondering how he found it. These were ingredients the housekeeper kept for Taegeon and her, who loved pasta. Hayeon awkwardly pointed to the tomato sauce with her finger.

“…Tomato.”

Chaeheon nodded and turned around.

“I’ll make it for you. Just sit quietly and wait.”

Was it her imagination, or did his seemingly indifferent voice somehow imply, “Don’t cause any trouble”?

Hayeon subtly scrunched her nose and sat at the table as Chaeheon instructed. Before she started admiring him properly, Hayeon casually spoke up.

“Do you need an apron? The housekeeper’s is in the drawer. Or there’s a new one. I bought it before but never used it.”

She had ambitiously bought three aprons, planning to cook often after the seaweed soup incident, but two of them were still neatly tucked away in the kitchen pantry, never having fulfilled their purpose.

Chaeheon, who had just placed a pot on the induction cooktop, rolled up his sleeves and replied, “It’s fine.”

Well, if he said so.

Hayeon, completely unfazed by Chaeheon’s refusal, shrugged and propped her chin on her palms, her eyes sparkling. His forearms, exposed by his rolled-up sleeves, were well-defined. Hayeon quietly smacked her lips, feeling the solidness of his muscles even without touching them.

While Hayeon subtly stole glances at Chaeheon, the pasta was already beautifully plated and placed on the table. Hayeon took a big bite of pasta with an excited face, and a gasp of admiration escaped her lips.

“Wow.”

Chewing her cheeks, Hayeon looked at Chaeheon. “Oppa, you’re really good at cooking.”

Oppa, what can’t you do? Is your stunning face not enough that you’re also good at cooking?

Hayeon swallowed the gushing compliments that were about to spill out with her food and twirled her fork around the noodles again.

Chaeheon chuckled softly at her excited fork-twirling. “You’re clearly not, though.”

“Ugh.”

Hayeon smiled awkwardly. “I-I’d be good at it if I learned, too, you know?”

Starting today, I need to train by watching cooking videos.

Hayeon silently vowed, then cleared her throat. She quickly changed the subject. “Can you make other things besides pasta?”

“What do you want to eat?”

“Hmm.” Hayeon mumbled, thinking deeply. “Gnocchi? I’ve never tried it before, but I’m curious.”

Chaeheon twirled his pasta and replied, “I can make it, but it’s a hassle.”

“Seriously? I just asked on a whim! You can make that too?”

“I’ve lived alone for a long time. Can’t eat out every time.”

“Since when have you lived alone?”

“Eighteen.”

“Eighteen, that’s…”

Hayeon trailed off, blinking. She had heard that Chaeheon lived with Taegeon, having left his own home, until he went abroad in the spring of his second year of high school. That means…

“Did he live alone even abroad?”

She nodded to herself. According to Taegeon, Chaeheon and his father didn’t have a good relationship, even just for courtesy’s sake. So, it made sense that he lived with Taegeon instead of his parents even when he was in Korea.

Just then, a loud vibration echoed in the brief silence. Hayeon’s gaze instinctively landed on his phone, which was haphazardly lying on the table. A faint crease appeared between Chaeheon’s smooth brows as he picked up his phone. Chaeheon pushed his chair back and stood up.

“I need to take this call.”

His voice was so curt, it was hard to believe he had been talking so amicably just moments ago. Hayeon craned her neck, following his retreating figure as he left the kitchen. But he must have gone completely into the room, as she couldn’t even hear his voice, let alone see him.

“Ah.”

Hayeon slid her face into her palms. Her shoulders slumped, losing all tension, and a heavy feeling settled in her chest. She noticed a little sweat had gathered in her palm, which was still holding the fork.

“I’m not usually this nervous. Kangmin would be shocked if he saw me.”

As she mumbled, Hayeon’s gaze landed on the seat Chaeheon had just occupied, then quickly shifted back to the direction he had disappeared in.

“Hmm.”

Hayeon placed both hands on the table and tapped them like she was playing the piano, exhaling slowly through her nose. The caller ID she glimpsed clearly said ‘Father.’

Kang Jincheol. A greedy man who coveted the position of his much younger nephew and would stoop to despicable and vulgar acts to achieve his goals.

“Now that I think about it, Taegeon uncle asked Chaeheon oppa to take over the hotel.”

Hayeon recalled Taegeon’s words to Chaeheon last night and patted her cheek with her chin-propped hand. The hotel Taegeon requested was undoubtedly the Deus Hotel, operated by KW. And from what she remembered, that hotel…

“Kang Jincheol, Chaeheon oppa’s father, is an executive director there, right?”

Asking him to take over such a place seemed to mean he wanted Chaeheon to take responsibility for that position instead of Kang Jincheol, no matter how she thought about it. Hayeon narrowed her eyes, remembering how Taegeon had recently been having serious phone calls with someone about the Deus Hotel. It seemed there was a problem with the hotel. Otherwise, Taegeon, who had avoided direct conflict with Kang Jincheol and tried to keep him in check with the mildest methods possible, wouldn’t have said something like that.

After thinking that far, Hayeon suddenly grew curious. What answer did Kang Chaeheon give Taegeonafter she went into her room last night?

“Will he stay?”

Or will he refuse Taegeon’s request and go back to Canada, never to return?

Hayeon picked up her fork again and half-heartedly twirled the now-cold pasta. As she mechanically brought it to her mouth, Hayeon thought glumly,

Please. I hope Kang Chaeheon stays.