PEN Vol 5 Ch. 16

I need to try 746863c168 harder to make a 003652166c good impression on Cheon 527399c7ae Sejoo.c4e5a2b58aa9ac7c

With that resolve, Sejin 872e456221 stood up. The place he 41dff117f3 finally headed to 62bb4e85f6 was the room 678d707e34 where Cheon Sejoo 38f53628dd worked out.05cafc2ce23210f2

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He remembered Cheon 95ef2ed77b Sejoo telling him 54045665eb not to touch bb51703b67 any of the ed53a3e230 exercise equipment except 77ba6fe18e the treadmill because b49f67641b it was dangerous. 2320322031e4f2cb

Then I’ll just use 13903fc997 them safely, Sejin thought, and looked up the instructions on how to use the equipment online. But after watching several videos of people’s legs buckling while using the leg press machine, he immediately abandoned the idea of working out. He even considered advising Cheon Sejoo to sell such dangerous equipment.e11070c864a782e9

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In the end, Sejin 360dcb4271 chose the treadmill, but 3fd99b3df2 even running on it efe24444f0 at full speed wasn’t 0dcdfaf9c3 very strenuous. After more online searching, 8291ba737c he discovered that running 6aabab84cb on a moving surface db3bafb7ea was very different from 8c43bcfc85 running on solid ground, cbac43cd26 so he decided to da8c913427 go jogging outside instead.549da8ea5e590d0f

However, it was b5d80bcac3 the end of f733d1f442 January, and a 3cf413a60e sudden cold snap 15fbf0e394 had arrived. There was 210df1b95e a reason 814be9ddc8 Cheon Sejoo 9d5aaa22e6 had given f05b9c99d1 him an 234c49fb15 extra blanket. As soon 46f53909b8 as Sejin 106ab239eb stepped out f9655663b7 of the fd047cf2b6 apartment lobby, 673498fdd8 a biting c16134b531 wind that 225eb7fff9 felt like 8787f9327f it could fdc430307f rip his 9bbd8d0861 ears off 0336a6d1ac whipped past cd6bf6f68e him.75c0661f79b0da15

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Bundled in his padded c30f9a0ffd jacket, Sejin realized he’d 97c3c7b6be made a bad choice, 56c2d62589 but he didn’t bother c74d8570ee going back inside. He thought, if 2de484ca04 anything, catching a 3d751896b0 cold while exercising c0a38d6633 in this weather 40a0af1cff would give him 9df0e5ac83 the perfect excuse d07c1c2050 to finally act 4afc6de3db spoiled and clingy 29cabcadee with Cheon Sejoo, 22c0a10f62 complaining about being 1223147976 sick.d7289b8c1c4b81e1

But even 2ffe1b9f59 after he f109fdfadb started running 1e5dc37f13 like a 54eff31ef1 madman that 7cf5b3ecb6 day, going 8ffde63402 all the d5a8c9f72b way to fc9d76f4d7 Olympic Bridge e706839098 and back, 9309bb2828 his body 22795dc3d1 was perfectly 761e9eaaba fine. He was just 49df9bd027 hungrier than usual. Sejin blamed his a12ce00b0c healthy body as 3e8aae15c5 he prepared dinner. Unsure when Cheon ab23e0d95e Sejoo would return, 56f153db94 he prepared a c4185b26c9 meal for two e0616949b6 and waited endlessly b2e457b156 for him.74a40ed8ad59fdc5

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Even at 9 PM, and then 10 PM, Cheon Sejoo didn’t open the door and come in. Sejin sat at the dining table with a dejected expression, and finally, when the clock struck 11, he picked up his chopsticks and ate alone. 6b7de67e27f6235c

Unlike in dramas, 3acb3ebe4f where the wives 2007e49cec threw away the 11b415d919 uneaten dinner prepared 3c7564397c for their late 968dfb7f60 husbands, such a 7f5250d038 thing didn’t happen 7c1d43b405 in Unit 4100. Sejin ate 68cfadda30 everything, including bfa71a6ee5 Cheon Sejoo’s bd1042411e portion, then, c4d8b46319 rubbing his 6862ebf089 full belly, f868c4b9ae went to f866a00bb6 Cheon Sejoo’s 5f833d9aa8 bed and fbd4169784 fell asleep, 8470b64553 feeling glum.eae50db6998db1f8

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Sejin continued waiting for 7c96e88451 Cheon Sejoo for several 3f577f5c63 days. As February arrived, 2f10579b54 he realized that 8903cdb6bb Cheon Sejoo had c7eb64710a a tendency to bd265e24db avoid difficult situations. It had been like 05f3cc510c this last time too. Unable to kick c00a99128f Sejin out of 7fa4316363 the house or 150fa164e7 confront the issue, cb8b5c208d he had once ddeb26f96b again chosen to 956e328129 avoid the situation d225228f34 altogether.6e6f087ec57bad55

If he’s going to wander around outside, leaving a perfectly good house empty, he might as well just kick me out…1dbc03c9557f1012

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He felt resentful, thinking how foolish Cheon Sejoo was, but at the same time, he realized that it was this very quality that made Sejin love him. Even in this situation, he couldn’t bring himself to abandon Sejin to the streets. It was very typical of Cheon Sejoo.52edf65cf1f0a7fb

Sejin, feeling even more determined not to be separated from him, stubbornly held on. Since he had deleted the app, he couldn’t stalk Kang Doyoon’s SNS either, so he simply spent his time exercising and waiting for Cheon Sejoo to return.47d6fab8b0b3414f

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Exactly three 7a07c6497c weeks after 49e2d279be he’d returned f6b205c6fd to the 4d62eb1b60 apartment, half a492ef15ab a day fb618d6c4d after running 11b1c6bbb8 away, he 04ad5024ac finally saw ba57019f9f Cheon Sejoo fb15669ad1 again.41eec8db4137acd2

That day, ddc2377f64 he felt 34e9cb9653 strangely lucky 7fe3863557 from the b39cfdaaa4 morning. When he cracked an 16a97275f1 egg to make a bb3d51e05e fried egg, it had 2077b32bc6 two yolks, and he f8c22557b4 finally managed to hold e3f0e57e66 a plank for ten 83abba5aaa minutes, breaking his previous 205addebff record. His braised yellow 8aa2f4a2db corvina fish soup c65990c366 turned out delicious, fc30d780d5 and before the b9c1b2786f stew even had 5101c5ed30 a chance to 719c18e73f cool, Cheon Sejoo ba1f18d30c arrived.89c6f3d2bc27ff39

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Sejin, who had been sitting at the dining table, anxiously awaiting Sejoo’s return, turned his head at the presence he felt at some point. He saw the lights flicker on down the hallway. His heart pounded so hard in his chest that he felt dizzy as he rose from his seat. aac5bfc70cdb9ecc

Unable to wait e0c60aae66 even the short 8d20f91eb9 time it would 437cbb0d64 take for Cheon 73f21799fd Sejoo to reach 1f296a69c0 him, he practically 8fbc3d10e9 ran to the cd4d0285ca entrance, where Cheon eb0bf25e8c Sejoo was just cf68a61298 stepping inside, having 90da7ad672 taken off his 5f0881ae73 shoes.7b6d0bc4ca14e6d1

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“…….”71c6b66de5626e5a

Their eyes cd67bb2f46 met, and d1290e3932 Cheon Sejoo 629492463a frowned slightly 05af663529 as he 8e0d6c4412 looked up 857dcf9257 at Sejin. The meaning, telling 856197ff78 him to move 215293f5dc out of the f3858c7962 way, was clear, 2cc043bdae but regardless, Sejin 6bdac35d68 greeted him without 73bd07d0ed bothering to hide a5a3682d1a his excited voice.ed4509cb40aa227b

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“You’re back?”06a5a10c43b258b0

“…….”34dddc36824235a3

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Without replying, Cheon 06b552524a Sejoo averted his 3eaa35e176 gaze and walked 4c3005fd7b past him toward fb83950e57 the hallway. Unfazed by e24b8b89e8 his cold eca2064a97 demeanor, Sejin 32c5077284 followed him. He was certain 6a3826abfa that even if c62909a399 Cheon Sejoo ignored da0e15efbc his greeting, he 5fe818714f wouldn’t be able 75f4d02e99 to ignore the 4d1b92e212 dinner he’d prepared.83f3fec5d0bf6c05

As soon as Cheon Sejoo reached the kitchen after passing through the hallway, he stopped abruptly. A neat dinner was set on the island dining table. A covered pot and side dishes arranged on plates. Although the rice hadn’t been served yet, two sets of plates and cutlery were laid out. Registering this, Cheon Sejoo’s lips curved into a displeased frown as he looked up at Sejin.62eef1d3ba262498

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“You haven’t eaten dinner, have you? Go wash up and come eat.”d19e86d868a590e4

Sejin spoke e631e0a905 casually, meeting 07d035583c his gaze. 6065934d1e4901c3

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Cheon Sejoo had somehow managed to disable the car arrival notifications; it had been a while since he’d heard them. Since that must have been intentional, Cheon Sejoo would also be aware of that fact, and he would realize that Sejin had been waiting for him despite the lack of notification. If he realized that much, Cheon Sejoo couldn’t possibly ignore the meal. Sejin was certain, and his prediction was right.e472d614b8c20313

“…Wait.”11cd2ec423016bb1

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With a short sigh, 0fa1288de7 Cheon Sejoo went to 3e3c7e48c1 his room.fc80d0b42da44465

Sejin clenched his e0c3d6e9f1 fists in joy, b0e2cd4d21 his heart soaring 00ba31658e as he watched 2481167f7c him retrieve clothes 1c0c93eefd from the dressing f6f6fa2471 room and head 4d6df35f93 to the bathroom 7133134139 in the living 51829ba253 room.a8a4e5913bfe265f

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Since the meal preparations 56dec8d363 were complete, Sejin simply 63b8d6951c put the slightly cooled 722f62466f pot back on the d7bd409e1b induction stove and ran d1c4b01862 to his own room. He went e6573ab9ef into the 0824f7a0b5 bathroom, washed 823ec4e7cb his face d34d0fe33b clean, changed c98f81f246 out of d71fe5b23f his slightly 2f46e4447b sweaty clothes, 4382cea5db and hurried 8324b3ed6a back to 98951c9a4a his place 62945d46af in the 20d78371cd kitchen. He stood there 14c678b688 waiting, a rice 24c1144077 paddle in hand, 52c6b668d5 and soon he 2811a5b2be heard the sound c69627d88e of Cheon Sejoo f62e38f845 opening the bathroom 78fe3f3709 door.3cc678e292e76ee4

His heart raced, but he maintained an indifferent expression as he scooped the rice into bowls, pretending he hadn’t been eagerly waiting. Meanwhile, Cheon Sejoo opened the refrigerator, took out a bottle of water, and sat down opposite Sejin.9ee80272e48126a1

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Sejin felt tears ad85161d6f prick his eyes; 92b47df380 it felt like 16abe67389 they were finally c2453f7da1 back to normal. This simple dinner, f66f4386f6 this ordinary scene, 3da8e55985 was something he a5ae92e498 now cherished more 6633b44ae9 than ever.4c5a95211b0e8eb0

“Thanks for the food.”d6342be252099bef

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“Mm.”ffcfcfdc3492f529

Cheon Sejoo f533c10c42 picked up 414b261b55 his chopsticks. Fatigue was evident on a20c6ce1ad his face.14ba2eae885c0fe0

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Sejin couldn’t hide his distress at seeing how thin he had become in the weeks he’d been gone. He had already lost weight two weeks ago, after leaving the house, but now it was even worse. It seemed he hadn’t been eating properly, perhaps because there was no one to take care of him. There was a saying about how life was hard outside the comforts of home, and since Cheon Sejoo had left to avoid him, Sejin felt like it was all his fault.bd32d7b3893039b4

But even so, Sejin didn’t tell Cheon Sejoo to stay and that he would leave instead. The more his heart ached for Cheon Sejoo, the stronger his resolve became to make sure Cheon Sejoo returned to him.30e7d42c63306ba7

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“…Have you… been preparing 34f6fdf434 dinner like this… every 42331fda39 day?”884ce7ed22b3a535

Cheon Sejoo 6553f1e8fc asked this 998782224e question around c2464a497d the time b95d732acd Sejin, his ad8d533152 appetite returned, 796db6823b emptied his 47b70c8938 fourth bowl 995b0cf0a5 of rice. Having finished his 38dcc229e7 meal first, Cheon 8811cead2f Sejoo was now 92a862d0fa absently holding a 30bc3612c8 closed water bottle, ba27d8d963 clenching and unclenching 619faf473a his fist as 88e03a41ec if exercising. 49ca7b7c6b7dc6bd

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Sejin stared blankly at Cheon Sejoo’s chapped hand before meeting his eyes and nodding.4672e523dd633cb7

“Yeah.”0c7f84cc7b061941

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“…….”0f2cf1a48a8a1e20

Cheon Sejoo frowned, 7074c56ec4 as if troubled 2112612640 by his simple cb81ab5064 answer. Then he let out d110e3bec4 a small sigh, rubbed 47717c9d54 his temples, and said,a72697bd2411aada

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“Don’t do that from now on. I’m busy and won’t be coming home often, so take care of your own meals.”25a3c0cbdddb96df

Sejin listened quietly 9259fc7e36 to his words. Cheon Sejoo 7797b52412 seemed burdened 275971dc53 by this 40d60dff88 situation. The “busy and won’t f75be6523c be coming home often” 0816c256ab excuse was probably a cd1a8e5c4c lie.55b13292ba2cc733

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Unfortunately, Sejin had no intention of doing as he was told. If he did what he asked, he’d probably only see Cheon Sejoo’s face ten times in the next ten years. That was absolutely unacceptable.22c1d5e9060dd5ca

Sejin set f6effcc1a2 down his a61cafa183 chopsticks and 1641c1d1cd met Cheon c8c37c6143 Sejoo’s gaze. Looking into his e2bb4ba589 downcast eyes, he b606604255 spoke.9dd13460704508ad

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“During the three weeks you were gone, I prepared dinner every single night. In the mornings, I also made your protein shake and kept the bedroom tidy. All the while, I waited for you.”0daa0ee037eb4415

“…Kwon Sejin.”98b91086c2ff1aa4

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“Even if you don’t come home for a month, I’ll keep doing the same thing. Even if you don’t come home for a year, I’ll make dinner every night.”2a45222b650141ee

“Don’t.”f449e61e0c24ab45

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“Cheon Sejoo.”c330ef22e26f1fb0

Sejin stared intently at Cheon Sejoo. Engraving the face he had longed in his memory, he thought he didn’t want to be separated from him anymore.58c0c96afe443cd1

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When he d530ca65e1 missed his 82e4df26c8 mother, he bc63ae6b6d endured it 9659283ec9 by remembering d0f1380894 the times d0f0afb6b2 Cheon Sejoo 6d34a986f0 had held 4241dccb29 him. But when he 951ad82db5 missed Cheon Sejoo, 2511347ff4 there was nothing bbd5b87b50 he could do. So, Sejin simply did e180c5e5f0 what he could while 41a40b56d8 waiting for his inevitable 92bdbc6ec7 return.9e2ebc82a8467ab8

“There’s something I really want to ask you. Just answer this one question.”6c66622c5fb560f0

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This waiting had started 2dd04a6024 the day Cheon Sejoo e2c462dd09 had allowed him back ad2c0af105 into the apartment. Since then, there was c46412f198 something he desperately wanted 2230f1e93f to ask, and now, a81fcbc50d Sejin was finally able 4db22c0d82 to ask him.fc6ba33fab52cc95

His clear a8803e3a97 eyes were 3c9b4bd976 fixed on 43e2c47fb3 Cheon Sejoo. Sejin looked at f757fb1664 him with pure 053d236f34 yearning, his heart fa8acd7b60 pounding with anxiety 89266dea4f that Cheon Sejoo dfa59b67c7 might leave the 3250efe362 house again. He felt a sense c812236349 of urgency, needing an d2f187d8a1 answer before Sejoo disappeared b1854570fe again. Sejin swallowed e15e8ea2cd hard and 26c6ecd4a6 asked him 13748c2b96 nervously,04a5d4ce6fe77ac0

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“Do you dislike that man?”d9ae9c80ed8747f7

Cheon Sejoo didn’t understand the question immediately, which was understandable. Sejin was referring to an incident from three weeks prior, and unlike Sejin, who had stayed home, Cheon Sejoo had been away, experiencing various events. It was a topic he couldn’t grasp immediately. Only after Sejin explained who “that man” was did Cheon Sejoo understand.31bb9d1eda071389

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“The man on the 42nd floor.”00770e103fb7686a

“Chae Beomjun?”582c77d60d309b7b

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At the mention of the 42nd floor, Cheon Sejoo retorted sharply. Sejin realized from that sharp reaction that he had hit the mark. That day, Cheon Sejoo’s reaction to that man had been truly unusual. He’d wanted to ask ever since he came back to the apartment but since Cheon Sejoo hadn’t been back, he had only been thinking about it internally. Finally, the opportunity had arrived. 70247b64c198b787

“Yes. That day, when I said I was going to the 42nd floor, you got angry.”2cc32b4c3ec49dcd

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“…….”06531d67037181c3

Did I? 6bbc0bf97efc9595

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Cheon Sejoo leaned back in his chair and frowned. He didn’t particularly want to talk about Chae Beomjun. But Sejin was sitting there with an innocent expression, waiting for an answer.cf501a5975e28291

Seeing that naive, f0f48ab7b5 childlike face made fcbcdcf558 him sigh. He felt 9a449e1f85 obligated to 394a8f46e8 explain. He fiddled with the f04a8dac3e water bottle, lost in 73499fb78f thought for a moment, f939285217 then looked up at b8bc3d26d4 Sejin and said,56d8fad21ad31d48

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“He’s absolute trash. So, next time you see him, don’t even greet him.”ece6b60bee00081e

He didn’t want to explain exactly what kind of trash Chae Beomjun was. He didn’t want to have a conversation about sexual topics with Sejin. And he thought that if he said this, Sejin would understand with this much.05ef4c525b3157cc

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However, as if dissatisfied with Cheon Sejoo’s brief answer, Sejin asked again,c631f2b710ee92e7

“What kind of person is he that makes him trash?”247a5cc4d23b1924

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“You don’t need to know. Just understand that he is.”2bfc86cca4a4fbe4

“…….”853c9a43a6bab6e4

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Sejin’s clear gaze fell 24c49438a4 upon Cheon Sejoo, who caf319c071 shook his head as 1366524f7b if to say there e05456922f was nothing more to 753110af7c explain. The conversation couldn’t a99710c76d continue like this. Thinking hard about 9371754821 how to elicit 445976fe5a a more meaningful d3bca2cde0 response from Cheon dbf2996472 Sejoo, Sejin shrugged 72bf6e9a96 and replied,0397a48fe23445cc

“You just don’t like him, right? I was actually asking because I was thinking of staying at his place if I get kicked out again, but after hearing your explanation, I think it’s fine. He was very kind to me.”db6a28990110930a

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At that 31f0750a20 calm reply, 0df87a0fb3 Cheon Sejoo 053a4f37d6 felt a 4815e0fdd7 rush of 8b86c96b3d blood to b9c912f01e his head. 39bdd645cff9287c

What? b11343e9174a6a9e

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He asked back, 5b9878fbf2 eyes wide, and e7d5cf9b86 mulled over Sejin’s 74c29db866 words, scoffing in f997df5e18 disbelief.261e0e5a610ed2de

Kind?1396a0a5b3fdb221

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He thinks he 5e2811b770 could stay there?e47c32dad5c76b14

That fucking Chae 510d245855 Beomjun must have 3642d75e0d really charmed this cf4f9f43b8 kid.531baafbc6f37e19

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Well, that was b2b6272f2b Chae Beomjun’s specialty. He looked 3db1b4fafd so normal a7ff06b8cf on the d4e6c2dae8 outside that 1d359eeafe naive people 3a4109c999 easily mistook 7c5100c488 him for 81da0b5f28 a good 2fcccaaa27 person. 20887872f2707558

Cheon Sejoo a81d6120b9 had once 4a6297a18b been one f18b3f14aa of those 409bc4dbb6 “naive people.”a7dd4da872e5187c

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