It felt like waking from a very old dream.He rubbed his dry eyelids hard with the back of his hand, not even remembering how he had fallen asleep. What time was it? The bedroom, sealed off by blackout curtains, was so dark that it was impossible to guess. As he groped around for his phone, his hand brushed against something that wasn’t hard plastic but something else.Before he could register what it was, a set of fingers tangled playfully with his own, and that was when he realized it was someone’s hand.Startled, he turned to the side—and there, crouched quietly in the dark, was Seo Sa-heon.“…What are you doing here?”He managed to shove his heart back down into place and asked, but Sa-heon, with an unbothered expression, threw the question right back.“Why are you sleeping so long?”“Me…? What time is it now?”“5:12.”Unlike Sa-heon, Seo-eul’s sleep schedule was usually strict. Sleeping around midnight, waking up at six—that was his routine. He blinked blankly.Did I really sleep that long?If Sa-heon had come all the way to the bedroom, that meant it was already five in the afternoon. Unless there’d been back-to-back night shoots, this never happened. Flustered, he sat up, feeling the weight of a silent stare following him. How long had he been here? Did I say something weird in my sleep?“You could’ve woken me up. I must’ve been exhausted, slept like the dead.”“If you’re tired, sleep more.”He didn’t feel particularly rested, even after all that sleep. But that was nothing new.“I’m fine. Did you eat?”“Not yet.”That made Seo-eul’s eyes widen. Had he really waited all this time because he hated eating alone? His heart jumped in mild panic.Without even tidying the bed, he sprang up and tugged at the hand still holding his. The only thought in his head was to get ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) him fed.“You didn’t wait for me to wake up, right? I told you so many times to eat properly.”“We can eat together.”“No, I mean, even if we can’t—”You should know how to take care of yourself by now.He grumbled under his breath as he yanked the door open—and froze.The living room looked almost identical to the unlit bedroom. Even if the sun went down early these days, this was too dark. It looked less like five in the afternoon and more like before dawn.No way.“…Is it five in the morning?”“Yeah.”He had asked just in case, but the reply was shamelessly casual.He turned, exasperated at this absurd prank before dawn, but Sa-heon—being dragged out by the hand—looked completely unfazed.It wasn’t like he was a mischievous five-year-old; Seo-eul really couldn’t understand why he’d lie about something that would be found out immediately. He pressed a hand to his forehead.“So it’s not that I slept long, it’s that I woke up early. Why say it like that and confuse me…?”“Just because. I was waiting, but you wouldn’t wake up.”So since when had he been waiting?He swallowed the sigh that almost slipped out. Then a thought struck him—how strange it was to see Seo Sa-heon awake this early at all. Normally, he was the one dragging him out of bed. There weren’t any special schedules today either.“What time did you wake up?”“But I am hungry.”A blatant dodge. Still, the word “hungry” worked on him, and he found himself drifting toward the kitchen. What was in the fridge again?“Since when were you waiting?”“I don’t know. Want scrambled eggs? With shrimp?”“Shrimp? Ah, but we ran out of butter. I’ll have to buy some.”“I already bought it.”“…Did you wake up early because you wanted that?”It sounded plausible. For Sa-heon, appetite came second only to sleep, though sometimes the order reversed.Seo-eul looked at him, suspicious but almost convinced. Sa-heon met his eyes and gave a vague nod, his face unreadable.“Yes. I’m hungry.”“Good grief, you’re not a kid…”He couldn’t fathom why this grown man was acting like it was a kindergarten picnic day. Muttering under his breath, he still headed for the fridge. Sometimes what was unfamiliar was more unsettling than what was bad.He switched on the light and was about to grab the frozen shrimp when he noticed their still-joined hands. He tried to pull away naturally, but the grip tightened instead.“Hey… you said you wanted scrambled eggs. Let go and sit on the sofa.”“Okay.”“Don’t just answer, move.”“Yes.”“Why do you keep getting on my nerves first thing in the morning…?”He responded perfectly but didn’t move an inch. Seo-eul imagined snapping at him, but he knew he wouldn’t. Sighing, he admitted to himself that trying to read meaning into every bit of physical contact with Seo Sa-heon was pointless. The only one whose heart took damage was him, and he never stood a chance.So he led him to the table and made him sit.After threatening that there’d be no scrambled eggs if he interfered again, Seo-eul finally managed to cook in peace—though he still felt the sting of a gaze on his back the whole time.He pretended not to notice, chopping vegetables and patting the thawed shrimp dry. Once he’d seasoned them and whisked the eggs through a sieve, he suddenly realized he was cooking in his sleep-rumpled state, hair a mess and face unwashed. Embarrassed, he sped up his movements.He stir-fried the shrimp and vegetables, plated them, then added butter and poured in the eggs. The scrambled eggs came out soft and golden, glistening invitingly. He slid them beside the shrimp and sprinkled parsley and pepper to finish.Looks decent enough.Since Sa-heon had apparently lost sleep over this meal, he couldn’t help worrying it might disappoint. He’d never heard a complaint about his cooking before, but still—before he could decide whether to add anything, the plate vanished from in front of him.“Uh—”“What, you want to add something else?”It was Sa-heon. He had somehow come up beside him and was holding up both plates. Seeing Seo-eul pause, he asked briefly, and when Seo-eul shook his head, he turned to set the table. That was their usual division of labor—Seo-eul cooked, Sa-heon set the dishes.When everything was laid out neatly, Seo-eul finally relaxed.The food was best hot, but right now, more than eating, he wanted to wash up. Looking at Sa-heon sitting there, he said,“Start without me, I’ll just wash up quick.”Without waiting for a reply, he turned and headed to the bathroom.The mirror showed that aside from slightly mussed hair, he looked fine.He wanted a shower, but for some reason he couldn’t stop thinking about Sa-heon left alone at the table. He grabbed one of the two toothbrushes and squeezed out the toothpaste. There was no schedule today anyway; a shower could wait. He smiled faintly at himself for thinking that.What “taking it easy.”He was supposed to start house-hunting today, yet he was standing here brushing his teeth without a care.He’d been so anxious yesterday, but maybe the early hour had dulled his focus. After carefully brushing every corner, he rinsed, splashed his face with cold water, and muttered,“…Right.”The sting on his cheeks helped his mind clear. He began to plan. He’d visit a real-estate office first thing in the morning. If he found a good place, sign right away, then call a moving service…A full moving service would be easier, but since he was the only one leaving, it felt awkward. Both of them had public careers, and even without him, Sa-heon would still live here, so letting strangers in freely wasn’t ideal. Sa-heon hated anyone entering his space. It would be better to pack his own things. There were shared items, too, that needed sorting.Thinking through it all, his head felt clearer.Maybe it was actually lucky he woke up early.He wiped his damp face dry with a towel and took a long breath. He told himself this was how it should be—steady, decisive.Seo Sa-heon would be fine too. Once they had some distance, both of them would get used to it. It was stupid to panic before even trying. How many years had they been doing this same dance anyway? He smiled ruefully and turned the doorknob.“Gah—!”The door swung open—and Sa-heon was right there. Seo-eul stumbled back in shock.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.