TGT 6

Kwon Tae-hee’s attitude and tone, which had previously seemed polite and consistently kind, were now somewhat aggressive and cynical. He was also indifferent, as if it didn’t matter whether Seo Jeong-won left or stayed.

“Let’s set the time from Friday night to Sunday. Jeong-won-ssi can return on Monday. The location is my house.”

“On weekends…”

“Do you have someone you’re seeing? If so, it would be better to end it.”

Seo Jeong-won’s hand holding the pen hesitated to sign. He glanced up at Kwon Tae-hee’s face as if gauging his reaction, and his hunched shoulders trembled.

While wondering if he should mention his lack of experience in that area, a low voice sounded.

“It would be good to pay special attention to the content highlighted in bold text.”

Seo Jeong-won’s gaze dropped down. He could easily find the part mentioned.

Could things get any worse than they already were? Seo Jeong-won was desperate with the thought of escaping his deteriorating daily situation. At least this choice couldn’t be the worst, could it?

Even knowing there was no better alternative, Seo Jeong-won hesitated before signing.

“If you’re hesitating, it means you’re making the wrong choice. Why don’t you run away before signing?”

At these words offered with a smile, Seo Jeong-won opened his quivering lips.

“On weekends, the flower shop… is busy.”

“What can we do? I find it difficult to make time except on weekends.”

At the cool rebuke, Seo Jeong-won bit his lip and placed his hand on the document. The hand holding the pen trembled.

What was he so afraid of that he would hesitate this much? The contract would be terminated anyway if he didn’t manifest within a year.

“What if I manifest but can’t get pregnant?”

“You’re probably not my best option anyway.”

Ah, as soon as he heard those words, Seo Jeong-won instinctively realized. That he already had someone to replace him.

Yet he couldn’t pretend to know. He feared a few words from him might irritate the other and change his mind.

“…My brother’s caregiver. Actually, there isn’t one.”

After neatly writing his name on each paper with a scratching sound, Seo Jeong-won murmured as if confessing. Kwon Tae-hee, who had been observing with his chin resting on the sofa armrest, curved his lips in a silent smile.

“I’ll send a caregiver right away.”

“…Thank you. And could I… ask one more thing?”

“Go ahead.”

“If my brother wakes up, could you keep this matter secret? I’d like it if you could say you waited for him to wake up, just like before.”

Kwon Tae-hee nodded at the pleading voice discussing an unlikely possibility. It wasn’t a difficult thing to do.

Seo Jeong-won handed the fully signed documents to Kwon Tae-hee. He put them in the envelope without checking.

“I’ll get this notarized. We’ll meet after this document has legal effect. So Jeong-won can’t say he can’t do it.”

“…Then I’ll be going now.”

“If you go, what will you do today?”

“Ah… Since it’s late today, nothing, but tomorrow at dawn I’m going as a worker to dig potatoes.”

Kwon Tae-hee frowned. It was hard enough to understand buying potatoes, let alone going to dig them up. There was no reason to stop him, but somehow he didn’t like it.

“These days they pay a good daily wage because there aren’t many young people. We start early in the morning and finish early… and we can also take the small potatoes that are left in the field…”

Seo Jeong-won felt increasingly shabby the more he explained, but he continued to the end because the other seemed curious.

“Um… why are you looking at me like that?”

“Stay home, don’t go out.”

“Why, why?”

“Do you have other schedules later?”

Kwon Tae-hee asked while pressing his temple. Seo Jeong-won hesitated to speak because he seemed somehow displeased.

The day after tomorrow, he was going to pick black raspberries. That job also paid quite well because it had to be done by hand.

“If you could tell me why…”

“Because the rights to that body now belong to me.”

“…Ah.”

“I’ll need to manage it in advance. To bring it up to my standards.”

At Kwon Tae-hee’s explanation, Seo Jeong-won nodded in agreement. It seemed he was saying not to do physical labor. It would be troublesome if he got injured.

“Then… is it okay to go to the flower shop?”

“Don’t you use your body there too?”

“I don’t use my body much. Just watering plants, cleaning, repotting… that sort of thing.”

“Good. From now on, just take care of and tend to the flower shop.”

Kwon Tae-hee continued, snapping his fingers.

“From now on, there should be nothing about Seo Jeong-won that I don’t know. Secretly doing other work would be unacceptable, right?”

Having briefly thought about that himself, Seo Jeong-won quickly nodded.

Kwon Tae-hee said he could go now and stood up first. He said he was busy.

“If you need anything, buy it. Use it freely.”

He took the wallet out of his jacket’s inner pocket and pulled out a black card and all the cash inside. There were checks mixed with 50,000 won bills.

Seo Jeong-won shook his head, rejecting the hand that moved as if to say “why aren’t you taking it?”

“It’s really fine. Really.”

“You didn’t read the contract carefully.”

“…What?”

“Jeong-won-ssi, you can’t refuse anything I give you. Whatever it may be.”

Hearing this, Jeong-won reluctantly extended his hand that had been feebly waving in the air. His voice sounded dejected as he expressed his thanks.

Kwon Tae-hee observed his rain-soaked puppy-like appearance a bit longer before moving first.

“I’ll arrange a car for you, take it.”

“…I can’t refuse that either, right?”

“Why, do you want to refuse?”

“I don’t know… from where… to where I should accept things.”

His quiet and gloomy voice scattered in the air. Kwon Tae-hee took a mint candy from a small glass jar on the desk and put it in his mouth.

“Should we kiss, now?”

“…What?”

His widely opened eyes trembled helplessly. It was difficult to distinguish whether it was real or just words meant to tease him.

The unchanging expression seemed sincere, but Seo Jeong-won lacked the courage to comply. Above all, even though he had made this decision for his brother, he felt like he was sinning against him. Even knowing the two of them were already over.

His hand holding the money and card from him trembled. The soft brown eyes, unlike their color, had turned cold.

Standing there, unable to move either way, Seo Jeong-won’s complexion turned pale, almost blue.

“Jeong-won-ssi.”

At the single call, he hesitated, then placed what he was holding on the table and stood up. But he couldn’t readily move his feet and sniffled.

“Can’t do it?”

“……”

“This is what’s written in our contract. Whatever I order, Jeong-won-ssi has to do it.”

His beautiful face instantly turned cold. He commanded in a low voice.

“If you understand, come here.”

Kwon Tae-hee, leaning against the desk, nodded while staring intently at Seo Jeong-won’s trembling eyes. Seo Jeong-won began to move one step at a time.

Finally stopping in front of Kwon Tae-hee, he reached out with a shaking hand and grabbed the edge of his jacket.

“You should look up.”

Along with the low voice, a waft of mint rushed in. Seo Jeong-won carefully met his gaze while inhaling the sweet and cool scent. The face that had been difficult to look at properly was now right in front of him.

Kwon Tae-hee slowly tilted his head. His lips, rough despite their fine color, met lips softer than velvet.

He licked the chapped crevices, crushing the brittle ends. His tongue, which brushed against the front teeth, shallowly penetrated, moistening the dry lips.

With a soft sound, Kwon Tae-hee’s lips separated.

“We’ll do more than this, do you still find it difficult? Do you still think there’s something Jeong-won-ssi can refuse?”

At the quiet question, Seo Jeong-won shook his head. No, it’s not difficult. I don’t think there is. Kwon Tae-hee smiled with satisfaction at the answer showing he finally understood.

“Stay at the flower shop.”

“…At my brother’s hospital too…”

Seo Jeong-won muttered in a somewhat dazed voice. Kwon Tae-hee stared at Seo Jeong-won without any particular response. Perhaps his learning ability was a bit lacking.

“I’ll… stay at the flower shop.”

“Good.”

Kwon Tae-hee briefly kissed Seo Jeong-won again, who had finally given the right answer. He embraced the body that wouldn’t stop trembling. While slowly stroking his thin back, he asked about his feelings.

“Are you upset?”

Hearing the kind question directed at him, Seo Jeong-won shook his head. He wasn’t upset, but he was consumed by guilt that he would have to do more than this with the man who was his brother’s former fiancé.

Separating from the embrace, Jeong-won couldn’t raise his head and fixed his gaze on the pin securing the tie. A large hand rubbed his cheek. His palm was still soft. Like a tender leaf.

“You cry a lot, Jeong-won-ssi.”

“……”

Seo Jeong-won didn’t even know he was crying. When he didn’t answer and just quietly blinked his eyelids, Kwon Tae-hee’s hand this time caressed around his eyes.

“I think I’ll come to like it. Comforting a crying Jeong-won-ssi.”