You Call This Living Quietly?

Peaceful days passed.

After moving houses, nothing happened to the point where he thought, ‘Is this really okay?’

Every time he felt this emotion, Haejin felt happy.

But on the other hand, he also felt resentful.

It felt unfair to think that things others would have taken for granted were things he had been tossed around by.

He thought he had largely escaped their grasp when he married Beomwoo in his past life.

But living alone without any worries made him realize it wasn’t true.

Thinking that made him resentful.

But when he considered that he had taken a meaningful first step to escape that, his mood improved.

Regardless of his feelings, with consecutive days of having nothing to do, he tried out the toys Beomwoo had brought.

Since it was a new neighborhood, he took walks here and there to familiarize himself with the area.

He also looked for work to save money for rent and living expenses for after Beomwoo’s help ended.

Seeing students from a prestigious university nearby, he often felt envious…….

Even though he had gotten a chance to live his life again, university was a luxury for him.

He just passed by.

He spent about a week like that without much incident.

Then, a message came from Beomwoo.

[I’ll stop by this evening.]

See you at home today…….

This would already be the third time meeting him alone in this house.

The first was the day he showed him the house.

The second was the very next day to bring him the phone.

The previous two times he met him in this house, he had too much on his mind to notice.

But today, after receiving his message, he newly wondered, ‘Is it really okay to meet alone at home?’

It was strange to refuse, telling him not to come to the house he had prepared for him with the purpose of helping him.

He also thought about asking to meet elsewhere.

But that would reveal he was conscious of him…….

As the time he was supposed to arrive approached, the tension grew stronger.

He didn’t have much to do lately, and household chores were ingrained in him.

So the house was usually clean anyway.

But Haejin unnecessarily swept and cleaned the already clean house even more.

While killing time by glancing at the clock and doing meaningless cleaning, the doorbell rang at that moment.

Ding-dong—

Even though he knew who it was, he checked the intercom.

Beomwoo’s face appeared on the screen.

He thought he had made all sorts of mental preparations while waiting for him.

Maybe because it had been a while.

Just seeing his face made his heart race like someone having absurd thoughts.

“Just a moment……!”

The expression ‘running in his socks’ fit perfectly.

He had probably just arrived, but Haejin felt rushed as if he had kept a guest waiting for long.

Running to the front door in one go and opening it, Beomwoo, who was standing in front, greeted him.

“Hello.”

Haejin thought he had made a lot of mental preparations while waiting for him.

But the moment he saw him, a strong thought hit him—’I’m still not prepared enough…….’

As soon as he saw him, the back of his neck stiffened.

He felt like a broken machine.

Haejin stood still even after receiving his greeting.

Then belatedly came to his senses, stepped back, and gestured for him to come in.

“Co-come in.”

“I’ll trouble you for a moment.”

Beomwoo bowed his head slightly and cautiously stepped inside.

Fortunately, he seemed not to have noticed Haejin acting like a briefly broken machine.

Feeling inwardly relieved, Beomwoo, as soon as he stepped inside, crossed his arms.

He spoke to him in a cold, settled voice.

“I only asked you to do one thing.”

“What will we do if you can’t even do that?”

……What does this mean?

The only thing he had asked Haejin to do was to eat well, sleep well, and live quietly.

It was practically like not asking him to do anything.

But…… he said he couldn’t even do that?

How could that be?

While bewildered about what he meant, a thought that momentarily crossed his mind drained the color from Haejin’s face.

Could it be that his hiding here has been discovered?

Last time, when Beomwoo forbade him from using a phone under his own name to avoid tracking and told him to only use his card for money, Haejin had thought, ‘Is that really necessary?’

He thought his aunt and uncle weren’t as wealthy as Beomwoo or had exceptional information-gathering skills.

So why go that far?

But since his concern wasn’t incomprehensible, Haejin had obeyed his words…….

But it’s been discovered?

How?

Why?

Did he go outside too much?

No, even if so, it was only within this neighborhood.

There’s distance from where he originally lived……?

He couldn’t even gauge what wrong he had committed.

“I, I…… I lived quietly and well.”

“Has it been discovered……?”

“H-how did they find out……?”

“That’s not it.”

Haejin asked with a pale face.

But Beomwoo shook his head, saying that wasn’t it.

Then what else is there?

What did he do wrong then……?

As Haejin looked at him with a bewildered face, wondering if there was something else, Beomwoo spoke as if giving him the answer.

“The card statement was interesting.”

“Huh?”

“Ca-card?”

……Card?

The more he listened, the more he felt like he was falling into a labyrinth.

As Haejin looked at him with a still-clueless face, Beomwoo sighed as if asking if he still didn’t understand.

Then he opened his mouth again.

“It’s not at a level that can be called ‘used.'”

“…….”

Card…….

Used……?

Haejin blinked his round eyes and looked at him.

Belatedly, he wondered if it could be for the reason he was thinking.

He cautiously asked him.

“I don’t understand right now, so…….”

“By any chance……, is it because I haven’t been using…… the money enough?”

“Yes.”

“…….”

Ah……?

He wondered what he was talking about all this time…….

He’s scolding me for not using enough money?