A Morning Revelation

Inwoo stirred and opened his eyes. Sunlight streamed in through the slightly parted curtains. He turned his head to check the time, realizing it was already past 8 AM. He contemplated sleeping more, pulling the blanket around himself and closing his eyes, when he suddenly sat up and looked behind him. He was naked, yet there was no one beside him.

“Seo Junwon…”

Memories of last night flashed through his mind, scene by scene. Bringing Junwon home while drunk, drinking wine, smearing strawberries on there, and finally, Junwon holding him and patting his back. Yet, there was no sign that Seo Junwon had ever been in the bed.

After a quick wash in the bathroom, Inwoo got dressed and stepped out. The living room was already bathed in sunlight streaming through the window, and a neatly folded blanket rested on the sofa. The leftover snacks and wine that should have been on the table were nowhere to be seen.

Just then, a clattering sound drifted from the kitchen. Inwoo walked in to find Seo Junwon doing something at the sink. As he drew closer, Junwon, sensing his presence, turned around. He had a pot on the stove, stirring its contents with a spatula.

“You’re awake?”

“What are you doing?”

“I thought about making some hangover soup, but I didn’t have the right ingredients.”

“I don’t usually eat proper meals at home. Just a simple salad and toast is enough for me.”

“Yes, I figured. So I made salad and toast. And scrambled eggs. Oh, and I’m also making a bit of soup right now.”

Junwon gestured towards the dining table further inside. “Go ahead and sit.” As Inwoo approached the table, his eyes widened in surprise. A mountain of salad, topped with chicken breast, was piled high on a plate, alongside a generous serving of scrambled eggs. Thankfully, there wasn’t as much toast. Just then, the toaster alarm rang, and with a soft thump, two slices of toast popped up. Inwoo’s mouth fell open. More toast?

“Is someone else coming over?”

“No…”

“Then, is all this… just for the two of us?”

Junwon nodded.

“Why? Is it not enough?”

“Hardly.”

Seeing Inwoo’s undisguised astonishment, Junwon scratched his cheek. Perhaps it is too much. Inwoo couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight. Last night, when Junwon had held and comforted him, he seemed so dependable, but this morning, he was transformed into a blushing bride.

“Anyway, thank you. You must have been tired, but you woke up early to make breakfast. This is great. You’re like a Snail Maiden.”

At the mention of ‘Snail Maiden,’ a subtle smile touched Junwon’s lips. Isn’t ‘gaksi’ a term only used between married couples? he thought, the word ‘gaksi’ dancing in his mind, scattering flower petals.

Then, Inwoo glanced at the salad and spoke.

“You should have added strawberries to the salad too.”

“Strawberries?”

“Oh, right. There aren’t any strawberries. You ate them all yesterday, Junwon. Smearing them on my body.”

“……”

“It was better than just eating them, wasn’t it? Want to try something else next time? What do you like? I’ll prepare your favorite fruit, Junwon.”

Junwon’s face flushed crimson. He spun around abruptly, and in his flustered state, grabbed the hot pot handle with his bare hand. “Ow, hot!” he yelped, making the startled Inwoo leap up. “Are you okay?” Inwoo asked. Junwon frantically waved his hand. “I’m fine. Perfectly fine.” He turned on the water at the sink and ran his hand under it. Inwoo quickly moved closer to inspect, noticing Junwon’s index finger was red. That’s the same finger that probed me yesterday.

“It’s red, though?”

“It’s fine…. Just a slight burn.”

“My apologies. For saying strange things.”

Inwoo turned off the water and examined the wound. Fortunately, it wasn’t severe enough to blister. He brought it to his mouth and gently blew on it. There were noticeable calluses where the finger met the palm. Must be from gripping a ball so much. Inwoo offered to put a band-aid on it, but Junwon adamantly refused, claiming his skin healed quickly.

Only then did Inwoo notice the apron Junwon was wearing. It was the one used by the housekeeper, adorned with cute white frills. The apron was so small the ties couldn’t even be fastened at the back, yet Junwon wore it without a care, making the sight even more amusing.

“The apron suits you well.”

Junwon fiddled with the apron’s shoulder strap.

“Oh, it was just hanging there… but it’s really small.”

“Yes, it certainly looks that way.”

When Inwoo laughed, Junwon joined him. For a fleeting moment, Inwoo imagined Junwon wearing nothing but the apron, then quickly banished the thought. He knew if he let that image linger, he’d be tempted to seduce and ride Seo Junwon first thing in the morning.

The two moved to the dining table and sat facing each other. Inwoo couldn’t help but feel a pang of disappointment when Junwon took off the apron. He propped his chin on one hand, sitting slightly askew, and took a bite of toast. Its pleasant crispiness was quite good.

Junwon used tongs to transfer salad and chicken breast to his plate. He sat with a straight back, eating at a steady pace and with impeccable posture, looking as if he could hold a newspaper in one hand without it seeming out of place. Inwoo suddenly thought of Seo Youngmin. He had experienced a similar feeling while having breakfast with him at a hotel. Is this just how families are?

“Junwon.”

“Yes?”

“Are you good with chopsticks?”

The question was absurd. Asking a Korean person if they were good with chopsticks, as if they were a foreigner. However, Inwoo himself had been clumsy with chopsticks well into his adulthood. He was the only one who held them strangely, even when everyone else was learning.

Despite his parents’ efforts, the habit persisted until he began acting, eventually correcting it after much difficulty. This was thanks to being constantly corrected whenever he filmed a scene involving eating.

“Strangely, I still find using chopsticks difficult.”

Inwoo formed the shape of holding chopsticks with his fingers. The adults who said it would get easier with practice were wrong. He still struggled to hold chopsticks correctly. Did my fine motor skills not develop properly? Though, considering how skillfully I handle a d*ck, that might not be it…

“I saw an interview with you once, Inwoo. You said holding chopsticks properly was the hardest thing.”

“Oh, you saw that?”

“Yes. You had a cast on your leg during that interview, didn’t you, because you were injured?”

Biting into his toast, Inwoo racked his brain. Was that true?

“I fractured my bone slightly while filming a weekend drama…”

Ah. The memory finally surfaced, and Inwoo nodded. He had indeed injured his leg during filming back then, wearing a cast for several weeks. It wasn’t a break, just a hairline fracture. He couldn’t hide his surprise seeing Junwon remember it more accurately than he did.

“That was quite a while ago. You remember it? How interesting.”

Junwon simply offered a smile instead of a reply. At the time, he had diligently watched all of Inwoo’s movies and shows, so when news broke that Inwoo was suddenly injured, and then appeared in an interview with a cast, he had been both surprised and upset. Of course, back then, it was purely a fan’s devotion.

“You really are my fan, to remember even something like that.”

“I told you… I’ve been a fan since your debut.”

“At that level, don’t you have pillows and cups with my face on them at home?”

Inwoo teased him with a laugh, but Junwon flinched, then averted his gaze. Inwoo’s mouth hung slightly open.

You do have them, the pillows?

“Well, it just happened…”

“Wow…”

“I got them… at a fan meeting a long time ago.”

Inwoo couldn’t close his mouth, only blinking his eyes. He recalled that during his early debut fan meetings, merchandise had indeed been produced and distributed.

“No way… You were there?”

Junwon subtly bit his lower lip.

“No, how? Weren’t you still an athlete back then?”

“It was winter, so I was heavily disguised with a hat and a mask… I even wore sunglasses.”

At Junwon’s meek voice, Inwoo wore an expression of disbelief. Now that he thought about it, a vague memory surfaced: during the fan meeting, there was a quiz about Lee Inwoo where merchandise was given out. A tall, large adult man in the back had answered six out of ten questions first, causing quite a stir.

The man never removed his mask and sunglasses, which made the MC, CEO Yang (the manager at the time), and even the bodyguards all watch him with heightened tension. They had worried it might be some kind of celebrity attack. And that person was Seo Junwon! Startled, Inwoo shot up from his seat, even pointing a finger.

“That tall guy back then!”

Junwon gave an embarrassed laugh.

“That was me…”

“Wow! Wow, really.” Inwoo was speechless, only managing to utter “Wow.” He simply couldn’t believe it. He had thought Junwon was just a casual fan, but to think he had even attended a fan meeting.

“I’m starting to get a little scared.”

“No, not at all. I couldn’t go after that. I had a shoulder injury and went through a really tough time. There was rehabilitation, and it was hard to go anywhere without attracting attention. So I gave up on attending events. Instead, I made sure to watch every single one of your works without fail. I also visit your fan cafe often, though not every day.”

“To think you liked me that much…”

“It’s not past tense, it’s present continuous… I still like you very much, Inwoo.”

Seeing Junwon’s serious gaze, Inwoo found himself speechless. He wondered what would have happened if they had known this truth earlier and developed such a relationship. Would their bond have deepened, or would they have broken up quickly? Even after careful thought, he couldn’t say. Seo Junwon was clearly different from anyone Inwoo had ever met. Because of this, he had no idea how their relationship would unfold. He usually hated anything that caused headaches or complications, yet he inexplicably found himself feeling a slight sense of anticipation this time.

Inwoo smiled, watching the somewhat embarrassed Junwon.

“Breakfast is delicious. Make it again sometime.”

Junwon’s cheeks flushed faintly as he speared a piece of chicken breast with his fork and brought it to his mouth. He nodded. Even though the morning sun couldn’t possibly have reached the kitchen, an oddly warm and cozy feeling enveloped them.