I Came Because I Missed You

“…Baek Jeongha?”

Haeyoon, who had just finished work and was coming out at dawn, spotted Jeongha parked in front of the building and stopped in his tracks, startled.

“What’s got you so surprised?”

Jeongha chuckled and spoke, and only then did Haeyoon break free from his frozen state and run over to him.

“What? Why are you here? How did you get here?”

“How else? I drove.”

“Why? Why did you come?”

“Why would I come here? To see you, hyung.”

Jeongha’s face also broke into a smile as he answered patiently, finding Haeyoon’s persistent questioning, like a kindergartener, adorable. But Haeyoon still looked unconvinced.

“You should have at least called. How long have you been waiting?”

“Just… I didn’t want to disturb your focus. I haven’t been here long.”

Jeongha answered as naturally as he could, but Haeyoon’s face immediately filled with suspicion.

“Really? Not long?”

“Yeah.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

No matter how many times he asked, Jeongha remained calm. But Haeyoon, still not believing him, grabbed Jeongha’s hand. Ignoring Jeongha’s startled reaction, Haeyoon narrowed his eyes knowingly and spoke.

“Your hands are this cold, and you haven’t been waiting long? Be honest. How long have you been here?”

“Well, that’s….”

“If you came, you should have just come inside. Why wait outside? You know the code!”

“It’s not that….”

“Not that, what?”

Jeongha rarely floundered. The biggest problem was that Haeyoon had grabbed his hand. What was such a big deal about that? But the tips of his fingers, held by Haeyoon, tingled and fluttered, making it impossible to respond as smoothly as usual.

Scratching the tip of his nose with his free hand, Jeongha mumbled.

“Well… you said not to come to the studio until the piece was finished….”

“…Huh?”

“You said it, hyung. That when it’s finished, you wanted to show me first. Hearing that, I didn’t want to spoil the surprise gift, you know.”

“Ah…….”

Haeyoon, who had been firing questions relentlessly, finally looked like he understood. That was right. He was the one who had banned Jeongha from the studio.

“You should have told me you were coming when we talked on the phone. Then I could have told you roughly what time to come. Or I could have come to you after finishing work.”

“Well… that would have worked. It would have….”

“But?”

“The thing is… I came to my senses and I was already here.”

“Uh….”

“After we hung up… I suddenly missed you so much….”

Jeongha’s expression as he answered, frowning slightly, was that of someone who couldn’t explain it himself, looking foolish.

And it was true. Until he hung up with Haeyoon, Jeongha hadn’t planned to rush over. Really. It was already late, and he didn’t want to bother Haeyoon, who must be tired from working all day.

But after hanging up, he suddenly missed Haeyoon so much he couldn’t stand it. He felt like he would die if he didn’t see him immediately. They were supposed to have dinner together tomorrow, so he just had to wait until then, but strangely, it felt like that time would never come.

So Jeongha grabbed his coat and keys and left immediately. He didn’t know the exact time, but he knew Haeyoon still had a lot of work left, yet he couldn’t delay any longer. He didn’t want to waste even a single second.

The thought that he shouldn’t just barge into the studio only occurred to him after he arrived. He had literally rushed here “without thinking.” At this hour.

It wasn’t a lie that he couldn’t go in because he didn’t want to see the piece early, but there was another, more pressing reason. He didn’t know how Haeyoon would react. How would Haeyoon feel about him showing up at dawn just because he missed him, for no reason or purpose? What if he felt burdened? What if it made him keep his distance?

At that thought, his anxiety grew rapidly. He had definitely overdone it. They weren’t even lovers. A “friend” showing up at this hour without a call because he missed him would probably be a burden.

“Sorry. I came without thinking.”

Jeongha added, looking sheepish. This moment was also unfamiliar and awkward for Jeongha; he couldn’t quickly figure out how to handle it. Being impulsive, being scared, being at a loss in front of someone else—it was all new to him.

Jeongha stood gloomily, awaiting judgment. Finally, Haeyoon spoke.

“What are you talking about? Sure, I was surprised when I saw you, but I was just as happy.”

Jeongha, who had been awkwardly looking at the ground, finally lifted his gaze to meet Haeyoon’s eyes. Haeyoon was looking straight at him.

“I wasn’t asking why you came to blame you… I was just upset thinking about you shivering out here in the cold. Your hands are this cold, too.”

“Ah…….”

“If you couldn’t come in, you should have waited in the car. Why wait outside? What if you catch a cold?”

There was no trace of him feeling burdened or bothered by Jeongha. On the contrary, Haeyoon’s voice was filled with deep concern and affection.

Jeongha knew Haeyoon was an honest person. So these words must be his true feelings. Seo Haeyoon was glad to see him, and he was worried.

“Yeah, really. What was I thinking?”

Finally relieved, Jeongha smiled and answered. His face was boyish. Jeongha put a little strength into his hand, which was awkwardly held by Haeyoon, and subtly held it back.

He liked Haeyoon’s hand—much smaller than his own, slightly warmer, thinner and longer. It was cute and endearing.

“Did you drive?”

At Jeongha’s question, Haeyoon answered with a small “Mm-hmm.” When Jeongha subtly stroked his hand, this time Haeyoon froze a little. Ignoring his reaction, Jeongha continued.

“Hmm, I’d like to drive you… Shall I be your chauffeur?”

“If we take my car, how will you get home?”

“I’ll just take a taxi.”

Jeongha answered nonchalantly. Having come all this way, just parting ways here didn’t make sense. But he also didn’t want to keep the tired Haeyoon here any longer.

Haeyoon fell silent, lost in thought. Anxious, Jeongha kicked a small pebble in front of him. What was this? He was getting impatient, worried Haeyoon might suggest they just part here. After a short silence, Haeyoon spoke.

“Let’s just take your car.”

“How will you get to work tomorrow?”

“I’ll take a taxi.”

Haeyoon mimicked Jeongha’s tone and smiled lightly. It was a playful attitude. Realizing how comfortable they had become, Jeongha felt a surge of happiness as he opened the passenger door.

“What time are you going to the studio tomorrow? I’ll drive you.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. The taxi ride is short, so don’t even think about coming. I won’t tell you what time I’m going.”

Having answered, Haeyoon climbed into the passenger seat with a determined look, as if he wouldn’t accept any argument. Not knowing that it just made him look cute, Jeongha suppressed a laugh and got into the car.

“If you don’t tell me, I’ll just wait in front of your house from dawn again.”

“…Just try it.”

Haeyoon narrowed his eyes. He had a feeling that Baek Jeongha really might do it, so he couldn’t just dismiss it as a joke. Seeing Haeyoon’s expression, Jeongha finally burst into a laugh he couldn’t hold back.

“Okay, okay. You’re pretty scary, hyung.”

“…….”

It felt like he was being teased, but he felt like he’d lose if he told him not to tease him, so Haeyoon just pressed his lips together.

“Hold on a second before we go.”

That was when Jeongha’s playful voice turned serious. Turning slightly toward Haeyoon, Jeongha took his arm with the utmost care.

“Why?”

“You said you hurt your arm. Let me see.”

A shiver ran from Haeyoon’s spine through his entire body.

It wasn’t because he was scared or uncomfortable. Rather, it was a sensation close to thrilling excitement.

He had mentioned it in passing on the phone, saying he’d scraped it on the desk, and Jeongha hadn’t forgotten.

He had been worried about this insignificant scratch the whole time, Baek Jeongha had.

In that moment, Haeyoon realized.

The reason he had wanted to tell Jeongha something unnecessary, something trivial, was because he had wanted Baek Jeongha to care for him like this. A deep part of Haeyoon had wanted his wound examined with gentle hands and a worried gaze.

The moment he acknowledged the feelings he had been ignoring, Haeyoon’s heart began to pound wildly.

Desperately trying to act normal, Haeyoon slowly showed Jeongha his injured arm.