Cherry Cake Chapter 11.1

Seo Soohyun couldn’t hide his disappointment.

“They’re mushy.”

The strawberries, beautifully arranged atop the whipped cream, had gone soft. He’d had the cake for almost a week, so he’d expected this to some degree, but actually seeing the squishy strawberries in front of him was incredibly disappointing.

Should he eat it or not? Soohyun stared at the cake, which still boasted a beautiful form despite the ruined strawberries. The whipped cream was loaded with sugar, and the sponge was a castella-type, so it shouldn’t spoil easily. Even though the sticker said to eat it quickly, it wasn’t a fried pastry, and a cake usually kept for a week without issue.

“I’ll just eat it.”

Instead of slicing the cake and arranging it neatly on a plate, Soohyun put it back in the box and grabbed two spoons. He shuffled, not to the dining table, but to the living room.

“Director, let’s eat cake.”

The man, who seemed to be on the phone with Director Jihwan, had just finished his call and tossed his phone onto the table.

“I didn’t hear anything about a cake being sent.”

Apparently, he’d been receiving reports on every single meal and dessert delivered to him during his confinement, a fact Soohyun hadn’t realized. Remembering that time made him a little sulky, and he pouted.

“My uncles didn’t bring this. I bought it a while ago. I bought it to eat with you, but you were just angry…”

“Alright, alright. Eat it, eat it.”

Soohyun had expected him to say it was old and to throw it away, so he felt a little better at the suggestion of eating it together. He sat cross-legged on the floor in front of the coffee table, not the sofa, and opened the box to take out the cake. The soft strawberries were upsetting, but it would still taste good.

“What’s with the spoons?”

“I’m going to scoop it out with spoons. It’s tastier this way. When you brought that cherry cake before, I sliced it for you because I felt weird just giving it to you as you were a guest. But you’re not a guest now. And this is old, so we need to eat it quickly. We’re going to finish it all today.”

As Gi Taeyeon squeezed in next to him, Soohyun offered him a spoon.

“Looking to get scolded again, are you?”

“I’ll brush my teeth properly. And I’ll still eat a lot for lunch even after this…”

“Will it all fit in that belly?”

The man chuckled, wrapped an arm around Soohyun’s waist, and started to caress his stomach. Soohyun, ignoring Gi Taeyeon’s hand slipping under his shirt to touch his bare skin, scooped up a large spoonful of cake and held it up to the man’s mouth. He was eager to eat.

“Say ‘ahh’.”

After feeding Gi Taeyeon a spoonful of cake, he immediately scooped another for himself. Even though it had been made a while ago, it was sweet and soft, incredibly delicious. He unconsciously wiggled, and the movement must have transferred to the man touching his stomach, because Gi Taeyeon tightened his grip.

“Tasty? You look like you’re dying of happiness.”

“It’s normal to be happy when you eat something delicious. You should stop touching me and eat the cake, Director.”

Perhaps because he had bought the cake with the intention of sharing it, it tasted even better knowing they could finish it before it spoiled. In any case, sitting side-by-side and sharing cake meant that their previous argument was over.

Moreover, the sugar seemed to energize him. He had spent most of yesterday in bed, so he felt a little sluggish, but he seemed to be getting better now.

Soohyun woke up in the hotel bed, still half-asleep, and was carried by Gi Taeyeon to a restaurant. His stomach was just starting to growl with hunger.

‘Wow, this looks delicious. Thank you for the food.’

‘Sure, eat your fill.’

They entered a grand restaurant that looked like a traditional Korean house. As if they had a reservation, side dishes and rice were quickly brought out. It was galbitang, a short rib soup, brimming with abalone and large ribs.

The galbitang, served in a large metal bowl, was a considerable portion, but Soohyun cleaned it all up, along with two bowls of rice.

The perfectly seasoned broth was clean and flavorful, easy to drink. The kimchi, both radish and cabbage, seemed homemade, perfectly fermented without any MSG, and it suited his taste. Soohyun skillfully picked the meat off the ribs, cut it into bite-sized pieces, placed them on a bed of white rice, and topped them with kimchi.

‘Should I order more?’

‘Um, no. I don’t think I can eat any more.’

He would have easily devoured two bowls of galbitang if he were feeling well, but after hours of stomach cramps, he felt strangely bloated.

Even so, after polishing off two bowls of rice and a bowl of galbitang, he spoke to Gi Taeyeon, who was about to head home.

‘Director, can we stop by another place before we go home?’

‘Why another place?’

‘I need to water my plants.’

His whole body, especially his waist, ached and his skin was sore, but he couldn’t just leave his plants unwatered.

Soohyun stopped by his garden and diligently watered his crops. Or, to be more accurate, he gave instructions to the man holding the hose. It wasn’t as satisfying as doing it himself, but the man was surprisingly adept at it.

The water droplets clinging to the green leaves looked refreshing, and his mood brightened along with them.

After that, he returned home, ate dinner, washed up, and passed out again. He woke up and it was already the next day.

He had slept in Gi Taeyeon’s bedroom, not his own, so he woke briefly during the night. The man, who had been beside him until he drifted off, was gone, suggesting he had gone out for a while in the early morning. He must have left the bed since he was there this morning.

Soohyun considered asking, but decided to finish the cake first.

“Fuzz—face.”

He was diligently eating his cake when he turned his head at the sound of his name.

“Why did you leave that day?”

He had just popped a strawberry from between the cake layers, a sweet and tangy counterpoint to the whipped cream, into his mouth. Suddenly, Gi Taeyeon pulled him onto his lap. Even in this unexpected shift from the floor to the man’s thigh, Soohyun swallowed the strawberry first.

“Didn’t you see the note?”

“I saw it, but I don’t understand it, which is why I’m asking.”

I wrote down all the circumstances… Soohyun carefully examined Gi Taeyeon’s face. Despite his low voice and sarcastic tone, he didn’t seem particularly angry.

“I was only going to be out for a short while. It was so short that I almost didn’t leave a note, but I did just in case… Anyway, to explain, I woke up thirsty in the morning, so I got some water and washed up, then went back to the bedroom, but your body was burning up. I was worried that it might be a side effect of the suppressants, since you said you took a lot.”

Gi Taeyeon raised an eyebrow, as if urging him to continue.

“But I don’t really know about suppressant side effects, so I was wondering if I should tell your uncles, but then I saw your phone in the living room. I thought it would be better to look it up, so I was searching around… I thought it probably wasn’t a big deal, so I decided to keep an eye on you. Then I suddenly got a message.”

“From that little shit?”

“Yes.”

Soohyun didn’t correct Gi Taeyeon’s use of “little shit” to describe Lee Chanseo. He no longer wanted to call him “hyung” after what he tried to do.

“He said he’d look into that guy’s whereabouts after the day I got my wisdom teeth pulled out, so I told him to go ahead. It was a message saying he found him. But he said the situation was a bit complicated, so it would be better to talk in person than through text? You were sleeping, so I thought it would be inconvenient to take the call then, so I figured I’d just step out for a bit…”

“You followed him just because he offered you candy?”

Gi Taeyeon summarized Soohyun’s long explanation with the word “candy.”

Candy? Candy was a sweet lure used to entice children, and Soohyun hadn’t succumbed to any such temptation. Feeling unjustly accused, he continued his explanation.

“It’s not like that. I wanted to meet him face-to-face and settle things because there were things to resolve between us. Originally, I didn’t plan to meet him right away… I was going to meet my brother first, hear the full story, talk to you, and then go see him. But he said there was some gambling thing going on that day and he didn’t have time, so I had no choice but to go along…”

“What is there to settle between you and Seo Jeonggyun?”

“He stole my seal and used it to put up the land as collateral for a loan from you. I can’t do anything about the land legally, but I still need to confront him about the theft. Even if I can’t get the land back, confronting him and not confronting him are two different things. At least I’d feel better if I confronted him.”

“Seo Jeonggyun didn’t only use that land as collateral.”

“What? Then what else?”

Was there something more? Soohyun’s eyes widened.

“You sold it to me too.”

Gi Taeyeon replied in a sly tone, grinning.

“As a co-signer.”

Only after hearing the words “co-signer” did Soohyun understand what he meant by “sold you.” He frowned and glared at Gi Taeyeon.

“So you told him to do that? You know my situation, how could you tell him to do that? Do you find it amusing to make innocent people into debtors?”

“Making Seo Soohyun my debtor using my name is pretty amusing.”

“I don’t know. I don’t have money. And I didn’t know anything about co-signing, so you figure out how to get the money from him. Even if you cut me open, you won’t find any money.”

“Why would I cut you open? You’re good at taking dick.”

Despite the nonchalant sexual harassment, Soohyun just twitched his cheek and reached for another bite of cake. Sitting on the floor would be much more comfortable than on the man’s thigh, but he liked being held.

“By the way, what happened to Lee Chanseo?”

“Why are you curious about another guy?”

Gi Taeyeon frowned as if displeased, but Soohyun couldn’t help his curiosity. More than anything, he was worried.

“He could sue you, Director. For assault or something.”

“Worried I’ll go to jail?”

“I was really worried then, but not so much now. Still, I’m a little worried.”

Only two days had passed, but seeing Gi Taeyeon calmly eating cake with him suggested he wasn’t worried about going to jail. However, he was still concerned about being sued. He’d heard from his elders that lawsuits could wear a person down, even if they were innocent.

“Don’t worry, that won’t happen.”

Gi Taeyeon smirked, as if amused by such a naive thought. Soohyun assumed he must have paid a settlement.

“If you say so, I won’t worry. And like I said, get the money from him, the debt my legal guardian incurred. I heard there was a big gambling event recently. Maybe you can get the money if he won there.”

“I already got it.”

“What? The loan debt?”

“Yeah.”

Did he really hit it big gambling? Soohyun, who was scooping another spoonful of cake, became serious. He didn’t know the exact amount of the loan, but if it was a private loan, the interest must have been steep. If Gi Taeyeon had repaid it already, it must have been through the lottery or gambling.

“So the land deed went back to him?”

“No.”

“Then what?”

“It belongs to Fuzz—face, so Fuzz—face should have it.”

Soohyun looked at Gi Taeyeon, wondering if he was joking, but he didn’t seem to be. He was slightly flustered by the unexpected return of the land. Perhaps it was because Gi Taeyeon had mentioned it so casually in the midst of their conversation.

“But isn’t that a complicated issue? I heard it’s legally jointly owned since you haven’t divorced my mother. Even if the loan secured by the land is resolved, he still has my seal. Even if it’s invalid, it’s not my land, it’s jointly owned by me and him.”

“Don’t worry, we reached a settlement to transfer it to you. He’s not in any position to handle money anyway.”

“How do you know? Did you meet him in person?”

“Why, do you want to meet him too?”

The mention of meeting Seo Jeonggyun sounded suspicious. So did the talk of a settlement. It didn’t seem like he had repaid the loan with money won from gambling.

“How did you do it?”

Instead of asking what he did, Soohyun asked how he did it.

“He tried to sell my property to someone else, so I did the same to him. There’s high demand for alphas with all their limbs intact.”

Did he sell him somewhere? The image of a fishing vessel flashed through Soohyun’s mind, making him uneasy.

“What? Do you feel sorry for him? Want me to save him?”

“Not at all. Why would I save him?”

“Then… want me to kill him?”

Soohyun thought about it for a moment and shook his head.

“He was never related to me, so I don’t care. I wanted to confront him, but if you got grandma’s land back, that’s enough.”

Things had worked out well, and seeing Seo Jeonggyun’s face would only ruin his mood. Now that his grandmother’s land was safe, he didn’t want to step in shit just to vent his anger.

“By the way, where did you go early this morning?”

“You knew I left?”

“Yes.”

“How did you know?”

“You were holding me when you left. I think I woke up briefly then.”

He usually slept alone, so he should be more used to the absence of body heat, yet he woke up because Gi Taeyeon’s warmth briefly disappeared. It was strange.

The reason Soohyun went back to sleep even though he knew Gi Taeyeon had left was because he knew he would return. He was also too tired to stay awake.

“I went to see someone’s legal guardian.”

Would he answer? Soohyun was curious, but the man just gestured towards the cake. Soohyun scooped up some cake, fed it to Gi Taeyeon, and took a bite himself. Their conversation was heavy, but the sweet cake made him feel lighthearted.

“Since you asked if you should kill him, I’m guessing he’s still alive, but I’m still curious. Is my legal guardian still alive?”

“For now.”

“I see. Anyway, he’s not related to me, so do as you please.”

Considering Gi Taeyeon’s line of work, Seo Jeonggyun’s future didn’t look very bright. However, Soohyun didn’t care whether his father’s future was hopeful or not. He was satisfied with getting the stolen land back.

They were legally bound, but they had lived like strangers almost their entire lives. No one would care about the future of a complete stranger.

“How do you know what I’ll do?”

Gi Taeyeon asked with a low chuckle. Various scenes from television flashed through Soohyun’s mind. However, instead of mentioning what came to mind, he closed his mouth. It probably wouldn’t be any less gruesome, and if he said he saw it on TV, Gi Taeyeon would definitely mock him.

“I don’t care. It’s not like I liked you without knowing you’re a bad person.”

Soohyun, like any normal person, couldn’t help but side with someone he liked. His grandmothers would probably fuss if they heard this, but in the end, they would take his side. His mother and maternal grandmother would do the same. Bokshil, who subtly showed his fondness for the man every time he visited, didn’t even need to be mentioned.

“Oh, right! This isn’t the time for this.”

Soohyun put down his spoon and shifted slightly to face Gi Taeyeon. Then, with a serious expression, he urged,

“Answer me quickly.”

“What?”

“I confessed to you.”

He hadn’t said “I love you” or “Let’s date,” but he had said he liked him and wanted to be in a relationship, so it was a confession.

“Ah, that was a confession?”

Gi Taeyeon raised an eyebrow as if he didn’t understand, then smirked playfully. His hand was still caressing Soohyun’s bare skin under his shirt.

“I’m being serious.”

Soohyun grabbed Gi Taeyeon’s wrist and pulled it away, signaling him to stop playing around.

“You like me too.”

He spoke in a firm, assertive voice, and Gi Taeyeon gave him a challenging look as if daring him to continue. Feeling emboldened, Soohyun began to list the man’s actions that he had kept in mind.

“You were jealous every time I met Lee Chanseo. And you came to get me this time too. I thought you would come if something bad happened while I was meeting Seo Jeonggyun, and when you actually came, I was certain. You like me.”

Of course, even without that, he was almost convinced.

“You knew Lee Chanseo was an alpha. That’s why you came as soon as you saw my note, thinking things would go wrong.”

If he hadn’t liked him, he would have assumed Soohyun would be back soon and wouldn’t have bothered coming. Moreover, the time it took for him to enter the room after hearing the argument over the phone was too short for him to have started searching for Soohyun’s location after hearing the commotion. That meant he started looking for him as soon as he woke up.

It wasn’t impossible that Gi Taeyeon knew Lee Chanseo was an alpha and had gone there regardless, whether he knew what Lee Chanseo would do or not. However, whether he knew or not, it was clear he was driven by jealousy.

“And you punished me during sex that day. I know I made a mistake by not listening to you and going with him, leading to that situation, but I was the victim. You punished me because you like me.”

The more he saw the subtle changes in the man’s expression, the more certain he became that he was right.

“You were anxious because you like me and you were afraid something bad happened to me. So when you saw I was okay, you were relieved, but at the same time, you were angry that I didn’t listen to you and almost got hurt. It’s all because you like me. If you didn’t have feelings for me, you’d just feel contempt, not anger.”

He probably punished him that way because he liked him and couldn’t bring himself to hit him, so he took out his anger through sex.

“So just admit it. You like me.”

Soohyun stared at Gi Taeyeon as he spoke clearly, and the man smiled, cupping his cheek.

“You sure are chatty, aren’t you?”

“Why won’t you answer?”

When Soohyun put on a stern expression again, the man hummed and tilted his head. Soohyun stared at him without blinking.

“If I accept,”

Soohyun gulped, feeling the tension rising, as Gi Taeyeon slowly asked,

“what will you do for me?”

“Uh…”

He hadn’t thought that far ahead.

After a few seconds of contemplation, Soohyun solemnly declared the most important words in a relationship.

“I’ll give you my love.”

The man’s playful smile vanished instantly. The amusement in his eyes subsided.

Should he have said something else? But he couldn’t offer money to a man who already had plenty – he felt that offering money in a relationship was abnormal anyway – and Soohyun had almost nothing materially. So he had no choice but to offer his heart. The most important thing in a relationship was the heart.

“Keuh.”

Just as he started feeling dejected, thinking he should have added something more eloquent, Gi Taeyeon burst out laughing. He buried his face in Soohyun’s slender neck and roared with laughter, shaking Soohyun slightly in his embrace.

“You’ll give me love?”

“Yes.”

Having already said it, Soohyun decided to push through and nodded confidently.

“Fuzz—face is going to give me something really fucking good.”

He wondered if Gi Taeyeon was being sarcastic, but his smiling face suggested otherwise.

“Alright.”

Gi Taeyeon agreed lightly.

“Let’s date.”

Soohyun’s heart started pounding as he heard the answer he had longed for.

“I like Seo Soohyun too, so I’ll give you love?”

His reply was devoid of the seriousness Soohyun had displayed, but his usual casual tone felt more genuine, making his heart flutter. However, Soohyun tried to maintain a serious expression, not wanting to appear too excited.

“You clearly said you like me. You can’t take it back.”

“Take it back? Why would I, Soohyun?”

Gi Taeyeon tightened his embrace, pulling him closer, then cupped his cheek and parted his lips.

“You’re so naive, you don’t even realize your life is mortgaged to a bad person.”

Since Soohyun had just called him a bad person, and it wasn’t entirely wrong to say Gi Taeyeon was a bad person, he just closed his eyes instead of arguing.

Gi Taeyeon chuckled again and kissed him.

🍑

“Wow.”

Seo Soohyun stared at the contract for a long time. He had signed contracts with the man before, but this was the first time he had signed one involving such a large sum of money. He felt like an adult, and a sense of accomplishment filled his chest.

“I gave you a better price, Boss.”

Gi Taeyeon, who had been sitting across from him with his legs crossed, received the documents from his lawyer and tapped his foot.

They had just finished drawing up the contract in his office. When he was told to come to sign the contract after the land rights were transferred, he had secretly hoped to see the office he had imagined, but it was this familiar office instead.

Well, it made sense. Seo Soohyun wasn’t the one who owed the man money, so there was no need to go there.

“Thank you.”

Gi Taeyeon gestured for him to come closer. Soohyun handed the signed contract to the lawyer and moved to sit next to Gi Taeyeon. He had readily agreed to keep the documents together, so he had to give them to Gi Taeyeon’s lawyer. He knew he should keep the contract himself, but since they lived together, it didn’t really matter who kept it.

“What are you going to do with that money?”

Gi Taeyeon pulled him closer as he tried to sit down. Soohyun waited until the lawyer left before settling onto Gi Taeyeon’s lap. The sofa was much more comfortable than a person’s lap, but strangely, he felt at ease in the man’s embrace.

“I haven’t thought about it yet. Originally, I was going to buy a small house in one of the neighborhoods my grandmother in Seoul recommended.”

With a few hundred million won, he could buy a house with a yard and a garden in the countryside, far from the metropolitan area, where young people rarely lived.

“You’ll be punished if you run away again.”

Gi Taeyeon caressed his side and whispered in a tone that sounded like he was scolding a child.

I didn’t run away… It seemed the definition of “running away” was different for him.

Remembering the humiliating punishment he received while drugged, Soohyun simply nodded.

“Anyway, I’m going to leave it untouched and think about it slowly. I don’t know much about financial management… and my grandmothers told me not to spend a large sum of money carelessly and that it’s safest to keep it in the bank.”

His grandmother in Seoul always looked displeased whenever she said that cash was best kept in the bank, but he didn’t have her ability to assess land, so it seemed better to keep the money for now.

‘I should call my grandmothers today.’

He had to tell them not to worry because the land was back in his possession and he had sold it for a good price. Since they knew his father had stolen his seal and run away, they would be relieved to hear from him. Especially his grandmother in Seoul, who had looked into Seo Jeonggyun’s whereabouts and even researched neighborhoods for him to live in.

‘I should have asked my grandmother in Seoul to find him, not Lee Chanseo.’

But regretting it now was pointless. Everything had worked out in the end.

He planned to tell them about his relationship with Gi Taeyeon later, as they would surely be furious and come after him. For now, he would focus on telling them about the land.

“Leave it to me. I’ll multiply it for you.”

Gi Taeyeon cupped his chin and tilted his head so he was looking at Soohyun. Soohyun immediately gave him a suspicious look.

“Don’t be disrespectful and narrow your eyes at your boyfriend.”

“Will you multiply it like loan interest?”

He asked if Gi Taeyeon was planning to use his money for another loan, and the man scoffed as if he had heard something ridiculous.

“Soohyun, does my company look like ant dick to you?”

“Who said your company looks like ant dick?”

“No, I’m asking if it looks fucking small.”

He could have simply asked if it looked small, why “ant dick”? What a strange analogy.

“No. I know it’s a large company. That’s why I was so surprised when I first came here. I had imagined a small, shabby office. Of course, at that time, I was thinking about your other office, not this one…”

“What other office?”

Gi Taeyeon frowned.

“Your loan shark office.”

“Sunje? Curious? It’s nothing special.”

“Will you take me there if I say I’m curious?”

“We’ll see.”

It probably wasn’t illegal, so he wouldn’t see anything too rough, right? Soohyun readily replied,

“Then I want to go next time.”

“Sure.”

As the man said, it probably wasn’t anything special, but he felt a sense of anticipation.

“But why are you suddenly talking about the size of your company? What does that have to do with my money?”

“There are people called financial experts in my company, little Seo Soohyun.”

“Ah.”

Soohyun finally understood what Gi Taeyeon meant. He meant there were many professionals managing the company’s finances. He wondered if they would have time to manage his personal finances on top of their already busy schedules.

‘No, he must have someone managing his personal finances too, right?’

Then it should be fine.

“Then I’ll leave it to you.”

He felt like he was agreeing too readily, but the man, who already had more money than he could spend, wouldn’t steal his money. He still thought it would be safer to keep it in the bank and collect interest like his grandmothers suggested, but he also had a sense of optimism that a professional might do something different.

“I’ll make it grow nicely.”

His smiling face looked a little suspicious, but Soohyun readily agreed. He was practically using Gi Taeyeon’s card anyway, so he didn’t have any expenses.

“What do you want for lunch?”

“Hmm, I want grilled fish. The restaurant we went to last time was good. Are you busy this afternoon?”

“Why?”

“If you’re leaving work right after lunch, I thought it would be nice to stop by the Hannam-dong house on our way back.”

“To water your plants again?”

“The sunlight is good these days, so I need to water them diligently. That way, I can harvest them next year and make delicious food.”

Until recently, he had wondered if he would ever get to eat the deodeok and doraji he grew himself, but now he didn’t think about it at all. He would be with the man next year, of course.

“You don’t want to water them and then come back here?”

“That’s fine too.”

Seo Soohyun chattered on about visiting a flower market this weekend. He was already excited about filling his home with lush plants and beautiful flowers.

🍑

“Yeah.”

Soohyun hesitated as he reached for a morning snack. A cherry blossom lay on the refrigerator shelf. It must have fallen off the cake box when he took it out last time.

The petal was, naturally, dried, but not brittle enough to crumble. He carefully picked it up and gently stroked it with his fingertips. It still felt soft.

Come to think of it, I haven’t gone flower viewing with the Director.

Feeling a pang of regret, Seo Soohyun left the milk pudding he had bought last night in the refrigerator and headed to the living room, holding the cherry blossom in his palm.

“You were so excited about your snack, what’s with that long face?”

Thanks to the man, who had decided to take the day off even though it was a weekday, he wasn’t alone.

“Director, look at this.”

Seo Soohyun sat next to Gi Taeyeon and showed him the cherry blossom in his hand. Three blossoms, still clinging to a small twig, seemed to have barely survived being broken off, perhaps by a gust of wind.

“Where did you get that?”

“We ate that strawberry cake a few days ago, right? I walked along the cherry blossom-lined street in front of the house that day. It fell onto the box then, but I didn’t notice it until I got home. I didn’t want to throw it away, so I put it in the refrigerator with the cake. It must have fallen off when I took the box out last time. I found it while looking for the pudding.”

“And what does that have to do with your sulky, puffed-out cheeks?”

Only after Gi Taeyeon cupped his cheeks with one hand did Seo Soohyun realize his cheeks were puffed out. He had forgotten about it until now, so he thought he hadn’t really wanted to go flower viewing, but apparently, that wasn’t the case.

“I just realized I wanted to go flower viewing with you. I was even thinking about telling you about the conversation I overheard at your office while we were out.”

“Did our baby want to go on a picnic?”

Gi Taeyeon’s teasing tone made Seo Soohyun wrinkle his nose. Gi Taeyeon squeezed his cheeks and rubbed his pouting lips with his finger.

“Shall we go with Mister?”

“Stop teasing me.”

Seo Soohyun grabbed the man’s wrist, and Gi Taeyeon, as if giving in, removed his hand.

“We can go, what’s the problem? Flowers are everywhere.”

“I want to see cherry blossoms… but they’ve all fallen.”

As Gi Taeyeon said, flowers were everywhere, so flower viewing wasn’t a problem. Especially in Seoul, with its dense population, there were many places specifically designed for flower viewing. And since different flowers bloomed each season, he could go flower viewing anytime he wanted, not just in spring.

However, the cherry blossoms had already fallen. They had been blooming beautifully just a few days ago, but during the four days he was stuck at home, they had all disappeared as if they had never bloomed.

“If the cherry blossoms in Seoul are gone, they’re probably gone everywhere else too…”

He was looking dejectedly at the cherry blossom in his palm when he suddenly remembered something Kang Yiseon had told him.

“Oh, right. I just remembered. They say there are late-blooming cherry blossoms in Jeju Island. What was their name? King cherry blossoms? No, double cherry blossoms?”

Seo Soohyun furrowed his brow, trying to recall.

“Were they double-flowered king cherry blossoms? Anyway, Yiseon told me about them. They bloom and fall a little later than regular cherry blossoms, and the petals are so abundant that the flowers are huge, like they would fill your palm. But since he said they’re rare, I don’t think we can see them in Seoul. To be precise, you can see them in Seoul, but there are so many people crowding around that you can’t really appreciate them.”

He was gently stroking the dried petals, thinking this might be his last cherry blossom viewing this year, when Gi Taeyeon suddenly stood up and pulled his arm. It was the hand holding the cherry blossom, so the dried petals fluttered to the floor.

“Let’s go, now.”

He was about to bend down and pick them up when Gi Taeyeon said something unexpected.

“Go where?”

“Jeju Island.”

Seo Soohyun’s eyes widened in surprise. His expression must have been amusing, as the man chuckled, saying, “Look at your face.”

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“Is it good?”

Despite the playful tone, Seo Soohyun nodded as he diligently ate his hamburger. It wasn’t his first time having a hamburger, but perhaps because they were at the airport, it tasted especially good. Maybe it was because it was his first time at an airport.

“I was searching on my way here. They say the food at the airport isn’t that great overall, so it’s better to have a hamburger. But I think anything would have tasted good. It’s my first time at an airport. It’s also my first time going to Jeju Island, so I’m really excited.”

There were many people pulling suitcases, as if they were going on a trip. He had asked if he should pack, but Gi Taeyeon said they could buy anything they needed there, so he only brought a picnic basket full of snacks.

“You’re thrilled to be at Incheon Airport, aren’t you?”

“Don’t you go to Incheon Airport when you go abroad? Have you ever been abroad?”

“I go to nearby countries and Southeast Asia often.”

Seo Soohyun wondered why those specific regions, but he let it go.

“I see. Anyway, being at the airport feels like I’m going on a trip, and I like it. It’s a little disappointing that I couldn’t pack a lunchbox, though.”

“Not satisfied with what I bought?”

Gi Taeyeon asked, picking up a french fry. It was a weekday, so the airport was relatively empty. Even though they were sitting at a table for four, the table itself was so small that the man looked cramped.

“I’m satisfied, but making your own lunch and buying one are different. I would have quickly made kimbap if I had the ingredients. I usually don’t keep kimbap ingredients on hand…”

“We can go again, what’s the problem?”

Gi Taeyeon responded dismissively as Seo Soohyun sipped his cola.

He was right. It wasn’t like this was the only day they could go on a picnic. Summer was coming soon, but the spring air still lingered, so he could make his own lunchbox for their next picnic. He hadn’t been on a proper picnic since graduating middle school, so the thought made him even more excited.

“Then I’ll make kimbap for our next picnic. I’m good at rolling kimbap. I’ll make tuna kimbap with perilla leaves and tuna, and also kimchi kimbap with well-rinsed aged kimchi from my countryside home. I can also make yubu chobap quickly. And I’ll score Vienna sausages and cook them into octopus shapes. And lots of fruit.”

Seo Soohyun giggled and took a big bite of his hamburger. He was happy just to be at the airport, on his way to Jeju Island, and the thought of their next picnic already filled him with anticipation.

“Oh, I didn’t mean I didn’t like the lunchbox Manager Seo brought. I peeked inside, and it looked delicious.”

Soohyun added, worried that his words might have sounded like a complaint about the picnic lunch. It was a lunchbox that Seo Jihwan had taken the time to buy, so he was grateful, not dissatisfied. Even if Gi Taeyeon had ordered it, it was still a lunchbox prepared with his effort.

‘Are we really going to Jeju Island?’

‘You said you wanted to see cherry blossoms. I can’t not take my baby on a picnic when he wants to go.’

‘I’m happy to go, but we should bring a lunchbox for flower viewing…’

Even if tomorrow was the weekend, it felt awkward to postpone their trip just because of the lunchbox.

‘Just go and eat your fill of black pork.’

‘Don’t you usually eat black pork for dinner? We should eat kimbap or something for flower viewing… But seeing the flowers with you is more important, so let’s go now.’

He hadn’t given it much thought because he was happy to go see cherry blossoms with Gi Taeyeon, but he must have shown his disappointment because the man made a phone call.

‘Look into a picnic lunch.’

Thanks to that, they were able to bring an incredibly fancy picnic lunch. Seo Soohyun learned that kimbap, yubu chobap, rice balls, sandwiches, and fruit could be so extravagant.

“Please thank Manager Seo for me.”

“You should be thanking your boyfriend, not some random alpha.”

Still, it was the manager who put in the effort… Seo Soohyun thought so, but he couldn’t help but smile at the word “boyfriend” from Gi Taeyeon’s lips as he dipped a french fry in ketchup.

“Thank you.”

He quietly closed his mouth as Gi Taeyeon reached out and wiped a smudge of hamburger sauce from his lips with his finger.

“Having fun?”

“Yes, I’m so excited.”

Seo Soohyun grinned as he smoothed his wind-tousled hair. It was a little awkward to be in a bright red sports car with just the two of them on the road, but it was the kind of car he’d always wanted to ride in, so he wasn’t embarrassed. He enjoyed the feeling of the cool spring breeze ruffling his hair.

They were on their way to the place where Kang Yiseon had seen the cherry blossoms. The car stopped at a traffic light. As he looked around at the roadside scenery, a cluster of flowers suddenly caught his eye.

“Hey, Director, let’s go there.”

Gi Taeyeon, who had been staring straight ahead as if he wasn’t interested in the surroundings, turned his gaze in the direction Seo Soohyun was pointing.

“Go there?”

“Yes. Can we park there?”

“Parking is fine, but you said you wanted to go to the place Kang Yiseon told you about.”

“It’s pretty there too, so I don’t think we need to go all the way there. We’re here together anyway, and picnics are more memorable when you stop at places that catch your eye.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the light changed. Gi Taeyeon pulled over to the side of the road instead of going straight.

“Wow, it’s really beautiful.”

Seo Soohyun immediately got out of the car. White and pink petals danced above his head.

“It’s a park, so it would be perfect to view the flowers and eat our snacks here.”

“Thrilled, are we? This doesn’t look like a park. It would take less than five minutes to walk around it.”

Gi Taeyeon, who had followed him out of the car, scoffed, but Seo Soohyun didn’t care. There was a swing, a bench, and a stone wall around a large tree where people could sit, so it wasn’t entirely wrong to call it a park.

It was a slightly larger town than the rural village he had lived in, but it was just as quiet. There weren’t any large buildings, and he had seen more fields than houses along the way, so he wondered if it was a place built for the elderly residents. Though in reality, the elderly would probably gather at the village hall rather than a park like this.

“There’s a swing, though.”

“Want me to push you later?”

It wasn’t a question, but a statement – he would ride the swing, and Gi Taeyeon would push him.

It wasn’t a typical playground swing, but a wooden swing with a low roof providing shade, so it probably wouldn’t swing very high. However, Seo Soohyun nodded at the man’s suggestion. It wasn’t a difficult request.

“Let’s look at the flowers first. I think these are the cherry blossoms Yiseon was talking about. They’re really pretty… Regular cherry blossoms are cute and pretty, but I’ve never seen cherry blossoms like these before.”

Seo Soohyun looked up at the cherry blossom tree in awe. Regular cherry blossoms, with their small, clustered pink petals, were pretty, but this type of cherry blossom was new to him, and he was captivated.

The double cherry blossoms were truly beautiful. If regular cherry blossoms were like small flowers clustered together, these were like large, full blossoms. Perhaps it was because regular cherry blossoms had five or six petals, while double cherry blossoms looked like layers of regular cherry blossoms stacked on top of each other. He couldn’t count them accurately just by looking, but it seemed like at least twenty petals were layered together.

“The colors are mixed too. Pretty, right?”

From afar, they looked simply pink, but up close, they weren’t. The white petals had pink tips that were closer to lavender. The buds were all pink, so it seemed like they turned white as they bloomed.

“Enjoying the flowers?”

“Yes. Just looking at them makes me happy. I didn’t think I’d be able to see cherry blossoms in mid-April. I should take pictures and send them to my grandmothers.”

Seo Soohyun took out his new phone and diligently took pictures. Thanks to the trees planted around the stone wall, he felt like he didn’t need to go to a famous spot.

“Aren’t you hungry? It’s Seo Soohyun’s snack time.”

Gi Taeyeon asked, stroking his stomach.

“Oh, right. Let’s eat. Let’s sit over there and eat while looking at the flowers.”

Soohyun pointed to the stone structure surrounding a large tree, not the bench. If it were just a stone wall, he would have assumed he shouldn’t sit there, but it looked like it was meant for sitting, as there were flagstones on top. It was perfectly shaded, and red azaleas were planted in the nearby grass, making it the perfect spot for a snack while enjoying the flowers.

“Stay there. I’ll get it.”

The man went to the car and brought the picnic basket. It was the only luggage they brought to Jeju Island.

Seo Soohyun opened the picnic basket, spread the checkered mat on the flagstones, placed the lunchbox on top, and opened the tiered containers one by one. It was a picnic lunch packed with kimbap, rice balls, yubu chobap, sandwiches, and fruit.

“Sit here and eat, Director.”

He sat with his knees against the stone wall, his feet dangling in the air.

“Ah.”

Seo Soohyun fed a piece of kimbap to the man, who opened his mouth shamelessly, and then took one for himself.

“Delicious.”

The kimbap filled with beef was savory and incredibly tasty.

“Eat a lot.”

“Okay.”

As he replied to the man’s words, he realized it had been a long time since he had been on a picnic. The same went for flower viewing.

Cherry blossoms bloomed in his village too, but he had only glanced at them as he passed by. It had been ages since he had properly enjoyed them like this, sitting under a tree with snacks.

“Director, the wildflowers in the grass are pretty too. There are canola flowers over there, and these look like dandelions. When it rains, their petals close up. Did you know? And when the sun comes out, they bloom again.”

Below the cherry blossoms, the grass was lush with wildflowers. The yellow dandelions scattered throughout the grass were as pretty as the cherry blossoms. If he stepped off the well-maintained path and onto the grass, he would find small blue, purple, and pink wildflowers clustered together, besides dandelions.

“There’s a dandelion that’s turned into a seed head over there.”

“Does Fuzz—face like looking at Fuzz—face?”

The man glanced at the white, fluffy seed head, then smirked and rubbed Seo Soohyun’s cheek. Seo Soohyun brushed his cheek with the back of his hand and tried a sandwich. He felt a surge of happiness, eating delicious food while looking at beautiful flowers.

The clear blue sky, the moderate shade, the sunlight filtering through the leaves and warming his hair… It was a perfect spring picnic.

“I’ll push you on the swing after we eat this. It’s nice that there aren’t many people here, right?”

The place Kang Yiseon had recommended seemed to be a small, lesser-known spot, not a famous tourist attraction, but he liked the quiet atmosphere. If it were a popular place, it would be difficult to have a relaxed conversation and enjoy their lunch like this. They wouldn’t have the leisure to enjoy the peaceful, languid atmosphere.

“It does seem like a good place to do other things.”

Seo Soohyun immediately understood what the man meant.

“You’re saying that while we’re looking at flowers?”

“Why not?”

Gi Taeyeon smirked at his sharp retort.

“And instead of thinking about pushing me on the swing, eat your cake.”

“Ah! Cake.”

Seo Soohyun finally remembered the cake.

He opened the picnic basket and saw a pulp container tucked in the corner. It was a slice of cherry cake that Seo Jihwan had managed to get, as a whole cake would have been difficult. He could have found a whole cake if he had looked elsewhere, but since Soohyun had asked for the same cake that Gi Taeyeon had bought him for Christmas, a single slice was enough.

“I just remembered, cherry blossoms are called cherry blossoms in English.”

Soohyun proudly shared one of the few English words he knew.

“I’m not interested in studying, so I don’t know much English, but I remembered the name because it’s pretty. Since cherry is in the name, I think it will taste even better now.”

He knew cherry blossoms and cherries weren’t related, but he felt that way anyway. Seo Soohyun smiled brightly at Gi Taeyeon.

“You’re still such a child.”

Gi Taeyeon brushed a fallen petal from his hair and stood up. His phone was ringing.

Seo Soohyun watched him walk towards the car and opened the pulp container. The cherry cake he had eaten on his birthday last winter was neatly packed inside. He was glad he had been careful not to drop it.

“Wow.”

He had thought it was a beautiful cake then, and it was still beautiful today. The purple and pink mixed cream was similar in color to the petals swaying in the wind.

Seo Soohyun picked up the included fork and scooped a bit of the protruding cream into his mouth. The sweet, subtle cherry flavor filled his mouth.

I’ll give the cherries to the Director and share the cake.

The cake, which had been delicious then, would taste even better today.

“It’s even prettier outside.”

Soohyun carefully lifted the cake to admire it. It definitely looked prettier outside on a nice day. He was appreciating the cake with a cautious expression, lest he drop it, when…

“Hey.”

A hand suddenly reached out from behind, cupped his cheek, and tilted his chin up.

“What are you doing?”

“I was looking at the cake. You can have the cherries.”

Seo Soohyun chattered despite the uncomfortable position of his head being tilted back.

“I don’t have a habit of stealing from babies.”

“I want to give them to you… Even if there are cherries inside, the ones without cream taste different.”

“I’ll eat Seo Soohyun instead of cherries.”

The man smiled silently and nibbled his lips playfully.

“Taste of cream.”

Gi Taeyeon licked his lips and pulled away, his nose wrinkled.

Seo Soohyun reached out and grabbed the approaching man without a word. As he applied pressure, Gi Taeyeon obediently bent down.

He closed his eyes, expecting a kiss since they had just shared a quick peck, but apparently, he was the only one who wanted to kiss.

“Why won’t you open your mouth?”

Because the man’s lips remained closed, only a small pecking sound could be heard.

He opened his eyes and saw the man chuckling.

“I want to kiss you, so stop laughing and open your mou…Mmm.”

A tongue slipped between his chattering lips. Then, a hot, fleshy mass slowly pressed against the sensitive skin inside his mouth, tracing the outline of his teeth.

Realizing Gi Taeyeon was touching the spot where his wisdom tooth had been removed, Soohyun couldn’t help but giggle. He had once seen the man laugh during a kiss and thought, “You can laugh while kissing?” It was strange how it just happened naturally when he felt like laughing.

“Why are you laughing?”

Gi Taeyeon pulled back, raising an eyebrow in confusion. Seo Soohyun pecked the man’s lips and smiled, his eyes crinkling.

“You taste like cherry cake.”

It was a ticklish, sweet taste, like the cherry blossoms swaying above his head.