Strategic Mating Partner Chapter 52

While Taehyun was momentarily lost in thought, his hand slowing on the handle, Sejin suddenly approached him. Startled by the shadow looming over his head, Taehyun nearly let go of the handle, but Sejin grabbed the grip above, preventing the weights from crashing down with a loud bang.

“Why are you so startled?”

Sejin’s expression seemed somewhat displeased. Taehyun let out a surprised “Huh?” before quickly collecting himself and responding.

“Huh? Oh, I was just lost in thought for a moment.”

“…”

Unable to admit that he was thinking about who to entrust Sejin to, Taehyun trailed off vaguely, prompting Sejin to narrow his eyes and ask.

“Are you starting training again next week?”

For some reason, despite the slightly furrowed brow that carried a hint of irritation, it didn’t feel off-putting. Maybe because Sejin’s face was always so stern? The foolish thought crossed Taehyun’s mind that even when frowning, the guy somehow looked pretty. Shaking himself back to reality, Taehyun opened his mouth, slightly puzzled about why Sejin was curious about this.

“Yeah, probably? I’ll know for sure after one more hospital visit, but I can’t put it off any longer.”

At Taehyun’s response, Sejin’s eyebrows twitched again, and with a still-unreadable expression, he said.

“Then this week will be the last, huh.”

It wasn’t hard to guess what he meant. Taehyun stretched his lips into a grin and shrugged.

“Yeah. You’re joining group training too, right? What, you feeling reluctant or something?”

Taehyun didn’t expect the answer to be a “yes” at all. Was he crazy? As if Sejin would get upset over something like that. Still, they’d gotten close enough for this level of teasing, hadn’t they? But just as Taehyun tensed up, worried that Sejin might take it as mockery and snap, he got an unexpected reaction.

“…”

Sejin didn’t say a word, just stared at Taehyun. His slightly displeased expression remained unchanged as he silently gazed at him, making Taehyun feel like his heart was tightening. It was like the chilling feeling of getting caught sneaking meat from kimchi stew in the middle of the night during training camp when he was supposed to be on a strict diet. Why wasn’t Sejin getting mad right away? He should’ve scoffed, saying there’s no way he’d feel that way, and walked off. Why was he just staring? A sense of dread rose from Taehyun’s core.

Wait, why am I scared of him? Taehyun pulled himself together. This was only until the end of the week, and unless something intentional happened, they wouldn’t cross paths again. No need to be this nervous, Taehyun. Muttering to himself internally, Taehyun met Sejin’s gaze without looking away, waiting for his response. After a long pause, Sejin abruptly asked.

“You’re not coming to my place again?”

“…?”

Taehyun doubted his ears for a moment. What did he say? Did I hear that wrong? No matter how he thought about it, those words didn’t fit the situation.

“…?”

As Taehyun looked up at Sejin with a rather dumbstruck expression, Sejin’s brow furrowed even deeper. He’s definitely upset about something! But Taehyun couldn’t figure out why, which made it all the more bewildering. Assuming he’d heard correctly, Taehyun cautiously asked back, still tense.

“Uh? You’re asking if I’m not coming to your place again?”

Sejin nodded with a still-cold expression, as if to say, “Did you just now get that?” Why would I? Taehyun had been jokingly scolded for not showing up to an uninvited wedding, but this was the first time someone asked him why he hadn’t come over when they hadn’t even invited him. Why would I go to your place in the first place? The urge to address that fundamental question surged, but Sejin’s menacing expression stopped him from saying it out loud.

“Well… you didn’t invite me…”

Muttering his response, Taehyun belatedly recalled that he hadn’t exactly been invited the last time either. But that was a special situation. If Sejin wasn’t the type to keep people at arm’s length like he was known to, Taehyun would’ve followed proper etiquette and asked for permission to visit. But that wasn’t the case! Back then, he had no choice but to step in because he wanted to help, but this wasn’t a normal situation. Hesitating, Taehyun added.

“That time, it felt like there was no way to even talk to you, so I just did it. I’m not the kind of guy who barges into someone’s place uninvited, you know.”

Sejin’s expression subtly furrowed again. What now? What’s got you so upset? As Taehyun swallowed a sigh, Sejin spoke again.

“Then when are you free this week?”

“Huh?”

“When are you free? After training.”

What’s this now? Taehyun was still confused by the unexpected turn, but he could at least grasp that Sejin was, for some reason, inviting him over. What’s going on? Is this some kind of hidden camera prank? Even if it was, it wasn’t bad. After all, this was the first time Sejin had initiated something, rather than being dragged along by Taehyun’s whims as he had been until now. Taehyun let out a chuckle, his lips curling into a grin.

“I’m basically jobless right now, so I’m free anytime. Why? You inviting me over?”

As a bright smile spread across Taehyun’s face, Sejin grimaced, covering his face with the back of his hand. Hey, come on. Even for me, that kind of reaction stings. As Taehyun flinched, wondering if he’d said something wrong, Sejin quickly shot back.

“Then come over on Friday. Don’t eat dinner.”

With that, he turned around and hopped onto the treadmill, leaving Taehyun staring at his back like a dog chasing a chicken, letting out a bewildered laugh. What was that? He was dumbfounded, but a chuckle escaped him. I just got invited, right? This means we’ve gotten a bit closer, doesn’t it? He wanted to tease Sejin to confirm, but Taehyun barely restrained himself, quietly singing a triumphant anthem in his head. See, he’s not that weird of a guy. Just a bit socially awkward, quick to snap when provoked, but definitely someone with potential to be tamed.

“…”

His lips kept curling into a grin, so Taehyun lowered his head, worried Sejin might get annoyed if he noticed. Still, the overwhelming excitement wouldn’t subside. See? He’s not such a bad guy. But a little later, when his shoulders shook too noticeably, he earned a cold glare from Sejin.

🤺

And so, on Friday evening, Sejin headed to his place with Taehyun. As Taehyun had initially thought, the exterior looked a bit rough, but as they climbed the stairs and entered, the interior wasn’t as bad as expected. Thankfully, it seemed recently renovated and was relatively clean. It probably looked even tidier because Sejin barely had any belongings, but the wallpaper was in good condition, which helped.

“It’s pretty neat. You must clean often.”

That was about the extent of Taehyun’s observations. The studio, maybe about 150 square feet, had just a small desk and a bed as furniture. At the entrance, there was a tiny kitchen with a palm-sized sink and a bathroom—a typical cramped studio setup.

“Well, it’s not like he’s setting up a full household here… This is better than a goshiwon, at least.”

As Taehyun thought this casually, Sejin rummaged around and pulled out a traditional low table, likely included with the place, setting it beside the bed.

“Sit here.”

Then he stood up and headed to the kitchen, rummaging through the fridge. Taehyun still couldn’t shake the awkwardness of this strange invitation and what it was for. It seemed like Sejin was preparing to cook something. Wondering if he could help, Taehyun started to get up, but Sejin, as if he had a sensor on his back, turned to look at him and asked.

“Do you need anything?”

His expression was still that unreadable, cold look, so Taehyun quickly shook his head.

“Oh, I just wanted to wash my hands. Can I use the bathroom?”

Taehyun asked with the most harmless, non-confrontational face he could muster, and Sejin nodded. Being this on edge at someone else’s place was a first for him.