Irresponsibility Chapter 6.7

“Are you sad you won’t be able to see him again?”

“Huh? I’m n-not sad.”

“Right.”

Baek Geonhyuk nodded slowly and only then answered the question.

“I sent him a message a little while ago.”

“Oh…”

“Is this too sudden?”

Stopping at the door, he suddenly bent at the waist and looked into Yeoun’s face. Yeoun just blinked his eyes without a word.

“Are you scared?”

“I don’t… I don’t know.”

Hmm. Baek Geonhyuk seemed to be contemplating. It was because of him, who got scared over even the smallest things.

“I guess I did decide this a bit suddenly.”

He gently furrowed his brow. He looked apologetic. So Joo Yeoun, on impulse, shook his head and spoke.

“I’m g-going with you, so what does it matter.”

No low voice came back in response to those words.

Baek Geonhyuk just stared at him silently. His gaze was a little scary. It was hard to describe, but it was a gaze that looked like it would swallow him whole.

“Are we not… going together?”

Joo Yeoun asked cautiously, fidgeting with the hairpin through his pocket.

“Of course we’re going together.”

Baek Geonhyuk, who spoke as if letting out a sigh, grabbed the top of the t-shirt Joo Yeoun was wearing and gently pulled it back into place. The neckline was large, and his shirt would often slip down below his collarbone as he moved.

“Tell me if you’re scared,” he said, and picked up the suitcase.

Perhaps bewilderment and fear were separated by only a paper-thin line. Joo Yeoun clasped his hands together as he passed the house next door, which was completely unfamiliar since he had no memory of it even though he had been there before, and went out the front entrance. His gaze moved about busily. The front entrance, a little ways from the one they had just exited, was completely sealed off by welding. His gaze lingered there for a long time.

“Watch the stairs.”

Baek Geonhyuk looked back and his gaze fell on his feet. He seemed to be bothered by the fact that he was wearing slippers that didn’t fit.

A little while ago, in front of the shoe cabinet, he had looked at Yeoun’s feet, which seemed to be swimming in the large slippers, and had muttered as if he hadn’t thought of it until now.

‘Ah. The shoes…’

His tone had been sharp, making him flinch for a moment, but he had been talking about the shoes.

‘Sl-slippers are s-supposed to be worn big.’

He had said it as if it were no big deal, but he had seemed quite displeased.

“Should I carry you down on my back?”

Baek Geonhyuk said to himself while looking at his own feet. He seemed to be genuinely considering it, so Joo Yeoun pretended not to have heard him and said.

“You sh-should be careful yourself.”

The person carrying the luggage needed to be more careful. It was a worry, but it came out a little impertinently.

Baek Geonhyuk let out a short laugh and turned back around.

The large back walking ahead was steady on its feet, even while carrying the suitcase down with only one hand. That was why his gaze kept going to the other, empty hand. Joo Yeoun squeezed his clasped hands tighter.

Down the stairs was the parking lot. It was a typical villa structure with the parking lot on the first floor and residences from the second floor up. He had lived here for several months, and had passed through before, but it was a fact he had been completely unaware of. Even though he had gotten into a car here.

“Yeoun.”

Baek Geonhyuk opened the passenger side door and gestured.

As he got into the car, a large hand lightly cupped the back of his head before moving away. His feet, which had tensed up in case the slippers fell off, made it safely into the car, and he closed the door and put the luggage in the trunk.

Joo Yeoun’s eyes darted around. As expected, it was a car he hadn’t seen before. He didn’t think the car they took to the hospital before was this tall and big. Wondering if it was because he hadn’t sat in the passenger seat then, he turned his head to look at the back seat, just as Baek Geonhyuk got in the car.

He immediately followed his gaze and looked back. At the look in his eyes, as if searching for something, Joo Yeoun slowly sat up straight.

“W-was it this car when we went to the hospital before?”

“No. We took the teacher’s car then.”

Perhaps because he had confirmed that it wasn’t a failure of his memory, Joo Yeoun’s heart felt a little more at ease. However, as the car started and entered the road, he began to feel anxious again.

He pressed his body firmly against the seat, afraid someone might see him from outside the window. Feeling that wasn’t enough, he fumbled slightly at the side of the seat. As he carefully reclined the seat, Baek Geonhyuk gave him a quick glance.

“Are you sleepy? Should we drive around a bit before we go?”

Joo Yeoun shook his head, glanced out the window, and spoke as if whispering.

“I-in case someone sees me from outside…”

At those words, Baek Geonhyuk was silent for a moment. When the car stopped at a signal, he looked at Joo Yeoun, who seemed to be buried deep in the seat.

“No one can see you from outside. The windows are tinted, and it’s raining hard.”

“Ah…”

At the slowly explained words, Joo Yeoun looked out the window again. The pouring rain finally came into clear view.

Beyond the curtain of rain, a country road was visible. There were no people in sight, only rice paddies and trees of unknown names.

“You can sleep a little if you’re tired.”

Along with the gentle voice, his hand touched his forehead. The hand, which lightly covered the corner of his eye before moving away, gripped the steering wheel again, and the car moved forward slowly through the rain.

Even though he said it was because of the heavy rain, it really seemed like there were no people in this neighborhood. As they went up a hill, he saw a few houses, and while some seemed lived in, many were dark with their lights off.

From where Baek Geonhyuk’s car stopped, the other houses could be clearly seen below. Joo Yeoun turned his head, which had been looking back, to face forward. His eyes widened slightly. A door was opening upwards in front of where the car had stopped. It seemed to be a garage.

Joo Yeoun brought the reclined seat back upright and looked around outside. The garage was large enough for about three cars, and judging by the distant sound of the rain, it seemed to have a roof.

“We’re here.”

At those words, Yeoun unbuckled his seatbelt and belatedly noticed Baek Geonhyuk’s hand reaching toward him. As he looked at the hand, puzzled, Baek Geonhyuk said, “You’re fast,” and withdrew his hand.

“Huh? Ah. It’s cl-close to the villa.”

At those words, Baek Geonhyuk said, “It is,” and let out a short laugh.

Was it a multi-family house? The wide parking space made that thought seem plausible. Joo Yeoun, who had been anxiously watching Baek Geonhyuk take the luggage from the trunk, started walking. Standing close beside him as he looked over, he lowered his voice and asked.

“Are… are there o-other people here?”

“No, it’s just us.”

Baek Geonhyuk gently lifted the brim of the cap Joo Yeoun had unconsciously grabbed. Meeting his nervous eyes, he opened his mouth again.

“You can enter through the garage or the main gate next to the garage, but the wall is high, so other people can’t see our house. And above our house on this hill, nobody lives.”

He spoke slowly and quietly, as if to reassure Yeoun.

“Ah…”

Just as he intended, his anxiety subsided.

Instead, his bewilderment grew. Baek Geonhyuk lived alone in this house? Even at a glance, the wall stretched on for a very long way. Was the house smaller than it looked on the outside?

“Let’s go.”

Baek Geonhyuk picked up the suitcase and started walking. Exiting through the side of the garage, there was a staircase leading from the main gate. It wasn’t a wide staircase, so Baek Geonhyuk went first and Joo Yeoun followed behind him.

When he reached the top of the stairs, Joo Yeoun’s eyes widened. The yard was vast. It was literally large enough to play soccer in. The two-story house visible to the left was also huge. Thinking of his studio apartment, it was not at all a size for one person to live in.

Along the edge of the grassy yard, there was a path of flat stones. It had a roof over it, so there was no need for an umbrella.

Following behind Baek Geonhyuk, Joo Yeoun kept looking around. On the opposite side, a spacious wooden outdoor platform was visible. It looked dark from being soaked in rain, but its original color was probably a slightly lighter shade of wood. It was hard to see the details because it was raining so hard, but also because it was so far away.

“Ah!”

He bumped into Baek Geonhyuk’s back when he abruptly stopped while he was walking and looking to the side. Just like when he had bumped into the door he opened last time, he almost fell on his bottom, but he didn’t fall thanks to a large hand immediately grabbing his arm.

Baek Geonhyuk, who had steadied the leaning Joo Yeoun, tilted his head and looked into his face.

“You’re the one who bumped into me this time, so don’t get mad, okay?”

“…Wh-when did I ever get mad.”

When he feigned ignorance, Baek Geonhyuk smiled slightly and withdrew his hand.

“Let’s go in.”

He opened the front door and stepped aside as if to let him enter first. Joo Yeoun cautiously took a step. He passed through the spacious entryway, which was as wide as the other places, went into the house, and slowly looked around. Just from what he could see, it seemed two or three times larger than the villa they were at before.

A large ‘L’ shaped sofa that would be spacious even if Baek Geonhyuk lay down on it, dark, almost black, hardwood floors, and a kitchen that felt very far from the living room.

His slowly moving gaze turned to the living room window. Through the large glass, the rainy yard and the village at the foot of the mountain across from it were clearly visible.

“How is it?”

“It’s big…”

At the honest impression, Baek Geonhyuk let out a low laugh.

“Yeoun, you can go out in the yard when you’re bored.”

When he turned his head to look up at him, he continued in a slow tone.

“You can take a walk, or we can exercise together. We can also grill beef on the wooden platform.”

“……”

“But you can’t go outside the main gate.”

Joo Yeoun gazed silently at the face with a slight frown.

The fact that they had moved, that there were no locks on the garage or the gate, and that he was now the one looking apologetic—it was all kindness for his sake.

“It’s not like I wa-wanted to go outside.”

At the words spoken after forcing his softening vocal cords to be firm, Baek Geonhyuk smiled silently. Then he placed a hand on Yeoun’s head and said.

“You won’t know until you try. Whether you want to or not.”

“……”

The indifferent tone sounded only gentle to him. It was so warm that it seeped into his chest, making him chew over his words.

You won’t know until you try.

“Have you been thinking about the compensation?”

But at the words he suddenly uttered, the warmth vanished in an instant.

Before, when Baek Geonhyuk had talked about compensation, he had shaken his head. He wasn’t in a position to receive something like that. It was enough if he was just reliably protected.

“For now, I’ll give you this house.”

Joo Yeoun’s eyes went wide.

“…Th-then where will you live?”