Park Moondae opened his eyes to a wall of noise. He recalled drifting off while monitoring their footage, so why…
“Moondae hyung! You can’t die!!”
“If you’re going to make a scene, get out!”
…Why were those two here?
Sitting up, Moondae realized he was the one in an strange place, not them.
Where was this?
His question vanished a moment later when Randy pushed the door open and stepped inside.
[Young Master, I prepared the items you requested.]
[The bath water too?]
[Of course.]
[Good job.]
Before Moondae could gather his thoughts, Hajun grabbed his arm and shoved him toward the bathroom. A bathrobe, fresh clothes, and brand-new underwear sat waiting inside.
Holding the small glass bottle Hajun thrust into his hand, Moondae stood dazed before speaking up. “…Why am I…”
“Those are bath salts. Add more if you want. In fact, dump the whole thing in. Randy added some, but throw it in anyway.”
“No, I mean, why am I…”
“Can’t you take a bath on your own? Handle that much yourself, you’re a grown adult.”
Leaving those blunt words behind, Hajun closed the door.
Moondae stood in silence for a moment before shedding his clothes. The shirt stuck to his skin from cold sweat pulled away, and stepping into the hot water brought a wave of relief as his tense muscles unraveled.
“…”
He didn’t know how Hajun found him, but… he had to hand it to Won Hajun for perfect timing. Waking up from a feverish slumber only to find his vacation gone would have been a grim outcome.
A pleasant herbal scent drifted up from the bath water, soothing his frayed nerves. Checking the label on the bottle, he noted it was rosemary. He sat in the pink-tinted water with a blank stare, staying there until Hajun knocked on the door and told him to get out unless he had passed out inside.
“Hey, Moondae! Feeling better?”
“…Keun Sejin?”
Why was this guy here too? Moondae glanced at the owner of the house before remembering Hajun made for a terrible storyteller, turning his gaze back to Keun Sejin.
Keun Sejin offered a broad grin. “Well~ Sejin got worried about a friend staying alone and dropped by the dorm, only to find you gone!”
“He made a whole scene in the group chat over your disappearance,” Hajun added.
Finding shoes at the door but no blanket in bed, Keun Sejin had concluded a kidnapping took place and insisted on calling the police right away, a disaster avoided just in time.
Scratching the back of his neck with an awkward smile, Keun Sejin continued. “Anyway! That’s how Sejin tracked down Moondae’s whereabouts and ended up here.”
“…”
The explanation lacked detail, but piecing the facts together led to an easy conclusion. Moondae stared at the guy with a kidnapping record on his resume.
Meeting his stare without flinching, Hajun asked, “Have you eaten dinner?”
“…Yeah.”
“The dorm had nothing except a tiny bowl of porridge. That isn’t enough food for you.”
“…”
Accustomed to being the one feeding others, Moondae felt a strange sensation hearing those words from the person he tended to look after. The bath had restored his energy, and a faint appetite began to stir.
Keun Sejin chimed in with a grin. “The butler invited us all to stay for dinner~ He’s very kind.”
“Let me eat! I’m starving!!” Eugene shouted.
And so, Moondae allowed himself to be led downstairs to the dining room by the three people he found most chaotic.
Hajun took the head of the table with ease, waving his hand for his guests to dig in. The members’ eyes went wide at the feast spread before them.
“Whoa, this looks like a fine dining restaurant. Amazing.”
“Thank you for the food!”
Keun Sejin put a piece of tender steak into his mouth, letting out endless praise. Cha Eugene had his face buried in his plate, far too busy eating to speak.
In contrast, Hajun showed zero interest in the spread, sipping red wine in silence. With pale skin and dark hair, the handsome guy looked like a vampire sitting there.
Noticing Moondae’s gaze, Hajun curled his lips into a smirk. “Patients don’t drink alcohol.”
“…I didn’t say anything.”
“Your eyes did. Randy!”
Standing nearby, Randy stepped forward at once. Hajun gave an order, and with a nod, Randy returned from the kitchen holding a small soup bowl.
Having dismissed the housekeepers after receiving word about extra guests, Randy seemed to enjoy serving his young master’s friends himself. Due to time and staff constraints, the course meal ended up served all at once… a slight shame, though the lavish table set a grand mood that made up for it.
Setting the bowl in front of Moondae, Hajun spoke in a teasing voice. “Here. A special appetizer made just for you.”
“…Red bean porridge?”
“It has a red color like wine, so make do with that.”
“…”
No, those were two completely different things. Moondae felt more bewildered than annoyed by the petty prank. Still, considering the chef’s effort in preparing a separate bowl of porridge, he picked up his spoon.
“Eat that, and if your stomach can’t handle Western food, eat that over there. There’s rice too.”
Hajun pointed to a dish of galbi-jjim. Unlike the exotic spread on the table, the familiar Korean braised short ribs asserted their presence. Moondae stared at the baffling menu combination, while Keun Sejin let out a sheepish laugh.
“Haha! Seeing galbi-jjim right in the middle of all this high-end food feels a bit funny. I didn’t think you’d serve it together for real.”
“What’s wrong with it? The most ridiculous thing here is that guy playing butler dress-up instead of acting his age.”
[Costume play? This happens to be the official uniform staff wear for grand parties at the main estate.]
[You don’t have the seniority to wear that, do you?]
Hearing Keun Sejin’s words, Moondae paused. The banter between Hajun and his butler faded into background noise. Remembering something he saw on social media a few days ago, he realized why Keun Sejin visited the dorm.
“…Come to think of it, is it your birthday?”
“Huh? Ah, yeah. The day after tomorrow.”
Adding that the galbi-jjim was snatched from his birthday table, Keun Sejin shared the details. Since his birthday fell right in the middle of vacation, he stopped by the company to take proof photos with fan gifts, decided to check the dorm on a whim… and ended up here.
Learning the full story, Moondae went quiet. Chewing on a piece of meat with gusto, Cha Eugene yelled out a wish before time.
“Happy Birthday~!”
“Thanks~”
“Is there anything you want?” Hajun asked, setting his wine glass down.
He wasn’t the type to care about birthdays for anyone other than his younger sister, but living under the same roof meant celebrating felt right. Besides, it gave a good excuse to prepare gifts, even if these guys faced little real danger.
“Nah, I’m good~ You invited me to a fantastic dinner already. To be honest, this beats my real birthday meal. Don’t tell my mother!”
“You heard him, Randy. Pass that to the chef. Give him a bonus too.”
Words capable of touching a chef hungry for praise. The chef would likely bake a cake for him to take home on his way out.
Watching Moondae offer stiff birthday wishes to Keun Sejin, Hajun poked a piece of leftover asparagus on his plate with a fork.
Keun Sejin declined, but Hajun planned to prepare a suitable gift anyway. Something that wouldn’t feel burdensome.
Things would feel easier if the guy loved money, but none of them showed greed for wealth. Look at Keun Sejin, telling Moondae a chicken coupon was enough. He might ask for something expensive as a joke, but he’d freak out and refuse if given a real luxury gift.
Maybe a custom talisman would work?
Designing the talisman in his head, Hajun watched dessert arrive—a plate of tartlets. He slid a peach tart toward Moondae while continuing his thought.
A bracelet remained the simplest and most convenient option to carry…
Hmm. The cheerful chatter of the two interrupted his thoughts.
“Please stay the night. It’s late out.”
“Ah, I’m fine. My family is waiting…”
“In that case, I shall have you driven home.”
“Well, I’d appreciate that~”
Raising his head, Hajun asked Keun Sejin, “You’re not staying?”
“I’d love to, but I told my family I was just stopping by the company. I didn’t bring sleepwear either.”
Lending pajamas posed no issue, a fact Keun Sejin knew well. In other words, a polite refusal. When Keun Sejin asked if he could visit again tomorrow, Hajun gave a nod.
Fine by him.
“Come tomorrow and hang out with Cha Eugene.”
“Huh? What about Moondae and you, hyung-nim?”
“We made plans before vacation.”
Chewing his tart in silence, Moondae raised his head at the unexpected news.
With me?
“What plans? Sejin wants to come too!”
“No.”
“Whoa, are you excluding me right now?” Keun Sejin feigned shock with a dramatic whine. Hajun scowled and dumped the burden onto Moondae.
“Hey, calm him down.”
“Moondae-moondae! How can you leave me out like this?”
To be precise, the rest of the team including Cha Eugene was left out too, but Eugene was far too absorbed in the extra desserts Randy brought to care about the hyungs’ bickering.
Pushing away Keun Sejin who clung to his arm, Moondae asked. “…Did we ever make plans?”
“Are you stupid? It’s about Ryu Gun—”
“…!!!”
Moondae shoved the tart in his hand straight into Won Hajun’s mouth.
“—Mmph!”
Hajun turned his head, but unable to dodge the hand pressing forward, he glared at Moondae with jam smeared across his lips.
He had held back to keep from hurting an injured guy, even fetching him himself to care for him. And this was the thanks he got?
Witnessing Moondae’s sudden revolt, Keun Sejin and Cha Eugene froze with wide eyes and open mouths.
Randy covered his mouth, watching the chaotic scene with keen interest.
“…”
“…”
Hajun raised a thumb, wiping his mouth with slow composure. Sticky jam coated his finger.
Cleaning it with a napkin through an elegant motion, Hajun spat out the remaining crumbs.
Randy asked in a low voice, [Ahem, are you alright?]
“…”
Without a word, Hajun picked up the chiffon cake sitting in front of Cha Eugene and hurled it at Moondae’s face.
SPLAT!
The cake landed with a clean hit.
