It seems that Kwon Jaejin was closely observing the way Seo Uiwoo dresses.
“Aren’t you going to wear it?”
When nudged gently, Seo Uiwoo chuckled and slipped the fabric onto his endlessly long legs. It was a pair of dark blue jeans and a white hoodie, similar to what Jaejin was wearing.
It seems that he had taken two sets each from the shelves organized by type of clothing. Though it was unintentional, Jaejin felt odd as if they were wearing a couple’s outfit. Of course, Seo Uiwoo seemed to have no such thoughts.
He was ignorant about the romantic relationships of ordinary people and didn’t even know what dating someone meant in general. Even the first-timer Seo Uiwoo had no idea until Jaejin told him.
“I’m all dressed now.”
“Well done. Let’s head to the kitchen now.”
“Okay. Hold my hand.”
Seo Uiwoo reached out his hand again, and Jaejin took it. Having put on clothes, they felt like civilized people, comfortably arriving at the kitchen.
“Are you cooking something? Are you hungry, Jaejin?”
“No, it’s coffee.”
With extra shots. Make it strong.
It seemed that Jaejin needed to slurp down an iced Americano to start the day. Jaejin brewed the espresso shots and filled the glass with plenty of ice to make an iced Americano so cold that it sent shivers down his spine.
Seo Uiwoo stared intently at Jaejin gulping down the coffee without a straw. Although the gaze was blatant, Jaejin didn’t care to pay attention and simply reached out his hand.
“Where do you want to go next?”
Upon grasping each other’s hands, Jaejin gestured up with his chin, coffee in hand.
“The rooftop.”
“The rooftop? Why there?”
“There’s the sea up there.”
“Yes, but…”
“It’s blue.”
Without a murmur, Seo Uiwoo’s eyes widened gently. The soft gaze was pleasant to look at.
“It might be a bit dizzying.”
After those words, Jaejin felt his stomach spin.
The surroundings were bright, and flashes popped one after another. Jaejin turned away from the dazzling light, and the sea breeze tickled his hair.
When Jaejin slowly opened his eyes, he found himself already on the rooftop.
The open sky and the surging blue quietly welcomed the spectators without a sound.
Small light bubbles danced around the two like fireflies, rising into the air.
“Do you like this?”
Jaejin did not reply.
Instead, he stretched out his hand and pointed far over the sea.
“Over there.”
“Huh?”
“Let’s go there.”
Kwon Jaejin gazed intently at Seo Uiwoo.
If you could fly and teleport, why not try soaring over the sea? It’s forbidden to go out, but the sea would have no watchers and no chance of being caught.
Seo Uiwoo burst into laughter. The pleasant sound of his laugh seemed genuinely ordinary for someone his age.
“Aren’t you trusting me too much? What if I drop you?”
“Will you?”
“No, of course not.”
The light returned, bright as ever.
When he opened his eyes, he was now above the vast open sea. The glaring sunlight scattered in various colors across the waves, and the white foam sparkled beautifully, splashing on their bare feet.
The light was truly, dazzlingly bright. It was so bright that it was hard to tell whether it was from the teleportation or the sight itself.
Jaejin, content internally with this once-in-a-lifetime experience, sipped the iced Americano he had brought along.
It was the best taste.
Out of all the coffee he had ever had, this was number one.
The corners of Jaejin’s mouth relaxed subtly. The face of a worker, usually expressionless or furrowed, grew a bit softer, wearing a slight smile.
Seo Uiwoo didn’t miss this moment.
“So you like this sort of thing, Jaejin…”
He etched the softened face of Kwon Jaejin into his retina without blinking.
“I was wondering about the house we’re moving to. I thought the beach was out of the question, but that was a complete misunderstanding.”
“…As you know, it was because of the gate. To get farther away from here.”
“Then shall we just go to the beach again? To another beach.”
“Not necessary. Mountains are good, too. I used to rock climb as a hobby, too.”
“Oh, is that what they call a sport? The kind of extreme sports normal people do?”
“Yes. It might have been a kind of training for you, Seo Uiwoo…”
Seo Uiwoo stretched out his arm and wrapped it around Jaejin’s waist. Jaejin just let it happen and took another sip of coffee.
“I’ve decided. Let’s have multiple homes. Live in the mountains, at the sea. You can just move around with me.”
“…”
“There’s no trouble if you can teleport. Go to the mountains in the morning, and the sea in the evening… Sounds fun, right?”
Jaejin simply nodded quietly.
Upon reflection, it seemed like a truly good idea. Owning several homes like holiday villas, changing residences every season, day by day.
Born into a working-class family, owning a home at all seemed like a miracle to Kwon Jaejin, so the path to multiple homes wasn’t readily considered. You wouldn’t know without experiencing the life of renting.
Especially since he was practically living at work due to frequent overtime, his salary disappearing in monthly rent. And what about maintenance fees, food expenses, transportation costs, ceremonial expenses, insurance, communications? By the time he managed to put a small amount into savings, there was nothing left of the paycheck.
Even if you scraped together every penny and sold your soul for a loan to buy a house, the interest rates were sky-high, and the housing market prices had already soared through the clouds.
Would Seo Uiwoo even know about this kind of working-class life?
Probably not.
It was obvious considering Kwon Jaejin’s hobbies were running and rock climbing, activities that didn’t require any special equipment and could be done with just the body due to financial constraints.
✧˚·̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥·̩̩̥͙✧·̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥˚·̩̩̥͙✧ 𝑔𝓇𝒶𝓋𝒾𝓉𝓎𝓃𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁𝓈 ✧˚·̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥·̩̩̥͙✧·̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥˚·̩̩̥͙✧
