A week had passed since the peculiar cohabitation with Phillip began.

Describing the ordeal of the past week, Juwon could sum it up in one word.

“It was a living hell.”

The first realization of Phillip’s lack of common sense came on the second morning. Juwon went to inform him that he was going to work, only to find the guest room’s white wallpaper entirely covered in crumpled sheets of paper.

“Oh, this? I wrote down lyrics all night. I felt inspired by the great lime that kills because I love my home, hehe.”

…Rather than lime, it seems like you’ll kick the bucket first.

Juwon, surprised, spoke firmly to Phillip.

“Prohibited to put anything on the wallpaper.”

“But, Hyung! I have to leave it like this to come up with better lyrics for the next time. I had a rare moment of inspiration…”

“Take it off right now.”

Well, he could endure the wallpaper getting dirty, at least for a hundred times, if necessary. It’s not like he was going to live forever, and they had agreed to live together for just one month.

The problem was that the guy was much more resilient than Juwon anticipated.

“Hyung, hyung! I made a late-night snack. Do you want a bite?”

With the smell of chicken feet filling the house at night.

“Hyung, hyung! Eat breakfast before you go. I made it for you since dawn.”

Why brag about making breakfast when he doesn’t even eat it?

At the sound of “Hyung,” Juwon felt like he might develop a neurosis.

Feeling sorry for imposing on someone’s home and doing his best to play the role of a loud guest, he just wished they hadn’t met! He was tired of eating buttery sandwiches!

Strangely, he lost weight as he conscientiously ate breakfast, which he had never done before.

Seeing the three kilograms lost in a week, it felt like his soul was drying up.

‘I should have picked up Oh Hyeju instead of Oh Chuntaek at that time.’

Juwon regretted belatedly, but it was already spilled water.

This morning was no exception to the noise.

Watching Phillip put the straw drink he had been sipping back into the fridge, Juwon raised an eyebrow.

“Prohibited to put what you’ve eaten in the fridge.”

“Ah, again prohibited? Hyung, you’re really mean. This drink has to be cold. There’s more than half left. Should I throw it away?”

“Throw it away.”

“Tsk, it’s not like you bought it for me…”

Seeing his grumbling mouth made Juwon want to slap him across the face.

As Phillip sucked the straw into his mouth and finished the drink with apparent resentment, Juwon couldn’t help but utter a prayer.

“Oh Lord, thank you for sending Kang Seungwon as my brother. Please forgive me for sending him as my brother.”

[Star Icon]

Coincidentally, Seungwon contacted him that day.

“Where are you? Are you okay?”

[Dash]… Hyung.

Seungwon’s voice over the phone sounded different from usual.

[Dash] Sorry, hyung. I need some time to think… Nothing serious.

“It doesn’t sound like nothing serious. Where are you?”

[Dash] I came down to the province for a moment. Sorry for not saying anything and being absent. Am I getting fired?
“It’s been over two weeks of unauthorized absence. I might get fired. So, what are you thinking?”

[Dash] I’ll make sure not to cause any trouble at the company. Let’s talk about the details when I come up to Seoul soon.

It was a somewhat ambiguous conversation. He seemed alive, but he didn’t look okay at all, and no matter how many times Juwon asked, he didn’t give a clear answer. Seungwon had taken a hiatus occasionally, but this time felt different.

‘Suddenly taking Dahee’s side was strange. Has that jerk found some weakness?’

Two people disappeared from the company simultaneously. Despite several attempts to contact them for the resignation process, they didn’t respond as if they had made a promise. Their usually active social media accounts were also taken down. Juwon couldn’t shake the feeling that Dahee was somehow related to Seungwon’s hiatus.

The strange thing was that no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t think of any weaknesses that Seungwon might have.

‘Even if the child is naive, he wouldn’t go around doing bad things. He wouldn’t have done something that would make Dahee catch his weakness.’

Maybe pregnancy?

He briefly entertained that thought, but soon Juwon erased the word that came to mind.

‘Even thinking about it is unlucky. Well, maybe he’s just a guy with a scattered mind.’

Juwon shook his head with a bitter smile.

Mrs. Sunwoo emphasized to her brothers from a young age that there are three things that can ruin your life: the first is power, the second is fists, and the third is a bat.

When he was young, he thought that the bat she was talking about was a real bat that people wield. It wasn’t until he grew older and his head got thicker that he realized it wasn’t that kind of bat. It was a cultural shock.

So Juwon didn’t doubt Dahee’s complaint.

One night, when he was drunk, Seungwon might have mistaken Dahee for Hyeju and hugged her.

“I’m an adult now, so I’ll handle my work myself.”

Can a thirty-year-old not even perform before me?