TTOA Chapter 93

Sitting at the study table, Jae-jin blankly lowered his gaze. He fell into a brief reverie, the rhythmic sound of nail clippers in the background.

‘Haa…’

His dreams had been unsettling for the past few days. Even though his relationship with Seo Eui-woo was at its peak, Kwon Jae-jin had the same nightmare every day.

The 24-year-old Seo Eui-woo from his first life pointed to the far reaches of space, and a swarm of creatures, black and writhing, approached menacingly.

The monster horde in his dream was unusually aggressive. They were noticeably closer each day. What had looked like tiny specks of mold that he had to squint to see on the first day were now clear enough to discern their individual shapes and characteristics.

Kwon Jae-jin was perplexed and bewildered.

‘I’m finally going to live a good life, and dreams are messing with me…’

Jae-jin was already busy and had a lot on his mind.

Farming methods, sowing seasons, seedling seasons, pest control methods, mushroom cultivation, fertilized egg incubation – there was a mountain of information to learn, and no matter how much he studied, he never seemed to be ready. Furthermore, he needed to learn about construction, water and sewage systems, the structure of stoves and fireplaces, and all sorts of other things in preparation for any possible emergency.

And on top of all that, he had to have a romance with Seo Eui-woo.

He had to remember anniversaries, write letters, choose gifts, and look at dozens of custom ring design samples that Seo Eui-woo, with his excellent sense of aesthetics, had painstakingly created, and respond with things like, “Yes, that’s good,” “Yes, that’s good too,” “Yes, that’s… a bit flashy,” and “This one is nice.”

And he had to go on home dates, dress up for those dates, eat the three meals a day that Seo Eui-woo deliberately and carefully prepared, and try not to get distracted and waste time while Seo Eui-woo was glued to his side and showed no signs of letting go.

He was busy.

Kwon Jae-jin was really busy.

If he didn’t keep his wits about him, Seo Eui-woo would stick to him and start kissing him, and they’d just stare into each other’s eyes with affection and helplessly get undressed. Then another day would just fly by, and he’d have the same nightmare again.

‘At this rate, I won’t be able to leave until summer, let alone spring.’

He knew that it was difficult to juggle work and romance, but nothing was working out. He couldn’t physically separate himself, and it was even more of a problem because he was stuck in the same house with him 24 hours a day. And now he was having nightmares on top of all that, so he couldn’t help but feel frustrated.

Dreams are expressions of the unconscious.

If Kwon Jae-jin’s psychological state was reflected in his dreams, then there might be a flaw that Jae-jin hadn’t noticed. He was having the same dream because of the anxiety of not being able to find and fill that gap.

‘Is there really something I’m overlooking…?’

If so, what had he missed that was making him have such ominous dreams repeatedly?

Jae-jin, feeling stifled, rubbed his dry eyes with his index finger. As he massaged his eyes repeatedly, Seo Eui-woo, who was clipping Kwon Jae-jin’s nails, quietly murmured.

“Jae-jin, are you tired? Sleepy…”

“Ah… no. I’m fine.”

“Fine? Shouldn’t you rest a bit? You’ve been searching, reading papers, and watching documentaries. ‘Blessings of Nature, Bamboo’? You watched the whole five-part series.”

Seo Eui-woo smoothed the nail he had neatly trimmed. After checking that the middle finger was nicely cut without any rough edges, he brought the nail clipper to the ring finger. The ring finger nail was clipped off with a snap. For the record, this was the result of Seo Eui-woo insisting that he wanted to cut Kwon Jae-jin’s nails himself, even though Jae-jin had refused several times, saying that he would do it himself.

“Bamboo will be useful. It grows very quickly, and because it’s hollow, it has endless uses, and bamboo shoots can be used in cooking. We must plant it.”

“Haha, is that so? It sounds like we’ll be living in a bamboo forest.”

“Yes, and because it’s tall, it has a concealing effect like a fence, so it will be good for hiding.”

Seo Eui-woo cut the ring finger nail and moved on to the pinky finger. He seemed reluctant to cut the pinky finger because it was small, and he spent a long time just fiddling with it. After a long pause, Seo Eui-woo finished cutting the pinky finger and said, “Now, the right hand.” Jae-jin turned off the tablet screen and obediently offered his right hand.

“If Jae-jin’s nails grew as fast as bamboo, I would cut them for you every day. It’s a shame they grow so slowly.”

As always, Seo Eui-woo was talking nonsense.

“And toenails grow even slower. I want to trim your toenails evenly, too. I wonder when they’ll grow… It’s hard to wait.”

“…Why are you waiting for that? Don’t wait. And, I didn’t say I’d let you cut my toenails.”

“Why not? Can’t I cut your toenails?”

“Well, feet are dirty, aren’t they?”

“What’s dirty about them? I give you a bath, Jae-jin. I always wash you thoroughly from head to toe.”

“That’s not what I mean. It’s just how I feel.”

“They’re not dirty. They’re pale. Jae-jin’s feet.”

“Stop talking nonsense. Anyway, no feet.”

Even if Kwon Jae-jin said no, Seo Eui-woo would push until he got his way, but that was a problem for later. Seo Eui-woo, who had neatly trimmed his nails on his right hand, happily stroked Jae-jin’s short, rounded fingertips. It was a gesture that seemed to say he was so cute he could die.

“Um, if I said I wanted to collect Jae-jin’s nail clippings separately… would that be a little upsetting?”

Seo Eui-woo said with a smile, as if he were joking. His long, curving eyes were kind and pleasant to look at, but what he was saying just sounded like a crazy bastard. Kwon Jae-jin still didn’t understand Seo Eui-woo’s way of thinking.

“Huh? What, are you even saying that? Throw them away. …No, wait, give them to me. I’ll throw them away myself.”

Kwon Jae-jin quickly swept the nail clippings that were gathered on the corner of the table and scooped them into his palm. He thought it was a joke, but he couldn’t shake the thought that Seo Eui-woo might actually want to collect something like this. Seo Eui-woo chuckled and burst into laughter, enjoying Jae-jin’s horrified reaction.

“Ah, haha! Jae-jin, you’re so cute. Really… Ahahaha.”

“It’s noisy.”

Jae-jin gathered all the nail clippings and got up from the table. He thought that if he just threw them in the trash can, Seo Eui-woo might pick them up again, so he was going to flush them down the toilet. Seo Eui-woo lazily followed Jae-jin out of the study. A smile never left the lips of the guy who was striding towards him with long legs and a wide gait.

“I’m not going to collect them. I have the living Jae-jin in front of me, why would I collect dead cells?”

“…”

“If I was going to collect something like that, wouldn’t I have already collected all of Jae-jin’s hair? No. I’m not that far yet, really.”

Not that far yet?

Then how far are you…?

Jae-jin went into the bathroom and sprinkled the nail clippings into the toilet. The sensor recognized the movement and automatically flushed the water and closed the toilet lid. He couldn’t believe he was doing this himself. He was worried that his boyfriend would collect his nails, so he was throwing away the scraps. No matter how he thought about it, it wasn’t normal.

“Are you satisfied now? Believe me a little. I said I wouldn’t…”

Seo Eui-woo, standing by the door, smiled sweetly as if to show off. Kwon Jae-jin turned on the faucet at the sink, washed his hands, and came out of the bathroom.

“I’m not doing this because I don’t believe you. I believe you, Seo Eui-woo.”

“Really? Then can I cut your toenails?”

“That’s a bit…”

“If you don’t like toenails, what about shaving? It’s okay if I shave you, right? It’s your face, huh?”

Kwon Jae-jin chatted with Seo Eui-woo about trivial things and returned to the study. On the study table were spread out a dictionary and a plant encyclopedia, and the tablet he had been looking at earlier was still there. The nail clipper was also lying there alone.

He was about to cross the threshold and enter the study, but for some reason, his feet stopped abruptly. He felt resistance, as if an invisible hand was pulling Kwon Jae-jin back.

“Jae-jin?”

Kwon Jae-jin was busy.

He had to finish preparing to leave with Seo Eui-woo before spring came. He had to prepare while dating that Seo Eui-woo who was pressing him to cut his nails and shave him. This was no time to be spacing out.

But, for some reason, his legs were frozen. He couldn’t move. Kwon Jae-jin became a tree rooted to the ground, silently blinking his eyelids in front of the door.

After standing still for a while, Jae-jin slowly turned around. Seo Eui-woo was just watching Jae-jin with a worried look.

“Jae-jin, what’s wrong?”

“…Eui-woo.”

“Yes?”

“Um… I’m just suddenly curious, so I’m asking. Creatures…”

He thought of the millions of black monsters swarming towards him. Those things that were getting closer every day kept bothering him. Kwon Jae-jin had already decided to escape, was satisfied with that decision, and was doing his best to achieve the future he wanted, but it was still bothering him.

“How much can I handle with my current shooting skills?”