There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL)-Chapter 768: Side Story 4. Endless Journey - 51

No matter how excited Byul was, the nervousness of living with his lifelong crush was so much higher that he needed a bit more time to prepare his heart.

It didn’t take long for him to pack his stuff, honestly, since there was no furniture anyway. But using things like production meetings, agency meetings, and college administration, Byul only moved into the penthouse in August after calming his heart through all kinds of meditation.

It was his first time in the apartment ever, since his uncles barely stayed there even when they were in Althrea. It wasn’t until he came to the driveway did he found out that it was the apartment complex that celebrities always aimed for. Strict security endorsed by espers and living facilities that eliminated the need to go out for daily activities like gyms and grocery shopping.

He heard about the place a lot within the industry, and that it was so hard to get a place in that building--especially for a newcomer. After all, most occupants had been there since decades ago, and when they left, they offered it to their acquaintances, not publicly.

So that was why his manager froze for more than a minute when Byul gave her the address. And she told him to double-check since it was a penthouse. No one had ever managed to get the western tower penthouse for decades, no matter how much money they threw or how much influence they had. The management even said they could bring the president and the penthouse still wouldn’t be sold.

Byul understood. The penthouse was listed under Bassena and Luzein Ishtera’s name. Not even the president fucked with Old Houses.

It was rather fascinating that his manager refused to go there because of nervousness. Well...Byul was also nervous--just in a different sense.

And the reason for his nervousness was standing in front of the lobby entrance to greet and escort him up; even opening the car’s door for him. Haa...at this point, Byul had given up trying to tame his heart. He accepted the fact that he might develop cardiac arrest one of these days.

After saying goodbye to Uncle Dia’s driver, Kar took Byul to the management office to register his biometrics and the passkey to his commlink. As they walked through the lobby, Byul recognized some people--two of them even worked with him on previous projects--which fascinated him, as if he wasn’t a celebrity himself.

Kar had to hold back his laughter when Byul clutched his arm and hid behind him every time a celebrity came through. Truly the cutest. It was also cute how Byul’s face brightened up when he successfully used his biometric readings to enter the penthouse. As he gave a brief house tour, Kar wondered if his fathers had also done this in the past.

"That’s a lot of stuff," Kar arched his brows when Byul took out suitcase after suitcase from his storage ring.

"Nuh-uh," Byul shook his head. "Some of those are yours, Hyung."

"Mine?"

Byul checked the tag on each suitcase and patted some. "This one, and that one--oh, that one also! Mama said they are yours."

"Huh..." Kar blinked and stared at the sizable suitcases addressed to him. "I think your mother provides us with a lifetime of wardrobes at this point..."

"No, no--this is just four years worth," Byul grinned while wriggling his finger, enjoying Kar’s rare flabbergasted face. "Oh, she also left a message."

"A message?"

Byul cleared his throat. "Ahem--You!" he pointed his hand at Kar, who blinked with slightly widened eyes at the change in Byul’s tone and voice. "Please, please--can’t you be our brand ambassador? Please?!" the voice suddenly turned desperate, before shifting back to normal. "--is what she said."

Kar blinked again, dumbfounded, before bursting into laughter and clapping his hands. "Is that how you train? By doing impersonation?"

Byul grinned sheepishly. "Did I do a good job?"

"Yes," Kar nodded, genuinely impressed. Maybe it was also because he was her son, but Byul did sound like his mother.

Byul laughed, pleased with the praise. "Mama told me Uncle Zein used to be her muse, but he always rejected any offer regarding being a model or brand ambassador."

"That’s very much him," Kar nodded.

"So, she thought you might be different," Byul shrugged.

Kar chuckled. "I’ll think about it," he said, before pointing at the rest of the suitcases and boxes. "Anyway, which room do you want? I reckoned you wouldn’t want the master bedroom, so..."

"Yep," Byul nodded. What kind of guest slept in the master bedroom, anyway? A shameless one?

Kar smiled and pointed to the other bedrooms’ location. "There’s one upstairs and two down here--one used to be occupied by Ayya though, so some of her things might still be there."

"Then I’ll take the other one down here," Byul decided immediately. His only criterion was to choose a room that wasn’t on the same floor as Kar’s room--for his heart’s protection. Still, he felt like he needed to provide some excuses. "Umm...I might have to come home late at night or early in the morning often, Hyung..."

"Because of your shoot?"

"Yeah, so I think down here is better," Byul nodded quickly. freёnovelkiss.com

It wasn’t a lie, though. Since he didn’t want to miss a lot of classes in the college, he would have to cram a lot of shoots before fall came. Even if he didn’t, there would be a lot of such instances. Since he was no longer a minor, he was no longer bound by the law that prohibited any shooting past nine p.m. or more than five consecutive days.

So...yeah; he might have to use the door a lot. And once he got his license...maybe the garage also.

"Well, if you think so," Kar nodded. The lower floor was also where the kitchen, pool, and everything else were located, so it was a better choice. "It’s over there."

Byul followed the finger and hurriedly checked the room, feeling more excited than he thought. As expected of the penthouse, even the guest room was still large, complete with en-suite and walk-in closet. There was no balcony, but he could see a reading nook, perfect for reviewing his scripts.

"I’ll put your stuff here, yeah?" Kar said, startling Byul. Before he knew it, Kar had brought all of his luggage from the living room while he was absorbed in looking around the room.

Byul gasped and immediately ran toward the esper. "Oh, no--I’ll do that, Hyung!"

"It’s fine," Kar chuckled.

It wasn’t even heavy for him, but Byul bit his lips and lowered his head, feeling guilty. "Nggh...I’m sorry..."

"What are you sorry for?" Kar flicked the younger’s forehead. As Byul looked at him with widened eyes, Kar leaned against the desk and crossed his arms. "Listen up, Byul..."

"Y-yes!"

Byul straightened his back, like a soldier in front of their drill sergeant. Kar paused, scolding himself inwardly and uncrossed his arms; telling himself to not forget that this wasn’t the guild or the dungeon, and he should thread more delicately.

He took a deep breath and spoke in a soft tone. "Byul, we’re roommates, so let’s not act uncomfortable around each other."

"Umm..." Byul frowned, having no idea how he could do that while living with his crush. Kar sighed inwardly and reached out his hand--at first, he was about to reach for the younger’s hand, but paused and in the end, patted Byul’s shoulder.

"Don’t consider yourself a guest. You live here, don’t act too considerate or conscious of me," Kar continued. "You can be loud if you want, you can bring your friends, you can make your food and everything."

Byul blinked. "Really? I can bring someone here?"

"Just make sure to tell me, and I’ll tell you if I’m going to bring someone over--how about that?" Kar asked. "I’m sure you’ll have your manager sometimes."

"Oh, yeah...okay," Byul nodded slowly.

It was clear that it was still a hard concept for him. After all, this place was owned by Kar’s parents, and he didn’t have to pay for rent. With his personality, he couldn’t just treat the place like his own place.

But Kar just wanted Byul to feel comfortable there; to feel comfortable living in the same space as him. Well, it wouldn’t be right away, but he hoped this little direction would make Byul loosen up with time.

"There’s someone who will come to clean the house twice a week, so you don’t have to think about chores. And I’m sure you’re sensible enough for a simple dishwashing," Kar added.

"Okay, Hyung."

"Good; I’ll send you the management’s number, in case you need something--ah, and the one cleaning the house," Kar finished off with a smile and a ruffle to Byul’s hair--but he paused to ask. "Wait--are you okay with me doing that? I’ll stop if you don’t--"

Byul quickly shook his head. "Oh--I...I mean, I’m okay with that!" he added swiftly, with cheeks getting warmer and warmer. "Y-you can...keep doing it."

"Alright," Kar laughed softly, and gave one nice little ruffle before stopping with a little pinch on Byul’s reddened cheek. "Do you need help with your room?"

"No, Hyung. Thank you..."

"I’ll make dinner while you’re tidying up," Kar said while getting out of the room, and all Byuk could do was look down while holding the door.

"Okay," Byul nodded while closing the door, taking a deep breath as he heard the clicking sound.

One second, two seconds--he listened to the sound of retreating steps. When he couldn’t hear it again, Byul felt his knees give in and collapse to the floor, burying his face on his knees.

Oh, Gods...it really was not good for his heart, even if he craved for more.

Unbeknownst to him, someone else was having a deep contemplation on the kitchen island. No--not about what meal he should cook.

"Ah, this is..." Kar chuckled wryly while covering his mouth. "This is harder than I thought it would be."