(In which Jaehyun and Taeyong have a very important conversation.)

It’s been exactly one week since Taeyong has been living with Jaehyun and, surprisingly, nothing much has happened since that very fateful day.

Sooyeon finally returned from Maui two days ago and after a quick kiss on the cheek and a hug, his sister threw him a knowing look. “You have anything to tell me, Yoonoh?” Jaehyun winced. He hated it when she called him by his real name. Sooyeon used it so often when they were kids, usually when both Soojung and him were getting into trouble, that Jaehyun would automatically shrink a little as a defense mechanism. He wasn’t joking when he said his eldest sister is scariest when she’s angry.

“Nope.” Jaehyun shook his head. Sooyeon squinted at him but said nothing else. They moved on.

Taeyong, in the meantime, proves to be an interesting experience. In the last couple of days, Jaehyun discovers exactly two things about his new housemate. (You mean, pet project? Soojung had the other day when she called for some updates. It was very rude. Jaehyun hung up on her.)

For starters, Taeyong isn’t much of a talker. At least, not with Jaehyun. He’s seen the guy whispering and muttering under his breath to the cat, practically suffocating himself in her fur. What exactly they talk about, Jaehyun has no idea but he’s not going to judge. Taeyong looked like he meant it when he said that the feline was his only friend and given his background story, Jaehyun doesn’t doubt it.

Despite being on the silent side, though, the guy has an impressive skill in nonverbal communication. Every time Jaehyun asks him a question – have you eaten; how are you holding up; do you need any help? – Taeyong answers back with a raise of an eyebrow or a shake of his head, as if to say, “Yes, I have. I’m doing fine, thank you. Please leave me alone.” His eyes are a big asset too. Taeyong would just simply stare at Jaehyun long enough and somehow Jaehyun knows what he’s trying to say. It’s weird. He probably has one of the most expressive eyes Jaehyun has ever come across.

The other thing that Jaehyun noticed about Taeyong is that he is weirdly fascinated by books. On the first night after they got back from finding Nari (who they actually had to sneak in since pets are not allowed) Taeyong had shyly asked Jaehyun if he could take a look at one of the books on the shelves. Jaehyun said yes and when Taeyong gently pulled out Alice in Wonderland from its spot, Jaehyun couldn’t stop himself from blurting out that it was “one of his favourite books”. It was awkward – Jaehyun had never wanted to ground to swallow him whole until that moment – but the smile on Taeyong’s face was worth it.

He’s also a fan of asking Jaehyun really random questions at the oddest time.

“Do you have a dictionary?” Jaehyun looks up. He was in the middle of reading a text message from one of the group chats when Taeyong plops himself on the empty seat next to Jaehyun, Nari purring lazily in his arms. He blinks. Taeyong’s big imploring eyes are on him and something inside Jaehyun wants to curl up and die because he’s doing that thing again, staring at Jaehyun like the latter has the answers to everything. It’s vaguely intimidating.

“Huh?” Because Jaehyun is very eloquent around people like Taeyong, yes.

That gets him a very impressive eye roll. “I said, do you have a dictionary?” Taeyong repeats, slower this time. He leans further in his seat, the white woollen sweater nearly suffocating his tiny frame, and pulls his knees up on the sofa. Nari mewls her discomfort and jumps out of his lap. She runs off and Jaehyun is distracted for a minute, wondering where she’s heading to.

“Why do you need a dictionary for?” Jaehyun asks once he finally gets his attention back. Taeyong doesn’t immediately answer.

The white sweater is big on him considering it actually belongs to Jaehyun and the way the sleeves fall slightly past his hands is cute. Taeyong lifts them to his mouth, nervously chewing on his nails. It’s a disgusting habit so Jaehyun gently pulls them away.

“Sometimes when I read,” Taeyong swallows, darting his eyes nervously at Jaehyun, “I come across words that I don’t understand the meaning of. So I need a dictionary. So I can, you know, know.”

Jaehyun chews on the inside of his cheek. “Does it happen often? When you read?” Taeyong nods. He’s obviously very embarrassed by that.

It still leaves an unsettling feeling in Jaehyun’s stomach how little Taeyong remembers about his life. It’s not just that he can’t remember where he came from and who his family is, it’s the other things as well – how Taeyong stumbles over his words like he doesn’t actually know how to describe it or how to say it, or how genuinely confused he looked at the hospital when Jaehyun asked whether he had eaten yet, like he didn’t know what that meant. Taeyong’s eyes were as wide as saucers when Jaehyun ordered the food that day. Even the way he moved was awkward at times, like he was still unused of how his body worked.

The results from Dr. Kang won’t be available until a couple more days and Jaehyun hopes it will at least answer some questions.  But until then, he has to find his own.

Shifting around on the sofa, Jaehyun places his phone on the coffee table across them and turns fully to face Taeyong. The latter must have sensed the change in the air because he leans away, just a little. His wide darks orbs reflect uncertainty and suspicion. “Taeyong,” Jaehyun starts, “Remember the check up you did the other day? The one at the hospital?”

Taeyong squints at him, unsure of where this is going. “Yes. Why?”

“Well, the results will be ready soon. But that’s not important. What I wanted to ask is, what are you going to do after that?”

Taeyong is quiet. For a brief second Jaehyun feels bad for cornering the guy like this but he knows this is inevitable. They both don’t have a plan, right now. How long is Taeyong going to live with him? Until he gains his memory? And what if they do discover something from the results? What will happ