“This one is Cheol, right?”
Kim Min-seok spoke in a slightly brighter tone, shaking off the heaviness in his heart.
“Do you remember?” Ha Jun-seo asked.
“No, it’s not that. But in the photo, the cats were a tuxedo and a calico. And all calico cats are female, right? So the tuxedo cat must be the male, Cheol, and the calico must be the female, Soon.”
“You know quite a bit.”
“I’ve always liked cats.”
For a moment, as he talked with Ha Jun-seo, Kim Min-seok’s hand stopped petting the cat.
“Aeooong—”
Cheol let out a long, complaining meow, as if protesting. His round eyes stared up at him, looking impossibly cute.
“Aww, you’re too adorable.”
Kim Min-seok couldn’t hold back his affection and grabbed the cat’s little head with both hands, pressing kiss after kiss onto his chubby cheeks. Normally, a cat would have freaked out and bolted, but Cheol, clearly used to it, simply accepted the kisses without resistance.
“Where’s Soon? She’s not coming out?”
“Soon has a strong wild instinct. It’ll take her a little longer to adjust to a new environment. If we wait, she’ll show up eventually. In the meantime, we should do our own thing.”
“Okay.”
Even after that, Cheol continued rubbing against Kim Min-seok, clinging to him like a spoiled child. Kim Min-seok was so happy he felt like his face might split from grinning. Ha Jun-seo sat beside him, watching the scene with a pleased expression.
After a while, Cheol finally jumped off his lap, strolling off into one of the rooms without a shred of hesitation.
Completely melted by the cat’s affection, Kim Min-seok leaned back into the sofa, still basking in the warmth of the moment. He felt light and content.
“Well? Aren’t you glad you came over?”
“Yeah. I loved listening to your music, and getting to see the cat was just the best.”
Kim Min-seok answered honestly.
Ha Jun-seo reached out and gently played with his earlobe. There was nothing sexual in the touch—just a soft, affectionate gesture.
“Soon is just like Ha-yoon.”
“Soon? In what way?”
“She’s wary, feisty, selfish, and has a nasty personality.”
“Uh…”
“And yet, she hates being alone. She’ll come crawling back whenever it suits her, demanding attention. Just like someone I know.”
Ha Jun-seo leaned in and whispered the rest directly into his ear.
“She loves getting her ass smacked.”
“Ah, stop saying stuff like that!”
Kim Min-seok pushed him away with a scolding look, but Ha Jun-seo only shrugged.
“What can I do? It’s the truth. Honestly, you enjoyed getting spanked. You liked it a lot.”
“Enough!”
Ha Jun-seo burst into laughter. His laugh was pleasant to hear. He was always smiling, but right now, he looked especially happy. Seeing him in such a good mood made Kim Min-seok feel warm inside for some reason.
“What are you thinking about?” Ha Jun-seo asked.
“Just… that I like this.”
“Like what?”
“You laughing like that… I mean, you always smile, but this is the first time you seem truly happy.”
“You’re right. I’m in a really good mood right now.”
“Because I came over?”
“Yeah. Seeing you sitting here, comfortable in my space, makes me really happy. You feel like you’re mine.”
“Did you feel uncomfortable at Choi Sang-hyuk’s place?”
“Hmm… How could a mistress ever feel completely at ease sneaking around in the legal wife’s house?”
As he said that, Ha Jun-seo suddenly narrowed his eyes.
“By the way, did you notice you just mentioned Choi Sang-hyuk?”
“Huh?”
“I told you earlier. No more saying his name today.”
“Ah… sorry.”
“Hmm…”
Unlike before, when he would quickly accept an apology, Ha Jun-seo just stared at Kim Min-seok with slightly narrowed eyes. It made him feel guilty for some reason.
“Are you not drinking your juice?”
After a brief silence, Ha Jun-seo held out the glass.
“Oh, right. You made it for me—I’d feel bad if I didn’t finish it.”
Kim Min-seok quickly took the glass and gulped the juice down. Once he had emptied it completely, Ha Jun-seo ruffled his hair approvingly.
“So, does Choi Sang-hyuk treat you well?” Ha Jun-seo suddenly asked.
The fact that he was the one bringing up Choi Sang-hyuk now made Kim Min-seok feel relieved—at least he wasn’t sulking anymore.
“Mm… I don’t really know. He’s always at work when I wake up and comes home late at night, so I barely see him.”
“And when you are together, you’re too busy having sex to think about anything else.”
“…”
It was painfully accurate, leaving Kim Min-seok without a response.
“Still, you must not hate him. Otherwise, you wouldn’t still be staying there.”
“It’s not like I have a choice.”
“Why not? I told you to come live with me. Or, if that’s not enough, I could just buy you a place of your own.”
Ha Jun-seo made the offer without hesitation, his confidence almost overwhelming.
Kim Min-seok couldn’t hide his shock.
“Wait… that’s a bit…”
“Then, are you planning to keep living like this? As Choi Sang-hyuk’s lover?”
“…That’s… I mean, this isn’t even my body. It feels wrong to change things on my own. Wouldn’t Seo Ha-yoon be completely thrown off if he came back and everything had changed?”
“And if Seo Ha-yoon never comes back, and you have to keep living like this? Would you still want to stay the way things are now?”
Ha Jun-seo had a knack for hitting the mark.
It was something Kim Min-seok had agonized over countless times. After a brief hesitation, he finally spoke.
“I don’t know. Everything about this situation is just… chaos. There isn’t a single thing that isn’t confusing. And what if, one day, I wake up and find myself back in my real body? It feels like no matter what I do, it won’t mean anything in the end.”
“I thought you were a diligent and strong-willed person. Why do you sound so defeated and pessimistic?”
“Because… that’s just how things are right now…”
The mood grew heavier. Kim Min-seok let out a small sigh, trying to shake off the creeping gloom.
“By the way… you and Choi Sang-hyuk don’t seem to hate each other as much as I thought.”
At his words, Ha Jun-seo’s expression subtly twisted. It was the first time Kim Min-seok had seen him make that kind of face.
“Me? Why do you think that?”
“Well… I mean, the two of you literally caught Seo Ha-yoon cheating red-handed. You should both have terrible feelings about the whole thing, but I’ve never actually seen you fight. Even though you both know I see you almost every day, you don’t make a big deal out of each other.”
“And when you two talk, it doesn’t seem like you’re total strangers. You’re not exactly friendly, but you don’t act like people who’ve never met before. It’s almost like… you knew each other before all of this. You weren’t… friends or something, were you?”
Kim Min-seok trailed off at the end, sensing a shift in the atmosphere. Ha Jun-seo, who already looked irritated, now had a full-on I-just-ate-shit expression.
“Ha Jun-seo, you look like you just swallowed a pile of crap.”
“That’s because I feel like I just swallowed a pile of crap.”
“Ah…”
Kim Min-seok grimaced. Maybe he shouldn’t have said anything.
After staring at him with that same sour expression for a moment, Ha Jun-seo finally opened his mouth, speaking in a slow, deliberate tone.
“Well… you’re right. We did know each other.”
“…You really did?”
“We were never close. But… we’re relatives.”
“…What?!?”
Kim Min-seok almost choked on his own breath.
“You’re telling me you two are related?!”
“Yeah. Though, to be fair, it’s a bit more complicated than just being ‘relatives’…”
Ha Jun-seo gave a small nod, his expression still awkward and uncomfortable.
“But… you two don’t look anything alike.”
“Well, we’re not brothers or anything.”
“Wait, wait… So you’re saying Seo Ha-yoon basically seduced Ha Jun-seo, who just so happens to be Choi Sang-hyuk’s relative?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
“There’s no way he knew, right? I mean, looking at the two of you, no one would ever believe you’re related.”
“He probably did. It’s kind of a well-known fact that we share blood.”
“…He knew and still went through with it? Holy shit…”
Kim Min-seok pressed a hand to his forehead. It felt like he’d just been clutching a bomb that had suddenly exploded. His head swam from the sheer impact of the revelation.
“Ah… That was way too much information to take in at once. I feel a little dizzy.”
Slumping against the couch, he realized his entire body felt drained of strength, like a limp, overcooked squid.
“Are you feeling lightheaded?”
“Yeah, a bit.”
“And weak, too?”
“Yeah…”
As Kim Min-seok nodded feebly, Ha Jun-seo’s previously stiff expression changed in an instant. As if flipping a switch, a bright, satisfied smile spread across his face.
“…Ha Jun-seo, you look way too happy all of a sudden.”
“That’s because I am happy.”
“…Why?”
“Because from now on, I get to do all the things I love.”
Kim Min-seok didn’t immediately grasp the meaning behind his words. He blinked in confusion, his sluggish brain struggling to catch up. Ha Jun-seo chuckled softly at his blank expression.
“Wow, even the way you look all dazed is cute. Must be the medicine working.”
“…Medicine?”
Kim Min-seok’s brows furrowed in suspicion. Ha Jun-seo’s gaze flickered toward the empty juice glass.
That was when Kim Min-seok realized something was very wrong. His limbs felt too heavy, his body too lax—this wasn’t just exhaustion or a trick of the mind.
“You… drugged me?!”
He tried to bolt upright, but his legs refused to cooperate, and he collapsed sideways instead. Ha Jun-seo caught him effortlessly, holding him up as if he weighed nothing.
“I told you earlier, didn’t I? If you mentioned Choi Sang-hyuk’s name one more time, I’d throw a tantrum.”
“T-That’s…! No, wait—drugging someone isn’t a tantrum, that’s a crime—!”
“A crime? Between us? Now, that hurts. You’re making it sound like I’d actually do something bad to you. Don’t worry, though. I’m just going to spoil you. A lot.”
With that, Ha Jun-seo easily lifted Kim Min-seok into his arms.
Then, he began walking toward a room.
Kim Min-seok, sensing nothing but danger, desperately tried to resist, to force some strength into his body. But the more he struggled, the more his muscles refused to cooperate.
“You have no idea how excited I was while decorating this room. I put so much effort into making it perfect for my Ha-yoon.”
Ha Jun-seo pushed the door open.
Kim Min-seok’s breath hitched as he took in the scene before him. His already spinning head felt like it had been knocked clean out of reality.
“N-No… This can’t be—”
His voice came out in a shaky, hopeless whisper.
Ha Jun-seo only laughed.
Then, with a soft click, the door shut behind them.
