When Yu-jin opened his eyes in the morning, he felt unusually excited, unable to contain himself. When the household servant visited at the usual time, Yu-jin greeted him with a far brighter smile than usual. The servant looked puzzled but asked the same routine question.
“Nothing. …Um, is Harold coming today…?”
Yu-jin asked cautiously, and the servant shook his head.
“No, not today. If you’re waiting for him…”
“Oh, no!”
Yu-jin flinched and vehemently denied it.
“If he’s not coming today, that’s perfect. Really, if he’s not coming, then I actually…”
He barely stopped himself from blurting out I’m happy. The servant gazed down at him with an unreadable expression before speaking.
“Then I’ll be going. You’re sure you don’t need anything else?”
After confirming once more, the servant turned and left without hesitation.
Thank goodness.
Yu-jin let out a sigh of relief and quickly sorted through the food he had received. After hastily making and eating a sandwich, he busied himself with chores, but once he finished early, time seemed to drag unbearably.
He tried forcing himself to read the book he had been working through, but the words refused to register, and he soon gave up.
I should wash up and get ready to go out.
Going out—he hadn’t even imagined it. The thought of leaving this stifling place to see somewhere new made his heart feel like it would burst.
He hurriedly opened his wardrobe, but there weren’t many clothes inside. Among them, he picked out the one he had been saving. It was a good thing he hadn’t worn it yet, just in case.
After putting on a neat shirt and cotton pants, he stood in front of the mirror—only to realize the pants were ridiculously short.
Did I keep them too long without wearing them…?
Yu-jin frowned, but the rest of his clothes were all too old and worn to be suitable. He kept changing in and out of the few options he had, and before he knew it, the time had flown by.
It doesn’t look that bad, right?
After putting back on the first outfit he had tried, Yu-jin examined himself in the mirror and nodded. Maybe because it was new, but he looked better than he ever had before.
Satisfied, he smiled to himself before checking the clock. There was still an hour left until nine, but he couldn’t wait any longer and ran downstairs.
“Winston!”
Yu-jin had been pacing anxiously outside the entrance, and the moment he spotted the man approaching on horseback, his face lit up with joy as he called out.
Winston, worried Yu-jin might get hurt, pulled his horse to a stop at a distance and quickly dismounted, hurrying toward him.
Yu-jin, his cheeks flushed and eyes gleaming, ran straight into Winston’s arms. Laughing, Winston lifted him up effortlessly, spinning him in the air.
“Ahaha!”
Hearing Yu-jin’s delighted laughter, Winston grinned and finally stopped spinning.
“Did you wait long?”
He asked naturally, pressing brief kisses to the corners of Yu-jin’s eyes and cheeks. Yu-jin wrapped his arms around Winston’s neck and shook his head.
“No, I just came out a little while ago. I missed you so much!”
Yu-jin exclaimed excitedly, making Winston chuckle softly.
“I feel the same way.”
The kiss deepened, their lips pressing together before Yu-jin slowly parted his lips to welcome him. As Winston’s hot tongue slipped inside, Yu-jin’s heart pounded wildly. They had kissed so many times before—so why did it still make him feel this way? Maybe he would always feel like this, for the rest of his life.
Haa, haa.
Yu-jin panted, breathless from excitement and anticipation. Winston, amused by his expression, chuckled before asking,
“Your father didn’t come today, did he?”
“No.”
Yu-jin immediately nodded.
“I asked in the morning, and they said he wouldn’t be coming. He never comes on days like this.”
“I see.”
Winston’s lips curled into a knowing smile. Just as Yu-jin started to feel curious about his expression, Winston spoke again.
“He won’t be coming for a while. You don’t have to worry.”
“Huh?”
Yu-jin blinked in surprise, and Winston continued.
“He’s got bigger things to deal with right now. Something… rather massive happened.”
“…What happened?”
Yu-jin hesitated before asking, but Winston only gave him a vague smile.
“It’ll take at least a year to clean up the mess.”
What on earth happened? Yu-jin wanted to ask more, but he didn’t get the chance. Just as he was about to press further, Winston’s gaze swept over his entire figure, and he changed the subject.
“Is this all the clothing you have?”
“Huh? Oh… yeah.”
Yu-jin nodded blankly. He had chosen the best outfit he owned, so did it not look good after all?
“This is my nicest set… I was saving it and never wore it until now.”
Yu-jin admitted hesitantly. Winston smiled.
“Really? So, you wore the clothes you’ve been saving just for me?”
“Uh… yeah.”
Feeling relieved, Yu-jin nodded, and Winston chuckled as he rubbed his nose affectionately against Yu-jin’s.
“Let’s go. I’ve got a carriage ready.”
“Okay.”
Yu-jin nodded without hesitation, and Winston promptly swept him into his arms before carrying him forward.
Winston helped Yu-jin onto the horse first before climbing up behind him. As soon as the horse began to gallop, Yu-jin gasped in shock and instinctively clung to Winston.
“Scared?”
Winston kept one hand on the reins while wrapping the other arm protectively around Yu-jin. Yu-jin turned and wrapped his arms around Winston’s waist, shaking his head.
“I’m fine.”
The truth was, sitting up this high, with the horse running at full speed, made his stomach drop with fear. It felt like he could fall off at any moment. But with Winston’s warmth against him, Yu-jin felt as though he could handle anything the world threw at him.
Holding Winston tightly, he focused on steadying his pounding heart.
The horse carried them swiftly to the stables. After dismounting first, Winston held Yu-jin by the waist and gently set him down on the ground, instructing him to wait there before leading the horse inside.
It had felt like an eternity walking from the estate before, but traveling on horseback made the distance seem insignificant. Standing there, Yu-jin nervously glanced toward the main house, his heart pounding. Fortunately, when Winston returned and took his hand, he led them in the opposite direction.
A short distance from the stables, a car was parked. Winston walked up to the passenger side and opened the door for him.
“Get in. Let’s go.”
“O-okay.”
Yu-jin hurried to comply, settling into the seat. Winston closed the door and walked around to the driver’s side. As he started the engine, Yu-jin glanced around the car’s interior in fascination, his curiosity evident.
“If you have any questions, ask me,” Winston offered.
“Uh, okay.”
Yu-jin nodded, but nothing immediately came to mind. He realized that asking questions required a certain level of knowledge in the first place. It had been so long since he had last ridden in a car—so long that the memory had become blurry. Seeing a car in books was one thing, but actually sitting inside one again felt surreal.
“What’s the name of this car? Cars all have names, right?”
“Ferrari.”
“Ferrari…”
Yu-jin murmured the name to himself, rolling it around on his tongue. Winston, watching him, said,
“You need to put on your seatbelt.”
“Huh? Oh… uh…”
Yu-jin frantically looked around, unsure what to do. Seeing his flustered expression, Winston reached over. As Yu-jin anxiously glanced at him, on the verge of panic, Winston simply smiled and reassured him.
“Just pull this and buckle it in here.”
Click.
The buckle locked into place, and Winston smiled again as if to put him at ease.
“Yu-jin, I know you haven’t had the chance to experience many things,” he said gently.
“But from now on, you’ll get to experience everything—one step at a time. I’ll teach you everything, so don’t be afraid. You’ll be fine.”
Winston met his gaze and repeated, “Alright?”
Yu-jin hesitated before nodding. At that, Winston gave him another reassuring smile, leaned in to press a quick kiss to his lips, then straightened in his seat.
As he started the car and began to drive, he instructed,
“There’s a security checkpoint at the front gate. The guards will be watching, so when we pass through, just lower your head for a moment. If we move fast, they won’t see you.”
“O-okay.”
Yu-jin tensed immediately and nodded.
As the car sped up, he felt himself being pressed into the seat by the sheer force of acceleration. The pressure was overwhelming, but he clenched his fists and forced himself to endure it.
And then, just as the checkpoint came into view in the distance—
“Now, Yu-jin.”
“Wha—ahhh!”
Before he could even grasp what was happening, the seat suddenly reclined all the way back. Yu-jin yelped in surprise, his heart leaping into his throat, but Winston didn’t slow down. The car sped past the checkpoint in a blur.
“It’s fine now.”
Clunk. The seat returned to its upright position. Yu-jin blinked repeatedly, his head spinning from the abrupt motion.
“Ugh…”
As he finally managed to gather himself, something outside the window caught his eye.
Beyond the glass, the dazzling lights of the nightscape stretched endlessly, glowing brilliantly against the darkness. Yu-jin’s eyes widened in awe, and he pressed up against the window, completely mesmerized.
“Do you like it?”
Amused by his reaction, Winston asked. Yu-jin couldn’t tear his gaze away, answering absently,
“Yeah…”
It was as if the stars had fallen from the sky and settled on the earth.
He had never seen such breathtaking lights before. Entranced, he simply stared, when suddenly, the window rolled down.
A strong gust of wind rushed in, whipping against his cheeks with a loud roar. Yu-jin flinched, startled, but he didn’t dislike it.
“Should I roll it back up?”
Winston asked, but Yu-jin quickly shook his head. The wind was noisy, but the air felt unbelievably fresh.
Cautiously, he reached a hand out into the rushing night air. A deep, overwhelming sense of liberation swelled within him, his heart pounding so fiercely it felt as if it might burst.
For the first time, he had stepped into the world—beyond the prison called The Most Perfect Delight.
