“Sir Knight, today’s pancakes are cooked perfectly. Would you like more butter?”
Angela asked gracefully, holding a butter knife and a small dish of butter over the table. Yu-jin played along with the child’s act, clapping his hands in an exaggerated manner.
“Oh, splendid, Lady Angela. Could I also have some jam?”
“Strawberry, orange, ma… ma…”
“Marmalade.”
Angela, who had been reading the label on a small glass jar, hesitated, and Yu-jin whispered softly under his breath.
“Mar-mlade.”
After finally managing to mimic Yu-jin’s pronunciation, Angela cleared her throat and continued.
“Which one would you like?”
Yu-jin pretended nothing had happened and replied as if completely composed.
“Strawberry, please, Lady Angela.”
“I shall also serve you honey.”
“How could you be so kind? Thank you, Lady Angela.”
With Yu-jin’s words, the little roleplay came to an end. Today’s theme was that Lady Angela, a noble princess living in a Disney castle, had specially invited her knight for breakfast. Angela had dramatically set the table with their breakfast and played her part flawlessly. She then poured a generous amount of maple syrup over her pancakes, topped them with butter, and took a big bite. Her face instantly lit up with happiness.
“Is it good, Angela?”
Yu-jin asked with a smile, and Angela eagerly nodded, replying with excitement.
“It’s sweet and fluffy and sooo delicious, Daddy. The best thing I’ve ever eaten in my whole life!”
“I see.”
Yu-jin nearly burst out laughing at his three-year-old daughter’s dramatic review but managed to hold it in. Instead, he took a bite of his own pancake. With sparkling eyes, Angela waited in anticipation for his reaction. Once he swallowed, he spoke.
“It really is delicious. The best thing I’ve ever eaten in my whole life.”
Hearing him echo her words, Angela beamed and exclaimed, “Right?” before eagerly shoving another piece of pancake into her mouth. Her cheeks, flushed with joy, made her look even more adorable. Yu-jin smiled warmly as he picked up a napkin and gently wiped the syrup from her lips.
As promised, he had breakfast with Angela, and he truly felt at peace. The sky was bright and clear without a single cloud, the breeze was cool, and most of all, Angela was so happy. What more could he ask for?
Just as he was basking in that warmth, Angela’s expression suddenly changed.
“Daddy, what’s wrong? Are you sick?”
Yu-jin was startled to see the worry on his daughter’s face and quickly shook his head.
“No, of course not. I’m fine.”
He denied it firmly, but Angela still looked unconvinced. To reassure her, Yu-jin forced the corners of his lips up into the brightest smile he could manage.
“Really. Why would Lady Angela think such a thing?”
He slipped back into their earlier roleplay, adjusting his tone, and Angela furrowed her little brows, looking very serious.
“Daddy, you have dark circles under your eyes. Did you not sleep?”
At those words, Yu-jin barely managed to swallow down the groan that threatened to escape. It was unsettling to realize that his exhaustion was noticeable even to his young daughter, but it wasn’t surprising. After all, he had barely gotten any sleep. And, of course, the reason for that was Winston.
Yu-jin had no idea how much time had passed before he regained consciousness. When he opened his eyes, he found himself lying on a bed—again. The difference this time was the arm wrapped tightly around his waist and the undeniable warmth of someone pressed against his back. He didn’t need to turn around to know who it was.
For a moment, Yu-jin remained completely still. The room was silent, not a single sound disturbing the air. Winston wasn’t moving either. Only after carefully listening and confirming that the man was truly asleep did Yu-jin begin to cautiously ease himself out of bed.
“Where are you going?”
The instant he made his move, the arm around his waist tightened. Yu-jin froze.
Winston’s whisper came from just behind him, sending a shiver down his spine. Swallowing, Yu-jin blinked a few times before hesitantly turning to look at him. Their eyes met immediately. In the dim light, Yu-jin could see the deep red hue of Winston’s bloodshot eyes, and the sight caught him off guard.
“…Weren’t you asleep?”
The thought that Winston had been awake the whole time made his stomach drop. Winston, sensing Yu-jin’s sudden stiffness, shrugged slightly and murmured,
“You moved and woke me up.”
Just from that?
Yu-jin wasn’t entirely convinced, but he knew there were people with incredibly light sleep. Fine. Maybe that was true. The problem was that Winston was still holding him and showed no intention of letting go.
“Let me go.”
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Yu-jin tried to twist his waist free, but Winston only tightened his grip, his voice turning into a low growl. Exhausted, Yu-jin decided to be blunt.
“You said we don’t have to have sex. Then there’s no reason for us to sleep together, is there?”
He added a firm, So let me go now, but Winston’s arms didn’t budge.
“And whose bed are you planning to sneak into?”
The question shot back at him immediately, as if Winston had been waiting for it. Yu-jin was so dumbfounded that for a moment, he couldn’t even find the words to respond.
The moonlight cast over Winston’s face only made his expression look even harsher, as if he had just caught a partner in the act of sneaking away to commit infidelity.
“That may be the kind of person I am in your imagination,” Yu-jin said, taking a deep breath to keep his irritation in check. “But you’re wrong. The place I’m going is my daughter’s room. I want to check if she’s sleeping well, and her bed is big enough for both of us. We’ve always slept together. If I’m not there, Angela will feel uneasy.”
To Yu-jin, it was a perfectly reasonable explanation. But to Winston, it clearly wasn’t.
Still holding him with one arm, Winston reached out with the other, grabbing something from the bedside table. Yu-jin stared in confusion until Winston held the object up for him to see.
It was a baby monitor.
Yu-jin’s eyes widened at the sight of the small screen displaying Angela’s peacefully sleeping figure.
Winston glanced at Yu-jin’s stunned face and spoke with an air of finality.
“Now, satisfied?”
The look on his face made it clear—there was no room for excuses.
Yu-jin was at a complete loss for words. When the hell did he set this up?
Flustered, he hesitated. The presence of the monitor meant he no longer had any real reason to leave and risk waking Angela.
Now that he could check on Angela without waking her, it wasn’t exactly a bad setup.
As intended, the camera clearly displayed the little girl sound asleep. The audio seemed to be turned up to the maximum as well, allowing Yu-jin to faintly hear her soft, rhythmic snoring. Clutching her stuffed animal, Angela had somehow shifted positions in her sleep, now lying in the opposite direction as if she had been swimming across the wide bed.
Seeing her resting so peacefully, Yu-jin felt both relieved and at a loss. He no longer had an excuse to go to her.
“There’s no reason for us to share a room, is there? Not when we’re not even having sex.”
His last attempt at protest only made Winston scoff.
“You think I’d just let you roll around with whoever you want and disgrace the family?”
His tone left no room for argument. He wasn’t letting go.
Yu-jin felt utterly trapped.
Get a grip. You can’t just give up.
Loosening the tension in his body, he slowly eased back onto the bed. The moment Winston’s grip around his waist slackened, he took his chance—bolting up, ready to leap off the bed.
But the second he moved, he was stopped.
“Where do you think you’re going now? I already told you no.”
Winston gritted his teeth as he yanked Yu-jin back against him, their bodies now fully pressed together. At this point, Yu-jin would have welcomed a panic attack if it meant escaping this situation, but of course, his body refused to cooperate. Left with no other choice, he resorted to an excuse.
“I, uh… I have to go. To the… the bathroom. Just let me go for a second.”
The real plan, of course, was to slip out into the hallway, dash to Angela’s room, and lock the door behind him before diving into her bed. Solid plan.
It would have been—if Winston had been stupid enough to believe him.
“Agh!”
Suddenly, Winston sat up and lifted Yu-jin into his arms.
Shocked, Yu-jin instinctively wrapped his arms around Winston’s neck as the man strode across the room with determined steps. Before Yu-jin could even process what was happening, Winston pushed open the bathroom door with his shoulder and stepped inside.
The space was illuminated by the moonlight streaming in through a large frosted glass window, making it bright enough to see even without turning on the lights. Without hesitation, Winston continued forward, slid open a partitioned door, and set Yu-jin down right in front of the toilet.
“There. Problem solved.”
Yu-jin could only stare up at him, eyes wide in sheer disbelief.
Winston, utterly unfazed, reached for the wall switch and turned on the bathroom light before stepping out.
The door shut.
Yu-jin stood frozen, blinking at the closed door, completely at a loss. After a few moments of hesitation, he fidgeted awkwardly before flushing the toilet—for appearance’s sake—then stepped outside.
