As Yoon Min-ho’s words stretched on, Da Haram’s mouth gradually opened wider, only to shift into a look of sheer shock.
“Me? No way!”
It couldn’t be. No, it shouldn’t be, but the memories were slowly starting to resurface. The image of Yoon Min-ho awkwardly standing by his bedside, holding a phone to his ear and whispering softly, was vividly clear in his mind.
“Ugh, when are you coming… I’m lying here all alone.”
“I miss you, huh…”
“I can only sleep if you pat my back… Hurry up, ugh.”
The memories of him crying and whining also rushed in, and just thinking about saying such embarrassing things to Tae-yi made his ears burn with shame. His face also felt as if it were heating up again.
“You really said that,” Yoon Min-ho’s calm voice said, confirming the truth, and he picked up his spoon to continue eating. Da Haram, flustered and mumbling incoherently, couldn’t get another word out. Trying to defend himself, he turned to Yoon Min-ho.
“Well… I must’ve been feverish, right? You know, when you have a fever, you say all sorts of nonsense. I must’ve been really sick. I don’t even remember.”
As Yoon Min-ho nodded along to his long-winded explanation, Da Haram awkwardly smiled and added,
“Since your dad’s Professor Yoon, you probably know how it is, right? When you have a fever, you say all kinds of things. I must’ve had a really high fever…”
“Yes, I know you were feverish, so eat your meal. You should call Director Kang soon, too.”
Yoon Min-ho’s teasing tone made it clear that he was making fun of him, and Da Haram eventually closed his mouth tight. It seemed that whenever there was a chance, his superior liked to tease him. Realizing that speaking any further would only lead to more embarrassment, Da Haram bent his head low and ate quickly.
After finishing his meal, Da Haram ran back to his room and grabbed his phone from the nightstand beside his bed. He couldn’t remember when it had been there, but as soon as he turned the screen on, a bunch of missed calls appeared. After hesitating for a moment, he sat on the bed and dialed Tae-yi’s number.
“Hello…?”
-Da Haram.
“I said I had a fever, so I acted out.”
-What?
Tae-yi sounded confused, unsure of what Da Haram was talking about. But instead of answering, Da Haram fiddled with his fingers and changed the subject.
“You’re coming in two days, right?”
-Yeah, I’ll head over right after work.
“You can rest a bit, though. They say there are fun things in Singapore.”
-Stop talking nonsense. You’re the one who’s been dying to see me, how can I rest and come? You said you miss me so much.
Da Haram couldn’t believe how cheeky Tae-yi sounded. He shouted back in exasperation.
“I told you, it was nonsense because I had a fever!”
If Tae-yi returned now, Da Haram knew that this incident would be a week’s worth of teasing. He already felt dizzy just thinking about it. Tae-yi laughed softly at his reaction, and then said,
-From the sound of your voice, it seems like you’re better. Just make sure you take your medicine and rest. I’ll be there soon.
“Yeah… hurry up, no… take your time coming.”
Tae-yi’s laughter echoed through the phone, and hearing it after such a long time made Da Haram smile involuntarily. After a brief conversation, Da Haram flopped back onto the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. It had been one of the most chaotic days of his life. He had spent nearly a week in a rush with Tae-yi, and then another week struggling with illness. His mind felt foggy, as though everything had become blurry.
What should he say when Tae-yi returned? He wanted to speak clearly, but standing in front of him made it hard to form his thoughts. No matter how much he thought about it, the first thing to do was resolve the tangled issues between them. Was it better to forgive everything that had happened, or should he confess his feelings for him first?
As Da Haram slowly closed and opened his eyes repeatedly, he pulled his silver-gray tail closer and hugged it tightly. Reflecting on the whirlwind of the past days, he realized that he had no regrets.
That’s good enough, he thought.
He had honestly revealed his true feelings, even though he had tried to suppress them, and Tae-yi no longer showed him false pretenses. That alone was enough for him.
***
When Tae-yi texted him asking what he had for lunch, Da Haram replied that he had eaten vegetable porridge, but there was no response.
“Is he really busy?”
Tae-yi, who usually responded quickly, had been replying intermittently today. Lying in bed, Da Haram stared at his phone screen blankly before suddenly letting out a small sigh. When they were apart, Tae-yi would always call or text him at any given moment. He now understood why, belatedly, as Tae-yi wanted to share everything, even the smallest details.
He had so many questions he wanted to ask—what was Tae-yi doing now, if he had eaten, whether he was feeling okay, and so on. But since he was on a business trip, he didn’t want to bother him, so he had to hold back. Feeling a bit restless, Da Haram couldn’t stand it anymore and got up from the bed.
Perhaps because there were so many plants, there was always a fresh scent of grass and a faint smell of earth wherever he went at Professor Yoon’s house. Stepping out of his room, Da Haram walked down the long corridor, taking a deep breath as he headed for the living room. He stopped abruptly when he saw Yoon Min-ho sitting on the couch, working on his laptop.
“Is there anything you need?” Yoon Min-ho asked, closing his laptop as soon as he noticed Da Haram.
Feeling like he was intruding, Da Haram was about to quietly return to his room when Yoon Min-ho waved him off.
“No, I don’t need anything. Sorry for disturbing you, go ahead and keep working.”
“Director Kang is having drinks. He might not be reachable until early morning, so don’t wait up too long.”
“I wasn’t waiting…”
Yoon Min-ho kindly passed on this unsolicited information, and Da Haram, awkwardly grabbing the hem of his T-shirt, mumbled in a low voice. He felt as if there was a surveillance camera in his room. Had he seen him just staring at his phone? There was no other explanation for why Yoon Min-ho would suddenly tell him about Tae-yi.
“Um… are there cameras in the room?” Da Haram asked cautiously, glancing at Yoon Min-ho.
Yoon Min-ho chuckled softly and shook his head.
“Why would we have cameras in the room? This is a regular household.”
“Haha… I see,” Da Haram said, scratching his head in embarrassment.
Anyway, if they were drinking until early morning, it seemed like that message would be the last communication he would get from Tae-yi today.
“Would you like some tea?”
Seeing Da Haram with his drooping silver-gray tail, Yoon Min-ho stood up and offered. Since he had nothing else to do, Da Haram nodded slowly.
Yoon Min-ho quickly brought the tea, sitting across from Da Haram on the couch while holding his tail.
“Thank you. I’ll drink quietly, you can keep working.”
Da Haram kept glancing at Yoon Min-ho’s laptop.
“I also want to rest.”
Yoon Min-ho, almost throwing the laptop to the side, replied in a tired voice. Although he hadn’t joined the business trip, there was no end to his work.
Staring at Yoon Min-ho, who looked exhausted, Da Haram was about to speak when his phone, still in his pocket, vibrated. Startled, he quickly placed his teacup down.
“Ah…”
It was a text, but it wasn’t from Tae-yi—just a promotional message. A wave of disappointment washed over him, and he set his phone down with a thud, his face reddening from the embarrassment.
As he sank further into his seat, he could feel Yoon Min-ho’s gaze on him, and Da Haram’s embarrassment grew.
Yoon Min-ho, who had been watching Da Haram’s expressions change rapidly, spoke with amusement.
“Do you really like Director Kang that much?”
“Ah, no… it’s just…”
Da Haram couldn’t continue his words, and Yoon Min-ho smirked.
It wasn’t just surprising that Kang Tae-yi liked Da Haram, but it was even more surprising that the innocent Sky Squirrel Beastfolk liked Kang Tae-yi so much. Both of them had rather unique tastes, so it was impossible to decide who was more peculiar.
Before they knew it, time had passed quickly while they chatted. It wasn’t so much a conversation as it was Yoon Min-ho answering Da Haram’s questions, but it wasn’t boring. Through their brief chat, Da Haram learned a lot about Yoon Min-ho, like his age and how long Tae-yi had known him.
Just as Da Haram was thinking of the next question while sipping his now cold tea, the doorbell rang through the living room. It wasn’t his phone, but Yoon Min-ho’s.
“I’ll take this call,” Yoon Min-ho said, and Da Haram nodded, lowering his gaze to avoid disturbing the conversation.
“Yes, I’m his son.”
As the conversation continued, Yoon Min-ho’s voice began to tremble. Da Haram’s heart dropped as he saw Yoon Min-ho’s face turn pale.
Hanging up the phone urgently, Yoon Min-ho jumped up from his seat.
“I… I need to go to the hospital. Da Haram, I mean…”
“To the hospital? Yoon Min-ho, calm down…”
Da Haram panicked, stuttering as he looked at Yoon Min-ho.
“My father got into a car accident on his way home from work, I need to go now.”
