124.
To be honest, Yu Jin thought Keith might inject his personal feelings into this plan. Keith was someone who could do anything for Yu Jin, but there was one thing he couldn’t do. That was letting go of his feelings of love. So Yu Jin resolved not to be surprised no matter what happened. He planned to act naturally to deceive Leviathan, but…
“Yu Jin.”
Keith acted differently from what Yu Jin had imagined. The purpose was the same, but the intensity was much lower. He didn’t seek hugs or kisses. The only contact was wanting to meet eyes that usually just passed by, or lightly holding hands. Other than that, he was satisfied with Yu Jin eating snacks he brought or wearing clothes he provided.
“Why aren’t you demanding more?”
When Yu Jin carefully asked, Keith laughed softly.
“Originally, starting with small things is the basis of brainwashing. You already have someone you love, so if we start with high-level contact from the beginning, others would be suspicious.”
Grey had pushed too hard because he wanted to beat Keith, but originally, it was correct to start by seeping in like this. While doing this, you need to make others recognize the changes in the person being brainwashed. It’s about making the process of change in the brainwashed person not seem strange.
“But isn’t this too slow?”
“It’s okay. Leviathan won’t find this slowness strange either.”
Rector knew that Keith had given up on himself to protect Yu Jin. So mixing in some hesitation wasn’t something to be greatly suspicious about.
‘Above all, this is what I want.’
Although it was a plan carried out with the thought of catching Leviathan, Keith saw this as an opportunity too. Who knows? Maybe as they do this, Yu Jin might start to look at him differently. Yu Jin was such a kind child that his attitude had softened more than before since learning that Keith had prepared to sacrifice himself. So naturally, it became easier to get closer. If Jinhyeon came back from the back alleys and saw this, he’d grab Keith’s neck, but who cares about a guy like that? Jinhyeon must have been prepared for some tricks anyway.
Keith pushed sweet snacks that Yu Jin liked towards him, subtly raising the corners of his mouth.
Tap tap tap.
Elegant fingers tapped the desk at regular intervals. San, who was watching him, swallowed a sigh that was about to escape. Then he whispered to Gee, who was making a similar expression next to him.
“When did they say Jinhyeon would return?”
“Unfortunately, it seems he’ll be staying a bit longer.”
At Gee’s words, San barely managed to keep his face from crumpling. San knew why Jinhyeon had come to the back alleys and holed up here. Jinhyeon had told San, Gee, and Blando about it.
‘He must be anxious.’
By now, his lover would be with another man.
‘But still!’
He wanted to work comfortably now. It had already been two days since Jinhyeon barged into the space San and Gee usually used and got irritated. Jinhyeon, who usually lounged around like a well-fed beast, had shown several new sides during this time. And San didn’t want to see any more of that. So he tried to pass it off to Blando somehow, but Blando, who had learned flexibility while hanging out with Jinhyeon, subtly pulled out. As a result, San and Gee had to fully deal with Jinhyeon’s state.
Especially Gee. San, being a kid, didn’t face the emotional storm, but Gee was different. Perhaps because he was so sturdy and level-headed, he was frequently dragged to the backyard by Jinhyeon. The pretext was sparring, but Gee would be crawling afterward, so it was half venting anger. Gee said he learned a lot from sparring, but San didn’t like him getting beaten up.
“This won’t do.”
Jinhyeon, who had been abusing the desk, suddenly stood up.
“What?”
“I’m going back to the mansion.”
“Is that okay?”
“Why wouldn’t it be? I’ll just say I finished work quickly.”
Jinhyeon left those words and immediately rushed outside. Surprised, San watched Jinhyeon’s retreating figure and then asked Gee.
“What should we do?”
“Well, Jinhyeon must have his thoughts. He’s a smart person, after all.”
“Even smart people can become stupid in front of love.”
“Surely not.”
“‘Surely not’ can kill people.”
San said, finally letting out the sigh he had been holding back.
“Let’s inform Blando about this for now.”
So we can prepare if something happens. Gee nodded at San’s words and moved quickly.
Jinhyeon left the back alleys and returned to the Lucid mansion. The interior hadn’t changed from when he left, but the atmosphere was strange. This atmosphere intensified especially when encountering other people. An elderly gardener, with whom he had become familiar after greeting him several times in passing, looked at Jinhyeon with an awkward expression. What was in his eyes was sympathy.
“You’re back?”
“Yes. The work ended quickly.”
“I see.”
The gardener seemed to have a lot he wanted to say, but he didn’t speak about it. What was this attitude when he hadn’t even been away from the mansion for a few days?
“Well then, go in and rest.”
After exchanging brief greetings and parting, Jinhyeon headed straight for Yu Jin’s office. He didn’t encounter many people on the way, but most had similar attitudes. Those who had some fondness for Jinhyeon sympathized with him, while those who didn’t sneered at him. Realizing this made his insides boil.
He wasn’t angry at other people’s attitudes. Those people weren’t valuable to Jinhyeon anyway, so it didn’t matter how they behaved. Rather, he was concerned about what caused them to show such attitudes. Keith and Yu Jin, that is.
‘That bastard!’
How did Keith behave to change people’s attitudes like this in just a few days? Worried about Yu Jin, who couldn’t disobey Keith’s words due to the situation, Jinhyeon’s steps quickened. Upon reaching the office, Jinhyeon immediately knocked on the door. He wanted to just open it and rush in, but there were eyes watching.
Knock knock.
“Who is it?”
Yu Jin’s voice came from inside.
“It’s me, Jinhyeon.”
“Come in.”
The voice was calmer than usual. The moment he heard that voice, Jinhyeon wanted to throw the plan out the window.
‘No, I have to endure.’
According to Yu Jin, as long as he was the head of Lucid, Leviathan wouldn’t detach. It was impossible for them to give up the family to avoid Leviathan. The pain Yu Jin had gone through to get this far calmed Jinhyeon.
“I’m coming in.”
Jinhyeon said this and opened the door. And the moment he saw Yu Jin, he was momentarily at a loss for words.
“Huh?”
Yu Jin’s face, sitting at the desk in the office looking at documents, had changed from a few days ago. His smooth cheeks were plumped up, and his skin was glossy. His hair, which he usually kept moderately styled, looked like silk, as if it had been groomed and combed down. In other words, his condition had suddenly improved a lot.
“What?”
Keith was standing next to Yu Jin, who was looking at Jinhyeon quizzically, with a triumphant expression. Then he scooped up food with the spoon he was holding and brought it to Yu Jin’s mouth.
“Ah~”
There was a moment of hesitation, but Yu Jin obediently opened his mouth and ate what Keith gave him. And while chewing on that, he organized the documents he was looking at and turned to Jinhyeon. Jinhyeon closed the door first and headed towards Yu Jin.
“Did the work go well?”
“Yes. But…”
Jinhyeon looked at Keith, who was holding the food.
“What’s going on here?”
“What do you mean? I’m feeding Yu Jin snacks.”
“Snacks?”
“It’s pudding made with fresh eggs, cream, and sugar. I heard it’s popular in social circles these days, so I made it, and he eats it well.”
“Huh?”
Keith, who had calmly explained about the snack, raised the spoon again. Seeing this, Jinhyeon glared at Keith with a fierce expression. According to the plan, Jinhyeon was originally supposed to be hostile towards Keith. After all, someone who had their lover taken away wouldn’t just sit still. So Yu Jin wasn’t surprised no matter how Jinhyeon behaved.
“I have a lot I want to say, but I’ll hold back.”
Jinhyeon extended his hand towards Keith.
“First, give me that.”
“What are you talking about?”
“The pudding you’re holding.”
“Why?”
“I’ll feed Yu Jin.”
“I don’t want to.”
Keith tilted his head, smiling languidly. At this point, Jinhyeon was no longer acting. He just wanted to grab Keith by the collar and beat him up. If Keith wasn’t someone Yu Jin cared about, he might have killed him already.
“I’m Yu Jin’s lover.”
“I know that.”
“So it’s right that I feed him snacks.”
“You’re not good at taking care of someone, are you? But I’ve been taking care of Yu Jin since he was young. I’m more skilled than you, that’s what I’m saying. And I don’t want to give in either.”
Jinhyeon suppressed his murderous intent with superhuman patience.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
