Having fallen asleep without even pulling a blanket over himself, Yeon Yiseo woke up and let Alexander guide him to sit between his legs. Alexander wrapped his arms around from behind, holding him close—it was as if Yeon Yiseo fit perfectly into his embrace.
Alexander was at least twenty centimeters taller, with an entirely different frame—bigger bones, broader shoulders. And while Yeon Yiseo was lanky and thin, Alexander had a body built from muscle. The contrast between them was striking. He’d always been aware of it, but feeling it again so acutely stirred something complicated in him. Sure, it felt warm. Comforting. But it wasn’t something he could call entirely pleasant, not without reservation.
One of Alexander’s hands rested on Yeon Yiseo’s stomach and chest, while the other rubbed along his arm, slowly brushing over him. He even kneaded his chilled hands with care, and for some reason, that made Yeon Yiseo quietly happy.
“You took off the bracelet.”
“I was worried it might get scratched.”
Caught off guard by Alexander’s remark, Yeon Yiseo flinched, but he answered honestly instead of brushing it off.
“I think it shines brightest when it’s on your wrist. I can’t ask you to wear it if you don’t want to, but… if you ever feel like it, I’d like you to.”
Alexander never forced anything. He kept kneading Yeon Yiseo’s cold hands, as if trying to melt away the last of the chill. The air between them stayed soft and undisturbed.
“What time are you planning to head home?”
At Alexander’s question, Yeon Yiseo pried open his heavy eyelids, still weighed down by sleep. A faint sense of disappointment spread through his chest, and it startled him. He’d unconsciously assumed Alexander would ask him to stay the night.
“Did you eat dinner?”
“I had something on the plane, on the way here.”
“Ah… I see. Then I’ll head out once I’ve warmed up a bit.”
“All right. Want me to drive you?”
“No, it’s fine.”
Yeon Yiseo hesitated at Alexander’s offer but ultimately declined. He didn’t want Alexander to see where he lived—not someone who lived in a place like this. Plus, the looming threat of Jeremy possibly showing up at any time was another reason for his reluctance. He wired money regularly after getting paid, but Jeremy could appear out of nowhere again, just like that.
Once he felt well enough, Yeon Yiseo left Alexander’s house. Shaking off the urge to stay longer was harder than he expected. The idea of showing up at work together with Alexander just didn’t sit right.
He tucked Alexander’s gift into his pocket. It made him nervous—this was the first time he’d ever just slipped something that expensive into his pocket like that. He kept his hand inside to hide the box all the way home, and when he arrived, he felt truly glad he had refused Alexander’s offer.
“…Jeremy.”
Yeon Yiseo froze mid-step. How long had he been waiting here? What must the neighbors have thought seeing him loitering around? Did something urgent come up again—something that required money?
Fatigue crashed over him, and even his head began to pound. Jeremy always brought this kind of weight with him. What kind of face did he think it was okay to show up with this time? Yeon Yiseo kept telling himself he had to stop giving him money. But saying no was hard. He kept getting dragged along. He couldn’t even report Jeremy to the police—that probably made him seem all the more easy to manipulate. Maybe it really was time to end this.
“Been out? You’re back kinda late.”
Unbelievably casual. It was the first time they’d seen each other since Jeremy had stolen his rent money—and the guy had the audacity to act like nothing happened. It was almost impressive.
When Yeon Yiseo didn’t react, Jeremy got up from where he’d been sitting. The rustle of plastic caught his attention, and when he looked over, he saw a sorry-looking bouquet in Jeremy’s hand—some baby’s breath, a couple of roses, a few daisies. Jeremy, holding flowers? Those had to be the two least compatible words in the entire universe.
Jeremy must’ve caught his stare and opened his mouth.
“This is for you.”
“…”
Yeon Yiseo glanced down at the bouquet being offered to him, then back up at Jeremy. He couldn’t hide his expression. There was no reason for him to accept it. And Jeremy? He had no reason to be giving it. Nothing about this made sense. Yeon Yiseo frowned.
The only thing he could think of was Jeremy having lied to steal his rent money. Was this some kind of apology for that? But this wasn’t the first time something like that had happened. Jeremy had a way of flip-flopping—abusing him one moment, offering tearful apologies the next.
“If this is about what happened before, forget it. I didn’t report you. Just leave. If you don’t, I’m calling the cops.”
“Just once—!”
Jeremy grabbed Yeon Yiseo’s arm as he tried to open the door and step inside.
“Just hear me out. Just once.”
“Let go of me…!”
Yeon Yiseo shook off Jeremy’s grip with all his strength. He had no reason to listen. Whatever supposedly important thing Jeremy had to say, he didn’t care. He wrenched free of his hand, tried to slam the door shut—but something stopped it from closing.
Looking down to find the cause, Yeon Yiseo saw Jeremy’s hand wedged in the doorframe. That had to hurt like hell, but Jeremy didn’t flinch. Instead, he used it to keep the door from shutting.
“It’s about my parents.”
Yeon Yiseo froze. His hand paused on the door. Then, after a moment, he bit down hard on his lower lip and slammed it shut anyway. A pained groan escaped Jeremy. Something hit the front door with a heavy thump, like he’d leaned into it.
“…Please… I’m begging you.”
He’d known Jeremy for nearly a decade. There had been times—times he’d cried, begged, borrowed money with trembling hands. So it wasn’t as if the performance was new. And that was exactly why Yeon Yiseo didn’t want to open the door. This could very well be more of the same.
But if it wasn’t… If, by some chance, it was real this time? That slim possibility tugged at his heart.
He wanted to be cold. Harsh. But he couldn’t bring himself to do it. If this were someone else’s story, he’d call himself a fool. He knew exactly how pathetic he must look. And yet… Yeon Yiseo squeezed his eyes shut.
Click.
When he opened the door, Jeremy was sitting on the floor on the other side. At the sound, he immediately looked up.
“…Come in.”
As soon as Yeon Yiseo spoke, Jeremy’s face lit up like a man thrown a lifeline. He kept mumbling thank you over and over again as he stepped inside. Yeon Yiseo told him to sit wherever and took off his coat, draping it over a chair back. He poured some coffee from the dispenser—lukewarm, but drinkable—and handed it to him.
“What’s going on?”
“…”
Jeremy didn’t answer right away. He just fidgeted with his fingers. His behavior was noticeably different this time, and Yeon Yiseo eyed him warily, choosing to wait a little longer.
“You remember where Mom and Dad’s graves are, right? So, uh… that place is being developed now… and, uh… they have to be moved.”
Jeremy kept playing with his hands, clearly nervous. Yeon Yiseo furrowed his brows in confusion.
“Development? Then the company handling it should cover the reburial costs. If it’s a group relocation, they’d contract it out and take care of everything.”
“Ah, yeah, well… They did. But I was looking into a better spot and… things just kinda…”
Jeremy trailed off, unable to finish. Yeon Yiseo’s expression twisted in disbelief.
“…Don’t tell me you used that money.”
“…”
Jeremy clamped his mouth shut, hands clenched so tight his knuckles turned white. He scratched the back of his head and bounced his legs—nervous habits. Yeon Yiseo couldn’t believe it. Of all the money to touch…
“What’d you spend it on?”
“…”
“Jeremy.”
“I thought… I really thought it would work this time. If it weren’t for that bastard, I wouldn’t even be here begging you like this. I mean it.”
As soon as he heard that excuse, Yeon Yiseo knew. Gambling. Jeremy had gambled it away. He’d suspected as much, but this was the first time he’d heard it outright. Yeon Yiseo shut his eyes tight.
“When’s the deadline?”
“…Tomorrow.”
A sigh escaped without meaning to. There was no way they’d only just given notice. What the hell had he been doing all this time? No plan, no preparation—Jeremy’s “solution” was clearly Yeon Yiseo.
“What about the money I already sent you?”
“…”
He fumbled over the answer. So that was gone too. Yeon Yiseo’s head throbbed. His neck felt stiff. But the money was already gone—there was no point dwelling on it. He didn’t want to argue about it any longer. Honestly, he just wanted Jeremy out of his house.
“…How much do you need?”
“Twelve thousand…!”
As if he’d heard a lifeline in Yeon Yiseo’s voice, Jeremy answered immediately. Twelve thousand dollars. That wasn’t an easy sum for Yeon Yiseo either. But… if he increased his loan limit, he could manage. Somehow.
“Wait here.”
Yeon Yiseo went inside, pulled out his checkbook, wrote the amount and signed it. He tore the check from the book and walked back into the living room. Jeremy, too agitated to sit still, had stood up from his seat, fidgeting awkwardly. When he saw Yeon Yiseo return, he straightened up.
