Someone realizing that another person was watching them eat made even the simple motion of moving a spoon start to feel awkward and stiff.
“How’s your body?”
“I’m completely fine now.”
Kang-woo had already been conscious of Seok-ho’s silent gaze, so he was glad when Seok-ho spoke first. He hurriedly answered with a faint smile. He deliberately stressed the word completely. He didn’t want Seok-ho to worry about him any more.
But it seemed that answer alone wasn’t enough to reassure him.
After staring at Kang-woo for quite a while, Seok-ho’s thick brows twitched slightly before he casually suggested,
“Want to go to the hospital with me tomorrow?”
The spoon that had been moving diligently stopped midair.
A hospital?
“I think it’d be better if you got checked out.”
Kang-woo didn’t need to ask whose opinion that was. It was probably what the doctor—Seok-ho’s friend—had said.
Going to a hospital wasn’t an option.
He didn’t like the idea. Even though no runaway report had been filed, what if his father was searching for him privately?
Besides, he had only fainted briefly, and his body didn’t seem to have any major problems. It didn’t feel necessary to go to a hospital and get examined. Who knew how much the examination would cost, either.
“No. It’s okay.”
Kang-woo shook his head firmly.
“I don’t need to go to the hospital.”
When he emphasized it again, Seok-ho’s heavy gaze settled on him. His stern-looking eyes seemed to show concern, but Kang-woo blocked that concern first.
“This won’t happen again. I’m really fine, so please don’t worry about it. I won’t do anything that makes you worry, hyung.”
It was almost like a vow to himself.
From now on, he wouldn’t do anything that would make Seok-ho worry. He didn’t want to be a burden. For the time being, it would probably be best if he didn’t go outside. Of course, he would stay far away from the area around the school as well.
Seok-ho’s eyes narrowed slightly. His lips moved as if he were about to say something, but eventually he seemed to give up on arguing and leaned his upper body back against the chair.
“Alright. Do whatever you’re comfortable with.”
Kang-woo let out a quiet sigh of relief.
For a brief moment, he had wondered if Seok-ho might insist on taking him for tests, but that worry proved unnecessary.
Seok-ho had always been like this. He didn’t treat his shameless houseguest as particularly bothersome or irritating—but at the same time, he didn’t interfere much either.
He had been like that from the beginning.
When Kang-woo had left home and asked to stay with him, Seok-ho accepted without asking any questions. And this time too, he didn’t ask anything. Even after carefully comforting Kang-woo when he had cried, he never asked what had happened outside.
Kang-woo was deeply grateful for that.
Even though Seok-ho had seen the traces of violence on him when they first met, Kang-woo didn’t want to tell him everything he had gone through. Some kinds of stories simply weren’t things you could easily share with others.
Suddenly, a forgotten scene surfaced in his mind.
The firm, warm embrace when Seok-ho had held him tightly. The steady heartbeat he had felt through Seok-ho’s chest where they had been pressed together.
For some reason, it became even harder than before to endure Seok-ho’s gaze.
“Thank you.”
Still, he should at least express his gratitude. After hesitating for a moment, Kang-woo finally said it.
Once again, Seok-ho simply looked at him with those black eyes.
“Your porridge is getting cold. Eat.”
In the end, his gaze clearly said stop talking and finish your meal.
“Yes.”
Kang-woo smiled faintly and took another spoonful of the savory porridge. As the warm food entered his mouth, his empty stomach filled with comforting warmth.
***
“Kang-woo, tell me honestly. Are you… an Omega?”
With that voice echoing like tinnitus, Kang-woo suddenly opened his eyes.
It was dawn, when faint light was just beginning to rise. Through the window he could see the pale sky of daybreak.
“Haa…”
After taking a deep breath in and letting it out, Kang-woo carefully pushed himself upright.
As his eyes swept the quiet surroundings, relief slowly filled them.
This isn’t my family home.
He hadn’t had this dream for a long time after leaving the house, but it seemed meeting Lee Seong-cheol had triggered something. For several days now, he had been tormented by nightmares.
Cold sweat had soaked the back of his shirt and even the inside of his pants.
Unable to stand the clammy feeling any longer, Kang-woo eventually went into the bathroom and took a quick shower with lukewarm water.
After roughly drying his hair, he neatly arranged the bedding. Then he crouched down in a corner of the room, pulled over a book that had been lying near the topper mattress, and opened it.
One somewhat surprising fact was that Seok-ho’s bookshelf actually contained quite a lot of books worth reading.
From appearances alone, he seemed like someone far removed from books, but he apparently enjoyed reading. The selection was quite varied as well—essays, detective novels, science fiction, psychology, world history, and science books.
At first, Kang-woo only secretly took books out to read while Seok-ho was at work. But after one time when he forgot to return one before Seok-ho came home, he had simply started borrowing them openly one by one.
Of course, this was only possible because Seok-ho had said nothing even after seeing Kang-woo reading his books.
And right now, Kang-woo was holding a famous work by Hermann Hesse: Demian.
Demian was a book with meaningful lessons, but its sentences could be somewhat difficult, so Kang-woo tended to read slowly, savoring each word.
He had already read the book twice before, yet every time he opened it, it somehow felt new again. That strange feeling was both fascinating and enjoyable.
As he focused on reading, the turmoil in his heart gradually sank deep beneath the surface and became calm.
Just as he was reading the part describing Sinclair’s first meeting with Mrs. Eva—
Ding-dong.
Suddenly, the doorbell rang outside.
What?
Curious, Kang-woo peeked his head out of the room.
Contrary to his expectations that Seok-ho would still be asleep, Seok-ho emerged from his room looking neat and composed and walked toward the front door.
A visitor arriving early in the morning, and Seok-ho already awake at dawn.
Everything happening before his eyes felt so unusual that curiosity filled Kang-woo’s gaze.
“Hello. I’m here to install some furniture. Where should I set up the bed, desk, and wardrobe?”
“All three go in this room.”
Seok-ho guided the delivery worker into the room Kang-woo had been using.
“Go wait in the living room.”
Before he knew it, Kang-woo had been ushered out.
The worker pushed several large boxes inside and soon began unpacking them.
Meanwhile, Seok-ho carried the topper mattress Kang-woo had been using out to the living room, while Kang-woo simply watched blankly.
With practiced hands, the worker quickly assembled the furniture. In less than an hour, he finished, left a polite farewell, and departed.
“Come take a look.”
Standing in the middle of the room, Seok-ho called Kang-woo.
Kang-woo, who had been lingering outside until then, slowly stepped inside. The room that had once been empty and barren now looked like a proper living space.
After looking around, Kang-woo turned to Seok-ho.
“Why did you suddenly bring in furniture?”
It wasn’t an accusation—just pure curiosity.
Why had he suddenly set up the room like this?
Seok-ho looked down at him as if the answer were obvious.
“Because it’s necessary.”
“…Do I have to leave now?”
Kang-woo asked in the calmest tone he could manage. Seok-ho’s equally indifferent gaze met his.
“If I told you to leave, would you go?”
The voice sounded as casual as if he were asking about something ordinary.
Without realizing it, Kang-woo pouted slightly.
“If you told me to leave, I would… but could you give me at least one day’s notice? I’d like to think of somewhere to go first… and mentally prepare myself too.”
He knew it was a somewhat shameless request, but he lowered his gaze and mumbled it anyway.
Whether it would work or not, it was essentially a timid plea not to kick him out without warning.
Fortunately, Seok-ho didn’t get angry or look dumbfounded, as if eviction hadn’t been his intention in the first place.
“A bed is better than a topper mattress for you too.”
Only then did Kang-woo lift his eyes from the floor to look at him.
The large man stood there, looking down at him with his usual expressionless face.
Then… had he furnished the room for him?
For a moment, Kang-woo felt conflicted.
Wasn’t he just someone who would stay here temporarily and eventually leave? There was no need to go this far for him. Furniture wasn’t cheap, and buying all this must have cost quite a bit.
Part of him wanted to immediately tell Seok-ho to return everything—but while he had been standing there stunned, everything had already been installed.
“Sit on it.”
Whether he noticed Kang-woo’s conflicted feelings or not, Seok-ho urged him to check whether the mattress felt comfortable.
In the end, Kang-woo carefully sat down on the bed as suggested. He even tapped the elastic mattress a couple of times with both hands.
“How is it?”
As Seok-ho stepped closer, a dark shadow fell over Kang-woo’s head.
Kang-woo looked up at him.
“It’s nice and soft.”
Judging by the labels on the boxes earlier, every piece of furniture in the room was from an expensive brand. True to its reputation, the comfortable mattress made it feel like he could fall asleep the moment he lay down.
“The bedding will arrive soon too. They said you can use it right away without washing it, so put the old one outside and use the new set.”
Kang-woo hesitated, then nodded obediently.
“And this.”
Seok-ho approached the bed and held out a credit card.
Kang-woo stared blankly at the rectangular card in front of him.
Why is he giving me this?
When Kang-woo didn’t take it, Seok-ho seemed slightly impatient and urged him again.
“Take the card.”
Kang-woo lifted his head to look at him.
“Do you have errands you want me to run for you?”
A crease formed on Seok-ho’s neat forehead.
“No.”
The clear answer only made the question mark above Kang-woo’s head grow even larger.
“Then why are you giving this to me?”
“So you can use it.”
Kang-woo’s eyes widened immediately, and he quickly waved his hands.
“It’s okay. I’m staying home anyway, so there’s not really anything for me to spend money on.”
As soon as he said it, he felt a little guilty—like he had just confessed to the person himself that he had become a freeloading parasite living off someone else’s meals.
“It’s payment for doing housework. Keep it and buy whatever you need. Use it when you go grocery shopping too.”
Seok-ho looked down at him firmly. He showed no sign of withdrawing his hand.
If he had the card, Kang-woo wouldn’t have to ask Seok-ho to buy groceries for him anymore.
In fact, these days, as long as you had the internet and a card, grocery delivery was always possible. Using online shopping would make things much easier.
“Take it already. My arm’s getting tired.”
Just as Kang-woo was beginning to feel tempted, Seok-ho urged him again. At the same time, he even made a face as if his arm were truly going numb.
In the end, Kang-woo had no choice but to take the card.
