Rubbing both eyes vigorously, Eunho muttered.
“It’s nice weather for going on a date with Ahjussi…….”
It would be nice to take a lap around the garden and maybe dip his feet into the pool. Holding hands, leaning against his shoulder—and if their eyes met like that, kissing would be mandatory.
Eunho, who had been murmuring to himself, trailed off at the end. It wasn’t any different from before that Yi-beom wasn’t here, but it felt different. The fact that even if he opened the door now, he wouldn’t be able to see him anymore made his mood sink.
Hoo. Letting out a sigh, Eunho turned his steps toward the room Yi-beom had used.
“Ahjussi.”
“……”
Creeeak—the door opened, revealing an empty room. The desk where Yi-beom used to sit, the bed—everything had been neatly cleared away. As if no one had ever lived there from the beginning, not a single trace of Yi-beom remained.
“Khng…….”
It felt like tears might spill, so Eunho quickly turned his body around. Then, within his line of sight, he noticed a half-open closet.
Ah.
A low groan slipped from Eunho’s lips.
“Ahjussi, you’re really mean.”
Inside the closet hung a single jumper that belonged to Yi-beom. The same jumper he had used to wrap Eunho up tightly on the night Eunho had wanted peaches.
He’d cleared everything else out so cleanly, yet left behind just that one jumper. The reason was painfully obvious.
You should’ve worn something warm yourself, Ahjussi.
Thinking of the rain that had poured down last night, Eunho dashed into the closet. Then, gripping the edge of the jumper with his mouth, he tugged.
With his tiny feet, there was a limit to how well he could put it on. After pondering for a while, Eunho rolled his body around inside the jumper, tumbling over and over.
“So why did you have to say something so mean?”
“…….”
“Right, baby?”
Instead of an answer, the baby kicked hard—thump.
See? The baby’s on my side.
Pressing his nose into the jumper, Eunho let out a small laugh.
He didn’t crawl out of the jumper until Sobin arrived.
***
Around lunchtime, the boat Sobin was on finally arrived.
In their phone call the night before, Eunho had roughly explained the shape of the island, how many houses there were, and what could be seen around it. Sobin found the location almost immediately. He moved with the speed of someone who had attached a tracking device.
Normally, Eunho would’ve noticed something strange. Unfortunately, he didn’t even have the mental space for that.
He just thought he’d been lucky.
“Eunho-ssi!”
Sobin, who had just gotten off the boat, ran over. It had been a while since Eunho had seen his face.
“Are you okay? You’re not hurt anywhere?”
“I’ve been fine…….”
Eunho answered weakly, wrapped tightly in the jumper.
“What about you, Sobin-ssi? Ahjussi must’ve given you a hard time.”
“Ah, ah.”
Rather than “given him a hard time,” it would’ve been more accurate to say he had been confined under a pretext. But Sobin didn’t bother correcting him. Instead, as if hiding something, he glanced down at the ground for a moment and sighed.
“I was……fine. After all, he’s someone you like, Eunho-ssi.”
“Did Ahjussi h-hit you?”
“……No. You don’t need to worry about it.”
At the lukewarm reply, Eunho looked at him with worried eyes.
Still, Ahjussi isn’t the type to hit just anyone.
The reflexive excuse surfaced in his mind, but Eunho pressed his lips shut.
The Yi-beom of late felt unfamiliar even to him. From the way he’d gotten angry to the way he’d sneered about breaking up—it was all behavior he had never seen throughout their relationship.
The more he replayed those sharp words in his head, the more doubt toward Yi-beom grew.
He might really have hit him.
It wasn’t like he knew Ahjussi completely.
Eunho chewed on his lip.
“Is that all your luggage?”
“Yes.”
“You’re going somewhere far, though. How can you bring just one jumper?”
Eunho blinked his dazed eyes. He had thought he should pack, but when he actually tried, there was nothing he wanted to take. After wandering around the house, the only thing he ended up bringing was Yi-beom’s jumper.
“There’s nothing I want to bring.”
As long as I have our baby, that’s enough.
When Eunho stroked his stomach, Sobin’s gaze dropped there as well. Perhaps the baby had grown—Eunho’s belly stuck out more than when Sobin had last seen it.
Bending at the waist, Sobin held out his hand to Eunho.
“Shall we go, then?”
Eunho glanced back at the house for a moment. It was something he had long wished for, yet strangely, his heart pounded heavily.
Maybe because this time, it was truly over between him and Yi-beom.
He won’t come looking for me this time, right?
After hesitating, Eunho climbed onto Sobin’s outstretched hand.
***
The place they arrived at was a sparsely populated village.
After getting off the boat, Eunho followed Sobin on foot. Houses with slate roofs stood closely packed together, just like in any countryside village.
I used to live in a house like this when I was little.
Feeling a strange sense of familiarity, Eunho looked around at the houses. With the sea nearby and the houses small, it felt like he had returned to his old hometown.
“Have you ever lived in a rural place like this, Eunho-ssi?”
Sobin, walking ahead, asked.
Eunho, who had been glancing around, nodded.
“When I was young.”
“Ah, so Seoul isn’t your hometown?”
“No. I ended up moving to Seoul.”
“That’s unexpected. I thought Seoul would be your hometown.”
“…..I’m from the countryside.”
Eunho answered with a faint smile.
When his older brother, Jung Eunchan, got a job in Seoul, Eunho had naturally followed him there. Compared to the quiet village, Seoul was crowded and chaotic wherever you went, but since his brother was there, life in Seoul hadn’t been bad.
And I met Ahjussi there, too.
If he hadn’t moved to Seoul, if he hadn’t entered a university there, he would never have met Yi-beom.
At the thought that surfaced so naturally, Eunho forcibly turned his attention away.
“Huh……?”
Within his view, he noticed the wall beside a front gate. On houses, there was usually a nameplate with the resident’s name—but in this village, every single name slot was empty.
“Are you uncomfortable somewhere?”
“No…….”
When Sobin stopped walking, Eunho waved his feet.
“It’s nothing. I just haven’t walked on a dirt road in a while…….”
As if that was a silly thing to say, Sobin let out a small laugh and resumed walking.
It’s strange.
Eunho scrunched his nose.
It was strange no matter how he looked at it. One house, sure—maybe someone had moved out. But every house they passed had no name written on it.
Come to think of it, I haven’t seen anyone at all so far.
No matter how rural it was, it made no sense that there wouldn’t be a single villager in sight.
When Eunho subtly turned his head, the two men who had been following behind moved closer, as if preemptively blocking any chance of escape.
He had only just escaped from the island where he’d been confined, yet he felt even more trapped than before.
Sobin stopped in front of a house with a red roof. When the door opened, a small house came into view. It was about the same size as the one where Eunho had lived with his grandmother in the hillside slum.
As if telling him to go in first, Sobin stepped back.
“You can stay here for the time being.”
“H-here?”
Tense, Eunho looked around. Sobin burst into a small laugh, as if finding him cute.
“When there’s a broadcast, come to the hall over there to eat. In the afternoon, you’ll need a checkup, so come to the clinic.”
“Where’s the hall?”
“I’m sure the person you’ll be living with will tell you. There are quite a few people here besides you, Eunho-ssi. Everyone’s gathered here for different reasons, so they’ll treat you well, too. Or…….”
Sobin gestured toward the two men standing behind him.
“These gentlemen will protect you, so you can ask them.”
The two men lightly inclined their heads and stepped outside. Two shadows stretched long beneath the threshold. It was a familiar sight, one he’d seen somewhere before.
Ah, this is……..!
Eunho’s eyes trembled violently.
It’s exactly the same as when Ahjussi confined me at home!
Aside from the fact that those men had been his uncles back then, nothing was different. Even the way they stood guard in front of the door was identical.
“Will those men stay here the whole time?”
“Yes. Just in case carnivore Beastmen wander in.”
Sobin bent down with a genial smile. His large hand stroked through Eunho’s fur.
“So don’t go too far.”
“……”
“Otherwise, we won’t be able to protect you.”
“Protect me? From who…….”
“Of course from carnivore Beastmen.”
As if stating the obvious, Sobin tilted his head.
Don’t you watch the news? There are accidents several times a day.
Of course, Eunho had seen such news many times. Stories about carnivore Beastmen unable to suppress their instincts and devouring or harming herbivore Beastmen.
Still, it’s hard to believe.
At first, Eunho had thought the same. After all, he had been the one most afraid of Yi-beom, running away from him.
But from everything he had seen until now, Yi-beom had never once revealed his instincts. If anything, he seemed to endure them even better than Eunho, who was a rabbit.
As if saying he understood, Sobin clicked his tongue softly. Then he pushed Eunho gently toward the inside of the house, telling him to rest.
“W-wait……!”
Creeeak—the iron gate shut.
When he sensed the presence of the men beyond it, Eunho’s eyes trembled.
W-what should I do?
He had a bad feeling.
I feel like I’ve been locked up again.
Staring at the iron gate, Eunho let his legs droop limply. If he went outside, he’d be caught in no time anyway…….
Dragging his feet, Eunho walked into the house.
Just then, he heard footsteps from inside.
Hm?
The moment Eunho shrank back, a familiar voice reached him.
“You brat.”
When he lifted his head, he saw her—Mrs. Kim, the elderly woman who had hidden Eunho in the hillside slum.
The moment their eyes met, she rushed over as if she hadn’t been hunched over just a second ago. Then she grabbed Eunho’s cheeks with both hands and stretched them wide.
“Uuu!”
“Well, well—ain’t this the rabbit that ran away from my house?”
No matter how you look at it, that’s my rabbit from my house.
Turning the rabbit this way and that, she inspected him. The plump little butt, the round tail, and even the somehow aggrieved look in his eyes.
“That’s right, that’s right!”
