To begin with, there weren’t many people he hung out with, and even those few lived far from this neighborhood. That was one of the reasons Yi-beom had chosen this area.
He was too timid to go alone to a bathhouse or a PC café. It was obvious where Eunho would go. Thud, thud—Yi-beom pounded on the door menacingly.
“I told you I don’t like repeating myself.”
His voice echoed down the hallway. It was more chilling than the harsh knocking.
“If I have to say your name one more time…”
“……”
“I’ll rip this door off.”
Yi-beom tapped the door with the toe of his shoe. It sounded hollow—like it would give way after just a couple of kicks. Fuck. If it doesn’t open, I’ll just kick it until it does. He muttered loud enough to carry inside.
Just as his mouth opened again, the sound of the door lock clicked. With a soft clack, the door slowly opened.
It wasn’t Jung Eunho who stepped out—but Jung Eunchan.
“It’s been a while, Mr. Yi-beom.”
“Ah…”
At the sight of Eunchan’s gentle features—so much like Eunho’s—Yi-beom’s expression softened slightly. His gaze shifted past Eunchan’s shoulder.
“Is Eunho here?”
“Before that, I think you and I need to have a talk.”
Eunchan subtly adjusted his stance, blocking the view inside. The glimpse of the interior over his shoulder disappeared. Damn it. Yi-beom’s jaw tightened.
He looked directly at Eunchan. Unlike the somewhat scatterbrained Jung Eunho, Jung Eunchan was sharp and composed. Perhaps having such a capable older brother was why Eunho had grown up as well as he had—but from Yi-beom’s perspective, Eunchan was a rather troublesome opponent.
After all, even he wouldn’t look kindly upon an Ahjussi who’d snatched up a kid ten years younger.
“So, about that…”
Quietly, Yi-beom waited for him to continue. Eunchan’s lips moved.
“Have you ever starved our kid?”
“……”
The question that burst from Eunchan’s mouth was not one Yi-beom had expected. As Yi-beom fell silent, Eunchan’s expression hardened.
“Don’t tell me it’s true?”
“……”
“I didn’t believe it, but now… You mean to tell me you’ve been starving our kid all this time?”
“……”
“Are you insane? Our kid— And then saying you’d eat him—”
Fuck. What the hell is he talking about? Yi-beom swore inwardly. None of Eunchan’s words were registering. Instead, a different response slipped from his mouth.
“Why is Jung Eunho your kid?”
“…What?”
“That bothers me.”
Tsk. Yi-beom clicked his tongue.
“It’s been stamped and sealed for ages, and you’re still calling him your kid.”
“That’s not what’s important right now!”
Right. That wasn’t what mattered. What mattered was that Eunho, in rabbit form, had run fifteen whole minutes on foot—and Yi-beom needed to see with his own eyes whether he was unharmed, whether he’d been injured anywhere.
A large hand gripped the door with a solid thud. With the slightest push, it swung open easily.
“Hey—!”
Caught off guard by the sudden movement, Eunchan stumbled forward. Seizing the opportunity, Yi-beom stepped inside.
From the sofa, Eunho, who had been watching the scuffle, gasped. He’d thought Yi-beom would eventually come to Eunchan’s house—but he hadn’t expected it to be this soon.
I’m going to die!
He said rabbits tasted better! Remembering Yi-beom holding a knife, Eunho buried his face in the blanket. His little backside, sticking out from under it, trembled.
“Jung Eunho.”
Yi-beom’s voice sounded close. Eunho squeezed his eyes shut.
“Jung Eunho.”
“……”
“You really don’t give a fuck about what I say, do you?”
It wasn’t that he didn’t give a fuck. He’d just run away to survive. Hearing the tone Yi-beom usually used on his organization members directed at him made resentment flare up inside Eunho.
Still, he wasn’t resentful enough to risk his life. Watching Eunho tremble without coming out, Yi-beom let out a hollow laugh. In the meantime, Eunchan, who had shut the door and rushed over, stood in front of Yi-beom to block him.
“Don’t speak to my brother like that. He’s not going back to your house.”
“What?”
“You said you’d eat him, didn’t you?”
“Eat what.”
“A rabbit. You said rabbits taste better.”
Yi-beom’s expression went blank. In his mind, Eunchan’s words slowly began to piece together. So, fuck…
Realizing what had happened, the veins in Yi-beom’s forehead bulged. His gaze dropped to the rabbit-shaped apple still in his hand.
Fuck, who do you think I peeled this shitty apple for?
Fire flashed in his eyes. In an instant, Yi-beom yanked away the blanket Eunho had wrapped around himself. The rabbit clutching it tumbled onto the floor.
“Ah!”
“Jung Eunho. You say it.”
Pretending not to hear, face pressed to the floor, Eunho slowly lifted his head. His rabbit ears perked up as if listening.
Even that was so damn cute it irritated him. Fuck. How am I supposed to even get properly mad like this?
Barely managing to hide his expression, Yi-beom looked down at Eunho.
“Did I really starve you?”
“……”
“Did I try to eat you—… fuck.”
Just saying it out loud felt horrific. What the hell was in his head to think that? The irritation surged when he remembered calmly peeling that rabbit apple, not knowing his lover was misunderstanding him.
“So you saw me as…”
“……”
“…some son-of-a-bitch bastard who throws his lover away.”
Yi-beom took a step back from Eunho. Then he tossed the rabbit-shaped apple he’d been gripping the whole time in front of him.
The rabbit apple rolled right up to Eunho’s paws. As fast as he’d been when he ran away.
“If that’s what you think, what can I do?”
Until then, Eunho had kept his eyes shut. He cracked one open slightly. The rabbit apple filled his dark pupils.
“You’re scared I’ll eat you. Then I should step aside.”
“……”
“It’s not like grabbing you and begging would change anything. If that’s how you feel.”
“……”
“…If you want to stay here, then stay.”
Eunho’s body flinched. His round tail trembled, betraying his anxious heart—but Yi-beom forced himself to turn away.
“Take care.”
With that, Yi-beom walked toward the entrance. Seeing him leave without resistance, even Eunchan couldn’t find words to stop him.
The problem was Eunho.
He’s really leaving??
Eunho’s eyes shook like trembling leaves. He’d bolted because he was afraid of Yi-beom—but now that Yi-beom was leaving him behind, he felt confused. This wasn’t what he wanted.
He stared blankly at Yi-beom’s back. As if he’d run straight from home, Yi-beom was dressed in a black short-sleeved T-shirt and gray sweatpants—an appearance unimaginable for him under normal circumstances.
And what’s with this apple…
Though clumsily peeled, it was unmistakably shaped like a rabbit. The ears stood upright, even the paws carved in detail.
If a housekeeper had peeled it, he wouldn’t have carried it all the way here.
While Eunho was lost in thought, Eunchan quickly shut the door and slid the latch into place. Whew. He rubbed at his startled chest.
“Was he like that at home too?”
“…No.”
Eunho answered shortly, still deep in thought.
“What do you mean no. If he’s like that outside, then inside it’s obvious—”
“That’s not it!”
Eunho sprang to his feet. The image of Yi-beom throwing the apple wouldn’t leave his mind. The thought that he had really left him behind made tears surge up.
Eunho was still afraid of Yi-beom. Just remembering his tail made the fur all over his body stand on end. But even so, he couldn’t let Yi-beom go like this.
He hurried toward the front door.
“Open it, hyung.”
“What?”
“Open it. I need to go to Ahjussi.”
His heart pounded frantically. He waved his short legs wildly toward the latch.
“Open it!”
“You said he starved you. And you’re still going back to that man?”
“He didn’t starve me. Ahjussi peeled apples for me, washed cucumbers, hic— m-made lettuce easy to eat…!”
Thinking of the vegetables neatly placed in front of the door each time brought tears to his eyes. Hwaaaah. Imagining Yi-beom’s massive frame cutting lettuce made tears stream down his face.
“Th-the, hic, the apple too— Ahjussi must’ve peeled it into a rabbit…”
There was no time. The thought that Yi-beom might have already left the building made his heart drop. Eunho hurriedly pounded on the door.
“Hyung! Hic, p-please help me…”
Eunchan sighed. He couldn’t make out everything clearly, but it seemed the gist was that he hadn’t been starved after all.
Though a little naïve at times, his younger brother had an uncanny ability to distinguish people with bad intentions. Everyone thought Eunchan had guided Eunho, but in truth, it was the opposite. If not for Eunho, the two brothers—left without parents—would have long since fallen victim to pyramid schemes or scams.
“Hyung, hic, sniff, yeah?”
There had to be a reason he was crying like this. Eunchan stepped closer to him.
“Fine, stop crying. If anything happens, come back. I’ll be watching from behind.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“And don’t just endure it like an idiot.”
Beep. The door lock sounded, and Eunchan opened the door. Through the gap, the pale pink rabbit leapt out energetically.
“Hwaaaah!”
A rabbit with very dark tear stains.
***
He ran with all his strength. Going down the stairs at twice the speed he had when he fled, Eunho burst into tears.
“Hic!”
What if he’s already gone? What if Ahjussi is really angry—what if he says he doesn’t like me anymore!
Just imagining it made his heart feel like it was tumbling across the floor. Hwaaaah. Whimpering like a puppy, Eunho pushed strength into his legs. Leaning forward, he managed to leap down three steps at once.
