If it was such a cute and gentle tiger, then it wouldn’t be scary. Letting out a low groan, Eunho climbed down from the bed.
“I guess I’ll have to ask that person one more time.”
Whether his life was really in danger, and whether there was any other way.
After getting dressed, Eunho went out to the living room. As always, two rabbit bowls were placed beneath the dining table. They were the same bowls Yi-beom had used to feed him last night.
He could see carrots piled high in the bowl. This time, they were cut into flower shapes.
“You nasty Ahjussi…….”
Grumbling at the sight of the bowl, Eunho glanced around. No one was there, so it should be fine, right? Before anyone could see, he quickly snatched one of the flower-shaped carrots. The carrot hadn’t done anything wrong, after all.
Crunch, crunch—the sound of him chewing echoed through the living room. His plan was to go to the hospital, call Chanwoo, and then come back home and pretend to be a rabbit while waiting for Yi-beom. Grabbing his wallet, Eunho walked toward the front door.
“Huh?”
His eyes widened as he pulled the doorknob again.
“W-why won’t the door open?”
It only rattled loudly; it didn’t budge at all. What the—. Flustered, Eunho threw his whole body against the door.
“That can’t be right.”
Only after pushing it several times did he step back. Every two months, a professional service came to maintain the house. They inspected everything from the door lock to the lighting fixtures, so there was no way it would malfunction.
Eunho ran to the living room and picked up the receiver. It was the intercom connected to the security office.
Beep, beep, beep, beep—
No matter how many times he pressed the button, it wouldn’t connect. Something was wrong.
“No way.”
The word confinement flashed through Eunho’s mind. Along with Yi-beom’s threat that it would be better for him to talk sooner rather than later.
The landline phone on the table was dead as well. Even the laptop he opened just in case was useless without Wi-Fi. His face drained of color as he looked toward the terrace.
“Ah…….”
Only then did he notice the large padlock hanging on the terrace door. No matter how much he tugged, it wouldn’t budge. And in front of it stood men dressed in black suits.
“H-how…… how…….”
How could Ahjussi do something like this? Keeping his eyes fixed on the terrace, Eunho stumbled backward.
“This is confinement.”
Even if he had lied, that didn’t justify locking someone up. And it was even more shocking because Yi-beom had never once acted forcefully during the entire time they’d been together.
Sure, he would sometimes mutter dangerous things like wanting to lock him up at home and just “mmngh-mmngh” with him, or wanting to chew him up from head to toe—but those were all things said in bed, so Eunho hadn’t taken them seriously.
So it was real.
Overwhelmed with shock, Eunho staggered. His legs gave out, and he could hardly stand.
Staring blankly outside, he soon looked up toward the stairs leading to the second floor. Maybe the terrace upstairs was still unlocked.
He dashed up to the second floor in one go and headed for the terrace attached to the bedroom. Fortunately, that terrace door wasn’t locked.
“Help me!”
Eunho shouted at the top of his lungs.
“Help me! Someone help!”
“……”
“Help me! Hel—cough!”
Maybe because he’d started yelling the moment he woke up, his throat stung. Grimacing, Eunho clutched his throat with both hands. No one moved—it seemed this method wouldn’t work.
He probably couldn’t jump from here. Blinking down at the ground below, Eunho suddenly had a thought and called out,
“Mr. Younguk?”
At that moment, one of the men looked up. Their gazes met in midair.
Mr. Younguk! That had to be the crow Beastman Ahjussi mentioned!
“Mr. Younguk!”
Eunho could see Younguk’s expression change. From confusion—How does Eunho know me?—to slowly draining of color as his eyes widened.
Fuck.
Younguk quickly lowered his head, but it was too late. His name kept echoing from above.
“Mr. Younguk! Mr. Younguk! Please help me!”
No. Closing his eyes, Younguk thought of the sparrow-like wife and children he’d left at home.
“Uncle Younguk!”
When “Mr.” didn’t work, Eunho hurriedly added “Uncle.” It was a title he used when trying to persuade people connected to Yi-beom. As if it were some kind of magic word, when he added “Uncle,” the suited men would look at him with guilty eyes and help him.
It was the guilt of being adults who hadn’t been able to stop Yi-beom.
Unable to ignore him any longer, Younguk raised his head. He’d looked like a lump of flesh the first time he saw him too. The sight of Eunho—unchanged since he was twenty—came into view.
“W-well…… I don’t know what’s going on, but no.”
“I-I need to go outside.”
Eunho made a tearful face.
“I have to go out and d-do something…….”
“No. Whatever it is, no.”
The firm answer made Eunho bite his lip. Just then, a loud ringtone rang out. It was Younguk’s.
Groaning, Younguk checked his phone. His face twisted when he saw the caller ID. After letting out a sigh, he answered.
“Yes, hyung-nim…….”
[Don’t talk to him.]
You crazy bastard. Locking someone up like that…… muttering curses under his breath, Younguk spoke.
“How am I not supposed to answer when he’s yelling like that?”
[If I shut down your business, will you stop answering then?]
“Ah, hyung-nim!”
[Quit talking bullshit and wait. I’ll be there soon.]
Eunho strained to listen to the muttering voice. He couldn’t hear the content clearly, but since Younguk was saying hyung-nim, it had to be Yi-beom.
“Ahjussi!”
[…]
“Ahjussi! Right now, th-this—!”
[Put it on speaker.]
Hearing Eunho’s voice through the phone, Yi-beom gave the order. Pressing the button, Younguk held the phone toward the terrace so it would carry.
[That’s strange. I thought there was only a rabbit in my house.]
“……”
[So why is Jung Eunho, who ran away from home, there?]
At the low, sunken voice, Eunho pressed his lips tightly together. In the brief silence, Yi-beom’s displeasure was palpable.
Not that Eunho was any less displeased. Still—confinement?
“Why did you lock the terrace and the door? And why did you turn off the phone?”
[If a rabbit goes outside the house, that’s a big problem.]
The reply came calmly.
[I left water and carrots before I went out. What’s the issue?]
“Th-this is confinement! You can’t, can’t do this!”
[Yeah.]
“Huh?”
[Did you think a criminal commits a crime without knowing it’s a crime? I’ve already messed up living by the law anyway, so what does it matter?]
The unexpected admission tangled his words. Th-then, Eunho stammered, staring blankly.
“Then I-I could report you to the police…… If I somehow escape and file a complaint against you…….”
[Then I’d go to prison. You okay with that?]
“……”
[I’d probably serve two years. Think you can live two years without seeing me?]
The plan to report him to the police was immediately discarded in Eunho’s mind. It had been hard enough not seeing him for a week—two years was impossible.
After organizing his thoughts, Eunho’s lips moved.
“Th-then…… if you receive leniency and only serve a week……?”
[You’d be fine not seeing me for a week?]
“Th-then three days…….”
[Three days is okay?]
Eunho had no answer. Younguk, who had been holding his arm out the whole time, felt his strength drain away.
They were fighting for the first time in a while. And already these two were clucking and flinging feathers like chickens. Shaking his head, Younguk listened as Yi-beom’s voice came through the phone.
[I’m on my way.]
[Wait there.]
