“Did you wash them?”
“Of course. I wiped down this box. The other two you’ll have to wash before eating.”
Under the moonlight, Yi-beom turned the peach this way and that before handing it to Eunho. Having stared at nothing but peaches the whole time, Eunho immediately stuffed it into his mouth.
Crunch—juice burst across his tongue. It was the flavor he’d dreamed about. He’d suffered so much just wanting this taste; the moment he swallowed a bite, Eunho started chomping down on the peach in big, eager bites.
“Eat slowly. You’ll get sick.”
“Tasty, right? These are sugar-graded peaches—ah, the kind supplied to department stores. I ran around like hell to get the best ones, haha.”
Just as Jinwon was about to start recounting how he’d raced around in the moonlit night, movement came from inside the helicopter.
“I closed all the doors! Hyung-nim!”
With a grunt, Younguk stepped out carrying another box of peaches. Seeing Eunho already on his second one, he grinned.
“But what can you do? They say the sadness you feel during pregnancy sticks around a long time. I didn’t buy watermelon once and I still get cursed out for it. Now even our princess scolds me…”
Setting the box down in front of Eunho, he wiped his forehead.
“So I went to the produce shop owner’s house and pecked the master bedroom window like crazy with my beak.”
Lucky he was a crow Beastman. Younguk continued excitedly. While Jinwon and Younguk competed over whose contribution was greater, Eunho kept eating peaches without a break.
As Yi-beom wiped the juice from Eunho’s lips, he shot the two men a glare.
“What do you mean ‘like crazy’?”
“Huh?”
“Can’t you watch your language?”
The kid’s listening. Clicking his tongue, Yi-beom scolded them, and Jinwon and Younguk stared blankly at him.
Unbothered, Yi-beom frowned.
“The kid can hear you.”
“……”
“Fuck, you’d think you weren’t a bunch of thugs.”
Not exactly something a gang leader should be saying. Who paid their salaries, anyway? Just as the two opened their mouths to protest, Eunho, still eating a peach, looked up.
“Ahjussi, ‘fuck’ is a swear word too.”
“How is that a swear word? People say it when starting a car too.”
He answered shamelessly, and Eunho’s eyes rolled. Then his gaze softened, and with a gloomy expression he placed a hand over his lower belly.
“Our baby… has already heard ‘fuck’ three times…”
At the dejected tone, Yi-beom’s lips clamped shut.
“Make that four just now… ah, Daddy’s sorry…”
The word Daddy pierced Yi-beom just as deeply as being called an ex had. His heart stung sharply. What the hell?
Watching Yi-beom freeze in real time, Jinwon nearly applauded. Truly, nothing hunted a tiger better than a rabbit.
***
There were many titles people used for Yi-beom. Starting with Boss or President, all the way to bastard and son of a bitch. Sometimes people even called him “the youngest son of the Kwon family.”
There had been times he’d flown into a rage telling people to address him properly, but after turning thirty and stabilizing his business, Yi-beom stopped caring what people called him. Of course, when Eunho occasionally called him hyung, it still excited him—there was something strangely taboo and thrilling about it.
But this…
Yi-beom looked down at Eunho, who was rubbing his belly while holding a peach. Meanwhile, Eunho kept talking to the baby.
“Ah, Daddy’s mouth is a little rough…”
As if seeking agreement, Eunho tapped his lower belly twice, then glanced nervously at Yi-beom.
“But you’ll have to get used to it. He’s your daddy.”
Each time the word daddy slipped out, Yi-beom felt something strange. He should’ve snapped back coldly—Who’s the daddy? Once the surgery happens, it’s all over—but he couldn’t move a muscle.
Was his own father like this? Yi-beom thought back to his memories. Kwon Junghan had always insisted on being called Father, never Dad. Maybe that was why Yi-beom had always felt a distance from him—not hatred, just the sense of sharing blood and a house with someone who felt like a stranger.
Was that why this felt so unfamiliar? As Yi-beom stared blankly at Eunho’s lower belly, Eunho rolled the peach in his hand.
“Ahjussi… s-should I not call you Daddy?”
Only then did Yi-beom snap out of his thoughts and meet Eunho’s eyes. Flustered, Eunho asked again, cautiously.
“Would you rather be called… Father?”
At that word, Yi-beom’s expression twisted instantly. No. He shook his head.
“Don’t talk about me. It’s better if you don’t know anyway.”
“B-but you’re the daddy.”
The air turned cold in an instant. As if nothing had softened before, Yi-beom pointed at himself with a frigid expression.
“Who is?”
The corner of his mouth lifted crookedly.
“Me?”
He let out a short laugh like the idea was absurd. At the same time, Eunho’s eyes shook.
“Ahjussi…”
“Its going to die soon anyway. Does it matter who the daddy is?”
Eunho hurriedly lowered his head. Suddenly he couldn’t remember how to breathe or even blink.
A dull ache rose in his chest, just like when Yi-beom had told him they were breaking up. Slowly, Eunho removed the arms wrapped around Yi-beom’s neck and clutched at his own chest.
What should I do…
Even knowing the words were meant to hurt him, it still hurt. Letting out a shaky breath, Eunho steadied his expression.
“I think Ahjussi really is a bad bastard.”
When he lifted his head, Yi-beom was looking down at him with a blank face.
“Y-you… ba—bad bastard.”
Unable to say “son of a bitch,” Eunho awkwardly changed the word midway, making it sound more like “pretty bastard” than an insult.
“D-dog…”
He tried to swear again but couldn’t bring himself to say it. With a sigh, Eunho gave up and tugged at Yi-beom’s arm.
At that moment, his body suddenly dropped downward. His limbs shrank, and when he opened his eyes, he was a rabbit again.
“You…!”
Just as Yi-beom reached out in shock, Jinwon pushed his hand away and quickly scooped the rabbit up from inside the jacket.
“Why can’t you say bastard or son of a bitch? Honestly, even that’s too generous.”
Younguk stood beside him holding a box.
“Right? What kind of insult is ‘pretty bastard’? That’s not even ‘damn fucking bastard.’”
At the crude profanity, Yi-beom glared. Didn’t I tell you not to swear? But neither Younguk nor Jinwon flinched at the fierce look.
“At least he should feel better, right? What do you say—want us to give him a special lecture while you’re not around?”
“Ah, I’m better at swearing than the secretary anyway. You know how long I’ve worked in the field?”
Muttering back and forth, the two turned toward the house.
“Does it count when I swear while handling field staff expenses?”
“What about the times I cursed while carrying those bastards back?”
“Hey, who’s the one closest to the President, huh?”
Competing over who was better at swearing, the two hurried along, trading quick glances behind Eunho’s back.
He won’t die, right?
Probably not.
Normally they would’ve stayed out of it to avoid getting caught in the crossfire, but not this time.
Even without them, anyone who’d seen Eunho’s expression would’ve taken his side.
As their chatter continued, Eunho seemed to relax a little and peeked his head out. Stretching his tiny feet, he waved them between the two men.
“Y-you two… shouldn’t swear.”
“We shouldn’t?”
“Yeah…”
His rabbit ears trembled faintly.
“What if the baby… is born and the first thing he says is ‘fuck’?”
“Hk!”
Imagining a baby popping out with arms raised, Jinwon barely suppressed his laughter. If it had Kwon Yi-beom’s blood, maybe it really would happen. Even now, his back felt like it was burning under Yi-beom’s stare—if looks could shoot lasers, he’d be dead by now.
Still, if the baby resembled Eunho, it’d probably be adorable. Watching his twitching mouth, Jinwon burst into laughter.
“If he swears, then what? You just tell him he shouldn’t.”
“Will he listen to me?”
“If he doesn’t listen to Daddy, who would he listen to?”
Younguk, who’d been quietly thinking, chimed in.
“If he doesn’t listen, hand him over to me. I’ll straighten him out and send him back.”
If he went to that uncle, he’d probably come back swearing even worse… Unable to say it aloud, Eunho hummed and changed the subject.
“No… Ahjussi will be enough.”
Though… I don’t know if he’ll still be there by then. When Eunho added that softly, both men’s expressions stiffened.
The wind felt cold. Judging by the lack of footsteps behind them, Yi-beom was probably still standing where he’d been. Fighting the urge to look back, Eunho wiggled his feet.
He must be cold.
Eunho himself was bundled tightly in a thick jacket, yet Yi-beom wasn’t even properly dressed. The thin shirt Yi-beom wore kept flashing through his mind. Unable to hold back any longer, Eunho spoke.
“When we get home… please tell Ahjussi to come inside.”
He looked toward the house—the only light on the island, the place he’d just been with Yi-beom.
“I won’t come out of the room. I’ll be fine.”
Eunho tightly bound up his wavering heart.
