Kim Min-seok had cried so much that Choi Sang-hyuk’s chest was soaked through. Even as Kim Min-seok tried to refuse, Choi Sang-hyuk insisted and carried him in a princess hold before placing him in the car. While the car was moving, Kim Min-seok sniffled, wiping his tear- and snot-covered face with tissues. His head felt a little foggy from all the crying, but at the same time, he felt incredibly relieved.
The place they arrived at was not Seo Ha-yoon’s apartment. Instead, it was a two-story house in a neighborhood lined with luxury homes, not too far from the apartment.
As they stepped inside, a familiar sight unfolded before him. It was Choi Sang-hyuk’s house—the one he had seen in his dreams. Seeing the very same sofa and furniture from his dreams in real life felt strangely surreal. With his eyes still swollen from crying, Kim Min-seok busily looked around, taking in everything.
“Go wash your face and brush your teeth.”
Choi Sang-hyuk lightly tapped Kim Min-seok’s butt as he spoke. It was only natural that his face was a mess after crying so much. Kim Min-seok nodded and hurried to the bathroom. The moment he looked in the mirror, he nearly jumped in shock.
“Oh my god… I look like a wreck…”
He muttered to himself unconsciously. Even though he had Seo Ha-yoon’s unbearably pretty face, his swollen eyes and red nose from all the tears and snot made him look far from presentable. Of course, compared to his original face, he still looked like a celebrity, but the thought of showing such an unsightly appearance to others made his face flush with embarrassment.
Kim Min-seok carefully washed his face and was about to brush his teeth when he hesitated. On the sink, there were two toothbrushes and two cups placed neatly side by side. They were undoubtedly Choi Sang-hyuk’s and Seo Ha-yoon’s. One was gray, and the other was blue. For some reason, he could tell which one was Seo Ha-yoon’s. He picked up the blue toothbrush and began brushing his teeth.
After washing his face and brushing his teeth, he felt refreshed. Thanks to massaging his face with cold water for a while, the puffiness around his eyes had gone down considerably. Peeking his head out of the bathroom, he saw Choi Sang-hyuk approaching, now dressed in comfortable pants and a shirt, holding out a bottle of water.
“Oh…”
Kim Min-seok hesitated, his expression slightly flustered as he took in Choi Sang-hyuk’s appearance. He was used to seeing him always dressed in a suit, so seeing him in such casual clothes felt oddly unfamiliar. In his dreams, Choi Sang-hyuk had always been either in a suit or completely naked, so this was a first. It wasn’t like wearing casual clothes was anything extraordinary, yet for some reason, his heart fluttered and pounded.
“Change your clothes too. They’re covered in dust.”
Choi Sang-hyuk handed him a pair of pants and a shirt, seemingly pulled out from somewhere. When he held them up to his body, the size was a perfect fit. Well, considering he had lived here while acting as Seo Ha-yoon’s helper, it made sense that Seo Ha-yoon’s clothes would be around. Kim Min-seok went back into the bathroom and changed. When he stepped out, Choi Sang-hyuk gave him a look that said he was being unnecessarily shy.
“Sit down and rest a bit.”
Choi Sang-hyuk flopped onto the living room sofa and gestured lazily with his hand. Kim Min-seok obediently went over and sat beside him. Choi Sang-hyuk naturally wrapped an arm around Kim Min-seok’s shoulders.
Choi Sang-hyuk pulled Kim Min-seok closer, resting his head on his shoulder. There was quite a height difference between them, and with how broad and firm Choi Sang-hyuk’s shoulder was, leaning against it felt surprisingly stable and comforting.
A peaceful silence filled the living room. Neither of them felt the need to force a conversation. This moment was simply comfortable, and the presence of the other was enough. Kim Min-seok shifted his body, wrapping his arms around Choi Sang-hyuk’s chest and draping both legs over his lap. It was unbelievably cozy.
As he remained nestled against Choi Sang-hyuk, lost in thought, Kim Min-seok suddenly found himself thinking about Seo Ha-yoon.
Seo Chang-seop’s matter had been resolved so easily. Compared to the horrific years Seo Ha-yoon had endured, the time he had suffered under those memories, the years he had spent being threatened, and the fear he had lived with, worrying that Choi Sang-hyuk might find out—it all seemed almost laughably futile now. Seo Ha-yoon had agonized alone for so long over something that had been handled in an instant.
It wasn’t as if Seo Ha-yoon had been unaware that Choi Sang-hyuk could have resolved things so easily if he had stepped in. He must have known all along. And yet, he had chosen to keep it hidden. Again and again, he had concealed the truth.
There was no need to even think about why Seo Ha-yoon had so desperately kept this from Choi Sang-hyuk. It was obvious. Seo Ha-yoon had loved Choi Sang-hyuk so much that he would rather suffer in silence than let him find out about his past.
For some reason, Kim Min-seok felt like crying again.
Seo Ha-yoon had loved Choi Sang-hyuk. He didn’t know why he had cheated despite loving him, but the fact remained—he had loved him. And Choi Sang-hyuk had loved Seo Ha-yoon in return.
In other words, this strong and reliable man, the one he was holding onto right now, belonged to Seo Ha-yoon.
“…Sang-hyuk.”
“Yeah?”
“Did you… love Seo Ha-yoon?”
Kim Min-seok asked in a quiet voice. Choi Sang-hyuk rested his chin on top of Kim Min-seok’s head and let out a long sigh before answering.
“Yeah.”
Yeah. That single word struck Kim Min-seok’s heart like a heavy blow. He had already known the answer, and yet, hearing it still made his chest tighten with unbearable pain.
“Why?”
Kim Min-seok tried his best to keep any jealousy from creeping into his voice as he asked softly. Choi Sang-hyuk let out a quiet chuckle.
“Seo Ha-yoon… had a pitiful past, but he wasn’t exactly a good person. So why did you love him?”
“Well… does love need a reason?”
“…At first, yeah. I thought he looked beautiful when he cried. The way he spat out curses that didn’t match his pretty face was oddly endearing, and his sharp-tongued, arrogant attitude felt like a clueless little kitten acting tough. Even when he was greedy, even when he didn’t know his place and acted out, it all just seemed harmless and cute.”
“…That’s what they call being blinded by love.”
“Then I suppose that’s what it was.”
Choi Sang-hyuk’s voice was unusually languid. As if reminiscing, he took a slow, deep breath. Then, after a moment, he spoke again.
“I wondered what the hell I was doing with a kid who still didn’t know a damn thing about the world. For now, he was probably sticking around because he enjoyed spending money, but once he found his footing in society and started opening his eyes to the real world, he’d eventually fly away to build his own nest. That’s why I never tried to hold him back or interfere. I figured that when the day came that he wanted to leave, I’d let him go.”
“Seo Ha-yoon probably wanted you to hold onto him,” Kim Min-seok said.
Choi Sang-hyuk scoffed as if he had just heard the most ridiculous thing in the world.
“And yet, that bastard cheated on me with Ha Jun-seo?”
Kim Min-seok had no response to that. Exactly. Why the hell had Seo Ha-yoon cheated with Ha Jun-seo? And not only that—he had been the one to seduce him first.
Kim Min-seok fell into deep thought. In the dreams where he had seen things from Seo Ha-yoon’s perspective, Seo Ha-yoon had always looked comfortable and happy when he was with Choi Sang-hyuk. Even he himself had felt that emotion within the dream. Should he tell Choi Sang-hyuk about it? But something strange kept his mouth shut. That feeling was probably jealousy.
A fierce battle waged in his head for a brief moment—one side urging him to tell Choi Sang-hyuk how Seo Ha-yoon had truly felt, and the other refusing to let those words come out. In the end, Kim Min-seok chose silence. After all, human beings were selfish creatures.
“…Speaking of which, Jun-seo…”
Kim Min-seok deliberately changed the subject. He felt disgusted with himself, but right now, he didn’t want to let this man slip back to Seo Ha-yoon—not even for a second.
“Ha Jun-seo?”
The moment Choi Sang-hyuk muttered the name, his tone turned noticeably cold. Kim Min-seok clearly sensed the shift but pretended not to.
“I stole some cash from his wallet and ran away. He must be worried sick by now… Shouldn’t I let him know I’m okay? Have you contacted him yet?”
“I haven’t.”
Choi Sang-hyuk cut him off.
“Oh… Then he must still be really worried. Shouldn’t I at least—”
“Leave it. He’s not gonna die if he waits a day or two.”
Choi Sang-hyuk spat out the words with a sneer. Just as Kim Min-seok was about to say something—
Ding-dong—
The doorbell rang.
Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong—
The relentless ringing continued without a pause. Somehow, Kim Min-seok had a feeling he already knew who it was.
“Speak of the devil. What an absolute pain in the ass,” Choi Sang-hyuk grumbled irritably.
He remained seated, still holding Kim Min-seok, deliberately ignoring the incessant ringing. However, after more than a dozen continuous rings without a single break, he finally lost his patience.
“This fucking bastard.”
Choi Sang-hyuk got up at last and walked over to the intercom.
“What the fuck do you want, asshole? You’re being loud as shit.”
He pressed the intercom button and spoke into it.
—Oh, so you are home. That means you brought Ha-yoon back, huh? You fucking bastard. Didn’t I tell you to give me a status update right away?
“Shut the fuck up and get lost. He’s asleep, and you’re gonna wake him up.”
—Cut the bullshit and open the door. I’ll keep ringing until you do.
Ding-dong—ding-dong—ding-dong, ding-dong—ding-dong—
Ha Jun-seo started his relentless doorbell assault again. A vein bulged on Choi Sang-hyuk’s forehead.
“In my experience, he won’t stop until you let him in,” Kim Min-seok cautiously advised.
Choi Sang-hyuk gritted his teeth so hard it was almost audible, then pressed the button to unlock the door.
