The still gaze slowly swept over the surroundings. Then it stopped, fixed on something. There, tucked in a corner of the alleyway, lay a pile of clothes.
As he drew closer, he realized it was someone’s discarded clothing.
Why would clothes be lying around in a place like this? Unless it belonged to some flasher with a bizarre fetish, there was no reason for someone to strip down and vanish as if shedding skin.
With a disinterested hand, Bae Jung-yoon sifted through the garments. They were still warm.
Which meant—whoever had worn them had only just left.
He rummaged through the outer pocket and pulled out a wallet. Inside the old bifold was an ID card.
Go Hoon (高熏).
He stared at the photo next to the cleanly printed name. A man with sharp features, gazing straight ahead with a blank expression.
Bae Jung-yoon’s fingers naturally moved to the student ID tucked below it. Hankuk University. Coincidentally, his own university.
The owner of the clothes was gone. Where could he have gone?
His eyes slowly drifted down—to the cat resting peacefully in his arms, breathing in quiet, rhythmic puffs.
He picked up the outer coat and gently draped it over the cat.
That was when it began. From that very moment, that creature was his. He had found it, cared for it—it was only right.
Even if that ungrateful little stray had run from his arms.
He’d lost it once, but he wouldn’t let it happen again. That’s why Bae Jung-yoon knew he had to be careful.
The one he was chasing wouldn’t reveal the truth unless faced with undeniable proof.
Until he returned completely to his arms. Until the right moment came. He had to stay silent, watching, waiting. Whether the other wanted it or not didn’t matter.
If he didn’t want to belong to him, he should never have appeared in front of him. Should’ve stayed out of sight. Should’ve never let him know he existed.
So Bae Jung-yoon would not give up. He would drag him back, no matter what it took. By any means necessary. Until being apart from him became unbearable.
Bzzzzzz.
Just then, the phone he’d tossed on the sofa began vibrating again.
He figured it was probably another whiny message from Kang Soo-yeon. But the name on the screen was different.
Go Hoon.
Seeing the name, his lips curved silently into a smile.
Still staring at the man sleeping soundly, not even blinking, Bae Jung-yoon reached out without hesitation.
“…Yeah. I can wait a little longer.”
For now.
His fingers paused for a moment above the tousled hair, then gently combed through, brushing back the bangs.
Then, without warning, he tightened his grip and yanked it back slightly.
As if the tugging reached his scalp, the sleeping man’s brow creased faintly.
“You okay?”
A concerned voice echoed in Bae Jung-yoon’s ears as he observed.
At the same time, the warmth of the hand that had once rested over his came back to life. The veins in his hand relaxed.
His fingertips hovered over the sharp lines of that sleeping face, moving cautiously, just barely avoiding contact.
He studied the slowly relaxing expression with quiet intensity, then finally withdrew his hand so as not to wake him.
It was only after some time that the jet-black eyes disappeared once again beneath shut lids.
***
“Mmm…”
The pillow brushing his cheek felt unusually soft this morning.
Go Hoon slowly opened his eyes… then closed them again.
His head was still fuzzy with sleep, and for a brief moment, he wondered if he was dreaming about when he used to be a cat.
Maybe it was because, in his blurred vision, he could see the firm chest of someone else.
…That doesn’t make any sense.
With a frown, he squeezed his eyes shut, then suddenly opened them wide.
But his view didn’t change.
He was certain now—what was in front of him was definitely someone’s chest.
Stiffening, Go Hoon tried to make sense of the situation.
Why the hell am I sleeping this close to Bae Jung-yoon?
And what’s more—there was a solid forearm resting beneath his neck.
That wasn’t all. There was also weight across his waist. As if the owner of that chest had wrapped around him in his sleep.
Frozen like a statue for a few seconds, Go Hoon finally bolted upright and scrambled away.
The blanket slipped off, exposing even more pale skin.
Just as he expected, Bae Jung-yoon was completely naked. He didn’t even need to lift the covers to check—he already knew.
Bae Jung-yoon never wore underwear to bed.
Sure, he’d seen his fair share of naked men in the army, but never quite like this.
Waking up to a bare male chest—that was a whole new level of awkward.
He could’ve sworn Jung-yoon had been wearing a bathrobe before they went to sleep.
When the hell did he strip it all off? And why the hell was I in his arms?
Trying to settle his spinning thoughts, Go Hoon cautiously began to move.
It seemed the painkillers had worn off during the night—pain sparked with every shift of his body.
He stifled a groan and tried to quietly slip out of bed.
But then—
A voice called out from behind.
“Where are you going?”
Startled, Go Hoon turned his head. Bae Jung-yoon was still buried deep in his white pillow, eyes half-open as he looked at him.
Why did this feel like getting caught sneaking out after a drunken one-night stand? The awkwardness hit hard, but Go Hoon managed to respond calmly.
“I just woke up. Figured I’d get up since I was already awake.”
With a slightly dazed expression, Bae Jung-yoon slowly blinked, then reached toward the nightstand. He checked his phone, then let out a low breath.
“It’s five in the morning… why are you up so early?”
Only then did Go Hoon realize just how early it was—and that he’d woken Jung-yoon from deep sleep. And it was Sunday, no less.
“Yeah, I guess I just woke up early. Sorry for waking you too. Go back to sleep.”
Even though he knew there was nothing to do at this hour, the idea of lying back down next to Jung-yoon didn’t appeal to him.
“…Do you always wake up this early?”
Jung-yoon’s voice was lower and huskier than usual, thick with sleep. As he shifted slightly, the blanket slid down with him.
More of his bare body was exposed.
Go Hoon’s eyes involuntarily trailed down—from the broad, muscular chest to the well-defined abs.
Apparently, Jung-yoon felt the gaze. With a lazy expression, he looked straight at Go Hoon.
“What?”
“…Why are you naked?”
“Must’ve gotten hot in my sleep and took everything off.”
Bae Jung-yoon spoke as if it were no big deal, blinking slowly like a well-fed animal. Judging by the look on his face, he had no intention of getting dressed anytime soon.
“Come on, Hoon. Lie down. Let’s sleep a bit more.”
“No. I’m good. I’ll head out first.”
When Jung-yoon reached toward him as if to pull him back in, Go Hoon quickly rose to his feet.
Jung-yoon’s hand stopped mid-air, and his eyes followed him slowly and steadily.
“You should sleep a little more.”
Go Hoon backed away awkwardly, dragging his aching leg like someone fleeing the scene of a crime.
Even as he stepped into the living room, he couldn’t shake the feeling of those dark eyes chasing after him.
***
Bae Jung-yoon hadn’t been bluffing when he said he’d help find the kid.
Over breakfast—kimchi fried rice, courtesy of Bae Jung-yoon—he brought it up first. He said he’d asked the police to pull the CCTV footage from the area around the crosswalk where the accident happened.
Go Hoon had expected everything to take time.
From the very beginning, he’d assumed the process of filing a report and reviewing footage wouldn’t happen quickly.
And for good reason—there had to be more urgent cases demanding police attention.
So the only explanation for the speed of this response had to be the influence of the grandfather Jung-yoon had mentioned.
Who exactly was his grandfather to have connections at the police station? Was he in law enforcement or the prosecution?
The questions lingered, but Go Hoon didn’t ask.
Jung-yoon didn’t seem eager to talk about his family.
Still, the fact that he helped at all was more than enough to be grateful for.
But the real surprise came when—less than a day after reporting it—the police called.
The officer in charge told him something unexpected:
The child’s mother was looking for him.
Here’s what had happened:
Right after the accident, the child had run off in tears and rushed home. He tried to act normal, but to his parents, something felt off.
Sensing something unusual, they gently questioned him. Eventually, he opened up about the bicycle accident earlier that day.
The mother immediately went to the police station.
By chance, the incident had already been filed, and that’s how she was able to get in touch with Go Hoon.
— “I saw the CCTV footage of the accident. I think my son panicked in the moment… There’s no excuse for him crossing without looking. I’m really sorry.”
She apologized repeatedly over the phone.
She also promised to be more mindful of her child’s behavior going forward and insisted on covering the full cost of the accident—whatever the amount—so he shouldn’t hesitate to let her know.
Honestly, when Go Hoon first heard that the kid’s mother was looking for him, his mind went straight to the worst-case scenario.
The world was a cold place.
You saw it all the time—parents trying to twist the story around to blame the victim.
He worried they might be preparing to make trouble for him instead.
— “How’s your condition? You seemed pretty badly hurt…”
But the gentle tone in her voice made him feel ashamed of his assumptions.
Scolding himself for jumping to conclusions, Go Hoon replied that he’d likely need outpatient treatment for a few weeks.
After a short pause, he asked quietly,
“…What about the kid? Is he okay?”
— “Oh, don’t worry. He’s not hurt at all. He’s totally fine.”
Only then did Go Hoon truly relax.
Children could be deeply shaken even by small incidents—sometimes enough to make them sick.
He’d been quietly worrying about that, so the relief hit hard.
— “If anything comes up, please call this number without hesitation.”
What he thought would be a drawn-out headache had resolved surprisingly easily.
After agreeing to contact her once his treatment was done, Go Hoon ended the call, still a little stunned.
“What did she say?”
The moment the call ended, Bae Jung-yoon closed the book he’d been reading and spoke up.
