Chapter 79
A brief silence flowed after the monotonous voice ended. It was a tone as if explaining an obvious premise like one plus one equals two.
Thanks to this, Minhyeon froze for a moment, then came to his senses only after chewing over Jeonghyeok’s words once more.
“What do you mean by that? Why wouldn’t hyung come out of the orphanage?”
“He should know that best himself.”
Jeonghyeok was no longer smiling. He was just looking down at Minhyeon with a cold gaze. Jeonghyeok was calmly watching the anxiously shaking eyes of the young man.
“Did something happen to hyung? He’s not hurt, is he?”
“…”
“Don’t tell me, you…”
Looking at Minhyeon who was grinding his teeth, Jeonghyeok burst into a hollow laugh.
It was a reasonable suspicion. It was true that he had hurt Yuwon. However, Kim Minhyeon of all people didn’t have the right to remind him of that fact. His coolly sunken eyes flashed for a moment.
“Stop worrying about nonsense.”
“Th-then why can’t he come out?”
“I told you. Because of who he got dead drunk.”
It was a conversation like a round song. By now, Minhyeon could figure out the intention of this huge man in front of him. He just wanted to prevent Yuwon and him from meeting.
But Minhyeon couldn’t give up here. He had an important reason why he needed to meet Yuwon right away.
“Just once would be enough. I have something I absolutely must tell him. It’s really important for hyung.”
“Well. It doesn’t seem like it would be that important.”
However, Minhyeon’s desperation didn’t get through to the knife-like Jeonghyeok at all.
“Go on your way now. And stop contacting him too.”
Jeonghyeok, who had ended the conversation arbitrarily, turned around just like that. He took a big step and was about to pass through the transparent glass door when an urgent voice rang out from behind him.
“I…!”
It was a voice so loud it made his ears sting. Jeonghyeok, his brow deeply furrowed, stopped in place.
“I don’t want anything else.”
“…”
“I just need to be able to stay by hyung’s side.”
Jeonghyeok snorted and shook his head.
This was nothing if not a heartfelt love confession. What hyung? Dongsaeng? Imagining the two people who would have been whispering behind him while doing some ridiculous brother cosplay made his anger rise to the top of his head.
Jeonghyeok turned around again and approached Minhyeon. Flustered by Jeonghyeok’s sudden movement of getting close to him, Minhyeon hesitantly stepped back.
“You don’t understand what I’m saying.”
Jeonghyeok lowered his head near Minhyeon’s ear and whispered softly.
“Being by his side. That’s what can’t happen.”
“…”
“What man in the world would keep a guy who has a crush on his lover by his side? Do you think that makes sense?”
Jeonghyeok arbitrarily lowered and raised his speech level. But to Minhyeon’s ears, it all sounded like arrogant speech. Under his distorted brow, his darkly sunken eyes even revealed emotions of disgust and contempt.
He could tell instinctively. This man would absolutely never give up Yuwon. He wouldn’t give him a chance, nor would he easily show any gaps.
He already knew that he wasn’t an opponent he could face boldly. That had been expected from the moment he first met and shook hands with the man.
But now he had a more important mission than that. Something much more important than the fact that he couldn’t see Yuwon right away, more important than revealing his heart that he had desperately hidden.
“Then… please just convey this story to hyung.”
Minhyeon swallowed dry saliva and continued.
“Yuwon hyung’s biological parents came looking for him. They’re late, but they want to meet him now.”
Minhyeon recalled the two people, a man and woman, he had seen at the orphanage just before.
‘Was he twenty-two? Twenty-three?’
‘Hey, this person. I told you he’s twenty-one!’
The gaunt man and plump woman didn’t even properly know Yuwon’s age. Yet they raised their voices demanding to see Yuwon. They wanted to take their son away now, so please help them. Loud enough for even Minhyeon sitting outside the director’s office to hear clearly.
Was this fortune or misfortune? Minhyeon pondered alone while looking at the tightly closed door. However, the time for contemplation wasn’t very long. After all, the decision was Yuwon’s to make.
“Are you sure they’re his biological parents?”
“…Yes. They brought the confirmation letter received at the time of admission, guardian consent form, and even birth certificate.”
Jeonghyeok was silent for a while. Only after the muscles protruding from his angular jaw twitched once did his mouth finally open.
“I’ll contact the orphanage directly, so know that.”
“…”
“Never hover around Kim Yuwon again.”
It was a cynical warning as if driving away an insignificant insect.
A cutting gaze carefully swept over Minhyeon’s face. Soon Jeonghyeok straightened his bent back and turned around. He moved far away in just a few steps, and disappeared from sight in just a few more steps.
Only Minhyeon remained frozen like ice in that spot.
***
With pain as if his whole body had been beaten, Yuwon let out a small groan and opened his eyes.
The muscle pain throughout his entire body was so severe that he wanted to close his eyes again as soon as he opened them. But the most painful place among them was definitely inside his buttocks. The inside of his stomach throbbed ominously as he winced in pain.
“Ngh…”
Yuwon frowned and barely managed to sit up. He tried to sit leaning his back against the headboard, but his lower area throbbed severely. It didn’t seem like it would get better anytime soon.
What time is it now? Yuwon looked around searching for his phone, but it was nowhere to be seen. He could only deduce from beyond the tightly drawn curtains that it was daylight.
Since it seemed like he wouldn’t be able to go to the orphanage today, he needed to contact Minhyeon. Eventually, Yuwon endured the pain and got down from the bed.
As soon as his feet touched the floor, a stinging sensation traveled up his legs. He squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them and began walking slowly. Every time his legs crossed, the inside of his buttocks tingled.
When he struggled to open the door and went out, he could see Jeonghyeok doing something in the kitchen. Yuwon turned his head pretending not to notice and headed to the dressing room. He planned to put on clothes first and then look for his phone.
“Did you wake up?”
Jeonghyeok, sensing his presence, quickly approached Yuwon.
“How’s your body?”
“…”
“Going to get dressed?”
Even though he gave no response, Jeonghyeok gently put his arm around Yuwon’s shoulder. He hated his hand touching his bare skin, but Yuwon bit his lips tightly and endured it.
“I’ll bring you clothes, so wait a moment.”
Jeonghyeok brought out a white t-shirt and loose pants from the dressing room. There was no underwear.
“…”
Yuwon took the clothes with an unpleasant feeling and silently put them on right there. He was more eager to find his phone than to waste time saying anything.
Since the last place he had left his phone was the dining table, Yuwon looked around the dining table first. But there was nothing on it.
“Sit down and eat porridge. I just bought it.”
Jeonghyeok said while transferring packaged porridge into a white bowl. But Yuwon didn’t sit in the chair. He was busy looking around only for his phone.
Jeonghyeok, who had first placed utensils and kimchi on the table, finally put the steaming porridge in Yuwon’s place.
“Yuwon.”
“…”
“Kim Yuwon.”
“I can’t sit.”
It was then that a cracked voice flowed out.
“I couldn’t sit on the bed because it hurt too.”
If he couldn’t put his buttocks on the soft bed, there was no way he could sit properly on a dining chair that was harder than that.
The very person who had made him like this seemed completely fine. He seemed to be trying to imitate a kind person nursing his sick lover.
Not even a hollow laugh came out. He just felt resentful and hateful.
Yuwon headed to the living room as he was. He was about to start looking from the most visible sofa when yesterday’s events came back vividly.
It seemed like he could see the man who had forcibly taken off his pants and climbed on top of him, and himself lying face down crying, so Yuwon turned his head away. And he silently searched for his phone. But no matter how much he looked from the sofa table to the decorative cabinet under the TV, his phone was nowhere to be seen.
Then Jeonghyeok, who had been silently watching Yuwon, opened his mouth.
“Looking for your phone?”
Only then did Yuwon’s gaze turn to Jeonghyeok.
“Do you know where it is?”
“Yeah.”
“Where is it?”
When he had come out to the living room and checked the clock just now, he had actually been a little surprised inside. He had thought it would be around 10 o’clock, but it was well past noon.
Since he hadn’t gone to the orphanage without saying anything, not only Minhyeon but even the Director would surely be worried about him. With the thought that he needed to contact them quickly, Yuwon approached Jeonghyeok and asked.
“Where is it?”
“Eat the porridge first.”
“I need to contact the orphanage. I suddenly didn’t go today.”
“I’ll tell them for you, so you eat the porridge first. If it’s hard to sit, go to the bed. I’ll bring it there.”
Jeonghyeok brought a wide plastic tray and placed it on the table. His movements were delicate as he transferred the bowl and utensils one by one.
Looking at him who seemed like a different person, Yuwon felt a vague sense of unease. There had been some premonition that had been gradually rising from earlier.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
