Everything.
…….What a sweet word that is.
Cha Eun-hyuk pressed a kiss to the bridge of Cha Eun-soo’s nose. It wasn’t a one-sided imposition of emotions; the fact that they were both blindly swept up in this moment sparked euphoria.
It was a bond that might one day shatter, a fleeting emotional connection—but perhaps that was why it felt all the more precious now.
He pulled Cha Eun-soo tightly into his arms, nuzzling his cheek into the warmth of his nape.
“You’re hungry, aren’t you.”
“No.”
Cha Eun-soo shook his head. But his weak, limp body betrayed him—there was no way Cha Eun-hyuk wouldn’t notice. His joints were stiff from being bedridden so long.
A fleeting thought passed through Cha Eun-hyuk’s mind: perhaps he should give him a massage. But before that, food took priority.
He gently pressed the inside of the band wrapped around Cha Eun-soo’s wrist with his fingertip. The metal hidden between the leather and lining, connected to a chain, clicked under the pressure. With a clack, the fastener came undone.
Cha Eun-soo looked at him with surprise, eyes wide at the sudden lightness in his wrist. He hadn’t expected to be released.
Cha Eun-hyuk let out a half-sigh, half-laugh. From the beginning, hadn’t he decided he’d only unlock it depending on Eun-soo’s attitude?
What’s more, the way his brother had said exactly what he wanted to hear, melting him like butter—and remained completely unaware of it—that pale, innocent face… It was probably in his very nature to enchant people without even realizing it.
“Even if you don’t have an appetite, you still need to eat something.”
He gently caressed Cha Eun-soo’s cheek, then stood up from the bed with him still cradled in his arms.
Exiting the room, he headed down to the living room. Cha Eun-soo instinctively glanced around.
The mansion was large and luxurious, yet imbued with a serene stillness.
Then, a realization brushed across his mind. There was something oddly familiar about the atmosphere. It reminded him of the house he and Cha Eun-hyuk had once lived in after they’d moved out separately.
Was it because the same people who had cared for them back then had also looked after this residence—Cha Eun-hyuk’s private estate?
It finally felt like they were truly living together.
Cha Eun-hyuk sat Cha Eun-soo down at the dining table and began to move around. Dishes of all sorts were laid out across the spacious tabletop. The selection leaned toward soft foods, chosen carefully so as not to upset Eun-soo’s stomach after more than two days of sleep.
“Eat this for now. Later, around dinner, tell me what you’re craving.”
“Okay.”
Cha Eun-hyuk sat across from him, watching as he ate. As if to say, All you need to do is use your spoon, he kept placing side dishes onto Eun-soo’s bowl.
To anyone looking, they would’ve seemed like the picture of domestic bliss.
As Cha Eun-soo chewed and swallowed a spoonful of soft tofu, he lowered his gaze. He wasn’t the only one reminded of the past.
Cha Eun-hyuk, too, was lost in memory as he silently helped with Eun-soo’s meal.
He had eaten.
Before long, Cha Eun-soo, seemingly full, set his spoon down.
“…”
At the soft call, Cha Eun-hyuk put down his chopsticks and looked at him.
“By any chance…”
He hesitated to bring it up. The look on his face said it all—he didn’t know if he even had the right to ask such a question.
Cha Eun-hyuk instantly knew what he was about to ask.
“Shim Tae-seong is safe.”
“…!”
Those pale brown eyes widened in shock. He hadn’t even voiced the question yet, but it had already been answered—clearly, he hadn’t expected that.
Relief quickly spread across Cha Eun-soo’s face.
Cha Eun-hyuk didn’t like that his younger brother was thinking of someone else instead of him, but he chose to accept it with grace. That was what generosity did—it softened a person.
“When Jang Hee-gang showed up… I thought that was it.”
Cha Eun-soo’s voice trembled as he began to speak.
“I thought you and the bodyguard had both been killed.”
“And once that thought set in, I just started to give up.”
Maybe at first, he had struggled, refusing to accept the reality of his captivity. But eventually, he had resigned himself to it, thinking it was punishment—one he had to endure.
That must’ve been why he had cried so violently when he saw Cha Eun-hyuk appear just in time. Cha Eun-hyuk looked at that face again, on the verge of tears. The clarity in Eun-soo’s damp eyes as he whispered thank goodness was painfully sincere.
And yet, he still didn’t realize he’d been thrown in among snakes who’d chosen coexistence.
Cha Eun-hyuk stood and walked around the table. Wrapping his arms around the frail body from behind the chair, he felt Cha Eun-soo gently hold onto his arms and rest his head on his shoulder.
“Thank you… for making it back safely.”
The words spilled from Cha Eun-soo’s lips in a voice full of quiet sincerity.
Cha Eun-hyuk pressed his lips gently to his little brother’s forehead.
***
While Hyung was cleaning up, I went into the bathroom to take a shower.
Yeah. I finally showered by myself. Fucking finally.
It was stupid how emotional that made me. But thanks to Jang Hee-gang, even just walking on my own feet and washing myself had become strange, unfamiliar things.
Hyung had warned me like he would a little kid—told me to be careful not to slip—but he didn’t stop me. Maybe because he’d already checked for himself. Like he’d decided I could be trusted with a little freedom now.
Of course, only within his domain.
Weird. Why does my body feel so sluggish?
I’ve been bedridden plenty of times before, but this time I feel the most drained.
Still, once the warm water soaked into my skin, it helped a bit. I considered soaking in the tub for a while, but I felt so drowsy I was worried I might fall asleep in there, so I gave up on that.
After brushing my teeth, I stepped out of the bathroom. My legs wobbled like those of a newborn calf.
“All done?”
And just like he expected this would happen, Hyung was waiting right outside the door. I flinched out of reflex and gave him a small nod.
He lifted me up without a word and carried me into the living room. Before I knew it, I was being set down on a massage bed placed squarely in the middle of the room.
Wait—was that there earlier?
“Take off the gown and lie down.”
“…Huh?”
I blinked at him in confusion as Hyung rolled up his sleeves and spoke.
“Your body’s all stiff. I need to loosen it up.”
I mean, that’s true, but… to go full out like this all of a sudden…
“…Okay.”
Hesitating, I undid the gown. Stripping in an open space like this felt weirdly embarrassing, even though no one else was watching besides Hyung.
He took the gown from me and draped it over the nearby sofa. Then he disinfected his hands and pumped oil from a container he’d prepared ahead of time. A soft, pleasant scent drifted in the air. What is that smell?
“If you get sleepy, you can doze off.”
That hazy drowsiness I’d felt while showering had completely vanished the moment he suggested a massage. Still, I nodded and obediently lay down on the bed.
His large hands wrapped around my bare feet, and his thumbs began pressing firmly into the soles.
He must’ve been adjusting the pressure just right—it didn’t hurt at all.
Whoa. This is better than I thought.
“How is it?”
“It’s good.”
The answer slipped out without hesitation.
He held my heels in a stable grip and firmly pressed into the arches. His touch was skilled—so much so that I could believe he’d been professionally trained. He’d only massaged my feet so far, but I already felt the fatigue melting away.
Once he finished with the other foot just as carefully, Hyung flipped my body over—smooth and quick. I lay there, dazed, adjusting to the sudden shift in view. I heard the sound of more oil being pumped.
His slick palms glided up from my calves to my thighs, applying just the right amount of pressure. The warmth of the oil, heated in his hands, and the firm strokes—both were absolutely divine.
“Ugh…!”
His touch carried no sexual intent whatsoever, and at this rate, I felt like I might actually fall asleep.
Is it because he’s someone who uses his body for work or something? Why’s he so damn good at this…?
“Ah…”
The bed shifted slightly—Hyung had climbed onto it. Then his thick fingers began working across my back, each stroke both gentle and thorough. Occasionally, he’d press into specific points with expert precision. It felt amazing.
My vision blurred.
By the time his slow, steady hands began easing the tension in my shoulders, I was hovering on the edge of sleep.
Until that calm touch suddenly changed.
The hands that had been moving upward reversed course—then gripped my ass.
…My eyes flew open.
“Hyung?”
My slick, oil-covered ass was now being openly kneaded. This wasn’t a massage anymore…
“……! Hngh!”
His oil-drenched fingertips roamed the cleft between my cheeks. The way his fingers toyed there—like they were about to slip inside at any second—made his intent painfully clear. The teasing, tingling sensation made my shoulders twitch up involuntarily.
Hyung grabbed both sides of my hips and pulled. I couldn’t resist—the force lifted my ass high into the air. Bracing myself on the massage bed, I hastily glanced back in panic. It was cramped as hell up here—surely he wasn’t planning to do it here, right?
But Hyung said nothing. He remained silent, like someone immersed in important work, his gaze fixed below me with unwavering focus.
Then his hands spread my cheeks apart. A long, firm index finger pressed directly against the entrance. I shuddered hard.
Thanks to the oil, his finger slipped inside with ease.
“W-Wait, mmn…”
“…Ha. Eun-soo.”
He said my name like he genuinely didn’t know what to do with me. Excuse me? I hadn’t done a damn thing. Who was the one who insisted on giving me a massage in the first place?
Frustrated, I wiggled my hips slightly in protest.
Hyung ignored it and pushed in his middle finger as well. It was a seamless motion, like water flowing. My body took it without resistance.
Inside, my walls clenched and twitched around his fingers, like they were tasting and testing them.
He stayed still for a moment, seemingly savoring the sensation—then, instead of pulling out, he bent his knuckles.
His fingers curled as if to explore deeper, or snip something open. Over and over again, he moved them in those probing, scissoring motions.
Wet, lewd sounds slipped out between his fingers and my entrance each time the gap between them widened slightly.
With a low moan, I rested my forehead against the bed.
