“When are you coming, really… Come before I catch a cold, Sa Gong-hyun…”
It was laughable that while he thought so preciously of his own body, he was sitting here so pitifully. He wanted to get up immediately and go home, but he restrained himself.
“I need to steal it and leave Korea as soon as possible.”
His voice was subdued, but it was a sort of resolution.
Ridiculous as it was, that was the only way to survive. He’d destroy him more thoroughly than anyone? It would be fortunate if he didn’t die before destroying him.
I’ll just disappear without a word.
His mind flipped back and forth like a piece of paper. Jae-young gritted his teeth and pressed his forehead against his knees.
He seemed to have fallen asleep without realizing it. When Jae-young woke up, he heard movement in front. The sound of a car…
Groggily opening his eyes, Jae-young stretched his stiff neck. The rain had stopped, and dawn had broken. So he did stay out all night. Looking around with what must have been a swollen face, he saw Sa Gong-hyun.
Sa Gong-hyun stood about six or seven steps away, staring at Jae-young. Though he couldn’t see his expression clearly, it wasn’t particularly pleasant.
He wanted to get up and demand to know why Sa Gong-hyun had stayed out all night, but his body was too stiff. Before he could even get his voice out, he let out a groan of pain.
As if hearing that, Sa Gong-hyun, who had been standing still, walked toward Jae-young.
“After everything else, now you’re even sleeping in front of someone else’s gate?”
“Can you… help me up?”
His voice was cracked. His back hurt terribly from sleeping curled up in a hard place. Jae-young patted his lower back and extended his other hand.
There wasn’t a single part of his body that wasn’t stiff. It felt worse than the muscle pain after sex. His body still felt chilly; it seemed like he was coming down with something.
Sa Gong-hyun took Jae-young’s hand. At the same time, Jae-young’s upper body was suddenly pulled upward. Unable to properly balance himself, Jae-young fell into his arms.
The arm around Jae-young’s waist was firm. His body reflexively flinched. Bracing against Sa Gong-hyun’s shoulder, Jae-young stepped back.
“Why are you coming home so late? I’ve been waiting since last night.”
He purposely acted casual. Sa Gong-hyun’s gaze fell on the hand gripping his shoulder. His eyes trailed up Jae-young’s arm and assessed his complexion.
“When it rains, you should either go home or at least call. What’s with this state you’re in?”
“I forgot to charge my phone, so the battery died.”
Jae-young expected him to sneer with disbelief, but Sa Gong-hyun showed no such reaction. He just opened the gate with an irritated face.
“I wanted to keep in contact, but there wasn’t a single person passing by to help…”
Sa Gong-hyun stepped into the yard and pulled Jae-young along. Ah, my head is throbbing. After this meeting, I’ll inevitably end up at the hospital. When he cleared his throat because it felt dry, Sa Gong-hyun pulled his arm more forcefully.
“…Are you angry?”
“…”
“Hyun-ssi, if we could just walk a little slower…”
“Shut up and come.”
The house they entered under Sa Gong-hyun’s guidance was a bit warmer than outside. Just as Jae-young closed his eyes tightly and reopened them to regain his senses, his back was pushed into the first-floor bathroom.
“Wash up and come out. I’ll put clothes in front for you to wear.”
That was welcome news. He had been feeling uncomfortable with the rain-soaked clothes anyway. When Jae-young turned around, Sa Gong-hyun was already climbing the stairs to the second floor.
Once he disappeared from sight, Jae-young could freely let his body shiver. He closed the door and exhaled while leaning on the sink.
When he touched his forehead, he felt the heat. He sniffled once and took off his clothes. He was about to walk to the shower stall when the bathtub caught his eye.
A half-bath would quickly make me feel better. He glanced at the door and debated whether to change his plan.
If this had been his house, he would have thrown himself into the bathtub without a second thought. But remembering Sa Gong-hyun’s obviously angry face, he felt he shouldn’t act as he pleased.
With no choice, he entered the shower stall and turned on the faucet.
After finishing the shower as quickly as possible, he changed into the clothes placed in front of the door. As expected, they weren’t a perfect fit. He had to wear an oversized knit sweater and tighten the waistband of the pants to prevent them from falling down.
Recalling that Sa Gong-hyun’s house was always filled with a chill, he came out huddled up, but the floor was surprisingly warm.
His gaze swept across the floor. Did he turn on the floor heating? It was so warm that he felt like collapsing onto it. Jae-young suppressed the rising temptation and lifted his eyes.
Drying his hair with a towel, he looked for Sa Gong-hyun. The man who told him to come out was nowhere to be seen, but a savory aroma wafted through the air. The food smell involuntarily made his mouth water. Having starved since yesterday, his stomach was making growling noises.
Jae-young headed to the dining room, following the smell.
“…Huh?”
Jae-young, who had followed the aroma to the first-floor dining room, elongated his puzzled response. The back view was very familiar. At Jae-young’s voice, the man looked up while placing porridge on the table.
Cha Seung-kwon? Jae-young narrowed his eyes intensely.
He couldn’t understand why Seung-kwon was here.
On the countertop was packaging from a porridge specialty brand. The porridge, unpacked and placed in a bowl, looked appetizing. Abalone viscera porridge. Though he generally wasn’t fond of porridge, abalone viscera porridge was one that Jae-young quite enjoyed.
Jae-young slightly lowered his head and took a breath. What is hyung doing here? Even when he cast a bewildered gaze, Seung-kwon didn’t change his expression at all.
“Please sit here.”
Seung-kwon gestured to the spot where he had placed the porridge. It was absurd how he was pretending not to know with his characteristically expressionless face.
Confused eyes examined his face. Though Jae-young couldn’t understand the situation, what he needed to do next was clear.
He soon relaxed his stiff face.
“…Where is Hyun-ssi?”
Given that Seung-kwon was acting formally towards him, Sa Gong-hyun must still be in the house. Standing in place, he looked around for him, but Seung-kwon made no response. He merely straightened his back and looked behind Jae-young.
“I’m here.”
A neat voice came from behind. Simultaneously, he felt hands gripping his shoulders.
Startled, Jae-young turned around to see Sa Gong-hyun in comfortable attire. Perhaps he had also showered after pushing Jae-young into the bathroom, as his hair was still slightly damp.
He slightly lowered his head to smell the scent coming from Jae-young. He hadn’t expected to show such a sight to Seung-kwon. Though overwhelmed with embarrassment, instead of showing it, he smiled gently at Sa Gong-hyun.
The anger that had been on his face had disappeared by then. Sa Gong-hyun, who had been silently looking down at Jae-young’s smile, finally opened his mouth.
“Ah.”
“Ah?”
As Jae-young repeated the sound, which was so flat it was hard to call an exclamation, a thermometer entered his mouth. He reflexively bit down on it. Jae-young looked up at his straight face.
How did he know I had a fever? Even I only realized it after touching my forehead. Did he guess I’d have a fever from getting caught in the rain?
While continuing this train of thought, the thermometer was removed from his mouth. Sa Gong-hyun, who was looking down at the thermometer with an indifferent face, raised only his eyes to gaze at Seung-kwon.
“Good job. You can go now.”
“Yes, Director-nim.”
Afterwards, Sa Gong-hyun seated Jae-young in a chair. Seung-kwon politely greeted Sa Gong-hyun and left the dining room.
As Jae-young blankly watched Seung-kwon’s retreating figure, Sa Gong-hyun lightly hit the table. Jae-young’s head moved toward the source of the sound.
“Eat.”
Jae-young silently moved his lips. His gaze swept across the table once more. Porridge in a ceramic bowl, chopsticks neatly placed on a stand like those seen in high-end Korean restaurants, a glass with an appropriate amount of water. And right beside it, a medicine packet.
His fingertips felt cold for no reason. Jae-young clenched and unclenched his hand before picking up the spoon. As he scooped a spoonful of porridge, steam rose profusely.
“How did you know I had a fever? I tried hard not to show it…”
He filled the silence with his voice while cooling the porridge. The gaze observing Jae-young’s actions was, as always, calm.
“Did you think I wouldn’t know just because you hid it?”
A dry retort. Jae-young smiled awkwardly.
True, not everything can be hidden just because one tries to conceal it, but that doesn’t apply only to Jae-young. Sa Gong-hyun’s intentions were equally dark.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
