Once again, Tae-yi showed a wry smile and nodded as if to say he understood before opening his mouth.
“Let’s sleep well tonight, and tomorrow we’ll go to the hospital for a check-up.”
“Are you coming with me?”
“Yeah, of course.”
He lifted Haram’s hand and kissed the back of it with a loud smooch. Shortly after, Haram’s soft giggle echoed through the spacious bathroom. Tae-yi, silently staring at him laughing so innocently over something as simple as going to the hospital together, swallowed a sigh that almost escaped.
Tae-yi, avoiding the bruised spots, slowly patted Haram’s back. With a small yawn, Haram rubbed his drowsy eyes against his shoulder. Despite having slept deeply during the drive to Seoul, the drowsiness kept creeping up on him. It seemed like the accumulated fatigue was overwhelming.
“Let’s stay together today… and tomorrow too.”
Haram, hugging Tae-yi’s back tightly, spoke with a voice that clearly revealed his nervousness. He was worried that Tae-yi might leave for work while he was asleep. Usually, he would be okay staying home by himself, but not today—at least not tonight. He didn’t want to be apart from him. Yet, he couldn’t hide the nervousness, unsure if his request was too much.
“Stop saying obvious things and just sleep. I’ll stay with you the whole time.”
But, contrary to his worries, the response he wanted came right away, and he couldn’t hold back a grin that started to form.
Even as the sound of the hairdryer continued, Haram’s smile never disappeared. It felt like just yesterday, in a cage, he had cried out while clutching his tail, missing Tae-yi. No, it really was just yesterday. Now, Tae-yi was carefully drying his silver-gray tail.
“What’s so funny?”
Muttering to himself, Tae-yi flashed a faint smile at Haram, but it quickly faded. It was clear that he was enjoying something trivial without needing to hear the reason.
“Why is your butt so tense?”
Seeing Haram’s stiff, white backside, Tae-yi laughed softly and poked it. Haram flinched and shook his head with a face that had turned bright red. Every time Tae-yi dried his tail, he would unexpectedly bite his backside, and Haram had apparently been tense, anticipating the next bite.
Haram could feel his face burning up. Surely, he didn’t look like someone who was waiting for something like that, did he? A wave of concern about whether Tae-yi might misunderstand rushed over him. Fortunately, it seemed Tae-yi wasn’t in the mood to tease today.
He watched Tae-yi as he carefully dried his own flat tail, making sure to bring out its texture, and then started drying his silver hair. Even from a glance, it was obvious he was exhausted. He had lost weight, and his facial features looked even sharper than before. He was still big, but he seemed thinner somehow.
Haram’s own desires aside, Tae-yi clearly needed rest too. While Haram had been lying around at home, Tae-yi had been going to work every day. He likely hadn’t shown it, but it was clear he was more worn out than Haram.
Once Tae-yi finished drying his hair, he lifted Haram up into his arms. As Haram buried his face in Tae-yi’s shoulder, he whispered softly.
“Let’s rest together.”
Instead of an answer, he received a kiss, and once again, his lips curved into a smile.
“How did you manage to get out?”
It was strange that Haram had been wandering around freely and caught Yoon Ji-seok’s attention instead of being tied up or trapped somewhere. From Secretary Kim’s actions, it seemed like they had thought Haram was in trouble, but they hadn’t imagined he had actually escaped and was living on his own. Thinking back to the time when he was all alone in an unfamiliar place, a chill ran through his body.
“I flew out! I succeeded on my first try.”
But Haram only smiled brightly, enjoying the fact that he was lying on the bed, holding onto Tae-yi. As he continued to smile mischievously, he noticed Tae-yi sighing quietly, and after a while, he began speaking cautiously.
“There was a Sky Squirrel Beastfolk among the people watching me. That person helped a lot.”
Thanks to that Beastfolk, he had found a spring to quench his thirst and had even gone to a fishing store to receive help from an elderly person. Haram wanted to meet them again to express his gratitude.
Tae-yi remained silent, but instead of responding, he patted Haram’s back and kissed his forehead and the bridge of his nose.
“Ah, the elderly person at the fishing store gave me food, a place to sleep, and treated my hand.”
Haram lightly raised his palm, showing the faint scars on it, and Tae-yi’s lips magnetically found their way to it. He kissed the palm without touching the wounds, then kissed the lips that had been chattering away non-stop.
“The stew was really delicious. There was grilled fish too. I didn’t eat it, but maybe I should’ve… was it rude not to?”
It seemed like such a small thing, but Haram’s brows furrowed in concern, as if it really bothered him. Tae-yi laughed softly and pressed his fingers to Haram’s furrowed brow, which made him smile again.
“I want to go thank the elderly person…”
With his eyes half-lidded, mumbling, Tae-yi managed to understand and nodded slightly. After patting his back a few more times, Haram’s lips began to tremble as if he had something more to say, but before he could, his eyes fluttered shut. Listening to the steady rhythm of his breath, Tae-yi sighed deeply.
If anyone saw Haram talking like he’d just come back from a trip, they might think it was a vacation. The more he spoke, the more Tae-yi’s heart grew heavier. Despite saying he was fine while running away, it was clear that Haram’s personality made it hard for him to not worry about what others thought, and it had probably been tough.
Making sure that Haram would never have to endure something like being kidnapped again became his responsibility. Tae-yi gently swept the silver bangs off Haram’s forehead and quietly rose from his seat.
***
“…Liar.”
Liar, Kang Tae-yi. When was he going to stop carrying this title? It was obvious he had gone back to work. The reality was completely different from what Haram had imagined before falling asleep. He had thought that when he woke up, he would be buried in Tae-yi’s chest or at least see his back, but instead, when he woke up, Haram found himself lying alone in the large bed.
Looking out the window, he saw the sun setting. Staring blankly at the red sky as the sunset began, Haram rubbed his eyes and got up from the bed.
He checked the phone on the bedside table. It was brand new. Habitually, he went to his contacts and found Tae-yi’s number, staring at it before pressing the call button. After having gotten into trouble before by not knowing his number, he now wanted to engrave it into his mind to the point where he could recite it even if he woke up in the middle of the night.
“Hello?”
—You woke up early.
“I slept a lot. Where are you?”
—I’m out for a bit. Sorry. I’ll be back soon.
“Mm.”
He wanted to whine like a child, but he held it in, though his sulking expression was hard to hide. Tae-yi seemed to notice, and through the phone, Haram could sense him awkwardly trying to apologize.
—Yoon Ji-seok, my friend, is outside. If you need anything, you can ask him. I’ll be back soon.
“Okay, I got it.”
Before ending the call, Tae-yi told him to eat, and Haram carefully left the room. The second floor was eerily quiet. It seemed like the person he was looking for was on the first floor.
“Hey, it’s Haram.”
As soon as Yoon Ji-seok saw Haram coming down the stairs, he smiled brightly and approached, extending his hand. Startled, Haram instinctively covered his head and adopted a defensive posture.
“Let’s shake hands.”
“Ah…”
Since his first encounter with a man had almost led to a flashlight to the face, his instincts took over. Embarrassed, Haram lowered his arm and lightly grabbed the offered hand before quickly stepping back and rolling his eyes.
“They’re asking me to feed you. Why are you backing up? Come on.”
Yoon Ji-seok, leading the way toward the kitchen, motioned for Haram to follow. The young man was probably the most outgoing person Haram knew. Unlike Haram, who was shy, Yoon Ji-seok didn’t seem to care about being in unfamiliar situations.
“Are you friends with Tae-yi?”
Sitting at the table, Haram slyly pulled a bag of nuts toward him as he asked.
“Looks like you have friends too.”
Yoon Ji-seok, who appeared to be about 20 or 21, casually called Tae-yi his friend, which intrigued Haram. Without giving him a chance to answer, Yoon Ji-seok began asking a rapid-fire series of questions.
“Do you know how lucky I am to have found you? If I hadn’t passed by at that time, you’d still be wandering in the woods, right?”
“But why do you like Tae-yi so much? You two really don’t match, you know?”
“Do you want to hear about Tae-yi’s school days? Where should I start?”
“But hey, these guys don’t even thank me for playing an important role in finding you?”
Haram, who couldn’t even open the bag of nuts in his hand, was bombarded with questions and could only stare blankly, not managing to answer a single one. It seemed like Yoon Ji-seok was planning to ask everything he had ever wondered about.
“What is this?”
Suddenly, Haram, who had been sitting across from him, vanished. Startled, Yoon Ji-seok stood up awkwardly and stared at the chair where Haram had been sitting. Before long, a Sky Squirrel popped out from between the t-shirt, climbing up onto the table and into the bag of nuts.
“Chik, chik.”
I’m going to eat now.
Haram firmly said, lifting a large peanut.
“Can you keep quiet while I eat?”
Although it was a slightly harsh interpretation, since he wanted a peaceful meal, Haram slowly nodded, looking at Yoon Ji-seok as he continued to watch him.
