As expected, Cain stood outside the door when it opened. He looked somehow weary, and his appearance was more disheveled than it had been that morning.
Before Satin could ask the reason, Cain suddenly approached. Their lips met immediately.
‘Oh dear.’
Kisses were hardly a novelty. They did far more than just kiss, so a kiss was nothing significant.
However, today was awkward. Satin hadn’t yet told Rogers, whom he was meeting after a long time, that he and Cain were in this kind of relationship. Secretly, he had thought it wasn’t a necessary thing to mention.
Now, the die was cast. Satin pushed Cain’s shoulder, trying to find a way to handle this situation.
“Let’s do this later.”
“Why?”
Cain looked as if he didn’t understand why he was being pushed away. He probably hadn’t noticed that there was someone else present who wasn’t usually there.
Slowly wiping his lips with his fingers, Satin gestured behind him with a nod. Cain looked over Satin’s shoulder with a displeased expression.
Cain’s expression instantly turned fierce.
“What the hell is this bastard?”
Satin hadn’t expected him to be embarrassed. He quickly slapped Cain’s forearm.
“Bastard? This is Rogers.”
“Rogers?”
Cain, who hadn’t recognized Rogers at first glance, scrutinized him with a suspicious look. Actually, he might have recognized him but was just in a bad mood.
Satin sighed silently.
‘No wonder Rogers mentioned his personality…’
Rogers, his face flushed, greeted them awkwardly.
“Long time no see, Cain.”
Perhaps the sight was a bit embarrassing for the eighteen-year-old boy, as Rogers couldn’t fix his gaze on one spot and kept rolling his eyes. Satin also felt embarrassed.
Satin cleared his throat loudly and patted Cain and Rogers on the shoulders.
“Instead of this, let’s eat first.”
Having said that, he became concerned about Cain’s appearance.
“No, before that, you need to wash up.”
Cain glanced at Rogers with a displeased look and nodded. He would have washed up on his own at other times, but today, something seemed to bother him, and his expression was sulky.
While Cain washed up, Satin finished preparing the meal. Rogers looked like he had many questions but hesitated to speak, only rolling his eyes.
Just as Rogers finally opened his mouth, Cain returned.
“Why did you wash up so quickly? Did you wash properly?”
As Satin looked at him suspiciously, Cain brazenly raised his head.
“Yeah. Clean enough to lick and suck right now.”
“Keep it down.”
Satin hurriedly cut him off. In the meantime, Rogers had clamped his mouth shut again like a clam.
“Ugh.”
Satin shook his head and went into the kitchen. All that was left was to bring out the food, but when Cain tried to follow, he chased him away.
“You haven’t seen each other in a while, so why don’t you two talk?”
“Why?”
“Why, why. Aren’t you happy to see him?”
“Why?”
“Don’t act like a child.”
Cain, who had been repeating “why” like a preschooler, pouted and sat down opposite Rogers.
While Satin took out the plates, Cain spoke to Rogers.
“Long time no see.”
That greeting didn’t feel sincere in the slightest. It was obvious that he was only saying it because he was told to.
Rogers, who was kinder than Cain, accepted the greeting without complaint.
“Yeah.”
Satin was curious about what they would talk about and strained his ears, but the dining room was silent. That was the end of the conversation.
‘Were they even less close than I thought?’
Still, the three of them had planned their escape together face-to-face, so how could it be this awkward?
Satin shook his head and hurriedly transferred the food to plates. If he left this chilly atmosphere as it was, icicles might form in the house.
When Satin came out of the kitchen, Cain and Rogers finally spoke.
“I told you we should do it together.”
“Is there anything I can help with?”
The words that came out simultaneously prevented Satin from answering at all. Instead of replying to either of them, Satin returned to the kitchen, muttering to himself.
“Oh, I forgot to add pepper.”
That was a lie. He had added it. He just said that to take a breather.
When he went back to the dining room, both of them were silent again, their eyes only following Satin.
‘It’s like a blind date…’
Satin smiled like a seasoned service industry worker, moving the food and sitting down.
“Well then, shall we eat?”
The atmosphere improved considerably after they started eating. Perhaps it wasn’t the food but Satin’s doing. Satin was the center of attention in their small gathering of three.
“You’re teaching kids? Did you become a teacher?”
“It’s not that grand. I’m just helping them with some simple studying.”
“Satin is kind, so I think he’ll be very good at it. He’s helped children well before.”
“Haha, your memory has become too idealized.”
As Satin smiled bashfully at Rogers’s sincere compliment, Cain interrupted abruptly.
“Why did you go so far today?”
“Huh?”
“Was the bookstore you usually go to closed?”
“No, I got a recommendation. They said there were more books over there…”
“From whom?”
“Cole’s father. You know who he is, right?”
On days when he had no work, Cain would follow Satin around like a shadow. Grocery shopping was no exception. When Satin talked to the shopkeepers, Cain would stare intently with a suspicious cat-like expression.
Perhaps recalling Max’s face, Cain nodded. He seemed to understand now why Satin had gone so far.
Unlike Cain, Rogers looked unconvinced.
“…When did you say you went to a bookstore?”
Looking at Rogers’s doubtful face, Satin realized his mistake. Cain already knew something Satin hadn’t told him yet. And he knew it as a matter of course. Anyone would find that strange.
Satin pondered for a moment what to say, when Cain smiled brightly. It was a refreshing smile, but watching it gave Satin a slight chill.
‘He’s going to say something useless again.’
Cain didn’t deviate from Satin’s expectations.
“I have to keep an eye on you so you don’t get lost.”
Sometimes Cain would scold Satin for saying useless things. In Satin’s opinion, Cain was the same.
‘It’s not like I’m a golden calf.’
Satin laughed weakly, but Rogers didn’t laugh. He looked momentarily stunned while holding his fork, then asked again.
“…Are you saying he’s monitoring you?”
His face looked very shocked for some reason. Satin understood to some extent. The word “monitoring” was generally used with negative connotations.
To prevent Rogers from misunderstanding, Satin calmly explained.
“Cain is just very worried. I almost got into a bad situation once, but that doesn’t mean he can keep watching over me all the time.”
“But he is watching over you all the time, isn’t he?”
Rogers still looked unconvinced. Satin smiled awkwardly.
“He’s not watching directly, he’s watching through other people.”
“Isn’t that even more… strange?”
Now Satin was also confused.
‘Oh, is it?’
Cain was worried about Satin. Worried to a somewhat excessive degree. If they had cell phones, he could call frequently to check if Satin was okay, but there were no cell phones in this world. At least, they wouldn’t be invented while Satin was alive.
He didn’t know how Cain kept tabs on his every move, but Satin didn’t think too badly of it. His intentions were good, after all.
‘Or are they?’
As Satin blinked, Rogers’s expression became increasingly strange. The way he looked at Cain was different from before. The apprehension had disappeared, and somehow…
‘He looks disgusted…’
No other appropriate expression came to mind.
Unexpectedly, Cain didn’t seem displeased by Rogers’s reaction. He asked with a gentle smile.
“Why?”
“Why, you ask…”
“You might not care if Satin disappears, but I do.”
“No, I also think it’s good that I met Satin again. But this is a different issue. Satin is a person, and you shouldn’t treat him like your property.”
Rogers probably thought that Satin’s freedom was being infringed upon. It was a very modern way of thinking.
Satin didn’t need to interject. Cain didn’t seem at all disheartened or remorseful after hearing Rogers’s words. Judging by his expression, he seemed to think Rogers was the strange one.
“What if he disappears again?”
“There’s no reason for Satin to disappear.”
“Whether you know it or not, Satin has had amnesia again. He’s been kidnapped, and he’s even run away thinking strange things.”
“That’s…”
Rogers looked slightly flustered. He looked at Satin as if asking if it was true. Satin smiled awkwardly and avoided his gaze.
Rogers, who had been opening and closing his mouth, eventually agreed with some of Cain’s points.
“I understand why you’re worried. But will that kind of thing happen again? Even for someone with bad luck, such a crisis can’t happen every day.”
“I know. Maybe nothing will happen.”
Unexpectedly, Cain nodded.
“Then there’s no need to go that far.”
“Anxiety isn’t controlled by reason.”
“You have to try.”
“Why?”
“No, I mean…”
Rogers lost his words again. Cain looked steadily at Satin, not Rogers, and said,
“I want to know what Satin is doing, no matter where I am. I think about Satin for no reason. I hope he’s in a safe place, and if possible, I want to be there with him.”
“Oh, it’s hot. I should get some water…”
Satin flapped his hands unnecessarily and stood up. He felt more embarrassed now than when they had kissed. Cain’s words, whether they were excuses or self-justification, sounded like a fervent confession of love to Satin.
And it seemed to be the same for Rogers.
“Isn’t that just because you miss Satin, not because you’re anxious?”
Satin, who was heading to the kitchen, stopped and turned to look at Rogers. Rogers looked back and forth between Satin and Cain, then scratched his cheek.
“No, I mean, that could be it. If you two are in that kind of relationship.”
