Chapter 153
The butler hurriedly went to Tae-geon’s room in response to the young master’s unexpected early call. Entering with a puzzled look, the butler cautiously asked after observing Tae-geon sitting motionless for a while:
“Young master, do you need anything?”
Tae-geon then held out something he had been holding.
“I found this rolling on the floor. What is it?”
Tae-geon lied, pretending he had picked it up from the floor when he had actually found it on the bed. The butler squinted his wrinkled eyes and examined the object. It was a gold button with the Taeryeong family emblem engraved as a seal.
“Ah, it seems to have fallen off one of the employees’ uniforms.”
The butler’s voice was confident.
“Judging by its small size, it was probably from a sleeve.”
“…Sleeve…?”
At those words, Tae-geon’s eyebrows twitched, and he suddenly lifted his head. The butler looked at Tae-geon with surprise, as he failed to hide his widened eyes and sharp intake of breath, as if struck by some realization. In all the years of serving the young master, the butler had never seen such an intense emotional reaction.
Tae-geon’s eyes, which had been turbulent with confusion, gradually calmed. The motion of lightly clenching and unclenching his palm seemed like he was grasping and measuring something invisible.
“…Ha!”
Tae-geon let out a short exclamation and clenched his fist tightly. As he ran his other hand through his hair, an enigmatic smile appeared on his lips.
The butler, who had been watching the young master with bewilderment, returned the button to Tae-geon when he reached out his hand again.
After fiddling with the button silently for a while, Tae-geon casually asked the butler:
“How did Ian… come to lose his ability to speak?”
The butler, doubting his ears at the strangely suppressed voice, looked at the young master’s face but replied casually, thinking he had misheard, as Tae-geon’s expression seemed normal.
“What do you mean Ian can’t speak?”
At this, the hand rolling the button froze. For a moment, Tae-geon’s expression became strange, but the butler, lost in thought recalling his first meeting with Ian, didn’t notice.
The image of Ian speaking his mind without hesitation came to the butler’s mind. He was a young man who had questioned every detail of the working conditions even during the job interview. And that wasn’t all. He had even negotiated his days off.
For such a person to be unable to speak…. The butler shook his head.
“Ian speaks so well and assertively…”
“……”
“Perhaps he was instructed by other employees not to speak carelessly in front of you, young master. Shall I let them know it’s unnecessary?”
“…No, that’s not necessary. You may go now.”
“Yes. I’ll prepare your meal shortly.”
The butler, finding the young master somewhat different today, tilted his head once in puzzlement before leaving the room.
In the kitchen, Hyeon-woo was preparing Tae-geon’s breakfast when Hak-gyu suddenly appeared and handed him a white paper envelope. Hyeon-woo asked with a puzzled look:
“What’s this?”
“Give this to the young master three times a day, after each meal.”
“Is it medicine? What kind?”
As Hyeon-woo was examining the contents of the envelope, Kwon Hak-gyu’s eyes narrowed at the sound of sniffling.
He had wondered who might have given the young master a cold, and it seemed his suspicions were correct.
As Hyeon-woo took out the contents, a string of paper pouches containing pills came out. Hak-gyu made a mischievous expression as he watched Hyeon-woo tear off one pouch along the perforated line and place it on the trolley.
“It’s cold medicine. The young master has caught a very severe cold.”
“……”
“I wonder who he caught it from.”
Hyeon-woo, who had been sniffling unconsciously, suddenly went quiet at those words. Hak-gyu silently laughed as he watched Hyeon-woo sneaking out of the dining room with the trolley.
“Oh? Ian, you should go too!”
The chef, Scott, hurriedly followed behind.
Tae-geon having a cold…
It must have been from him. Hyeon-woo shook his head vigorously, trying to push away the memories of last night in Tae-geon’s room that were flooding back.
He had thought he left no trace after thoroughly cleaning up, but it seemed he had left Tae-geon with a cold as a parting gift.
Before he knew it, he had arrived in front of Tae-geon’s room. Hyeon-woo’s hesitant hand finally knocked on the door after a long moment.
Knock-.
“Come in.”
Tae-geon’s voice sounded urgent, even before the knock had finished. As soon as Hyeon-woo entered and before he could set all the plates on the table, Tae-geon got off the bed and approached with quick, long strides.
…Was he that hungry?
Hyeon-woo’s hands became hurried along with Tae-geon’s uncharacteristic impatience. After quickly finishing the setup, Hyeon-woo took a step back and bowed his head. The toe of Tae-geon’s slipper entered Hyeon-woo’s downward gaze.
It was strange that he just stood there motionless instead of sitting down. Did he have something to say? Hyeon-woo, who had been hesitating reluctantly, carefully raised his head.
It always took considerable courage to face Tae-geon at such close distance. Even though he knew it wasn’t possible, he felt like everything was being laid bare under Tae-geon’s piercing gaze, making him tense every time.
It was the same now. Hyeon-woo unconsciously swallowed dry at the intense stare.
As always, it was an unfathomable black gaze. Like an abyss from which one could never escape once fallen in.
As Hyeon-woo was mulling over the same thoughts while looking into those eyes, he was suddenly startled. He discovered something like moisture tinged with heat flickering intensely in Tae-geon’s eyes, reminiscent of a fervent longing for a cherished object.
This was the identity of the strange sense of dissonance he had occasionally felt in the gaze directed at him recently. It was clamoring fervently, asserting its presence as if fully awakened from hibernation.
Hyeon-woo hurriedly lowered his head to block that gaze. Then he clasped his two hands together, which had suddenly started trembling for no reason.
His heart was pounding wildly, as if he had seen something he shouldn’t have. Flustered by his own reaction, Hyeon-woo abruptly reached out and tapped the table.
Tap, tap!
It was a urging for Tae-geon to sit down. But it was also a rebuke directed at himself.
I won’t be swayed by anything anymore.
As if reaffirming that resolution, Hyeon-woo tapped the table firmly once more, and only then did Tae-geon, composing his inexplicable gaze, sit down with slow movements.
Hyeon-woo poured lemon water into the glass Tae-geon was holding. Scott, who had been silently watching the standoff between Hyeon-woo and Tae-geon with a curious expression, cleared his throat with a couple of coughs before explaining the dishes. Then, as usual, he left the room after wishing them a good meal, but unexpectedly turned back.
The atmosphere between Ian and the young master was subtle. Scott left the room with a look of curiosity tinged with regret.
The space left with just the two of them felt unbearably awkward today. It would be better if Tae-geon at least started eating, but he seemed to have no intention of picking up his utensils. Hyeon-woo pulled Tae-geon’s hand onto the table and forcibly placed the spoon in it. Even so, Tae-geon still didn’t scoop up any rice, and Hyeon-woo looked at him with a puzzled expression.
The fiery eyes from earlier were gone, and now an unfocused gaze stared blankly into space, as if lost in thought.
Tae-geon’s appearance was unfamiliar and strange. His usual sharp sensitivity, heightened due to his blindness, seemed uncharacteristically dulled today.
He said he was sick… It doesn’t seem to be a lie, does it?
Hyeon-woo forcibly placed the spoon in Tae-geon’s hand once again. However, the spoon slipped out limply and fell onto the table with a metallic clatter.
“…I really can’t eat…”
As Tae-geon slumped down lifelessly and even sniffled, Hyeon-woo’s shoulders twitched.
Unable to free himself from the responsibility of reducing Tae-geon to this state, Hyeon-woo inwardly heaved a deep sigh and picked up Tae-geon’s spoon and chopsticks. Then he tapped them against the side plate, making a clinking sound.
It was the sound he used to make when feeding Tae-geon during the time his arm was injured. Understanding the meaning, Tae-geon immediately straightened his posture and moved closer to the table.
Hyeon-woo scooped up some white rice with the spoon, placed some side dishes on top, and lightly touched it to Tae-geon’s lips.
“Ah.”
Tae-geon promptly opened his mouth.
As if now an experienced recipient, he ate without a trace of shame. Although Hyeon-woo glared at him with narrowed eyes, finding this behavior annoying, he skillfully manipulated the chopsticks and spoon, picking up various side dishes just as he would when feeding the picky Jerome.
The bowl was nearly empty.
“……!”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
