Gutter Chapter 21.1 - Gutter Extra

I felt strange. Every time I stepped onto the carpeted hallway, I had the illusion that my vision was wavering like a sheet of paper. Yeonjo tried his best to keep his mind straight, conscious of the other employees following behind him.

If he could just endure for one more hour, he could leave work. The meeting before leaving work usually ended after just sharing any special notices, so maybe it would not even take a full hour.

The only fortunate thing was that his breathing was not becoming labored and he was not coughing. This meant it was unlikely to lead to a respiratory attack.

“Manager. Are you alright?”

As soon as he entered the employee lounge, Yeonjo’s strength gave out and he leaned against a wall. An employee who had been standing behind him approached and asked.

“Ah, yes. I was just… feeling a little dizzy.”

“I thought your face looked pale since a little while ago…”

Anyway… there is not much work left…, if you are tired… you can… go early… and rest…

The voice of the employee speaking right next to him felt increasingly distant. Barely understanding the words, Yeonjo forced a nod.

Cold sweat formed on his forehead and his stomach began to churn.

Ah, this was the limit. He predicted that after this, his heart would start pounding like crazy and his whole body would go limp.

“Haa, haa. Heok…!”

The problem was that he had not been properly managing his condition recently. He was busy with work, and on the weekends, he always went up to Seoul to spend time with Boss Gu, so he had no time to rest by himself. The time spent alone with him was not difficult, but perhaps the act of traveling between Seoul and the resort every week was too much.

Yeonjo belatedly took out an inhaler from his pocket and put it to his mouth. However, his condition showed little sign of improving. He endured the dizziness and took a step to sit in a chair, but at that moment, his vision flipped completely.

“Manager! Manager!”

Just as he had anticipated, the strength drained from his limbs and he collapsed to the floor. Someone came over and helped Yeonjo up, but his pupils dilated and his vision was suddenly plunged into darkness.

His memory cut off after that.

🚬

When he opened his eyes, he was in a hospital room. He had been vaguely aware of it even before regaining consciousness. The air of a hospital was tiresomely familiar to Yeonjo.

As the blurry image gradually came into focus, his eyes met with Boss Gu’s, who was standing with his arms crossed, looking down at him. Yeonjo silently moved his parched lips and shifted his eyes.

“…”

“…”

The two of them locked gazes for a while without saying anything.

“I told you not to overdo it.”

It was Boss Gu who spoke first. His voice was cracked and raspy, like someone who had not had a sip of water for days, as if he had been standing motionless, leaning against the hospital wall for a very long time.

“Two days and five hours.”

Boss Gu checked his watch for a moment and answered immediately. Yeonjo gave a faint nod. I slept for quite a long time. Two days.

“Anywhere hurt.”

“…No. My body feels refreshed after sleeping for so long.”

At the carefree words he uttered after waking up in two days, Boss Gu stared at Yeonjo as if he was dumbfounded.

But it was true. For several days before he collapsed, his shoulders had been heavy, and at times it was difficult to breathe, as if his chest was being crushed, but now those uncomfortable symptoms had completely disappeared.

Yeonjo glanced around for a moment, then, as expected this time as well, he removed the oxygen mask that had been placed on him. As he did, a slightly suffocating feeling settled on his chest. It was not that he could not breathe without the respirator, but perhaps because of the lung function that had been damaged again by the fire last time, there was always a certain level of discomfort, as if the back of his throat was blocked.

“What did the doctor say was the reason I collapsed this time?”

“Overwork.”

“…”

Yeonjo swallowed a sigh. It was a relief that there was no serious diagnosis. But he felt dejected at the fact that he might have to lie in bed like this for days every time his condition worsened in the future.

“Did you get any calls from the resort while I was asleep?”

Yeonjo asked cautiously, studying Boss Gu’s expression. Boss Gu shook his head.

“The CEO didn’t say anything?”

“I don’t know what’s going on outside. I’ve been here the whole time.”

“…For two whole days?”

Unable to understand what he was saying, Yeonjo asked again.

“So you’re saying I should just go home alone when you’ve collapsed?”

Boss Gu shot back immediately, his voice suppressing his temper. Yeonjo, who had been moving his lips as if to say something, soon found he had nothing to say and turned his head away.

“I guess I really have been overdoing it lately…”

“How many times do I have to tell you not to overdo it. It’s because you even clean up after those useless bastards…”

“Ah, I’m dizzy.”

As his voice started to get louder, Yeonjo wriggled back under the covers. Even though he knew Yeonjo was feigning it, Boss Gu could not ignore the words “I’m dizzy” and shut his mouth, his brow furrowing.

He moved closer to Yeonjo, placed a hand on his forehead, and checked for a fever. Reassured that his temperature was normal, he opened the cap of a water bottle on the nightstand and handed it to Yeonjo.

“Drink some water. I’ll go get the doctor.”

“It’s not that serious.”

Yeonjo grabbed Boss Gu’s arm as he was about to turn away. The man’s eyes, black as obsidian, precariously swept over the pale face.

“Then what do you want me to do.”

“I’m asking you to stay by my side.”

As Yeonjo smiled, crinkling his eyes, Boss Gu’s face crumpled for real this time. Staring down at Yeonjo with a murderous expression, he clenched his jaw tightly, as if frustrated that he could not get any angrier.

“Fuck, you sly fox.”

“There’s nothing you won’t say to your hyung.”

Boss Gu was burning with frustration at Yeonjo’s attitude, acting so nonchalant after collapsing and lying in bed for two days before finally waking up. Not even knowing how his own insides were burning up.

He silently kicked the hospital wall with a thud.

“I’d rather die than be sick, damn it.”

Even as he said that, he did not leave his side, just as Yeonjo had asked.

🚬

In the end, he decided to take a break from work for the time being. The resort’s CEO granted him a leave of absence, with the earnest request that he must come back once his body had recovered.

After being discharged and returning home, Yeonjo was allowed to do nothing but eat and sleep. This was partly because of Boss Gu, who was reacting with excessive sensitivity, and partly because Yeonjo’s recovery was indeed slower than before.

There were repeated incidents where he would be sleeping soundly, only to wake up suddenly in the middle of the night, coughing as if having an attack and throwing up, or a fever that appeared for no reason would not go down for days. Since there were no other treatments he could receive at the hospital besides a prescription for medicine and an oxygen mask anyway, Yeonjo lay limply on the bed like a waterlogged cotton ball, just waiting to get better soon.

While he had been making Boss Gu worry like this for over a week, Yeonjo once again woke up in the middle of the night.

Amidst the complete darkness, he felt a warm body temperature from the space beside him on the bed. The back of his neck, which was resting on Boss Gu’s arm, felt especially toasty. For some reason, that hard arm, which had not a single soft spot, felt endlessly comforting and comfortable to Yeonjo.

“Cha Yeonjo.”

“Huh…?”

Boss Gu called his name, how on earth he had noticed that Yeonjo was awake. He had only opened his eyes, he had not even shifted.

“Why are you awake.”

“Ah, just because? I think I’m a little hungry.”

Yeonjo, who had been barely eating, having no appetite at all for the past while, was feeling hungry for a change.

Before the words “I’m hungry” were even finished, Boss Gu sat up straight in bed like a soldier.

“What do you want to eat.”

As it happened, there was something Yeonjo was craving.

“White porridge.”

“Porridge?”

The white porridge his grandmother used to make for him whenever he was sick. That milky white dish, drizzled with savory sesame oil and simmered to a boil, shimmered before his eyes. However, it did not seem likely that any porridge shops would be open at this hour. As he was thinking about making it himself, Boss Gu completely threw off the covers and got out of bed.

“I’ll make it for you.”

“…You’ll make porridge?”

Yeonjo turned on the lamp, his eyes wide as if he had heard something unbelievable. White porridge was not some grand dish, but Yeonjo had never seen him cook, nor had he ever imagined it.

“You said you wanted to eat it.”

In contrast to Yeonjo’s surprised reaction, Boss Gu spoke with his usual expressionless face.

“Do you know how to make porridge?”

“Isn’t it just putting rice in and boiling it.”

“Well, yes, but.”

“Lie down.”

“No, it’s okay, I can just make it myself…”

“Cha Yeonjo.”

As Yeonjo tried to follow Boss Gu out of the bed, he snapped in a low voice. Even if he ignored the command and went out to the living room, he would probably forcibly bring Yeonjo back to the bedroom. There was no way Boss Gu would tolerate a sick Cha Yeonjo puttering around in the kitchen trying to cook in the middle of the night.

Boss Gu’s hand gently pressed on Yeonjo’s shoulder, pushing him back down onto the bed. He had not pressed hard, but his hand was so large and thick that it felt heavy, as if a rock had been briefly placed there and then removed.

“Wait here.”

He gave the one-sided instruction and then went out to the living room. Left alone, Yeonjo lay there, checked the clock on the wall, and sighed. Having sent his lover out to the living room to make white porridge at 3 in the morning, his mind could not be at ease.

Moreover, he doubted if he could really cook. He has probably turned on a gas stove before, right? He must have lived alone until he started living with me, so maybe he can do the basics.

Gu Muncheon cooking in a kitchen. Cooking. Kitchen. Gu Muncheon. It was a bizarre combination he could not imagine.

Yeonjo covered himself with the blanket and giggled to himself. His temples throbbed, likely due to the lingering fever. Just from that brief movement, his chest started to ache as if he was about to cough again, so Yeonjo quickly grabbed the inhaler from the nightstand, put it in his mouth, and administered the medicine into his throat. After a few deep breaths in and out, the stabbing pain in his chest gradually subsided.

“Huu.”

Yeonjo relaxed his body and lay quietly in bed. All he had done since waking up was exchange a few words with Boss Gu and then inhale his medicine, but sleepiness quickly washed over him.

It did not seem like he would whip up white porridge in a flash, so he decided to sleep a little more. Yeonjo turned off the lamp and slowly closed his eyes.

Crash!

Clang!

A sharp, shattering sound rang out unexpectedly. Yeonjo, who had been lightly dozing, shot up in surprise.

Shit. A low voice muttering the curse faintly drifted through the crack of the door.

“Gu Muncheon?”

Yeonjo hurriedly got out of bed and went to the living room.

“What’s that sound?”

As he approached the kitchen, Boss Gu was standing in front of the gas stove like a scarecrow. He heard Yeonjo’s voice and belatedly turned around and shook his head.

“Don’t come any closer.”

The living room floor was a mess, scattered with a pot, pieces of a broken plate, and spilled water.

“How did this…”

“I’ll clean it up. You might get hurt by the glass, so you stay there.”

He ran a hand through the back of his hair in annoyance, then bent down and picked up the overturned pot first. Looking closely, it seemed he had dropped it while washing rice, as white grains of rice were also splayed across the kitchen floor like mud.

It’s going to take him quite a while to clean all that up by himself. Yeonjo felt sorry for him and turned his gaze to Boss Gu. He was picking up the larger items from the floor quite quickly.

Deciding that he needed a dry rag to wipe the wet floor first, Yeonjo started walking toward the bathroom. As he was thinking whether it would be better to bring a large towel instead of a rag, his wrist was caught.

“I told you not to move, Cha Yeonjo.”

“Ah.”

When did he get here? Yeonjo looked up in surprise at Boss Gu, who was loosely gripping his wrist.

“Are you hurt anywhere.”

He bent down to check if Yeonjo, who was a good distance away from the kitchen, had gotten hurt by any chance.

“I’m not hurt.”

As if he had not heard the answer, he personally turned over Yeonjo’s pale feet one by one and checked them thoroughly. Only then did he seem relieved and, straightening up, Boss Gu pushed Yeonjo toward the bedroom.

“See. I told you I wasn’t hurt.”

“Go stay in the room.”

“Mmm.”

He once again gently pushed Yeonjo inside the bedroom door. The way he consciously tried to hold back his strength whenever he handled him made his insides feel ticklish for some reason. In a way that was subtly different from when he was about to cough.

“Why.”

As Yeonjo kept standing there stubbornly without going into the room, Boss Gu’s expression hardened. Instead of forcibly pushing Yeonjo in, he placed a hand on his round forehead to check for a fever.

“You still have a fever.”

Yeonjo felt his gaze fall on his face and lowered his eyes. He liked his gestures, which were consistently careful, belying his huge frame. Even his tone, which was nothing but blunt and devoid of emotion, felt somehow sweet.

“I’ll just have them buy the porridge and bring it.”

“Good thinking.”

In the end, Boss Gu seemed to have decided that cleaning up the mess he made and making porridge again was impossible within the day. Without a care for the late hour, he took out his phone to call his subordinate.

“White porridge, right?”

He asked while touching Yeonjo’s forehead, which was warm with a slight fever, before ruffling the hair at the crown of his head.

“Yeah.”

“Anything else you need.”

“No.”

Yeonjo shook his head and wrapped his arms around the man’s waist in a hug. As he did, he felt his already firm body tense up even more.

“Cha Yeonjo. I have to let go to make the call.”

“Do you want me to let go?”

At Yeonjo’s childish whining, Boss Gu wrapped his arms around his waist in return. At the same time, the subordinate on the other end of the line answered the phone with a groggy voice.

“Buy a bowl of white porridge and bring it here right now. Send someone to clean up the house too.”

Boss Gu commanded brusquely before the subordinate could even properly ask what was going on. Yeonjo pressed his cheek against his chest and just listened quietly to the phone call.

Not long ago, that unique, toneless, low voice had only been frightening, but now it sounded nothing but sweet. He felt a bit unfamiliar with himself for having such frivolous thoughts while he had been bedridden and sickly for nearly ten days. On top of that, he felt good even while being dizzy. It was clear that his head had gone strange from lying down for too long.

He had felt good when his grandmother took care of him when he had the flu as a teenager, but back then, he felt too guilty to relax and enjoy it like this.

“What’s so funny that you’re grinning like that. Did you finally go crazy after just lying around sick?”

After hanging up the phone, Boss Gu lifted Yeonjo’s chin to make him meet his eyes.

“I think so.”

At Yeonjo’s reply, Boss Gu’s eyes narrowed.

“You don’t like it if I’m crazy?”

“It’s even better if you’re crazy. I can just lock you up in the house.”

“…What would I do if I’m at home all the time.”

“You’d have to only look at me.”

Boss Gu murmured in a dry voice.

This time, it was Yeonjo’s eyes that narrowed. Is he serious? Or is he joking. It was difficult to gauge his intentions from his expression or tone alone. At his answer, which seemed to deviate from common sentiment somewhere, a chill gradually ran down Yeonjo’s spine.

Instinctively pulling his body back, Yeonjo took a step away. Boss Gu obediently released the arm he had wrapped around his waist, letting him escape from his embrace.

When he cautiously glanced up, he saw that the corners of his mouth were lifted in a faint, barely perceptible smile.

🚬

The leave of absence became longer than expected, and accordingly, Boss Gu also seemed to have adjusted his schedule, as the time he spent at home increased significantly.

As time passed, his fever completely went down and his coughing lessened, but that did not mean his condition was particularly good. It might take a good few months for him to fully recover.

Even so, he was noticeably better than when he had first collapsed, yet his worry did not diminish in the slightest. It was standard for him to be reported to about or monitored whenever Yeonjo went out, and he personally checked every single thing Yeonjo did and ate at home. He even stubbornly insisted on following Yeonjo all the way to the door when he went to the bathroom, causing several difficult situations.

At first, it was uncomfortable to have to lie motionlessly at home under his surveillance, but as time passed and he got used to it, it had its own advantages. For one, since he was taking a break from work, his body was not strained, so his mind was at ease. While there was the drawback of rather strict surveillance, being able to see Boss Gu as much as he wanted every day was the best thing of all.

Recently, Boss Gu had been maintaining a pattern of going to work late around 10 in the morning and returning home before 5 in the afternoon. There were times he left in the middle of the night while Yeonjo was asleep, but it was not a common occurrence. Judging by the perpetually miserable faces of the subordinates he occasionally ran into, it seemed they were dealing with the aftermath of Boss Gu working less.

Although they were only apart for about six hours a day, Yeonjo found himself waiting for him to come home from the moment he left for work. It was closer to a feeling of excitement, not the agonizing and frightening feeling he had when he was locked up before.

Boss Gu rarely came home empty-handed when he left work. One day he would buy flowers, and other times he would bring home takeout of food that Yeonjo had mentioned wanting to eat in passing. Besides that, he diligently bought and brought everything from books and daily necessities Yeonjo had requested early on, to small snacks like fruit.

“Does it not taste good?”

Once, while sitting across from each other at the table eating dinner, Yeonjo asked Boss Gu. It was a reasonable question, because no matter what food he ate, he would mechanically put it in his mouth, chew, and swallow, without ever showing any reaction about the taste, such as ‘it’s good’ or ‘it’s not great’. He was like that even when eating food he himself had brought as takeout from a famous restaurant.

“No.”

When Yeonjo asked, observing Boss Gu’s expression intently, a curt reply came back. To have such an impassive reaction while eating such delicious beef hot pot and boiled pork slices. Yeonjo suddenly became curious about Boss Gu’s indifferent thought process.

“Then why are you eating with that expression.”

“What’s wrong with my expression.”

“You don’t look like you’re eating something delicious.”

Boss Gu put down his spoon and chopsticks and stroked his own jaw once.

“Then how am I supposed to eat.”

“What. Did it really not taste good?”

“I’ve never thought about it like that.”

Yeonjo mulled over the words he had just heard for a few seconds, trying to understand them. Does he mean he’s never even thought about whether food is delicious or not? Is that even possible?

“You can feel things like salty, sweet, and sour, can’t you.”

“Yeah.”

“But you still don’t think about whether it’s delicious or not?”

“I eat because it’s necessary. Do I really have to distinguish between things like that.”

“…”

He knew that his sense of taste was naturally dull, even if not to the level of ageusia. But isn’t this pretty serious?

“…Have you been to a hospital?”

“For what.”

“Not being able to taste things well… that’s still an inconvenience, isn’t it.”

“It’s not like I’m going to die.”

Right. Not being able to taste things doesn’t mean you’ll die. But there’s no joy in life. Yeonjo felt quite frustrated by Boss Gu’s dry response.

“I don’t know whether to call this peculiar or not… But usually, people have at least one food they like and one they dislike.”

“Is that so.”

“…”

“It might be because I bit my tongue to fix my speech a long time ago.”

“Ah.”

Yeonjo recalled Boss Gu’s past, which he had heard from Hong Gihyeok before. He had desperately corrected his slurred speech to survive in the organization. By chewing on his own stiff tongue. In that process, it was highly likely that his sense of taste had been severely damaged.

Even though it was a cruel environment where a normal person would have found it difficult to survive, the corners of Hong Gihyeok’s eyes had been consistently curved as he described his desperate past. The thought of Boss Gu having lived through such terrible things made his stomach churn, yet he himself was always indifferent when mentioning his past, as if he were talking about someone else. As if he did not dwell at all on that desperate and painful past.

Perhaps Rags’ sense of taste had become even duller because food was closer to a means of survival for him. It was like that at the orphanage, and after joining the organization, he would have had even less capacity to take care of his meals.

Yeonjo suddenly had the cruel thought that it was a relief Hong Gihyeok had died at Boss Gu’s hands long ago. He did not know how Hong Gihyeok had died, but he only hoped that he had struggled in as much agony as possible before his breath was cut off.

🚬

It was right after he had finished dinner with Boss Gu, who had come home from work early as usual. As soon as he put down his spoon and chopsticks, Yeonjo craved ice cream for dessert.

Is there any ice cream at home? I think I saw the hired help buy some before.

“Where are you going.”

“I’m going to check the fridge.”

As Yeonjo tried to get up from the table, Boss Gu questioned him insistently. In truth, the only places Yeonjo could move to in this house were the bathroom, bedroom, balcony, and kitchen, yet he, as if it was not a bother at all, was curious about his destination every single time.

“If you need something, have someone get it.”

“Is there anything you need, sir?”

The hired help, who was clearing the dishes in the kitchen, approached with a sharp sense.

“Is there ice cream in the freezer?”

“Yes, there is. Shall I get you one?”

“Don’t eat cold things.”

Before she could even ask what flavor he wanted, Boss Gu cut her off.

“Why. One is fine, isn’t it.”

“Eat it when you’re fully recovered.”

“I’m pretty much fully recovered.”

“Not yet.”

Come to think of it, it had been almost a month since he had eaten anything cold. For two weeks after he collapsed, he had no choice but to eat only porridge and soft side dishes that were easy to chew, and even after he started eating comfortably after that, he had never had things like iced drinks. He was not someone who usually enjoyed cold food, but a stubbornness of unknown origin suddenly surged, wanting to eat ice cream right now.

“Um, then the ice cream…”

The hired help looked back and forth between Boss Gu and Yeonjo with a troubled expression.

“I’ll go get it myself.”

“Cha Yeonjo.”

As Yeonjo, who was sitting diagonally, tried to get up from his seat, Boss Gu immediately grabbed his hand and sat him down. Because he had relaxed his hand as much as possible to avoid gripping it too tightly, the area where they touched was loose.

A look of fear appeared in the hired help’s eyes, but Yeonjo was not the least bit afraid of Boss Gu.

“…How about having it next time, if possible?”

“Right. Eat it next time.”

“I’ll just have one.”

“…”

“Or maybe half? Let’s get one out and share it.”

Yeonjo, on the contrary, put strength into the hand that Boss Gu was holding and clasped it tightly. At that, as if flustered, the strength in the large hand completely disappeared. Yeonjo, who barely managed to suppress a laugh, gently shook the rough hand he was holding and met his eyes.

“Huh?”

Yeonjo had long since mastered how to win against the man named Gu Muncheon in these kinds of arguments.

“…”

Seeing the eyes with their neat double eyelids curve softly, Boss Gu’s brow furrowed slightly.

As Yeonjo tapped the top of his foot with the tip of his own under the table, he gently bit his molars, as if swallowing some emotion that was surging up. The twitching of his jaw muscles was noticeable even from the outside.

Boss Gu put strength into their clasped hands and pulled Yeonjo toward him. And he leaned down and kissed Yeonjo’s lips.

“Uum…”

After being cooped up at home, being fed and put to sleep for several weeks, Yeonjo had gained a fair bit of weight and was giving off a sweet scent that one would only find on a young child. His white skin, lips, and mucous membranes, all of it clung to his tongue wherever it touched, as if it would melt and disappear in a thrilling way.

Yeonjo entangled his feet under the table and stretched his neck forward as if begging for a kiss. His panting breaths were so weak and endearing, like a baby bird begging its mother for food. The two of them were completely focused on each other, without a moment’s awareness of the hired help.

Before Yeonjo could run out of breath, Boss Gu pulled his lips away first.

“You could have done more.”

Yeonjo mumbled as if disappointed.

“When you’re fully recovered.”

“Everything is ‘when you’re fully recovered’.”

“Eat ice cream when you’re completely recovered too.”

“I don’t want to.”

Yeonjo was being stubborn, biting his plump lower lip with his front teeth. After watching him for a moment, it was Boss Gu who finally relented first.

“…Then just one.”

Perhaps the answer had been decided from the beginning. As Yeonjo smiled, Boss Gu turned his head to the side. The thick column of his neck was just slightly redder than usual.

Yeonjo, having gotten his way, took a vanilla-flavored ice cream from the freezer, humming a tune as he tore open the wrapper. Boss Gu never got up from his seat until Yeonjo’s meal was completely finished, so the two of them were still sitting together at the table.

When he first offered the ice cream to Boss Gu, asking if he wanted a bite, he shook his head. As Yeonjo bit into the ice cream, a sweet vanilla fragrance filled his mouth. It was cold, which felt good.

It was not just now; Yeonjo’s entire life recently had been like that. The house was filled with the scent of flowers that Boss Gu had brought, and from him, instead of the bitter scent of cigarettes, there was now the smell of lollipops.

The two of them gazed at each other to their hearts’ content, and they would lie side by side in the same bed until late in the morning, lazing around. The moments spent with him were so enjoyable that it made him wonder if it could get any better than this.

This was the first time he had lived such a stable life since becoming an orphan. At some point, Yeonjo found himself satisfied with the comfortable recuperation that Boss Gu provided, to the point that it was hard to believe he had been disappointed about not being able to go to the resort.

🚬

Time flew by, and the day he had to go to the hospital arrived. Regular check-ups were something he had gotten so often that they were no big deal to Yeonjo, but ever since he collapsed at the resort, Boss Gu became even more sensitive on the days he had to visit the hospital.

He woke up early in the morning, fed Yeonjo breakfast, and then immediately put him in the car. His appearance as he drove the car himself was somewhat stiffer than usual. He was usually not the type to show his feelings on his face, but today he looked particularly rigid.

Come to think of it, Boss Gu had skipped breakfast too. When Yeonjo sat at the table, he would usually sit next to him even if he had no appetite, but today he did not come out of the bedroom until Yeonjo had finished his meal.

Yeonjo glanced at Boss Gu’s profile as he held the steering wheel, then turned his gaze out the window. In the distance, the large hospital building began to come into view.

Only after undergoing the same tests he had every time he came, for about two hours, was Yeonjo able to enter the doctor’s office. It was not that his body was tired, but from the moment he set foot in the hospital, he somehow felt drained of energy. He was tired of seeing the downcast faces of the patients wandering the hallways. The test results would not be much different from before anyway.

“I’ll prescribe a generous supply of medication to be prepared for any eventuality. For now, there’s nothing more I can say other than to stick to drug therapy and a regular lifestyle. You must maintain absolute rest in your daily life as well. You must refrain from any activity that makes you short of breath or any strenuous use of your body.”

“Will it get better than it is now as time passes?”

When Yeonjo asked with a calm face, the doctor blinked awkwardly several times and let out a small sigh.

“Well. There are patients who, by some lucky chance, get better by managing their condition well. But that’s a really rare case.”

“…”

“A person’s body is different depending on the environment, genetics, and age. Of course, I’ve seen patients who get worse, and there are cases where they maintain this state. In patient Cha Yeonjo’s case, you’ve been at the scene of a fire twice now…”

The doctor trailed off, hesitating for a moment.

“To put it bluntly, it’s difficult to say that the prognosis is good.”

The doctor avoided Yeonjo’s gaze and turned his head to the lung X-ray displayed on the monitor.

“You’ve certainly improved since you were hospitalized after fainting a while ago, but looking at the state of your lungs, any activity that puts a strain on your body is still off-limits. I don’t think I can promise anything for now. Let’s take our time and watch it for a little longer.”

In short, it meant that it could get much worse from here. Of course, there were cases of dramatic recovery, but the doctor was trying his best to explain in a roundabout way that it was hard to expect such a thing to happen to Yeonjo.

“I understand.”

Yeonjo nodded calmly. After the doctor mechanically explained the points to be careful about, Yeonjo came out of the doctor’s office. A nurse asked him to wait for a moment and returned to the desk.

Boss Gu, who had been standing right behind Yeonjo the entire time he was listening to the doctor’s opinion in the office, said nothing even after they came out into the hallway.

“Let’s go now.”

Yeonjo said to Boss Gu with a smile, but there was no reply. He just stood there stock-still, not moving an inch, like a stone statue.

After watching him for a few seconds, Yeonjo approached Boss Gu and gently took his fingertips. For some reason, he was barehanded today. He knew that he never forgot to wear his gloves when going out, so it was puzzling. As he gently rubbed the back of his hand, where the scars from the burn were dark, he clenched his fist tightly.

“What are you thinking so hard about.”

“…”

“The consultation is all over, so we should go home now.”

“You.”

Before Yeonjo could finish his sentence, Boss Gu opened his mouth. His Adam’s apple bobbed 크게, as if suppressing something.

“Aren’t you upset at all?”

“…”

Not knowing what to say, this time it was Yeonjo who fell silent. It seemed he was not pleased with the check-up results. But from Yeonjo’s perspective, it was the opinion he had expected. Yeonjo had been resigned to the fact that his lung function had been poor his entire life since ‘that day’, and having gone through a fire again in that state, it was absurd for his health to improve.

Because he had no expectation of getting better from the start, there was no particular emotional turmoil at the doctor’s negative diagnosis. But it seemed that was not the case for Boss Gu.

“It’s okay.”

“Don’t you hate me?”

Boss Gu immediately pressed on at his words of reassurance. His question was so unexpected that Yeonjo’s eyes widened.

“You want to kill me. Just say it honestly.”

“…”

“I pushed you into a fiery pit twice and in the end, I’ve made you half a cripple. Tearing me to pieces wouldn’t be enough, would it. Just be honest and throw a punch. Don’t just smile so mindlessly!”

Even as he yelled at Yeonjo like a thunderbolt, Boss Gu had not loosened his grip on their clasped hands in the slightest. Yeonjo took in every detail: his stiff neck, his faintly trembling eyes, the muscles around his mouth twitching, having lost their composure.

He looked angry, and also sad. At a glance, he also looked afraid. Maybe it was all three. It was amazing and yet pitiful that such a variety of emotions could be read from such a bland man.

Yeonjo slowly blinked his eyes. And he held the large man’s hand, which was gripping his so tightly it was cutting off circulation as if afraid he would let go, even more firmly. At that, he faintly heard the sound of Boss Gu taking a deep breath.

How could I stab him with such sharp words when he’s screaming with his whole body not to hate him like this.

“You went into that fiery pit with me both times, so why would I hate you.”

“…Don’t lie.”

“It’s true.”

“You don’t have to force yourself to say nice things. Look at yourself, Cha Yeonjo. Because of me, you’re like this.”

“…”

“Like this…”

Boss Gu could not finish his sentence and clenched his teeth.

Has this guy lived his whole life being deceived? Yeonjo met his eyes, which were staring at him stubbornly.

As a man of such a large build stood menacingly in the middle of the hallway, the people passing by were also slowly moving away. He might look threatening to others, but Yeonjo was not the least bit afraid of him.

Usually, it did not quite register that he was six years younger than him, but at times like this, he thought, a younger guy is a younger guy. Seeing him get all worked up and be strangely stubborn.

“How can I make the baby believe my words…”

Yeonjo tilted his head and muttered as if to himself, and Boss Gu’s eyebrows shot up fiercely.

“You used to believe everything I said in the past.”

“What nonsense are you suddenly…”

Before Boss Gu could finish his sentence, Yeonjo wrapped his arms around his waist.

“…”

“…”

Contrary to his demeanor just a moment ago, which seemed like he would immediately push him away and raise his voice, asking what he was doing, he showed no reaction.

Feeling the warm cheek touching his firm chest, Boss Gu obediently bowed his head. Soon, the tension in his rigid body relaxed, and he buried his face in Yeonjo’s shoulder and let out a long sigh.

“Haa.”

“It will get better with more time.”

Even though he had never once had any hopeful thoughts about his own health, Yeonjo decided to lie for the sake of the man who was leaning against him helplessly.

“What if it doesn’t get better.”

“Then… I guess you’ll have to keep feeding and supporting me.”

Yeonjo mumbled playfully and patted Boss Gu’s back. Even though he was tall enough to cover his entire body, Yeonjo felt that he was endlessly fragile. Is it because he’s still young?

“You smell like the candy that kids eat.”

The more Boss Gu rubbed his forehead on his shoulder, the more a faint, sweet scent spread. He, who had been strictly quitting smoking recently, often had a lollipop in his mouth instead of a cigarette. He was holding one in the car too. At some point, whenever he breathed close by, the smell of fruit candy would faintly waft from him.

“You don’t like it?”

“I like it. You’re like a baby.”

It’s not that he’s like a baby, he actually is a baby… But then again, not a real baby. It was ambiguous to describe it precisely.

Anyone who heard it would be horrified, but Yeonjo still found Boss Gu cute.

“Then I should eat them more often.”

He lifted his head and murmured, looking at Yeonjo. His voice was still dry and his face was blunt, but he seemed to be in a much better mood.

When they returned home after finishing the last lecture, there was a pair of shoes in the shoe rack that he had not seen before. Although it was very rare, Boss Gu’s subordinates did occasionally stop by the house, so Yeonjo entered the living room without thinking much of it.

Sure enough, he could faintly hear the sound of a conversation coming from the direction of the study. Yeonjo tiptoed toward the study, muffling his footsteps.

Through the crack of the open door, he could see Boss Gu sitting in the desk chair, and a subordinate was reporting something in front of him. Judging by the fact that he was still in his suit and wearing gloves, it seemed Boss Gu had not been home for long either. Papers were scattered messily on the desk, and the files the subordinate was holding separately looked quite heavy.

Worried that he might be involved in something dangerous, Yeonjo pressed his ear tightly to the door and eavesdropped. He could not make out the detailed conversation, but he intermittently heard words like business management, metropolitan area redevelopment project, site expansion, resort, construction, and demolition.

It was difficult to accurately predict what Boss Gu was trying to do with just the combination of fragmentary words. Should I consider it a relief that I didn’t hear words like knife, gang fight, or organs? Yeonjo was confused. Moreover, he wondered why the topic of the resort was coming up so out of the blue.

Although he could not know the details because Boss Gu was being thoroughly tight-lipped with Yeonjo about his work or his position within the organization, he had vaguely overheard that the Yongho Group he belonged to mainly managed buildings in downtown areas and collected rent, or made profits by purchasing areas slated for redevelopment. They were also involved in liquor distribution and manufacturing, but that was a very small part of the Yongho Group’s business.

But a resort. It was the first he was hearing of it. Is he suddenly planning to go into the lodging business?

A moment later, as if the conversation was over, the subordinate came out of the study. Yeonjo did not even hide the fact that he had been eavesdropping in front and shamelessly brought his index finger to his lips as if to ask him to be quiet. Fortunately, the subordinate seemed to have understood correctly, bowed his head briefly in greeting, and then went out the front door.

Yeonjo stood in front of the study and continued to spy on Boss Gu. He was flipping through a complicated-looking file of documents and signing them, and that scene was so different from what Yeonjo usually knew of him that it felt very unfamiliar.

He had seen him beat people with a weapon, but this was the first time he had seen him sitting at a desk working. He tried not to work as much as possible at home where he spent time with Yeonjo, so this was also the first time he had brought so many documents. To be honest, he thought it would not suit him, but surprisingly, the sight of him sitting at a desk and flipping through documents suited him well. It was truly a surprising discovery.

Come to think of it, he did not know what changes had occurred in Boss Gu’s work, but recently his work attire had become completely fixed on suits. The regular office workers he saw while attending the academy had loose-fitting suits, but Boss Gu, despite wearing the largest size, boasted a moderately tight fit in various areas like the arms and chest due to his muscles. Because he was so tall, he did not look bulky, and the thick volume of his body exquisitely drew the eye. The broad shoulders that the stiff fabric of the shirt tightly enveloped…

“How long are you going to keep spying.”

It was Boss Gu’s low, soft voice that roused the deeply engrossed Yeonjo. Yeonjo, who had been pressed right next to the study door like a thief, jumped in surprise and swallowed a breath.

“…You knew?”

“From the beginning.”

Boss Gu replied, his gaze still fixed on the documents. Having been caught not just for a moment, but for a good while, Yeonjo cleared his throat, “ahem,” his face turning red.

“What’s with you working at home?”

“I’ve been a bit busy lately.”

Glancing to confirm that Yeonjo had entered the study, he flipped the last page of the thick report. One of his eyebrows was slightly raised, indicating that he did not seem to like this kind of paperwork.

It was new information about the man named Gu Muncheon, so Yeonjo found this situation endlessly interesting.

“Your medicine.”

“I took it earlier.”

“Don’t skip it just because you’re studying.”

“Am I a kid? I won’t forget even if you don’t tell me.”

“What did you decide to eat for dinner.”

“Dinner?”

“You said you were eating with those brats.”

Some of the students were older than Boss Gu, so calling them brats was not quite right. He thought about correcting him, but decided against it, swallowing the words he was about to say, as he probably would not appreciate being contradicted.

Finally having finished checking the contents, he dropped the heavy paper onto the desk as if throwing it and looked at Yeonjo. As if he had been quite stuffy, he undid a couple of the buttons on his shirt that were constricting his neck.

Yeonjo, who had been watching that series of clean-cut movements as if mesmerized, belatedly remembered that he had been asked a question.

“I’m planning to go to that restaurant. The one we went to last time… in the building next to the River Hotel.”

“Absolutely no alcohol.”

It seemed he had made up his mind to allow it. At Boss Gu’s words, the corners of Yeonjo’s mouth lifted slightly.

“Okay. What else shouldn’t I do?”

“You shouldn’t smile so carelessly like that either.”

He pointed out Yeonjo’s overly bright and harmless smile.

“I won’t smile.”

“And don’t let a single fingertip touch another bastard.”

This time, even Yeonjo could not answer right away. That seemed a bit difficult, didn’t it. When you are around people, brushing past them is a common occurrence.

“I’ll try.”

“Trying isn’t enough, Cha Yeonjo.”

When the desired answer did not come, Boss Gu tilted his head and stared intently at Yeonjo. And he beckoned with his finger to Yeonjo, who was still standing near the entrance.

“Come here.”

Even as he approached obediently, Yeonjo was anxious, unable to guess his intentions. Surely, he would not go so far as to suddenly tell him to cancel tomorrow’s appointment, right? From experience, Gu Muncheon’s personality was not that selfish, but you never knew. Sometimes, when his mood soured, he could be stubborn.

“We have to finish what we were doing this morning.”

When Yeonjo came up to Boss Gu, he brought up what he had demanded over the phone earlier in the day. Yeonjo, who had already anticipated it to some extent, bent down obediently. As he knelt in front of Boss Gu, who was sitting in a large leather chair with wheels, and settled himself between his legs, his eyebrows twitched slightly.

“I meant for you to sit on my lap.”

“I can sit below, can’t I?”

Yeonjo retorted, his hands subtly stroking his thighs, which were so hard they were like rocks. And he brought his face close between his crotch.

Recently, he had only been on the receiving end of fellatio; it had been a really long time since he had given one. His throat would be sore and his jaw would ache afterward, but it was still better than penetration. If he were caught by Boss Gu in bed this early, there was a high possibility that he would have to take him until late at night. His plan was to do it with his mouth for a reasonable amount of time in the study, then feign sickness, complaining that his stomach felt bad, and slip away in the middle.

Having thought it through carefully, Yeonjo looked up at Boss Gu from his kneeling position.

“This wasn’t what we were doing this morning.”

Boss Gu said as he pushed back Yeonjo’s hair. The feel of the cold, stiff glove was foreign, and Yeonjo’s shoulders tensed.

“It’s not that you don’t like it, is it?”

“How could I not.”

After a brief hesitation, Yeonjo immediately undid Boss Gu’s belt and buckle. Not only his thighs, but his abs and pelvis were all as hard and thick as plaster. His skeletal structure was different from a normal person’s, so he would still flinch every time he touched him with his own hands.

“Ah, how am I supposed to pull down his pants like this…”

It would have been nice if he had lifted his body slightly, but Boss Gu was being quite uncooperative. After unbuckling and unzipping, he could not pull the pants down any further and they got stuck at an awkward point.

“Figure it out yourself. You’re good at doing things by yourself, aren’t you.”

Boss Gu said something annoying to the grumbling Yeonjo. Fortunately, he spread his legs a bit wider, so he was able to pull the pants down to about the middle of his thighs. Yeonjo, who had given up on taking them all the way off, pressed his body closer between Boss Gu’s crotch and got into position.

The outline of his penis, which was beginning to harden, was clearly visible inside the gray boxer briefs. Even though it was not fully erect yet, the volume of the penis, tucked to the right, was considerable. He already felt like he was running out of breath.

Yeonjo, with a somewhat nervous expression, stared intently into the boxer briefs, then first lowered his head and nudged the thick thing with the tip of his nose.

“Hnngh…”

As he rubbed his nose against it more lingeringly and let out a long sigh, the volume of the penis could be seen growing with the naked eye. When he slyly lifted his head to check, there was no particular change in Boss Gu’s expression.

His lower half was getting more and more excited, but his face was so utterly dry that it strangely hurt his pride.

Yeonjo deliberately, as if to show him, rubbed his white cheek against the bulging boxer briefs. And he slowly slid his cheek, the tip of his nose, and then his lips in that order, rubbing his slender face against his crotch.

“Hoo.”

Boss Gu’s short exclamation, who had been watching all of this without missing a thing, scattered over the top of Yeonjo’s head.

Instead of parting the middle of the boxer briefs and taking out the penis as he usually did, Yeonjo leisurely stimulated the penis all over, pecking at it with his lips, chin, and nose.

He had not even repeated the tantalizing act a few times, but the penis was already fully erect and swollen hard. Yeonjo, who was gently rubbing the shaft, which had formed a thick and long shape inside the tight boxer briefs, with the surface of his soft lips, soon brought his face closer to the groin area.

Because the size of the shaft had grown excessively, the tip of the glans had pushed through the fabric of the boxer briefs and popped out toward the right thigh. Yeonjo stuck out his tongue and licked the tip that was sticking out. At that, Boss Gu’s thigh twitched in response.

“I never taught you this kind of thing, which son of a bitch did you learn it from.”

At Yeonjo’s skillfulness, Boss Gu could not contain his anger and growled. Yeonjo, thinking that it was better for him to be jealous than to be looking down with an expressionless face like before, barely swallowed a laugh.

Thinking that talking back would only provoke his anger, Yeonjo quietly bit the glans with his teeth and gently pulled the penis out. It had not even been pulled out through the center opening that men’s underwear usually has, yet more than half of the penis had popped out to the side of the thigh. It was truly an enormous size.

After a moment’s hesitation, Yeonjo carefully rubbed the surface of the half-exposed penis with his lips. He could not put it completely in his mouth as it was pressed against the thigh, but he made do by rubbing the side with his tongue and lips to stimulate it, and he could feel the veins throbbing against his tongue. Yeonjo scratched the part where the frenulum and the glans connected, as if tickling it with his teeth, and then licked it with his lips so wetly that it made a smacking sound.

“Hoo-euh, shibal.”

Boss Gu muttered a curse. The hand gripping Yeonjo’s hair also began to tighten. Worried that he would tell him not to go to the academy tomorrow, let alone have a meal, Yeonjo hurriedly pulled down the boxer briefs before he could get genuinely angry. When he took out the penis that had been tucked against his right thigh with his hand, the huge thing revealed itself with a thud, as if bouncing out.

The penis, with thick veins raised here and there, was so thick and bumpy that it was difficult to grasp with one hand. Yeonjo swallowed his dry saliva once and then slowly took the penis in, starting from the tip.

Because it had been so long, his jaw ached as he forced his mouth open. It was so overwhelming that he suspected it might have gotten bigger than he remembered. Tears were already welling up at the corners of his eyes. Yeonjo held his breath, which was being cut off, and for now, took the penis in as deeply as he could. As he swallowed it slowly inward without rushing, his tightly closed throat gradually softened and opened.

Boss Gu’s prickly black pubic hair came so close that it almost touched the tip of his nose.

“Euh, heut-euh… haah.”

Losing his breath in the middle, Yeonjo let out a gasp and spat out the shaft. Because he had taken it in quite deeply, the surface of the shaft was quite wet. Yeonjo stroked the shaft up and down with his white, smooth hands, and this time, he stuck out his tongue and gently licked from the root to the glans. And he looked up at Boss Gu, who was staring at him intently, and gave him a flirtatious eye-smile. It was the face of someone who knew exactly how his actions would be perceived by the other person. Yeonjo, who had licked up to the tip of the glans with his tongue while their eyes were met, then gave a peck on the urethra. At Yeonjo’s audacious provocation, Boss Gu clenched his jaw tightly.

“Where do you think you’re wagging your tail.”

He murmured menacingly, pressing Yeonjo’s plump lips with his thumb. A cracked, metallic sound came from his voice, which was low with excitement.

Yeonjo closed his eyes and waited quietly as the thumb kneaded his lower lip this way and that. Since he was wearing gloves, the distinct stuffy smell of leather tickled the tip of his nose. Yeonjo tilted his head and rubbed his face against Boss Gu’s large palm, acting cute as if asking to be touched more.

“I only do this for you…”

“Of course you should only do this for me.”

As if quite satisfied with Yeonjo’s answer, he tapped his pale cheek. His hair, which had been moved around by his head movements, was tickling his eyes. Boss Gu, who was watching Yeonjo squint, pushed back his disheveled hair. And he grabbed the back of his round head and pressed it firmly toward his crotch. It was a signal to use his mouth again quickly.

As requested, Yeonjo opened his lips and took Boss Gu’s penis in his mouth completely. This time, he immediately moved his head back and forth diligently. Perhaps because he had gotten used to it, it felt much easier than before.

A transparent, shiny trace was left on the surface of the shaft that had been in and out of his mouth. Yeonjo moved his slender face this way and that, rubbing the large penis against the inside of his cheeks and all over the roof of his mouth. Every time Yeonjo’s plump lips, which were beautiful to look at, moved squirmingly, lewd sounds of sucking and slurping echoed.

“Haah, shibal… hoo-euh-euh.”

The more the penis rubbed lingeringly against the wet and bumpy mucous membrane, the more Boss Gu furrowed his brow and let out rough breaths. The inside of the mouth that held the penis was neither too tight nor too loose. The hot, wet tongue and mucous membrane clung subtly, sucking on the penis with smacking sounds. It was closer to the feeling of serving by giving moderate stimulation, rather than rushing him to cum quickly.

He stroked Yeonjo’s hair, which had fallen back down while he was diligently sucking his penis, and stared at his flawless face. A blush had bloomed on his cheeks, which had been as pale as wax. The way he was moving his head, holding the penis with difficulty, was so lewd it made him frown.

Even this was enough to make him feel like he was melting, but Yeonjo went further, opening his throat and swallowing the penis completely, all the way to the root.

“Eut, eung… hoo-eung.”

The throat was tight and hot in a different way from below. And it got narrower the further in it went. The wet flesh clung tightly to the shaft, squeezing out the semen. Yeonjo’s lips, which were holding the root, also moved squirmingly, applying pressure with stimulation without any gaps.

“Cha Yeonjo. Breathe.”

Seeing tears form at the corners of Yeonjo’s eyes, Boss Gu gently tugged at the hair he was holding. Only then did Yeonjo, who had been holding the penis, spit it out and gasp for breath.

“Haah, haa-aah. …ha.”

“That’s enough, it’s enough, so stop now.”

“Eung…”

Yeonjo shook his head and, being stubborn, buried his head in Boss Gu’s crotch again. Instead of swallowing the penis as deeply as before, he turned his head to the side and pecked at the erect shaft with his lips. Every time he did that, his long, fluttering eyelashes touched the side of the glans. Boss Gu frowned at the ticklish sensation.

As if he had already predicted the irritated and teased reaction, Yeonjo gently licked from the root to the glans with his tongue and then thoroughly rubbed the entire surface.

“Haeut, oo-eung.”

Perhaps it was just his imagination, but it seemed to have gotten bigger than before. His tightly parted lips were now starting to hurt. After caressing it a few more times as if tickling it, Yeonjo opened his mouth again, swallowed the penis, and squeezed his lips with an exquisite strength. At that, Boss Gu’s curse-laced exclamation burst out from above his head. It was clear that he was more excited than ever. The shaft, which was harder than ever before, throbbed and pulsed on its own, and it was transmitted without filter through the mucous membrane of his mouth.

“Hoo-eum…, eup.”

Yeonjo pushed himself a little further and put the penis deep into his throat, so much so that his nose completely touched the crotch. As his airway was momentarily blocked, the throat holding the penis contracted and squirmed. At the ecstatic pressure, Boss Gu’s grip on Yeonjo’s hair tightened.

Yeonjo moved his head without delay. A much wetter, sloppier sound constantly echoed from around his mouth. Saliva that he could not swallow completely flowed down and fell onto Boss Gu’s crotch and the study floor.

At that moment, Boss Gu’s thigh, which he was supporting himself with, tensed up hard. He thrust his hips up slightly and at the same time, pressed the back of Yeonjo’s head deep into his crotch.

“Keut!”

“Hoo-eung…!”

As soon as he thrust the penis into the deepest part of his throat, Boss Gu came. As the hot liquid went straight down his throat without passing over his tongue, Yeonjo swallowed it all in gulps without a moment to spit it out.

“Hoo-woo, haa-aah.”

Slowly spitting the penis out of his mouth, Yeonjo rubbed his wet mouth with his hand. Heat rushed to his face, making it hot.

Looking at Boss Gu with a sidelong glance while still on his knees, he was looking down at Yeonjo with a mysterious look in his eyes, a suitable mix of pleasure and displeasure. Since he had always been fussy about the fact that he was overly skilled at fellatio, Yeonjo struck first before he could explode with jealousy.

“My jaw hurts from doing it after such a long time…”

When he feigned soreness, resting his chin on Boss Gu’s knee, fortunately, it seemed he was not going to get angry, as the sound of him taking a deep breath and exhaling echoed loudly.

Yeonjo rubbed his cheek against the inside of the thick thigh and cleaned the remaining semen on Boss Gu’s glans with his tongue. As he put it in his mouth and licked the shaft clean to clear the residue, the penis, which had not lost any of its strength, twitched on its own.

Worried that he might take him to the bedroom and pounce on him just like that, he deliberately ignored the hard penis, which had not diminished in the slightest with one round, and carefully tucked it into his underwear and pants. So that he would not even think about taking it out again today.

The next day.

“Wow.”

“Uh, um… Is the price here, okay?”

“This is pretty much a scam.”

The mock exam, which started at 9 in the morning, ended at 4 in the afternoon. As promised, the students who had gathered at the fusion restaurant that Yeonjo had successfully booked froze as soon as they received the menu. The prices were several times different from what was listed on the online menu.

They had expected it to be more expensive than a regular restaurant since it was run by a famous chef, but it was not at a level that students attending an academy, not office workers, could afford.

“Isn’t it too different from the price listed online?”

“Shouldn’t we just leave now…”

Everyone looked at each other with troubled faces. Yeonjo, who was the one who recommended this restaurant, was just as flustered. He had never had a reason to look at the prices when he came with Boss Gu, and judging by the interior and the exterior of the building alone, it had not looked this expensive.

“I guess the price listed online was for appetizers like salads.”

“Even so, this isn’t right.”

The students were already getting up from their seats and gathering their bags. It was an awkward situation to go to another place now, so Yeonjo stopped them.

“I’ll pay. If it’s okay, let’s just eat here.”

“Huh? Why would you, hyung? It’s not a small amount of money.”

“Exactly. It’s too shameless to be treated to this.”

“It’s okay, so just sit down for now. I was the one who suggested coming here first, and… I didn’t know it was this expensive since it’s my first time seeing the prices too. I’m sorry, so I’ll treat you this time.”

“Hyung, still…”

“You don’t hate it, do you? What do you want to eat? Choose comfortably.”

Without giving the students a chance to say anything, Yeonjo cut them off and reopened the menu he had closed. Since there were kids much younger than him, he felt it would be more comfortable for him to treat them.

I can just use Boss Gu’s card anyway. He, in truth, did not care in the slightest how much money Yeonjo spent or where. He had already gotten permission in advance to eat with the academy students, so this much should be fine.

Having made a quick decision, Yeonjo recommended a menu.

“The course is much better here than ordering a la carte.”

“A course…?”

“Oh, then I’ll have the B course.”

Park Ingyu, who had been sitting silently with a sullen face until now, was the first to choose a menu. He was usually a thorn in his side, but this was the first time his grumbling attitude was so welcome.

“Okay. Then one B course, and what else? Eunbin?”

“Uh, uh, I’ll have…”

Thanks to Park Ingyu, the other students who had been hesitating also began to choose their courses one by one. A short while later, a staff member came into the room and took their orders, and drinks, pre-meal bread, and salad soon began to come out.

Yeonjo was surprised, realizing anew how tamed he had become within the fence that Boss Gu had set up. Just as one does not notice their clothes getting wet in a light rain, he had become so accustomed to the comfort he provided that the time when even getting one meal was a struggle felt faint. To think he had visited a place like this every time without even knowing the prices.

“Did everyone do well on the test?”

“No way.”

“I bombed it. Wasn’t it super hard this time?”

As the stiff atmosphere loosened, the students began to complain about the difficulty of the mock exam they had taken today.

“I have to get a certificate after the GED is over, I’m going crazy.”

“No, wasn’t the math crazy? I lost my mind from the second period and couldn’t concentrate at all.”

“I think I just failed. Ooh. But this bread is delicious?”

“It’s a mock exam, though. We just have to study hard until the real test day, I guess.”

“But Yeonjo oppa. Why is your lip split?”

Yeonjo, who had been just listening quietly, was startled by Ha Eunbin’s question and raised his head.

“Huh?”

“No, your left lip is split. It was fine yesterday.”

“Ha Eunbin. Don’t look at Yeonjo hyung’s face so blatantly.”

“What are you talking about! I was just curious.”

“Right. I’m sure you were.”

“Ah, what’s with Kim Jaemin’s tone, seriously. You wanna die?”

“Hey, hey. You’re going to hit someone at this rate. It’s a joke, a joke. Anyway, so, hyung. Why is your lip split? Did you get in a fight?”

Kim Jaemin, with a face full of mischief, also joined in, taking an interest in Yeonjo’s lip. Ha Eunbin, who was hurt by Kim Jaemin’s ridicule, her face flushed red, gulped down her drink.

“Ah, this…”

Yeonjo fiddled with his lip, which was more swollen than usual, with his index finger. He could not very well say that his lip split while giving his lover at home fellatio after a long time. Yeonjo erased the vivid scene from yesterday that was cloudily floating in his mind and looked for an excuse.

“The house is dry, so it got a little chapped.”

After saying it, he felt anxious, wondering if the excuse was too poor. Can your lips get this chapped just from being dry?

Yeonjo tried his best to hide his nervous expression and observed Kim Jaemin and Ha Eunbin’s reactions.

“Really? Oppa’s skin must be super sensitive.”

“Hyung, do you get told your lips look like a woman’s often? I’ve been thinking about it for a while, but they’re shiny as if you’ve put something on them… Is that why Ha Eunbin likes you.”

“Ah, crazy. Are you going to keep talking nonsense?”

“Stop fighting, you guys. Why are you being so embarrassing while being treated to something expensive by Yeonjo-ssi?”

“You’re not kids either. Tsk tsk.”

Fortunately, Yeonjo’s lie was quickly buried in the continuing conversation without any particular suspicion. Yeonjo felt relieved and ate the pre-meal bread along with the other students.