Desires Chapter 5.2 - Provocations

“I’m so happy these days. I feel like I can finally forget all the hardships and live well.”

The face of his sister-in-law, holding a noticeably grown Yooni in her arms, bloomed brightly. On the cozy living room sofa bathed in sunlight, she showed Song Yeongin a heartfelt, joyful smile she had never revealed before.

Through the living room window, families holding hands and out for a stroll could be seen in the distance. A warm view overlooking the memorial park. A cozy home anyone would dream of. In a place so warm with sunlight, it felt like even a sense of ease that never existed before might emerge.

“Young master, thank you so much for letting Yooni and me live here.”

Cha Woojin had accomplished what Song Yeongin could never have done, no matter how hard he tried. In that moldy, drafty single room where the wind cut through, Song Yeongin could never have seen such a will to live. But through her, in this comfortable home Cha Woojin had provided, he was witnessing it.

“I’m going to live diligently. I’ll raise Yooni well. I’ll make him a fine person. For the first time, I feel like I have dreams.”

“That’s a relief…”

“Living in this house, I feel like I want to live again. The big mart is so close, so convenient, and when I go for a walk in the park out front on sunny days, you can’t imagine how much Yooni loves it. It feels like I can breathe.”

She chattered on proudly, and Song Yeongin gave a faint smile. He genuinely thought it was a relief, but he couldn’t erase the dark shadow in a corner of his heart.

If his relationship with Cha Woojin ended, it would mean the end of his sister-in-law and her son living in this house. So, he needed to urge her to prepare herself mentally. He had to be ready for the day Cha Woojin’s feelings might change overnight. Staying in this house for free, without even paying proper rent, was already embarrassing and shameless enough.

“Sister-in-law, we can’t keep living in this house forever… When the owner returns to Korea, we’ll have to leave.”

A miserable shadow instantly fell over her face. Sookyung, his sister-in-law, was only twenty-five, just one year older than him, his own age. Seeing her emotions so plainly on her face was heartbreaking.

“Even if that happens, even if it’s not like this place, I’ll make sure to find a good house for you…”

“You said you know the owner well, young master. Couldn’t you ask them to let us stay a bit longer?”

“…….”

“After my husband died suddenly in an accident… Couldn’t we plead our case, saying how pitiful and hard it is for us?”

“…….”

“Young master, I want to keep living here.”

Song Yeongin couldn’t continue speaking. Her shameless plea was so desperate. He knew that having tasted something sweet, even briefly, made the loss feel even greater than never knowing it at all. Because he understood her feelings, he couldn’t say more.

If he had never known Cha Woojin… Would that have been better for Song Yeongin?

He should have ignored the longing that had sprouted within him from the start. He should have given up, knowing it could never be his, and not coveted it.

Why had he deceived himself into thinking it would be okay? Being so used to loss and misfortune, he thought he’d be fine. He really believed that.

🌫️

During break times, Song Yeongin searched Laqueuer thoroughly. No matter how meticulously he looked, he couldn’t find his mother’s four-leaf clover that had been in the small cloth pouch. It wasn’t as if it had legs, so where could it have gone?

Startled by a sudden touch on his shoulder from behind, Song Yeongin turned around.

“Still looking for that?”

Na Hangyeol, tall and beaming with his characteristic innocent smile, was grinning at him. Song Yeongin, slowly blinking his neat eyes, hesitated before answering.

“Yeah… It’s really important to me…”

“What is it, anyway?”

After a brief pause, Song Yeongin finally answered.

“My mother’s… keepsake.”

Na Hangyeol fell silent at Song Yeongin’s response.

It was break time. Even though it was lunchtime for the staff, Song Yeongin wasn’t eating, instead scouring the vast Laqueuer building with his nose to the floor.

“Let’s eat together.”

“I’m not in the mood.”

At that, Na Hangyeol grabbed Song Yeongin’s wrist without hesitation.

“Come on. You’re so skinny because you don’t eat. Your already small face is about to disappear. You’ve got to work hard until night… Eat first, then search. I’ll help you.”

From a distance, Jang Haesung, watching the two, strode toward them menacingly.

Song Yeongin tried to quickly pull his wrist away from Na Hangyeol, but Na Hangyeol didn’t let go easily. His clear, resolute voice echoed distinctly through the arched stone corridor.

“Hangyeol, I’m sorry, but… could you not touch me so casually?”

“Oh… Sorry.”

As Na Hangyeol let go, Jang Haesung shouted.

“Take your hands off Mr. Song Yeongin!”

Jang Haesung was intimidating just by his sheer size, and his presence was unmistakably rough and threatening. The towering, rock-like Jang Haesung took a step toward Na Hangyeol. Na Hangyeol looked at him, startled.

Jang Haesung glared at Na Hangyeol and spoke sternly in a low voice.

“Is there a problem?”

Song Yeongin calmly responded to Jang Haesung.

“It’s nothing.”

Na Hangyeol, visibly flustered, asked Song Yeongin.

“Hey… Is that guy your watchdog?! Did that man put him on you?! The real boss?”

Na Hangyeol was the type to speak his thoughts without a filter. Few would dare voice such thoughts aloud.

But because of that very trait, Song Yeongin found himself slightly reassured by him. He thought Na Hangyeol was the complete opposite of those who hid their true intentions behind sly facades.

Song Yeongin didn’t respond to Na Hangyeol. He started walking again, looking at the floor.

He had to find it. He didn’t know why he felt this way, but if he didn’t find that insignificant four-leaf clover his mother left behind, it felt like even the last shred of hope and tiny bit of luck left at the end of his tragic fate would vanish.

Did his mother, until the moment of her death, carefully preserve that tiny blade of grass in a laminated pouch with such a heart? Unfortunate people stake their lives on a sliver of hope and a small piece of luck rather than an unattainable, unrealistic happiness. His mother’s small, humble four-leaf clover was just like her life.

🌫️

The luxurious exiled life in the penthouse was starting again.

As Cha Woojin had said, he was once again swamped with work, too busy to catch his breath. It was a very familiar pattern. One day, out of the blue, he’d return, hold Song Yeongin, and roll around with him all day, releasing himself like a lightning storm through the night. Then, as if by magic, he’d disappear again into his busy days. He’d hop on a private jet and travel the world at all hours.

During those times, Cha Woojin never sent a single message, and Song Yeongin never dared to contact the busy man. The repetition of this strange pattern felt like the long history of their relationship, starting from Jimil.

It felt like a distant past when Cha Woojin had mingled with him on Mohuido, their island, holding him all day.

The last thing Song Yeongin remembered was an outdoor hot spring bath with him on that island, gazing at the cold winter sea.

In the vast outdoor bath built with volcanic stones, under the pouring sunlight, he looked down at the deep blue sea stretching to the horizon.

His head and shoulders were exposed to the cold sea breeze, while his lower body was submerged in warm hot spring water, making his whole body languid.

Song Yeongin hated him.

He didn’t look at the cruel Cha Woojin. Ignoring him, saying nothing, he only stared at the sea. And Cha Woojin kept staring only at Song Yeongin.

Song Yeongin let Cha Woojin kiss him. In the hot water, Cha Woojin, with his firm, provocative body pulsing with blood after exercise, groped and embraced him. The man, sweating and exhilarated from intense exercise, was in a state of extreme arousal.

A large, long hand kneaded the soft inside of Song Yeongin’s thighs. He groped his slick chest. He gazed with satisfaction at the body, bruised and battered from being sucked all night. Song Yeongin let him, like a madman, lick his red, swollen nipples that had been sucked raw all night. Staring at the sea’s horizon, Song Yeongin closed his eyes and thought.

‘This might be our last trip together.’

Back at the penthouse, he endlessly pondered whether he should continue living there like this. Then, Song Yeongin suddenly had a thought. What if he just thought of this house as one without that man from the start?

Even if he returned to a cramped rooftop room now, it would only trouble Jang Haesung. If he was no longer needed, he’d naturally be sent out of this house. There was no need to beg or struggle to end it first.

Before falling asleep, the phone on his bedside vibrated. Hoping against hope, he checked the screen, and it was Na Hangyeol’s name.

He was dumbfounded for expecting it might be Cha Woojin. It couldn’t be that cruel, heartless man.

Song Yeongin didn’t answer the persistently ringing phone. He didn’t want to talk to anyone right now.

After the vibrations continued, a text arrived. The sender was still Na Hangyeol.

「Please confirm, is this what you were looking for?」

Attached to the text was a photo of a small embroidered cloth pouch and a neatly laminated four-leaf clover. It was his mother’s. Another message arrived.

「So, answer my call now.」

The phone rang again insistently. Song Yeongin finally pressed the call button.

— Yeongin, is that it?

“Yeah, that’s it! Where did you find it?”

— I kept searching until closing time today. Finally found it. In the supply closet.

In the supply closet where Cha Woojin had dragged him… That must have been it. When he tried to force himself on Song Yeongin, it must have fallen out as he struggled with all his might.

“Why did you stay so late… I’m sorry.”

— If you hadn’t said it was your mother’s keepsake… I wouldn’t have looked this hard. But so what?! I found it, right? Don’t say sorry—say thank you.

“Hangyeol, thank you… Really, thank you…! I’ll definitely repay this favor.”

— Hearing that makes staying late worth it. You better repay me, okay?

“Sorry. Because of me…”

— What, man? What’s there to be sorry about between friends? Hey! Does this mean you’re finally accepting me as a friend? I thought I was the only one thinking we’re friends.

Song Yeongin thought his instincts weren’t wrong. Unguarded, innocent, honest, the same front and back—Na Hangyeol was that kind of person. Blunt, but only because he couldn’t be pretentious or hypocritical, incapable of malicious gossip.

— Song Yeongin, say something… Man, making friends with you is tough.

“Yeah, okay… Let’s be friends.”

Song Yeongin decided to accept Na Hangyeol as a friend. For the first time since school, he had a friend.

— By the way, what’s written on this clover? Looks handwritten. The writing… It’s really pretty.

“…….”

— “I know you”?

It was a verse from the Book of Revelation.

What Song Yeongin had been desperately searching for was his mother’s one and only talisman, a laminated four-leaf clover with her beautiful handwriting carefully inscribed.

A woman, the loneliest in the world, unrecognized by anyone… As if she always needed those words, unable to hear or speak.

Now, Song Yeongin desperately needed that one phrase inscribed there. That’s why he had to search so urgently.

“I know you.”

“I know you.”

🌫️

Song Yeongin was in a light sleep. He thought it was a dream. Someone caressed his cheek. The hand brushing his soft hair was cold and rough. He didn’t mind the cool sensation.

A long, large hand slid along the corner of his eye, grazing his full lips as they exhaled. Then it brushed back Song Yeongin’s hair and kissed his forehead with a ‘smack…!’ At that vivid sensation, Song Yeongin barely opened his heavy eyes.

He relied on the faint auxiliary light in the darkness. A dim glow to avoid disturbing sleep. The man was looking at him from a breath’s distance.

Cha Woojin lay beside him, quietly gazing at him.

The man’s handsome, refined face looked unusually tired today. It felt like an illusion that the always nonchalant man’s face seemed deeply melancholic. His eyes were wet with quiet sorrow, as if he’d just been caught in the dawn rain.

The man, with his tie loosened down to his chest, was still in his shirt, unchanged and unstripped.

Song Yeongin slowly blinked his neat eyes, barely open. His long eyelashes trembled. At that refined gaze, the man’s long eyes curved gently.

“…What… time is it?”

His sleepy, hoarse voice flowed from his red lips.

“Two in the morning.”

“Why… are you here like this?”

“You were sleeping so soundly, I didn’t want to wake you. I was just going to look for a bit and leave…”

“…….”

“You look like an angel when you sleep… I couldn’t help but touch you.”

Cha Woojin lay beside Song Yeongin. The man slowly pressed his large body closer, extending his thick upper arm behind Song Yeongin’s neck.

He gave Song Yeongin an arm pillow. The muscular, firm arm touched the back of his neck. The feel of the crisp shirt against his nape wasn’t unpleasant. Their breaths filled the quiet bedroom with a delicate stillness.

Cha Woojin, staring only at Song Yeongin’s red lips, leaned in and sucked on his full philtrum and upper lip. He embraced his slender back, caressing his long neck and collarbone with the other hand. The man’s skilled tongue slipped in gently, as if waking him.

He knew Cha Woojin was good at kissing. It started soft and dense, then churned everything into chaos, leaving no room for thought. The ‘slurp, slurp’ sounds were embarrassing. The blatant sound of sucking on tongue and mucosa echoed in the quiet bedroom. As Song Yeongin swallowed the man’s saliva, Cha Woojin gently caressed his slender neck, which moved prettily.

The man’s lower body, pressed against Song Yeongin’s abdomen, was heavily aroused. His intentions, digging into Song Yeongin’s groin, were blatantly impure. Cha Woojin took Song Yeongin’s idle hand and placed it on his suit pants, making him grip the throbbing, heavy organ.

“Touch me.”

Unlike his soft tone, the man began to press him relentlessly. Overwhelmed by the intense, dense kisses, Song Yeongin panted, clinging tightly to his neck and burying his small face to calm him.

His slender nose and full lips, panting from exertion, buried into the man’s crisp shirt collar at his nape. Song Yeongin loved burying his face there.

Cha Woojin’s scent was pleasant. Just feeling his cool, crisp scent made Song Yeongin’s heart tremble faintly. His nape was where that unique, cold scent was strongest. As Song Yeongin buried his slender nose there, he froze.

He suddenly stiffened. A foreign scent, unmistakably not the man’s, hit膨

System: The scent of a woman.

It was the smell of a woman’s skin and cosmetics, a smell that never came from this man.

Song Yeongin, panting heavily, quickly turned his head away in embarrassment. He immediately pushed against the man’s firm chest.

Caught off guard by the sudden resistance, Cha Woojin instinctively tensed his sharp frame and pinned Song Yeongin beneath him.

Cha Woojin pulled Song Yeongin’s silky T-shirt up to his neck. With shameless, nonchalant eyes, he stared at the exposed bare chest under the dim light.

The flat chest was strangely provocative. The red nipples stood erect like fruit, and Cha Woojin slowly ran his fingers over the pale areolas and nipples. Then, he buried his sharp, refined nose into Song Yeongin’s chest, eagerly sucking on it with his tongue.

“Wait, no… I don’t want to… Ugh…!”

The man, with his face buried in Song Yeongin’s chest, ignored his resistance, greedily caressing and lavishing his tongue on him.

“Ha, ugh…! Stop…! I don’t want to do this… I don’t want to…! I’m not doing it.”

His cold resistance grew fierce and intense.

He couldn’t say it wasn’t true. The reason for Song Yeongin’s resistance was singular: the unfamiliar scent of a woman’s skin and cosmetics on his body and shirt.

Cha Woojin raised his head, his taut back muscles flexing sharply. His broad, firm chest heaved with rough breaths beneath his tightly fitted shirt.

“Haa…”

Cha Woojin let out a long sigh. His lascivious gaze, clouded with lust, looked down at him.

“Tell me. Didn’t you miss me?”

Song Yeongin fiercely pushed back against the man, who was persistently biting at his slender neck, leaving red marks.

Song Yeongin didn’t bother explaining his rejection. It felt too pathetic to admit.

Was he going to throw a tantrum out of jealousy?

Song Yeongin coldly pulled down the thin T-shirt that had been yanked up to his chest to stop him. Cha Woojin grabbed Song Yeongin’s hand, preventing him from pulling it down, and caressed his smooth, pale chest again.

“Beautiful. Show me. Your skin here… is soft like a baby’s.”

“Get off. I don’t want to do this! I’m not doing it…”

Cha Woojin whispered softly, as if soothing a child.

“Haa, be good… Stop being stubborn, okay?”

Panting heavily, Song Yeongin resisted with all his strength.

Even as the man teased his areolas and nipples with his fingertips, the red buds stood erect like a lie. Until this man lewdly sucked on them, Song Yeongin didn’t even know his nipples could swell so red and stiff.

His body must be crazy.

“I don’t want to stay here… in this house.”

“…….”

“Is this all I am to you?! Someone you keep here to satisfy your needs whenever you want?!”

He didn’t know what Cha Woojin had been up to, but coming in reeking of a woman’s skin and cosmetics and holding him like this was utterly sordid.

‘Soothe Hwayeon a bit…! Do you want her marriage prospects ruined?!’

Why did Shin Hwayeon come to mind at that moment?

His sister’s plea to soothe Hwayeon suddenly flashed in his mind. Haa! Maybe he went and soothed her with his body.

Doubt and anxiety consume a person. The image of this man rolling around naked with a woman unfolded in his mind. Song Yeongin shuddered at his own depraved imagination.

To Song Yeongin, who remained silent, Cha Woojin snapped in a cold, harsh voice.

“What’s the problem?!”

“It’s nothing, so go back to sleep. You must be tired…”

“You’re a man, so you’d understand. The more tired a man is, the more he wants to bury himself inside and release. I’m aroused because of you right now… There’s no way I’m sleeping like this.”

His sharp, clean jawline shook his head.

“Get out…! I don’t want to do this with you!”

Cha Woojin raised his imposing frame. He stood tall with his broad shoulders squared, unbuckling his leather belt with a rough motion, as if consumed by anger. As he unfastened his pants, the heavy, engorged organ stood menacingly erect over his briefs. Cha Woojin lowered his long eyes and spat out a curse, as if trying to restrain himself.

“Damn it, you get me this hard and tell me to leave?! …Mr. Song Yeongin, this is torture.”

“…….”

Cha Woojin, with his massive, ferocious organ standing rigid, strode toward Song Yeongin on the bed. He pushed his thick shoulders between Song Yeongin’s legs and spoke.

“Are you telling me to go back to my room and take care of it myself?”

Song Yeongin resisted the attempt to spread his legs and turned on the light embedded in the headboard. Instantly, the room brightened. As the room lit up as if by magic, Song Yeongin’s delicate, beautiful face came clearly into Cha Woojin’s view.

His lips, glistening with saliva, were red from being sucked by the man. Song Yeongin responded coldly with a frosty expression.

“Go ahead. Do it.”

“…What?!”

“Go back to your room and take care of it yourself!”

Song Yeongin glared at Cha Woojin with a pale, chilled face. His delicate features were laced with cold, distant air.

Cha Woojin found it laughable. Just from his caresses and kisses, tears welled red at the corners of Song Yeongin’s eyes, his lips and chest flushed bright red… With just a little touch, his nipples stood provocatively erect, and his translucent skin was flushed all over.

He wanted to ask if Song Yeongin even realized how seductive he looked right now. It was as if spreading his legs here would be begging to be taken.

“Haa, I can’t even get mad looking at your face. No matter how much you glare, you’re just too pretty… It’s not scary at all.”

Song Yeongin let out a scoff, incredulous at the cheeky remark. He wasn’t in the mood to entertain such deranged banter.

“So stop being fickle and come here.”

…Fickle?!

This man thought he was playing games. He thought Song Yeongin was pushing and pulling, being capricious, trying to drive him crazy.

What kind of people had he been dealing with all this time?

Cha Woojin stood on his knees, rising from the bed, and casually gripped his ferocious, heavy organ with one hand. In the bright light, the grotesquely large organ stood rigid, veins bulging.

Like a stallion desperate to sow its seed, his tightly muscled thighs twitched, eager to thrust that weapon anywhere. With his arrogant, handsome head tilted back, exhaling rough breaths, he looked breathtakingly obscene.

“If you don’t want me inside you, at least make me finish with your hand. I can’t sleep like this.”

Song Yeongin glared at the painfully aroused man with a cold, incredulous expression.

He was truly awful. An utterly deplorable man.

Born to wound others without hesitation. The kind of man who’d make someone anxious and obsessive, tearing them apart with doubt. Just like Song Yeongin was now.

That’s when it happened.

‘Brrr—!’

The loud vibration of Song Yeongin’s phone on the bedside table began to ring. It was past 2 a.m.

The call didn’t stop, continuing to ring. Reaching for the phone, Song Yeongin’s eyes widened in surprise as he hurriedly answered.

“Sister-in-law! What’s wrong?! At this hour…”

— Young master…! Sob… Yooni… Something’s wrong with Yooni…

“Sister-in-law… Calm down, and tell me slowly.”

— His fever’s over 40 degrees…! He’s burning up…! He keeps vomiting… His whole body’s red. He just started foaming at the mouth… It looks like a seizure.

Sookyung, in a state of panic, sobbed through the phone.

“Sister-in-law, calm down. I’ll… I’ll come right now!”

— I’m so stupid, aren’t I? I should’ve just carried him and taken a taxi to the ER… I’m sorry. I keep thinking of Yooni’s dad… The last time I saw him in the ER, dead… I’m shaking so much…! Please help, sob… Please help…

“Sister-in-law, I’m coming…! It’s close from here, so I’ll be there soon. Don’t do anything, just stay with Yooni. I’ll…!”

— Young master… Sob… I’m so sorry…

Hanging up, Song Yeongin leapt from the bed, throwing on a long coat over his thin pajamas without hesitation. He quickly stuffed his phone and wallet into the coat pocket.

Cha Woojin, watching quietly nearby, asked in a low voice.

“What’s going on?”

“The baby’s really sick… I have to go. Sister-in-law seems really shaken. I…”

Cha Woojin approached the flustered, stumbling Song Yeongin and firmly grabbed him with his strength.

“Calm down first.”

“…….”

“Your face is pale as a ghost.”

“You’re tired, so sleep first. I don’t have time for this. I need to go…!”

It’s probably nothing. Just a fever, a little sickness. He’d heard that kids often get sick as they grow. Other kids frequently visit hospitals with illnesses, but Yooni had been unusually healthy until now, with no ailments.

He knew that. But he was still so anxious. He kept thinking of the people who died around him one by one. Even though he knew it wasn’t true, his mind foolishly wandered to the thought that his mother died suddenly, his father died, his brother died. He was an orphan with no one to rely on, and his sister-in-law, who lost her husband right after giving birth, must feel the same way he did now. If something happened to that child, neither she nor Song Yeongin could go on living.

At that moment, a low, calm voice steadied Song Yeongin.

“You’re trembling like that, and you’re going alone at this hour?”

“…….”

“Let’s go together. I’ll call Dr. Cho.”

In the blink of an eye, Cha Woojin fastened his buckle and threw on the suit jacket from the nightstand.

He held out his hand abruptly.

“Come on.”

Song Yeongin, pale and hesitant, took Cha Woojin’s large hand. The man’s hand was so warm. He shouldn’t, but he kept wanting to rely on him.

“Is it… okay?”

“What.”

“You came back late because you’re busy. You said you haven’t slept properly. You must be exhausted… Is it really okay?”

Cha Woojin furrowed his brow, incredulous.

He sharply pulled Song Yeongin’s straight shoulders, urging him to hurry.

“Stop talking and come with me.”

🌫️

The black Rolls-Royce Phantom glided swiftly along the road. Whenever Cha Woojin took the wheel himself, he always drove this massive car, as if smaller ones never satisfied him.

Picking up his sister-in-law, who was trembling and disheveled with the child, Cha Woojin’s car headed to Woosung Central Hospital, part of the Woosung Group.

Upon entering the ER, Park Sungjae, already waiting, bowed respectfully.

It was likely because this hospital belonged entirely to the Woosung Group. Thanks to Cha Woojin, Yooni received top-priority, premium treatment and was quickly attended to in the ER.

“We’ll need to check if the seizure symptoms indicate epilepsy.”

Sookyung was trembling, and Song Yeongin patted her shoulder to reassure her.

“Young master, if something happens to Yooni, I’ll die… I have no parents… My husband’s gone… If something happens to Yooni, I’ll die. It’s all my fault…! Everyone around me dies… It’s all because of me…”

Sookyung was so pitiful. Those who’ve lived through watching people around them die would understand. The ones left behind can’t help but think all the tragedy and misfortune is their fault. Being in a similar position, Song Yeongin understood her feelings better than anyone. He gripped her shoulder tightly.

“Sister-in-law, don’t say that. It’s just a little fever; Yooni’s fine.”

“He’s such a good kid, never troubling me, never getting sick like this. He’s always been healthy… It’s my fault, I didn’t take care of him properly… Because he got a foolish mom like me… That’s why he’s sick.”

Standing tall in his suit in the ER, drawing all eyes, Cha Woojin was staring at Song Yeongin from a distance.

Cha Woojin quietly watched Song Yeongin calmly comforting his sobbing sister-in-law, who was as young as him, with a mature demeanor.

Song Yeongin met the eyes of the man who’d been watching him. As their eyes locked, Cha Woojin walked toward him step by step. It felt so surreal.

‘That man was never there when I needed him…’

But in this moment, when he truly needed him, he was by his side. It was unbelievable. The mere presence of this man was so reassuring.

When their eyes met again as Cha Woojin approached, the strong man smiled gently, his long eyes curving.

‘It’s okay. It’s not a big deal.’

It felt like he was saying that.

The attending doctor came out after the examination, bowing politely to Cha Woojin. The doctor explained Yooni’s condition in detail to Sookyung and Park Sungjae.

Then, Cho Seungyeon, the director of Woosung Central Hospital, appeared. Approaching Song Yeongin and Cha Woojin, he explained with a kind face.

“No need to worry. It’s a common illness. We suspect it’s an adenovirus with persistent high fever as the main symptom. The sudden seizure is concerning, so we’ll conduct epilepsy tests later to determine if it’s due to the fever or another cause. The high fever may persist, so hospitalization is recommended.”

Song Yeongin, pale, asked Cho Seungyeon again.

“The baby… He’s okay, right?”

“There’s no major issue, so only one guardian needs to stay; the rest can leave.”

Cha Woojin instructed Cho Seungyeon firmly.

“Dr. Cho, take good care of them.”

Cho Seungyeon laughed, as if incredulous.

“I’m the one surprised. You came all the way here for this… Don’t make a fuss; it’s really not a big deal. Go back and don’t worry. I’ll take responsibility here.”

At Cha Woojin’s nod, Park Sungjae approached.

“You two go back. I’ll stay and take care of things, and I’ll contact you if anything comes up.”

“No, I’ll stay with my sister-in-law.”

Cho Seungyeon firmly insisted.

“Even in a VIP room, there’s no need for two guardians for such a minor illness, so one of you should leave.”

Song Yeongin’s already small face was pale and gaunt. Looking at him, Cha Woojin murmured lowly.

“Go get some rest, you too…”

Sookyung, coming to his side, chimed in.

“Young master, it’s okay. I’ll stay alone. The doctor said it’s not a serious illness. It’s something other kids go through too. They just need to check for seizures to see if there’s anything wrong with his head.”

All the doctors bowed politely to Cha Woojin as they passed. Sookyung watched this with curious eyes.

After calming down, Sookyung seemed bewildered by the exceptional treatment in the ER. For her, whose only memories of the ER were bad, it was a first to have doctors rushing to explain and reassure her so thoroughly.

Sookyung alternately looked at Cha Woojin and Park Sungjae standing beside Song Yeongin. She recognized Park Sungjae from when they moved into the apartment, as he had explained things and helped her from time to time.

She stared long at the unfamiliar man, who looked impossibly wealthy and refined. All the older doctors, nurses, and the center director bowed respectfully to this young, actor-like man. The way he looked at Song Yeongin was no ordinary gaze.

‘Our young master is so angelic and beautiful; maybe heaven sent him a gift.’

And she didn’t ask Song Yeongin anything more. Sookyung was quicker to pick up on things than one might expect.

🌫️

Leaving Park Sungjae behind, Song Yeongin was reluctantly pushed out of the hospital with Cha Woojin.

“I’m sorry. It’s not a big deal, but… because of me, at this late hour…”

“Can you stop saying sorry?”

Cha Woojin grabbed Song Yeongin’s straight shoulders and walked with him to his car. Wearing just a long coat over thin pajamas, Song Yeongin’s long, pale neck trembled in the chilly dawn breeze.

Song Yeongin was ushered into his massive Rolls-Royce. He didn’t understand why Cha Woojin pushed him into the back seat instead of the passenger seat, but Song Yeongin let him do as he pleased without protest or resistance.

Sitting side by side in the spacious back seat, they caught their breath for a moment. It was already past 3 a.m.

When he pressed a button, soft lighting illuminated the sleek lines of the large sedan’s interior.

Song Yeongin’s delicate, refined face was revealed under the gentle light. Looking at Cha Woojin, he murmured in his characteristic, elegant voice.

“Thank you…”

“…….”

“For holding my hand… For being there.”

Cha Woojin chuckled lowly.

“That’s nice to hear.”

The boy’s angelic gaze, his beautiful voice, those kind and lovely words—they were pleasing to hear. But it felt hollow.

To protect Song Yeongin’s painting, Cha Woojin had sacrificed astronomical losses for Woosung, yet he was so grateful just for coming to the hospital with him.

Cha Woojin’s low voice echoed softly in the car.

“If you’re that grateful, give me a reward.”

“…….”

“Come to think of it, it’s been a while since you gave me a reward.”

Song Yeongin’s neat, elegant eyes stared intently at Cha Woojin. His clear, translucent pupils intertwined strangely with the man’s dark, intense gaze in the silence.

Was this man thinking only of that even at this moment?

“I can’t tell if you’re joking or serious.”

“Think about the state I was in earlier. You got me like that, then suddenly got mad and pushed me away, saying you didn’t want to.”

“…….”

“It’s only been a week since I last saw you. Didn’t it cross your mind that I’d be pent up?”

Song Yeongin suddenly recalled why he had reacted that way.

It was because of the unfamiliar scent of a woman on his skin. That strange smell of a woman’s skin, cosmetics. The memory of that foreign scent made him bristle again. But he shook his head, denying it.

“…What do you want me to do?”

Song Yeongin’s voice sank, resigned. Cha Woojin shamelessly said with a nonchalant look.

“Suck me off with that pretty mouth, or let me do it here.”

“Here?!”

Cha Woojin found Song Yeongin’s wide-eyed shock adorable.

So innocent.

“It’s 3 a.m. Who’s coming to this remote, secluded parking lot at this hour?”

He wasn’t wrong. Unlike earlier, his car was parked in a secluded, forested area far from the ER, hidden from view.

Cha Woojin’s cool, curved eyes gazed at Song Yeongin with a seductive look. He clearly knew how weak Song Yeongin became when he smiled mischievously, curving his cool eyes like a naughty boy.

Doing this in the hospital parking lot where his nephew was admitted—wasn’t that insane? Song Yeongin was momentarily gripped by moral guilt and doubt.

Then, a large, long hand caressed Song Yeongin’s small face. The man’s thick-jointed hand slid down his cheek, touching his full, red lips. He brought his refined, elegant face close to Song Yeongin’s and whispered.

“I missed you.”

“…….”

“After we parted like that on Mohuido, I kept thinking of you.”

“…….”

“Do you remember? You begged me to kiss you, to make love to you, calling my name while we were together… The way you clung to me, pleading so prettily, kept haunting me…”

Song Yeongin’s clear eyes, blinking slowly, fixed on Cha Woojin. He couldn’t speak. His calm eyes trembled faintly. His heart felt like it would burst.

Cha Woojin’s deep, affectionate eyes looked like those of a man in love.

Was it a misunderstanding?

The unfamiliar scent of a woman earlier, the thought that he’d been with another woman—maybe it was just because Song Yeongin liked him too much… Maybe it was all a misunderstanding born of his own assumptions. He wanted to ask him directly.

“Why did you smell like another woman?”

But Song Yeongin couldn’t bring himself to do it. If it was true, and this man arrogantly, nonchalantly responded with, “So what?”… What would he do then?

‘Did I have the right to tell him not to do that?’

Their relationship had no name, no definition. They were nothing to each other. It would end when he got tired of Song Yeongin… He’d never heard a single word of affection from him.

If he heard this man say to know his place, what would he do then? If he asked if Song Yeongin didn’t know he was destined for an arranged marriage with a woman chosen by his family… How should he react then?

Song Yeongin was too scared to face it. That’s why he couldn’t confidently ask Cha Woojin.

So, please… Please let it be.

He hoped it was all a misunderstanding.

But the tender eyes of this man, saying he missed him like a confession, felt so much like they were saying he loved him… Song Yeongin was softening endlessly, his heart weakening.

Song Yeongin’s innocent face, held by the man’s hand, flushed faintly. Staring silently into Cha Woojin’s eyes, he whispered softly.

“I’ll do it with my mouth.”

In the car, where the heater began to warm the air, Song Yeongin shed his cumbersome long coat. His thin, smooth silk pajama T-shirt was revealed. His long, pale neck and elegantly prominent collarbone stirred protective instincts. The sleek, provocative lines of his body, visible through the smooth fabric, drew Cha Woojin’s gaze.