The House of Three Chapter 8.1

You bastard, how dare you hurt my friend. I will not let you get away with this!

Bring it on whenever you want. You brats.

“I’m going to use a skill now. Hyung, Hyung, watch closely from here. That guy is about to create a storm, right? A flame storm. And then with the right foot, a Blaze Kick! Flame Shield!”

The single room, booked for one night, was pleasant and comfortable. The bed for the patient was a high-end model, unlike a standard bed, and a 72-inch TV and a plush, wide sofa were also prepared.

Cheonghyun was sitting on the bed watching a cartoon. It seemed to be a cartoon he had already seen many times, as he was busy reciting the main character’s lines familiarly and listing strange skill names. Flame storm. Blaze kick. Flame shield. He did not falter even when his pronunciation was all jumbled from speaking so quickly.

Heeyoung was still in a daze even when the child shook his shoulder, calling, Hyung, Hyung. Although he was sitting on the auxiliary chair and looking at the TV screen, his pupils were unfocused and clouded.

This was all because of Cha Gyojin. If Gyojin had not suddenly kissed him, his insides would not have been in such turmoil. As he once again recalled the events of ten minutes ago, his eyes squeezed shut.

Heeyoung fiddled with his lips with a blank face. He had been so flustered at the time that he had not felt anything, but the more he mulled over the memory, the more the sensations in his body seemed to become vivid.

The areas Gyojin’s touch had reached seemed to burn. His back, which he had slowly stroked, his chest, which had been pressed tightly against him, and his lips, which had met his in a sticky kiss. While his heart had crumbled and his guard was down, quite a few bold acts of physical affection had followed.

Every time the back of his tongue brushed against the roof of his mouth, his cheeks would turn red for no reason. He kept thinking of the tongue that had slipped in like a snake, exploring every corner of his mouth, creating the illusion that the tender flesh inside his mouth was ticklish.

Those stimulating scenes from earlier were replaying over and over in his mind. The bridge of a nose touching his cheek every time he turned his head, or the hot breath felt directly on his skin, were truly nothing short of impure.

“Aah, it’s already over. Hyung, should we watch another channel now? Huh? Hyung, Hyung, Heeyoung Hyung!”

Slap!

Just as he was trapped in his own world, freely descending into confusion, two damp palms slapped onto both of his cheeks. When he came to his senses and looked ahead, Cheonghyun was sitting there with a sulky expression.

“Hyung. What are you thinking about?”

“Huh? Oh, no, it’s nothing. Cheonghyun, you must be bored being in the hospital.”

Heeyoung skillfully changed the subject and looked for the remote control. The cartoon characters who had been continuing their sparkling fight on the TV were nowhere to be found.

He pressed the buttons to switch to other children’s programs, but it seemed to be a time for commercials, as no cartoons that might capture Cheonghyun’s interest were airing anywhere.

His eyebrows drooping, Heeyoung began to soothe Cheonghyun in a regretful tone. All the while, he was desperately trying to hide the fact that he had just been having impure thoughts.

“What should we do. There’s nothing interesting on at all.”

“Uhm, it’s okay. Hyung, let’s check what we’re doing at school tomorrow, I’m curious!”

“Should we? Just a moment.”

Cheonghyun, who had quickly lost interest in the TV, turned his attention elsewhere. A moment ago he was jumping for joy at the fact that he could miss a day of school, but now he seemed curious about what his friends would be doing tomorrow.

Nowadays, there was a separate app where teachers posted notices. It was an app that not only children but also parents could join to check notifications and photos. Of course, Heeyoung was not a parent, but he had just received the ID from Gyojin after officially taking charge of Cheonghyun.

Taking out his phone and launching the app, Heeyoung first checked the timetable. Korean, Korean, Math, Exploration… and one notice.

“Oh? Cheonghyun, it says there’s a birthday party tomorrow. It seems Soojung is the only friend with a birthday this month.”

“Whaat? Then I want to go! I’ll go to school!”

Reading it, it was a notice that there would be a birthday party in the classroom after all the classes were over. When he shared this news, Cheonghyun immediately started insisting he would go to school. To be fair, to children, a birthday party must feel like a very big event.

“You just said you didn’t want to go to school. Is it okay for you to go when you’re hurt?”

The face pleading to go to school was cute, but Heeyoung held back the urge to laugh and deliberately asked in a serious manner. At that, Cheonghyun stood up from his seat, bent and straightened his injured leg, and answered spiritedly.

“Yeah! I’m totally fine! I’m going to go to school! Hyung, you know, if there’s a birthday party, you can eat lots and lots of snacks, and you get to share cake too! Oh, oh, and it’s Soojung’s birthday. Soojung said so before. To gather after school on her birthday! Soojung’s mom said she’d buy tteokbokki!”

Hyung, I really, really want to eat cake and snacks and tteokbokki…

Clasping his hands together tightly, Cheonghyun’s eyes sparkled as if he were making a wish. Could sweet and savory snacks really be that good?

Then again, Cheonghyun was a child who always ate homemade snacks at home. They were mostly healthy snacks made with fresh ingredients, and delivery food or junk food were not even allowed in the house. The same went for store-bought snacks.

Although Gyojin had a strange way of raising his child, the only things he was meticulous about were what he ate and what he wore.

Chocolates and crackers were occasionally allowed, but jellies with a lot of food coloring were absolutely forbidden. He would frown if Cheonghyun so much as held a thousand-won junk food item from an ice cream discount store.

If he said he wanted to eat crackers, Gyojin would buy him high-end cookies sold at department stores, and if he said he wanted to eat jelly, he was the type to buy him pudding. It was all the heart and devotion of a father wanting to feed his only son the best things.

But how could a child understand such a father’s heart? No matter what good food was brought to him, Cheonghyun preferred the snacks sold at the convenience store or snack shop in front of the school. Things like dried marshmallows, tteokbokki, and 500-won candies.

The birthday party was a big opportunity for the child. An opportunity to eat delicious snacks to his heart’s content without worrying about his father’s watchful eye.

Heeyoung could not withstand the child’s sparkling eyes and let out a soft laugh.

“Then let’s go to school tomorrow. But since we have to go through the discharge procedure and check your wound one more time, how about we go to school around the second period?”

“Uh-huh! Okay, okay!”

“Alright. We should… ask your dad too.”

He had given permission because the child seemed so desperate, but he could not decide such matters on his own. Having naturally mentioned Gyojin, Heeyoung trailed off his words, conscious of what had happened earlier.

Unlike the awkward Heeyoung, the excited child let out a cheer. ‘Wow! There’s a birthday party tomorrow!’ he rejoiced as if it were his own birthday just around the corner. He buried himself in the bed, flailing his arms and legs for a moment, then cleared his dry throat with a few coughs and tugged on Heeyoung’s sleeve.

“Hyung, I’m thirsty. I want to drink a juice.”

“Thirsty? Just a moment, I’ll get it for you right away.”

Heeyoung quickly opened the refrigerator door to fulfill the child’s request. The refrigerator shelves were filled with various kinds of organic juice, either prepared by the hospital or bought directly by Gyojin, he was not sure which.

He had just taken out an orange juice from inside and returned to his seat.

Click.

The moment he twisted the cap off with a pop sound, the hospital room door opened.

“What are you two being so lovey-dovey about?”

The person who stepped into the single room was Gyojin. He smiled with complete composure and approached the bed.

“Dad, Dad. I want to go to school tomorrow!”

Only Cheonghyun welcomed Gyojin. While the child chattered away to his father, Heeyoung remained silent as if his lips were sealed. He subtly turned his head, trying to avoid making eye contact with Gyojin.

As he was trying to erase his presence like an invisible person, he felt a heated gaze on him. He was being stared at so persistently that his cheek and the side of his head began to sting.

Heeyoung spun the chair around to turn his back to Gyojin. He expressed with his whole body that he was too embarrassed to see his face right now, that he simply did not have the confidence to face him, and Gyojin withdrew his gaze.

“Suddenly you want to go to school? What’s gotten into you, my son? You were just making a fuss about not wanting to go.”

Deliberately feigning ignorance, Gyojin broke the awkward atmosphere and continued the conversation with his son. His actions were smooth as he slowly approached the bed and tidied Cheonghyun’s hair.

Cheonghyun, who was sitting still and receiving the touch, excitedly began to chatter about this and that.

“He said there’s a birthday party at school tomorrow! I’m not sick anymore, so I’m going to go! Heeyoung Hyung said to go during the second period after being discharged tomorrow, is that okay?”

How could a naive and innocent child read the subtle atmosphere between the adults? As Cheonghyun mentioned Heeyoung’s name in a bright voice, a gaze naturally followed. Startled, Heeyoung stared intently at the floor.

Hmm… Gyojin’s throaty hum as he seemed to contemplate sounded unusually loud. It felt like he would spit out a sly answer at any moment. Something like, ‘Oh really? Heeyoung Hyung gave you permission?’ or, ‘You gave him permission? You’ve become quite the dad, Lee Heeyoung.’

But belying his tension, a normal reply came from Gyojin.

“Go ahead. Dad will take you to school.”

Following that, a loud exclamation of joy from the child, Wow!, rang out. Cheonghyun grinned and poked the arm of Heeyoung, who was sitting in front of him.

“Hyung, Hyung, he said it’s okay!”

In front of the purely sunny child, Heeyoung managed a smile that was awkward beyond measure. ‘Yeah, that’s great,’ he replied, glancing to the side.

Gyojin, who would always butt in and interfere whenever he and Cheonghyun were getting along, was being uncharacteristically quiet. He did not add a word, as if he had noticed that Heeyoung was uncomfortable with the situation.

One moment he would boldly charge in and grind their lips together, and the next he would display such consideration. He was truly an incomprehensible person.

If he had acted as his usual reckless self, he would have just sighed and thought, ‘Well, that’s just how the Boss is,’ and let it go. Why was he suddenly acting so mature and making things complicated?

Heeyoung gripped his wrist tightly and took a deep breath. He could feel his pulse fluttering rapidly at his fingertips.

In the meantime, a short silence fell in the hospital room. It was around the time a conversation had come and gone, and topics had run out.

Knock, knock.

Just as cold sweat was about to break out in the suffocating silence, a well-timed knock was heard. The door opened, and a meal server wearing a white apron appeared.

“Dinner for patient Cha Cheonghyun.”

At that, the hospital room instantly became busy. Gyojin unfolded the table attached to the bed and took the food tray with one hand. The excited Cheonghyun sat at the table, busy checking the side dishes.

“Steamed egg, and stir-fried anchovies, and seaweed soup, and, uhm, is there no meat?”

“It’s right here. Soy-braised beef.”

“Ah, I don’t like it.”

“Being a picky eater? It seems Cha Cheonghyun doesn’t want to eat snacks at school tomorrow.”

“No! I’m not a picky eater.”

The child, who had been expressing his dissatisfaction by stirring the stir-fried anchovies with his chopsticks, spiritedly took a spoonful of rice. It seemed his father’s subtle threat had worked well.

Gyojin stayed by his son’s side while he ate. He brought him water and pulled out wet wipes one by one, skillfully wiping up the side dishes that had fallen on the table. After fulfilling his parental duties, he glanced at Heeyoung, who was left all alone.

Tap, tap.

Heeyoung, who had been passing the time by counting numbers in his head, was startled by the sudden physical contact. It was just a tap on the shoulder, but he jumped to his feet as if having a seizure.

“Wha, what is it?!”

As he stared with wide eyes, a surprised Gyojin burst into a bewildered laugh. He said nothing and rummaged through the inner pocket of his coat. He took out a wallet from inside, pulled out a black card, and placed it in Heeyoung’s hand.

“Go down to the cafeteria and eat.”

Ah. Aah. So he called me to say this. His face flushed hot from overreacting to something so trivial. Heeyoung ducked his head low to hide his reddened face and replied.

“Ah yes, yes. I’ll go eat now…!”

Normally, he would have shown courtesy by asking, ‘Aren’t you having dinner, Boss?’ He would have kindly said that he would watch Cheonghyun so the Boss could eat first, but for today, he readily agreed.

He had just turned around in a hurry, with the sole thought of getting out of the hospital room as quickly as possible.

“What’s the rush, huh?”

Gyojin grabbed Heeyoung’s arm as he was about to dash out. The strength with which he gently gripped the wrist was just right. Not brutishly strong, nor too weak. It was a strength he could have shaken off at any time, but Heeyoung chose to stop blankly.

He took off the coat he was wearing and draped it over Heeyoung’s shoulders. He had not stopped him because he had something to say, but simply to put a coat on him.

The coat, large like a blanket, completely enveloped Heeyoung’s shoulders and back. A heavy weight and a lukewarm warmth were transmitted to him. The warmth that had been warming Gyojin’s body just a moment ago was being transferred to him intact.

“It’s cold out. You’ll freeze to death if you go out like that.”

“Ah, I’m fine….”

“Do you know how many times you’ve said you’re fine today? Should we count? Just think of it as an employee benefit and take it. It hasn’t been long since you recovered from your cold.”

He, who had been pouring out a stream of words that were hard to distinguish between worry and nagging, buttoned up the coat one by one. As if taking care of his own son, he fastened the front securely and then met his eyes.

It was a look that said he would not stand for any more refusals. And so, Heeyoung nodded his head vigorously.

“Yes. I’ll, I’ll wear it. I will.”

He had answered obediently, and the coat was all buttoned up. He thought that at this point, he would be told to go. However, far from backing away, Gyojin took another step closer.

When the flustered Heeyoung reflexively took a step back, he grabbed the belt of the coat and pulled it tight. As if to say, where do you think you’re running off to. He persistently closed the distance and came closer to tie the belt for him.

“Come here. Why is this coat so big.”

It seemed the roomy fit was bothering him. To be fair, he looked ridiculous too. It was not as if he had stolen his dad’s clothes, but the waist and sleeves were baggy.

He moved his hands here and there, skillfully making a knot and tightening the strap. At that, the coat creased, revealing Heeyoung’s thin waistline. It was clearly the same coat, but draped on a slender body, the feel of it was completely different.

Without realizing it, Gyojin scanned Heeyoung’s body from top to bottom and thought to himself.

Was this coat always like this? The lines are killer.

Since he had gone so far as to lend him the coat, he wanted to be a gentleman to the end, but he could not seem to manage his dirty thoughts.

Heeyoung, too, seemed to have read the sinister dark intentions in his eyes and quickly moved away.

“Then, I’ll be back…!”

He ran off so fast there was no time to catch him. Gyojin could only watch the door slam shut with a thud and swallow a sigh.

He felt sorry for making Lee Heeyoung uncomfortable, for making him self-conscious. There was a lot they needed to talk about, would it be okay like this?

“Aww, I want to be with Heeyoung Hyung. Can’t I eat with Hyung? Huh? Dad.”

As he was sweeping back his hair in frustration, he heard the child’s voice. Cheonghyun, who was also staring longingly at the door through which Heeyoung had disappeared, whined and pleaded. He tugged at Gyojin’s clothes, urging him to go out and bring Heeyoung Hyung back right now.

Only then did Gyojin come to his senses and sit down across from the bed. And as he placed side dishes on the white rice one by one, he gently placated the child.

“Hyung needs his own time too. That way he can calm his heart and sort out his thoughts a bit, right?”

“Whaat? What does that mean? Why does Hyung need to sort out his thoughts?”

“Tsk, don’t pry into things like that. Just focus on eating your food, my son.”

Hey, say ah. Gyojin took the spoon and fed the child. When Cheonghyun, after chewing and swallowing the food, asked, ‘Hyung has a lot on his mind? What is he thinking about?’ he would again scoop up a large spoonful of rice and feed it to him.

The child, who had been gulping down the food his father gave him, suddenly made a tch sound with his lips, showing his disappointment. It seemed he did not want to be separated from Heeyoung even for a little while. His puffed-out cheeks and protruding lips were quite resolute.

Gyojin could not soothe his son any further.

Because he felt the same sense of disappointment.

🌿

He could not even tell if the food was going into his nose or his mouth. Heeyoung moved his spoon with a dazed expression.

There was no time to sort out his thoughts. Whenever he recalled the kiss in the hospital corridor, his heart pounded like a dying man’s and his stomach churned, so he had decided to just not think at all and shoveled rice into his mouth.

After placing the half-empty bowl in the return area, he headed to the convenience store. Since he planned to spend the night in Cheonghyun’s room, he bought a disposable toothbrush set. After a simple wash-up in the second-floor restroom, which people did not use often, the sun had completely set.

Heeyoung went up to the single room where Gyojin and Cheonghyun would be. His breath caught in his throat at the thought of having to endure that awkward atmosphere again, but when he thought of the injured Cheonghyun, his hesitation vanished. Was being awkward the problem now? Cheonghyun came first.

Heeyoung boldly turned the doorknob and stepped into the hospital room. He had expected Cheonghyun to be asleep by now. Contrary to his expectation, the inside was bustling with noise.

“Euhahak! Dad, hold me higher! Higher, higher!”

“Hey, you’ll get hurt. Can’t you stay still?”

The child, wrapped in a towel as if he had just come out of the shower, was held snugly in Gyojin’s arms. Even in the short distance to the bed, Cheonghyun did not stop his mischievous pranks. As he kicked his feet and shouted, ‘Higher!’ Gyojin, who had been scolding him in a strict pretense, lifted the child’s body high up.

He had to carry the child to the bed, grab a towel, and dry his wet hair. Gyojin seemed busy fulfilling his fatherly duties. In the midst of it all, he was on a phone call with someone, holding his phone between his shoulder and ear.

“Yeah, hello. Hold on a second. Let me just put the kid down.”

“Wow! This is fun. I’m flying in the sky!”

“Hey, hey. You’re going to fall. This little brat really, you don’t listen to your dad at all, do you? Huh?”

Faced with the chaotic scene, Heeyoung did not dare to enter further and stood there. He was looking around the hospital room, wondering what he should help with first, when Gyojin, who was walking towards the bed, spotted Heeyoung standing blankly near the door.

He gestured with his eyes towards the sofa, as if telling him to sit comfortably. It seemed that if he were to get involved in the current situation, it would only make things more complicated, so Heeyoung quietly nodded and sat down on the sofa.

In the meantime, Gyojin had seated the child on the bed. He placed the phone he had been holding on his shoulder onto the bedside table and put the call on speaker mode.

His next actions also followed naturally. He dabbed lotion on the child’s cheeks and forehead and then, rubbing his palms together in a large circle, massaged the small face. After applying lotion in a rather rough manner, he spoke in a refreshing tone.

“Now answer your aunt’s call.”

When he handed him the phone, the child swallowed hard and shouted.

“Hello, Auntie! Youngest Auntie!”

As he called out in an endearing voice, a crying sound was heard from the other end of the phone.

—Our Cheonghyun, our baby. Were you in a lot of pain?

Her voice, deliberately using baby talk to worry about the child, was cute. Gyojin also seemed to think so, as he chuckled and tossed the lotion bottle into the bag Dongjae had brought.

Seeing as Cheonghyun calls her Auntie… is she the Boss’s older sister? No, her voice sounds young, so she could be his younger sister.

While Gyojin cleaned up the messy hospital room, Heeyoung unintentionally overheard the conversation between the two.

“Uh-huh, I only scraped my knee and elbow! But it did hurt, but I’m okay now because I got treated!”

—Aigoo, what to do with my baby? Auntie will have to blow on it for you when we meet later, right? Is there anything you want to eat?

They were indeed a close aunt and nephew. The woman, who called Cheonghyun ‘baby’ and doted on him, asked if there was anything he wanted to eat, and the child, who had been sneaking glances at his father, secretly whispered into the phone.

“I want jelly….”

—Jelly? Okay. I’ll buy it for you secretly without your brother, no, Cheonghyun’s dad, knowing. Should Auntie go now? Huh? Should I deploy right away?

“No, it’s okay for now. Because, uhm, Dad is here, and Uncle Dongjae came and went, and…!”

Cheonghyun, who was counting the names on his chubby fingers, suddenly spotted Heeyoung sitting on the sofa and his eyes widened. When their eyes met and Heeyoung gave a faint smile and waved, the child waved back and smiled, hee.

“Heeyoung Hyung is here next to me too. So it’s okay, Auntie.”