The House of Three Chapter 8.2

“Huh? Heeyoung? Who is that?”

There was no way Gyojin’s younger sister, Cha Doeun, would know of Heeyoung’s existence. Hearing a voice full of curiosity over the phone, Heeyoung felt a little flustered. Unsure of how to handle the situation, he just blinked his eyes.

Just then, Gyojin, who had returned after getting another towel from a nurse, naturally approached and took the phone away. He turned off speaker mode and continued the call.

“Oh, did you two have a good talk?”

ㅡOppa, who is Heeyoung?

The call volume must have been set high, as Doeun’s sharp, clear voice leaked distinctly from the phone. Tense from her persistent questioning, Heeyoung swallowed hard and placed his palms on his knees.

I guess he’ll just introduce me as an employee who works at the house. There’s not much else to say.

As he was thinking this and listening intently, Gyojin gave a meaningful reply.

“Hmm, I’ll introduce you soon. Let’s call Nuna next time and have a meal together, shall we, young lady?”

ㅡWhat, who is he? Huh? Oppa, are you seeing someone? Heeyoung?

“Ahem, hang up now. If you’re out, hurry up and go home.”

The call was unilaterally disconnected. Shoving the phone into his back pocket, Gyojin tidied up the towel and laid the child down as if nothing had happened. Unlike Heeyoung, who was fidgeting and darting his eyes around, he was perfectly composed.

Why would he introduce me? To his younger sister and older sister, no less, who must be his family.

Heeyoung felt heat rising to his face and took a deep breath. Worried that his skin might have turned red, he timidly fanned himself with his hand when Gyojin suddenly spoke to him.

“Did you have a good meal before you came?”

He asked quite naturally, his gaze deliberately fixed on Cheonghyun. Because of that, Heeyoung also had to pretend to be calm as he answered.

“Yes. Um… Boss, you should go have dinner too. I will stay here.”

It was not something he said out of mere politeness because he had nothing else to say. He had uttered the words upon suddenly remembering that Gyojin had not had a meal yet.

But was there some problem with what he had just said? Gyojin, standing still in his spot, looked down quietly at Heeyoung, who was sitting on the sofa.

Heeyoung’s hands, resting on his knees, fidgeted. His back, held ramrod straight, looked stiff and awkward, and the corners of his mouth, forced into a smile, were trembling slightly.

Since it was obvious to anyone that he was uncomfortable, Gyojin decided to back down obediently. Besides, on the bed, Cheonghyun was lying with his eyes wide open, showing no signs of wanting to sleep yet. In other words, it was not the right time to have a serious conversation with Heeyoung.

“Alright, I’ll do that. I’ll go eat dinner, so get the kid to sleep while I’m gone.”

“Yes, I will.”

“Make sure you put him to sleep.”

Gyojin, who was preparing to leave while casually throwing on his suit jacket, urged him again. To make sure he put the kid to sleep. It must have literally meant to put the child to sleep well, but it was a mystery why it sounded so meaningful.

“Yes, I’ll make sure to….”

As he awkwardly nodded his head, Gyojin finally seemed satisfied and left the hospital room. Before leaving, he pulled the blanket snugly over his son’s body and said, ‘Listen to Hyung, okay.’

As soon as he left, Heeyoung turned off the lights in the room and switched on the mood lamp on the bedside table. He then sat on the auxiliary chair next to the bed and made light small talk with Cheonghyun. It was mostly conversation devoid of substance but the kind that makes you feel good when you exchange it.

“Hyung, what’s your favorite snack?”

“Hmm, potato chips?”

“Oh? That’s my favorite too. I guess we’re, uh, lovers.”

“Haha. In times like this, you should say it’s fate, Cheonghyun.”

“Aah, fate. We’re fated….”

“Yes, I guess it’s fate. But should we close our eyes and sleep now? You have to sleep well to go to school healthy tomorrow.”

“Okayy. Hyung, pat me, please….”

After about 30 minutes, Cheonghyun’s eyelids could be seen growing heavy. As drowsiness began to creep in, he blinked his eyes open and shut. As the child requested, Heeyoung patted his tummy. Doing so, he was suddenly reminded of when he used to put his younger brother to sleep and even sang a small lullaby.

Hush, hush… little rooster, don’t you crow…. Black doggy, don’t you bark….

He also warmed the boy’s hands by rubbing them and gently combed and neatened his bangs, and the boy soon closed his eyes. Cheonghyun, who was breathing softly and about to fall into a deep sleep, wiggled his pinky finger and mumbled.

“Hyung, you’re like my dad. I want to be by Hyung’s side forever….”

Soon, his words trailed off, and only the steady sound of soft breathing continued. Forgetting that he was patting the boy’s tummy, Heeyoung stared intently at the sleeping child.

A single, heartfelt, warm word made his chest feel full and his eyes well up.

Why is this child so affectionate? He always talks as if I’m someone special, making me constantly harbor presumptuous hopes.

It felt as though his heart would melt away helplessly in the affectionate warmth given without expecting anything in return.

🌿

At a time when the short hand of the clock was racing towards the number 11.

“Heeyoung, could you come out for a moment.”

Dongjae, who had carefully opened the hospital room door and entered, called Heeyoung out. He wondered why the man, whom he only greeted briefly during the child’s commute to and from school, was initiating a conversation for a change.

Heeyoung, who had been passing the time sitting on the auxiliary chair, stood up in a daze and left the room. Dongjae, who led the way down the corridor as if telling him to follow, stopped in front of a single-person room. Although he was already a man of few words and taciturn, leading someone without any explanation was, for Heeyoung, simply bewildering.

“Um, what is this about? Why have we suddenly come here….”

When Heeyoung, unable to watch any longer, asked, Dongjae answered while opening the door to the single-person room.

“Please go inside.”

“Pardon?”

He had asked for a reason, yet the man just pushed him from behind. Because of that, Heeyoung ended up entering the empty single-person room without knowing why. He quickly turned his head and shot a glare that seemed to ask, ‘why are you doing this to me,’ but Dongjae closed the door without even pretending to notice.

Thump.

He disappeared without an explanation to the very end. Pushing a person into a single-person room without even knowing whose it was.

“Dongjae…?”

Heeyoung reached a hand toward the closed door and called for Dongjae. He was so flustered that the end of his voice was trembling like a goat’s. What if he doesn’t open the door for me? It was just as he, in his troubled state of mind, was trying to get out of this place as quickly as possible.

“Why are you calling for Dongjae so desperately. Do you like him?”

A familiar voice rang out from behind him. The nonchalant, light, and slick way of speaking was clearly Gyojin’s.

Sure enough, when he turned around with a start, Gyojin was standing there. He looked as if he had just finished washing up. His shirt sleeves were rolled up to below his elbows, perhaps from having brushed his teeth and washed his face in the meantime, and he had a slightly damp towel draped around his neck.

Heeyoung quickly scanned the inside of the hospital room. On the sofa, a suit jacket, a necktie, and the like were carelessly strewn about, and below the bed, a pair of dress shoes lay askew. It seemed he had rented a single-person room with the intention of staying the night here.

Anyway, asking if he liked Dongjae. Heeyoung quickly denied it before a strange misunderstanding could arise.

“What are you talking about, why would I like Dongjae….”

“You don’t?”

“Of course not. But, why did you bring me here?”

Heeyoung, waving his hand as if to say ‘don’t be ridiculous,’ changed the subject. At that, Gyojin, who was wiping the water from his face with the towel, gestured toward the bed with his chin.

The slight, tilting nod of his head was cynical, but the words that flowed from his lips were exceedingly gentle.

“So you can sleep comfortably here. Your body will get hurt if you sleep on the sofa. Especially kids like you.”

Speaking with concern, his eyes scanned Heeyoung’s body. It was a gaze that arbitrarily treated a perfectly healthy body as if it were made of paper.

“I can just sleep on the sofa. I didn’t come here to sleep comfortably anyway. I have to keep watching Cheonghyun. I won’t die from sleeping uncomfortably for one night.”

Although there were no problems apart from a few scrapes on the skin, a child’s condition could easily change in a single day. Especially on days when they had overexerted themselves, they were prone to quickly developing a fever and getting sick, so it was necessary to watch over them carefully.

When Heeyoung responded quite firmly, Gyojin jeered as if he couldn’t believe it.

“Did you give birth to Cha Cheonghyun? Such devotion.”

“……”

“I’m grateful you’re worried about my kid, but why don’t you just stay here comfortably?”

He looked as if he would make even greater threats if Heeyoung did not lie down quietly on the bed.

No, how on earth am I supposed to be comfortable in this situation?

“Then I’ll watch Cheonghyun a little longer and come here to rest. Thank you for your consideration.”

In times like these, it was best to give a vague answer and move on. Heeyoung bowed his head in greeting and looked for a chance to slip away. It seemed better to leave the room before Gyojin’s reply came back. Just as he was about to step back.

Gyojin, who had been silently watching Heeyoung’s actions, strode over this way. No, it was almost at the level of a charge.

Why is he suddenly approaching me?

Startled, he took a step back, and before he knew it, he had been pushed all the way to the wall. Gyojin, who had slowly pressured Heeyoung and cornered him, closed the distance even more as if that was not enough.

One step, two steps. Every time the gap narrowed, Heeyoung just lightly scraped his heels against the wall. Is there nowhere else to run? he thought, glancing behind him, but he was already blocked on all sides.

Before long, a dark shadow fell over his head. In front of his eyes, Gyojin’s body stood firm like a giant wall.

Gulp. Heeyoung, who had swallowed dryly, squirmed to find an escape route. At that, an arm reached out and braced itself against the wall. An impenetrable barricade had been created. Thanks to that, Heeyoung had to become a rat in a trap.

Looking up with a rather aggrieved expression, Gyojin brought his face close and grinned.

“More importantly, don’t we have something to talk about. I was a bit out of it earlier, so I couldn’t say a word, you know?”

There was only one thing they needed to talk about. Heeyoung recalled the scene that had been troubling his mind all this time and held his breath, hup.

He still had not been able to decide what to define that kiss as. Since it was something that had happened like an accident, he had also wanted to just pretend not to know and carry on. It was not as if he and Gyojin were in some fluttery, will-they-won’t-they relationship, and considering reality, it was right to quietly bury what happened earlier.

So, Heeyoung decided to be evasive. As if it was fine not to talk about it, he acted out a rather impassive expression and pushed against Gyojin’s chest.

Ugh, a groan of someone struggling with all their might leaked through his teeth. Even though he pushed the firm torso with all his strength, the body did not budge.

It was a strange thing. It was a body that would normally be easily pushed away and fall back even with a little force, but this time, it was as hard as fighting a wall. In fact, didn’t the resisting force grow stronger the more he pushed?

Finally giving up, Heeyoung glared at Gyojin in a fit of emotion. He wondered why Boss had been acting this way towards him since earlier.

He hugged him without permission, kissed him, acted nonchalantly, and now he was standing there imposingly, making him feel awkward. And with a shameless smirk on his lips at that. As if he was playing with him…

He was saying, is it okay for a person who even has a cohabitant at home to act so promiscuously. Suddenly recalling Lee Seowon’s face clinging to Cha Gyojin, his emotions flared up.

“What are you talking about? Please stop this. Little Boss will get the wrong idea.”

Though the end of his words trembled due to the surging emotion, Heeyoung calmly drew a line. This was the best way he could deal with it.

Gyojin looked surprised by the cold and businesslike response. He was by no means hurt by Heeyoung’s firmness. It was because he had never imagined that such words would come out of Heeyoung’s mouth.

Honestly, Gyojin had expected Heeyoung to resent him. He thought he would be nothing but displeased by the act committed without permission and would composedly question him, ‘why did you kiss me.’ Then, he would, in a cultured and polite manner, offer an apology first and reveal the feelings he had harbored for Heeyoung all this time.

But to hear ‘Little Boss’ here of all places. Not even Lee Seowon’s full name, but ‘Little Boss’.

“What, Little Boss?”

Gyojin could not stop a hollow laugh from escaping. His head was throbbing as if he had been struck, but this atmosphere, twisted by misunderstanding, was strangely arousing.

It would be right to actively clear up the misunderstanding by explaining that he and Lee Seowon were not in the kind of relationship he was thinking of. But seeing Heeyoung’s face, naively firing back at him, a wicked thought began to sprout.

Even though he was aware that he was a crazy bastard who deserved to be cursed at and couldn’t read the room, Gyojin did not hesitate to do something that would get him in trouble.

“It feels like an affair, how thrilling.”

He bent his waist and whispered the mischievous words into Heeyoung’s ear. As expected, a look of contempt was returned.

Heeyoung, who had scrunched up his tofu-like gentle face, rubbed his ear furiously and glared at Gyojin. He had the expression of someone who never thought he would become the protagonist of a makjang drama.

“Have you lost your mind?”

A verbal lashing followed. The fact that he used polite language even while cursing was so very Lee Heeyoung-like. If it were me, I would have slapped him across the face at least. Gyojin felt sorry for Heeyoung, who did not know how to get properly angry, and at the same time found him cute, so he ended up chuckling.

Meanwhile, Heeyoung’s mood was progressively sinking. One moment they were talking seriously, and the next he was going off on a tangent, spouting nonsense about affairs, and then laughing in front of someone who was angry. The feeling of being teased made the frown between his brows refuse to smooth out.

When he should have been apologizing, Gyojin, without a shred of tact, took it a step further.

“The kid likes you more too. Any thoughts on pushing Lee Seowon out and taking the spot as the kid’s father?”

He was spouting words that should not be said, amoral words, with such confidence. And with a gentle voice that could melt a person, at that.

Heeyoung was so dumbfounded that he stared blankly up at Gyojin. Satan, a demon. He thought that something like that might be wearing a human mask. If not that, then a trashy male lead who had popped out of a makjang drama that had soared in popularity while receiving endless curses from ajummas was standing before him.

“…Are you kidding me right now?”

When he asked with a hint of annoyance, Gyojin tilted his head askew and met Heeyoung’s eyes directly.

“Does it look like I’m kidding?”

Just a moment ago he was chuckling, and now he retorted seriously. Although the tone was laden with pressure, the melody of the voice asking ‘does it look like I’m kidding?’ was strangely soft.

Heeyoung could not give any reply. Because in Gyojin’s eyes that met his, not a trace of playfulness could be found.

Realizing he was being sincere, his heart dropped. So, the suggestion to push Lee Seowon out and take the spot as the kid’s father, and the comment about it being thrilling like an affair, were all real.

No matter how poor he had grown up, Heeyoung had lived an upright life. The only bad things he had done so far were secretly cursing his father or fighting with a jerk to save Cheonghyun. Going back further, the worst of it was sticking a sticker from a gum wrapper on someone else’s house wall when he was a child.

For someone like him to be involved in an affair. His mind snapped to attention. Heeyoung decided that he had to get out of this place before he got any more entangled with Gyojin.

But just because one makes up their mind, it does not mean everything goes as planned.

As he squirmed his body and attempted to escape, Gyojin wrapped his arms firmly around Heeyoung’s waist.

It was a waist so slender it could be easily encircled with just one arm, and when he applied pressure, Heeyoung could not move at all. He could only blink his wide-open eyes like a rabbit caught in a trap. Gyojin relentlessly cornered Heeyoung like that.

“I’d like it if you took my wife’s spot. You like kids, you’re proper, and you’re kind.”

“……”

“And your face is damn well my type.”

With every word that was uttered, a persistent gaze slid along Heeyoung’s eyes, nose, and lips. Even though it was just a glance with his eyes, it felt as if various parts of his face had been languidly sucked on, and Heeyoung felt strange.

Tingly. Itchy. It felt like insects were crawling on his chest and around his stomach. It was not the kind of fluttery feeling like cherry blossoms scattering in a clear sky or a spring breeze rustling. It was darker and more humid than that. A feeling that went beyond fluttering to a tingling sensation at the tips of his fingers and toes.

“In my life, I’ve never seen anyone like you.”

Gyojin, as if he could see right through the emotions Heeyoung was feeling now, went straight ahead without hesitation. As if determined to finally reel in the fish he had driven from the sea all the way to the pond in front of his house, he cast nets in every direction.

The fish, on the verge of being caught, was gaping its mouth, unaware that a net had been cast over its head.

“What is someone like me?”

When he asked dazedly, Gyojin, as if to say ‘that’s it,’ put on a friendly smile over his grim features.

“You? My ideal type. My ideal Hyung.”

After giving the answer slyly, he pulled Heeyoung’s waist, which he was holding, tightly towards him. Heeyoung, pulled along without being able to put up a fight, ended up bumping his forehead against the firm chest with a thump. Just as he was staring at the pitch-black shirt, his chin was caught and lifted, and his vision cleared.

Soon, Gyojin’s handsome face came into view. Gyojin’s gaze, looking down at him, felt sweet, as if it had been dipped in a honey pot, and also a little greasy, as if olive oil had been poured over it.

“I think I’ve fallen head over heels for you.”

And finally, a huge bomb was dropped.

Heeyoung doubted his own hearing. Am I dreaming right now? No. I must have just misheard…. But Gyojin’s subsequent heartfelt confession testified that all of this was real.

“Earlier, when you were bawling, my heart was fucking crumbling. I had to comfort you, huh? But just patting your back wasn’t going to be enough.”

“Um, Boss….”

“I wanted to pull you into a hug, wanted to rub our lips together. I was going crazy. Isn’t this what they call falling head over heels?”

Was Cha Gyojin even aware of what he was saying right now? He opened the floodgates with the phrase ‘fallen head over heels’ and was now just barreling ahead like a freight truck with broken brakes. That his heart crumbled seeing him cry. That he was going crazy wanting to rub their lips together. He spoke, no, confessed, while frowning between his brows as if he were frustrated to death.

Heeyoung’s heart, which was just a little bigger than a bean, was on a roller coaster. With Gyojin’s every expression, every word, it would drop here, drop there. It would float up, and spin around in place. He was the one who was on the verge of going crazy.

Boss, Cha Gyojin, has fallen head over heels for me? And that’s why he kissed me?

Unless he was a fool, there was no way he would not have noticed the strange atmosphere between them. Yes, that was true, but. Still. He and Cha Gyojin were not in a relationship where they could just get together because they had feelings for each other, were they?

Heeyoung, who had been moving his lips to choose his words, braced himself and put up a firm wall.

“Boss, you’re someone who shouldn’t be like this. Whether the relationship is good or bad, you have an unresolved one.”

Though he phrased it in a roundabout way, he was ultimately referring to Lee Seowon. Heeyoung, remembering the humiliation he had suffered from Lee Seowon until now, drew the line even more clearly.

“You’re not considering my position at all, are you? Boss… are you trash? You shouldn’t be doing this. Aren’t you ashamed for Cheonghyun to see?”

If only the existence of Lee Seowon was not there, he might have shed tears of joy mixed with bewilderment by now. Because Heeyoung, too, had felt an indescribable palpitation for Gyojin. But now, he was just filled with sorrow.

I should have known from the time he was raising his kid weirdly. His morality is zero, and he’s just a pervert who feels a thrill committing adultery. Is that all? His personal relationships are complicated, and he’s a shameless man who makes many omegas cry.

His eyes, glaring with welling tears, were resolute. Gyojin, discovering Heeyoung’s eyelids turning bright red, stopped teasing him further.

It was teasing he had started knowing full well he would be mistaken for trash, but being treated like actual trash made him feel like he would be dumped before he could even confess, and his heart grew impatient.

Gyojin wiped away Heeyoung’s tear that had welled up and finally dripped down with his thumb, and tried to fix the situation.

“I am trash, but I’m a bastard who can be recycled. Me.”

“……”

“Thanks to my kid, I’ve been well-reformed and become a useful bastard. I’m not a son of a bitch who plays around with multiple people like you think, huh?”

Does just saying you’re not make you not a son of a bitch? Heeyoung, who was standing still and listening, stared with his eyes wide open as if to ask, ‘what kind of sloppy excuse is this.’

Before starting the long story in earnest, Gyojin nonchalantly cupped Heeyoung’s cheek with his right hand. The feeling of the soft cheek flesh in his palm made him feel that it was ‘damn good’ again, but he did not dare say it out loud and set the mood.

“Lee Seowon and I are in a contractual relationship. It’s a relationship that will end after four months of living together.”

He candidly confessed the promise that had been exchanged between himself, Lee Seowon, and Chairman Baek. He said it was not a relationship that started because he developed any particular feelings for Lee Seowon. He said he had someone who was like a father to him, and it was just a promise that the worry-wart old man had unreasonably imposed.

As an unexpected circumstance came to light, Heeyoung was stunned. He had thought there was some deeper story between the two, but he was told they were not lovers connected by the heart in the first place. So, the two of them had not made love…

He did think it was not an ordinary relationship. However, for Heeyoung, it was an unexpected and difficult thing to understand. So, as he showed a look of reluctance, Gyojin, who read his expression, added an explanation.

“Back then, it was annoying how the old man was pestering me, so I was like, ‘four months, what’s the big deal,’ and just planned to let it pass.”

“…”

“I was a foolish bastard. I didn’t even know I’d meet someone like you and just said, ‘Yes, whatever you say’.”

His voice was one of deep regret for his own complacent actions in the past. Although he confessed it confidently, Gyojin was ashamed of his unusual circumstances. Just by bringing up the past, his under-eye trembled as if he was disgusted.

In reality, Gyojin’s insides were a mess of profanities.

Look at Lee Heeyoung’s expression. Fuck, I’m screwed. I’ve been cursing that bastards who cheat and then just make excuses should all die, but now that I think about it, I’m that bastard who should die, huh? Even if I argue it’s not cheating since I never gave him my heart, that’s not how it would be for Lee Heeyoung.

If Heeyoung did not understand him to the end, he was prepared to prove it even if it meant cutting off one of his fingers. Even though I acted like a slutty bastard, I’m betting everything that this heart alone is a virgin, untouched by filth. It’s purity itself. I’m ready to devote my pure love to you. He had even thoroughly calculated his lines.

“Then the two of you… don’t like each other? You don’t have feelings? Not even a little?”

Heeyoung, who had been silent for a moment, asked gently. In the two eyes that looked at him seeking confirmation, a strange light flickered. It was a gaze that made it impossible to spew even a single lie.

Gyojin nodded his head as if affirming the question. He met his gaze head-on, adding credibility to his answer, and wagged his tail like a fox.

“I’m sorry for managing my private life so sloppily while I’m hitting on you like a dog, but I’ll clean up everything around me, so please just let it slide once. My execution is top-notch. I’ll make sure no harm comes to you.”

“…”

Gently, gently. With a sly tone, he tickled one’s insides, and when Heeyoung kept those cute and pretty lips tightly shut, he did his absolute best.

“Trust me, Lee Heeyoung. I’ll do anything for you. You can hold my life in your hands. If you tell me to do it, I’ll do it. If you tell me to crawl, I’ll crawl. If you tell me to die, I’ll die. If I mess up my personal affairs again like a fucking idiot? That won’t happen, but. What if. Huh? If by some one in a million chance I do something that gets on your nerves. Just kill me, then.”

“…”

“A man, once he’s given his heart, should be loyal to one person.”

Gyojin, not a leash, but telling him to hold his very life, pulled Heeyoung’s hand and made him grab his own collar. When he said to kill him if he got on his nerves, he shook the collar he had forced him to grab himself. The force choking his neck was so strong that by the time he was passionately declaring his loyalty, his face had turned a dark red.

Cha Gyojin’s brakes must have been broken. No, perhaps brakes did not exist for him in the first place.

Is there another confession method like this in the world? The words ‘shotgun wedding’ or ‘sudden acceleration’ floated in his mind.

Heeyoung, who could not get a grip from the confession that was hitting him like a machine gun, quickly pulled his captured hand away. Because it seemed like Gyojin’s breath would really be cut off if he held on any longer. He hastily hid the withdrawn hand behind his back and avoided his gaze.

It was just… difficult to meet his burning eyes. His chest and various other parts of his body were tingling so much he could not bear it.

Bubbly, bubbly…. The feeling of dipping his fingertips and toes in fizzy soda. Heeyoung flinched his shoulders at the unfamiliar sensation and secretly curled his toes tightly, away from Gyojin’s sight.

Come to think of it, it was the first time he had been confessed to in this way. It was not a childish ‘should we go out?’ but a… confession of pledging loyalty, saying he would do anything for him. It was something he had never even imagined in his life.

Just a moment ago, he had been utterly bewildered by the contractual relationship between Lee Seowon and Cha Gyojin, and he did not know how things had flowed to this point. When he closed his eyes and opened them, he was being swept away by Cha Gyojin’s persuasion without a second thought.

Is this how all confessions, how all relationships, start? For Heeyoung, who had lived with a wall between him and romance, he could not get his bearings.

But with such a novice before him, Gyojin hammered in the final nail as if he was going to properly devour him.

“Hey, Lee Heeyoung. Heeyoung-ah. I’m a bastard who’s prepared to die. Even if I die, I can only love you. I can promise you that.”

When Heeyoung did not meet his eyes, he deliberately moved his head back and forth, following his gaze, and declared just that.

Even a couple about to get married would not confess their love with such resolve. If others heard it, they would probably click their tongues and say ‘what a load of crap’. How much do you like him, to say you’ll only love him even if you die before you even start.

But that utterly ridiculous line could come as a great resonance to someone.

Like an obnoxious couple who, despite the people around them shaking their heads in disapproval, do not shy away from public displays of affection. Like any other youth, busy enjoying every moment, lost in the illusion that the world revolves around them.

Heeyoung felt the world turn upside down. As he received confirmation from Gyojin, the stuffy and uncomfortable feeling that had always lingered in a corner of his heart seemed to melt away and disappear.

Now, he no longer had to forcefully swallow the strange feelings that blossomed while looking at Gyojin’s back. The need to hide the sorrow that welled up after being bullied had also disappeared.

“Why, are there other trashy aspects left besides your personal relationships? Tell me.”

As the answer was delayed further, Gyojin, who had grown anxious, asked as if begging. It seemed that if he just said one word about what he did not like, he would fix it all.

Heeyoung stared intently at Gyojin’s face, which was gentle but never looked servile.

Just a few months ago, he was clearly a person far away, high up, whom he could not recklessly reach. Employer and employee. Loan shark and debtor. Gyojin and Heeyoung were in a relationship defined very simply, and were thoroughly placed in the positions of alpha and beta.

But Gyojin, who had always been the alpha, was now anxiously trying to win the attention of him, the beta. The man who only cared about money, treated customers like dogs, and hit people over the head with beer bottles. The man who had remained indifferent without batting an eye at Lee Seowon’s persistent pleas for affection.

Heeyoung, unable to handle the dizzying mix of emotions, pressed his nails into his palm. What should he answer? As he was combining and recombining the words floating in his mind, Gyojin, who had matched his eye level, gently tapped his cheek.

“I said, tell me. That’s how I can seduce you, isn’t it.”

It was just a small bit of physical contact, but that insignificant gesture felt extremely dangerous. Heeyoung flinched his shoulders as if burned.

How can one be as sly and smooth as Cha Gyojin? He acted as if he did not know how to seduce people, yet at every moment, he was luring Heeyoung.

It seemed it would be better if Gyojin acted roughly as usual and shouted and yelled. When a person who was not like that suddenly poured out confessions as if to melt a person, it was only Heeyoung, who had no immunity to such things, who was on the verge of dying.

No, he was flustered enough by receiving a confession-like… thing out of the blue, but with Gyojin even prostrating himself, saying he would do anything, how could his mouth open?

Heeyoung, who had been hesitating and just moving his lips, suddenly pushed Gyojin, who was close to him, away. It was not a rational move, but an act dictated by instinct. If they stayed any closer here, it felt like his heart would race and race and then suddenly burst, so for now, he decided to put some distance between them.

Heeyoung, who had pushed the thick torso away with both arms, let out a panting breath, heek, heek, and spoke.

“I, I don’t know what I want to do. I don’t really know about things like dating, and, well, everything is so sudden.”

In a situation like this, how many people could shamelessly lift their face and say, ‘Ah~ Boss, you like me? I think I have some feelings for Boss too. Let’s try to meet once the complicated things are sorted out.’

Unaware that his face was burning red, he was turning his head away when a calm answer came from Gyojin.

“Yeah, it must be bewildering. Because there are still things that haven’t been resolved. I understand.”

“…Yes, well.”

“I’ll wait, so think about it carefully. Weigh it, consider if this is really a useful bastard.”

“…Think. Yes.”

“But I’m impatient. So give me some bait. Did you not feel even a little bit of interest in me?”

The man, who was about to politely step back, saying he would wait, suddenly threw a blunt question. Did you not feel even a little bit of interest. He said he would wait, but true to his words, his personality was so impatient that he could not seem to wait for even a second, let alone a day.

Well, he had harbored feelings of interest several times, but Heeyoung did not voice that fact. The reason was simple. It was because the question was too direct, making him feel embarrassed and ashamed.

When he unintentionally held back his answer, Gyojin, who became dejected, let out a hollow breath, ha, as if in disbelief. I can see right through you, huh? I can see everything, yet you’re trying not to tell me until the end? His gaze was strangely pressing.

“No, then let’s look at it objectively. Putting aside whether my personal relationships are dirty or my personality is shitty. What do you think when you just look at me. Would I be fun to have by your side? Do I suit your taste, or not.”

Then he lifted his chin and showed off his handsome face. He took a step back, stuck his hands in his pants pockets, and purposely showed off his muscular body and long legs by puffing out his chest.

Why would he even bother to consider such things…. Heeyoung, who had been quietly sighing at the childish behavior, glanced at the confident Gyojin.

After a moment of timidly glancing, he soon found himself engrossed and began to scan Gyojin’s entire body.

Let’s look at it objectively…? Hmm. He was certainly a man with outstanding looks. He did not have the delicate and splendid appearance of a celebrity, but Gyojin definitely had a charm that drew attention.

His eyes, large without double eyelids and with deep-set eye sockets, looked languid yet sharp. His high nose bridge was also well-shaped, extending without major curves, and perhaps because he was an alpha, he was also very tall. Not just tall, but very. To the point where he could easily look down on people in the 180cm range who could be called tall anywhere.

Moreover, there was not an ounce of fat on that toned body. His body, finely packed with muscles like an athlete’s, was also a body that Heeyoung had admired during his adolescent years.

If he were to join Gyojin’s childishness and really, really consider it… he was a type that suited his taste.

Heeyoung, who had been unconsciously scanning Gyojin’s body, belatedly felt the emotion of shame. A type that suits my taste. Although he was simply following Gyojin’s expression, he could not believe he had made such an assessment himself, and his ears burned hot.

When he finally turned his gaze away, Gyojin, who seemed to have misunderstood something, burst out laughing. Not a ha, but a hwaa kind of laugh. It was truly a gangster-like sound from the mouth.

“Is your eyesight bad? Take another look at my face and think about it. I’m definitely not asking you to accept me right away. It’s about seeing, shall we say, hope in our relationship.”

He cajoled him like that and put his arm around Heeyoung’s shoulder. It seemed intended as a friendly arm-around-the-shoulder gesture, but because of the difference in physique, the appearance was quite off.

It was just one arm draped over him, but Heeyoung was not just stuck to Gyojin’s side, he was half-embraced. How can physical contact happen so boldly, in the blink of an eye. Heeyoung, unable to defend himself this time either, once again turned his head sharply away.

But Gyojin was undeterred. He persistently met the eyes of Heeyoung, who kept trying to avoid his gaze, by grabbing him.

“Hey, Lee Heeyoung? Heeyoung-ah?”

At this point, he really thought this man must be crazy. Right turn, left turn, U-turn. A person who only knew how to go straight, without knowing any of those things, had decided to let loose the reins and was charging forward without even knowing how fast he was going. For Heeyoung, who was always cautious in everything, it was natural that he could not handle Gyojin’s speed.

He should give me some time to sort out my thoughts, and he should also sort out his own personal issues step by step. While saying he would wait, how could he be so impatient? At this rate, it seemed like their lips would meet again.

“Let go of me. Ta, take a step back for a moment.”

“Then why don’t you meet my eyes. Huh? Making a person all anxious.”

“No, that’s not it, first let go, let go….”

In fact, it was a matter of simply pushing Gyojin away with a gentle but firm tone, saying, ‘Boss, acting like this. It can be burdensome for the other person. Could you let go for a moment?’ But why was it so hard to speak bluntly today?

While the red-faced Heeyoung was at a loss, Gyojin squeezed his eyes shut and swallowed a laugh. He knew that his own actions of holding onto a troubled person and persistently teasing him were worse than a street ruffian’s, but he could not stop because Heeyoung’s naive reaction was so cute.

“Honestly, what’s there to look at in a man. This face is the most important thing. Personality, wealth, dick size, those are things you gotta have as a fucking baseline.”

“Ah, ah….”

“So what, do I suit your taste, or not?”

By the time Gyojin was asking again with a smirk, Heeyoung realized that his actions, which were making him blush with shame, were a joke.

One moment he was making him grab his collar as if he would really die if told to, and the next, he was smiling slyly like a thousand-year-old fox, toying with him this way and that.

Heeyoung, who had almost been completely taken in by Gyojin’s persuasion while spacing out, hastily backed away. He gave one last firm push to the body that clung to him persistently no matter how many times he pushed it away, and took two steps back.

“You’re, you’re not my type.”

And he spat out a clumsy lie. Even to himself, it was a terribly poor lie, but Gyojin seemed to believe his words at face value.

Wow…. With a deflated exclamation, he opened his mouth and scrunched up his face. A deep furrow formed between his brows, which had been smooth and wrinkle-free.

Was the statement that he wasn’t his type that shocking?

Gyojin, who had put a hand to his forehead, muttered as if he could not believe it.

“He’s pretty, but why are his eyes set so low?”

A gaze of genuine incomprehension swept over Heeyoung’s body. The gaze that slid down like that landed precisely on the tips of his toes before falling away.

Normally, in a case like this, people would ask, ‘Are your eyes set on a mountaintop?’ but Gyojin confidently questioned Heeyoung’s judgment. But then, as if saying ‘well, it could be,’ he unhesitatingly pulled the arm of Heeyoung, who was standing back.

Again. Again. The moment he let his guard down, he was trapped in his arms.

“Anyway. I’ll come back after sorting everything out. Think about it carefully in the meantime.”

Soon, he tilted his head to the side and whispered into Heeyoung’s ear. His voice, tinged with a faint smile, was filled with a strange conviction. He said to think about it carefully, in a coaxing tone, but his expression was full of leisure. As if he had already obtained an affirmative answer.

Heeyoung jumped and scratched his ear. Every time Gyojin’s hot breath tickled the inside of his ear, it felt as if the fine hairs were standing on end.

No more, no more.For now, just… let’s run away.

In the end, without an answer or anything, without even a chance to give a cursory nod, he ran away from him. He turned his back, ran out in a flurry, and disappeared, slamming the hospital room door shut with a bang!

A moment later, the sound of stifled laughter echoed in the silent hospital room. Gyojin watched the closed door and slowly lowered his body. He squatted down like a street punk, dropped his head low, and shook his shoulders.

Wow. It was even better that a kid with a surprisingly soft spot, while being shy, did not easily give in. The answer was written all over his face, but delaying the answer was properly making a person anxious.

The more he saw Lee Heeyoung, the more charming he was. Especially the part where he was like a model student who gives sharp remarks, but in front of love or romance, he was at a loss.

On top of that, how bad was he at hiding his inner thoughts. His every expression, every gaze, shone honestly like a child who did not know the first thing about lying.

Did Lee Heeyoung himself even know that he had unknowingly swallowed hard while staring at his face and body? Gyojin, observing that sight, had almost gotten a hard-on like a pervert. He had only barely managed to hold it in, realizing he was in the middle of a confession.

“Haaa….”

Gyojin, who let out a deep breath and swept his bangs up, stood up from his spot. He intended to catch Heeyoung before the faint sound of footsteps from beyond the door grew more distant.

He did not delay any longer and threw open the hospital room door. Running with wide strides, he quickly caught up to Heeyoung’s back in the corridor.

Heeyoung, caught while running away, just tapped his feet, unable to do anything. Gyojin naturally stood in front of Heeyoung, blocking his way.

“Where are you going. I won’t stick to you anymore, so go to the single room and sleep.”

“…I’m going to stay with Cheonghyun.”

“Ehh? You don’t seem to believe me. I won’t touch you even if I die. I promise.”

Did I push too hard? In Heeyoung’s eyes, which were glancing at him, there was distrust. Gyojin even held out his pinky finger and gently coaxed Heeyoung, who was trying to stay by Cheonghyun’s side.

Heeyoung, who had been standing his ground in the corridor, only turned his steps after receiving a pointed look from a passing nurse, and the two of them returned to the luxurious single-person room once again.

Gyojin laid Heeyoung down on the empty bed and turned off the lights for him. Of course, the process was not easy. He had to say more than twice that he would watch over his own son, so please, for the love of god, sleep soundly here.

The hospital room, which had been noisy with the two’s pathetic squabble, only quieted down after about 20 minutes.

Even though Heeyoung was not a patient, Gyojin, who had even turned on the light and humidifier, was only satisfied and went back after a perfect sleeping environment was established. A cheesy farewell of ‘sleep well, and if possible, dream of me’ was a bonus.

Cha Gyojin was persistent to the end. Tenacious. He was like a leech that sticks to a person’s body and does not easily come off. A rather handsome leech.

Rustle.

Heeyoung, who had pulled the blanket up to his neck, closed his eyes. He intended to force himself to sleep, but the attempt soon ended in failure.

It felt as if he would throw up his churning, beating heart at any moment, so Heeyoung could not fall asleep until late into the night.

The moonlight seeping in through the window was strangely bright. The night sky he looked up at was clear without a single cloud, and all around, sparkling dots that could be satellites or stars were studded.

Unable to sleep, he counted the dots in the sky one by one. As he did so, a smile appeared for no reason with a pik. At the same time, the corners of his mouth rose softly and the tips of his toes curled.

Heeyoung turned over, pretending nothing had happened.

The dawn passed just like that, tumultuously.