Dirty Sweet Baby Chapter 105

After finishing their meal, they cleaned up together and settled on the living room sofa to watch TV. He flipped through the channels with the remote and left it on a black-and-white classic movie that was playing. He thought the male lead’s nose bridge looked a bit like Cha Moogyul’s, and as he observed his nose, he found himself immersed in the movie.

Even though he started watching from the middle and it was a slightly esoteric and unfriendly art film, it felt like a pretty good movie since he was spending time with Cha Moogyul with the screen on. At some point, he had pulled Heeheon over so his head rested on his shoulder, and by the time the movie reached its climax, he was lying with his head in his lap.

Heeheon gave Cha Moogyul a lap pillow while playing with his hair. He parted it the opposite way, then back to the original way, then the opposite way again… Then, Heeheon suddenly realized. He liked the very slight wave in his hair. He was also quite fond of the small cowlick that formed in the same spot every morning.

“Oh, it’s over.”

“I still don’t know what the movie was ultimately about.”

“I know… Is there really a hotel like that in Marienbad?”

The screen went black, and the end credits rolled. Cha Moogyul was still using Heeheon’s lap as a pillow. The two of them continued to chat idly about the movie until the credits finished rolling.

When Heeheon said that the Baroque-style hotel’s staircase and chandelier were beautiful, Cha Moogyul made an uncharacteristic joke, saying, “Should I build a hotel like that?” No, if Cha Moogyul put his mind to it, it would be possible right away, so it might have been a serious suggestion.

“A hotel is nice, but I’m envious of them traveling.”

“Travel? Where do you want to go?”

“Just anywhere. I’ve been stuck in the Center’s dorms for five years, so I don’t even know many travel destinations.”

“I’ll look into it.”

Saying he would look into it, Cha Moogyul took out his phone and sent instructions to Secretary Jo via text. This was so Cha Moogyul-like that a small laugh escaped him. He wondered if Secretary Jo Pilwon was doing well. Even though he had only seen his face once, he was someone who worked with Cha Moogyul.

“Hey, hey… Gyul-ah.”

“Yeah.”

“You, that.”

After glancing around for a moment, Heeheon pushed down his shyness and embarrassment and sidled up to him. He squirmed his body to lie down with him on the narrow sofa and then asked in a deliberately gruff tone.

“Did you change my name in your phone?”

“Not yet. Should I change it now?”

Glancing at Heeheon lying next to him, Cha Moogyul immediately operated his phone and opened his contacts. He then deleted the name saved in his favorites as ‘Baek Heeheon’ and started typing a new one.

Heeheon held his breath and watched what Cha Moogyul was doing.

And then.

[Darling]

As soon as he saw the name changing in real-time before his eyes, his face turned as red as a peach.

Huh?

What the…?

‘What is this. What…?’

What is he doing. This is a dream. A hallucination. He’s crazy. He’s out of his mind.

Heeheon screamed internally, his lips moving without a sound.

Could Cha Moogyul be doing this on purpose? As if he was waiting for it? In fact, it might have all been calculated. Cha Moogyul, that bastard, what on earth is he thinking…

“Wha, what, you said this kind of thing was childish.”

The voice that came out was as cracked as a drought-stricken rice paddy. In contrast, Cha Moogyul simply replied nonchalantly.

“It is childish.”

“But. But why.”

“Why are you so flustered. Aren’t we in a relationship where this is allowed?”

“Euh.”

“Am I wrong?”

“Um.”

Like a fish out of water, Heeheon gaped his lips uselessly before raising the white flag of defeat.

“You’re not, wrong…”

Was it because he had lemon sorbet for dessert? It felt like all his teeth were going to rot from the sweetness. Cha Moogyul turned off his phone screen and lowered his voice quietly.

“My darling.”

…Ugh! Ack!

Wait. Wait a minute. This is a foul. If changing the contact name was a yellow card, then saying the nickname out loud was a red card. Sputtering, Heeheon scrambled off the sofa as if rolling off and escaped. Cha Moogyul frowned slightly and stood up to follow Heeheon.

“Where are you going?”

Heeheon hid his flushed face and slowly backed away. He didn’t know how long it had been since he had run away from him like this.

“Just. To my room.”

“Come here.”

“Later. Later on.”

“I said come here.”

“Just ten minutes. No, five minutes.”

Heeheon spun around, ran quickly up the stairs, and went into his room. He paced anxiously before closing and locking the door. Cha Moogyul, who had followed him leisurely, rattled the doorknob a short while later. After confirming it was locked, he knocked.

“Open up.”

“I said five minutes.”

“I have a key. Should I go get it?”

“No.”

“Alright. I’ll go get it.”

“Ah… Why are you being like this, really.”

“Wait.”

He heard the sound of footsteps moving away. Heeheon leaned against the door, listening for any sign of him, then paced around his room in circles. He gnawed on his lips, bit the inside of his mouth, and then cupped his face in his hands.

He had no idea how to digest this overwhelming, endlessly soaring feeling.

It felt like he was going to get indigestion. His solar plexus ached with sharp pains.

After a fierce vortex of emotions and intense deliberation, Heeheon opened a drawer, took out his phone.

He took four calming deep breaths and, with trembling fingers, found Cha Moogyul’s name in his contacts.

[Gyul]

He then pressed edit and slowly began to type different characters.

Tap, tap…

That short amount of time felt like it took a whole day.

[Babe]

Seeing the completed change on the screen, his breath caught in his throat.

He had said he would contact him from now on, but he didn’t think he would have the courage to send a text or make a call to this number. He just couldn’t control his emotions. At this rate, he might just pop like popcorn and die.

Finally, Heeheon began to count prime numbers. It had been a long time. ‘2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29, 31, 37, 41, 43, 47, 53, 59, 61, 67, 71, 73, 79, 83, 89, 97…’ By the time he finished the two-digit primes and moved on to the three-digit prime 101, he felt a little, just a little, calmer.

Heeheon let out a sigh that could have cracked the earth, suppressed his pounding heart, and looked at his phone screen again.

‘Babe’ was planted firmly in his contacts.

And above that…

‘…’

This time, his emotions swirled in a completely different way. After a moment of silent conflict, Heeheon pressed the number and sent a text message.

[We’re dating.]

There was no reply from his mother.

The autumn landscape changes rapidly. The leaves that were once brightly colored and the fruits that had ripened abundantly are now rolling on the ground, quietly preparing to disappear.

Just as wild animals busily move to prepare for the coming winter, the vast grounds of the Center were also bustling with military vehicles and personnel. The spirit of the personnel, dressed in combat uniforms and moving in perfect order, was as strong as ever.

The Center’s main building, made of steel and bulletproof reinforced glass. This place, which was no different from the heart of the special residential district, was always bustling without a single day’s rest. The new government’s national flag on the flagpole fluttered in the wind, the clouds drifted by, and the sun rose to mid-heaven. Looking at this, the metaphor of it being the power source that moves the body of the nation, the heart, seemed quite fitting.

Through the heart that is the Center, the awakened move as one, like limbs.

‘Then the head is.’

Standing on the landing, Heeheon straightened his clothes. He was not in the black uniform known as the black suit, but in the formal combat uniform. The medal pinned to his chest, just as he had worn it at the special promotion appointment ceremony, shone honorably.

“It’s time. Let’s go.”

“Yeah. Let’s go.”

After carefully checking the seams of his collar, Heeheon raised his head and followed Cha Moogyul. He, too, was in the same uniform as Heeheon.

‘The Military Strategy Command Headquarters.’

Today, Heeheon was going to meet the head of the supreme Center.

And the very pinnacle of it.

The Central Military Commander, the highest position overseeing the Center. The interview with him was today.

Together with Cha Moogyul, Heeheon passed through ID verification for his awakened tag, followed by a full-body scanner for identity verification and security screening, and entered the Military Strategy Command Headquarters located on the top floor of the Center’s main building via a specially isolated elevator. It was a place that could not be reached by a regular elevator as it was in a different zone.

Walking down the eerily quiet, long corridor of the headquarters, he casually asked Cha Moogyul.

“Have you ever met the Commander before…?”

He shook his head.

“This is the first time in person.”

“I see.”

Heeheon, too, had never met the Central Military Commander. After all, he was the head of the new military government’s military authority and the one and only leader of the Center.

‘I’m getting nervous for no reason.’

What on earth did he want to talk about in today’s interview?

The fact that he had called them for a formal interview at a set time, rather than an emergency summons, probably meant that he also respected and acknowledged Cha Moogyul. And of course, he would know about the progress of the new project.

‘When the Center’s 2nd Branch is established, the current Commander’s military authority will be divided. He might try to keep that in check.’

Or, he might boldly extend a hand first to win Cha Moogyul over as his ally.