Dirty Sweet Baby Chapter 7

“……”

“Food. It’s obvious you’ve been eating your weirdly picky meals and starving yourself. Stuff all three meals into your mouth, properly.”

“……”

“Contact. I had a line opened that can communicate with the general district and got you a new phone, so make sure to call home regularly and let them know you’re okay.”

The back of his neck was stiff. His tongue tasted black and bitter, as if someone had sprinkled ashes in his mouth. He knew this was no longer a situation he could refuse and run away from. The value of the things Heeheon had abandoned pressed down heavily on both his shoulders. The face of his mother, remaining in his memory, flickered before his eyes.

Was this a punishment for running away? Was it karma?

He was caught by the ankle by his weak and foolish past of his early twenties.

“I…… no, fine. If that’s the situation, I understand.”

He could not resist. And he had no grounds to refuse.

“I saw an annex when I came in. I’ll stay there for the time being.”

Wouldn’t it be okay if they at least used separate buildings? If he stayed holed up in his room as if he were dead, Cha Mugyeol would not be bothered by his presence.

“The annex? No.”

But, an answer different from his thoughts came back. Cha Mugyeol snickered.

“That’s the building I’ll be using as a training ground. In any case, since I’ve awakened as an Esper, I need to be able to handle my abilities.”

“Then, I……”

“Use that bedroom upstairs.”

Nothing was going his way. He wanted to curl up and hold his head, but all he could do was let out a barely audible sigh. Heeheon, who had swallowed countless words he could not convey, nodded his head.

“I won’t be staying for long. I’ll only stay until mother’s worries have subsided, and then I’ll leave.”

“Do as you please with that.”

Now things were starting to make sense. The doubts he had about Cha Mugyeol’s words were also cleared up.

<I’d appreciate it if you didn’t drag me into your and Musan Group’s affairs.>

<Who dragged who in.>

So that was why…….

As Heeheon was lost in thought, standing vacantly, Cha Mugyeol got up from the sofa. He took it as a sign that the conversation was over. His footsteps grew more distant. He turned the corner at the other end of the hallway and disappeared from view.

Heeheon gripped his glove tightly and tried to clear the hazy fog in his mind. If he did not, Cha Mugyeol’s expression, voice, actions, and gestures would dominate his thoughts with an absurd ease. His surprisingly mature body, his perfected muscles and frame, and those lips that moved so pleasingly whenever he spoke……. He had no idea why he kept dredging up that disastrous kiss from his heart.

If he was like this even now, it was obvious what a thorny path it would be to live in the same house with Cha Mugyeol. It would be an ordeal even if he just stayed hidden in his assigned bedroom, holding his breath.

‘It’s summer, so I can’t even tell him to cover up a bit…….’

Ah…… you son of a bitch.

Heeheon, exhausted in both mind and body, buried his face in his hands. He rubbed his dry face and searched desperately for a way out of the pit of disaster he had been thrown into.

‘The house, I can just leave……. It will be resolved as soon as mother is reassured.’

And the guiding.

‘Our ranks don’t match anyway. Once Cha Mugyeol becomes a skilled S-class Esper, I won’t be able to handle him. He’ll naturally get another dedicated guide.’

The Cha Mugyeol that Baek Heeheon knew was a profligate and a scoundrel, but he was exceptionally extraordinary. He was confident that his growth rate as an Esper would also be different from others. He would be able to reach a level that others took a lifetime of training to master in an instant.

‘Yes, it won’t take that long.’

The scheme of Musan Group and the Ministry of National Defense to gain support by pairing up the late-manifesting brother Awakened was a little concerning, but even so, he could not guide an Esper above his rank. It was an immutable law.

‘Let’s just endure it for a little while. Then, soon…….’

Just then, he heard a clattering sound on the sofa table. Heeheon, on high alert like a stray cat, lifted his head.

“Eat.”

“Uh……?”

“I said, eat.”

Cha Mugyeol set down the food, tray and all. It seemed the place he had just headed to was the kitchen. The savory smell stimulated his nose. Heeheon looked at it again and again, wondering if he was dreaming.

It was white porridge in a round bowl. Sprinkled with sesame oil and sesame seeds.

The next day, as morning dawned, a pile of luggage neatly stacked in front of the entrance greeted Heeheon. It was the luggage that was supposed to come from the dormitory.

Even after packing all his clothes and personal belongings, it was only two boxes worth. He wondered if this was all that was left of his five years, but then he thought it was natural, since he had been living a life of wearing only the designated combat uniform and using only the supplied items.

“Heave-ho.”

Heeheon moved the boxes to the second floor. Fortunately, after a good night’s sleep, his condition had recovered to some extent. His depleted core had not been fully replenished, but this much was bearable.

‘Hasn’t Cha Mugyeol woken up yet…….’

Heeheon looked around the quiet house where there was no sign of anyone. He did not hear any sound while he moved all the luggage. There were so many closed doors on both the first and second floors that he did not even know which room he was in. Besides, although he had not gone up, the stairs continued upward, so it seemed there was a third floor or more.

‘Well, it is a bit early right now.’

Heeheon checked the clock on the wall. It was a little past 8 in the morning. Heeheon thought things like, ‘Was Cha Mugyeol a heavy sleeper? I don’t think he was,’ and then, ‘He might be tired since he’s in an unfamiliar place,’ or ‘He said it was his first time guiding too…….’

Considering that he himself had suffered quite a bit when he first came to the special residential district, maybe Cha Mugyeol too…….

No, Cha Mugyeol was an exceptionally talented and strong bastard to the point of being annoying, so he might be completely fine…….

And yesterday, he had unexpectedly brought him porridge…….

‘Ha.’

He was going to die from the turmoil.

His head felt like it was going to explode from all the thoughts. His stomach was stinging and sore.

‘I don’t know. For now… let’s not pay attention to him. I can’t let him know I’m conscious of him.’

He wished there was a button on his forehead. A button that would turn off his thoughts of Cha Mugyeol just by pressing it. Then he would not be agonizing like this. ‘Cha Mugyeol OFF. Cha Mugyeol OFF.’ Heeheon forcibly cut him off.

Heeheon, who had been dazed for a moment, barely managed to return to his daily routine.

‘Hmm. It’s strange that the pager isn’t ringing.’

Usually, he would have to check his pager by this time. It felt awkward to be in an ideal house that looked like a model home at a time when he should be putting on his combat uniform and preparing to go to the Center. Heeheon opened the boxes he had brought and looked for the few casual clothes he had. He had been in his combat uniform since yesterday. He had felt uncomfortable, so he had slept in it, sweating, without taking it off.

‘Should I wash up.’

Where is the bathroom.

Because it was so large, he did not know where anything was, so he had no choice but to figure out the layout of the house first. Maybe it would be better to get it over with quickly now. Because he planned to finish showering and stay holed up in his bedroom all day before Cha Mugyeol woke up.

‘Damn it, thinking about Cha Mugyeol again.’

Cha Mugyeol OFF. Cha Mugyeol OFF.

Heeheon grabbed a t-shirt, training pants, and underwear, and calmly looked around the second floor. He saw the closed doors, spaced out along the hallway. He figured one of them must be the bathroom.

He grabbed the nearest doorknob and opened it gently so as not to make a sound. The lights, which recognized a person, turned on automatically, and even the closed shelves slid open. A very spacious dressing room greeted Heeheon. Even though it was supposed to be a new house, it was full of clothes, shoes, bags, hats, and so on. They were all brand new products with the tags still on.

Heeheon looked admiringly at the various suits, ties, cufflinks, and watches and sunglasses hanging in a row, then closed the door. The lights turned off automatically again, and the shelves closed.

‘Not here.’

Heeheon, who had taken a deep breath, opened the corner door on the opposite side. This time, books packed tightly into every shelf greeted him. It was a study. In an era where printed publications were digitized and it was common to read on a pad, there were some people who rarely preferred physical paper books. He wondered if Cha Mugyeol also had such a taste.

‘Nope.’

It was about time he found the bathroom, but it was strange. He opened the next door. And he saw a pair of black lights suspended in mid-air. His eyes met his.

“……Sorry.”

He quickly closed the door.

How could he be so bad at guessing.

His bedroom was well-organized like a hotel, and it was dark because the blackout curtains were half-closed. He was standing in front of his desk, still in the loose robe he had seen yesterday, looking at some documents. And he had a slight bedhead at the back of his head, and for a moment he looked cute…….

Fuck…….

‘I hate myself.’

Heeheon hurriedly looked for the bathroom. Since he had found the landmine in minesweeper, the rest of the rooms were all clear. When he opened the next doorknob he grabbed, a spacious bathroom with marble tiles appeared. A large sink occupied the space, and beyond it was a deep bathtub and a shower.

He was about to rush inside when a voice calling him caught him by the scruff of his neck.

“Hyung.”

He did not answer.

Cha Mugyeol, who had opened the creaking door and come out, threw a small box. He reflexively caught the object flying toward him and saw that it was a product box containing a new cell phone.