BT | Chapter 9.1

Early in the morning, a small gathering was held to celebrate the removal of foreign substances and Gu Jaehyeok’s return. Nothing fancy, just a bowl of gukbap for everyone.

As they sat around in the spacious hall eating the delivered gukbap, everyone’s hands trembled as they lifted their spoons. Yukgaejang took a sip of the broth and lamented that he should have made a better broth himself, feeling a bit disappointed that this was their first meal.

In front of Yukgaejang, Goo Doksae quietly drank his gukbap, his shirt stained with bright red blood drops. Seeing this, everyone’s hands shook even more violently, including Heesung. He couldn’t tell if the food was going into his nose or mouth.

After the meal, Yukgaejang announced that everyone could leave early, standing in for the absent Jaehyeok. At that, everyone disappeared without looking back, as if fleeing.

Heesung, pushed by the crowd, left the hall a bit late, and someone slithered past him like a snake. Almost bumping into them, Heesung quickly apologized.

“Sorry, I’m sor…”

Suddenly, a chilly voice brushed past like the wind.

“Come out.”

Staring blankly at the man leaving the lobby, Heesung shivered and moved with heavy steps.

As he exited the Origin building, he saw a sedan with its back door wide open. As Heesung got in, Yukgaejang, who had somehow followed, closed the door and waved his hand. Goo Doksae, standing next to him, bowed with a sour expression.

The car started, and Heesung kept glancing at Jaehyeok in the seat next to him. Surely, he didn’t say that for me, but thanks to him, the situation had changed.

Until yesterday, Heesung was the Origin CEO’s lackey. But when he left the waiting room at the mention of gukbap, he was no longer a lackey. The manager had become the bad guy who deserved to be punished, and Heesung was the innocent lamb, the perfect victim.

Heesung didn’t argue or say anything about it. He liked being the victim. Who else in the world would be so happy to be a victim? But he was, honestly.

The place they arrived at, after passing well-paved roads, was a gallery department store they had visited once before.

Not knowing why they were here again, Heesung followed Jaehyeok with a puzzled face.

Sitting on the VIP room sofa, sipping orange juice, an employee came in with a load of items. It seemed they had received some advance notice.

“Director, would you like to check?”

Without answering, Jaehyeok got up and scanned the displayed items with his eyes.

“The watch?”

“It’s the most popular new model, so we’ve put in an urgent restock request. You should be able to see it by tomorrow at the latest.”

He nodded briefly and left the room without another word.

Still clueless about what was happening, Heesung downed the remaining orange juice in one go. As he hurried to follow him out, the luxury items on the table caught his eye.

They seemed familiar, and quite intimate…

At that moment, a scene flashed in Heesung’s mind like a photograph. The things hidden in the closet among the piles of clothes at his accommodation.

If his memory was correct… they were all the same. Every single one of them.

‘How much does he know?’

Recalling the luxury items stuffed in the trunk, Heesung kept glancing at Jaehyeok.

“Stop staring and say what you need to. You don’t have anything you can’t say to ‘hyung,’ right?”

Ah, he heard that too.

Embarrassed and flustered, Heesung’s face and neck turned red.

Back then, there was no shame or anything. Survival was the priority. So he sold out the strongest person he knew!

Of course, it wouldn’t work just like that, so in that urgent moment, he racked his brains and chose the one that suited his image better between ‘our darling’ and ‘our hyung.’

Thank goodness he didn’t say ‘our darling.’ If he had heard that, he might have jumped out of the moving car. Ah, since the door wouldn’t open, maybe he would have just bitten his tongue and died.

Unknowingly picking at his hangnail until it bled, Heesung’s hand was suddenly slapped by a large hand. Startled, he turned to see Jaehyeok calmly closing his eyes as if nothing had happened.

He said to talk, but now he’s pretending to sleep. Heesung glared at him for a moment before turning his head to look out the window.

The faces of people exhausted from the midsummer heat were red. For some reason, Heesung envied them. When was the last time he properly basked in the sunlight? He couldn’t even remember.

Heesung quickly glanced at Jaehyeok and then quietly opened the window.

A hot summer breeze rushed in. It was hotter than expected, but it felt good. Heesung thought it would be nice if his face got as red as theirs, and he embraced the passionate summer wind with his whole face.

Jaehyeok glanced at Heesung and then closed his eyes again.

Enjoying the short outing, Heesung was busy looking around with wide eyes at every place the car passed. Suddenly, the car stopped, and he looked out the window with a puzzled face. When Jaehyeok got out of the car, Heesung followed suit, caught off guard.

“Where is this?”

He remembered seeing a similar house on a program introducing actors’ homes. Houses built by famous architects using only the finest materials usually looked like this. Looking up at the high-end modern architecture set on a spacious garden, Heesung gaped in awe.

As Jaehyeok passed by him, he said briefly.

“It’s hyung’s house.”

“……?!”

He almost blurted out, “Are you crazy?” but managed to hold it back. Whether he was getting a kick out of calling himself hyung or just teasing him, Heesung felt so embarrassed and creeped out by the word that he thought it would be better to just get punched and be done with it.

But even if he were to get hit, he wanted to satisfy his curiosity first…

Heesung hurriedly caught up with Jaehyeok.

“Why the house? Did you forget something? Why did you suddenly come home?”

While Jaehyeok went through two security verifications, Heesung stuck close to him, pestering him with questions.

Beep beep. As the security was released and the door opened, Jaehyeok went inside, but Heesung didn’t move a step from outside the door.

Jaehyeok quickly caught the closing door and looked at Heesung standing outside. It was as if there was an invisible glass wall between them, close yet maintaining a distant distance.

“What are you doing there? Aren’t you coming in?”

“Somehow. I feel like I shouldn’t go in. And it’s someone else’s house…”

“Why is it someone else’s? It’s hyung’s.”

“……I was wrong.”

“Your expression says otherwise.”

“Ah…”

It seemed his expression had given him away. Honestly, he didn’t feel he had done anything wrong, just embarrassed. He hadn’t acted obviously, but Jaehyeok had caught the subtle change in expression like a ghost.

“This guy…”

“I’m sorry. But can I just wait here? I won’t run away. I’ll wait right here. Take your time, even if it’s an hour or two. Don’t mind me.”

“Do you expect me to believe a guy who ran away twice?”

“I’m sorry for that too…”

“You begged to be let out, and now what? Are you dying to go back? Planning to run again?”

Heesung was startled and shook his head vigorously.

“No! I really won’t do that anymore. It was unavoidable…”

But Jaehyeok didn’t seem to believe him at all. Regardless, Heesung added quietly.

“And the place I want to go back to isn’t Origin… It’s my, my home…”

At Heesung’s small complaint, Jaehyeok snorted. Feeling a bit offended, Heesung looked up at him a bit sharply. Looking down at him with an endlessly mocking expression, Jaehyeok spoke lightly.

“You’re lying again. You know that’s less believable than saying you’ll just hold hands and sleep, right? You’re at a trust deficit with me.”

“I’m sorry.”

Heesung bowed his head deeply in apology.

“You keep doing things I told you not to, so how can I leave you anywhere comfortably? What if you cause another incident? You’re a talent who sent a 10-year veteran manager packing in one go. Who knows who you’ll send next?”

“I’m sorry…”

His head, bowed even deeper, felt as heavy as a thousand pounds.

“Try building some trust. I’ll let you go then. Until then, you’re in isolation.”

“What?!”

Heesung’s eyes widened in an instant.

What, what is this? Isolation?! What kind of isolation?! Who? Me?! Where?! Here? In this house with two biometric security systems?! How is that isolation? It’s confinement!

Heesung’s dark pupils shook violently.

Looking down at Heesung, who didn’t answer with his head bowed, Jaehyeok raised one corner of his mouth.

“You’re plotting again. I told you not to think about causing trouble.”

“…Yes.”

Jaehyeok lightly grabbed and released the back of Heesung’s head and took a step inside. Then he nodded his head inward.

“Come in. I’ll give you a present.”

“A present?”

At the mention of a present, Heesung finally lifted his head and showed interest. Seeing this, Jaehyeok wiped his mouth with his hand. The kid was so childish it was laughable. But Jaehyeok erased his smile and continued speaking calmly.

“Yes, a present.”

After hesitating for a moment, Heesung finally crossed the threshold.

As Jaehyeok let go of the door, it closed, and the security was reset. For a moment, Heesung had a strong feeling that something was wrong, but he didn’t look back.

Since it had come to this, he thought it was better to take whatever he could. Heesung held out his palm to Jaehyeok.

“A present…”

Jaehyeok chuckled and took something out of his back pocket, placing it in Heesung’s hand. Curious, Heesung looked and saw it was money.

Awesome! And it was a 50,000 won bill. Awesome, awesome! Heesung’s lips curled up in a grin that he couldn’t hide.

Looking down at it, Jaehyeok spoke in a heavy tone.

“You kept it so neatly. Makes me doubt it was really unavoidable.”

Heesung’s smile vanished instantly. He asked to confirm if it was what he thought.

“Why are you giving me this?”

“You asked for it. If it turned up.”

Ah. He searched. It was the money he had hidden in his pillow.

But why is he so proud of searching someone else’s stuff? Heesung pursed his lips slightly and clutched the money. Still, he made sure to say thank you.

Watching Heesung, who looked sulky as he entered before the owner, Jaehyeok chuckled in disbelief.

And so, their peculiar cohabitation began.

After telling him to choose any room he liked, Jaehyeok went into his room on the first floor.

Heesung stood hesitantly, and as soon as he heard the door close, he circled the living room, exclaiming softly.

“Wow! This is no joke. Wow. Wow!”

His mouth, which he had tried to keep shut, opened wide. The villa last time was really nice, but this house was so amazing it made his head spin.

The living room alone was several times the size of the rooftop room he used to live in.

Unlike the CEO’s office, which was entirely black, the interior was bright and soothing. Soft cream-colored curtains covered the floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room. When he gently pulled them aside, a wide green lawn spread out.

Closing the curtains and turning around, Heesung glanced at Jaehyeok’s room. Seeing no sign of him coming out, he excitedly ran up to the second floor.

He liked the wooden stairs, and the cute pictures on the stairway walls were so tasteful.

The second floor was even more to his liking than the first. Surprisingly, there was another living room on the second floor, with pastel-toned sofas and cute decorations that were just his style.