BYBM Chapter 0 (Part 3)

Without warning.

Without a single sign of movement beforehand.

Hyun Tae-oh was looking at him.

No—rather than saying Hyun Tae-oh was looking at Yoo Hyun-jin, it would be more accurate to say that the moment he opened his eyes, Yoo Hyun-jin was right there in front of him.

But still, his gaze locked onto Yoo Hyun-jin’s face immediately.

“……”

His heart stopped.

His movements, time itself, his entire mind—everything froze in place.

Hyun Tae-oh, too, remained utterly motionless, as if time had halted for him as well.

His long, sharp eyes stared straight at Yoo Hyun-jin, unblinking.

And then—

A slow blink.

For just a moment, his eyes closed and then opened again.

That tiny movement sent Yoo Hyun-jin’s heart plummeting, and suddenly, all the things that had been frozen within him began to move again.

But what moved first—what surged the most violently—was desire.

He hadn’t expected that.

He wanted to look at him.

Up close like this, all the greed he had suppressed until now surged to the surface, clawing its way out.

He wanted more.

Just a little longer—just a little closer.

Hyun Tae-oh sat up.

His gaze shifted, slowly taking in the unfamiliar room. After scanning his surroundings, his eyes finally settled on the bedding—on himself, sitting there stark naked—and then on Yoo Hyun-jin, lying right beside him.

Would he be startled?

Would he look embarrassed?

Or perhaps… would he get angry?

Any of those reactions would have been fine.

Because in all the years Yoo Hyun-jin had known him, not once had he ever shown anything but an unreadable expression.

But, as if staying true to himself—true to the unwavering nature that defined him—his face remained completely unreadable.

He stayed there for a moment, expression unmoving, revealing nothing of his thoughts—

Then, without warning, he lifted the blanket.

In reflex, Yoo Hyun-jin jolted upright, hurriedly pressing down on the blanket just as it was about to be pulled away from his waist.

“……”

The blanket was back in place.

But for that brief moment, before he had yanked it back down, there was no doubt that Hyun Tae-oh had seen what was beneath.

And he would have noticed that he himself was also completely bare.

Only then—just barely—did his brow twitch.

A minuscule reaction, so slight that only someone who had spent an eternity staring at his face would even notice.

And yet, even in this situation, Yoo Hyun-jin found himself unable to look away.

Even while cursing himself internally for it.

He just needed to say it.

Just explain, simply and straightforwardly.

That the man had passed out drunk, his clothes had gotten filthy, so he had been brought here instead. That Yoo Hyun-jin had also been in a similar state, and while their clothes were being washed, they had no choice but to wait here.

Yes, it was an awkward situation, but he just needed to say that, quickly get dressed, and leave.

Dawn was breaking.

Outside, the world was beginning to stir—the sounds of early workers moving about, the quiet bustle of a new day beginning.

All he had to do was walk out, find someone, ask where last night’s guests had been taken, collect his brother, and be done with it.

And yet—

His mind was still lagging behind, trapped somewhere between dream and waking reality.

A sudden, overwhelming greed surged up within him—

The greed to see this man’s other expressions.

“Sir, do you not remember? Last night, you assaulted me.”

The absurd, ridiculous words tumbled out of Yoo Hyun-jin’s mouth before he could stop them.

The moment he spoke, he thought, Oh God, am I insane?

But even as horror gripped him, he couldn’t tear his gaze away from Hyun Tae-oh.

…And yet…

There was no change in expression.

Not even the slightest flicker in those piercing eyes locked onto him.

Was he still drunk?

Well, considering how much he had drunk, it would be strange if he had sobered up already. He looked perfectly composed now, but realistically, it wouldn’t have been surprising if he were still unconscious for three days straight.

“You must have had too much to drink. I tried to stop you, but it was useless. You’re far too strong.”

Riding the momentum, Yoo Hyun-jin threw out even more nonsense.

For all he knew, the man might just collapse again and pass out.

Or so he thought—until.

“Priest Yoo Hyun-jin.”

Hyun Tae-oh called his name.

His voice was sharp, clear—far too steady for someone still intoxicated.

Yoo Hyun-jin flinched internally, an odd sensation crawling up his spine.

This was the first time Hyun Tae-oh had ever said his name.

So, he did know it.

Not surprising—his memory was infallible.

“This is the first time I’ve ever lost consciousness from drinking, so I don’t remember anything. But are you saying that I raped you?”

The words left his lips so plainly, so deliberately, that it sent a chill down Yoo Hyun-jin’s back.

Even as he spoke such dangerous words, Hyun Tae-oh’s face remained as impassive as ever.

There was no shock. No disbelief. No anger.

Even in this situation, he remained utterly unreadable.

What an unbelievable man, Yoo Hyun-jin thought—before realization suddenly struck him.

Ah… No, that’s not it.

Of course, what Yoo Hyun-jin had said was utterly ridiculous.

They weren’t close enough to joke around, but given their current predicament—both naked, sharing the same blanket—it wasn’t unreasonable for someone to defuse the awkwardness with a lighthearted remark.

Which meant…

He was simply playing along.

And that was so absurd that Yoo Hyun-jin couldn’t help it—

He laughed.

When else in his life would he ever get the chance to exchange such ridiculous words with this man, someone as distant as the stars in the sky?

So, this time, with his heart feeling just a little lighter, Yoo Hyun-jin decided to push the joke a bit further.

“Yes. Thanks to you, I can no longer remain in the priesthood. Sir, you’ll have to take responsibility.”

He thought he would watch him just a little longer—just for a moment—before finally revealing that it was all just a joke.

Their eyes met.

Dark, unreadable eyes stared straight at him.

Faced with that inscrutable gaze, something in Yoo Hyun-jin’s chest turned cold.

He does know this is a joke… right…?

The laughter that had unconsciously flickered across his mind vanished.

And then—for the first time—Hyun Tae-oh’s gaze shifted away, drifting briefly into the air above before returning to Yoo Hyun-jin.

“Understood.”

“……, ?”

What?

What does he mean, understood?

The response had come so suddenly that Yoo Hyun-jin was momentarily blank, retracing his words in his head.

“To force myself upon a priest, of all people… No matter how drunk I was, it is an unforgivable crime. I must take full responsibility.”

“……Ah.”

It was clearly a joke.

Just an absurd remark, meant to defuse the awkwardness of their situation.

And yet, Hyun Tae-oh was speaking with complete composure—cold, firm, and utterly serious.

Anyone overhearing this would think it was real.

Or worse—maybe Hyun Tae-oh was actually angry at him for crossing the line with such an outrageous lie.

“Um, Sir, I—”

“In my name, I will take full responsibility for breaking the sacred vow you made to the temple. As soon as dawn breaks, I will petition the royal family to annul my engagement and begin preparations for my household to receive you as soon as possible.”

“No, Sir—”

His name? Annulment? Preparing the inner chambers?

No matter how absurd a joke was, this was beyond reckless.

This was the kind of joke that could get people killed.

It was time to cut things off. If this had gone too far—if he had been too flippant and offended him—he needed to apologize and clear this up right now.

But before Yoo Hyun-jin could even gather his thoughts—

Hyun Tae-oh sat up straight, adjusted his posture, and bowed his head.

“Though I was intoxicated, I sincerely apologize for forcing myself upon you. I promise to take full responsibility.”

“Sir—”

Yoo Hyun-jin instinctively shot up in alarm—

And at that exact moment—

CRASH—

The sharp crash of something shattering against the floor rang in his ears.

At the same time, the door creaked open, letting in a rush of cold air.

Standing at the entrance was the restaurant owner, her face drained of color.

At her feet lay a broken teacup and a toppled teapot, still steaming as its contents seeped across the floor.

“I… I thought the priest would… have woken up by now… so I came to bring something warm to soothe your throat….”

She trailed off, unable to hide the shock on her face as she took in the sight before her—two men, both naked, sitting face-to-face under the same blanket. Her gaze darted away awkwardly.

“Ah, no, that’s not—”

“I should get up as well. Today is going to be a busy day, so it’s best to get an early start.”

Hyun Tae-oh rose effortlessly to his feet and began dressing.

As he did, a long scar along his right thigh was revealed. Though the wound had healed, the thick, raised scar was still red and uneven, painful to look at.

Still, despite using the table for support and dragging one leg slightly heavier than the other, his movements didn’t seem too hindered.

Thank goodness…

No—that’s not the important thing right now.

“I will bring something light for you to eat before you leave.”

With that, the restaurant owner practically fled from the room as if she had been burned.

Yoo Hyun-jin remained frozen in place beneath the blanket, staring at Hyun Tae-oh in stunned disbelief.

He had thought this was a dream.

Or rather, he knew it wasn’t, but it had felt surreal, like a dreamlike reality.

But now, he was certain—this had to be a dream.

To see something this vivid, this absurd—it could only be a dream.

Still dazed, Yoo Hyun-jin finally snapped out of his trance when he saw Hyun Tae-oh fully dressed, reaching for his jacket. Panicked, he scrambled to speak.

“Sir! Sir! No, that’s not it, what I said was just—”

He had to stop this.

No matter how absurd the joke had been, things had gone too far.

But just as he opened his mouth, Hyun Tae-oh turned back to him.

Their eyes met.

And in that instant, Yoo Hyun-jin’s breath caught in his throat.

Hyun Tae-oh was staring down at him with an icy, unreadable expression.

But it was different this time.

It was terrifying.

He had never seen eyes so utterly chilling.

His entire body froze.

Hyun Tae-oh stepped forward.

He moved like a reaper approaching its target.

…I might die.

The thought surfaced without warning.

Just as he stood directly in front of him, Hyun Tae-oh bent down.

With deliberate slowness, he pulled the blanket up and wrapped it around Yoo Hyun-jin’s shoulders.

His large hands lingered, adjusting the fabric carefully, securing it in place.

The weight of the gesture felt less like kindness and more like a warning.

“Priest.”

“――.”

“A person must take responsibility for their actions. Even if it wasn’t intentional. Even if there was no malice behind it. Don’t you agree?”

His low voice sank into Yoo Hyun-jin’s ears, reverberating in his bones.

Yoo Hyun-jin, pale and shaken, stared back at him.

Hyun Tae-oh’s face was mere inches from his own.

And then, suddenly—

He smiled.

Just faintly. The corners of his lips lifted—so slight, it was barely there.

Yet the moment passed in an instant.

His face returned to its usual impassivity as he straightened.

Glancing out the window at the brightening sky, he seemed to gauge the time before turning on his heel and leaving the room without hesitation.

“No need for food. Just call for a carriage.”

His cold, emotionless voice grew fainter as he walked away.

The sharp sound of his cane striking the floor and the measured rhythm of his footsteps gradually faded into the distance.

Yoo Hyun-jin remained frozen in place, as still as a statue.

Then, slowly—

His body began to tremble.

That was the first time he had ever seen Hyun Tae-oh smile.

Yet there had been no warmth in it. Not even a trace of kindness.

It was the expression he had longed to see for so many years.

But he wished he hadn’t.

“This is… ridiculous… It has to be a dream. Yes, a dream….”

Even though he was wrapped tightly in the blanket, a deep, unbearable chill seeped through him.

Shivering uncontrollably, lips pale, Yoo Hyun-jin murmured to himself—

And then collapsed.