TAF Ch 9

Sighing, Yeonwoo blinked slowly, feeling powerless. After a moment of contemplation, he called Chahyun again.

—Hello.

Chahyun calmly answered the phone after a few hours of radio silence.

“Does your mother know you’re doing this?”

—Why? Are you going to tell on me if she doesn’t?

“You’re locking me up because you’re upset? This isn’t normal.”

Yeonwoo gripped his phone as if it were Chahyun’s collar.

“This is a crime.”

—I have a meeting, so I’m busy. I’ll be there before dinner, so wait a little bit, even if you miss me.

“Baek Chahyun! Hey, you crazy bastard! You…”

Chahyun hung up before Yeonwoo could finish speaking.

Frustrated, Yeonwoo grabbed a nearby sofa cushion and threw it.

✧✧✧

An hour later, Chahyun really did come. Since Yeonwoo had changed the door lock passcode, he couldn’t get in, so Yeonwoo ran to open the door.

“You crazy asshole…! Huh?”

He was about to grab Chahyun by the collar and push him, but he saw a familiar face standing right behind him.

“D…Doctor Park?”

It was Yeonwoo’s doctor, the one in charge of his ankle treatment.

Chahyun easily released himself from Yeonwoo’s grip and entered the officetel. The doctor, who had momentarily looked surprised, then greeted Yeonwoo with a nod, as if he hadn’t seen anything.

Yeonwoo glared at Chahyun, demanding an explanation, but the doctor spoke first.

“I heard you sprained your ankle.”

“Ah… yes.”

Yeonwoo cleared his throat awkwardly and replied, then glanced at Chahyun standing next to the doctor.

He was wearing a suit, seemingly having come straight from work. His neat appearance was a stark contrast to Yeonwoo, who had been struggling here all afternoon.

“Please come in, Doctor Park. He injured himself yesterday, but he’s not in a position to visit the hospital.”

He calmly ushered Dr. Kim inside as if it were his own home. The sight made Yeonwoo’s stomach churn.

However, he couldn’t throw a tantrum in front of the doctor who had been treating his ankle for so long, so he swallowed the curses that rose to his throat. Unable to say what he wanted, he felt a burning sensation in his chest.

Yeonwoo had nothing to do. Chahyun explained everything about how Yeonwoo had sprained his ankle. The doctor listened attentively, touching and moving Yeonwoo’s ankle a few times.

The fact that Chahyun had brought his doctor from a major hospital for a house call made him seem even more insane.

“Even if there’s no pain now, there might be muscle aches later. I’ll prescribe some medication, so please take it and apply a warm compress whenever you have time.”

“Will he be able to go about his daily activities?”

“It’s best to refrain from strenuous outdoor activities for a while. If there’s any pain or swelling, please come to the hospital immediately.”

“I understand. Thank you, Doctor Park.”

“You’re welcome. Of course, I had to come when the director called.”

The two of them talked for a while, treating Yeonwoo as if he were a doll sitting between them, before concluding the examination.

Like the experienced doctor he was, Dr. Park didn’t ask any detailed questions, such as how the injury happened or why Yeonwoo hadn’t come to the hospital despite the pain.

He simply examined him as Chahyun had instructed, prescribed medication, and left.

Chahyun, who had confined him to his officetel, was now seriously discussing the aftereffects and pain with the doctor, as if everything was normal. He didn’t seem like the Chahyun Yeonwoo knew anymore. He seemed out of his mind.

Yeonwoo was so angry and dumbfounded that he couldn’t even properly say goodbye to the doctor when he left.

“I’m glad it doesn’t seem serious.”

Chahyun said as he returned from seeing the doctor out. He approached the sofa where Yeonwoo was sitting.

“I’ll have someone pick up your prescription, so let me know if you need anything else. For now, let’s apply a warm compress…”

“Are you enjoying this?”

Yeonwoo interrupted him, looking up.

“What makes you think that?”

“Did you think I was joking when I said let’s break up? What are you doing? I don’t understand this situation at all.”

“I know you’re surprised and confused.”

“If you know that, why are you locking me up?”

“I wish you would think calmly for a moment before getting angry.”

Think calmly? About what? Yeonwoo sighed, exasperated by his nonsensical words.

“About what you stand to gain from this.”

What was he up to now? Every time Chahyun spoke, Yeonwoo felt a headache coming on.

“You’re good at calculations.”

Chahyun murmured, tapping Yeonwoo’s head.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about the marriage sooner. I’ll do better from now on, so you don’t have to worry about anything.”

“What I want is for you to either not get married, or break up with me. One of the two.”

Instead of answering, Chahyun knelt down and put a brace on Yeonwoo’s right ankle. He was used to putting it on, having done it often right after Yeonwoo injured himself.

After securing the brace, Chahyun bent down and briefly kissed Yeonwoo’s ankle.

Yeonwoo shuddered and pulled his foot away. He moved further back on the sofa, putting more distance between himself and Chahyun.

“Stop doing weird things and get those people outside to leave. I have to go to the cafe, but because of you, I’ve been stuck here all day…”

“You don’t have to go for a while. Rest at home.”

“What? That’s my cafe. What right do you have to tell me not to go?”

“Think of it as a short vacation. You’ve injured your ankle, so rest and recover.”

“You’re the one who injured my ankle in the first place!”

He ended up shouting again. Reasoning with him was getting nowhere.

Yeonwoo bit his lip to suppress his rising anger.

“I didn’t mean to hurt you. I just got angry for a moment yesterday…”

Seeing Yeonwoo’s pained expression, Chahyun, thinking it was because of the pain, hovered nervously, repeatedly grasping and releasing his foot and ankle.

“…….”

Yeonwoo felt an indescribable sense of unease and fear at Chahyun’s behavior.

He felt regret, joy, sadness… everything, so why couldn’t he see that this situation was abnormal? Had he, as Chahyun said, simply lost his temper for a moment because he was so angry about the breakup?

But this was beyond normal.

“…If you’re going to be like this, don’t get married, Baek Chahyun. You don’t have to go through with it.”

Yeonwoo spoke in a suppressed tone, as if suffocating. He grabbed Chahyun’s chin, who was kneeling in front of him, lifted his face, and looked him in the eye.

“You and your fiancée, you don’t love each other. You won’t be happy… Why are you doing this?”

“Who gets married to be happy?”

It was a purely innocent answer, without a hint of sarcasm. Yeonwoo was speechless.

Silence fell over the officetel. Yeonwoo glared at Chahyun, then spoke again.

“So. How long are you going to keep this up? You’re not going to lock me up forever, are you?”

“Your heat cycle is coming soon. I’ll let you go out after it’s over.”

He was about to retort and ask what that had to do with anything, but Chahyun continued.

“Of course, your ankle has to heal too.”

“…….”

“I don’t think I can let you go before then. I’m sorry.”

He spoke as if he had the right to confine Yeonwoo like a dog.

He’d received so many shocks since yesterday that it was hard to keep track. Everything Chahyun had done was strange. He didn’t even have the energy to yell anymore.

Even though he hadn’t stepped foot outside the officetel, Yeonwoo felt heavy and sore all over, as if he’d been working all day.

“Leave.”

Yeonwoo said, his voice hoarse. Chahyun stood up.

“What about dinner?”

“I’m not in the mood to sit and eat with you.”

Leaning back completely on the sofa, Yeonwoo closed his eyes, feeling defeated. He felt another wave of anger building up just looking at Chahyun’s face. He was too exhausted to argue with him anymore.

He just wanted Chahyun to leave. That was all.

“I’ll have the housekeeper bring you some side dishes if there’s anything you want to eat.”

“I don’t need anything, just leave.”

He mumbled, covering his face with his arm, and there was no reply.

After a few minutes of silence, he heard Chahyun open the door and leave.

Judging by the multiple footsteps outside, those damn men were back to guard his door.

His head was throbbing. Yeonwoo lay sprawled on the sofa, trying to think of a way out.

He had his phone, so if things got really bad, he could ask his mother or a friend for help. Or even the part-timers at Neovel…

Chahyun must have known that too. The fact that he’d left him his phone meant he probably wasn’t planning to keep him locked up for long.

Yeonwoo mentally listed the people he could contact in an emergency, then stopped.

What would he even say? That he was locked up by his boyfriend and needed help? He wasn’t that desperate yet.

Besides, it had only been a day. Chahyun might change his mind tomorrow.

‘Your heat cycle is coming soon. I’ll let you go out after it’s over.’

He hoped this ridiculous confinement game would be over after his heat cycle.

Then, would they really break up?

“Wait.”

Lost in thought, Yeonwoo suddenly remembered that Chahyun’s rut cycle was also approaching.

Their cycles might overlap, if not completely, then at least partially.