LFD | Chapter 1.6

Dojae stood up. Yoongyeon’s eyes widened at the offer.

“I… I can use a room?”

Dojae looked down at him from where he stood, silent for a moment. The living room fell quiet. Uncomfortable with the stillness, Yoongyeon’s eyes darted around.

‘What? Why’s he not answering? Did he change his mind after saying I could stay?’

Still staring down at him, Dojae finally spoke in a flat tone.

“Should I have gotten you a doghouse?”

Yoongyeon tilted his head, confused, but before he could process it, Dojae turned away, muttering.

“At this rate, he’s going to say he needs a carrier to go outside.”

Hearing the sarcastic remark, Yoongyeon shot up, realizing he’d heard right.

“Why do you keep treating me like a dog?!”

Ignoring the outburst, Dojae walked into his room.

Left alone in the living room, Yoongyeon plopped onto the sofa with a huff.

“What kind of dog is as handsome as me?!”

After a moment, he glanced around, checking if anyone else was there. But aside from him and Dojae, the house seemed completely empty.

“This place is as cold as its owner. So cold.”

He said it loud enough for Dojae to maybe hear, but his voice was noticeably small. Glaring at the closed bedroom door, he flopped onto his back, staring at the chandelier above.

“Who even hangs something like that in their house? Tasteless.”

While he took the chance to badmouth Dojae, the bedroom door suddenly opened. Yoongyeon bolted upright, but Dojae had already seen him sprawled out like he owned the place. Smirking, he headed for the front door. Yoongyeon’s head turned to follow, even kneeling on the sofa to keep watching.

Now dressed in fresh clothes, Dojae stepped into the entryway.

“Dumb puppy. Guard the house.”

“……”

As he slipped on his shoes, Dojae glanced up. Their eyes met, and Yoongyeon mouthed a silent “Yes.” Barely a whisper.

Once Dojae was finally gone, Yoongyeon flopped back down.

“Does he really think I’m some mutt?”

Dojae’s intentions were impossible to decipher.

He’d said to pay with his body, but he didn’t seem to want organs. Yet he refused to explain how Yoongyeon was supposed to repay the debt. It probably wasn’t that kind of payment, so Yoongyeon sighed.

‘Was he just… lacking a guard dog?’

The thought made his face twist in disgust.

“No way he actually thinks I’m a dog… right?”

Dismissing the idea, he closed his eyes with a bored expression. Thanks to the early morning chaos, it was still before noon. He’d dozed off while being dragged around, so he wasn’t tired, just a little worn out. Maybe the reason he couldn’t sleep was because he was hungry.

“If you’re gonna treat me like a dog, at least feed me!”

Yoongyeon shot up from the sofa, glaring at the front door. He did tend to act nicer toward people who fed him. But Dojae hadn’t given him anything, which only made him crankier.

“I’m starving.”

Deflated, he trudged to the kitchen. Expecting a fridge fully stocked to match the luxurious house, he swung it open only for his face to freeze.

After a long, blank stare at the empty shelves, he slammed the door shut. The only things inside were bottled water and beer.

“Is this some new form of torture?”

He was convinced Dojae was trying to starve him. There was no other explanation for a fridge that empty.

Sighing, he opened it again, grabbed a water bottle, and returned to the living room. If he couldn’t eat, he’d at least fill his stomach with water.

He flicked the cap onto the table with a clack, too scared to actually throw it. Chugging the water, he set the bottle down with a thud before collapsing onto the sofa again.

“Ugh… I’m so hungry.”

Once he realized it, his stomach growled loudly. Yoongyeon hesitated for a moment before digging through his pockets. Dojae’s money was still there. He’d taken it out of the wallet earlier, just in case.

Yoongyeon pulled out his phone. Lying back on the sofa, he hummed a tune as he opened a food delivery app.

“If you won’t feed me~ I’ll just order food myself~.”

The thought of eating soon lifted his mood. He entered the address, figuring it was close enough, placed the order, and then crossed one leg over the other, swinging his foot as he continued humming.

He was way too relaxed.

“That bastard Kim Minhyuk.”

The moment Minhyuk crossed his mind, anger bubbled up again. He dialed Minhyuk’s number, put it on speaker, and set the phone on his stomach. Resting his arms behind his head, he lazily counted the crystals on the chandelier above, completely at ease.

Then, the call connected.

“Hey, you fucking traitor! You just ran off and left me behind, huh?! You son of a— !”

Yoongyeon sat up, grabbing the phone as he spat out curses. The call was connected, but Minhyuk stayed silent.

“Hey!”

[……Sorry.]

At Minhyuk’s apologetic tone, Yoongyeon just huffed, holding back further swearing this time. After a pause, he adjusted his grip on the phone.

“You hurt anywhere?”

[I’m… just a few scratches, nothing else…]

The sincerity in Minhyuk’s voice was clear. Yoongyeon figured that was something, at least.

[What about you? You… in one piece?]

The concern in Minhyuk’s voice only made Yoongyeon explode again. If you were so worried, you should’ve taken me with you instead of ditching me! He hurled every insult he could think of.

Only after his second outburst did they finally have a proper conversation. Yoongyeon’s face was still flushed, but his anger had simmered down a bit.

[So why’d he take you?]

“How the hell should I know?”

[You’re not being sold off to some island or something, right?]

Yoongyeon took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. He suppressed another wave of curses before answering.

“It’s Joo Dojae’s house.”

[……Why are you there?]

Yoongyeon inhaled sharply, then let it out. He didn’t want to keep yelling, so he forced himself to stay calm.

“Next time you see Joo Dojae, ask him yourself. Why the hell did he bring me here?”

[……So you don’t know either.]

As much as he wanted to strangle Minhyuk, he was his only friend. So Yoongyeon took a deep breath. He’d expected to curse a bit more and hang up, but the call continued until the doorbell rang.

“Huh? That was fast.”

[What? Who’s there?]

“Hey, gotta go.”

[Wait, what—?!]

“Food’s here. Bye.”

Yoongyeon hung up coolly, completely forgetting his earlier anger as he cheerfully skipped to the door. He swung it open only to find a man in a suit eyeing him up and down before handing over the food.

“Hey. Who told you to order this?”

“……There was no food in the house.”

The man frowned. Yoongyeon added in a small voice:

“… Sir.”

“You got a death wish or what?!”

“……”

Yoongyeon wasn’t scared of Dojae’s lackeys…well, except maybe Hyunggu. Or Sehun, who was usually next to him?

“Yeees~”

He deliberately paused before drawing out the word, then swiftly snatched the food from the man’s hand.

“Send the bill to Dojae hyung.”

With a bright smile, he shut the door. The sheer audacity was infuriating. Outside, the man let out a frustrated “Tch!”but Yoongyeon didn’t care, already heading back to the sofa with his food.

He set it down on the table, grinning. His expression softened as he hummed again. When he was hungry, Yoongyeon was irritable, but in front of food, he turned docile.

“I’m like this because I never got to eat well growing up.”

He rationalized it easily. In high spirits, he spread out the feast all over the table. The main dish was jokbal¹, because real food meant meat.

“He’s probably not gonna kill me anyway. A well-fed ghost is… uh…”

He placed garlic on a lettuce wrap, pausing mid-thought. After some pondering, he tilted his head.

“Something about timing being good? Ugh, whatever. Good things are good things.”

His knowledge of sayings was patchy at best. He’d picked up a few fancy words here and there, though.

“The more, the merrier. Meat is always better in bulk.”

Excited, he stuffed another piece into his mouth, cheeks bulging as he chewed happily. But after a while, his expression dimmed slightly, Something felt missing. After a moment of contemplation, he got up and headed to the kitchen.

“One should be fine. If Dojae kills me over a beer, he’s not even human.”

Yoongyeon was just scared enough of Dojae to be cautious, but not enough to stop himself. He grabbed a beer, then hesitated before taking two more.

“If I’m gonna die anyway, one can or three, what’s the difference?”

Whistling, he returned to the sofa and turned on the TV.

“What should I watch?”

He flipped through channels until a variety show caught his eye. Setting the remote down, he cracked open a beer then suddenly felt a chill.

Yoongyeon glanced around nervously. Seeing the empty living room, he relaxed. The sound of the can opening had reminded him of… something unsettling, but the feeling passed quickly. He took a sip and burst out laughing at the show.

“So damn funny!”

Time flew as he laughed, only stopping when he noticed the empty can. He glanced toward the fridge.

“One more? Cheers!”

Talking to himself, he dashed to the fridge. His legs moved with unrestrained excitement.

“Three or four… or five, what’s the difference?”

He grabbed two more cans and returned. Settling back in, he switched to another show, laughing as he finished his drinks.

Before he knew it, only bare bones remained of the jokbal, and empty beer cans littered the floor. Full and slightly tipsy, Yoongyeon felt drowsiness take over. It was past 2 PM.

“Haaah. Time for a post-meal nap.”

He crawled onto the sofa, stretched out, and fell asleep instantly, sinking into the deepest sleep he’d had in a long time.

It was the most peaceful rest he could remember. Logically, his situation was worse than before, but his body felt at ease. Even his mind seemed lighter.

Before, he’d been living off stolen money. Now, it was technically borrowed. Since he had to pay it back, it was practically his own, right?

But there was one thing he forgot:

He hadn’t paid for the jokbal.