An Unlucky Day (5)
“Where do you think that place is to go looking? Are you crazy trying to die?”
“That’s… why.”
“What do you mean disappearing suddenly with a body that’s not even intact from being forced into heat?”
Only after leaving the building did Jaehyuk let go of Jeongbae’s hand.
“Your father seemed like a good person…”
Jeongbae mumbled. The realization that he’d been wrong to recklessly visit his parents without considering Jaehyuk’s position only now came rushing in. Jaehyuk sighed.
“That’s why it was good that Dad found you first—what would have happened if Mother had caught you?”
“M-Mother, you mean.”
Jeongbae unconsciously flinched. From what he’d heard from Moohyun earlier, his mother was no ordinary person. The actual heir to this massive law firm building. And with momentum and presence like a copy-paste of Jaehyuk.
Just that thought gave him chills down his spine. Above all, it was the first time he’d seen Jaehyuk, who was like a god unto himself, so afraid of someone.
“Anyway, we could really die if we linger here, so let’s hurry and escape.”
Jaehyuk’s large hand wrapped around Jeongbae’s hand. At that unchanging warmth, Jeongbae’s heart pounded.
“Um…”
“Yeah?”
A low, affectionate voice. The casually handsome face lowered to meet his eyes. Jeongbae gulped and barely continued.
“Am I really okay?”
Right in front of his nose, Jaehyuk’s eyes gently folded.
“It’s not that you’re okay. It has to be you.”
Words sweet enough to melt. Jaehyuk calmly continued.
“You might not know this well, but I’m really picky about my tastes. Honestly, my personality isn’t great either.”
Even as empty words, Jeongbae couldn’t defend him on the personality part either. It was surprising that he himself knew that.
“So, someone I like doesn’t appear easily.”
“……”
Jeongbae felt choked up somewhere.
“Do you… like me?”
The one sentence he barely got out. Jaehyuk whispered right to him.
“Honestly, there’s no one I like but you. The world is trash.”
Jaehyuk’s words, especially the last whisper, seemed so sincere that Jeongbae ended up laughing.
“You can keep asking. I’ll answer and reassure you as many times as you want.”
“Ah…”
“After all, you seem to have a serious inferiority complex and don’t trust me.”
Jeongbae avoided his gaze. It was too accurate to say anything.
“……”
“Ah, of course I like that sunfish-like trait too.”
“Sunfish…”
When Jeongbae asked back as if absurd, Jaehyuk smiled and told him the chilling truth.
“That way you can’t run far.”
“……”
Jeongbae got goosebumps. A sunfish being adored by a man-eating shark. That image flashed in his head. Just before, the sentence Moohyun had said came to mind again.
‘To just get to the conclusion, it’s impossible for you to run away, Jeongbae.’
Jaehyuk’s fingers tightly intertwined with Jeongbae’s hand as if he had no intention of ever letting go. He could feel the persistent will that went beyond not being able to run away to completely eliminating any reason to run away.
***
“Jeongbae hyung!”
When they returned home, Dogyeom sprang up and rushed over to hug him. Jeongbae felt both embarrassed and relieved. When he slowly stroked his head, Dogyeom this time poured out questions.
“Hyung, are you okay now? I was really so shocked…”
His pretty eyes glistened as if they’d spill tears any moment. Jeongbae’s chest tingled, and he unconsciously hugged Dogyeom tightly.
“Yeah, I’m okay. Don’t worry.”
And the alpha with cold eyes watching the two of them.
“That’s enough. What, did someone die? Separate, separate.”
Jaehyuk separated Jeongbae and Dogyeom with his characteristically blunt voice. There’s no way human beagle Lee Dogyeom would stay still seeing that.
“You viper bastard. After devouring our hyung all night, your face is all glossy. You really better watch out at night.”
“…Please stop.”
At the vulgar lines coming from that pretty face, Jeongbae’s face turned bright red. But the one whose insides were most noisy was none other than Jaehyuk.
‘Ah, that beagle bastard. Why did he crawl back in already?’
In fact, Jaehyuk had been thinking only of ‘that’ all the way home. Precisely, thinking of ‘doing that thing’.
He’d been planning to bring Jeongbae home, wash him, feed him, and then… today, instead of at night, cover him thoroughly from daytime.
He couldn’t bear to say it to Jeongbae, who had forcibly gone through a heat cycle, in case it would be embarrassing and traumatic. Jaehyuk was actually continuously recalling and recalling that hot and dizzying last night.
The lewd, naked image of Jeongbae kept replaying in slow motion in his head. It was good. Indescribably good.
So there’s no way his insides wouldn’t flip at the appearance of the obstructer Lee Dogyeom. Jaehyuk said briefly with an expressionless face.
“Get out quickly so I can devour your hyung. You clueless obstructer.”
“Wh-what…! What is this crazy bastard vulgarly saying?!”
“I just said exactly what you said.”
With a face truly mixed with no emotion, Jaehyuk was one hundred percent serious. Dogyeom started raging again.
“Crazy pervert bastard. I really should have cracked your head open with a baseball bat on the first day!”
Jeongbae barely stopped Dogyeom who was lunging by hugging him.
“Calm down. Let’s eat. Okay?”
“Food?”
Dogyeom immediately quieted at the mention of food. Though he said that, Jaehyuk began preparing the kimchi fried rice that Dogyeom had said he wanted to eat. It was increasingly fascinating to see them take care of meals for each other even while growling at each other.
“Um…”
While preparing dinner together and taking out eggs and a frying pan, Jeongbae casually asked Jaehyuk.
“Why do you take such good care of meals when you don’t really like Dogyeom?”
Hearing that, Jaehyuk chuckled and lightly stroked Jeongbae’s head.
“Why? Jealous?”
I shouldn’t have asked. When Jeongbae coldly turned his head away, a low voice came from behind.
“When I was little, I raised a dog…”
“Huh? A dog?”
“It was really fucking annoying.”
Jeongbae was puzzled, but thought the combination of young Jaehyuk and a puppy would be strangely cute.
“And then?”
“It never talked back to me.”
“Why?”
Jaehyuk said very calmly.
“Because I fed it.”
“……”
Seeing Jeongbae’s quieted expression, Jaehyuk added.
“Training while feeding is the best.”
“…Are you comparing Dogyeom to a dog—”
The moment Jeongbae trailed off, something jumped up from behind.
“Hey!!! Who’s calling who a dog?!”
Dogyeom had been sneaking toward the gas range to smell the frying kimchi, but immediately jumped over and pushed Jaehyuk’s chest.
“You just treated me like a dog, didn’t you?! You just said dog, didn’t you?!”
Jaehyuk didn’t even respond. He just shook the frying pan with one hand and chuckled.
“No. Really, dogs are less fucking annoying than you.”
“What?! Right now—!!”
The moment Dogyeom tried to lunge again, Jeongbae hugged Dogyeom’s waist in confusion.
“Dogyeom, go set the table. Okay? You said you’re hungry.”
“…Is the food ready?”
Dogyeom’s rage gauge dropped sharply again and he soon scurried toward the dining table. Jaehyuk, watching from behind, leaned his upper body slightly toward Jeongbae and muttered lowly.
“See. At that level, he’s just a ‘talking dog,’ right?”
“Jaehyuk—!”
Jeongbae poked Jaehyuk’s arm with the wooden spatula. But he ended up bursting into laughter too. Jaehyuk whispered very quietly, so only Jeongbae could hear, while smiling.
“But you’re training me.”
For a moment, Jeongbae was at a loss for words. Jaehyuk smiled very slowly while stirring the rice.
“I’m your dog.”
“What…?”
Jeongbae almost dropped the spatula. Because his words were too simple and direct.
Yet Jaehyuk scooped the fried rice onto a plate with a nonchalant face.
“So, just raise me well.”
Jeongbae felt the back of his neck getting hot.
The food was spread out fully and the three people sat around the dining table. It was a bit regrettable that Sejin’s seat was empty, but still, it was bustling and Jeongbae felt good.
One full day. 24 hours. After experiencing a terrible incident, spending a chaotic night, and even meeting Jaehyuk’s father, going through many trials and tribulations. It had really been an unlucky day, but Jeongbae was grateful that ultimately, comfortable and happy times like this came again.
“Hyung, eat quickly!”
Dogyeom picked up his spoon, scooped up a big spoonful of rice, and started putting it in his mouth at tremendous speed. At that sight, a chuckle leaked from Jeongbae.
“Eat slowly. You’ll choke.”
When Jeongbae handed him a water cup, Dogyeom vigorously gulped it down. Jaehyuk had an indifferent face but his eyes were fixed on Jeongbae.
“Hyung, but why is your face so red today?”
Dogyeom asked with his mouth full of rice.
“It’s not red.”
Jeongbae immediately turned his head.
He still couldn’t 100% acknowledge his feelings of liking Jaehyuk. He was still a scarred coward. But there was this crazy bulldozer Yoon Jaehyuk who liked even that weakness.
‘I like you, Yoon Jaehyuk.’
Jeongbae confessed only in his heart while secretly putting more fried egg on Jaehyuk’s plate. Recalling Jaehyuk’s words that training happens when you feed someone.
