# Chapter 167
“Don’t talk nonsense.”
The solemn declaration was ignored in just one second. What’s with you now? Iyeon turned his head with a dumbfounded expression. Sano had a stern face as if he’d heard something absurd.
“Are you in your right mind, trying to bring someone into the house now?”
“…You’re here too.”
“That guy is neither a doctor nor an advanced variant specialist. He won’t be much help.”
After that, Sano continued to grumble about whether it was sensible to bring someone to the house at this late hour, firmly maintaining that it absolutely couldn’t happen.
But Jung Iyeon wasn’t one to give up so easily. Iyeon pretended to go to the bathroom and secretly attempted to contact Jaekyung, but Jaekyung was either asleep or not answering his calls. To make matters worse, Sano caught him and confiscated his phone. It was a series of tragedies.
Unable to bear it any longer, Iyeon exploded.
“What if our Mungchi has gone blind!”
At those words, Sano flicked his hand. The floor near Mungchi undulated, and iron spikes shot up. Mungchi immediately rose and struck down lightning, shattering all the spikes.
“Seems fine to me.”
“…What if it escapes outside during the night?”
“You seem to have forgotten, but that’s Cheongho.”
Sano turned his cold eyes to glance at Mungchi.
“Do you think there’s a way to keep it inside the house if it wants to leave?”
“…”
Iyeon finally closed his mouth. What Sano said wasn’t wrong. In fact, he knew that much himself.
But he wanted to find the cause of Mungchi’s condition, whatever it might be. He wanted to believe that it hadn’t started avoiding him without any reason.
“Has it grown to dislike me?”
Iyeon mumbled gloomily. The unanswered question quickly dispersed in the air.
Mungchi seemed more calm than before, lying flat under the dining table with its belly down. It was fortunate that it was no longer in an attack posture, but… Mungchi, who used to rush into his arms whenever it saw him, now wouldn’t even turn its head toward him. Being so openly ignored was quite a psychological blow.
That night, Mungchi didn’t come into the bedroom.
Although it was natural given its hostile attitude all night, and even though Mungchi didn’t always sleep in the bed, Iyeon felt strangely empty. It seemed he had become quite accustomed to falling asleep with Mungchi’s warmth. Iyeon couldn’t fall asleep easily and tossed and turned, changing positions several times.
“Hey. Sleep.”
Sano, his patience exhausted, growled irritably. Iyeon mumbled in an aggrieved voice.
“No, my side feels empty.”
“Anyone would think we’ve lived together for ten years.”
“…That’s true.”
Since I’ve always slept alone, I’ll get used to it soon. Iyeon mumbled awkwardly. Sano, who had been glaring at him with a displeased look, stretched out his arm. Whatever strength this guy had, Iyeon was pulled along like a piece of paper by the light tugging motion.
“Sleep quickly.”
Sano, who had stuck Iyeon right against his side, raised only one arm to make room for Iyeon so he wouldn’t be uncomfortable, while lying in a straight position. And then he remained silent as if he had really fallen asleep.
“…”
Hey… how are you exactly the same as Mungchi… Iyeon tightly closed his eyes.
Although he knew it was a selfless action, he was embarrassed by his heart that happily accelerated. He wouldn’t hear it, right? Afraid of getting scolded again by Sano if he tossed and turned, he just regulated his breathing quietly, feeling Sano’s body next to him rise and fall regularly with his breathing. This jerk, how can he fall asleep in this situation…
Come to think of it, is this the first time we’ve slept so close since we were stranded? The situation was very different from back then when Sano’s mind was unstable, but the fluttering of his heart was similar. No, it might have gotten even worse.
He couldn’t sleep, but for a different reason than before. It seemed like sleeping tonight was a lost cause. While sighing inwardly, Iyeon subtly turned his body toward Sano and nuzzled his forehead against him. The warmth that felt almost hot was indeed hot, but he didn’t want to move away.
*
“Hyung, your face is glowing today?”
Hyegang greeted him with a smile as he opened the office door. Iyeon, who was sprawled on the sofa, responded awkwardly.
“Oh… good afternoon.”
Not being able to sleep? What bullshit. He had slept more soundly than anyone. He was on breakfast duty, but he didn’t even think about getting up, to the point where Sano had to grab him by the collar to wake him. While Iyeon sat sluggishly on the bed trying to wake up, Sano already had a clean face after finishing his shower.
While preparing breakfast, he glanced around and saw that Mungchi seemed to have moved from the kitchen to a corner of the living room overnight. The eyes that glared at Iyeon like a shadow were still fierce. Iyeon’s expectation that things would improve after a night’s sleep was completely shattered.
After that, until Sano and Iyeon left through the front door to go to work, Mungchi remained curled up without moving.
“Why isn’t Jaekyung-ssi answering my calls?”
Iyeon grumbled. While going to work, he had left a long, pleading message to Jaekyung about Mungchi’s condition, but perhaps because he was busy, there was still no answer.
“Why Jaekyung hyung?”
At Hyegang’s question, Iyeon, as if he had been waiting, complained about Mungchi’s behavioral changes from yesterday. Hyegang tilted his head.
“It is a bit strange. Did you threaten Mungchi or something?”
“No! How could I do such a thing?”
Iyeon jumped up with an indignant face. This was followed by a speech expounding on the strong and affectionate bond he had formed with Mungchi. Sano, listening from the side, snorted.
“It’s so moving, I’m tearing up.”
As expected, Sano didn’t care whether Mungchi ignored him or danced on the sofa. The two weren’t very close to begin with.
“Hey, but it’s not usually like that.”
Normally, Mungchi would be desperate to cuddle against Iyeon’s side, but seeing it sulk quietly all morning made him very uneasy. Since Mungchi didn’t eat food, there was no use in bringing home something delicious… Should he ask D.S to develop a new toy? Or maybe take it for a walk after a long time? As Iyeon was seriously contemplating, an unkind gaze landed on his cheek.
“Such devotion.”
“What now?”
“Anyone would think it’s really your pet.”
Sano sarcastically sneered. He seemed fine just a moment ago, but now what’s making him angry? It’s impossible to grasp his mood. Iyeon, who had been grumbling, paused briefly. He felt the vibration of his phone in his pocket. Hastily taking it out, it was the long-awaited contact from Jaekyung.
Dang Jaekyung: Mungchi suddenly turned violent??
Dang Jaekyung: Why would such a gentle creature? Iyeon-ssi, you didn’t hit Mungchi, did you????
“…”
For something he had waited so eagerly for, it was a nutritionally deficient solution. Iyeon’s gaze quickly turned cold at the answer that wasn’t much different from Hyegang’s.
Iyeon continued to hold onto the thread of hope for a while longer and asked Jaekyung about various things, but there was no plausible gain. When the last method he had been relying on fell through, Iyeon collapsed onto the sofa.
“Mungchi… I miss you…”
“Hyung, get up quickly. You need to write the Jeong-Yeon report we did a few days ago.”
At the rational working adult’s advice, Iyeon buried his face in the sofa leather as if turning away.
“It’s too depressing a day to write a report…”
“You know if it’s too late, you can’t submit it online. Want to go all the way to the Superpower Management Office?”
“Ughhhh…”
Iyeon, with a tearful face, got up fumblingly. Right, I have to do my work. Because I’m an adult…
However, the work didn’t come easily, and the report writing speed became terrifyingly slow. In the end, Iyeon couldn’t finish the report before leaving work and left the office listening to Hyegang’s nagging. As he trudged down the building with Sano, Iyeon’s phone rang again.
Bzzzz.
What is it, did Jaekyung-ssi find something? Since Jaekyung was the only one he had contacted all day, Iyeon excitedly checked the screen quickly. But the sender was an unexpected person.
Lee Hyeseong: Tomorrow, right? Don’t forget.
Ah. Only then did he remember the appointment he had forgotten. Nodding his head, Iyeon replied.
Yes, see you tomorrow.
“Tomorrow?”
A languid voice popped up from the side. When he looked up, Sano was peeking at the screen with a displeased face.
