“Around noon, I’d say.”
“N-Noon?”
Every thought he’d been turning over vanished at that shocking word. T-That couldn’t be right. There was no way it was noon right now….
Yeonwoo bit down hard on his lip. It was impossible, but — could it be evening? He wanted to cling to even that threadbare hope. If he’d met Kang Jihyeok at eight, and he’d slept for about four hours… no. That made even less sense.
Yeonwoo drooped his head with a sullen look. He should have gotten up early in the morning to wait on him, and instead he’d slept in without doing any of that. Worse, he hadn’t even heard Kang Jihyeok get up.
The fact that he’d been asleep while Jihyeok got up first, washed up, and even fed him honey water — he couldn’t believe it. After something like this, even if Kang Jihyeok told him to go home, he had no defense to offer.
Should he shamelessly beg for one more chance? Insist that he’d do better?
He shouldn’t have let his guard down just because they’d spent the night together. The moment he’d come to his senses, he should have prostrated himself on the floor and begged forgiveness. This was entirely his own fault.
What do I do?
Yeonwoo carefully lifted his eyes to look at Kang Jihyeok. There wasn’t a single sign that he was in a bad mood — but you never knew.
Should he beg right now? That seemed like the right move. He was carefully pulling his legs together to kneel when a gentle voice came from above him.
“Shall we go eat?”
“Pardon?”
“Food. Aren’t you hungry, little one?”
The moment he heard the word food, he expected his stomach to growl on cue — but it didn’t. Even though he’d gone two days without eating. Maybe it was the alcohol from last night?
Well, that was a relief. At least he hadn’t made an embarrassing gurgling sound.
And Kang Jihyeok’s question was the last thing he’d expected. Yeonwoo’s eyes darted around. He turned the words over and over in his head, trying to figure out if there was some hidden meaning behind them — but nothing came to him.
“S-Sure.”
He nodded for now. Even if Jihyeok had suggested more drinks instead of food, he would have had to nod. No — even if Jihyeok said he’d eat him instead of food, Yeonwoo would have had to answer meekly and say that was fine.
“Anything you’d like to eat, little one?”
Another gentle question. A question he hadn’t been asked once in all his twenty-one-plus years of life.
At the orphanage, there had never been a situation where anyone would ask him that. And after coming to Assemblyman Cha’s house…. That was exactly why the question felt awkward, and at the same time, why it felt so good.
“Oh, I’m just….”
What would be the most agreeable answer? Something both unassuming and sincere — what could that be? Sensing that Yeonwoo was deliberating, Kang Jihyeok spoke first.
“Want to get meat?”
Meat. Meat. In an instant, the image of golden-brown, perfectly grilled meat floated before Yeonwoo’s eyes. During his time at that house, he hadn’t so much as tasted meat. The people there begrudged him even a single grain of rice — they’d sooner throw meat in the trash than give it to him.
So meat had been a special treat, something he only got to eat when they went out to eat in front of others, for appearances’ sake. At the memory of what meat tasted like, Yeonwoo swallowed. He wanted to nod right then and there and say let’s go — but he couldn’t.
This could be a test from Kang Jihyeok.
So he couldn’t take the bait so eagerly. He recalled the words Assemblyman Cha and his children had drilled into him until his ears ached. If he was going to be sold, he needed to behave quietly. Act like a person with no opinions or thoughts of his own. And that was something Yeonwoo himself agreed with.
A possession, after all, was not supposed to show opinions. What could be stranger than a decorative ornament in a room saying I prefer this? Yeonwoo had every intention of simply and quietly obeying whatever Kang Jihyeok said. He believed that was the way to be even a little more to Jihyeok’s liking.
“I — I’m fine with whatever you’d like to eat, mister.”
“So you’ve decided to call me mister now?”
…Hm? Hadn’t they already settled on mister?
Hadn’t Jihyeok himself asked — would you rather call me Jihyeok or mister? The title mister did bother him a little, but it was still better than calling him Jihyeok outright.
Had something happened yesterday that he wasn’t aware of? Something he couldn’t remember…? It was deeply frustrating that he’d blacked out and remembered nothing at all. Of course, forgetting that they’d spent the night together was a blessing. If that had stayed vivid and clear in his memory, just sitting across from him like this would have been enough to make his face go scarlet.
“Oh, um…. I’m just—”
“I want meat. Let’s go.”
Oh, wait. What if shall we go eat? didn’t mean eating together — what if it only meant eating for him, and Yeonwoo was supposed to stand by his side and wait on him during the meal? That would be a whole different kind of opportunity. One he absolutely had to seize. A resolute gleam lit up Yeonwoo’s eyes.
Missing out on meat was disappointing, but if he attended to him diligently by his side, Jihyeok might give him at least one piece. No — maybe three pieces?
Jihyeok was a kind person, so surely he could hope for at least that much. Though even if Jihyeok didn’t give him any, he was confident he wouldn’t feel bitter about it.
“Wear these.”
“Yes.”
Yeonwoo quietly took the shopping bag. He’d have to change in front of Jihyeok, wouldn’t he? It was embarrassing, but it had to be done. He took a careful, steadying breath. Throw back the covers, get out of bed. And change without looking the least bit embarrassed. You can do this, Cha Yeonwoo!
“Once you’re dressed, come out. Take your time — don’t rush.”
“Pardon?”
He wasn’t going to watch? Yeonwoo startled at Kang Jihyeok’s words. But the one who’d said it just shrugged, as if to ask what the fuss was about. Then he smiled warmly, as if inviting him to speak.
“Weren’t you going to watch?”
“Me? Watch you?”
“Yes.”
Kang Jihyeok looked thoroughly baffled. And Yeonwoo just blinked, equally at a loss. Did I make a mistake? He didn’t think so. That was what he’d been told to do. No matter how he thought about it this time, he hadn’t said anything wrong.
“Oh — then would you like to dress me yourself?”
Yes. That was it. He might want to put the clothes on him with his own hands. Yeonwoo held the shopping bag back out toward Kang Jihyeok. He’d almost missed what Jihyeok actually wanted and walked out on his own. If that had happened, everything would have been over before he’d even had a chance to wait on him at dinner.
“Please dress me, mister.”
“Good grief….”
Finding what he thought was the right answer made him smile without meaning to.
Good thing I caught on quickly.
But while Yeonwoo was quietly proud of himself, Kang Jihyeok was simply at a loss. He grabbed the side of his head and shook it slowly back and forth — then let out an impish laugh. His white teeth showed in a neat line. It was a fresh, boyish smile.
W-Why is he laughing? But he looks so good.
It wasn’t any different from the smiles he’d shown before, so why was his heart beating so hard?
“Little one.”
He’d nearly been so enchanted by that smile that he’d forgotten to answer. At the word little one that landed softly against his ear, Yeonwoo instinctively opened his mouth.
“Yes?”
“Then how about we dress each other?”
“Yes. Yes— wait?”
Yeonwoo had answered yes out of habit and then flinched back on reflex. D-Dress each other? He should have quickly nodded and obeyed, but the memory of Kang Jihyeok’s terrifying body from moments ago flashed through his mind. Just the thought of putting clothes on that body was already making him tense.
“Want to dress me first, little one?”
The sight of Jihyeok moving to undo the towel wrapped around his waist played out in Yeonwoo’s eyes like a slow-motion scene. He must have looked his fill last night — but he had no memory of it. Seeing that firm, solid body stone-cold sober was making him nervous all on its own. Should he avert his gaze, or should he stare straight at it like it was nothing?
Yeonwoo swallowed hard. And then, as if it had all been a joke, Jihyeok reached out and ruffled his hair lightly.
“Take your time coming out. Don’t rush and trip.”
