“Who’s crying?”
Dawoon swiftly shook off Yeoul’s hand. He tried to strike his wrist to free his grabbed chin in one go, but because the guy was showing off his strength, he only succeeded after two or three more attempts.
“Hyung’s eyes are red. It’s because you cried.”
He hadn’t noticed at first glance, but looking closely, the area under his eyes was red. Anyone could see the clear traces of crying. Especially Yeoul, who had seen his face many times after crying, noticed immediately.
Jeong Dawoon in the novel cried a lot. He cried when he was hurt, cried when he didn’t want to work. Among those, he often cried because of Ryu Taeha. And he didn’t even try hard to hide that he’d been crying. Rather, like someone desperate to make it obvious, he went around with teardrops dangling precariously.
But the current Dawoon was different. Since childhood, even when his eyelids swelled up like balloons the day after crying, he was the type to stubbornly insist it was because he ate ramen before bed.
“Why are you hiding it?”
Yeoul narrowed his brow and persistently interrogated him. He thought it was strange how he hadn’t been crying lately, but apparently he’d been crying in secret.
Yeoul felt irritation surge at the fact that someone who used to cry openly in front of people had been crying alone in secret. Because the reason hyung cried was obvious.
“I just woke up from sleep, that’s all.”
“Don’t talk nonsense. Why would your eyes be red from just waking up?”
Yeoul was angry at Dawoon’s behavior of telling such an obvious lie, and Dawoon was gradually getting annoyed at his rude attitude.
“Let’s talk nicely. I’m not your friend, I’m your hyung.”
“Stop deflecting and tell me straight. You cried because of the leader, right? Why? What did he say this time?”
Unable to listen anymore, Dawoon bit his lower lip hard. This bastard really won’t do.
“Hey, Go Yeoul.”
He’d been putting up with it until now in case the kid went astray even earlier, but if he kept letting it slide like this, it seemed like he’d end up grabbing him by the collar next time. Saving the world was important above all else, but there should at least be some sense of hierarchy.
Dawoon scanned Yeoul up and down with sharp eyes, then lowered his voice as much as possible.
“You punk, your attitude toward hyung is a bit much.”
He softened it moderately, worried that speaking too strongly might lead to something he couldn’t handle given the guy’s personality. He wanted to smack him on the back but barely held back. Instead, he scolded him sternly with his eyes.
“You open someone’s room door without even knocking. You grab hyung’s chin carelessly and what else? Don’t talk nonsense?”
“…It’s because hyung is lying.”
“Who said it’s a lie? If I say I didn’t cry, then I didn’t cry.”
Yeoul opened his mouth with a face full of things to argue about, then closed it again. Perhaps sensing that Dawoon’s expression was ominous, he gradually appeared to deflate.
Dawoon, having successfully broken his spirit, inwardly felt relieved and raised his chin.
“Let’s observe basic courtesy. Even if I’m shorter than you, I’m way older than you.”
Compared to his original age of well over thirty, there was more than a twelve-year age gap. So it wasn’t unreasonable to talk about manners.
“It’s only three years.”
Yeoul muttered barely audibly. Dawoon ignored this and got down from the bed.
“Where are you going? Rest more.”
“I’m fine now.”
Perhaps the medicine was finally kicking in, his body felt quite lively with the heat completely gone.
Yeoul, who had followed closely behind Dawoon leaving the room, tried to block his way.
“Hyung’s heat lasts three days. And… since you only took medicine, it’ll last even longer.”
Yeoul sneakily grabbed the edge of Dawoon’s sleeve. Dawoon paused and looked up at him.
“I only took medicine, right?”
“What?”
“I’m asking if nothing happened. That… with the leader.”
Since it came up, he thought it was a good opportunity and asked more definitively. When Yeoul slowly nodded, Dawoon felt deeply relieved.
“How long did I sleep?”
He changed the subject while heading to the living room with a much brighter expression. He deliberately examined the corners carefully to find the cat that might be hiding somewhere in the house.
“Not long. About 5 hours.”
Could the cat have left the house alone in that time? It couldn’t have jumped out the window, and the only place it could exit was the front door.
Unless the cat was human, it couldn’t open the front door. The Sau Guild lodging wasn’t a place with a lot of foot traffic either, so it couldn’t have accidentally gone out through an open door.
“Ah, could it be…”
Could it be a beastman? If so, its disappearance without a trace would be easily understandable. Dawoon, lost in thought, narrowed his eyes.
But even if it’s a beastman, wouldn’t it still be a child? Since it was a kitten…
“What are you looking for?”
Yeoul, who had been watching Dawoon lost in thought while holding the pantry door, closed the door for him instead. Dawoon swept the quiet living room with an uneasy expression before asking back.
“You really didn’t see a cat?”
At the sudden cat talk, Yeoul looked puzzled but also showed an interested face.
“Did hyung like cats? Should I bring one to raise?”
“No, it’s fine if you didn’t see it.”
He already had plenty to worry about, he had no leisure to raise a cat. Dawoon was already overwhelmed just dealing with Go Yeoul and Ryu Taeha.
“First eat something. Hyung, your complexion looks really bad.”
“Yeah, let’s fill my stomach first.”
Dawoon, who had been feeling hungry, headed to the kitchen first as soon as he answered. Since the kitten might still be hiding somewhere in this spacious lodging, he planned to eat first then search properly.
“I bought porridge. I’ll heat it up for you.”
“Porridge?”
People should eat rice, what the hell is with porridge again? Dawoon looked at Yeoul opening the refrigerator door with a grimace.
Come to think of it, the reason Jeong Dawoon was so scrawny seemed to be because of the people living with him. How could he gain weight when everyone around him only gave him greens or porridge? What’s the use of insisting on organic vegetables and making porridge with expensive ingredients when there aren’t enough calories to gain weight?
“What porridge? I’ll just eat rice.”
“Hyung doesn’t eat rice well. What if you get indigestion?”
Watching the refrigerator door close firmly, Dawoon shut his mouth tight. If he looked for spicy hangover soup or kimchi stew right now, they’d obviously look at him strangely. Dawoon wasn’t unaware that everyone was already harboring slight doubts about his changed behavior.
I shouldn’t act more suspicious here. Yeah, I’ll eat properly later.
“I wanted to cook porridge for you but didn’t have time so I bought it. Eat a little and sleep more.”
He sat at the table, grateful that at least he didn’t have to eat food made by Yeoul. Dawoon stopped Yeoul who was about to open the porridge package and bring out a bowl and ladle.
“Don’t dish it out. Just give it to me like that.”
“Can you eat it all?”
“That what, I’m really hungry right now.”
Jeong Dawoon apparently had been leaving even porridge that didn’t need chewing. What on earth had he been eating to survive? Just slurp this down and that’s it.
“Did you eat?”
He casually asked Yeoul who only set out his food and sat across from him at the table. Looking at his outfit, it seemed he’d been working.
“If you haven’t eaten, take something out and eat. Don’t skip meals.”
Dawoon said without much thought while taking a big spoonful of porridge. Still, since the porridge was full of vegetables and seafood, there was at least a bit of chewing texture.
He quickly emptied the porridge while glancing at Yeoul who wasn’t responding. Thinking he’d ignored his words, the guy had a strangely surprised face.
“…What?”
Did I make some slip of the tongue? He mulled over what he’d said while worrying. He’d just told him to take care of eating meals, was that so surprising? It’s not like he’d said he’d prepare the meal for him.
“Hyung… you seem like a completely different person these days.”
Gulp. The porridge he hadn’t even finished chewing scraped past his uvula. Dawoon practically buried his face in the porridge bowl to avoid showing he’d been hit right on the mark.
“What did I. I’m, I’m even eating porridge.”
He wanted to say that at least his eating habits were the same, but in his fluster, nonsense came out.
“Asking if I ate, you only used to do that with the leader.”
Jeong Dawoon, you cold bastard. Couldn’t he at least ask the common question of whether the youngest ate? Even if he was infatuated with Ryu Taeha, he should have looked after his only youngest.
“Really amazing.”
Yeoul rested his chin and stared at Dawoon even more intently. His appearance was the same, but his personality had strangely changed. Moreover, he ate more and even actively handled work he’d always avoided.
Above all, his attitude toward the leader had changed the most. The leader himself seemed to think it was no big deal, but Yeoul was keeping a close eye on that change.
What made hyung change? Yeoul was curious about the reason he’d changed.
“Was there a catalyst for the change?”
Dawoon, who had been staring fixedly at his bowl, suddenly raised his head.
“Catalyst?”
Dawoon’s expression brightened in an instant. Like a light bulb turning on in his head.
Come to think of it, he realized there was no need to strain himself imitating the original Jeong Dawoon. Because people change.
“Ahem. There’s no catalyst.”
Dawoon, who had put down his spoon, cleared his throat.
“I’m just going to live differently from now on.”
A smile formed naturally with his declaration. He already felt the stress accumulated from eating small portions while reading others’ reactions and being careful with his behavior to imitate a well-bred young master melting away.
“It’s because of the leader, right?”
Was there a need to deny it? The youngest already knew that Jeong Dawoon liked Ryu Taeha anyway.
Having finished thinking, Dawoon nodded refreshingly.
“Yeah, right. I felt so stupid for only watching that bas—I mean, the leader’s reactions and following him around all this time. I’m going to be different from now on.”
I’ll work hard and eat a lot too. Not porridge like this, but proper rice—really a lot!
At Dawoon’s continued words, the corners of Yeoul’s mouth twitched. Somehow it wasn’t the laughter from hearing his determination fixated on food.
He really has come to dislike the leader. Finally.
“Good thinking. Don’t be hung up on the leader anymore. Hyung, you were really pathetic until now.”
“Hey, you punk. What? Pathetic?”
“No, I said you were a bit foolish.”
Yeoul smiled gently with his eyes curved. A smile he showed only in front of Dawoon.
Seeing that Dawoon hyung had finally come to his senses felt so satisfying. There was a reason why even though his heat came, he only took medicine without even contacting the leader.
Dawoon hyung really has no feelings for the leader anymore. To the point where he’d even hate having sex with him.
Yeoul bit his lips with a flushed face. He crossed his legs while covering his protruding smile with his wide palm.
If he doesn’t spend his heat with the leader anymore… he’ll need someone to fill that empty spot. He’ll definitely need someone. Because Dawoon hyung isn’t someone who sleeps with just anyone.
Yeoul’s blue eyes sparkled with anticipation.
Dawoon met those blue eyes of his that shone especially beautifully reflected in the fluorescent light. While admiring Yeoul’s eyes sparkling particularly prettily today, he gulped down the remaining porridge in his mouth.
And opened his mouth seriously.
“While we’re at it, should we have a dinner gathering? What do you want to eat? Hyung will buy. Say everything you want to eat.”
“…What?”
At the sudden dinner gathering talk, Yeoul’s head tilted to the side. However, to Dawoon who was excited about eating his fill for the first time in a while, his reaction didn’t matter.
“Let’s call Ryu Jin too. Not the leader though. I’ll just order everything that delivers, so pick and eat whatever.”
“…Were you that hungry?”
“Yeah, extremely. People need to eat proper food, not porridge, to have energy.”
Dawoon, whose eyes had flipped over thoughts of food, smiled so brightly one would wonder if he’d ever smiled this widely in his life. Thinking that he didn’t have to secretly eat while reading others’ reactions anymore, his already vigorous appetite began to soar even more.
Just imagining laying out a table full of food made his mouth water. What should I order first? Pork belly? Chicken? Jajangmyeon? Or pig’s feet?
Dawoon, who was hurriedly trying to take out his phone, checked his empty pocket and stood up from his seat. Where’s my phone, he was thinking when—thud! A heavy collision sound rang out from the living room.
Dawoon and Yeoul’s gazes simultaneously turned to the living room window.
Boom! Thud! Thud!
A pitch-black body was fiercely ramming into the window, slamming its body against it. Thud! Thud! Beyond the ringing window, jet-black feathers scattered.
The identity of the black form was crows. The muscular flock of crows that had tried to eat the kitten.
Dawoon recognized them at a glance and was dumbfounded, while Yeoul tilted his head.
Then immediately stood up from his seat and rolled up his sleeves. Not knowing what they were, but with an expression that said this worked out well.
“Hyung, do you like roasted bird?”
