By Zephyria 
As a rounded piece of ice rubbed against his fingertips, Seo Yi-kyung jumped in surprise. The tip of the index finger Han Seung-jae was pressing the ice against was the spot that had touched the hot tea earlier. He had been too flustered to remember, but as the ice touched him, it began to sting slightly.
“Butler Do.”
At Han Seung-jae’s words, Seo Yi-kyung hurriedly pulled his hand away. At the same time, he murmured, guessing what Han Seung-jae was about to say.
“I’ll be more careful from now on.”
Fearing that he might tell Butler Do to leave, Seo Yi-kyung beat him to the punch. If you thought about it, it wasn’t Butler Do’s fault. It was simply something that happened because he himself hadn’t been composed.
Though he had experienced it several times, making Han Seung-jae retract words that had already left his mouth was no easy task.
“Yes, did you call for me?”
“And you think you know what I was going to say.”
Butler Do looked back and forth between the two people continuing the conversation. Han Seung-jae looked at Seo Yi-kyung and added,
“Bring an ice pack.”
“Pardon? Yes…”
Butler Do turned back the way he had come. He returned with a pouch filled with ice, the string tied tight.
When he held it out to Han Seung-jae, the man gave a nod.
Butler Do’s hand moved toward Seo Yi-kyung. Seo Yi-kyung, whose palm was soaking wet because Han Seung-jae had been holding his hand and rubbing ice on it until a moment ago, held out his hand.
Sarak. The sound of ice clinking leaked out as the pouch curled around Seo Yi-kyung’s fingertips.
“Where did you get burned?”
Butler Do asked with a face full of worry.
“Ah, no. It’s nothing.”
Holding the ice pack, Seo Yi-kyung looked straight ahead and locked eyes with Jin Seon-yu.
He had completely forgotten that Seon-yu was there. As if to compensate for the awkwardness of having dipped his finger in the teacup, Seo Yi-kyung forced a smile.
Seo Yi-kyung’s mind was so preoccupied with the cold ice pack that he didn’t even notice Han Seung-jae was watching him.
* * *
Entering the second-floor bedroom, Seo Yi-kyung headed straight for the bathroom. He couldn’t even remember how he had eaten his meal.
Still, it was a relief that Jin Seon-yu had been there. Seo Yi-kyung had continued the conversation while looking at Jin Seon-yu, who sat in front of him. Because of that, his elbow occasionally brushed against Han Seung-jae and he could feel the man’s gaze, but he was able to ignore it with a composed face.
“Did I get indigestion?”
He hadn’t eaten that much, yet his stomach felt uneasy. Seo Yi-kyung rubbed his chest.
As he put both hands into the sink, he looked down intently at his finger. The tip of his index finger was slightly red. However, since it didn’t hurt or sting, he filled the sink with water and splashed it on his face.
He looked at his pale face reflected in the mirror. Droplets of water clung faintly to his long eyelashes, which looked as if they had been meticulously crafted. His pale pupils and the tip of his rounded nose were also wet. His slightly parted red lips were as smooth as if they had been painted.
Han Seung-jae’s actions occasionally remained within a category that Seo Yi-kyung could not understand. The kiss in the study had been like that.
The incident at the dining table just now, too. He wasn’t the type of person to cater to others or show kindness.
Then why… was he acting like that?
Water flowing from his wet bangs brushed past his pale eyebrows and slid down the bridge of his nose.
In the original story, Han Seung-jae had been consistently indifferent toward ‘Seo Yi-kyung.’ That was likely because ‘Seo Yi-kyung’ had catered to him to the point where it was hard to find fault, but he wasn’t that person.
‘It’s probably because he has to pay me back by painting.’
When pushed into a situation he couldn’t understand, his thoughts diverted in one direction.
Whatever the reason, he was a man who eventually got what he wanted.
After finishing his shower, Seo Yi-kyung tied his robe and stepped out. He rubbed his hair with a towel while checking the spare clothes laid out.
Fastening the buttons with his fingertips, Seo Yi-kyung touched his wet hair with the towel a couple more times before flopping onto the bed on his side.
His eyelids felt heavy. Perhaps it was because he had woken up early to paint with Seon-yu. His body was weak in many ways. It felt as though fatigue rushed in just from moving a little.
* * *
“Did Director Han really wash his hands of this matter? Is Yi-kyung abandoning us now?!”
Seo Dong-hu’s voice thundered inside the hospital room. With the help of his chauffeur, he was in the middle of taking off his patient gown and changing clothes. The bandage wrapped around his forehead had been removed, but both his hands were still in casts.
However, staying inside the hospital was making him itch with restlessness.
Seo Young-hwan’s expression was heavy as he watched this. Feeling frustrated, Seo Dong-hu kicked the chauffeur.
“Are you trying to strangle me?”
“I-I’m sorry, Vice President.”
The chauffeur loosened the buttons fastened up to his neck. Then, Seo Dong-hu kicked him in the stomach once more.
“Ugh…”
Seo Dong-hu shouted at the chauffeur, who let out a short groan.
“Why are your hands so slow? This is driving me crazy.”
The fingertips of the chauffeur approaching him trembled slightly. Because Seo Dong-hu kept yelling, he was breaking into a cold sweat from his forehead.
“Did you try calling Yi-kyung? Don’t tell me he’s not even answering his father’s call? …How long are you going to touch my body!”
Seo Dong-hu’s words were directed alternately at Seo Young-hwan and the chauffeur. Seo Young-hwan stepped forward, picked up a suit jacket, and draped it affectionately over Seo Dong-hu’s sturdy shoulders.
“Won’t your health suffer if you get that angry?”
“Do I look like I’m in a position to not be furious right now? Rumors must have already spread far and wide about me ending up in this state! I’m sure those bastards are giggling and talking shit about me.”
Until now, Seo Dong-hu had enjoyed many things by putting forward Seo Yi-kyung in high-class, dignified social gatherings that only Alphas could attend. In reality, it was as if the extreme dominant Alpha, Han Seung-jae, was standing behind him.
From Seo Dong-hu’s perspective, the two could never break apart. And there was no reason to doubt Seo Yi-kyung, who followed everything his father said.
But Seo Yi-kyung had changed. How could the spineless, docile, and soft Seo Yi-kyung change in an instant?
When Seo Dong-hu visited the house, he was treated coldly, and before he could even sit on the sofa, Yi-kyung told him he had no money. Even the drawing room was filled with expensive items, and Seo Yi-kyung’s body was wrapped in luxury, yet he claimed to be broke. What else could it be but a plan to throw away his family and everything else to enjoy all those riches alone from now on!
Furthermore, it had been several days since he was hospitalized. Far from coming to apologize, Yi-kyung hadn’t even shown his face.
Even when he did visit at the time of admission, hadn’t he come with Han Seung-jae by his side?
But the situation then wasn’t good either. Han Seung-jae had made it clear that there would be no further support. Seo Yi-kyung had stood by and watched as if it were someone else’s business.
There was a reason why Seo Dong-hu was this enraged.
“It’s because Director Han is by his side that Yi-kyung is getting arrogant. Call him to the house first!”
Seo Dong-hu proposed a clever plan. He took off his slippers and put on his dress shoes. The chauffeur crouched in front of him, groaning as he slid Seo Dong-hu’s foot into the shoe.
Listening to Seo Dong-hu, Seo Young-hwan took on a look of deep thought.
* * *
Toss. Seo Yi-kyung shifted his body. He raised his hand and rubbed his eyes.
Sunlight filtered into the room where thin curtains were drawn.
Seo Yi-kyung pulled back the blanket covering his chest and looked around for a moment.
Leaving behind the sight he never grew accustomed to even after waking up every day, Seo Yi-kyung climbed down from the bed. Then, he looked at the clock on the nightstand and doubted his eyes.
It was nearly 10 o’clock.
“Seon-yu…”
Seo Yi-kyung was about to walk out as he was, but he went into the bathroom to wash his face before leaving the bedroom.
As he went down to the first floor, he saw the back of Jin Seon-yu standing in the living room, examining a masterpiece hanging on the wall.
“Are you awake?”
“Shall I prepare a meal for you?”
At the greetings from the helpers directed at Seo Yi-kyung, Jin Seon-yu turned his head. He smiled, his round eyes crinkling.
“You’re up?”
“Sorry. I overslept.”
He had only lain down on the bed for a moment after showering the previous day, but morning had already broken.
“You must have overexerted yourself yesterday.”
At Jin Seon-yu’s words, Seo Yi-kyung replied with an awkward smile.
“What about breakfast? You’re hungry, right?”
Jin Seon-yu had a better appetite than he looked. He always made sure to eat breakfast and never missed out on tea and dessert.
“Butler Do took care of me, so I already ate breakfast. You should eat.”
The two headed to the kitchen. While chatting amiably about what kind of painting they would do in the afternoon, Seo Yi-kyung had a late breakfast, and Jin Seon-yu had tea and cake.
“Um, I was cleaning and this kept ringing, so I brought it.”
A helper approached Seo Yi-kyung as he was speaking to Jin Seon-yu. She held out the phone in her hand.
Except for when he went out, Seo Yi-kyung didn’t particularly carry his phone around the house. There was no one to contact him, anyway.
Vrrr— Just then, the phone vibrated in her grip.
“Thank you.”
Checking the screen, Seo Yi-kyung took the phone.
“Why? Aren’t you answering?”
Jin Seon-yu asked just before bringing the teacup to his lips. Without hesitation, Seo Yi-kyung declined the call and placed the phone on the table.
“If it keeps coming, isn’t it an important call?”
“It’s not.”
Seo Yi-kyung shook his head. There was no need to answer. The caller was Seo Dong-hu.
He knew better than anyone why he was calling.
* * *
“He’s… not answering.”
The chauffeur’s face was tense. He murmured while looking at Seo Dong-hu, who was sitting on the sofa.
“Did you dial Yi-kyung’s number correctly? You bastard, what on earth are you good at? You can’t even do that properly.”
They had tried more than ten times, but Seo Yi-kyung did not answer.
“Do it again!”
The chauffeur moved his fingers once more to attempt the connection. However, this time, after a few rings, a mechanical voice leaked out.
“He is not answering.”
The chauffeur swallowed hard.
“Fuck, so now he’s just ignoring my calls, is that it?”