By Zephyria 
Han Seung-jae, having changed into his pajamas, entered the study. He started toward the desk but stopped, turning instead to open a chest of drawers. He looked at the envelopes organized in neat order and pulled one out. Inside was a photo of Seo Yi-kyung getting out of a car parked in front of an art museum.
Holding the photo, Han Seung-jae went to the desk and perched on the chair, leaning back casually. He stared intently at the photo in his hand. The face was not much different from the one he saw now. However, wasn’t his behavior completely different?
The last time Yi-kyung had gone to an exhibition was when he had accompanied Han Seung-jae. Since then, he seemed to have visited art supply stores a few times, but even those visits were far less frequent than before.
Han Seung-jae placed the photo on the desk and tapped it with his fingertip. In the photo, Seo Yi-kyung’s face was full of smiles as he conversed with Butler Do.
But now, he had never seen Seo Yi-kyung smile like that. Perhaps he only didn’t smile in front of him.
Han Seung-jae massaged his temples, thinking that the Seo Yi-kyung in the photo and the one currently by his side felt somehow different.
Being overly suspicious was not a good thing.
Moreover, Seo Yi-kyung was someone he had watched for over ten years.
Would he think he was crazy if he found out? Or would he be afraid?
Han Seung-jae himself hadn’t known he would end up watching him for such a long time. He hadn’t even been able to stop this behavior after they got married.
Han Seung-jae sank deep into the chair.
Between his mother, Yeon So-jeong, and his father, Han Yechan, there existed no such thing as trust or faith. Han Seung-jae had realized this to the point of exhaustion since he was very young. There was always the scent of another Omega on his father’s body. Because of that, he felt he vaguely understood why Yeon So-jeong drank so much. Because that was the only thing she could do.
In such a situation, Han Seung-jae grew up essentially left in the care of Butler Choi rather than his parents.
And at some point, Han Seung-jae no longer needed Butler Choi’s touch. He trusted no one. As much as he had never received love growing up, he had never given it. Whenever someone approached him or showed interest, his paranoia would flare up.
“Are humans beings that can be trusted?”
Han Seung-jae looked at the photo and stood up. He picked up the photo with his fingertips, placed it back in the envelope, put it back in the drawer, and closed it.
Step, step. Leaving the study, he headed toward the bedroom. Throughout the walk down the long hallway, Han Seung-jae’s expression gradually became vacant. He gripped the doorknob and turned it.
Inside the dark room, where the only light came from the garden lamps, a thick duvet was piled up. Han Seung-jae walked slowly and stood by the bedside. He looked down at Seo Yi-kyung, who had his eyes closed. One of Seo Yi-kyung’s cheeks was mottled red.
Is he asleep? Han Seung-jae reached out and touched Seo Yi-kyung’s cheek. Then, he frowned sharply.
Seo Yi-kyung’s cheek was burning with a high fever.
“Even in this state, he doesn’t say a single word asking for help.”
Han Seung-jae retraced his steps. The lights in the dark hallway began to turn on one by one. He called for Butler Do.
* * *
“Ugh…”
Seo Yi-kyung let out a groan, parting his teeth. He lifted his eyelids, which felt heavy. Then, the blurry silhouettes gradually became clear. He thought a stranger was looking down at him, but the person turned their head.
“Director Han, he has woken up.”
Then, the sound of footsteps approached. A man, who was packing up his open medical bag, bowed.
“I shall take my leave now.”
Exhaustion was evident on his face. He had been summoned since dawn and had stayed by Seo Yi-kyung’s side until this morning. Han Seung-jae had looked as if he wouldn’t let the man leave if Seo Yi-kyung hadn’t opened his eyes. Similarly, Han Seung-jae hadn’t slept a wink either.
“I see. Thank you for your hard work.”
Seo Yi-kyung lifted his hand. The line dangling from his wrist caught his eye. Seo Yi-kyung looked up at the IV pole by his head. Soon after, Han Seung-jae looked down at him.
Dressed neatly in a suit, he looked exactly as he did right before leaving for work.
“Seung-jae…”
Seo Yi-kyung’s voice came out cracked. Han Seung-jae reached out, poured water into a glass on the nightstand, and handed it to him.
Seo Yi-kyung took it and pushed his upper body up. Even as he did, his entire body throbbed.
The events of the previous day were not a dream. Seo Yi-kyung forced his eyes shut as if to shake off the flickering afterimages. He had thought he could forget it all cleanly after waking up. However, not only had he been unable to sleep deeply, but as morning came, his body—which had been slammed against the table—was screaming in pain as if it were crumbling into powder. In particular, his cheek and neck where he had been hit were wrapped in bandages. While drinking the water, Seo Yi-kyung felt the cheek where the hydrocolloid bandage was attached.
Furthermore, perhaps because medicine had been applied inside his mouth, everything tasted bitter while he drank. Seo Yi-kyung gripped the glass.
At that moment, Han Seung-jae spoke with a vacant gaze.
“I told them to bring porridge, so don’t lie down; stay sitting up.”
Having eaten very little, Seo Yi-kyung felt an emptiness in his stomach. He nodded and lifted the glass. Even though he had just drunk water, his throat felt as if it were burning.
As Han Seung-jae’s gaze shifted behind him, Seo Yi-kyung pulled the glass away from his lips.
Han Seung-jae took the porridge offered by Butler Do on a tray and placed it in front of Seo Yi-kyung.
Once Seo Yi-kyung set the glass down, Han Seung-jae removed the lid of the ceramic bowl. Inside was a pale porridge, almost like a thin gruel.
Watching this, Butler Do left the room with a face full of worry.
“Eat.”
Han Seung-jae placed a spoon in Seo Yi-kyung’s hand. Seo Yi-kyung curled his fingers, which lacked strength, to struggle to hold the spoon, and stole a glance at Han Seung-jae.
No matter how he looked at it, Han Seung-jae’s suit was consistent with his appearance right before leaving for work. However, it seemed he wouldn’t leave until Seo Yi-kyung finished the whole bowl.
Because the inside of his mouth was torn, it took a long time to cool the porridge and eat it slowly. Yet, Han Seung-jae said nothing and simply watched him.
“…I’m finished.”
Seo Yi-kyung put the lid back on as if to hide the half-remaining porridge. Han Seung-jae watched this, and instead of forcing him to eat more, he reached out and touched Seo Yi-kyung’s forehead. The burning fever had subsided considerably.
“Don’t wander around outside; stay home.”
Han Seung-jae’s voice was low and cold. His gaze was equally sharp.
“I understand.”
Seo Yi-kyung nodded readily. Even if Han Seung-jae hadn’t said so, Seo Yi-kyung had no intention of going out. No, he didn’t even have the energy to leave the bed.
As Seo Yi-kyung lay back down in bed, Han Seung-jae took the tray and turned around. It wasn’t necessarily his job to do so, but it seemed he intended to prevent anyone else from entering the room.
Click. As Han Seung-jae closed the door and left, Seo Yi-kyung let out a long sigh. The crushing pressure seemed to lift, but that too was an illusion. He could feel the white sandalwood scent all over his body. It filled the room so completely that Seo Yi-kyung turned his head to stare at the tightly closed window. He desperately wanted to ventilate the room, but he truly had no strength to leave the bed.
Still, perhaps because he had eaten the porridge, his body felt a bit warmer.
* * *
“Have you come out, sir?”
Secretary Park stood there with a slightly troubled expression. Han Seung-jae had left the house an hour later than usual. However, that wasn’t the only reason Secretary Park was troubled.
Han Seung-jae’s steps stopped as he passed through the garden and stepped out the open iron gate. Even though the sunlight wasn’t blinding, Jin Seon-yu was standing at the entrance wearing sunglasses.
“Um, I… came to see Yi-kyung.”
Jin Seon-yu awkwardly fidgeted with his sunglasses. Because the person he suddenly encountered was Han Seung-jae, he didn’t even have time to calm his racing heart.
“Go back.”
Han Seung-jae brushed past Jin Seon-yu as if he wasn’t even worth listening to. If it had been anyone else, he wouldn’t have needed words; he would have had Secretary Park remove them from his sight immediately. But Jin Seon-yu was Seo Yi-kyung’s friend. Moreover, he was someone who had even stayed in this house for a few days at Yi-kyung’s earnest request.
Given Han Seung-jae’s personality, there was no way he would have accepted him if it weren’t for Seo Yi-kyung’s words. In the first place, he wouldn’t have cared.
“There’s something I need to say.”
Jin Seon-yu couldn’t utter the rest of his words under Han Seung-jae’s cold gaze. The thought that he could do it over the phone but wanted to do it while looking at Seo Yi-kyung’s face circled on his tongue. And above all, he was too worried.
When they went to the Alpha Club, Jin Seon-yu had been unable to take care of Seo Yi-kyung because of the intense emotions surging within him. Furthermore, it had been difficult to maintain his balance due to the Alpha pheromones spreading from all directions.
“I absolutely must apologize to his face.”
While Secretary Park was opening the back seat door, Jin Seon-yu darted in and looked up at Han Seung-jae. Han Seung-jae’s cold face was reflected in the smooth, glossy sunglasses.
“Go in and just look with your eyes. Don’t take him out.”
Han Seung-jae’s voice was quite meaningful. It felt like a warning. That if he didn’t do exactly that, someone would have to take responsibility.
However, Jin Seon-yu blindly agreed and hurriedly brushed past Han Seung-jae. Having taken one step into the garden, Jin Seon-yu quickly turned around and approached the car he had arrived in. He seemed to bend his upper body into the car for a moment, then ran back into the garden holding a large box in his arms.