By Zephyria 
I had many questions, but because Kwon Yi-kang’s mood seemed somewhat subdued, I didn’t dare speak and just walked beside him.
The hanok building was larger than I had guessed by looking at it, so it took quite a bit of time just to take a light stroll around the perimeter.
“Are you in a bad mood?”
“No.”
“You’ve been quiet for a while. ……Did I make things difficult for you by speaking out of turn?”
“What do you mean, ‘out of turn’.”
“I talked back to your father. I don’t know why I’m like this. I used to fight and get hit by my grandfather too, but I just can’t sit still and listen. Adults don’t like it when you talk back. I would’ve been fine if I’d just kept my mouth shut, but I blabbed and made your father angry. I should reflect on that now.”
“Don’t reflect. Nothing you said was wrong.”
Wrapping an arm around my shoulder and pulling me close, Kwon Yi-kang kissed my cheek. Because that spot was where the mole on my cheekbone is, I burst into laughter.
“You really love that mole.”
“Because it looks delicious.”
“When I look in the mirror after spending a day with you, one cheek is always red as if I’ve applied makeup. Because you suck on it so much. My face is going to end up two different colors.”
“That would be cute too.”
“How can you talk so carelessly about someone else’s face.”
“I’m being sincere.”
He said playfully, licking the spot with his tongue. Since he seemed to have cheered up a bit, I felt better too. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulled him down, and rubbed my lips against his.
“Come to think of it, I really haven’t given you a single gift.”
“Gift?”
“You said you haven’t received anything from me other than a few meals.”
What gift is he talking about all of a sudden? I tilted my head and soon realized he was referring to what I had told his father earlier.
“I haven’t given you anything either, so whatever.”
“Since I’ve given you nothing from head to toe, shall I get you a full set from head to toe?”
Starting with a suit, then a tie, tie pin, cufflinks, watch, shoes, socks, ring, and even underwear—a full set. Listening to him list them in a low voice, I wondered why on earth I would need such useless things.
“Or is there something else you like? Shall I buy you a car? It’s fine if there’s a specific brand or item you particularly like.”
“There is something I like.”
Things I like and am interested in. Cash, physical assets, stocks, real estate, buildings, jewelry, gold bars. Everything that can be converted into money.
Unable to bring myself to say it, my eyebrows just flickered. For some reason, I felt like I shouldn’t tell Kwon Yi-kang this. As I kept my mouth shut and shook my head, he whispered, “Tell me,” as if coaxing a child.
“I can’t. My taste is too unique.”
“I’ve known you were unique since you told me you liked me because I’m affectionate, so don’t worry about it.”
“Why is that… what… what’s wrong with that? What’s unique about that? It’s only natural to be captivated by someone who sprinkles affection around like you do.”
“I’m just saying thank you for being captivated. So, what is this unique taste?”
Kwon Yi-kang seems to be the type who won’t be satisfied until he gets the answer he wants, without letting the conversation veer off. A standoff continued between me, keeping my mouth shut and shaking my head, and Kwon Yi-kang, who was determined to coax and soothe me into giving an answer.
“Is it a sexual preference that’s hard to put into words?”
“It’s not. What do you take me for?”
“You said that’s what you wanted from me. Since you said it so confidently, I thought that was what you liked most.”
“I just said that as a joke. Do you keep wanting to bring up what I said earlier?”
Since it was annoying that he kept mentioning the words I used to screw over his father, I gave his shin a light kick. Even though it didn’t hurt, he exaggerated by jumping up.
“Are you scolding me because I haven’t given you anything?”
“I’m scolding you because you deserve it.”
“Then, as an apology, I’ll give you what you like. So, what is it?”
Knowing he’d probably ask every time we met if I didn’t answer, I finally whispered, almost as a mumble, “Gold bars.”
“What?”
“Gold bars! That’s what I’ve been collecting lately.”
“……Is it for tax evasion?”
“It’s not. I’m preparing for my future.”
“Why is that necessary for your future?”
Kwon Yi-kang had a look of genuine incomprehension on his face. That made sense. For someone like Kwon Yi-kang, who had parents with a massive inheritance to leave behind and no siblings to compete with, he certainly wouldn’t understand. He was likely a biological child whose soul had never been swapped.
“The inheritance I’ll receive is uncertain, the hospital won’t be mine anyway, and once Father passes away, I’ll probably get crushed in the middle of my hyungs’ inheritance war and end up completely screwed. No, I don’t even have to wait until Father dies. Something could happen right now and I could be kicked out, or I might find myself having to flee in the middle of the night. If that happens, I need a means to survive. Fortunately, I’m living on the cards my fathers gave me, so I’m just preparing in advance.”
“……Isn’t that a bit excessive?”
Kwon Yi-kang looked bewildered, as if he had just been told the world was ending tomorrow. Since I hadn’t expected him to understand anyway, I shrugged as if I were making a light joke.
“Excessive worry is better than no worry at all. Even if I don’t know if the sky will fall or when it will happen, I’m going to dig a hole to survive in beforehand.”
I wanted to stop living a life with no food and no place to sleep. I had done enough of that as Min Jae-hee; there was no need to experience that kind of deprivation as Cha Soo-kyung. It would be great if it never happened, but since gold doesn’t disappear, there’s no harm in hoarding it.
Hmm. Kwon Yi-kang, who had been lost in thought with a low hum in his throat, eventually nodded. This wasn’t the kind of story that fell within his range of understanding, yet he accepted it this quickly? As I looked at him in curiosity, he spoke after organizing his thoughts.
“Then I should dig another hole for you.”
“……Huh?”
“You’ll feel more secure if you have two holes to survive in. Though it’ll probably be a hole you don’t need.”
Now I was the one confused. What on earth was he talking about with this “hole”? I asked with my eyes, but whether he lacked the ability to speak with his eyes or I lacked the ability to read them, he simply gave a satisfied smile.
“I’ve figured out something good. Do you only like gold bars? Or is anything gold good?”
“Just physical assets that can be converted into cash?”
“Luxury goods would count, then.”
“No, not luxury goods.”
I shook my head firmly. This is why you can’t trust rich young masters who are out of touch with the world.
“Second-hand items lose value immediately. That’s why gold is good.”
“Okay. Now I understand.”
I didn’t understand or organize anything at all, yet Kwon Yi-kang alone reached a clear conclusion. What exactly did he understand? Despite my silent question, he smiled brightly, like someone who had just come back from the bathroom.
I became increasingly confused. No matter how I looked at it, it was obvious he didn’t understand. Still, since he seemed so pleased with his own conclusion, I figured there was no need to verify if he actually understood correctly.
Once I gave up on understanding Kwon Yi-kang, another desire surged.
“I’m hungry.”
“Then shall we head back to Seoul and eat?”
“Let’s just eat here and stay the night.”
“……Huh?”
The man who had been smiling brightly a moment ago returned to a look of incomprehension. Even the change in his expression was cute, so I pressed my lips against his with a chu and smiled.
“Do they serve things like a nine-dish traditional meal here? I’ve never seen one of those.”
“Unfortunately, it’s just a normal table. I should take you to a traditional Korean restaurant sometime.”
“This place really is just a hanok in name only. Is the floor ondol? I heard it’s amazing to warm your back on an ondol floor.”
“There’s a bed in every room.”
My disappointment grew rapidly. With slumped shoulders, I turned around.
“Let’s just go get some food.”
“Do you really intend to eat and sleep here?”
“Why would I lie? I’m hungry. Hurry up and ask for food.”
As I clung to Kwon Yi-kang’s arm and pleaded, he hid his reluctant expression and nodded.
We retraced our steps. After Kwon Yi-kang told a man they encountered along the way to prepare a meal, he led me somewhere. After walking diligently through winding paths, taking off my shoes, and entering the building, we still had to walk down a long corridor.
“I’d be in big trouble if I got lost here. A first-timer would be totally bewildered.”
“It’s not as complicated as it seems. It’s only because I’m taking shortcuts; if you look carefully, the structure is simple. There are guides here and there.”
“Come to think of it, why are there so many people? It feels like there are more than the employees at my house. And they’re all wearing suits.”
I swear, this house is just strange. Kwon Yi-kang only laughed at my words.
The place we stopped at was the dining room. Perhaps because the request was sudden, the employees were frantically moving plates, preoccupied with meal preparations.
“We should have come a bit later.”
“What does it matter? We can just wait.”
To avoid disturbing the table setting, we sat side by side at the end of a long table, and I fiddled with Kwon Yi-kang’s hand.
“I… overheard earlier.”
“With your ear pressed right against the wall.”
“I heard, but I didn’t understand a thing. Everything they said was incomprehensible…”
Kwon Yi-kang looked a bit tired and rubbed his eyelids. At his small sigh, I entwined my fingers with his, locking our hands.
“If there’s anything you want to ask, you can.”
“It’s not something I necessarily need to know. If it’s necessary, I’ll find out naturally in the future.”
“Actually, I wish you didn’t know anything.”
“If it was such a secret, you should have had better security.”
“I don’t think that’s something a person who eavesdropped like a stray cat should say.”
Stung by his point, I just gave a sheepish smile.
“Still, we achieved the purpose of coming today, right?”