By Zephyria 
“I was good at studying since I was young. I was what you’d call a prodigy, and luckily, some people appeared who offered to sponsor me. I followed them to the United States.”
Since his counterpart was a doctor and a PhD, Yeon-rok had vaguely assumed he must have been good at studying. But hearing it like this, Moon Gyeon-woo was truly an intelligent person.
Even in a foreign land, he skipped grades and graduated high school early. As his sponsors wished, he entered medical school before becoming an adult and obtained his medical license at a young age. However, the profession of a doctor did not suit Moon Gyeon-woo’s inclinations at all.
“I thought of it as just a business relationship. But I didn’t like how they gradually started acting like adoptive parents…”
Moon Gyeon-woo’s voice trailed off. A look of reflecting on a bitter past briefly crossed his face. In that expression, Yeon-rok felt a kind of deficiency similar to his own.
“No, to be honest, I thought that maybe they would become my parents. But it was just like a wealthy sponsor shopping for trophies. And I happened to be a particularly boast-worthy trophy among them.”
Only then did Yeon-rok realize that the commonality he shared with the name partners wasn’t a flaw in personality, and his heart grew bitter. They were simply people who were deficient or scarred because they hadn’t received faithful love from their families. But because of that… Yeon-rok liked that point even more. It was a pathetic inner thought he couldn’t reveal to anyone.
“I was always lonely because there was no one to give me love.”
Yeon-rok could poignantly empathize with the loneliness Moon Gyeon-woo revealed.
He had expected affection and remained faithful, only to be rejected. Thinking that he had fulfilled his loyalty to the sponsors to this extent, Moon Gyeon-woo majored in biology this time. He graduated with honors, subsequently earned a doctorate, then joined Genexa… and eventually came to the Korean branch…
Thus, the night deepened along with Moon Gyeon-woo’s story.
Someone was gently stroking his head. Yeon-rok keenly read that this was a touch filled with affection. Half-submerged in sleep, he enjoyed the contact. But something was strange. Ssh, ssh, ssh… A peculiar noise accompanied it.
‘Huh? It feels more like brushing than stroking…’
His consciousness gradually woke from sleep. Who is brushing my hair while I’m asleep…? Why are they doing that…? He lifted his heavy eyelids and encountered Moon Gyeon-woo, who, with a face full of joy, was carefully putting a few strands of hair into a plastic bag. Upon locking eyes with Yeon-rok, he froze.
“Hyung, what are you doing…?”
Am I dreaming right now? Yeon-rok traced back his memories of last night. Moon Gyeon-woo had a talent for speaking, though in a different sense than Yeom Cheon-ho. Even though Yeon-rok had listened with his ears pricked as much as possible, Moon Gyeon-woo had explained everything in detail—from the undergraduate courses and major subjects to his master’s and doctoral theses, and the details of the projects he conducted at Genexa—making it absolutely impossible not to fall asleep. Looking at him now, Yeon-rok wondered if he had done that on purpose to put him to sleep.
“…Are you collecting my hair right now?”
Yeon-rok rubbed his eyes and sat up disheveled. He must have slept deeply, as it was already bright outside. On the other hand, Moon Gyeon-woo looked perfectly neat, as if he had barely slept or not at all. When Moon Gyeon-woo didn’t deny it, his face flushing, Yeon-rok asked again in disbelief.
“You’re saying you were actually collecting my hair?”
He didn’t ask because he thought he saw it wrong. He asked because he couldn’t understand why. Moon Gyeon-woo closed his eyes softly with an expression that suggested he had made a mistake. Then, he spoke honestly.
“Well, I had blood samples, but I didn’t have any hair.”
“What? Blood… Why do you have my blood samples, Hyung…?”
He hadn’t done much the last time he went to the lab. Meaning, he definitely hadn’t had any blood drawn. So, he had no idea when his blood had been taken. Did he take it while he was sleeping? To Yeon-rok, who was searching for needle marks on his arm, Moon Gyeon-woo said:
“You had a health checkup last time. It was collected then.”
“No, why is that blood…?”
The more he heard, the more it was full of question marks. He had gone for a health checkup with Secretary Kim Jeong-seong the day after entering Yeom Cheon-ho’s house. What he was curious about was why the blood drawn then had gone to Moon Gyeon-woo.
“It’s really just a sample. Too much time has passed, so it can’t be used for anything now.”
“What do you mean it can’t be used, then why do you have it… More importantly, what are you going to use the hair for?”
“Because I need a sufficient amount of melanin…”
“What?”
Melanin what? What is he talking about? Moon Gyeon-woo spoke in a voice that sounded as if he had made a significant decision.
“But I’ll only use this privately.”
“I don’t know what it is, but don’t use it privately either!”
How on earth are you going to use my hair privately! Yeon-rok jumped up. Wasn’t the atmosphere very warm and nice last night? Come to think of it, he had forgotten. The personality of Moon Gyeon-woo, whom he had been observing, was not exactly ordinary.
“Are you, are you a pervert? Why are you doing this!”
Forgetting to call him Hyung, Yeon-rok asked while pointing a finger. At that, Moon Gyeon-woo’s face, which already had a reddish tint, turned even redder as he answered.
“I suppose so. To you, I might be…”
“What do you mean ‘I suppose so’!”
“I guess I’m a pervert only when it comes to you.”
“Aaaah! Don’t admit it!”
“Yeon-rok-ah, this is my first time doing something like this. I really love everything about you. Even your hair. That’s why I want to have it all.”
As Moon Gyeon-woo spoke with a pretty smile, Yeon-rok put some distance between them. He looks perfectly normal, so why is he like this? While Yeon-rok’s mind was reeling, Moon Gyeon-woo continued calmly.
“Anyway, I’m sorry. As expected, it’s something I shouldn’t do… No matter how much I want a part of the person I love.”
“Could you please stop talking like that…”
“Even if a desire suddenly arose while watching you sleep all night.”
“Ugh! I told you not to talk like that!”
What was more shocking was that Moon Gyeon-woo seemed to be saying those things sincerely. Yeon-rok distanced himself further and pressed him again.
“So, why did you take my blood during the health checkup?”
Only then did Moon Gyeon-woo’s voice regain the composure befitting a doctor.
“For testing purposes, obviously. The fact that a name manifestor has four links is something that should be reported to the academic community. In other words, it means there might be some differences or genetic risks compared to an ordinary name manifestor. CEO Yeom Cheon-ho wanted to know about those things in detail, and I happened to be the right person in terms of security and level of knowledge.”
“I, I didn’t know about that? Why did you take my blood as you pleased without my permission?”
Yeon-rok questioned him, narrowing his eyes sharply. In response, Moon Gyeon-woo looked at him as if wondering why he didn’t know.
“Didn’t Secretary Kim Jeong-seong give you a consent form during the health checkup? It should have been written there.”
Tracing back his memories, he did receive something. Secretary Kim Jeong-seong had told him to read it carefully and check the boxes. But thinking there wouldn’t be anything significant, Yeon-rok had just checked them all down the line.
“Something that important should have been said verbally…”
Was it? Come to think of it, he felt like he might have been told that it could be provided as research data… Yeon-rok decided to admit that he had a clumsy side. Naturally, in ten out of ten cases, Choi Hwan probably wouldn’t have known either, but that wasn’t much of a comfort. Looking at him, Moon Gyeon-woo said in a voice devoid of malice:
“Most people don’t read those clauses one by one. That’s how people get scammed, Yeon-rok-ah. Read carefully from now on.”
It was true, but it was annoying. It was even more so because neither Yeom Cheon-ho nor Moon Gyeon-woo seemed like the types to read such things carelessly and agree. Yeon-rok sighed, feeling a sense of sadness at the fact that he had descended to the same level as Choi Hwan.
“…I’ll just give you the hair. Instead, you can only use it officially. For research purposes only!”
Moon Gyeon-woo nodded, though he looked disappointed. Then, he rustled and took out more collection bags.
“Then, since we’re at it, can I take a little more?”
Fine. Take it, take it. Yeon-rok obediently let himself be brushed, providing a larger amount of hair. Moon Gyeon-woo, who looked happier than usual, carefully packed the hair and ordered room service for Yeon-rok’s breakfast. Since there was a schedule for today, Moon Gyeon-woo just sipped a cup of coffee while Yeon-rok filled his stomach.
Usually, he seemed like a sensitive person, but today he looked very gentle. Perhaps because they had enough physical contact during the rehabilitation treatment yesterday, he seemed to be in a good condition. As Yeon-rok swallowed the nutritional supplement Moon Gyeon-woo had provided, he realized.
‘Wait… something is a bit strange about this.’