DB Vol 4 Part 2

“I grew up almost alone from the moment I could walk. The people taking care of me changed so often anyway, and they only did the bare minimum. No, the window should go here.”

Frustrated, Won-woo pulled out the blocks Gye Yoon was stacking indiscriminately.

“Were you hit?”

At the sudden chill in his voice, Won-woo, who had been separating the window blocks, looked up. Gye Yoon had stopped moving and was staring intently at him.

“Were you hit by your father and brothers?”

It was a simple question, but Won-woo couldn’t answer easily. No one had ever asked him this before. The Aunt had known the truth because she witnessed his wounds with her own eyes, and when he came to the North, no one knew he was a member of the Ji family.

Moreover, it had happened so long ago that Won-woo’s own memories were hazy. Even so, the mere fact that someone cared made him feel strange. Won-woo played to his strengths: pretending everything was fine, pretending it was no big deal.

“I was. That’s why I told you they were enemies.”

“I see.”

What did he see? Won-woo was curious about his answer, but there was something more pressing right now.

“…This is bad.”

As Won-woo’s expression hardened with seriousness, Gye Yoon’s eyes sharpened.

“What is it?”

“There’s an odd number of window blocks.”

“So what?”

What do you mean, so what? They come in pairs to open and close, so there should be an even number, but one is missing! Frustrated, Won-woo began rummaging through the blocks. But it wasn’t there. No matter how much he searched, one half of a window was nowhere to be found.

“I need to contact the company that made these blocks immediately.”

At Won-woo’s utterly grave voice, Gye Yoon strained his face to keep from laughing. Just a moment ago, he had been consumed with rage hearing about Won-woo’s past, yet the man himself was acting as if the world were ending over a single missing toy window. When Won-woo finally picked up the plastic bin to check the manufacturer, Gye Yoon couldn’t hold it back and his lips curled into a smile.

“I’ll just… later…”

Gye Yoon, who was about to say he would get him another, and Won-woo, who was searching for the manufacturer’s phone number on the bin, both froze. Instead, they both silently shifted their eyes. A single block piece was floating in the air between them.

A yellow window half. It landed silently exactly on top of the window blocks Won-woo had sorted. Only then did Won-woo realize what the child’s ability was. He uses psychokinesis. He must have been paying attention to this place even while hiding. Imagining that scene brought a spontaneous smile to Won-woo’s face.

“Thankfully, someone found the window, so I don’t have to call the company.”

Won-woo spoke loudly on purpose so the child could hear, then looked at Gye Yoon. He signaled with his eyes for Gye Yoon to play along and praise the child, but Gye Yoon only stared at him. Unable to bear it, Won-woo whispered softly.

“Hurry up and praise them.”

“…Your smile is pretty.”

What? When Won-woo looked at him as if asking what on earth he was talking about, Gye Yoon instead frowned and whipped his head away.

“I told you to praise them.”

“No, I didn’t mean my praise…”

Won-woo gestured with his chin toward where the child was hiding. However, Gye Yoon, who hadn’t seen it, continued to say clueless things.

“If you don’t want to hear a praise for them, then praise me.”

“….”

When there was no answer from Won-woo, Gye Yoon finally turned his averted gaze back.

“Is there nothing to praise about me?”

At the dissatisfied voice, Won-woo grumbled in response.

“Well, the fact that you have two eyes, one nose, and one mouth?”

If anyone else had called that a compliment, Gye Yoon would have performed a miracle by turning the other person’s eyes into one and their nose into two. But far from being offended, he felt a tickle inside his chest and couldn’t stop himself from smiling. The grumbling tone was just too [Read on Read BL Novels]cute. The expressionless face, the hands fiddling with [stolen content]the blocks, and even those closed lips. Gye Yoon’s gaze lingered on those lips for a moment.

“Want to check other things too?”

Check what? Won-woo asked, glancing up. Gye Yoon tilted his head to the side, his smile gone.

“Whether everything that should be attached to my body is properly attached. There’s something you’ll admire the moment you see it.”

He hadn’t specified any particular body part, but Won-woo’s gaze almost drifted downward for a second. Surely, he couldn’t mean… While he was doubting, Gye Yoon suddenly leaned toward Won-woo and whispered.

“I’ll even let you touch it. It’s so big and hard that it won’t fit in one hand.”

This was definitely sexual harassment. What was more absurd was that Won-woo found himself gauging the size. Not fitting in one hand? Does that even make sense? Ha, Won-woo let out a short scoff and stared back at him, refusing to lose.

“I don’t know. I feel like it’ll shrink the moment I grab it.”

Won-woo boldly provoked him, but he regretted it immediately. Gye Yoon’s eyes changed so drastically they felt dark. The level of the joke suddenly rose to a precarious, overflowing point. Won-woo tried his best to ignore the tension, but he stopped breathing at an unexpected sensation touching his hand. He quickly pulled his arm back, but the other man was faster. He grabbed Won-woo’s wrist and asked quietly.

“How are you going to grab it? Like this?”

As he spoke, he slid his index finger and thumb along the gripped wrist. A shiver ran through the spot where the fingers brushed past, almost terrifyingly. He was holding the wrist, but the gesture of sliding down and then back up had a clear implication.

Suddenly, Won-woo’s lower abdomen felt tight. Barely suppressing the urge to avoid his gaze, he forced his arm to pull away. Then, Gye Yoon gripped his wrist tightly enough to hurt and whispered.

“I think mine is thicker than this.”

Not wanting to reveal his nervousness, Won-woo leaned his upper body back.

“What would your sister say if she knew you were saying things like this in front of a child?”

As expected, nothing broke the mood better than family. The moment Gye Yoon frowned and released his grip, Won-woo didn’t miss the chance and pulled his arm away. Gye Yoon returned to his original posture and grumbled.

“Of course, I made sure only Ji Won-woo-ssi could hear.”

Then, sweeping his hair back with his hand, he left the room without a word of farewell. Won-woo didn’t bother to stop him. No, he couldn’t even look because he was keeping his head down. He had seen the long shape revealed over the man’s thigh when he stood up.

Am I really going to get kicked out by The Gye family head at this rate? While worrying internally, his face flushed for no reason. Won-woo covered his mouth with one hand and fiddled with the blocks with the other, then paused. A block was floating—flying over silently.

“Stop crying.”

Chief Jung took his eyes off the CCTV and handed a tissue to Jae-hak, who was beside him. No more blocks flew over until Ji Won-woo finished building the house alone, but Jae-hak’s eyes remained red just because the child had shown a reaction. As he finally calmed down, blowing his nose with a loud sniff, Chief Jung couldn’t help but comment.

“It was only two blocks moving.”

The child is still in the corner and hasn’t even come out yet. If they actually show their face, he’s going to wail.

“Our Hwan-i, sniff! Loves playing with blocks the most, but haa, they haven’t played with them once in months.”

Honestly, the expression ‘played with’ wasn’t quite right even now, but Chief Jung unauthorized unauthorized copycopylet it slide, fearing it might trigger more tears. Regardless, it was a signal that the child was no longer sick.

“By the way, Ji Won-woo-ssi isn’t bad, is he?”

Chief Jung quickly changed the subject and pointed to the CCTV. On the screen, the person coming in for the shift change was informing Won-woo that he could leave. He didn’t leave immediately but looked toward where the child was once, then turned around after giving a polite greeting.

This sight was somewhat unexpected for Chief Jung. Occasionally, there are Guides who volunteer despite not meeting the conditions, or those who want to be the child’s nanny. Their common trait was that they tried to stick by the child’s side from the very beginning.

Some had the passion of wanting the child to get used to them and open up, while others felt pity for the child. However, no matter how much they claimed to care for the child, greed resided in a corner of their hearts.

This was the Gye Family, rumored to be the wealthiest in the continent. To think the successor of such a place suffered so much it was called a curse. There were surprisingly many people who hoped to become the savior of the Gye Family that ruled the North. Thus, they strove to win the child’s favor.

But the Gye Family did not want such people. If the motive was pure pity, they were kicked out and told to help those in even worse situations. Those drenched in the fantasy of salvation wanted a reward for the result later—whether it be material reward, gratitude, recognition, or the respect of others.

But Ji Won-woo was definitely different. Even though he could ascend to the position of savior more easily than anyone. And Jae-hak, who was watching the screen together, agreed with Chief Jung’s opinion.

“Not just ‘not bad,’ he’s actually quite good.”

It was clearly a compliment for Won-woo, but strangely, his face was serious.

“You don’t look like you’re giving a compliment.”

“There’s just something that’s bothering me…”

As Jae-hak trailed off, Chief Jung nodded as if understanding.

“Ah, I feel the same. It looks like the Vice Head is smitten, right?”

“Huh?”

What, that’s not what he was worried about? When Chief Jung narrowed his eyes, Jae-hak let out a small laugh.

“He said he isn’t.”

“Even though he’s spacing out saying your smile is pretty?”

“It was pretty, though.”

“…I guess so.”

Chief Jung couldn’t deny that Ji Won-woo’s appearance was excellent.

“Yoon is an Esper, so it’s inevitable that he’d be drawn to an attractive Guide.”

“The problem is that for Espers, that attraction grows into obsession. He’s a member of the Ji family; are you okay with that?”

“After meeting him, he doesn’t seem like a bad person. And Yoon needs obsession. A person cannot live on revenge and hatred alone.”

Jae-hak’s expression darkened as he thought of the Gye Family siblings who had survived until now on the power of revenge visit our siteand hatred. [visit our site]Chief Jung didn’t agree, thinking Jae-hak’s opinion sounded like a fairy tale.

After all, hadn’t Gye Yoon survived until now, enduring the pain of not receiving guiding, thanks to that very vengefulness? However, he didn’t bother to refute it. Jae-hak always smiled kindly, but on the other hand, he often showed sharp insight.

“If it’s not the Vice Head, what’s bothering you?”

“Ji Won-woo-ssi’s toys.”

“The fact that he played with trash?”

Yes, Jae-hak nodded.

“Even if it’s not blocks, everyone has toys when they’re young. At the very least, they play with dolls.”

“I didn’t have dolls.”

“You probably played with something boring like a science kit instead.”

“My grandfather was a mathematician.”

“Wasn’t your grandfather a gambler?”

“…That just means he liked probability that much.”

This was why Chief Jung hated getting a job in his hometown where everyone knew the family history.

“Anyway, Chief Jung received your grandfather’s love, didn’t you?”

But it seemed no one had even bought Ji Won-woo a small gift. Jae-hak couldn’t believe the words he had briefly heard from Won-woo through the CCTV. Who would believe that a direct line of the Ji family grew up so thoroughly neglected? Even Jae-hak, who had a lot of information about the Ji family, had only thought of him as a black sheep; the reality was far more severe.

“Of course I’m not talking about me, but not everyone grows up receiving love. And Ji Won-woo doesn’t seem to care about that past at all.”

That’s why it bothered him more. It was a clear deficiency, yet the man himself regarded it as trivial. Then, Chief Jung tapped Jae-hak’s shoulder.

“For now, just focus on Hwan-i. We’ll keep a close eye on Ji Won-woo.”

“Not ‘keep an eye on,’ um, treat him well.”

“Of course. He is a Guide, after all. We humored that trash Guide sent by the Ji family too.”

Though that wasn’t the reason, Jae-hak didn’t bother to correct him. Then, Chief Jung added in passing.

“Even if we don’t, the Vice Head, who isn’t smitten yet, will probably treat him well.”

Whether he could control his abilities or after he learned to, sound always tormented Gye Yoon. To him, every sound in the world was noise. Now, even if too many sounds were heard at once, he knew sufficiently how to pick out the necessary ones, but still, this ocean-like world of sound was suffocating.

At one time, he had even felt the impulse to erase everything that moved and breathed. That was why, while other Espers felt considerable pride in their abilities, Gye Yoon often thought it would be fine if he didn’t have them. But now it was different. With this power, he could instantly pick out that person’s breath from among the countless breathing sounds inside the mansion.

Now, as if fallen asleep, there was no sound of movement, only the regular, steady sound of breathing. It seemed he couldn’t sleep until past dawn, and every small movement he made then—the [stolen [unauthorized copy]content]style="opacity:0;font-size:0;">stolen contentrustling of the bedding, the occasional deepening sigh—became a drug-like stimulus.

‘Haa.’

Blocking out all surrounding sounds as if muting them, he focused on that small breath. As the breathing continued slowly and repetitively, signaling the body’s relaxation, Gye Yoon’s hand moved quickly instead.

Between his spread legs as he sat on the sofa, his hard, erect penis pointed toward the ceiling. He had already ejaculated several times, but the hardness of his member did not diminish. He stimulated himself by stroking his penis with his hand, but in his mind, only the sensation of Won-woo’s wrist he had touched earlier lingered.

The thrill that had spread from his fingertips when he slid down the lean arm, firm with muscle, now gathered as heat in his genitals. It was absurd that he could masturbate this many times just from the sensation of grabbing a wrist once. However, reason and shame were easily trampled by instinctive desire.

Right now, it felt as if he could hold onto his erect penis and shoot semen for hours just by listening to that breathing. That’s how drug-like Won-woo’s breathing was. He even had the illusion that the sound was flowing into his ear like a warm breath, sending another shiver through him.

“Huu…”

Gye Yoon closed his eyes and tilted his head back. He could see the situation like a video just through sound, but he intentionally focused only on the breathing. He wanted to enjoy the image of Won-woo in his memory more than his own current state.

The expressionless face when he snatched the wrist. But the eyes that shook minutely. The momentary expression of fluster when he tried to pull his hand away and Gye Yoon wouldn’t let go. Gye Yoon obsessively dug into the memory.

As if splitting the frames of a video, he retraced that expression over and over, finally stopping at the slightly parted lips. The breath that had been rising silently became faster and larger, choking Gye Yoon’s own breath.

Instead, only the sound of a hard piece of flesh being shaken rapidly echoed in the darkness. From the tip of the glans, swollen red as if it would burst, transparent fluid flowed down the shaft and onto his hand. Every time the fluid shook the penis, the squelching friction sound grew louder. Gasp, gasp, gasp.

When his head was filled only with the sound of his own breathing, the held breath burst forth, and cloudy semen spurted from the tip of his member. Gye Yoon’s lower abdomen, firm with muscle, twitched as if convulsing. The pleasure of ejaculation vanished quickly after discharging the result, but he couldn’t easily escape the afterglow.

His body and mind became languid, but the desire for him kept growing, devouring all other thoughts. [stolen content]stolen content -->Why was he so aroused by Read on Read BL NovelsJi Won-woo. Why did his trivial movements, expressions, and sounds not leave his head. He had no time to question the reason for this first-time emotion.

In the place where pleasure vanished, greed for the actual person was filling up. He’s on the same floor, not far away. Just go, strip him, and climb on top. It would be amazing to pin him down with force and shove his member inside his body. A cruel instinct surged as if his ethical sense had broken, but it didn’t feel wrong.

Because he had already felt the pleasure of suppressing the other person when he pinned Won-woo’s hand with force to keep him from escaping. While a part of his reason believed he shouldn’t upset the man, the greed to push him ruthlessly with force and shake his hips coexisted. Gye Yoon took a deep breath to calm the rising cruelty. And with his head tilted back, he continued to focus on Won-woo’s sweet breathing.

[It completely disappeared after one day. Completely.]

Sang-cheon, who called out of worry, first informed Won-woo of the news from the East. The news and internet, which had been covered in Won-woo’s name for several days, were now only showing Ji Geun-oh’s name, as if nothing had happened.

[Ji Geun-oh is already acting as if he’s become a People’s Welfare Committee Member. But while public opinion has quieted down, um, it seems the pursuit of Ji Won-woo-ssi is still ongoing. It seems they’ve even visited the customers at my shop one by one.]

“I’m sorry.”

When Won-woo apologized, Sang-cheon immediately raised his voice.

[No, please don’t apologize! Not at all. Thanks to you, I was even able to move in comfortably. Mangna… ahem, Yoon took quite a bit of care to make sure all my things were brought over, and the lodging and shop you provided are more than I deserve. It’s all thanks to Ji Won-woo-ssi.]

“It wasn’t because of me. It’s because Gye Yoon cares for his adoptive father that much.”

[…….]

“Hello?”

[Sorry. I suddenly heard a dog barking.]

Is there a house nearby that keeps dogs?

“That’s strange. Nani mentioned that he often hears dogs barking nearby too.”

[……Ugh, this crazy—……]

Just as a frustrated sigh could be heard, Sang-cheon immediately changed the subject.

[Anyway, there are still people chasing me, so they told me to stay here for the time being and refrain from making phone calls. Won-woo-nim, is the place you’re staying alright?]

“It’s not bad.”

[Not bad? You mean it’s good? Is Mang… is Yoon doing something stupid?]

Won-woo flinched at the mention of Yoon’s name. Throughout the entire previous night, a truly useless remark kept popping into his head, keeping him awake. The words he had said while grabbing Won-woo’s wrist.

‘I think mine is thicker than this.’

Even thinking about it again, it made no sense. No, logically speaking, could such a thing even exist? How could it be thicker than a wrist? It’s not as if an Esper’s power comes from there.

Recalling that moment, Won-woo touched his own wrist, then recoiled in horror and pulled his hand away. He forced his eyes shut, telling himself it was a truly useless thought, but in the end, he couldn’t sleep properly. And now, hearing his name again, that fierce debate over thickness—which he had fought alone—resurfaced. Sigh. Won-woo barely swallowed a sigh and looked down, only to shut his eyes tight the moment he saw his wrist. Damn it.

“What’s wrong?”

At the sudden sound of the unwanted voice, Won-woo’s heart sank slightly. Trying to act as if nothing were wrong, he looked up to see Gye Yoon leaning crookedly against the open doorway.

[Huh? Are you really okay? Ah, did that bastard say something truly weird?]

Since Sang-cheon was asking with a raised voice over the phone, Won-woo gave a vague answer that he was fine and hung up first.

“It was a call from Mr. Hwang. Thank you for bringing me safely to the North.”

Fortunately, the greeting came out naturally as usual. However, Gye Yoon just stared at him intently.

“What is it?”

“Did you not sleep?”

For a moment, the agony of the night flashed through his mind, but Won-woo replied nonchalantly.

“I’ll sleep well once I get used to it.”

“Ah, once you get used to it.”

Feeling as though his excuse had been seen through, Won-woo’s voice grew slightly sharp.

“Or is there some other reason?”

“I wondered if you originally had insomnia.”

He did. Ah, damn, he should have used that as an excuse. While regretting it, Won-woo felt pathetic for being so awkward even in a simple conversation. What was more infuriating was that the other person seemed perfectly fine.

He looked so composed, as if he had no memory or concern for what happened yesterday or what he had said, which made Won-woo feel unfairly frustrated. His tone became unintentionally aggressive.

“Once I get used to it, I can sleep on the floor, so don’t worry about it.”

“I’m not so uncivilized that I’d make a guest sleep on the floor.”

“It was a figure of speech.”

“I’m serious.”

The way he looked at him while answering indifferently was burdensome to Won-woo. Those eyes, staring so intently and focusing only on him, reminded him of the past. The current Gye Yoon was becoming more and more like the person who could only express emotions through his eyes.

When he first saw him, his eyes had been filled with cold contempt for the Ji family. But now, he could find no hatred or rejection. Instead, he felt anxious because it seemed another emotion was filling that space. Gye Yoon, who had been observing Won-woo, muttered.

“You’re on guard around me.”

“I have to be. I’d hate it if you fell for me.”

The reaction Won-woo wanted most was a sneer. He wanted him to put [Read stolen contenton Read BL Novels]up his pride and ask why on earth he would fall for him. However, what came back was a question of pure curiosity.

“What is ‘falling for someone’?”

“You’re asking because you don’t know?”

“Yes. I’ve never liked anyone in my life.”

Gye Yoon spoke bluntly and tilted his head, focusing on Won-woo.

“Tell me. What happens when you fall for someone?”

“…….”

“You can’t take your eyes off them, you feel anxious when you can’t see them, and your heart gets so noisy when you do that it’s distracting. Is that it?”

The low voice echoed in his ear like a soft whisper. Since the question wasn’t difficult, it should have been an easy problem to answer, but Won-woo’s mouth wouldn’t open. Because the evidence of ‘falling’ that Gye Yoon described sounded exactly like his own story. He couldn’t just admit it. Staring into the eyes that held his gaze and wouldn’t let go, Won-woo took a step back.

“I don’t know. Based on the symptoms alone, it sounds like an investor checking stocks they’re stuck with in a bear market.”

The corners of Gye Yoon’s mouth curved silently. It wasn’t that crooked smile he usually wore, but a deep curve that made him look like a boy.

“It certainly feels like I’m stuck.”

As the atmosphere lightened, Won-woo felt he could breathe again and averted his gaze.

“If you feel that way, then back off on your own. There would be nothing funnier than Gye-ssi sobbing and obsessing over the Ji family, saying he loves them.”

When Won-woo spoke with deliberate exaggeration, a flicker of annoyance crossed Gye Yoon’s eyes. It was because he didn’t like the fact that, for a moment, he had thought, ‘So what?’ He felt that his pride wouldn’t actually be wounded if he clung to the Ji family and sobbed that he loved them. Disliking this side of himself, Gye Yoon replied half-heartedly.

“Can I do it if no one laughs?”

“How could they not laugh? For starters, the Gye family head would probably sneer.”

Nothing was as effective at snapping someone back to reality as the reaction of their family. Gye Yoon’s eyes instantly hardened.

“Fine. Even if I end up clinging and saying I love you, I’ll absolutely never sob.”

“No, it’s not a problem that can be solved with tears……”

“As long as Gye Min doesn’t laugh, it’s fine, right?”

No, it’s not. Won-woo was about to say something in disbelief, but Gye Yoon added indifferently.

“You were kicked out of the Ji family anyway. It wouldn’t be strange if we loved each other.”

“It is strange. First of all, we don’t love each other and……”

“It’s not strange. You’re being cursed out tremendously right now, so even if I say I love you, someone who’s -->Read on Read BL Novelsstolen contentbeen cursed out since long ago, there’s no more cursing left to do.”

The premise of ‘loving’ was the problem. Won-woo wanted to point that out, but he gave up, fearing it would seem like he was the one clinging to the idea of love. Then, he brought up the reason he was being cursed. By now, haven’t I become the worst guy in the world?

“Since Ji Geun-oh is becoming a People’s Welfare Committee Member, the media must be pouring out praise articles in excitement. The higher his status rises, the more his expelled son will fall into the role of a villain. But it’s always more painful when you fall from a great height. It’s time to flip the public opinion.”

“How?”

“I’ll let it be known that Ji Geun-oh heartlessly kicked out his innocent son. I’ll send a file containing the recorded confession of the Esper who was stalking me. You can use the media, right?”

Gye Yoon looked at Won-woo with curious eyes.

“Was this evidence originally created to screw over Ji Geun-oh?”

“It was meant to create a justification for leaving the Guide Center, so it’s similar. Now, it will serve as a justification for why I had to come to the North.”

At Won-woo’s words, Gye Yoon shook his head coldly.

“It’s a bit weak as a justification. The Gye Family’s image is quite bad, so they’ll probably criticize you more for teaming up with a villain. If you absolutely need a justification, I’m sorry, but now that you’ve come to the North, you won’t receive anyone’s support.”

“Let’s try it anyway. I just need to plant the perception that I’m the victim.”

Won-woo added with a bitter smile.

“I just need to emphasize that I’m a victim to gain sympathy. The truth isn’t important. Read on Read BL NovelsThis is a tactic Ji Geun-oh unauthorized copyuses well, so it’ll work.”

Whenever he was criticized, he would highlight only his own victimization to intentionally spark a controversy. Once it became a mud-slinging fight, people would gradually forget his faults.

While working for the government, Won-woo had spent entire nights reviewing vast amounts of data on Ji Geun-oh from one source. It detailed how Ji Geun-oh managed to gain the support of some Guides despite showing so many lies and hypocrisies.

“Fine. But it will take a few days.”

“That’s okay. Time is all I have now.”

He replied lightly, but Gye Yoon’s expression was a bit strange. He was still staring, but it was different from the burdensome heat of before. It was as if a sense of excitement was mixed in.

“What is it?”

When Won-woo asked curiously, he asked in a lowered voice, as if suppressing his emotions.

“Are you going to stay here for a long time?”

“As long as you don’t kick me out.”

Ah. Gye Yoon brushed back his hair and turned his head. It was a motion to hide his expression, but Won-woo saw the corners of his mouth curve silently. Strangely, his chest felt tight.

Guiding. Since Espers had been enemies to Won-woo for so long, he had never felt a sense of reward from guiding. Occasionally, some Guides found satisfaction in guiding suffering Espers, but he felt they were simply enjoying the position of being a savior.

Therefore, Won-woo didn’t have much feeling about making someone comfortable through guiding. Since Seo-na was a colleague, he regarded it merely as a duty [Read on Read BL Novels]he had to perform. However, the conversation [unauthorized copy]he had with Gye Yoon this morning lingered in his mind.

In truth, it wasn’t much. It was just a short battle of nerves, like a tug-of-war. He didn’t have much expression, but because of that, even small changes were noticeable. A slight smile, a glint in the eye, annoyance when talking about his sister. Those trivial expressions and words felt like evidence that he was comfortable and without pain, and a sense of satisfaction welled up.

I have to ignore it. He warned himself, but before long, a similar emotion filled Won-woo’s interior. This time, they hadn’t even had a proper conversation. Even though the other person’s reaction was very small, he felt so good that he had to press down on the corners of his mouth. Of course, that ‘other person’ was still a difficult individual who wouldn’t even show his face.

“You’re here? Have you had lunch?”

When he opened the door and entered Hwan-i’s room, he heard the question from Supervisor Lee, who was taking care of the child. However, Won-woo’s gaze first went to the blocks on the floor. A house had been completed. Supervisor Lee, approaching from the side, noticed Won-woo’s gaze and smiled kindly.

“He’s been hiding all day today as well, but I think he still wanted to play.”

Her whisper was full of warmth. The block house was different from the one Won-woo had been making yesterday. The child must have silently moved the blocks one by one in the air only when no one was looking. Feeling his heart tighten again, Won-woo slowly walked toward the blocks.

Seong-hyeon had come to the main house for the first time in a while, but he paced the drawing room restlessly, like a rat looking for an exit. Right now, his sister was in a meeting with their father, Ji Geun-oh. He hadn’t yet confessed to his father that he failed to find Won-woo or that he had lost track of Gi An-seok in the process, so he couldn’t help but be anxious.

He told his sister that he would confess to their father himself, but honestly, Seong-hyeon wondered if this was something that absolutely had to be reported. Anyway, that brat Won-woo ran away without a single penny, so he’s probably suffering like a beggar somewhere. Even if the person changed, so what? No matter how much you change, your true nature doesn’t go anywhere.

Yoon-im suspected that Gi An-seok had disappeared, but well, he was a swindler who only cared about money, so it wasn’t strange. Thus, after a day or two, Seong-hyeon felt it was unfair. If you think about it, I didn’t do anything wrong, did I?

It also felt ridiculous to be the first to confess faults without any achievements since taking over his brother’s position. So, Seong-hyeon had brought a bunch of things his father would like. Since his father loved standing before the public and being praised, he just had to create such opportunities. This was Seong-hyeon’s specialty.

His plan was to flatter his father and buy time to find Won-woo and Gi An-seok. However, a situation unfolded that Seong-hyeon had not expected at all.

His sister, whom he thought had returned to the Yang family, was currently in a meeting with their father. Surely she didn’t tattle on everything I did? After waiting stolen contentanxiously [stolen content]for a long time, Yoon-im appeared in the hallway connected to his father’s office.

“Noona!”

As he called out loudly and approached, Yoon-im showed annoyance in her eyes. Regardless, Seong-hyeon grabbed her arm and pulled her into the drawing room.

“You didn’t tell him, did you?”

When Yoon-im only glared at him in silence, he finally lost his nerve and lowered his voice.

“Sorry. I’m not trying to push you, and I’ll tell him my business myself, but if you tell him first, the facts might be distorted and Father might misunderstand……”

“Does that mean you still haven’t reported to Father?”

“I will! But I should do it after I have something worth reporting in my hand. Right? How could I report just the fact that Ji Won-woo has changed as if he’s a different person?”

At Seong-hyeon’s excuse, Yoon-im’s expression hardened. Seong-hyeon noticed, as he had before, that his sister was bothered by the expression ‘changed as if he’s a different person.’

“What’s wrong? Did someone else around you change into a different person?”

Yoon-im avoided the answer by shifting her gaze and changed the subject back to Seong-hyeon’s mistake.

“You can’t deceive Father forever.”

“Who’s deceiving? I’m just delaying the report until things are a bit more certain. unauthorized copyclass="wm-strong" style="position:relative;display:inline;">[stolen [stolen content]content]I’m completely overwhelmed just trying to restore the Guide Center, which is a total mess.”

“You were so overwhelmed that you fired Director Shin?”

At the mention of his brother’s right-hand man, Seong-hyeon’s eyes widened, but he soon smirked.

“Didn’t you hear how much that bastard embezzled? That guy is a complete thief.”

Seong-hyeon made excuses, but Yoon-im still looked at him with distrustful eyes. He clung to his sister’s hand and pleaded, crouching even lower.

“I’ll at least get the Guide Center back to normal and then properly find Ji Won-woo. I’ll search the whole country if I have to, so please help me, Noona. Please?”

Yoon-im coldly brushed his hand away, but she didn’t say she would tell their father. Satisfied with that alone, Seong-hyeon asked excitedly as he saw his sister turning to leave.

“By the way, what did you talk about with Father? Are we starting to work on the North again?”

Until now, they had temporarily stopped the work of bringing down the Gye Family because Ji Geun-oh was preoccupied with becoming a People’s Welfare Committee Member. Since the Yang family didn’t want to be openly involved in this, Ji Geun-oh was the one getting his hands dirty. But now that Ji Geun-oh had some breathing room, it was clear he intended to start that work again.

“Watch your mouth.”

Instead of a precise answer, Yoon-im left only a sharp warning and disappeared. Although he gained no information, Seong-hyeon smirked as he watched her leave. Sure, keep your nose high for now. The more she ignored him, the more advantageous it was for him. That way, it would be easier to sneak up and step on her when she collapsed like Ji Dong-hyeon. He turned to report to his father, thinking he should go to the Guide Center today and tighten the discipline.

To think there was someone who dared to secretly tip off his sister about Director Shin. He would definitely find out who it was and make them end up just like Director Shin. That man had lost his life in an instant at the hands of the Esper Seong-hyeon kept around. My, how easily ordinary people die. Unlike a moment ago, Seong-hyeon hummed a tune, feeling pleased. As long as there’s no news of that brat Won-woo to upset Father for the time being, everything will go smoothly. Just the thought of it was enjoyable.

Won-woo didn’t intend to stay in the child’s room for long that day. He worried that if a stranger stayed too long, the child [[Read on Read BL Novels]class="wm" style="opacity:0;font-size:1px;user-select:all;">unauthorized visit our sitecopy]might feel burdened and be even less likely to come out. He planned to spend an hour or two making blocks and then leave, but as he was about to get up, Supervisor Lee brought some food.

He refused at first, but her gaze was intense despite her smiling face, so he silently ate the grapes. Seedless grapes were quite delicious. Next were cherry tomatoes. Then blueberries. It wasn’t until wild strawberries appeared before his eyes that he realized.

They were all small fruits that were easy for a child to eat in one bite. And he also realized that his role was to act as a lure in front of the child to make them want to eat.

“The fruit is really delicious.”

When Won-woo praised it for the first time while eating, Supervisor Lee gave a soft smile.

“My, you’re not completely clueless, are you?”

Unlike the smile, there was a sting in her words. As Won-woo cleared his throat and tried to praise the fruit more, she suddenly leaned her upper body toward him.

“Shh.”

Why? Just as he was about to lift his head in curiosity, he stopped. He saw wild strawberries floating in the air from the fruit basket placed to the side. It wasn’t just one. Like ducklings following their mother in a line, they floated up one after another and drifted toward one spot.

Naturally, it was where the child was hiding. Watching the movement of the wild strawberries from the corner of his eye, Won-woo suppressed the urge to say something. Is the space behind that bed about 3,000 square feet? If not, the child couldn’t hold out this long.

“Before, he used to disappear outside the room often.”