FH 1.7
Won-hyeop shook his hair dry, dressed in a shower robe. It was early morning, and the world outside the window was still dim.
Standing by the door, Cookie was restless, having missed the morning walk. Although Won-hyeop had told him a moment ago that there would be no walk today, the dog kept peeking around as if he desperately wanted to go.
Busy preparing for work, Won-hyeop changed his clothes and headed to the kitchen. While he prepared bread and coffee, Cookie waited by the dining table.
As he ate, Won-hyeop glanced toward Ji-su’s room. From the kitchen, only the door was partially visible, and it was firmly shut. Last night, Ji-su had forced himself to eat jokbal along with his medicine. He hadn’t eaten his fill, but he had managed several pieces before putting down his chopsticks. When Won-hyeop had half-forced him to say goodnight, Ji-su had greeted him with a tearful face before retreating into his room. He hadn’t come out since.
Now that the resentment had faded, the fact that he was holed up in his room and refusing to crawl out felt strangely cute.
After finishing his meal, Won-hyeop brushed his teeth, packed his bag, and left the house. As usual, Cookie followed him to the entrance.
“Have a good walk with Ppyani today.”
Closing the front door and walking down the stone steps, he found Jong-bae waiting in the car in front of the main gate. Jong-bae gave a slight bow and opened the rear door. As Won-hyeop got in, he spoke.
“You keep an eye on Ppyani today.”
Jong-bae was aware that the Housekeeper had been fired as of last night.
“Do I just need to check if he’s eating his meals and taking his medicine properly?”
“Take him to the hospital, too.”
“Ah, the hospital.”
“And buy him a new phone.”
“Understood.”
Jong-bae closed the door, walked around to the driver’s seat, and continued.
“I’ll find a new housekeeper as soon as possible. Also, I just called the CCTV installation technician; he said he’s available during lunch today.”
Won-hyeop intended to install the CCTV without waiting for Ji-su to leave the house. Seeing how brazenly Ji-su had lied yesterday, he felt he needed to hurry.
“Then have it installed at lunch.”
“How about we send him to the hospital alone and call the technician to install it while he’s gone?”
Having no appropriate way to address Ji-su, Jong-bae had referred to him as ‘that dog’ and tried to be clever. However, Won-hyeop did not grant permission.
“Why the hell are you planning a Mission Impossible operation just to put up a few cameras?”
In other words, he wanted the CCTV installed while Ji-su was home. Jong-bae wondered if that would be possible, but he didn’t argue.
“Understood. I’ll install them discreetly.”
With that, Jong-bae dropped Won-hyeop off at the office and headed back to Won-hyeop’s house. As he opened the front door, Cookie greeted him with a wagging tail. The lights inside were off, and there was no sign of anyone.
“What, is he still sleeping?”
Jong-bae pushed away Cookie, who was jumping on him to play, and headed to the kitchen. He found a large pot and opened the lid to find porridge. Not wanting to bother boiling it, he scooped some into a bowl to heat in the microwave. When Cookie became a nuisance beside him, he pushed the dog away with his knee.
“Hey, go play over there.”
After heating the porridge, he headed to Ji-su’s room. Without so much as a knock, he rudely flung the door open. Ji-su, dressed in pajamas and lying on the bed, looked up in shock. He seemed to have been awake; his eyes were glistening with tears and his nose was red.
Uninterested in why Ji-su was crying, Jong-bae spoke while leaving the door wide open.
“Come out and eat your porridge.”
Without waiting for an answer, he headed back to the kitchen, hearing the sound of sobbing behind him.
Strangely, Cookie, who had followed him into the room, didn’t come back out. It was only after Ji-su emerged from the room on crutches a moment later that Cookie followed closely behind him. Feeling slightly annoyed, Jong-bae gave Cookie a subtle glare and opened the refrigerator. Planning to eat breakfast himself, he took out some side dishes. There happened to be seafood stew, which he brought to a rolling boil.
Once the hot porridge was placed on the table, Ji-su pulled out a chair and sat down. They weren’t on friendly enough terms to share a pleasant breakfast, but once the seafood stew was done, Jong-bae sat across from Ji-su. They ate in silence.
Ji-su, who had been sitting there blankly and silently, finally spoke in a voice as tiny as an ant.
“……There’s too much porridge, so I’ll just take a little bit.”
Jong-bae frowned.
“Just eat it.”
He had only said that, but Ji-su’s eyes suddenly turned red. Eventually, he even began to cry softly.
“Hic…….”
Jong-bae, who found no pleasure in monitoring Ji-su, frowned even more fiercely. Considering Won-hyeop, he knew he should be careful around Ji-su, but he let his temper flare.
“Hic? A grown man crying like this is disgusting, damn it.”
As Jong-bae slurped a mouthful of seafood stew, Ji-su wiped his tears and apologized.
“I’m sor— hic— ry…….”
Then, surprisingly, Cookie began scratching Ji-su’s thigh with his front paw. The way he repeatedly nudged him almost looked like he was petting him. Cookie pushed his face close and licked the tears from Ji-su’s cheek.
Cookie’s paw was so heavy that Ji-su’s body tilted to the side. His thigh was pressed painfully, and he gripped it with his hand.
“It hurts, hic, ugh……!”
Amazingly, Cookie seemed to understand and lowered his paw.
Jong-bae shot him a sharp look, worried that Ji-su might just cry and not eat the porridge. After crying for a while, Ji-su forced himself to pick up the spoon. As he began to eat the tear-mixed porridge, Cookie hovered around him restlessly. Jong-bae shook his head, looking at Ji-su’s skeletal arm—where skin barely clung to bone—with a look of distaste.
✿✿✿
Jang-ho Hyung
Don’t worry about it. Just leave him be.
10:47 AM
Gyeong-jin sighed and put down his phone. He was busily typing on his keyboard when an urgent call came in, and he answered quickly.
“Yes, Professor, I’ll send it to you shortly.”
Holding the phone between his head and shoulder while typing, Gyeong-jin ended the short call.
A moment later, a message arrived from the cardiology professor in charge of Ji-su’s treatment. It seemed Ji-su had arrived at the clinic for a consultation.
Gyeong-jin hurriedly tidied his desk and left his office to meet Ji-su. Instead of the elevator, he took the emergency stairs down to the floor where the cardiology clinic was located. While his pace was fast, his face was clouded with worry.
At the same time, Ji-su, unaware of Gyeong-jin’s feelings, had his weight measured as soon [Read on Read BL Novels]as he entered the consultation room and engaged in a serious conversation with the cardiology professor. The professor tilted his head, looking suspicious. Although Ji-su’s weight had increased, it wasn’t as much as expected. If he had consistently eaten three meals a day and taken his supplements over the past two days, he should have gained more.
“Did you take all two days’ worth of medicine?”
Ji-su hung his head low, just as he had before. The difference this time was that he seemed more lethargic than anxious. Instead of fidgeting with his hands or trembling, he remained motionless. It wouldn’t have been strange if he had simply turned into a stone.
“Yes… I took it all…….”
The cardiology professor’s gaze shifted to Ji-su’s cast. Black fur was stuck to the bandages. It looked more like animal fur than human hair. There was some on the knees of his jeans as well. It was even on his brand-new looking sneakers; the professor couldn’t understand how he could wear brand-name shoes when he claimed he couldn’t afford the medical fees. The t-shirt and pants he was wearing also looked new.
“Are you still not considering inpatient treatment?”
“……No.”
“Your heart rate is still far from normal, so I want to recommend hospitalization once more.”
Instead of answering, Ji-su shook his head. It was a small movement, but it felt like an ordeal for him.
“What about a psychiatric consultation? It would be very helpful for you.”
“……I’m okay.”
Standing beside him, Jong-bae looked with disgust at the nape of Ji-su’s neck, where the bones protruded. For several minutes, Ji-su had been repeating the same answers. No, I’m fine, it’s okay. On the way to the hospital, Ji-su had sat in the back seat of the car and cried silently. Since he had been crying since this morning, he had essentially been crying all forenoon.
As with the previous week, the doctor pointed out Ji-su’s eating habits and nutritional imbalance, explaining how he could Read on Read BL Novelsrecover. [stolen content]Mentioning several times that he was “at least still young,” the doctor listed difficult terms like cardiovascular abnormalities and renal dysfunction.
Jong-bae picked his ear, distracted. When Ji-su stubbornly insisted on outpatient treatment just like last week, the doctor gave up faster than before.
“If that is your firm decision, there’s nothing I can do. I will prescribe another two days’ worth of supplements. From today, please eat rice instead of porridge.”
Thinking he should inform Won-hyeop of the consultation, Jong-bae left the clinic with Ji-su. He held six packs of supplements in his hand.
As soon as they left the clinic, Ji-su burst into tears. Tears fell in droplets onto the hallway floor.
It was when they stood in front of the elevator that they ran into Gyeong-jin.
“Hello, patient.”
Gyeong-jin, who had approached from behind to greet him, swallowed his words upon seeing Ji-su’s face. Ji-su’s cheeks were drenched in tears. Unable to tactlessly ask why he was crying, Gyeong-jin remained silent.
From a purely medical perspective, he concluded that Ji-su was hesitating to be hospitalized due to psychological distress. After a moment’s hesitation, he took a handkerchief from his white coat and offered it.
“Are you alright?”
Ji-su didn’t take the handkerchief and only nodded. As if trying to hide his face, he kept his head low and limped into the elevator. Jong-bae followed, and Gyeong-jin entered with them.
Everyone in the elevator glanced at Ji-su. Gyeong-jin stood beside him in silence, and only after they stepped out of the elevator did he speak.
“If possible, could we talk for a moment?”
Ji-su burst into tears. And this time, quite loudly.
“I don’t— hic, ugh— want outpatient treatment…. Or psychiatric counseling, sob…….”
Ji-su rubbed his face with his sleeve and walked across the first-floor lobby and outside. Jong-bae gave Gyeong-jin a nod of greeting and followed Ji-su. Knowing that he needed physical therapy, he asked as he followed.
“Hey, what about physical therapy?”
Ji-su shook his head. Jong-bae didn’t push further; they reached the parking lot and got into the car. Then, instead of heading to Won-hyeop’s house, he turned the car in the opposite direction toward a mobile phone store. He had an acquaintance who ran a shop, so he didn’t have to go through tedious procedures to activate a new phone. Upon arriving at the store, Jong-bae got out of the car alone, asking nothing of Ji-su, the future owner of the new phone.
Left alone in the car, Ji-su curled up and let out his sobs.
“Hic, ugh, sob…….”
Then, with hands soaked in tears, he took out his phone. He searched for nitrogen gas on the internet and ordered a canister. Between crying all night out of guilt for eating the jokbal and medicine, crying again upon waking this morning, and crying on the way to the hospital, he had been crying for hours. Yet, the tears kept coming.
The weight measured in the clinic had been a truly shocking figure. Forty percent of the weight he had struggled to lose through this spring and summer had been gained back in just two days.
There was no answer but suicide. He was a human being not worth living. He should never have existed from the start. He couldn’t answer for himself what he had done since birth, what he had lived for, or what he had endured for.
A short while later, Jong-bae emerged from the phone store carrying a paper bag. After getting in the car, he drove toward Won-hyeop’s house without saying much.
Until they arrived home, Ji-su continued [unauthorized copy]to sob, constantly wiping his raw eyes. Even after [unauthorized copy]arriving, he entered the house [stolen content]with Jong-bae while still crying.
“Take it. Hyung-nim told me to buy you a new one.”
As they entered the house, Cookie came to greet them at the entrance. However, instead of wagging his tail happily, he just stared up at them silently.
Ji-su didn’t take the new phone from Jong-bae and asked tearfully.
“The Housekeeper… her phone number, hic, ugh, please tell me…….”
“Why?”
“Sob, I want to contact her…….”
Thinking that Won-hyeop would never allow it, Jong-bae spoke firmly.
“No.”
Jong-bae placed the paper bag containing the new phone on the living room table. Having carefully chosen the color for Won-hyeop’s sake, and having heard that people in their twenties these days are very extravagant, Jong-bae believed that Ji-su would secretly like the new phone.
Ji-su didn’t ask for the Housekeeper’s number again and went into his room, sobbing.
Seeing Cookie follow him in, Jong-bae quickly called the dog.
“Cookie!”
He brought Cookie’s treats from the kitchen. At the rustling sound, Cookie approached with a wagging tail.
“Sit.”
Wanting to see some tricks, he gave the command, and Cookie sat his bottom on the floor.
“Paw.”
Cookie lifted his right paw, so Jong-bae said, “Other paw,” and pointed to the left. Cookie obediently gave his left paw, and Jong-bae proceeded to command ‘down’, ‘speak’, and ‘bang’ in order. Only after Cookie followed all the instructions did he give him the treat.
As soon as Cookie finished the treat, he turned around and dashed into Ji-su’s room. There was no time to stop him.
“Damn it.”
Muttering to himself, he sat on the sofa just as the CCTV technician called. He lowered his voice so Ji-su wouldn’t hear and told him to come now. After hanging up, he racked his brain. Then, he came up with a good plan.
About ten minutes later, when the technician arrived, Jong-bae led him to the kitchen.
“Install one here first.”
While the technician installed the CCTV on the kitchen ceiling, Jong-bae kept an eye on Ji-su’s room. Once finished, he led the technician to the living room.
“Now install one over there.”
After the living room ceiling was done in the same manner, he led him to the bathroom. There were three bathrooms in the house, and the one Jong-bae pointed to was the second one. It was the bathroom Ji-su had been using exclusively since moving in. Jong-bae intentionally used a different hallway to avoid passing in front of Ji-su’s room.
“You can install it right there.”
“Do you mean on top of the shelf?”
“Yes.”
While the technician stood on a ladder to install the camera, Jong-bae headed to Ji-su’s room. Ji-su was sitting on the bed with his face buried in his arms. Cookie was sitting beside him, almost like a human.
“Hey, go out to the yard and throw a ball for Cookie. Hyung-nim said Cookie missed his morning walk. He needs to get some exercise.”
Without a word, Ji-su stood up sluggishly, leaned on his crutches, and left the room. As Jong-bae watched, glistening tear stains were left on the floor everywhere he passed.
Ji-su knew someone was visiting the house and heard him talking to Jong-bae, but unaware that it was a CCTV technician, he went out to the yard with Cookie. Once Jong-bae confirmed that Ji-su was throwing the ball for Cookie, he headed to the bathroom. While standing in the hallway monitoring the yard, the installation was quickly completed. Finally, he led the technician to the guest room where Ji-su was staying.
“Install it in that spot.”
While the technician worked, Jong-bae went back to the living room. In the yard, Ji-su was crying while throwing the ball to Cookie. The sound of sorrowful sobbing filled the sunny yard.
Soon, the technician called from the room.
“Sir, it’s all finished.”
Jong-bae headed to the room. After confirming the camera was in the desired spot, he stood by the bed and looked around the room from Ji-su’s perspective.
“The real-time monitoring method is as I explained yesterday….”
The technician explained how to use the CCTV, and Jong-bae checked the app installed on his phone to ensure all four cameras were working.
“That’ll do. Thank you for your hard work.”
It was a bit awkward that the technician’s vest had the company name on it, but Ji-su didn’t pay close attention as the technician passed through the yard and left through the main gate.
Standing in the middle of the living room, Jong-bae checked the CCTV for the living room and kitchen, then sent a message to Jang-ho. Since it was the time Won-hyeop would be having lunch, he reported to Jang-ho instead of Won-hyeop.
Jang-ho Hyung
CCTV installation is complete. The monitoring method is the same as the villa’s CCTV.
12:11 PM
✿✿✿
A crowd of middle-aged men in suits poured out of a high-end traditional Korean restaurant. Having dined in stolen contenta private room reserved [unauthorized copy]only for VIP guests, they often had lunch together like this. At a glance, they looked like ordinary middle-aged men, but every single one of them was a wealthy [visit our site]Chairman. Though most were short and plump, their clothes, watches, and shoes were shockingly expensive.
Won-hyeop, who was relatively young for a corporate head, had the best physique among the Chairmen. He was nearly a head taller than the others, had a thick head of hair, and didn’t wear glasses. Because of this, he looked more like a sturdy secretary who had escorted the elderly Chairmen to the restaurant rather than a Chairman himself.
Drivers stepped out of the cars parked in the restaurant lot and opened the rear doors for their respective passengers. It was a scene that would make any passerby steal a glance.
“I wonder if the factories are running properly in this weather. Chairman Lee, is the Bucheon plant alright?”
“I’m worried about the outdoor workers. I think we’ll have to extend the lunch break starting next week.”
While the Chairmen chatted without getting into their cars, Won-hyeop walked down the stairs leading to the parking lot. He gave a lukewarm greeting.
“I’ll see you at the next meeting.”
Chairman Han, who was about to continue the small talk, bowed his head toward Won-hyeop.
“Get home safely.”
The other Chairmen followed suit, and Won-hyeop gave a slight nod in return. As soon as he climbed into his waiting car, he pulled out his phone as if he had been waiting for the moment.
He had just received a message from Jang-ho a few minutes ago. Upon accessing the CCTV monitoring app and entering his ID and password, a list of cameras appeared. He didn’t know if it was Jang-ho or Jong-bae, but someone had already set them up so that instead of camera numbers, they were labeled as [Kitchen], [Bathroom], and so on.
When he clicked the living room camera, Jong-bae appeared, sitting on the sofa watching TV. Not being the least bit curious about what Jong-bae was doing at this hour, he checked the camera installed in Ji-su’s room.
Ji-su was lying face down on the bed. Cookie was also lying next to Ji-su in a similar posture. It was the first time he had seen Cookie on Ji-su’s bed, but he didn’t pay [unauthorized copy]much attention to that and simply watched Ji-su. He turned up the volume, but no sound could be heard.
“Is he sleeping?”
Ji-su didn’t move a muscle, which made for boring viewing, but Won-hyeop smiled.
Upon arriving at the company and taking the elevator to the top floor, Won-hyeop headed toward his office in a joyful mood. The employees stationed along the hallway for various tasks stood up in unison. Since they didn’t dare speak casually to the Chairman, asking things like ‘Did you have a good meal?’, they only gave slight bows. They were required to stand whenever Won-hyeop returned from an outing, not to mention during their arrival and departure. Glancing at Won-hyeop while sitting and doing their work was not permitted.
There was one more secretary besides Jang-ho, who worked at a desk right in front of Won-hyeop’s office alongside Jang-ho. Both stood up simultaneously. Jang-ho did not sit back down but followed Won-hyeop into the office, speaking as he walked.
“Student Yeom Ji-su went to the hospital this morning, but he said he didn’t receive physical therapy. Also, he is said to be able to eat starting today.”
He hadn’t pre-decided how to refer to Ji-su. He simply called him Student Yeom Ji-su naturally.
“Jong-bae says he’s been crying since this morning.”
“Really?”
Intrigued by the news, Won-hyeop closed the app and called Ji-su. At the same time, he gestured with his chin toward the computer.
“Turn on the CCTV feed.”
He leaned his chair back and put the phone to his ear; the ringing tone sounded. As he tapped the armrest of the chair with his fingertips, Ji-su answered.
[……Hello.]
There was a hint of crying in his voice.
Unable to hide his smile, Won-hyeop asked,
“Why are you sobbing?”
Jang-ho brought up the CCTV feed on the computer monitor.
“Are you still sulking after last night?”
[…….]
“Are you a crybaby?”
On the CCTV screen, Ji-su rubbed his eyes with his forearm. He seemed to be wiping away tears.
[……I’m not sulking.]
Won-hyeop thought Ji-su was lying. It wasn’t as if he had slapped him, so it was funny that he was still brooding. Since he was still young, it wouldn’t be strange for him to get upset over nothing. He didn’t find it hateful. Since he had already scolded him yesterday for lying, he had no intention of dwelling on it further.
“If you haven’t had your cast removed yet, do it quickly and take Cookie for a walk around 4 or 5 o’clock.”
[……Yes.]
As Won-hyeop continued to watch the monitor, Ji-su wiped his eyes once more.
“And from tomorrow, wake up early in the morning and greet me when I leave for work.”
It was an unreasonable demand, but Ji-su obediently answered that he would. Liking the sound of the lifeless voice, Won-hyeop didn’t hang up and made him say a few more things. Ji-su, who didn’t dream that he was being watched, continued the call while removing the cast from his leg.
“By the way, did that psychopath living on the first floor call you about the villa fire compensation?”
As he continued the call while watching the screen, Cookie licked Ji-su’s face. It seemed the two had become quite close without him knowing, but he didn’t find it particularly heartwarming. He wasn’t curious about how much Cookie followed Ji-su or how much Ji-su liked Cookie. He only thought that Cookie had it easy. While he was busy with work, the dog was leisurely sucking on Ji-su’s cheek.
He wondered if he should forbid the use of the air conditioner in the room. If it became hot enough to roast, Ji-su would take off his clothes. He continued the idle conversation while enjoying the view through the CCTV before ending the call.
“I’ll be late today. I have an appointment tonight.”
[…Yes.]
“And you’re not even going to ask if I’ve had lunch?”
Won-hyeop, who had been waiting for Ji-su to ask with some aegyo, clicked his tongue.
Ji-su asked reluctantly.
[…Did you have lunch?]
Though it was interest extracted by force, Won-hyeop answered with satisfaction.
“I did.”
He waited for Ji-su to ask what he had eaten, but there was silence. Won-hyeop clicked his tongue again as if frustrated.
“Just hang up and take Cookie for a walk quickly. Since you didn’t take him this morning, he’ll probably go crazy just hearing the word ‘walk’.”
[……Yes.]
After hanging up, he watched via CCTV as Ji-su removed the cast from his shin and left the room. He headed for the bathroom. When he switched to the bathroom camera, Ji-su gestured for Cookie, who had followed him to the door, to go away and closed the door. Then, he stood in front of the toilet and lowered his pants. Jang-ho looked away and stepped back from the monitor, but Won-hyeop tilted his head to look closer.
The image quality was so good that the stream of urine was clearly visible. Despite his frail appearance, perhaps because he was young, the stream was strong, bright yellow, and transparent. Due to the angle, the genitals weren’t fully visible, but the tip of the glans was clearly seen. He could see Ji-su holding his penis to aim.
Perhaps his bladder had been full, as Ji-su urinated a large amount for a long time. Instead of a weak trickle, it poured out relentlessly with a hissing sound. He thought the reason for the strong stream was not only his youth but also likely a narrow urethra. Because the path was narrow, it must be pouring out like a hose with the water turned on full blast.
If the urethra was narrow, the hole must be narrow too. There wouldn’t be enough room for a cock to enter, so he would have to dig and widen the inside with his fingers before thrusting.
Suddenly, his groin felt tight, and he began to rub his penis over his suit pants. As Ji-su finished urinating, cleaned up, and disappeared from the bathroom, he asked Jang-ho.
“It’s possible to replay the footage, right?”
Jang-ho explained while replaying the recent recording.
“All footage is saved in its original form. You can replay it whenever you wish.”
“Great.”
As the footage of Ji-su entering the bathroom appeared again, Won-hyeop undid the button of his suit pants and lowered the zipper. Jang-ho, unfazed, bowed his head and left the office, closing the door behind him.
Won-hyeop pulled his massive, beaded penis out of his zipper. As he stared intently at the screen and stroked himself, he began to harden from the root, growing in size. The head was large, and its circumference was by no means smaller than a sunflower-shaped ring. Rather, the curvature of the glans looked even more imposing.
“The cameras were installed in perfect spots.”
Thinking he should praise Jong-bae, Won-hyeop stroked himself faster. As he imagined thrusting into Ji-su until he pissed himself, his penis quickly became fully erect.
✿✿✿
Holding Cookie’s leash, Ji-su walked listlessly. His eyelids were swollen from crying too much.
His right shin, where the cast had been removed a few hours ago, kept tingling. Walking beside him with a muzzle on, Cookie looked up at Ji-su every ten steps. He even looked down at Ji-su’s foot, as if noticing the discomfort in his shin.
Since it was an unfamiliar neighborhood, Ji-su didn’t go far and only circled the residential area. Because it was a wealthy neighborhood, none of the things he would usually see around his villa were visible. There were no recycling centers overflowing with trash bags and swarming with flies, no elderly people pushing carts, and no men standing in the alleys cursing into their phones. He had already made two laps, yet he hadn’t seen a single middle-aged man walking while smoking. There weren’t even flyers or cigarette butts scattered on the ground.
“……Cookie, let’s go back now.”
Having eaten lunch under Jong-bae’s supervision before the walk, Ji-su hadn’t wanted to visit our siteleave the house, but he forced himself out because he couldn’t break his promise to Won-hyeop. Until a few hours ago, [unauthorized copy]he had been in such agony that he [visit our site]couldn’t endure it without crying, but now his heart had sunk into a gloomy depths. He had reached a state where nothing could shake him.
The nitrogen he ordered online was scheduled for delivery tomorrow. He hadn’t been to the villa once since the fire, but he wasn’t curious about how the inside of the house looked.
Until yesterday morning, he had been distressed by the clothes Won-hyeop bought him and worried about how to compensate for part of the diffuser cost, but now he had set aside all such judgments. Instead, he imagined himself being moved to a hospital morgue. Since he had stayed at Won-hyeop’s house until today, Won-hyeop would be contacted if he died.
He didn’t think Won-hyeop would hold a funeral for him. He would become one of those unclaimed deaths often seen in the news.
Lost in painful thoughts, he trudged along, and a man walking toward him gave him a strange look. It was a gaze he had encountered numerous times at the hospital this morning. It wasn’t just the hospital. Because of his emaciated body, blatant stares followed him wherever he went.
He intentionally walked while looking at the ground until he arrived in front of Won-hyeop’s house. Feeling sorry for Cookie, he petted his head and apologized.
“……I’m sorry for making the walk so short.”
When he entered the house, Jong-bae was sitting on the sofa watching TV. After wiping Cookie’s paws and removing the muzzle and leash, Ji-su went into his room. Cookie followed him in and leaped onto the bed to settle down.
Having never attempted suicide using nitrogen before, he searched for the method online. The fear of failure was greater than the fear of death. He hoped there would be no variables. He wanted to succeed in one go.
About two hours later, Jong-bae called him, and when he went to the living room, dinner was set on the table. He thought he had heard the doorbell earlier; Jong-bae was unpacking jajangmyeon and tangsuyuk. It seemed they had just been delivered.
Having no energy left to despair, he sat quietly at the table. Jong-bae sat opposite him and gave a short warning.
“Eat properly, okay? I report everything to Hyung.”
Then, as if starving, he ate the jajangmyeon with gusto. Eating the oil-glistening noodles with loud slurps, Jong-bae seemed not to have a single worry about his weight. He dipped the unauthorized copytangsuyuk deep into the sauce and drank the jjamppong soup from the small container without hesitation.
Even though Ji-su knew that Jong-bae was the normal one and he was the abnormal one, he watched the scene as if it were grotesque. For him, eating food without any worry like Jong-bae was impossible. To recall a memory of eating with a purely joyful heart, he had to go back to when he was very young.
Until he was seven, he had been able to eat food without any problems, just like everyone else. He didn’t weigh himself every day, and he didn’t even know that things called appetite suppressants existed.
“This one keeps eyeing the tangsuyuk. You, eat this.”
Jong-bae threw a treat to Cookie, who was watching the tangsuyuk with pitiful eyes. Cookie took the treat in his mouth, went to the sofa, and chewed it enthusiastically. He was just like Jong-bae. He couldn’t do what even a speechless dog could. He knew it was a sickness.
If he were to be reborn in the next life, he would live normally like ordinary people.
He wanted to eat snacks when he was hungry, cook ramen as a late-night snack, eat out at famous restaurants, eat cake on his birthday without hesitation, and soothe his heart with a can of beer on a bad day. He didn’t want to dream of piling up food like a mountain and eating it ravenously.
His eyes grew hot, but he ate his meal without crying. After barely finishing the meal, he took his medicine in front of Jong-bae. Then, he gathered his clothes and headed to the bathroom to shower. Not wanting to see his fat body, he took off his clothes with his back to the mirror and removed the cast from his arm.
He stepped into the shower booth and washed his hair first. Again, he intentionally avoided looking at his body. A shower robe was prepared in the bathroom, but after finishing his shower, he put on his pajamas. He didn’t put the cast back on.
When he opened the bathroom door, Cookie was sitting in front of it.
“…Were you waiting?”
After petting Cookie’s chin, Ji-su went to the living room while drying his wet hair.
Jong-bae cleared the table and turned off the TV. Then, he drained the remaining cola. Ji-su recalled stolen contentthat the last visit our sitetime [visit our site]he had drunk cola was in the first year of middle school. That was also the last time he had consumed a carbonated drink.
“…Are you leaving?”
Jong-bae headed for the entrance without answering.
As Ji-su followed him out, Jong-bae said while putting on his shoes.
“Take out your new phone and look at it. If Hyung comes home from work tonight and you’re just lying there, do you think he’ll be happy?”
Having said something that actually made sense, Jong-bae left the house without a greeting.
Once the door closed, Ji-su returned to his room and lay on the bed with Cookie. As if asking to be petted, Cookie placed a paw on his shoulder, so Ji-su petted his head. Although the time they spent together was short, he wondered if Cookie would remember him. As he moved from the head to scratch the chin, a message arrived from Won-hyeop.
Chairman Jo Won-hyeop
What are you doing?
6:51 PM
He wasn’t in the mood to answer, but because he was afraid of Won-hyeop, he replied that he was lying on the bed. As he took his hand off to send the message, Cookie placed a paw on his shoulder again. As he petted him again, another message arrived from Won-hyeop.
Chairman Jo Won-hyeop
Is that it after you answer? You should ask what I’m doing too.
6:51 PM
The screen lagged, so he couldn’t reply immediately. Ji-su’s shoulder, where the cast had been removed, tingled, but he continued to pet Cookie while tapping the phone screen with one hand.
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