CNC 155

Lee Hae-sung connected the call as he walked slowly. It seemed like perfunctory greetings were exchanged, and then the details of the examination followed.

“Yes, I do have a cat.”

At the mention of a cat, Choi Hong-seo’s eyes widened. Lee Hae-sung, too, seemed surprised by the unexpected diagnostic direction, his voice tinged with bewilderment.

“No, I didn’t find any such symptoms… I’ll examine it again.”

Stopping his steps and meeting Choi Hong-seo’s gaze, Lee Hae-sung continued the call. Then, he briefly pulled the phone away from his ear and asked with a worried look.

“Are you really not itchy?”

Choi Hong-seo unconsciously reached up and touched the back of his neck, nodding his head.

“He says it doesn’t itch.”

For a while, listening to the doctor’s opinion, Lee Hae-sung alternately touched the outer edge of Choi Hong-seo’s ear. It probably looked red and cold.

“Can a person contract it without the cat showing symptoms?”

Judging by Lee Hae-sung’s expression as he listened to the doctor’s answer, he hadn’t received a very satisfactory opinion.

“I understand. We’ll do that. Thank you for your hard work on the holiday. I’ll make an appointment through Manager Kang and visit in person. Goodbye.”

After ending the call, Lee Hae-sung put his arm around Choi Hong-seo’s shoulder.

“We must have been outside too long. You look cold. Let’s go inside quickly.”

Even if his face, exposed to the wind, might have been a little frozen, Lee Hae-sung had bundled him up so thoroughly with his jacket, scarf, and gloves that his body didn’t feel the cold. Still, Choi Hong-seo quickened his pace, following where he led.

Even though he hadn’t thought he was cold, as the warmth of the indoors reached him, his frozen skin began to melt, and his chest, which had been tense, relaxed. Lee Hae-sung first took off his jacket and handed it to Manager Kang, then helped Choi Hong-seo take off his.

“From the picture, it looks like a skin disease transmitted from a cat.”

“A cat’s skin disease? I didn’t see any such symptoms when I brushed him today…”

Even for simple tasks he could do perfectly well on his own, Lee Hae-sung insisted on helping him put on and take off his clothes, and even feeding him. It was as if Choi Hong-seo were a baby. If it was his pleasure, he didn’t want to refuse him sternly. It was embarrassing, not only when Manager Kang or others were present, but even when they were alone. However, it wasn’t embarrassing enough to have to steal his joy.

“Even if the cat doesn’t show symptoms, it can be a carrier. People with weak immune systems… can be infected.”

As if it were his fault if Choi Hong-seo’s weakened immune system had contracted the skin disease from Tiffany, Lee Hae-sung wore a guilty expression. Handing Tiffany’s jacket to Manager Kang, he took another close look at Choi Hong-seo’s affected area.

“Judging by the symptoms, it’s definitely a cat skin disease called ringworm, but if the symptoms are this pronounced, it must be itchy… That’s rather strange, so it would be best to come in for an examination.”

First, the two of them cornered Tiffany in the kitchen downstairs.

Lee Hae-sung said he would handle it alone in case it was transmitted from Tiffany, but Choi Hong-seo followed, saying it didn’t matter if it was, as he might have already caught it.

Sitting on the kitchen floor where no one else was, the two of them joined forces to meticulously examine the cat all over. However, they found no symptoms that looked like a skin disease. Its fur was smooth and shiny, looking healthier than ever.

The cat, annoyed by their fussing even though they weren’t brushing it, became very displeased. Sitting in the corridor between the built-in kitchen cabinets and the island counter, Choi Hong-seo appeased it with its favorite homemade churu.

Leaning against the counter, Lee Hae-sung and I sat side-by-side, slowly stroking Tiffany’s back. While it was frantically eating the churu, I could pet it to my heart’s content.

“It could be a carrier even if it’s not showing symptoms. There are animal hospitals open on weekends, so if you’re very worried, shall we go now?”

“We can?”

Choi Hong-seo looked down worriedly at Tiffany, who was diligently licking the end of the churu, while Lee Hae-sung, leaning his head against the counter, gazed at Choi Hong-seo. Then he reached out and stroked the back of Choi Hong-seo’s head. His touch was even more careful than Choi Hong-seo’s hand stroking Tiffany’s back.

“What’s stopping us? There’s an ointment you can buy at the pharmacy. While we’re out, let’s buy an ointment for Hong-seo to use too.”

Choi Hong-seo nodded in response.

As the contents were almost gone, Tiffany placed her front paws on Choi Hong-seo’s hand holding the churu, trying not to miss a single drop. For its sake, he squeezed out more churu forcefully from further back.

Watching the scene, Lee Hae-sung lightly pulled Choi Hong-seo’s head with the hand resting on the back of his head. Touching foreheads, he asked in a clear ‘lover’s voice’.

“Were you disappointed I wouldn’t let you go?”

“No. It’s not that I was disappointed…”

“Then, are you sulking?”

This time, he gently tapped Choi Hong-seo’s lower lip with his index finger, and he chuckled softly. It was a laugh like a ticklish whisper.

“I’m not like that. I don’t sulk.”

Seeing that he was clearly offended by the word ‘sulking’, he pressed his lips to his temple and laughed a little more.

“Then, you’re dejected?”

“……”

“Hong-seo-ya, I will definitely find the right way. Can you trust me and wait?”

Feeling the rough yet warm lips against his, Choi Hong-seo nodded. Then, he wrapped his arm, which had been stroking Tiffany’s back, around his lower back.

Tiffany, having confirmed several times that there was no churu left, looked up alternately at the two people sitting side-by-side with their arms around each other. Then, just like before their walk, she rubbed her body against Choi Hong-seo’s side and thighs, purring.

Normally, she would have left immediately after finishing her churu, but today she was unusually affectionate. Listening to Lee Hae-sung, her meows and body language seemed to be trying to comfort and reassure him. Did she sense his anxiety too?

Even though she acted aloof, he knew she was opening up to him in her own way and at her own pace. Tiffany had comforted him that night when the call came from the ‘Carrot Seller’.

He gently stroked the back of the cat rubbing against his thigh. The vibration from her small body purring seemed to bring him peace.

“I’m sorry for being upset that you’re so fond of Manager Kang.”

Choi Hong-seo apologized in a soft voice, but Lee Hae-sung stroked the cat’s small head somewhat roughly and said in a stern voice.

“If it’s revealed that our Baby’s rash is because of you, you’re in big trouble, you hear?”

Even as he spoke like that, his touch and expression as he petted the cat were full of affection.

He suddenly found it amusing that the three of them were gathered in this small space, given the vastness of the mansion, and let out a soft chuckle. Amidst precarious anxiety, these were moments of warm happiness, lit up and shining.

They traveled together to the animal hospital booked by phone, but only Lee Hae-sung took Tiffany to the vet. Unlike his escorts or employees, the people they would encounter at the animal hospital would undoubtedly show curiosity towards ARA Lee Hae-sung and Yoon Hye-an arriving with a cat. While that alone wouldn’t cause a major problem, there was no need to create unnecessary trouble.

Waiting for Lee Hae-sung and Tiffany to return, Choi Hong-seo remained in the car with his escort. Lee Hae-sung never wanted to leave Choi Hong-seo alone outside, so it would be good for him to get used to this lifestyle quickly. Perhaps soon, even within the mansion, Lee Hae-sung might instruct someone to always be with him before he returned home.

Left alone, dark anxieties flooded in. To push away his thoughts, Choi Hong-seo took out his phone. It was a holiday, and he had been with Lee Hae-sung all day, so he hadn’t paid much attention to his phone. Several messages from Manager Yong-jae had arrived about three or four hours ago.

Manager Yong-jae: How are you, Hyung? (3:01 PM)

Manager Yong-jae: I haven’t seen you since you got external security, Hyung ㅠㅠ (3:01 PM)

Manager Yong-jae: Dong-ha has been contacting me a lot lately, asking how you’re doing, probably because he’s having a hard time (3:02 PM)

Manager Yong-jae: Let’s all three of us get together again sometime (3:02 PM)

Manager Yong-jae: If you want, Hyung, I can gather the other ‘Titan’ members too (3:02 PM)

Manager Yong-jae: Ah, of course, only if you’re comfortable! (3:03 PM)

Manager Yong-jae: And I really didn’t want to say this (3:28 PM)

Manager Yong-jae: Dong-ha is moving out of that house (3:29 PM)

Manager Yong-jae: Things haven’t been going well for him since he was canceled from that drama lead role (3:30 PM)

Manager Yong-jae: Anyway, Dong-ha might not say it, but he seemed to rely on you quite a bit after you woke up. Please contact Dong-ha when you have time (3:31 PM)

After skimming through the messages, Choi Hong-seo looked up and out the car window. Through the floor-to-ceiling glass, the brightly lit interior of the animal hospital was clearly visible. Lee Hae-sung, holding Tiffany, was just coming out of the examination room. Three or four medical staff and a doctor surrounded Lee Hae-sung, following him closely.

Even at a glance, Tiffany was being treated with extreme care by everyone. Of course, it was because she was ‘Tiffany brought by Lee Hae-sung’, but the cat’s triumphant expression, held in his arms with an air of being accustomed to such treatment, made him smile.

While the checkout was being processed, Lee Hae-sung secretly waved Tiffany’s front paw towards them. Although the tint was dark, so others couldn’t see, it was clearly a signal to Choi Hong-seo, who remained in the car.

Resting his elbow on the car window and biting the corner of his lip, Choi Hong-seo let out a dry smile at the signal he sent. And, knowing they wouldn’t see, he waved back.

As his laughter subsided, Choi Hong-seo recalled Park Dong-ha’s resentful gaze as he watched him in front of Director Kang Woo-hyun’s residence. The reason he contacted Yong-jae to ask about ‘Yoon Hye-an’ was probably not because he relied on Yoon Hye-an, as Yong-jae had predicted.

One more thing.

It seemed certain that Yoon Hye-an had done something wrong to Park Dong-ha.

Anxiety remained, and Lee Hae-sung had firmly stated that he couldn’t seek answers from a shaman. For now, he had no choice but to resolve what he could.

He first needed to know whether what Yoon Hye-an had done to Park Dong-ha was a ‘mistake’ that could be forgiven and undone, or a ‘sin’ that required payment.

Through the floor-to-ceiling glass decorated with cute animal characters, Lee Hae-sung, holding Tiffany, was taking a commemorative photo with the hospital staff. In the bright light, surrounded by people excited to meet ARA Lee Hae-sung, his appearance posing for photos while holding the cat was incredibly endearing.

Choi Hong-seo took out his phone and captured the scene.

He just hoped that days like these would continue.

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