DS 146

The man’s car turned the corner smoothly. It glided to a stop in front of the cooking class. He stepped out of the driver’s seat first, and Eun-myeong followed behind him.

Standing in front of the cooking class, he meticulously readjusted Eun-myeong’s scarf. As the scarf was wrapped tightly, causing his cheeks to peek out, the man spoke.

“You little lump of fat.”

He pinched and shook Eun-myeong’s cheek. Suddenly feeling a gaze from behind, Eun-myeong looked back to see a group of middle-aged women staring at him, whispering, “Oh my, oh my.” They were all craning their necks with curiosity.

“Hello.”

The man gave a slight nod, the corners of his mouth curling upward. The women quickly approached and lightly nudged the Boss’s arm.

“Oh my, I saw you on TV! You look even more like a celebrity in person.”

“I’m trying my best not to disappoint you.”

Like the businessman he was, he adjusted the button of his jacket, a professional service smile plastered across his face.

“I wondered if it was really you, and [unauthorized copy]Read BL Novels" [stolen content]style="display:none;" aria-label="Read on Read BL Novels">Read on Read BL Novelsit is! My goodness. But, what is your relationship with the friend taking the class with us?”

“I am Eun-myeong’s husband. We haven’t been married long, so there are many things Eun-myeong doesn’t know yet. Please teach him well.”

Inside, Eun-myeong was practically screaming in shock. He had always been good at pretending to be gentle and sweet with his tone, but Eun-myeong had never seen him this polite. He looked truly nice, dignified, and wonderful.

“What, husband…?”

Eun-myeong could feel the women whispering among themselves. The man promised to treat them to a lavish meal sometime, gave Eun-myeong a quick peck on the cheek, and then drove away with a loud vroom.

Only then did the women unleash the flood of questions they had been holding back. They surrounded Eun-myeong, circling him in the center.

“Wait, you’re a newlywed? I thought you were a student.”

“Yes…”

“I haven’t heard any news about CEO Kangsung getting married.”

“That’s because we haven’t had the wedding yet…”

He softly added that they planned to have it in May. A chorus of “Oh my, oh my!” erupted in excitement.

The interest didn’t stop there; it continued even after the class ended. Saying that meeting like this was fate, stolen contentstyle="font-size:0;color:transparent;display:inline;">visit our sitethey all gathered in the lounge to drink coffee.

Everyone started bringing out the snacks they had packed—sticky rice cakes, scorched rice, apples, and even pears. There were many delicious things. They shared them generously with Eun-myeong.

“Goodness, the honeymoon phase is the best time, truly the best. I could see honey dripping from the way the new groom looked at you; he looked like he’d carry you on his back and pamper you forever.”

As Eun-myeong hunched his shoulders in embarrassment, another woman joined the conversation.

“My husband used to chase me relentlessly when I was a maiden. Now he’s just an old geezer who does nothing but complain about his meals, just an old geezer, tsk…”

She went on to add that after raising children and growing old, he now looked at her with “pollock eyes”—lifeless and vacant—and that seeing how he’s only interested in fishing makes her want to smack the back of his head with her fist.

“Well, do you expect him to keep burning with passion like a newlywed?”

“What’s wrong with living like that!”

The other women playfully snapped back while waving their pieces of scorched rice.

“Marriage is basically just living on faith and for the children, anyway.”

The woman who said this leaned her upper body toward Eun-myeong. Her eyes were sparkling intensely.

“So, how many babies are you planning to have?”

Because the topic was too embarrassing, Eun-myeong stammered and dodged the question, saying he wasn’t sure.

“Have as many as possible. Without children, the bond between a couple isn’t that strong.”

“Yes, yes…”

Eun-myeong nodded. Come to think of it, the Boss had once mentioned having fifteen children, but that seemed impossible. Wasn’t that too many? About three would be really cute…

“By the way, how is your skin so fine, like a pearl?”

This time, they commented on how Eun-myeong’s face was glowing and asked what rich people apply before they go to sleep.

“I, just use the lotion I have at home…”

“I guess skin really has to be innate.”

As one woman stroked her own skin, the person next to her recommended something very good.

“Oh, I’ve been using K2 nutrition cream lately.”

Saying she would give him a sample, visit our siteshe began rummaging visit [unauthorized copy]our sitethrough her enormous bag as if she were grinding a millstone.

“Oh, here it is, here!”

She tapped Eun-myeong’s cheek with her finger, saying that if he used this once, his skin would have a glossy sheen like a grain of rice, just like Eun-myeong’s. Then, one by one, the others came over, scooped out some cream with their fingers, and spread it on the backs of their hands.

“Then, is there a cream that removes freckles?”

Eun-myeong, who had been quietly listening to the flowing conversation, tentatively asked.

“Oh, do you want a sample too, darling? I have something good for blemishes and freckles.”

Eun-myeong nodded shyly. He then tightly gripped the golden lotion tube placed in his hand.

“Thank you…”

The conversation continued to ripen for a long time. The women shared everything, from the fact that there were now thick rubber gloves that provided warmth to which brand of rice was the most delicious.

Eun-myeong nodded like a student, engraving all their stories into his mind.

After spending time with his seniors from the cooking class, he returned home. The lotion tube was still gripped in his hand.

He went straight into the bathroom, washed his face clean, and tried [unauthorized stolen contentstyle="position:absolute;left:-9999px;font-size:0;">[stolen content]copy]applying the lotion the woman had given him. It smelled strongly of roses.

Applying it once probably wouldn’t have a huge effect, but did something change? While he was staring into the mirror, the house phone rang in the empty house.

Eun-myeong hurried to the nightstand and picked up the phone. He wondered if it was the Boss.

“Hello?”

—This is General Manager Park Woong. Is the Boss at home right now?

It was none other than Mister Bear. He used to speak informally to him, but since the man and Eun-myeong started living together, his way of speaking had changed strangely.

“The Boss? No…”

Eun-myeong tilted his head while holding the phone. Mister Bear usually knows the Boss’s entire schedule, so why doesn’t he know?

—Hmm, please let me know when the Boss arrives home. I’ll hang up now.

“Yes…”

That’s strange. Eun-myeong picked up the desk calendar next to him. He sat down calmly and looked at the date.

Ah, come to think of it, today was Friday. The Boss always came home late on Friday nights. He didn’t know where he stopped by, [stolen content]stolen contentan>but he simply thought he was late due to business.

I wonder what it is?

A question remained in his mind.

As expected, the Boss came home late that day. It was past 11 o’clock. When Eun-myeong told him that Mister Bear had called, he dialed the number with an indifferent expression. Then, after enjoying a leisurely bath, he went to bed with Eun-myeong.

“…….”

Tick, tack, the sound of the second hand flowing could be heard. For some reason, Eun-myeong couldn’t sleep and spent the night wide awake.

Then, the arm that had been wrapped around his waist like a rope slowly loosened. The creak of the mattress pierced the silence. Soon after, the sound of the bedroom door closing followed.

The man who had been with him had left the master bedroom.

Eun-myeong sat up in the silence. He reached out and turned on the small lamp on the nightstand. He thought the man might have gone to smoke, but the cigarette pack was still lying there. Along with the tiger lighter he had given him.

…Can he not sleep?

If he was working in the study, Eun-myeong wanted to make him some coffee. Rubbing his heavy eyes, Eun-myeong got out of bed. However, he heard a humming sound, and it seemed the man was on a call.

Following the sound of the voice, he found the Boss on the terrace. He was on the phone again.

As Eun-myeong watched silently, the atmosphere looked truly strange. How should he put it—it felt as if, amidst the pervasive spring air, the man alone was experiencing a lonely autumn.

“Do I look like such a ‘nice man’ in your eyes? Then you’ve mistaken me.”

He let out a hollow, desolate, and self-mocking laugh. A rough and savage aura flowed from him.

“I didn’t mean that…”

The conversation flowed in a way that was completely unpredictable. Without realizing it, Eun-myeong stepped backward. It was then. In the silence, the sound of slippers dragging backward—shhhhh—echoed.

The man flinched and whipped his head around. Their eyes locked instantly. The man looked as if he had seen a goblin.

“Let’s hang up now.”

He pressed the end button on his cell phone and tossed it onto the table.

“Boss.”

Eun-myeong approached him and hugged him.

Even if it was spring, the temperature dropped [Read on Read BL Novels][unauthorized copy]style="position:absolute;left:-9999px;font-size:0;">[stolen content]at night, so he didn’t ask why he was out here in the cold.

He also didn’t ask who that person was or why he was on the phone at such a late hour.

Instead, Eun-myeong intentionally brought up something else.

“You know, at the cooking class, they said the marinated crab I made is very delicious. I think it would be good to get a Korean food certification… and maybe attend a lifelong education center.”

He wanted to be praised. It would be nice if the man told him he was a wonderful person. However, the man just stared at Eun-myeong. His eyes were truly unfathomable in their depth.

Why is he staring at me like that… Eun-myeong suddenly felt shy. He regretted coming out immediately after lying down. He wondered why the freckle-removing cream had no effect. The man kept becoming more wonderful, but he didn’t know why he remained the same.

“Why are you staring at me like that?”

“Because you’re lovely.”

He said he was lovely. He had heard that when affection cools, eyes become like pollock eyes, but in his pupils buried in the darkness, a complete madness was flickering.

Eun-myeong felt greatly relieved by that.

“You too, Boss, you’re lovely too…”

He hugged the man’s neck closer. The man wrapped his arms tightly around Eun-myeong’s waist. Thump, thump, Eun-myeong’s chest raced. You idiot, what on earth are you stolen contentworried about? [visit our siteunauthorized copystyle="font-size:0;position:absolute;left:-9999px;">]There’s no way a person like this would cheat on me.