FH 2.3

After that day, Ji-su continued to have sexual relations with Won-hyeop.

He would go to Won-hyeop’s house in the morning, spend the day walking Cookie, and then have sex for a couple of hours once Won-hyeop returned from work in the evening before taking a taxi called by Won-hyeop back home.

Because Won-hyeop ejaculated inside him every time, his underwear was always sticky with Won-hyeop’s semen. It was useless even if he scraped the inside out with his fingers. As the situation continued where he had to change his underwear several times a day, Ji-su began carrying a bag with several pairs of fresh underwear whenever he went out. Feeling powerless in his own circumstances, he responded to Won-hyeop’s demands more mechanically as the days passed. Occasionally he felt orgasms, and there were times he ejaculated before Won-hyeop, but he did not enjoy the sex.

Just as he did not resist the increasing frequency of sex, he obediently wore the clothes Won-hyeop bought for him. Not just clothes, but he also wore the sneakers and the watch. Wrapped in expensive luxury brands from head to toe, he felt as if he had become Won-hyeop’s doll.

Won-hyeop bought him a new motorcycle, but he did not allow him to do the night delivery part-time job. Ji-su followed Won-hyeop’s words submissively without any resentment. He diligently attended psychiatric counseling, and before he knew it, his weight reached 52kg. As he received fewer glancing looks on the street, going out became easier, and as going out became easier, it became possible for him to buy side dish ingredients at the mart in front of his house and cook meals at home.

As the bones throughout his body were gradually covered with flesh and disappeared from view, his underwear no longer felt loose. He still couldn’t look in the mirror comfortably, and fearing high-calorie foods, he planned his diet with only things like tofu, mushrooms, eggs, and cabbage, but his body was healthier than ever before.

On this particular morning, after sending a greeting message to Won-hyeop as soon as he woke up, Ji-su ate breakfast consisting of stir-fried anchovies and braised tofu and headed to Won-hyeop’s house. Having become quite close with the Housekeeper, he exchanged casual morning greetings before taking Cookie out for a morning walk.

The reason he started running as if jogging was due to an unconscious pressure regarding his weight. It wasn’t that he had consciously decided to burn calories; rather, based on an instinctive judgment, he ran without stopping for about ten minutes. As a result, he was drenched in sweat like rain by the time the walk ended. Cookie, who wouldn’t be exhausted by a ten-minute jog, was fine, but Ji-su worried about Cookie and returned home without running any further.

“They say next week will be even hotter. If it’s too hot, it’ll be hard to walk during the day.”

As he explained while wiping Cookie’s paws at the entrance, Cookie tilted his head.

After showering, Ji-su ate the oranges the Housekeeper had sliced. He wanted to spend his idle time meaningfully, but he didn’t know what to do.

Something strange happened around lunchtime. While playing with [stolen content]Cookie by throwing a ball Read on Read BL Novelsin the living room, which was as wide as a playground, Ji-su thought one side of Cookie’s face looked swollen.

“Am I imagining things…?”

He waited a moment, intending to ask the Housekeeper, when a call came in from Won-hyeop. Thinking Won-hyeop might worry, he decided not to mention Cookie for the moment and answered the phone.

“Hello.”

[Come out. I’ll buy you lunch.]

Ji-su examined Cookie’s face again. He didn’t seem to be in pain.

“Right now?”

[Then do you want to come out tomorrow?]

“No… where should I go?”

[Come to the front of your house. Jong-bae will arrive soon.]

“I’ll just take the bus by myself.”

[What bus in this weather?]

“The air conditioning is on in the bus, so it’s cool.”

[Is it on at the bus stop too?]

“…No.”

[Don’t sweat unnecessarily and come in Jong-bae’s car.]

Ji-su didn’t want to have lunch with Won-hyeop, but he couldn’t refuse. He had lost count of how many times he had had sex with Won-hyeop just this week. Separate from the pain, Won-hyeop no longer felt strange or distant. It was thanks to their bodies becoming close.

He wondered how long he would have to maintain this kind of relationship, but it was a fleeting thought. Since last week, Won-hyeop had been diligently paying attention to his diet. Instead of high-calorie foods that would easily put on weight, he chose only healthy and filling foods and had the Housekeeper prepare lunch and dinner. He would occasionally ask in passing about what Ji-su had eaten during the day. Perhaps that was why Ji-su began to mistakenly believe he was receiving attention from Won-hyeop.

It was the same now.

[Did you eat a lot for breakfast?]

“…I ate a moderate amount.”

[What did you eat?]

“Stir-fried anchovies and braised tofu.”

[Only two side dishes? That’s it?]

“Yes… and I had cherry tomatoes for dessert.”

[Those damn cherry tomatoes, fuck, you eat them all the time.]

“….”

[Should I buy pizza and chicken on my way home this evening?]

“No.”

[Oh, I have a place to stop by tonight. I’ll buy them next time.]

“You don’t have to buy them.”

[What do you mean, I don’t have to.]

Won-hyeop’s voice sounded cheerful. Ji-su, who didn’t know how to say things like “You seem to be in a good mood,” suddenly remembered Won-hyeop enjoying drinking urine. It was something he didn’t want to think about again, so since then, he had never mentioned the word ‘urine’ in front of Won-hyeop and kept silent about that day, but he was terrified of Won-hyeop’s bizarre and filthy taste. How could anyone in the world drink urine? And someone else’s, at that. If he told a stranger, they would never believe it.

He shook his head, not wanting to recall it, when Won-hyeop spoke.

[Change your clothes and wait. Hanging up.]

“…Yes.”

It was after changing clothes in his room that Ji-su [stolen content]felt something was wrong with Cookie. When he went out to the living room, unauthorized copyCookie, who was [stolen content]sitting on the sofa, had a noticeably swollen face compared to before. Cookie was rubbing his face with his front paw.

Startled, Ji-su quickly approached and examined Cookie’s face. The Housekeeper, passing by the kitchen, tilted her head and asked.

“Oh my, isn’t Cookie’s face swollen?”

Ji-su answered worriedly.

“I don’t know why it suddenly swelled up. I think we should take him to the hospital.”

The Housekeeper, who came closer to examine Cookie, also quickly took on a serious expression.

Knowing there was a large animal hospital at the intersection in front of the house, Ji-su hurriedly grabbed his phone. The Housekeeper grabbed the car keys and Cookie’s leash.

“I’ll try taking him to the animal hospital.”

“I’ll go too.”

“Would you like that?”

Ji-su put a muzzle on Cookie and led him to the entrance. He was so worried that he repeatedly checked Cookie’s face while calling Won-hyeop.

Won-hyeop answered the phone immediately.

[What?]

“Cookie’s face suddenly swelled up, so I’m taking him to the animal hospital. I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can have lunch.”

[Cookie’s face is swollen, so why can’t you have lunch?]

At Won-hyeop’s absurd reaction, Ji-su explained Cookie’s condition in detail. He was suddenly frightened, wondering if it was a major problem, but Won-hyeop spoke nonchalantly.

[Tell the lady to take him to the hospital.]

His tone was utterly indifferent. Flustered, Ji-su was lost for words. The normal sequence would be to ask how much or in what way Cookie’s face was swollen.

“I’ll go to the hospital too and find out what the problem is.”

If Cookie were a small dog, there would be no worry, but he had to consider all possibilities. Cookie was not a weight that the Housekeeper could easily lift and move around alone.

However, Won-hyeop made a clicking sound with his tongue.

[Come out for lunch.]

“….”

[Don’t worry about Cookie.]

Won-hyeop’s voice sounded Read on Read BL Novelsscary, so Ji-su couldn’t talk back. As he hesitated, Won-hyeop said, stolen content“Hanging [stolen content]up,” and abruptly cut the call.

Looking down at the darkened phone screen, Ji-su felt disheartened. Unable to call Won-hyeop again to say he would follow them to the hospital, he spoke to the Housekeeper.

“I’m sorry… I have a lunch appointment with Won-hyeop-ssi, so I don’t think I can go to the hospital.”

Worried about Cookie, Ji-su looked closely at his face. Cookie smiled, sticking his tongue out as usual.

“I understand. I’ll text you as soon as the examination is over.”

Ji-su watched gloomily as the Housekeeper took Cookie out. Once the door closed, he returned to the living room and sat on the sofa to wait. A short while later, a message arrived from Jong-bae. Holding his phone, he left the house to find Jong-bae’s car parked in front of the gate.

Opening the passenger door, Ji-su greeted Jong-bae.

“Hello.”

Instead of returning the greeting, Jong-bae only gave him a sidelong glance.

The destination was a French restaurant. Ji-su, who had assumed they would eat Korean food, examined the exterior of the building. Having no knowledge of Won-hyeop’s tastes, he had only guessed vaguely.

Before getting out of the car, he cautiously asked Jong-bae.

“…Aren’t you eating with us?”

“I have to go run an errand for Hyung-nim.”

Feeling sorry, Ji-su stepped out of the car with sluggish movements. As he hesitantly entered the restaurant, a staff member checked his name with a smile and guided him to a seat.

The place he was guided to was a separate, spacious area. Won-hyeop had arrived first and was waiting.

“When did you get here?”

Without answering, Won-hyeop sent a pleased smile and scanned Ji-su from top to bottom. As Ji-su sat opposite him, Won-hyeop gestured with his chin toward Ji-su’s pants.

“Out of the clothes I bought you, those pants suit you best.”

Once the staff member closed the door and left, Won-hyeop reached out his hand. Understanding the meaning, Ji-su gave his hand to Won-hyeop.

Won-hyeop fumbled, touching Ji-su’s wrist and forearm. Meanwhile, Ji-su looked down at the pants he was wearing. He hadn’t known that Won-hyeop liked these pants.

“What do you want to eat?”

Won-hyeop opened and presented the menu. Having dined here several times with foreign buyers, Won-hyeop enjoyed Western food as much as Korean food.

“Let’s have the lunch course.”

“…I can’t eat a whole course meal.”

“If you can’t eat it, leave some.”

“It’s a waste to leave food.”

“Then eat it all.”

“…I won’t be able to eat it all.”

“Leave it, then.”

Won-hyeop massaged Ji-su’s hand as if he were scrubbing laundry, and when the staff member entered, he ordered the menu.

Ji-su’s face darkened upon seeing the price of the course meal. Since Won-hyeop was ordering expensive food that was obvious he couldn’t finish, he felt it was a waste of money. One reassuring point was that there were no high-calorie foods tossed in oil and seasoning on the menu.

Although the interior was cool, sweat seeped into his palms because Won-hyeop was massaging his hand. Feeling an urge to wipe his hands, he spoke in a serious voice.

“I’m worried because Cookie’s face suddenly swelled up. I think I should eat lunch quickly and go back.”

“If you go back quickly, will Cookie’s face go down?”

Having noticed Won-hyeop’s indifferent reaction over the phone, Ji-su couldn’t help but ask.

“Aren’t you worried about Cookie, Won-hyeop-ssi?”

Won-hyeop rested his chin on his hand and answered while observing Ji-su’s face.

“You said the lady took him to the hospital.”

“…There could be a big problem.”

“Who cares.”

Ji-su, who thought Won-hyeop cherished Cookie, could not understand his attitude. The last phrase sounded shocking. What do you mean, ‘who cares’?

“More importantly, I calculated your pay for walking Cookie this month. Let’s offset that with the bumper repair cost.”

The pre-meal bread arrived. It came with thinly sliced ham and butter. While it wasn’t that he had completely avoided flour until now, Ji-su felt somewhat tense seeing the bread.

Without hesitation, Won-hyeop picked up a piece of bread and took a bite with butter and ham. Ji-su felt something again that he had felt once before. Won-hyeop had good dining manners. He didn’t drop crumbs everywhere, nor did he scrape the plate noisily with the cutlery. Naturally, he didn’t make smacking sounds. It seemed to be because he was a wealthy Chairman.

“It would be nice to have some pre-meal ‘rice cakes’.”

No sooner had Ji-su felt he was refined than Won-hyeop said something vulgar and smiled slyly.

“Come here and suck it a little.”

Won-hyeop spread his legs wide. As Ji-su looked back at the door in horror, Won-hyeop spoke nonchalantly.

“We just won’t do it when someone comes in.”

Ji-su looked around. Although it was only him and Won-hyeop, the interior was so wide that he lowered his voice.

“I can’t…”

Won-hyeop tapped the chair next to him.

“Come here.”

Ji-su gripped the armrest of the chair he was sitting in. Won-hyeop’s request was so bewildering that he felt tears welling up.

“We can’t do it here…”

As he spoke in a dwindling voice, Won-hyeop brought his ear close.

“What?”

“…We can’t do it here.”

“What are you saying?”

“I said… we can’t do it here…”

Won-hyeop nagged while observing Ji-su’s slender neck.

“Speak louder when you talk. You’re not some damn mosquito.”

Ji-su spoke like a mosquito again.

“…Even when I try to speak loudly, it doesn’t work well.”

“You said that softly too. A man should have a bold side to him. From now on, speak loudly.”

“…I’ll try.”

Won-hyeop patted the seat next to him.

“You don’t have to suck my dick, so just sit here and eat.”

Won-hyeop continued to tap the chair noisily, so Ji-su reluctantly stood up and sat next to Won-hyeop. Won-hyeop pulled the bowl of pre-meal bread closer, spread butter, added ham, and held it in front of Ji-su’s mouth. As Ji-su took a small bite, Won-hyeop watched him eat.

Ji-su lowered his chin, feeling burdened by Won-hyeop pressing his nose close to watch. Then, Won-hyeop lifted his chin with his hand.

“Don’t eat with your head buried.”

Eating the salty ham, savory butter, and freshly baked warm bread made his mouth water. Even though it was ordinary bread, it was strangely delicious. He felt that filling his stomach with just this would be a wonderful meal.

As he took another bite of bread, Won-hyeop touched his cheek. Uncomfortable with the touch, Ji-su stealthily put the bread down. At the same time, [unauthorized copy][unauthorized copy]he glanced at his phone. He was waiting for [Read on Read BL Novels]a message from the Housekeeper. He hoped nothing was wrong with Cookie.

“What is this?”

Won-hyeop pressed the plump flesh protruding under Ji-su’s chin. It was the fair baby fat attached to his slender jaw. Pulling at that baby fat, Won-hyeop laughed loudly. The laughter sounded joyful.

“I told you last time, you shouldn’t just eat flour or fried things to put on weight. You have to gain weight by eating good things.”

For a brief moment, Ji-su felt a false affection from Won-hyeop. Had he ever received this kind of attention from anyone in his life? His frail Mother had cherished his Noona more than him, and when his Noona and Mother committed suicide and he lived with his Father, he had been like a ghost in the house. The words Won-hyeop spoke casually touched a deep wound in his heart. If he had had the chance to choose good parents to be born to, his life might have been different.

On the other hand, he felt pathetic for reacting emotionally to such trivial words. As he thought he was pathetic, his eyes grew hot. As he rubbed his eyelids to keep from crying, Won-hyeop spoke.

“Why are you tearing up again?”

“…It’s nothing.”

“Is it because I told you not to eat flour and fried food?”

Won-hyeop looked at Ji-su, whose eyes were red, with a strange gaze. It seemed as if Ji-su would grow thorns in his mouth if he didn’t cry for even a single day.

“Um… from now on, I’ll commute by motorcycle. It’s a waste to just leave it in the parking lot.”

“You’re going to ride a motorcycle in this weather and roast to death? Do whatever you want.”

Won-hyeop, too tired to argue about whether he should ride it or not, answered vaguely.

“…And tomorrow is my psychiatric counseling day.”

“I know.”

When the salad followed the pre-meal bread, Won-hyeop barely ate, instead watching Ji-su eat. With one hand resting on Ji-su’s thigh.

Ji-su paused when he saw the shrimp in the salad. Seeing the neatly cleaned shrimp without heads reminded him of something from his childhood. Once, his family had eaten raw fish at a sashimi restaurant. Ji-su, who was too young to know how to eat raw fish, had reached for a king prawn, but when he tried to remove the head before eating, his Father mentioned the price per prawn and made him eat everything, including the head and tail.

Because the prawn’s eyes were creepy and he hated the whiskers, Ji-su had eaten a whole prawn while on the verge of tears. Since then, he hadn’t liked shrimp, but seeing the cleaned shrimp made him want to eat them.

After removing the tail and taking a bite, it tasted very clean.

“…It’s delicious.”

“Eat a lot.”

“…You eat some too, Won-hyeop-ssi.”

Ji-su finished the shrimp and asked Won-hyeop.

“You mentioned on the phone earlier that you have a place to stop by tonight. May I leave work early?”

“Yeah.”

An unidentified dish to accompany the bread and a risotto arrived. This alone was enough, but there were still several more plates of food to come. He was already full, but Ji-su didn’t show it.

As he ate in silence, something he was curious about came to mind.

“By the way, where are you stopping by?”

“There’s a memorial service for my mother at my father’s house.”

Ji-su sank into thought while staring at the gold ring on Won-hyeop’s finger. Considering Won-hyeop’s age, his mother had passed away quite early. He was curious about the family history but couldn’t ask, so he swallowed his words, and Won-hyeop put down his fork and stared at his face.

As Ji-su shrugged his shoulders, Won-hyeop spoke.

“What’s with that expression?”

Won-hyeop narrowed his eyes as if observing the expression.

“It’s not any expression… .”

Won-hyeop spoke indifferently, just as he had a moment ago when talking about Cookie.

“My mother passed away when I was ten, so we hold a memorial service every year on the anniversary of her death.”

Ji-su gazed blankly at Won-hyeop’s face. It would be rude to ask how his mother had died.

As he suppressed his curiosity, Won-hyeop spoke again.

“I’ll be back soon after I go. There are more than a few people there I can’t stand to see.”

“…Who are the people you can’t stand?”

“My older brothers.”

Not knowing that Won-hyeop was the youngest, Ji-su gazed blankly at his face once more. Following the risotto, pasta and Wagyu burgers were served; he tasted them in turn, and every single one was delicious. The clean, refined tableware was nothing new, having seen plenty of it while staying at Won-hyeop’s house, but the food was different. It wasn’t as if this was his first time eating pasta or hamburgers in his life, yet he found himself observing them closely.

Setting aside his worries about calories and recalling the price of the lunch Won-hyeop had paid for, he ate diligently. As a result, he managed to clear his plate reasonably well. The pasta sauce was particularly delicious, so he timidly scraped the remaining sauce with his fork.

Seeing this, Won-hyeop remarked casually from the side.

“The sauce must be tasty.”

Embarrassed by the way he had been scraping the sauce, Ji-su gave a small answer: “Yes.” Won-hyeop used his thumb to wipe away a bit of sauce from Ji-su’s lips and sucked it off, then playfully mimicked his response, “Yes~.”

Just then, the Housekeeper called. Ji-su, who had been glancing at his phone throughout the meal out of worry for Cookie, answered quickly. His tension lasted only a moment before his expression gradually relaxed. After answering “Yes, yes” repeatedly, he hung up and let out a sigh of relief.

“The hospital says it looks like an allergic reaction. The vet asked if there was anything he ate today that could be a problem, so I should go home and check.”

Lost in thought, Ji-su suspected the treats he had bought last time. But he soon dismissed the thought. stolen contentIf the treats had visit our sitebeen the problem, Cookie’s stolen contentface would have swollen up several times already.

“They said Cookie can be discharged after taking allergy medication and getting some rest. I’m so relieved it’s not a big problem.”

Won-hyeop didn’t ask any particular questions. Ji-su felt a sense of disappointment, as if he himself had become Cookie. If Cookie were a human instead of a dog and knew this, he would be beyond disappointed in Won-hyeop. Ji-su had made various guesses to try and understand Won-hyeop’s cold attitude, but he could only conclude that it was a relief Cookie didn’t know any of this.

After they finished the pasta and burgers, apple sherbet was served for dessert. Won-hyeop, saying he disliked sweets, didn’t eat the sherbet and instead ordered coffee.

Eating sherbet for the first time in his life, Ji-su cautiously took a small spoonful. His eyes widened instinctively. It tasted great, and feeling it would be a waste to leave it, he ate Won-hyeop’s portion as well. Won-hyeop touched his backside and spoke with a satisfied look.

“Looking at you, it seems you don’t actually dislike eating.”

He spoke with a semblance of kindness, but it was driven by his ulterior motive of wanting to fatten Ji-su up quickly. Despite this, Ji-su’s eyes welled up again without him realizing it. As Won-hyeop said, he had only been afraid of the act of eating; he had never loathed it. He felt as if he were dreaming, unable to believe he was eating out.

In the end, the meal was very satisfying. He felt extremely full, but he didn’t feel any self-loathing. While he hadn’t eaten every single bit of everything perfectly, he had done his best for the sake of the expensive lunch Won-hyeop had paid for, so he had no regrets.

As they left the restaurant together, Won-hyeop’s driver, who had been waiting, stepped out of the car. Jong-bae’s car was parked on the shoulder with the engine running. It seemed he had just arrived.

“Are you going straight to the office?”

“Of course. Where else would I have to go?”

“Thank you for buying me lunch. I enjoyed it.”

As Ji-su tried to say goodbye and tell him to head in, Won-hyeop grabbed his wrist.

“It’d be a waste to just leave, so suck me off in the car before you go.”

Ji-su looked back at the driver with a troubled face. Regardless, Won-hyeop dragged Ji-su along and got into the car. Once the driver got into the driver’s seat, Won-hyeop ordered him to get out. Without a word, the driver replied, “Yes,” got out of the car, and closed the door. He then walked a distance away, making sure not to glance back at the car.

After some time had passed, the rear door opened. With a flushed face, Ji-su stepped out of the car and wiped his mouth. Keeping his head low as if reading the room, he spoke toward the interior of the car.

“…Please go ahead.”

Won-hyeop, still in the car, raised his hand to him. The driver quickly climbed back into the driver’s seat and started the car.

Ji-su hesitantly approached Jong-bae’s car and got into the passenger seat. He felt too sorry to ask Jong-bae if he had eaten lunch, so he remained silent. His neck ached because Won-hyeop had pressed down hard on the back of his head while making him perform oral sex.

After letting out a muffled sigh, he massaged his neck and took out his phone. Curious about Won-hyeop’s family, he searched for ‘Myeongshin Group Chairman Jo Won-hyeop’ on the internet. He had searched purely out of curiosity, but an article with a frightening headline caught his eye.

[Sins and Punishments of Politics and Business]

From Fines to Prison Sentences

Won-hyeop’s full name was mentioned in the article. Tense, he clicked the article, and as he read the contents, his face turned pale. It contained unbelievable information.

According to the article, Won-hyeop had been sentenced to seven years in prison for murder in his mid-twenties when he was involved with a gang. At the time, Won-hyeop had stabbed a man in his 30s, Mr. C, dozens of times to death; Mr. C was said to be the man his girlfriend had been cheating with. Immediately after murdering Mr. C, Won-hyeop was arrested by the police following a report from his girlfriend, and in court, he claimed it was a crime of passion.

He had vaguely guessed that Won-hyeop might have been a gangster, but he unauthorized copyhad never dreamed he stolen contenthad a [stolen content]criminal record. He was so shocked that his hands trembled.

The probability that an article this specific was false was low. It wasn’t the kind of detail a reporter would write by mistaking one person for another. Reading the article again carefully from the beginning, Ji-su was seized by an overwhelming fear. To think that the Won-hyeop he knew—the very Won-hyeop he had just had lunch with—had killed someone.

It felt absurd that a chairman who led a proper mid-sized company, not some tiny business, was a convict with a murder record. Did everyone else know? Was he the only one finding out this late?

Unable to dare glance at Jong-bae, he kept his head fixed and took a deep breath. As he looked back at his phone to search further, another article caught his eye. It was an article about Won-hyeop’s family. Hesitantly clicking the article, Ji-su’s expression turned to shock once more. The contents were quite detailed.

Won-hyeop had three older brothers, but they were stepbrothers from his stepfather’s side. The first and second brothers, who were twins, were currently judges at the Seoul High Court, and the third brother was a famous lawyer and former prosecutor.

A youngest brother who was a former gangster with a murder record, and stepbrothers embedded in the legal profession.

It was a family relationship that could hardly be called ordinary.

❀❀❀

The sun had set, and the streets were dark. The driver stopped the car in front of the main gate. It was a detached house as spacious and luxurious as Won-hyeop’s.

Closing the lapel of his suit as he stepped out of the car, Won-hyeop swung the gate open and entered. He climbed the stone steps, crossed the yard, climbed another set of stone steps, crossed another yard, and finally arrived at the front door. After ringing the doorbell and waiting, a voice was heard from inside.

A college-student nephew opened the door and bowed his head to Won-hyeop.

“Hello.”

Won-hyeop pushed the door wide open. Instead of visit our siteasking warmly how he had been, he visit our sitegave him unauthorized copya blunt look, scanning him from head to toe.

The nephew spoke to Won-hyeop as he entered the foyer to take off his shoes.

“Grandfather says he’ll be here soon.”

Won-hyeop entered the house without responding. The smell of memorial food filled the air. As he went into the living room, several young nephews swarmed around him to greet him. Finding the children annoying, Won-hyeop ignored them, greeted the women preparing the food, and headed for the study. The first and second brothers, who were chatting over some documents, looked toward the door.

Won-hyeop bowed his head in greeting.

“I’m here.”

Unlike the imposing Won-hyeop, the two brothers, who had slight builds around 170cm, accepted the greeting without any sign of welcome. Only the eldest brother managed a single word, despite it being a long time since they had seen each other.

“Right, you’re here.”

Just then, the doorbell rang. As Won-hyeop left the room, the third brother entered the living room with other family members. The third brother was also small, barely exceeding 170cm. He wore an even more overtly displeased expression than the twins.

“Have you arrived, Hyung?”

Won-hyeop also offered only a short greeting. Since his mother had remarried when he was eight, he had grown up in the same house as the three brothers, so they weren’t complete strangers. They simply didn’t get along.

If they had just disliked having a sudden younger brother, they could have stopped at being cold, but the three brothers had tormented Won-hyeop in subtle ways. The third brother, who was five years older, had been the worst.

Won-hyeop remembered the time the third brother had grabbed him by the collar, lifted him up, and threw him [stolen content]onto the bed. He remembered the stolen contenttime he had broken his finger, telling stolen contenthim, ‘My father bought this, so don’t eat it,’ when Won-hyeop tried to take chocolate from the cupboard that his stepfather had brought back from a business trip.

The first and second brothers often ignored him or treated him as if he didn’t exist with a subtle attitude. When handing him something, they wouldn’t just give it to him but would throw it far away or drop it for him to pick up; they intentionally avoided calling his name; they publicly humiliated him around the time he began puberty; and they whispered to each other to alienate him. That wasn’t all. They subtly excluded him from family outings or mocked his taste in clothes and food.

His stepfather had affection for his new wife but was indifferent to the young son she brought with her, so he never once intervened. The subtle discord between the brothers vanished once Won-hyeop’s height surpassed theirs. After he killed someone and served time in prison in his mid-twenties, the conflict entered a complete state of dormancy, and now they essentially viewed each other as strangers. Thus, they didn’t discuss family matters like normal brothers. They only met formally on memorial days like today.

“Now, Father will be arriving soon, so let’s all gather.”

As the eldest brother came out of the room, all the family members gathered in the living room. When the four brothers stood side by side, the stepbrothers looked like a family, with facial features and builds that were clearly similar. The nephews were no exception, all looking like one family with their resembling faces. Won-hyeop, who was toweringly tall alone, looked like a stranger visiting the house.

While the three brothers gathered to talk among themselves and the nephews played together, Won-hyeop stood alone in the middle of the living room, staring at the memorial table that wasn’t yet fully set.

He had been watching without much emotion, but he called the college-student nephew over because he thought of Ji-su.

“You, come here.”

At Won-hyeop’s gesture, the nephew approached.

“Are you twenty-three or four?”

“Twenty-three.”

“Perfect. What do kids your age usually eat for late-night snacks?”

It was an abrupt question, but the nephew answered without asking for details.

“I usually eat chicken. If I’m too lazy to order delivery, I make ramen.”

“Anything else?”

“Hmm. Sometimes I order samgyeopsal or gopchang.”

Won-hyeop asked a few more things, planning to buy a late-night snack and visit Ji-su’s villa later. Just then, a message arrived from Ji-su saying he was leaving work.

“That’s enough, go on.”

Waving the nephew away, Won-hyeop called Jong-bae while thinking of buying chicken and pizza.

“Find out if there are any chicken or pizza places near Ji-su’s villa. Order them so I can pick them up on my way there.”

A short while later, the memorial food was fully prepared, and Father arrived. Leaning on a cane, Father was exceptionally small compared to his three sons. Suffering from a chronic illness and being elderly, his gait was unsteady.

Won-hyeop approached and greeted him.

“Father, you’ve arrived.”

Father lifted his head high to look up at Won-hyeop. His vision was dim, so he stared at Won-hyeop’s face through his glasses for a long time.

“Yes, it’s Won-hyeop.”

They didn’t exchange a long conversation. Stepping back, Won-hyeop returned to the front of the memorial table. One might have complex emotions seeing stepbrothers and a stepfather hold a memorial for one’s mother every year, but he didn’t think much of it.

The reason he didn’t get sentimental was that he lacked the capacity to understand the heart of a father who had lost a wife twelve years his junior to cancer two years after remarrying and had held memorial services for nearly forty years. Since it was a service held faithfully every year, it wasn’t special, nor did he harbor an extraordinary affection for his mother. He only had a passing thought that she had been too young to die of cancer.

❀❀❀

Jong-bae, who had been looking at a food delivery app, quickly ordered chicken when he saw Won-hyeop opening the gate to leave.

As he ordered pizza following the chicken, Won-hyeop got into the back seat. A faint scent of incense spread through the car. It was the smell clinging to Won-hyeop’s clothes.

“Did you order?”

“Yes, I just did.”

Starting the car, Jong-bae headed toward Ji-su’s house.

When Won-hyeop rolled down the rear window, Jong-bae tactfully rolled down all the front windows. At the same time, he secretly checked Won-hyeop’s expression through the rearview mirror. He often drove Won-hyeop home on memorial days, and Won-hyeop’s expression was always dark after the service.

Arriving at the chicken shop near Ji-su’s house, Jong-bae pulled over to the shoulder and hurried out of the driver’s seat.

“I’ll go get the chicken.”

He went into the shop, picked up two chickens, and came [Read on Read BL Novels]back out. He got back in the car and headed to the pizza place three minutes unauthorized copyaway. After picking up a large pizza and getting back in the car, the appetizing smell of grease filled the interior.

Won-hyeop checked the CCTV of Ji-su’s villa on his phone.

However, the house was empty. Tilting his head, he rewound the recording and saw that Ji-su had left the house in light clothing about 15 minutes ago.

“Where did he go?”

Arriving in front of Ji-su’s villa and stepping out of the car, Won-hyeop looked up at the building and clicked his tongue. Jong-bae, holding chicken and pizza in both hands, followed him out and glared displeasedly at the pigeons gathered in the villa’s front yard.

The voice of a young boy screaming frantically echoed through the entire villa. The shouting of “Mommy!” stopped for a moment and then started again. Won-hyeop gestured for Jong-bae to go up first and then called Ji-su.

Ji-su answered the phone immediately.

[Hello.]

“Where are you.”

[I’m at home.]

“You’re not at home.”

The strange thing was that Ji-su’s breathing sounded labored.

[Ah… I’m just taking a short walk.]

Won-hyeop frowned.

“Why are you panting if you’re on a walk? Are you running?”

[…….]

“And if you go for a walk, you should tell me.”

[…Are you in front of the house right now?]

“Yes.”

[What brings you here?]

“I was passing by and stopped in.”

[What about the memorial service?]

“I came after it finished. I’ll give you one minute. Run back.”

Hanging up, Won-hyeop entered the villa building. When he went up to the third floor, Jong-bae had already entered the house. Entering the foyer, Won-hyeop took off his shoes while scanning the floor with a suspicious eye. Without air conditioning, the inside of the house was damp and sultry. He entered the living room in his socks, but he could feel the yellowish linoleum sticking to his feet.

After checking the CCTV installed in the corner of the ceiling, Won-hyeop looked around the stolen contentliving room and approached the laundry drying rack. He gathered Read on Read BL NovelsJi-su’s neatly hung underwear, smelled them, and hung them back up.

A mattress with vivid bloodstains caught his eye. It had been flipped over, so the sleeping area was clean, but the sides were dirty. Frowning deeply, he checked his wristwatch and waited for Ji-su.

Soon, with the sound of the door lock, Ji-su entered the front door, gasping for air. Because the inside of the house was like a sauna, Jong-bae began to sweat profusely.

Unbuttoning his suit jacket, Won-hyeop asked in a puzzled voice.

“You took such a long walk with Cookie during the day, and you’re taking another walk?”

“The weather was cooler than yesterday, so I just walked for a bit.”

Won-hyeop pulled Ji-su, who had taken off his shoes and entered the living room, into a kiss. With Jong-bae standing there like a folding screen, he kissed him deeply, making Ji-su flinch and shrink his head.

“Stick out your tongue, your tongue.”

As he spoke with warm breath, Ji-su closed his eyes and stuck out his tongue. Won-hyeop rubbed his tongue against the tip of Ji-su’s before sucking on it with his lips.

After sucking for a while, he pulled away and pointed to the chicken and pizza in Jong-bae’s hands.

“I bought late-night snacks.”

His face flushed red, Ji-su gasped for air and wiped the sweat from under his chin.

“Haa….”

Sweat trickled down his temples. He was drenched in sweat from running through the neighborhood.

“…Thank you.”