By Zephyria Lee Do-hyeon’s driving was so reckless it was a wonder he didn’t cause an accident. Even as cars around him blared their horns, Lee Do-hyeon seemed oblivious, continuing to swerve the wheel and stomp on the gas. Each time, Ryu Jeong was thrown from side to side. His heart pounded so fast and hard it felt like it would burst.
His shoulders, tight with tension, only began to relax when Lee Do-hyeon steered the car into the parking garage of a building. He hadn’t had time to pay attention to where they were going, but as the car slowed, he finally had a chance to look around.
“…….”
Ryu Jeong cautiously peered out the window. They had driven straight into the underground garage, so he couldn’t see anything outside. Like any other building’s underground parking lot, cars were neatly parked with their engines off. The only difference was that they were all expensive, high-end vehicles. Just as working at a convenience store made you memorize all the different types of cigarettes, Ryu Jeong had learned a lot about cars while working as a parking attendant at hotels and department stores. This parking lot even had foreign cars that were rare in Korea. Sensing that this was no ordinary place, Ryu Jeong swallowed nervously.
He would have found it hard to walk on his own two feet, but Lee Do-hyeon expertly maneuvered between the expensive cars and parked smoothly. Seeing that Ryu Jeong was too weak to get out on his own, Lee Do-hyeon opened the door for him and even closed it behind him, then led him to the elevator.
He realized today that elevator lights could be this bright. The gold walls, gleaming on all sides, reflected his entire figure like a mirror. He couldn’t openly gawk, so he just rolled his eyes around, and as the elevator ascended, Lee Do-hyeon asked,
“Aren’t you going to ask where we are?”
Was he allowed to ask? Ryu Jeong hesitated, his lips moving slightly before he finally managed to speak.
“Where is this……?”
“My house.”
“…Pardon?”
Startled, Ryu Jeong turned sharply to look at him. Lee Do-hyeon simply stared straight ahead with a calm expression. He didn’t even glance at the rapidly changing floor numbers, just stared intently at the doors that wouldn’t open until they stopped. It was as if he was just waiting for the doors to open, so Ryu Jeong followed his gaze.
He said he’d show him what he was thinking, so why did he bring him home? Ryu Jeong glanced up at Lee Do-hyeon’s tightly closed lips, as if he wouldn’t answer unless asked. He had talked about morality, so this action must be immoral……. He had no idea what his intentions were.
“…….”
Could it be… confinement…?
Whenever he couldn’t meet a repayment date or was short on funds, the loan sharks would threaten him like this. They were only leaving him alone because he was an Beta, but they weren’t going to just watch him because he wasn’t an Omega. If he didn’t want to be locked up somewhere and spend the rest of his life spreading his legs, he should know his place.
As he worried about the terrifying thought that had suddenly occurred to him, the elevator stopped on the 55th floor. Lee Do-hyeon got out first, not at all like someone planning to confine him. Ryu Jeong followed closely behind him, still tense.
They walked down a longer hallway than he expected, and Lee Do-hyeon stopped in front of a door. He couldn’t see the door lock because he was standing behind his broad back, but Ryu Jeong lowered his gaze anyway. He expected him to enter the password right away, but for some reason, Lee Do-hyeon just stood there.
He wouldn’t need a key to his own house, so why was he doing that? Confused, Ryu Jeong looked up.
“Ryu Jeong, you should look too.”
Lee Do-hyeon let out a long sigh, like a breath, and stepped aside. Then, out of the blue, he told him to look, clearing his view. Ryu Jeong, not understanding what he was supposed to see, blinked blankly, and Lee Do-hyeon deliberately moved his hand slowly.
As his large hand swept across the keypad, the blacked-out pad lit up, revealing ten white numbers. Ryu Jeong inadvertently saw the entire password and stared at the opening door with a look that said, “Is this for real?”
“Don’t forget it, memorize it.”
“Why, why?”
“Because you’ll be coming here often now?”
Lee Do-hyeon, who had opened the door himself, gestured for him to enter first. Ryu Jeong couldn’t bring himself to step inside. He couldn’t understand why he had suddenly been brought to Lee Do-hyeon’s house, or why he would have to come here often.
He looked at Lee Do-hyeon with eyes that demanded an explanation, but Lee Do-hyeon either didn’t understand the meaning or pretended not to, just wearing a face that asked if there was a problem. In the end, Ryu Jeong gave up. He peered cautiously into the unknown space beyond the door and carefully stepped inside.
To put it mildly, the entryway was as big as his room. And it was incredibly clean. He felt embarrassed to be standing there in his worn sneakers. Ryu Jeong stared at his shadow stretched out on the pure white tiles for a moment, then hesitated before taking off his shoes and stepping inside.
The sun had set, and the interior was dim. He didn’t know the layout of the house, so he paused at the end of the dark hallway, seeing that the lights weren’t on. Lee Do-hyeon, who had followed him in, took Ryu Jeong’s hand. He followed the gentle pull, stepping further inside. The warmth, no, the heat of his body, the unfamiliarity of the space, his eyes, which had been busy taking in so many things, widened in an instant.
One wall of the living room was entirely made of glass. Because of this, the night view of Seoul was visible at a glance, as if a large painting had been hung there. The lights weren’t on, but the artificial light pouring in through the glass wall made the interior no longer dark.
Before he knew it, Ryu Jeong was standing in front of the glass wall. He swallowed nervously and looked down. The city’s night view was at his feet. Watching the endlessly moving car lights made him feel like he was looking at a miniature kingdom from a fairy tale.
“I asked if you were thinking of moving.”
Lee Do-hyeon suddenly spoke to him as he stood there blankly, taking in the night view. Only then did Ryu Jeong realize that he had momentarily forgotten that he was in Lee Do-hyeon’s house. He quickly turned around, afraid of leaving breath marks on the glass, and saw that Lee Do-hyeon was standing right in front of him.
“I asked because I was trying to be considerate.”
Lee Do-hyeon said something incomprehensible as he stumbled back, almost bumping into him. Ryu Jeong hesitated and looked up. As their eyes met, Lee Do-hyeon took another step forward.
“What… does that mean……?”
Ryu Jeong took a step back.
“It means that I could have just put you in the car and driven here, but I asked you in a roundabout way because I thought you might be uncomfortable.”
If he had known it would be like this, he would have just kidnapped him that day. Lee Do-hyeon muttered in a casual voice, as if he didn’t realize how chilling his words were.
At least he had confirmed through Lee Do-hyeon’s words that it wasn’t a kidnapping. He felt relieved, but at the same time, he was puzzled. Then why on earth had he brought him here? Had he invited him over for a late-night visit? He racked his brain, but no plausible answer came to mind. In the end, Ryu Jeong mustered his courage and opened his mouth.
“President…….”
“Yes.”
“Then why did you bring me here……?”
“Ah.”
Lee Do-hyeon, who had been indifferently taking in the night view over his shoulder, made a sound as if he had forgotten. He expected him to answer right away, but surprisingly, Lee Do-hyeon fell silent, as if deep in thought. After a moment of contemplation, he met his gaze.
“First of all… from the moment you said it was normal to wash with cold water, I wanted to bring you to my house.”
Seeing the subtle change in his expression, Lee Do-hyeon quickly added,
“It’s not pity.”
“Ah…….”
“If it was just pity, I wouldn’t be doing this, I would have just poured money into buying you things. That’s what people who don’t know you very well usually do. It’s a broken pot no matter how much water you pour into it anyway.”
Ryu Jeong quietly closed his mouth. He was right. While living in Moon Village, it was common for civic groups or celebrities to visit as part of a campaign to help the less fortunate. They would usually fill the coal briquettes, fix leaky roofs before the rainy season, or give kimchi before winter started.
But other than coal briquettes and food, other support was meaningless. No matter how much they fixed up a house that was over 30 years old, problems would soon arise elsewhere. That wasn’t to say he was ungrateful. He always held gratitude in his heart for those who helped him live comfortably, even if only for a short time.
“Then…….”
If it wasn’t pity, then what was it? This situation, his intentions, everything was incomprehensible, and Ryu Jeong was very confused. He wanted to hear the answer quickly, so he just stared up at Lee Do-hyeon’s lips. Finally, his well-shaped lips opened.
“I just… don’t like it?”
“…Pardon?”
Ryu Jeong’s mouth dropped open at the unexpected answer. Lee Do-hyeon smiled softly at the sight of his white teeth peeking through his parted lips. It felt like seeing a baby’s rice-grain-like baby teeth.
“It’s not that I don’t like Ryu Jeong. I don’t like that house. I don’t like that you talk about almost dying from coal briquettes so casually, and I don’t like that you think it’s normal to only have cold water. I don’t like it all.”
“…….”
“I want to see you take a warm shower, wrap yourself in a fluffy blanket, and sleep warmly. Not just for one day, but every day. And the only way to do that is to bring you to my house.”
“Are you… telling me to live here?”
He was so confused by the incomprehensible words that his head was spinning. Leaving aside all the other reasons, if he had to do that ‘every day,’ then that meant he would have to stay in this house forever. He didn’t know how this couldn’t be pity, and above all, he couldn’t understand what he was thinking.
“Why? Can’t I?”
He had a look on his face that asked if there was a problem. So he had nothing else to say. Ryu Jeong licked his parched lips. Surely he wasn’t telling him to stay forever. Just until the demolition was underway and he decided where to go…….
“…Perhaps… because I have nowhere to go…….”
“If that was the reason, I would have brought it up then.”
“…….”
“Do I need another reason?”
“I… don’t understand.”
“What.”
“I feel like I could understand if you were just feeling sorry for me… but you’re saying that’s not it…….”
“Ah ah.”
He nodded as if he understood what Ryu Jeong was saying, but there was no soul in his short exclamation. He needed another reason to think about it in a complicated way. A simple and clear reason that could immediately explain this situation.
Chief Yoon’s words came to mind: unilateral and excessive favors are too burdensome to receive from someone who is ‘just an acquaintance.’ Then all he had to do was not be ‘just an acquaintance.’
“I said something ridiculous about a meeting earlier because I was angry.”
There was only one thing that could define his relationship with Ryu Jeong right now. Lee Do-hyeon pretended not to notice the rising displeasure and met Ryu Jeong’s eyes.
“Now that we’re on the subject, can’t we do it? Be lovers.”