By Zephyria 
Thump, thump, thummp.
His heartbeat pressed hard against his skin. The high body temperature rushing over his entire body was so welcome it brought tears to his eyes.
‘I really missed him so much.’
Eun-myeong clung tightly to the man like that.
Then, suddenly, a strange sensation washed over him. The inside of his thighs were becoming damp. It was slippery, sticky, and hot… For a moment, a chill ran down his spine.
No, no matter how few times he had even smelled the man’s scent lately, how could he be wet down there just from hugging him…?
He was truly a pervert. Feeling so embarrassed he could die, Eun-myeong quickly wiped his thighs with his hand, terrified the man would notice.
But…
What on earth was this? What had pooled between the lines of his palm was nothing other than bright red blood.
“Where is this blood coming from…?”
He certainly wasn’t injured. Of course, he lacked energy in his body, but he only felt a bit dizzy and unsteady. Other than that, everything was truly fine.
Startled, Eun-myeong quickly examined the man’s body.
“Are you hurt somewhere?”
Trembling, he quickly looked at his shoulders, checked his thick forearms, and carefully scanned his firm stomach…
“Boss, your stomach is bleeding.”
The problem was his solid abdomen. Or more accurately, his flank was sunken and shriveled like a cave.
Eun-myeong was so shocked he nearly bit his tongue and fainted on the spot. It was a horrific sight. Blood was streaming down like a wild boar’s tusk, and some scrap of cloth was dangling out.
Had he shoved that inside his body?
“Tsk, I guess it burst.”
However, the man nonchalantly pushed the scrap of cloth further in with his hand. He kneaded it, shoving it beneath the skin.
“Don’t do that, Boss, that must hurt! Let’s call a doctor quickly, please!”
Eun-myeong released the arms he had wrapped around the man’s neck. He quickly called out to a passing nurse.
“Nurse!”
As he tried to climb down from the man’s embrace, the man refused to let go of Eun-myeong’s buttocks. No matter how much he squirmed and shook his body, it was useless. In the end, while still clinging to the man’s embrace, Eun-myeong pleaded with the nurse.
“There’s a critical patient here, please look at his wound.”
He was so distressed that tears streamed down his cheeks. The nurse also looked very shocked upon seeing the gaping wound.
“Oh my!”
“I’ll get you checked in right away,” she said, moving briskly. The man followed behind the nurse. Even as Eun-myeong kicked his legs, begging to be let go, the man simply gave his buttocks a smack!
“You’re not listening.”
Despite the unfairness, Eun-myeong stopped resisting. He behaved obediently out of fear that the wound might worsen, but regardless, the man continued to squeeze Eun-myeong’s plump buttocks.
“I mean, how could you neglect a wound to this extent?”
The doctor who looked at the man’s abdomen gasped in horror. The internal state was even more serious than the external appearance.
The doctor said the wound was incredibly deep and that he had only survived this far through sheer willpower. Eun-myeong sat beside him like a puppy the man had brought along, his eyes moist and weary. He sniffled with his small, puppy-like nose. He wondered how the man had managed to lift him up in such a state.
A surgery was hastily scheduled, as secondary infection could occur if it wasn’t stitched immediately.
However, a problem arose. The Boss refused anesthesia. He stared with wide, piercing eyes. He simply told them to shove a cloth into his mouth, bite down with his molars, and stitch him up.
While the man was utterly composed, Eun-myeong was the one trembling in fear as he watched him.
“What if… what if you die…?”
“I’m too spiteful to die from just this.”
How on earth was he planning to endure that pain while conscious? Eun-myeong’s thighs were shaking with fear, but the man didn’t even blink. His gaze remained fixed solely on Eun-myeong. He acted with a persistent, blind intensity, as if Eun-myeong might vanish the moment he closed his eyes.
It made Eun-myeong feel very strange. Just as he feared the man disappearing before him, it seemed the man feared it just as much…
“If you’re that scared, just cover your eyes.”
A hand as large as a pot lid suddenly covered Eun-myeong’s eyes. His vision turned dark. If he stayed like this, he wouldn’t have to see the scary scene, and it would certainly be more comfortable.
“No, I want to see too, I….”
But Eun-myeong bit his lower lip and remained stubborn. He opened his eyes wide and pulled the man’s hand down.
The sharp needle poked and pierced the skin. With every single stitch of the thick needle, Eun-myeong furrowed his brows deeply.
“Ugh….”
As if he were the one suffering, he grimaced and bit his lip hard. Tears kept welling up in his eyes. It felt as if his own body were being woven like a cast net.
If he was this scared just watching, what must the man have felt while watching him during his unconsciousness?
In the quiet operating room, only the sound of his breath, mixed with sobbing, grew louder. Fearing he might be a hindrance, and embarrassed by his crying, Eun-myeong quickly covered his mouth.
“Bite hard.”
Then, as if he had been waiting, the man shoved his thick hand between Eun-myeong’s lips.
Unable to hold back, Eun-myeong let out a small cry and bit the man’s hand. His cherry-small lips nibbled on the man’s hand. Tears flowed, pooling between the man’s fingers.
By the time the surgery ended, Eun-myeong’s face was already damp with tears. He looked fresh and clear, as if he had just washed his face.
It was a face beautiful enough to make the man feel proud, but Eun-myeong’s heart felt like a shredded rag. Clutching his tattered chest, he asked cautiously.
“Why did this happen?”
The man gave a short laugh and, instead of answering, took a playful bite of Eun-myeong’s cheek.
“Why does your face look like you’ve just attended a baby’s funeral?”
Though it was damp and slightly salty with lingering tears, his face was as pitiful and cute as a newborn puppy, making him absolutely sweet.
Even though a large needle had been stabbing into his stomach, the man smiled like a sated lion. As if he had completed a very satisfying hunt just by getting Eun-myeong in his grasp.
Amidst this, Eun-myeong fell into a very serious contemplation.
Now that he thought about it.
There was something vaguely emerging from his hazy memories.
It was when Eun-myeong had been trapped under the sea. His consciousness was fading, and his airway was tightly constricted.
Right at the moment he felt he would lose consciousness.
The man had appeared before his eyes like a miracle. He had completely lost his self-control, struggling desperately in the water. He had smashed the car window and fought with all his might just to save him.
And once the window broke, the man had gripped him tightly. He thought he remembered seeing blood spreading bright red as the man pulled him out.
Could he have been pierced by glass shards while escaping through the window then?
“Are you hurt anywhere else?”
Eun-myeong examined the man’s body closely. He checked his eyes, nose, ears, and chin one by one. Then, his eyes stopped at the man’s fingers.
“Why is your finger….”
His otherwise fine middle finger was a mess. It looked terribly painful, swollen red as if infected, with blood seeping through as if the stitches had burst.
“Ah, this? Yeah, it was a pain.”
The man’s eyebrows twitched exaggeratedly.
“I was slicing fruit and ended up slicing my finger. Guess my knife skills have gone dead after living such a nice life.”
Eun-myeong looked on with deep pity, his eyelashes drooping. They say misfortunes never come singly. How could he have gone through such an ordeal in the midst of everything?
Just looking at it felt painful, so Eun-myeong gently wrapped his hand around the man’s middle finger, fiddling with it.
He couldn’t heal the wound on the man’s abdomen, but he made a small vow that he would definitely make this one heal.
And he firmly decided that whether it was fish or fruit or anything else, he would be the one doing the chopping.
Is this a dream or reality….
Eun-myeong pinched his cheek hard. When he let go, the soft flesh bounced back like a spring.
“…Ah!”
Tears welled up in his large eyes. It hurt; it hurt way too much.
But that meant it wasn’t a dream.
He had gone to the police station behind the man’s back to confess, been locked in a detention center, and almost died drowning in the sea….
Then, when he opened his eyes, the world had completely flipped 180 degrees.
He was clearly a criminal in a prisoner’s uniform, but for some reason, Chairman Kangsung had taken the fall for all the crimes. He didn’t think he had known the orphanage director before.
Being a complete novice in these matters, Eun-myeong found it hard to process everything pouring out of the news and newspapers.
What was it—that the Chairman of Kangsung had created a slush fund, dealt drugs, and even commissioned a murder? Because the suspicions were so layered, the prosecution had launched a massive investigation.
But the newspaper today carried truly shocking news. It said that Chairman Kang had died at home after taking medication.
“…….”
He had committed suicide, leaving a note apologizing for causing a public disturbance, and Eun-myeong was completely bewildered. It felt as if he had been hit in the back of the head with a hammer.
Eun-myeong was terribly worried about the man. As an orphan, he had never felt the bond of blood, but he could still understand it roughly. He had precious people like Eun-joo noona and Aunt Jeong-hye.
But the man simply read the newspaper with an expressionless face.
“Fuck, this ruins my appetite.”
He spat out sharply, complaining that his eyes were ruined because of that old piece of meat. Only after squeezing Eun-myeong’s buttocks did he let out a slow sigh, as if cleansing his palate.
The death of his father seemed to have no effect on him.
However….
Eun-myeong looked at the man’s flank. He was expanding and contracting his steel-like ribcage as if angry, and the bandages wrapped around his abdomen caught Eun-myeong’s eye.
He alone had left a scar on the man, who was like a suit of armor.
When a large wound occurs, the red inner skin is exposed. A period of healing is necessary before new skin grows over it.
The man and Eun-myeong spent exactly that kind of time together. Eun-myeong would often lose focus or space out. He slept a lot, and his appetite fluctuated, eating until he was bursting when he did eat.
The man simply watched Eun-myeong quietly.
And he always kept Eun-myeong tucked under his side. Even when going to the bathroom, Eun-myeong had to leave the door open, and when washing, he couldn’t lock the door even though water splashed everywhere.
The man acted as if Eun-myeong were a dandelion seed that would blow away with a single breath.
One day, he woke up startled, feeling a gaze on him while sleeping, to find the man looking down at him.
Moreover, the man seemed to have nightmares at night.
“…Ugh.”
It was the middle of the night. A groan was heard right next to Eun-myeong’s ear. What is this sound? As Eun-myeong slowly opened his eyes, he saw the man, who was hugging him tightly, drenched in cold sweat.
“Ha! No…, please, ugh.”
He let out intermittent groans, and Eun-myeong, startled, quickly woke him up.
“Boss.”
He grabbed the man’s thick shoulder and shook it several times.
“Boss!”
The man, who had been shaking his head as if in agony, snapped his eyes open. As his eyes widened, a sharp, blue glint emanated from them.
“…Hah!”
Then he looked at Eun-myeong sitting in the darkness. His focus wavered, as if trying to distinguish whether it was a dream or reality.
“Damn it.”
Muttering a low curse, the man hurriedly caressed Eun-myeong. He searched for Eun-myeong’s breath like a starving man. He placed a finger under Eun-myeong’s small nose and listened to his heartbeat.
Only after confirming that Eun-myeong was truly alive did he breathe a sigh of relief. His body temperature was always hot, but his hands had grown cold in the meantime.
“Boss, did you have a nightmare?”
When Eun-myeong asked cautiously, the man laughed with a sound like air escaping. Only then did he rub his face roughly with his large hand, looking utterly exhausted.
“It was a dog of a nightmare, of course.”
Incredibly, he looked exhausted. It was a side of him that was profoundly unlike himself.
“What kind of nightmare was it?”
The man answered slowly.
He had dreamed that Eun-myeong drowned in the sea. No matter how far he reached, he couldn’t touch him, and he had to watch Eun-myeong become a cold corpse on the other side.
“…I appeared in your dream?”
Eun-myeong’s heart ached. The fact that he was the subject of the man’s nightmare felt terribly unfamiliar and sad.
If it happened in a dream, there was nothing he could do. It was the first time he had seen the man so consumed by terror. The man had always seemed like an impregnable fortress, and seeing him crumble like this felt as if a needle were poking his own heart.
Eun-myeong wiped the man’s cold body one by one. When he saw the scars, his heart felt cold. He was perfectly fine without a single scar on his body, while the man’s body was in such a state.
Eun-myeong reached out and hugged the man’s neck tightly.
“…I’m sorry.”
“You’re young, but you sure have a lot to say.”
They shared their body heat while hugging tightly. The skin touching each other felt unbearably ticklish. As if new skin were growing.
Watching him in such pain made his heart ache and struggle, but the mere fact that he was with the Boss made him feel incredibly secure.
Rather than being happy because nothing was wrong, he didn’t know how glad he was just to be clinging to the man’s side like this. He felt he could no longer even imagine a life without him.
Eun-myeong felt that if he could cling to the man in the next life, he would gladly become moss.
“Boss, before I die….”
The man frowned fiercely, telling him not to talk nonsense. It was a face scary enough to make his heart shrink, but Eun-myeong gathered a small amount of courage.
“Before I die….”
Eun-myeong wiggled his toes. He felt a tickle in a corner of his heart for no reason.
“I regretted it so much, that I couldn’t tell you I love you more.”
He felt the man’s gaze looking down at him.
“If I keep saying I love you in such a clingy way….”
Too embarrassed to meet his eyes, he fiddled with the man’s clothes with his fingers.
“Do you get tired of it?”
What if he said he was tired of it? Eun-myeong lacked confidence. He felt he would be truly miserable, and his nose already began to turn red.
Not knowing what the answer would be, he grew nervous, and his palms became damp. He was just about to think that maybe he shouldn’t have asked.
“No.”
Only then did Eun-myeong’s eyes roll. He saw the gaze looking down at him. It was so, so sweet.
“I told you to wake up because I wanted to hear that.”
Eun-myeong writhed in embarrassment. The man’s battered middle finger gave a light tap to Eun-myeong’s eyelid.
“But Boss, do you really not have a wife to marry?”
He didn’t know how discouraged he had been upon hearing those rumors. He wondered if it was truly not the case; he felt so happy that he actually became anxious. Fearing this happiness might be stolen, Eun-myeong asked several times.
“They said there was a pregnancy too.”
As he added softly, the man’s eyebrows knit together with a sharp sound. He patted Eun-myeong’s lower abdomen with his palm.
“Are you pregnant?”
No. Eun-myeong shook his head shyly.
“Huh? Then who is my wife other than you.”
A wife—how could he say such an embarrassing thing so nonchalantly? With flushed cheeks, Eun-myeong smiled secretly.