By Zephyria 
Ire leaned against the desk, staring intently at the man in the photograph. The same silver hair and slate-blue eyes as himself. The man, clad in a white gown, was undeniably handsome, with the name “James” written on the left side of his chest.
Kim Ha-yoon had brought him to the study and shown him the man’s photograph. According to him, his mother was an experiment subject from the lab. Ire wasn’t surprised, as he had already suspected as much. Furthermore, he explained that the biological father, the one who provided the sperm, was this man. He mentioned he was searching everywhere for him but couldn’t find him.
In truth, he wasn’t particularly disappointed or sad. He had always vaguely known he wasn’t born through conventional means.
Still, he had wondered, once in a while. What kind of people were they?
So this is what he looked like…
Strangely, the man in the photo didn’t share many resemblances with him.
Except for the hair and eyes.
Suddenly, Ire recalled the explosion that occurred at the research institute twenty years ago. The day the truth of the massacre and Kim Ha-yoon’s mother’s death. Why had he hidden the fact that his mother had survived from people? A flicker of hope arose, but he couldn’t bring himself to speak.
“How did that person get out of there?”
“Who?”
“The one who gave birth to me…”
“He escaped on the day of the research institute explosion.”
“Why did the explosion happen?”
He wanted to ask if the person who gave birth to him had done that to Kim Ha-yoon’s mother, but he skirted around it. Kim Ha-yoon nodded slowly, without any sign of agitation. What you’re thinking is correct. That short sentence made his fingertips tremble, and he unconsciously clenched his fist.
“Did you want revenge on me? Is that why you were looking for him?”
Kim Ha-yoon laughed, as if asking a foolish question.
“That was an accident. An accident born of greed. Yona made that choice to protect you. No one has the right to blame her. And I already owe her my life.”
When asked what he meant, Kim Ha-yoon explained that when he was young and fell ill with a rare disease, his mother injected him with the serum of an infected person she was researching at the time. It was only then, upon hearing that the infected person was the one who gave birth to Ire, that he finally understood. Why his own blood had no effect on Kim Ha-yoon.
The more he listened to his story, the more complicated his feelings became. Kim Ha-yoon sat down beside him and reached out, tucking Ire’s hair behind his ear. Every time his fingertips brushed his skin, Ire’s body tensed inexplicably. Ire pushed his hand away and replied calmly,
“Do you want me to feel guilty?”
“Why would you? All of this originated because of me.”
If Kim Ha-yoon hadn’t been sick in the first place, his mother wouldn’t have been so engrossed in experiments. She had witnessed a miracle before her eyes, and her greed grew, leading to an irreversible situation.
“However,”
“……”
“I really wanted to tell you how much the person who gave birth to you loved you.”
Ire pursed his lips into a thin line. A surge of emotion welled up. Neither Sister nor Matteo had ever spoken properly about his mother. He knew she was infected, but he didn’t know her condition, why she died after giving birth to him there, or any of those things.
Had she died because she gave birth to an unwanted child? Had she cursed him until her dying breath? Was he such a jinx from birth that everyone around him died? He had imagined all sorts of things.
When Ire remained silent, Kim Ha-yoon got up from the desk and came in front of him. He rested his hands on the desk, trapping Ire. The intense gaze felt hot. He rested his forehead on Ire’s shoulder and took a deep breath.
“Don’t do anything foolish.”
“I’m just tired. My wounds are aching too.”
“Then go lie down.”
“Will you tuck me in?”
“……”
When Ire didn’t answer, he bumped his forehead against Ire’s shoulder repeatedly. When asked what he was doing, he said he was acting like a spoiled child. Seeing that, Ire finally asked the question he had wanted to ask all along.
“What dream did you have earlier?”
“……”
“Tell me.”
Kim Ha-yoon lifted his head, meeting Ire’s gaze. Could he have been there, on that day of the explosion? Was that why he was suffering in his dreams? Was that why he couldn’t let go of his mother, who was practically a corpse? Countless thoughts flashed through his mind. But Kim Ha-yoon said he couldn’t remember. Dreams were like that, he explained, always fading upon waking.
Then, he moved away from Ire and extended his hand instead.
“Let’s go. I think I can sleep soundly this time.”
* * *
A faint shuffling sound made him barely lift his heavy eyelids. When had he fallen asleep? As he shifted, the first thing he saw was Kim Ha-yoon’s face.
Ah, right. I was lying next to him to help him sleep.
He had definitely slept far apart, so why was he wrapped around him like a tree root? As he frowned, trying to pull away his arm, a familiar voice was heard.
“You’re awake?”
Ire, who had turned his head with a deep frown, couldn’t help but widen his eyes. Kwon So-young stood there, arms crossed, holding a medical kit. The footsteps he heard while half-asleep weren’t an illusion. He gaped in surprise, and Kim Ha-yoon, still drowsy, pulled him closer by the waist.
“Let’s sleep more… Come here.”
Then he pressed his lips to the top of Ire’s head. The smacking sound made Ire recoil in shock and push Kim Ha-yoon away. Oof! Kim Ha-yoon rolled to the other side, clutching his stomach and groaning. Ire, flustered and startled, looked back and forth between Kim Ha-yoon and Kwon So-young.
“Captain! Are you okay? No… that’s not it… I’m sorry, I must have dozed off yesterday…”
As Ire stammered, Kwon So-young curved her lips into a smile. “It’s okay. I can imagine how much sweet talk that guy used to coax you. It wasn’t wrong, but I couldn’t tell if it was sweet talk, so I just blinked.” Ire quickly got out of bed and disappeared from the bedroom, using thirst as an excuse.
Once they were alone, Kwon So-young looked at Kim Ha-yoon and clicked her tongue. Kim Ha-yoon, who had been writhing in pain moments before, became nonchalant as soon as Ire left, as if nothing had happened.
“Thanks. For ruining a good time.”
Kwon So-young looked at him with disdain.
“Do you want to?”
“Want to what?”
“Using your age and illness to lure a young boy, ugh, disgusting.”
Kwon So-young’s words made Kim Ha-yoon furrow his brow. Not only had she come early in the morning to interfere, but she was also immediately bringing up his age and painting him as a scoundrel. It was annoying. He was indeed a scoundrel who only thought of stripping someone bare, but it didn’t feel good to hear it directly from someone else.
Muttering, Kwon So-young unwrapped her bandage and marveled at the rapidly healing wound. Was it due to the infected person’s blood? Or was he naturally gifted? At this point, she wondered if they should be experimenting on Kim Ha-yoon instead of Ire. Of course, that would only be possible if he died.
As soon as he received treatment, Kim Ha-yoon went outside. Staff members were arriving for work, and somewhere, Yoo Min-joon was warming his herbal medicine.
“You’re awake. How are you feeling?”
“Where did he go?”
The perceptive Yoo Min-joon accurately guessed who he was referring to.
“He left.”
As Kim Ha-yoon scowled, Yoo Min-joon offered a weak excuse. He said he tried to stop him, but he had an urgent matter to attend to. Kim Ha-yoon sighed and grabbed his coat and car keys. Kwon So-young followed him out and tried to stop him, but he paid no attention.
He went down to the basement, retrieved his parked sports car, and drove out. As expected, Ire was walking far in the distance. He stopped nearby and honked the horn. Ire turned his head, his eyes widening in surprise.
“I’ll give you a ride. Get in.”
“Go back inside! What are you doing out here?”
“Who told you to leave without a word?”
As passersby glanced at them, Ire reluctantly got into the passenger seat. The car’s roof slid shut, completely blocking them from outside view.
“How can you chase after me in that condition? What will the staff think?”
“They’ll think I’ve completely lost my mind.”
“Then why did you just…”
He was about to scold Kim Ha-yoon for kissing him on the head, but he stopped himself. It would be a waste of breath. And Kwon So-young had walked in at that exact moment. To show such a display to someone else. Ire resented Kim Ha-yoon and wished he could disappear into a hole.
“We’re going home?”
Ire didn’t answer. As much as he tried to be cold, he felt uneasy about making a patient drive. He told him to go back, but Kim Ha-yoon insisted on setting the destination as Ire’s home. Finally, resigned, Ire just stared out the window, and before he knew it, they had arrived at the entrance of his neighborhood.
Contrary to his worries, Kim Ha-yoon didn’t push any further and stopped nearby. Ire kept looking out the window, worried that Matteo might see. He had left the house saying he’d be back soon, but he had stayed out all night, so he was bound to get an earful.
“Go inside.”
“Go straight home. I don’t want to hear news of you dying on the street tomorrow morning.”
“Are you worried about me?”
“Of course not. You’re my source of income, so it would be problematic if you died.”
“What a shame. I have somewhere I need to go today.”
When Ire asked where he was going in that state, Kim Ha-yoon just smiled instead of answering. “Go in safely. See you next time.” After making a promise with no guarantee, he waved lightly and drove off. Ire couldn’t move from that spot until the black sports car shrunk into a dot. He dismissed the feeling that Kim Ha-yoon’s face had looked lonely just now as his imagination.