By Zephyria 
Early in the morning, Seo Yi-kyung slowly pushed himself up from the bed. He raised his hand and rubbed his eyes as if to clear his hazy vision. Everything before him was blurred. Perhaps that was why the events of last night felt faint, as if he had been dreaming.
Lowering his legs from the bed and attempting to stand in a half-asleep daze, Seo Yi-kyung reached back to brace himself against the mattress. His lips trembled.
“……!”
He nearly collapsed as his legs gave way. A heavy breath escaped him involuntarily.
‘It wasn’t a dream.’
As a deep, throbbing pain surged through his entire body, Seo Yi-kyung finally woke up completely.
Step by step, Seo Yi-kyung approached the sink with a clumsy gait. He stared at his bloodless face and swollen lips before his head gradually lowered. He washed his face with lukewarm water.
The previous day, he had noticed a fruit stain on his pajamas and considered leaving it, but he eventually went down to the dressing room to change. On his way to the elevator, he encountered Han Seung-jae. The series of events that followed unfolded before his eyes like afterimages.
Han Seung-jae’s detached expression as he led him into the room with the ultrasound machine and unbuttoned his pajama shirt. The way Han Seung-jae stripped off his pants and underwear all at once, then gripped and spread the buttocks of Seo Yi-kyung, who was lying face down on the bed, rubbing his cock against him. He had then flipped over Seo Yi-kyung, who was struggling from being held too tightly from behind, and entered him again, thrusting relentlessly.
He had been told to lie down if it was too difficult, but receiving it from behind and from the front were equally exhausting.
Completely drained, Seo Yi-kyung finished showering in the bathroom, changed into pajamas with Han Seung-jae, returned to the second floor, and immediately sought sleep. Although Han Seung-jae was beside him, Seo Yi-kyung had no way to resist the overwhelming drowsiness. Having barely endured the urge to fall asleep in the bathtub just to make it to the bedroom, his stamina had been completely depleted. And when morning came, he was the only one who woke up in the bedroom.
……Tramp, tramp. Seo Yi-kyung turned away from the sink and grabbed a towel. As he dried his face and stepped out of the bathroom, he heard a knock at the door. Even without checking, there was a high probability it was Butler Do.
When Seo Yi-kyung opened the door, Butler Do, who had been knocking repeatedly, folded his hands politely in front of him.
“Young Master, Director Han has asked me to bring you down.”
Seo Yi-kyung had expected it to be Butler Do. However, he was bewildered when Han Seung-jae’s name was mentioned.
About to follow Butler Do, Seo Yi-kyung stepped back inside to throw an outer garment over his pajamas. He fastened a cardigan that reached down to his calves and entered the elevator.
As he entered the dining room, Han Seung-jae’s gaze, already seated, lingered on him.
“Since you’re here, sit here.”
It wasn’t that Seo Yi-kyung wanted to walk slowly. Pain flared in his buttocks with every step he took. Just because he didn’t let it show on his face didn’t mean it didn’t hurt.
Seo Yi-kyung fumbled as he gripped the dining table. He sat in the chair that Butler Do pulled out for him and stared straight ahead.
Perhaps he had just finished exercising, as there was still a slight dampness in Han Seung-jae’s hair. Moreover, he had already emptied a tall glass of water. Butler Do refilled the glass for him.
While Seo Yi-kyung found even walking difficult, Han Seung-jae seemed to have an abundance of energy. Come to think of it, it only happened once yesterday…
Still, perhaps because he had been curling and stretching his body on the bed in tension, there wasn’t a single spot in Seo Yi-kyung’s body that didn’t ache.
“Were you sleeping?”
At Han Seung-jae’s question, Seo Yi-kyung shook his head.
“No. I was just about to come down.”
His body felt as though he had performed intense exercise, with soreness in every corner, causing any trace of sleep to vanish instantly.
Butler Do was placing plates on the table, but Han Seung-jae’s words continued toward Seo Yi-kyung without hesitation.
“I had some things sent over yesterday. Did you receive them?”
Seo Yi-kyung hesitated just as he was about to grasp the water glass in front of him. What Han Seung-jae was referring to was undoubtedly the food brought from the Ivory Pavilion.
Seo Yi-kyung pondered for a moment on what to say to Han Seung-jae, who was staring intently at him. Just then, Butler Do, who was setting down the plates, chimed in.
“He enjoyed it very much. The quality of the meat was excellent, so I recommended it for dinner as well.”
Seo Yi-kyung’s cheeks flushed slightly. Whether he noticed or not, Butler Do added further to Han Seung-jae.
“He ate it all right then and there, as if he couldn’t get enough of it.”
Butler Do seemed to find greater joy than anyone else in seeing Han Seung-jae take special care of and treat Seo Yi-kyung with kindness. Thus, even while looking at Han Seung-jae’s expressionless face, he wore a smile rather than feeling fear.
“…….”
In contrast, Seo Yi-kyung scratched his forehead with his finger. Since he had eaten every bit of the meat on the plate, Butler Do’s words weren’t wrong at all. It was just that Han Seung-jae’s steady gaze felt piercing.
“Is that so?”
To Seo Yi-kyung, Han Seung-jae’s words sounded quite meaningful.
“Yes. Please let me know if there is anything lacking.”
Butler Do finished placing all the plates on the table and left the dining room. He positioned himself at the entrance, maintaining a distance where he could rush back if Han Seung-jae called.
Seo Yi-kyung reached out, lifted the water glass, and moistened his lips. Suddenly, his mouth felt parched and he was thirsty. It wasn’t his first time having breakfast opposite Han Seung-jae, yet he found it hard to know where to look.
“I suppose it suited your taste.”
Seo Yi-kyung hesitantly lowered the glass. He rubbed his wet lips with the back of his hand and then pressed down firmly. It felt similar to the sensation of his lips touching Han Seung-jae’s the previous day. He wondered if it felt that way because Han Seung-jae’s lips were so cold.
“…….”
Seo Yi-kyung lowered the hand from his lips and gave a barely perceptible nod. Regardless, the food Han Seung-jae had sent was delicious. So much so that he wanted more even after filling his stomach.
“If it’s not enough, tell someone to bring more. Or contact Secretary Park.”
Secretary Park wasn’t employed to do such things. He was a man busy enough just assisting Han Seung-jae. Knowing this, Seo Yi-kyung replied subtly.
“I ate plenty.”
Just as Han Seung-jae was about to speak, seemingly expecting Seo Yi-kyung to decline further as usual, Seo Yi-kyung’s words flowed out as if crumbling from his lips.
“Next time……”
The remaining words—that he wanted to go and eat there—broke apart against his lower lip. However, it seemed Han Seung-jae had heard it all. His low voice lingered in Seo Yi-kyung’s reddened ear.
“Alright.”
Seo Yi-kyung couldn’t remember how he had eaten breakfast. He simply repeated the action of putting food in his mouth, as if pushed by Han Seung-jae’s gaze. In the past, Han Seung-jae would have left for work before Seo Yi-kyung even woke up. Today, however, he had even instructed Butler Do to bring him down.
It probably wasn’t just to call him for breakfast; perhaps he was simply curious if the items he sent had been received well. Seo Yi-kyung, whose hand holding the chopsticks had stopped in mid-air, inadvertently turned his head, only to be pushed by Han Seung-jae’s gaze to finish half his meal.
Seo Yi-kyung stood blankly in the living room, watching Han Seung-jae head toward the entrance. The dark-colored suit following his broad shoulders was as refined as Han Seung-jae’s cold features.
Unlike Han Seung-jae, who had put on a coat over his suit, Seo Yi-kyung was still in his pajamas under his cardigan, but he stood there as if seeing him off.
Han Seung-jae’s gaze lingered briefly on Seo Yi-kyung before moving toward the door.
Only after watching Secretary Park bow and close the door behind them did Seo Yi-kyung move and let out a long sigh. He pressed the elevator button, stepped inside, and leaned against the wall.
‘Why did I suddenly say that?’
He had simply thought that he wanted to go and eat there in person, just as he had with Jin Seon-yu. The chef’s skill was great, but the Ivory Pavilion also had a wonderful atmosphere. There was a distinct difference between eating there and eating at home. However, that was supposed to remain a thought in his head, yet it had slipped out of his mouth.
Moreover, even though he had tried to suppress the end of the sentence, hadn’t Han Seung-jae answered as if he had heard everything? He must have understood it as a request to go and eat there together.
Ding. Stepping out of the elevator, Seo Yi-kyung was about to head to the bedroom on the second floor but stopped in his tracks.
After a moment of hesitation, he cautiously opened the door to the study Han Seung-jae used.
His clear eyes moved straight to one spot. Seo Yi-kyung gazed at the landscape painting of scattering cherry blossom petals on the wall. It was a fact that the location of the painting, which should have been in the painting studio, was different from the original work, but that didn’t guarantee that Han Seung-jae’s heart had changed as well.
‘As I thought, I said something I shouldn’t have.’