By Zephyria 
Since it was well past midnight, the car moved without any traffic. Soon, Seo Yi-kyung gazed at the familiar surrounding scenery. His pale face was reflected in the car window. Before long, the sedan slowed down and came to a stop.
Secretary Park stepped out of the passenger seat and opened the rear door. Han Seung-jae stepped out and looked back. On the opposite side, the driver was holding the door.
Despite this, Seo Yi-kyung did not exit the car immediately, scanning the surroundings with his eyes. Then, the sound of footsteps echoed. He could feel Han Seung-jae approaching, not just with his ears, but with his entire body. Seo Yi-kyung slowly stepped out of the car.
For the first time in a very long while, Seo Yi-kyung felt as though he had returned home. Passing through the open iron gates, the garden where he used to take walks and paint came into view. The garden, where the softly lit lamps along the stone steps looked like embroidery, was filled only with silence.
“Young Master.”
Seo Yi-kyung flinched as he entered the house. Butler Do was walking quickly toward him from a distance. Everything was exactly as it had been when Seo Yi-kyung left this house. Approaching him, Butler Do examined Seo Yi-kyung’s appearance with eyes full of worry. Butler Do was hiding his right hand behind his back, but Seo Yi-kyung didn’t have the leisure to check that.
Butler Do had received treatment on a different floor from the hospital room where Seo Yi-kyung stayed. He frequently checked to see if Seo Yi-kyung was alright, but he never dared to visit him. He thought that Seo Yi-kyung might still be unable to recover from the shock of that day. In fact, the scars from that day still remained on Butler Do’s right hand.
Despite Secretary Park’s suggestion to stay longer and receive treatment at the hospital, he had returned home to attend to his duties. It was as if he were preparing everything so that Seo Yi-kyung could rest comfortably whenever he returned. And finally, Seo Yi-kyung had returned. Having received word from Secretary Park a moment ago, Butler Do had made all the necessary preparations.
“Are you feeling alright?”
Those were the exact words Seo Yi-kyung had intended to say. However, since Butler Do spoke first, it was evident that Seo Yi-kyung was struggling with what to say. As Seo Yi-kyung checked to see if Butler Do was injured, the image of the moment Butler Do lunged at Seo Dong-hu played repeatedly in his mind.
Seo Yi-kyung had acted as if he were fine on the surface, but in truth, it was so horrific that he didn’t even want to remember it. He didn’t want to recall the memory of a blade grazing his chest.
“Your arm…”
Butler Do trailed off, looking at the cast on Seo Yi-kyung’s left hand.
“Do you not grasp the situation?”
At Han Seung-jae’s words, Butler Do took a sharp step back. Having heard from Secretary Park that he was injured while protecting Seo Yi-kyung, Han Seung-jae had overlooked the fact that he had deceived him in the past. But that was only once.
“I am sorry.”
Seo Yi-kyung followed Han Seung-jae through the living room.
Suddenly, it occurred to Seo Yi-kyung that the sofa and table that used to occupy a part of the living room were gone. The image of Min Ra-hyeon drinking coffee there was still vivid in his mind. However, that area was so empty it felt hollow. It was as if it had been carved out with a knife. But Seo Yi-kyung couldn’t think deeply and continued walking.
As if snapping back to his senses, Butler Do walked past the two of them and pressed the elevator button. Seo Yi-kyung’s complexion was not good, and he was someone who had just returned home from the hospital. Thus, Butler Do intended for him to go up to the bedroom on the second floor and rest quickly.
As Butler Do pressed the button, the elevator doors, which had been stopped on the first floor, opened. Han Seung-jae entered first, and Seo Yi-kyung, who was following, came to a halt.
Butler Do seemed puzzled, but Han Seung-jae likely knew why Seo Yi-kyung couldn’t cross that single line.
Han Seung-jae spoke coldly.
“Bring Min Ra-hyeon here.”
“…!”
Just the mention of his name made Seo Yi-kyung’s spine stiffen. Han Seung-jae was looking at Seo Yi-kyung, but his words were directed at Butler Do. Butler Do asked back, sounding surprised.
“What do you mean? Hasn’t he already left?”
At Han Seung-jae’s demand for someone who wasn’t even in the house, Butler Do tried to confirm if he had misheard.
Seo Yi-kyung stared blankly at Butler Do. There was no lie on Butler Do’s face. He had never tried to deceive Seo Yi-kyung. Moreover, Butler Do was not as skilled as Han Seung-jae at hiding his expressions. He was genuinely bewildered by Han Seung-jae’s words.
“Are you going to keep standing there?”
“But…”
Butler Do was confused about how to bring someone who wasn’t there.
Seo Yi-kyung took a step forward. As the elevator doors closed, Han Seung-jae turned his head to the side. Seo Yi-kyung felt Han Seung-jae’s gaze looking down at him.
If Han Seung-jae hadn’t been beside him, Seo Yi-kyung would have asked Butler Do for the reason. However, with Han Seung-jae there, there was no opportunity to say such things. Once Han Seung-jae entered the study, should he go back down to the first floor to meet Butler Do?
However, upon exiting the elevator, Han Seung-jae entered the bathroom attached to the bedroom.
“…”
Standing alone, Seo Yi-kyung looked around. The room was filled with a scent of white musk, even stronger than at the hospital. It was only natural, as it was where Han Seung-jae stayed.
Seo Yi-kyung took off the jacket draped over his shoulders and placed it on a chair. He stared at the pajamas on the bed, then turned his head toward the closed door.
* * *
Seo Yi-kyung took the elevator down to the first floor. Unlike before, Butler Do was nowhere to be seen. Throughout the walk along the familiar path he had traversed many times, Seo Yi-kyung’s heart beat rapidly.
Seo Yi-kyung reached for the doorknob. He hesitated several times, feeling that if he opened this door, Min Ra-hyeon would turn his head. He lowered his hand in hesitation, then raised it again.
Finally, he carefully clicked the door open. Seo Yi-kyung’s long shadow stretched out before him. The dark room was lit only by the light seeping in from the living room.
What greeted him was an empty bed.
‘Min Ra-hyeon isn’t here.’
Seo Yi-kyung turned on the light, walked into the room, and examined it thoroughly. However, there was no sign of anyone.
Did he move to another room? Seo Yi-kyung’s thoughts were drifting toward absurd possibilities. As he opened a nearby door, Seo Yi-kyung’s hand paused. In that moment, he realized what he was doing. If he opened every door in this house, he would spend the entire night and still not be finished.
Seo Yi-kyung closed the door and got into the elevator.
With a sunken expression, he walked down the second-floor hallway. As he slowly opened the bedroom door, Han Seung-jae, wearing a bathrobe, looked back at him.
“I suppose I didn’t have that much of your trust.”
As he entered, Seo Yi-kyung left the bedroom door slightly ajar. However, Han Seung-jae walked over and reached his arm over Seo Yi-kyung’s shoulder to close the door.
It was as if he were removing any chance of escape from this room.
“Min Ra-hyeon isn’t in his room.”
Seo Yi-kyung’s voice leaked out softly. Han Seung-jae withdrew his hand from the door and looked down at Seo Yi-kyung.
“Didn’t you hear what Butler Do said earlier?”
The reason Han Seung-jae had asked for Min Ra-hyeon was to make sure Seo Yi-kyung heard that he was not in the house.
“That he left.”
Despite that, at Seo Yi-kyung’s attempt to verify, Han Seung-jae answered kindly. At that, Seo Yi-kyung’s lips trembled. However, the words failed to become sound and crumbled on his tongue. Left? Where could Min Ra-hyeon have gone?
Did Han Seung-jae’s words mean that Min Ra-hyeon had returned to his own home? But Min Ra-hyeon had stayed here because he didn’t want to get married. Therefore, there was no way he would have gone back. Wasn’t the person Min Ra-hyeon liked Han Seung-jae? And Han Seung-jae felt the same…
Just then, Han Seung-jae grabbed Seo Yi-kyung’s arm with a wet hand. Seo Yi-kyung was led toward the bed. Suddenly, Han Seung-jae grabbed the knit sweater Seo Yi-kyung was wearing.
It happened the moment Seo Yi-kyung looked up at him. The knit, brushing past thin strands of hair, was pulled off and fell to the floor. The bandages wrapped from Seo Yi-kyung’s shoulders to his chest were revealed.
It was the moment Seo Yi-kyung tried to step back. However, Han Seung-jae was not soft enough to simply let Seo Yi-kyung go. A cold voice sounded above Seo Yi-kyung’s head.
“Don’t provoke me.”
Seo Yi-kyung put strength into the heels he had pulled back, struggling to keep his knees from buckling. Han Seung-jae picked up the folded pajamas from the bed and wrapped them around Seo Yi-kyung’s shoulders. The fabric, with a texture different from the hospital gown, tickled as it wrapped around and slid down his gaunt back.