By Zephyria 
“Eight billion.”
Im Ha-young’s voice calling out the bid echoed through the auction hall. Her words rang out a second time.
A startled Seo Dong-hu bolted upright. No—! Contrary to his blood-curdling scream, Im Ha-young’s voice remained concise.
“Eight billion, sold to number 267.”
Hah… this is nonsense. Seo Dong-hu’s mouth hung open. This wasn’t what he had planned at all. Based on the Han Seung-jae he knew, he assumed the man had come to acquire the sword, the rarest and undoubtedly most special item among the auction lots. Otherwise, there was no explanation for why Han Seung-jae would visit such a place in person and even show his face.
In the first place, he had attended this event just to see Seo Yi-kyung, who had been ignoring his contacts. He had waited for that fleeting moment when Seo Yi-kyung might step away from Director Han’s side. But far from even having a conversation, an absurd catastrophe had just unfolded before his eyes.
Seo Dong-hu had intended to engage in a fierce bidding war with Han Seung-jae, continuously raising the price to keep pace and spite him. His strategy was to bask in the crowd’s attention before mercifully giving up. After all, Seo Dong-hu didn’t even have the financial means to purchase this sword.
His title as the Vice President of Woorim Construction was merely a fancy facade. Seo Young-hwan had simply given him the title because he cherished his son, who was the apple of his eye. After all, shouldn’t an Alpha have at least one decent business to his name? However, he didn’t actually do any real work. At first, Seo Young-hwan had entrusted him with a few tasks, but Seo Dong-hu had botched them every single time.
The hall buzzed with noise. Consequently, a flurry of gazes converged on him as he suddenly stood up.
Fuck. The admiring looks Seo Dong-hu had hoped for were nothing like this. With one hand in a cast, unable to contain his rage, Seo Dong-hu kicked the accompanying driver beside him, shouting, “Why didn’t you stop me?” before turning around and storming out of the hall. He had hired the driver specifically to stop him if he lost his mind, but as expected, the man was a useless piece of shit who couldn’t do a thing.
People whispered as they watched Seo Dong-hu’s retreating back.
“Didn’t Director Han buy it?”
“I was wondering the same thing.”
“I also thought Director Han came here to buy this.”
Seo Dong-hu had been thinking the same as them. However, at the very end, Han Seung-jae had given up the bid.
Number 489.
Why did Han Seung-jae give up on having it? Was there some major flaw in that sword? The Han Seung-jae he knew wasn’t that kind of person. Then, did that mean the reason he came here wasn’t for the sword? That was the best item! It was the highlight!
“Wait, could it be that Director Han’s number isn’t 489?”
Seo Dong-hu, who had been talking to himself, suddenly spat out a curse as if he had reached a great realization.
Fuck, fuck, fucking hell. This was all because of Seo Yi-kyung. Moreover, he hadn’t even gotten to meet him. After seeing them at the entrance, the two of them had vanished without a trace.
* * *
Rustle. Seo Yi-kyung woke up and rubbed his eyes. Long streaks of sunlight stretched across the quiet bedroom.
He checked the phone he had tucked under his pillow. There were missed calls from Seo Dong-hu. As Seo Yi-kyung moved his finger, a message appeared.
[Call me back. Something important happened at home.]
A week had passed since the auction. During that time, Seo Dong-hu had been contacting him every single day. Sometimes he threw tantrums, and other times he seemed to be coaxing him. Today, it seemed he was trying to pester him by suggesting there was an urgent family matter, rather than something about money.
Seo Yi-kyung slid his finger across the screen. He scrolled past a message from Seo Dong-hu sent two days ago saying, ‘You left something at home, so come pick it up.’
He checked to see if there was a message from Seon-yu, but there wasn’t.
I wonder if Seon-yu is holding up okay. The image of that bright, cheerfully smiling face flickered before his eyes.
Seo Yi-kyung got out of bed and tidied the blankets. The sensation was no longer that unfamiliar. He straightened his back and looked around. It was on a completely different level from the house he used to live in, but it felt like he was getting used to it now. When he first opened his eyes, he couldn’t even tell if it was a dream or reality.
Seo Yi-kyung entered the bathroom and approached the sink. He splashed cold water on his face repeatedly. He touched his stiff eyelids.
I overslept. When Han Seung-jae was around, he used to pretend to sleep and then actually fall asleep. That’s why he occasionally woke up this late.
Seo Yi-kyung dried his wet face with a dry towel. He wiped the water that had trickled down his slender wrist and left the room.
He walked along the long hallway and stepped onto the stairs. As he reached the first floor, the commotion grew louder.
All the residents staying in the house were staring straight ahead. Because of this, no one noticed Seo Yi-kyung slowly descending the stairs.
Seo Yi-kyung tilted his head. Did someone come? If it were Han Seung-jae, they wouldn’t all be standing still like this. They would have been scurrying about, frantically searching for their duties to get out of the way.
He looked toward the painting studio where everyone was staring, but he couldn’t see clearly.
“Is something going on?”
Seo Yi-kyung approached from behind, as if slipping into the crowd.
“Hieek!”
The woman jumped back, her shoulders tensing. Since all her attention had been focused forward, she seemed even more startled.
“Ah, sorry for surprising you.”
As Seo Yi-kyung waved his hand to calm her, she hurriedly spoke.
“No, it’s fine. They said a rare item arrived… so everyone was just watching.”
As she spoke vaguely, Seo Yi-kyung noticed the helpers standing nearby. They all blushed, looking awkward. Seo Yi-kyung said with a smile,
“What is it? Let me see too…”
“Young Master.”
Butler Do, who was some distance away, called out to Seo Yi-kyung. Seo Yi-kyung turned his gaze toward him.
“Come and see with me.”
Seo Yi-kyung followed Butler Do into the painting studio. The helpers followed hesitantly behind them. It seemed they were all very curious.
The large painting studio had a lot of empty space, with few items relative to its size. Two men were placing a glass case down. Because they were putting so much effort into it, a sense of tension hung between them as they coordinated their movements and exchanged signals.
Seo Yi-kyung’s feet came to a sudden halt.
“We meet again.”
Im Jeong-yun, who had been helping with the positioning, noticed Seo Yi-kyung late and approached him. She pointed to a spot in a polite tone.
“Shall we place it here?”
The glass case she pointed to was empty. However, Seo Yi-kyung already knew what items would fill it. It would be the pocket watch necklace and the hat.
Im Jeong-yun had asked Butler Do once. Butler Do had been instructed to leave them in the painting studio, but the exact location required Seo Yi-kyung’s decision.
“Ah…”
Seo Yi-kyung let out a short sigh and spoke.
“I’d prefer it if you could take them to the second-floor study.”
No matter how he thought about it, Seo Yi-kyung didn’t need these items. Moreover, weren’t these items too expensive to leave in the painting studio?
What would happen if such expensive things were left here and got broken? Not only could Seo Yi-kyung not afford to pay for them, but he also didn’t have the strength to deal with Han Seung-jae.
The two men moved again, sweating profusely. They took the elevator to the second floor. Unlike in the painting studio, no helpers followed them to the study on the second floor.
“I suppose this is all part of Director Han’s collection?”
Im Jeong-yun asked, looking around at the trophies hanging on the walls and sitting on the shelves. There were too many extravagant items for it to be called a mere study. Instead of answering, Seo Yi-kyung gave a bitter smile.
Suddenly, his gaze lingered on a long chest of drawers. It was a drawer that could only be opened by pulling handles from both sides.
“Shall we put it here?”
At the men’s words, Seo Yi-kyung looked forward. Everyone was waiting for his answer. Seo Yi-kyung pretended to ponder for a moment before nodding. If the location wasn’t to his liking, Han Seung-jae would come and change it. Then, they carefully placed the glass case on a shelf that held a porcelain piece nearly as white as jade. Although it had no patterns or engravings, there must have been a reason why Han Seung-jae placed it there.
Then, a person wearing gloves entered and opened a locked bag. Kneeling on the floor, they carefully took out the pocket watch necklace with an attitude so cautious it seemed as if they weren’t even breathing.
Im Jeong-yun’s face, which had been smiling softly until a moment ago, also turned serious. She gave a particular warning to the gloved person to ensure no scratches occurred on the item.
The gloved person calmly placed the pocket watch necklace into the glass case with both hands. After that, they placed the hat inside with an equally reverent posture.
Seo Yi-kyung stared blankly at them, as if they were performing some kind of ritual. It felt like looking at high-priced items in a store. Things that didn’t belong to him.
The men left, and Im Jeong-yun, who was about to leave last, approached him.
“Looking at the paintings in the studio earlier, your skill in painting landscapes is outstanding. Are you really not painting anymore?”
“…….”
The memory of telling Im Jeong-yun before that he no longer painted resurfaced. However, if she had seen a painting he had actually painted among those in the studio, she wouldn’t have been able to say this. She wouldn’t have said it at all.
Noticing the change in Seo Yi-kyung’s expression, Im Jeong-yun changed the subject.
“Please visit our Atelier whenever it is convenient for you. I will be waiting.”
With a bright face, Im Jeong-yun made the request, bid him farewell, and left. The sound of her footsteps grew distant as she walked away with the men who had been at the door.
Step, step. Seo Yi-kyung walked over and gazed at the newly arrived pocket watch necklace and hat. Seeing them this close made them feel different. Then, Han Seung-jae’s face came to mind. The way he pressed their lips together and caressed his waist.
Seo Yi-kyung rubbed his flushing bare face. He turned around to leave the study. As he headed for the door, his gaze suddenly landed on the chest of drawers. The horizontally long, four-tiered chest was higher than his waist. Expensive items were displayed on top of it.
It had been on his mind for a while. It wasn’t even clear if the chest of drawers he had read about in the original work was here. At the time, he had been in a daze after waking up from sleep after taking suppressants.
‘Seeing as there’s no lock, maybe it doesn’t contain anything important.’
Seo Yi-kyung reached out with both hands. He pulled the handles with both hands and opened the drawer.