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Tap, tap, tap…
The sound of the tip of his fountain pen, with his initials engraved on top of it, echoed throughout the representative’s office as it hit against the newly changed hardwood desk. Instead of signing the documents, Lee Juwon was thinking about what had happened at the Chinese restaurant.
“Sigh…”
The confession was a huge failure.
The outcome was terrible, but the process was by far the worst. He couldn’t even take out the ring.
That day, Lee Juwon was also bewildered.
He looked at the promotion poster for December on the wall. His eyes locked with Kang Inheon, who was smiling brightly in the poster.
“What…? Worn out? Selling my body?”
At the time, all he could think about was somehow clearing up Kang Inheon’s misunderstanding, but the more he thought about the conversation, the angrier he got. Kang Inheon’s way of speaking wasn’t negligible; it was too much to pass off as his own karma.
He had known about his other side before, hidden behind his sunny smile and gentle voice. Lee Juwon clenched the fountain pen and slammed it down on the desk.
“The whole world should know what you’re really like… Ugh!”
His hand tingled as if electricity had run through it. His fingers lost their strength, and the fountain pen dropped to the desk. Lee Juwon looked down at his injured palm.
The outpouring of potions and healing pulse had paid off, and his hand was nearly healed with no after-effects, but it was still sensitive to external stimuli. Looking at the long, diagonal, ruddy scar on his palm, he mumbled, “It’s good to have a thicker lifeline, huh…”
Lee Juwon leaned back in his new buffalo-hide chair. Perhaps because of its expensive price, it felt soft, like being buried in a cloud.
In truth, he didn’t want to show it to anyone. His face, which was cold enough to lower the temperature of their surroundings; his anger, which made him forget to breathe; his mouth, spitting out harsh words and sarcastic remarks; and even the rawness of the gloomy look in his eyes.
It was a side of him that only I could see.
A Kang Inheon who was kind to everyone, friendly to a jealous extent, and angry only with me. Only towards me… a Kang Inheon full of affection.
“…He was cute when he was younger, though…”
Lee Juwon fondly thought of the soft Kang Inheon from his younger days. But he couldn’t hope for Kang Inheon to stay the same when he himself had changed so much.
Lee Juwon, who had been trying to expand his genuine interpersonal relationships but still hadn’t made a friend to consult about his worries with, began to answer his own questions.
What was the problem?
Should he have said “I love you” first? I love you, I like you, you’re the only one for me, let’s get married—weren’t they all the same words?
What was the problem?
Were the visions he saw in the dungeon just illusions? A delusion created by his subconscious?
The more he thought back on it, the more strange it was that the real Kang Inheon seemed to know the guestbooks they wrote together in the vision of the past, the arcade they went to together, and the conversations they shared together. There were too many unexplainable aspects to just think of it as a coincidence. Now he wasn’t sure whether or not it was real.
But even if everything that had happened in the dungeon was an illusion or a coincidence, it didn’t change anything. It didn’t matter if it was only just a dream.
He was in love. That much was clear. Looking back, he wondered why he didn’t know, and what was even stranger not to notice was how the real Kang Inheon was in love with him.
As expected, his behaviour all this time was the problem, wasn’t it? He couldn’t ask for it since he had never acted trustworthy. He did his best to show that he had changed from before, but it seemed like it still wasn’t enough. Lee Juwon sighed deeply again.
Knock, knock.
There was the sound of a knock. Soon, he heard a voice as well.
“Mr. CEO, it’s Attorney Park.”
“Come in.”
The door opened as Lee Juwon sat down. Attorney Park Incheol walked in and greeted him. He laid down an approval board in front of Lee Juwon and said, “Mr. CEO, this is the civil union contract draft you mentioned.”
Lee Juwon read the contract that Attorney Park had brought him carefully.
<Civil Union Property Agreement Contract>
The Gab and the Eul, who are scheduled to have a civil union, must sign the following property agreement prior to entering into a civil union.
Below
<Article 1> [Purpose]
This contract grants an exceptional effect on the presumption of property sharing by specifying the ownership of the property that the Gab and the Eul have mutually owned prior to the civil union.
<Article 2> [Ownership of property prior to civil union]
If the Gab dissolves the civil union of their own free will or for any other reason, the property registered prior to the civil union shall be fully recognized as the Gab’s. Therefore, the Eul has no right to divide property and is excluded from inheritance.
If the Eul dissolves the civil union of their own free will or for any other reason, all property registered prior to the civil union shall be paid to the Gab as alimony. In the event of the Eul’s death, the Gab shall inherit it.
<Article 3> [Property Ownership After Civil Union]
If the Gab dissolves the civil union of their own free will or for any other reason, the joint property after the civil union shall be distributed according to the proportion contributed to the growth of the property. At this time, even if liability falls on the Gab, it will not be taken into account in the distribution ratio.
If the Eul dissolves the civil union of their own free will or for any other reason, the joint property after the civil union shall be distributed according to the proportion contributed to the growth of the property.
……
“Good, this should be enough.”
“…Is this the contract you’ll be using?”
Attorney Park asked cautiously, and Lee Juwon nodded. Park Incheol, who had his doubts, murmured to himself, “Ah… um…”
The gross unfairness of the contract was more surprising than Lee Juwon’s willingness to enter into a same-sex marriage.
“Would the other person… accept this kind of contract? Perhaps a few changes would…”
“It’s okay.”
Park Incheol, who felt sympathetic towards the Eul, wailed on the inside. No, it’s okay for you since you’re the Gab, but it’s not okay for the Eul…
Attorney Park was good at his job as a corporate attorney, but Park Incheol was a good-natured middle-aged man who was stigmatized for growing plants, unlike his big appearance and gruff voice. This contract tugged at his heartstrings.
He wondered if he had changed a bit these days, but as expected, people don’t change. It was a contract that would even cool down a thousand years of love if it was pushed in front of someone. There were too many poisonous clauses, and the unspecified terms were also a problem. It only said that the matters of liability of the Gab would not be taken into account, which meant that the matters of liability of the Eul could be taken into account.
He didn’t know who Lee Juwon’s civil union partner was, but he felt sorry for them. Reading Park Incheol’s uneasy expression, Lee Juwon calmly said, “I’m the Eul.”
“…What?”
Park Incheol was even more shocked than before. Eul? Lee Juwon, the epitome of a powertripper, the Eul? Why? How?
Moreover, if that was the case, it wasn’t a problem where he could just feel sorry for him and move past it. Lee Juwon was the person he needed to protect in legal matters.
“Mr. CEO, you should never sign as the Eul here. Scrap the contract and…”
“No… It has to be this…”
“What?”
“Yes, well… He’s got more money than me… There’s no point in talking about his abilities… He’s handsome… His body is good, too…”
“…Are you speaking about the other party?”
“Still, it’s really not as if I’m proposing to him just because of those conditions, right? No, what do you see me as…?!”
Park Incheol thought, wasn’t he seeing right?
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“P’w jrxlcu tlw ab wjggs wf yfmjerf P kjca ab ulnf tlw fnfgsatlcu P tjnf… P tjnf j iba bo wbcfs, abb! Vb wemt atja P mjc’a fnfc rqfcv la jii lc atlr ilofalwf!”
Uh huh, yeah, must be nice… Give me some…
“P mjc’a atlcx bo jcs batfg kjs ab qgbnf ws ibnf atjc atlr…”
Park Incheol, who was suddenly stopped to listen to Lee Juwon’s relationship troubles, just repeatedly opened and closed his mouth.
After letting out a sigh, Lee Juwon put the contract in a drawer and said, “Anyhow, thank you for your efforts.”
“…You shouldn’t sign it.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“Mr. CEO, it’s not a problem just concerning you personally. It’s also about your shares in the company…”
“It’s okay, I’m sure everyone will be happy if the CEO changes.”
“……”
“Have a good weekend.”
He was speechless.
However, was the Lee Juwon really going to sign as the Eul?
Attorney Park shook his head from side to side.
Who was worried about who? The most useless worry in the world was worrying about Lee Juwon. He had become a bit dull now, but Lee Juwon was originally sharp like the blade of a knife. There was no way he would be so blinded by love that he would sign an unfair contract with himself as the Eul.
Shoo, shoo~ Park Incheol, who was trying to shake off the thoughts in his head and leave, paused in front of the door.
He hesitated for a moment, even as he grasped the iron door handle.
Park Incheol sorted his thoughts and turned around to say, “Mr. CEO.”
Lee Juwon, who had turned back to the approved documents, raised his head.
Although it sounded more like a monologue spoken out of frustration than speaking out his worries, Park Incheol couldn’t help but ask the question that had been on his mind since earlier.
“…Do they love you too?”
Sure enough, the first question was whether or not it was reciprocated, and Lee Juwon nodded.
“Of course… much more than me…”
Lee Juwon sighed again at the end of his sentence. Lee Juwon’s face, dyed with apprehension, was like a lily of the valley with its head down. Ahem, Park Incheol, who had been unknowingly watching the scene in a daze, cleared his throat and continued, “In that case… I don’t think receiving the contract from the Gab position will change their mind. Like how you want to give everything to the other person, if they truly loved you too… Rather, wouldn’t they be upset? If they’re the kind of person who changes their mind after seeing the contract… I just hope you won’t enter into a civil union with them…”
Park Incheol’s husky voice continued slowly in the quiet representative’s office.
“Isn’t what you really want to convey through that contract how you want to ask for their trust? Then just say it. Be honest about… why you want to be with them for the rest of your life, and how you want to live with them in the future…”
Park Incheol felt a little embarrassed as he spoke, remembering the proposal he had made to his wife. His daughter was already in high school, he was too old to be giving relationship advice. Scratching the back of his neck, Park Incheol turned around and grabbed the door handle again.
“Also, I don’t think anyone would be happy about the CEO changing.”
“Attorney Park Incheol,” Lee Juwon called from behind him as he finally opened the door with a creak. He turned around to see Lee Juwon’s white smile, like a lily of the valley with its head raised.
“Thank you.”
Since then, a week had passed. The long-awaited day had finally arrived. It was the day Kang Inheon was supposed to return after clearing the dungeon that had occurred in Haenam.
But after waiting all day, there was no word from him. He didn’t answer his calls, nor did he reply to his messages. Kang Inheon always came to the company first when he returned, but this time, another team leader had submitted the report.
After being handed the heavy report, Lee Juwon jumped to his feet. He couldn’t sit still and wait any longer.
He couldn’t hear his secretary asking him where he was going or the greetings of his employees in the elevator. He went down to the underground parking lot and thoughtlessly drove off.
He had just bought a new car not too long ago. The Rolls-Royce SUV had a different breadth, seat height, viewing angle, etc. than his previous car, and it took him a few days to get used to it, but he was now proficient at riding it.
The tires were reinforced with fibre so they could withstand punctures, and the car body was bulletproof so it could handle stepping on a landmine or a grenade blast. Still, instead of speeding off at a yellow light in the distance, he stopped and drove safely within the city’s 50km speed limit before finally arriving at Terra Palace.
Getting out of the car, Lee Juwon looked up at the high-rise building. It was definitely his first time here, but it didn’t feel like his first time. The suiseki in the lobby and the orchid, the security guards protecting the entrance, and even the desk clerk.
Normally, visitors without prior notice wouldn’t even be allowed in, but today, Lee Juwon found it fortunate to have a well-known face. The security guards and desk clerk gladly let him through the main entrance, as the December CEO Lee Juwon was looking for one of his hunters, Kang Inheon, whose phone was broken.
However, when the desk clerk connected the intercom to Kang Inheon’s home, they covered the lower speaker area of the receiver and spoke in a troubled voice, “He said he’d come to the company himself.”
“…Can you put me on the phone for a moment?”
Lee Juwon put on his best, unaffected smile and held out his hand. The desk clerk was flustered, then carefully handed him the receiver. It had been difficult for him to get the receiver, but all he could hear was a mechanical sound.
Ddu, ddu, ddu, ddu—.
“…Hunter Kang.”
A moment later, speaking into the already disconnected receiver, Lee Juwon said, “Ah… Then do that.”
Lee Juwon handed the receiver to the desk clerk and smiled refreshingly.
“He said his phone works now.”
He could feel the unwanted stares. At this point, there was no way he was going to lend credence to the rumours about Kang Inheon changing jobs that had been circulating around lately.
Resisting the urge to barge in, Lee Juwon turned around first. Because it was his turn to wait now.
Unlike in recent days, when he had been arriving to work slower and leaving earlier, Lee Juwon stayed in the representative’s office all day. But Kang Inheon, who had said he’d come find him in person, didn’t show up the next day, or the next, or the next next, or the next next next day.
It was common for Lee Juwon to repeatedly stand up in surprise when the door of the representative’s office opened, startling the people who came in as well.
His phone vibrated frequently, but the call he was waiting for never came. With no texts and no calls, there was only one way to go.
Lee Juwon headed back to Kang Inheon’s house.
But Kang Inheon had even stopped answering the intercom now. The desk clerk put down the receiver and carefully said, “Maybe he’s out right now.”
“Ah… I must’ve come at the wrong time.”
Although he laughed, Lee Juwon knew that Kang Inheon was at home. He had bribed a Terra Palace employee to contact him if Kang Inheon ever left the house. According to his report, Kang Inheon was confining himself at home.
Of course, if it was Kang Inheon, he could come and go as he pleased without anyone noticing, but he didn’t need to do such a thing in his own house as he didn’t know that someone had been bribed. Lee Juwon had absolutely no idea what he was doing in that empty house of his.
Lee Juwon casually crept towards the emergency stairs, only to be stopped by a security guard. It was the first time he missed being invisible.
“This is not the way.”
It was a detached and polite interruption by the security guard, but it pissed off Lee Juwon. Stairs aren’t a way? Don’t you even dare use overpasses or the metro again in the future… Lee Juwon swore at them with his eyes, but he had no choice but to leave.
After leaving Terra Palace, Lee Juwon looked up at the building. Kang Inheon’s house was too high to see properly. Since Terra Palace was a split-level complex, there were only odd-numbered floors, so the house directly below him was on the 47th floor…
Once in his car, Lee Juwon sent a message to his asset manager.
「Buy the 47th floor of Terra Palace, Jaehyeon-dong.」
Lee Juwon leaned back in his seat and stared out the window.
Riiiiing, riiiiing—.
A few moments later, the phone rang. The name “Manager Yoon” appeared on the phone’s screen. He was an asset manager that was fairly useful, having the capability to buy any stock or item per Lee Juwon’s command.
– Hello, CEO Lee? This is Yoon Cheoljung.
“Yes.”
– After investigating, there is only one unit on the 47th floor of Terra Palace, and it is not up for sale… However, there are two below on the 39th floor, would you like me to check those?
“No, it has to be the 47th floor.”
– Um…
“Get in touch with the owner directly. Double it, and they’ll sell it. No, triple it on the condition that they have to move out in two days. I’ll buy it one way or another.”
No. 4701 moved out quickly, and Yoon Cheoljung even called in a move-in cleaner. He even said that the furniture would be delivered tomorrow. No matter what anyone said, money was good. Lee Juwon thought of spending that good money well now.
Lying in the middle of the clean but still empty living room, Lee Juwon stared at the high ceiling.
Kang Inheon must’ve been above it.
“Hunter Kang.”
“Kang Inheon.”
“Inheon-ah…”
There was no voice answering back, but he felt much more relaxed and at ease with the thought of Kang Inheon being on the other side of the wall. When he looked up from the ground, it kept making him feel like he couldn’t touch him, and that soured his mood.
It was as if he were in the dungeon’s dream, where no matter how many times he called out to him, he wouldn’t answer, and no matter how many times he grabbed him, he couldn’t be grasped. Even now, when he laid down and reached out, all he could grasp was thin air… Just knowing that he was on the other side of that wall was comforting.
There were no security guards to stop him now. But he was strangely nervous to actually go up there again. What if he was still angry, what if the misunderstandings were never resolved, what if he didn’t open the door at all?
“Haa…”
With a sigh, Lee Juwon shook his head and got to his feet. Moping around wasn’t going to fix this. Pulling himself together, Lee Juwon left the entrance. He took the emergency stairs from his memory to the 49th floor.
“…It’s been a long time, huh.”
Lee Juwon stood in the wide, ornate corridor of the 49th floor and rang the doorbell.
But it was the same as before, no matter how many times he rang the bell, no one came out.
Kung, kung, kung…
The banging on the large door grew stronger and stronger.
Kwang, kwang, kwang…
As his hands grew increasingly sore, Lee Juwon began to wonder.
…Was he really not home?
A short vibration sounded in his pocket. Lee Juwon checked his phone.
「No changes.」
It was the hourly text message from the janitor. It meant that Kang Inheon was at home… but the idea of monitoring his entry and exit was illogical. Who would be able to monitor and shadow him? If that were possible, they must be an S-class hunter too. Then, where the hell did Kang Inheon go…
“He’ll come back at some point…”
He even moved in, so he could keep watch from downstairs. As Lee Juwon turned to leave, hoping that Terra Palace was a building with bad noise insulation between floors, unlike its expensive price, the door clicked open.
“Ah…”
The figure of Kang Inheon was revealed.
His appearance was a sight to behold.
He almost questioned if this was the same Kang Inheon who was the whole nation’s sunshine man, every mother-in-law’s number one bridegroom pick, and the one who was enthroned as the number one man people wanted to give chocolates to on Valentine’s Day. His hair was dishevelled, his face gaunt and haggard, and he was only wearing a track suit on top of a T-shirt.
Kang Inheon wasn’t even surprised to see Lee Juwon. He opened the door a little further and turned around.
Lee Juwon entered Kang Inheon’s house. The interior of the house was familiar. It was dark, with blackout curtains drawn over the windows and no lights on. The front door closed, blocking out the light from the hallway.
Kang Inheon could see well in this darkness, but Lee Juwon was a normal person. Having only lived downstairs for a day, he had a rough idea of the layout of the house, so Lee Juwon groped around the walls and switched on the lights.
The house was still tidy to an excessive extent. Except for the pile of empty liquor bottles on top of the island bar in the kitchen.
Lee Juwon walked over to the island bar, sat on a stool, and said, “…Would you like to have a drink together?”
Kang Inheon slowly sat down in front of him but didn’t answer.
Shrugging his shoulders, Lee Juwon brought the glass cup that Kang Inheon had been drinking from towards him. The liquor in the cup had a nice colour and aroma. It was a soft mix of vanilla and caramel.
But when he took a sip, Lee Juwon almost spat it out. He didn’t even have time to taste it. It wasn’t alcohol, it was just acetone assaulting his brain. The biting taste was like chewing on a whole pepper, and Lee Juwon stifled a cough and set the cup down.
Kang Inheon stood up from his stool and opened the large fridge in the back. He pulled out a bottle of water, uncapped it, and held it out to Lee Juwon.
As it turned out, cask strength that hadn’t been diluted with water made up most of the empty bottles. Lee Juwon washed down his mouth with the bottle of water, aching from the alcohol degree, which seemed to be past 60 degrees, and said, “This… if you light it, it’ll catch fire, won’t it?”
Kang Inheon poured himself another drink and swallowed it down without comment. There was no chance of trying to have a conversation over a drink. All he could do was watch in silence as Kang Inheon poured and drank.
Time passed like that. The windows were covered, and only a dim light was on in the kitchen, so it was hard to tell how much time had passed. Lee Juwon stared at Kang Inheon while cupping his chin, then suddenly spoke, “I’ve moved downstairs.”
“……”
“Did you know that?”
“……”
“No, because you weren’t answering the intercom or your phone, and… I couldn’t even use the stairs in the lobby.”
“……”
“Um, does it make me seem a bit like a stalker? Were you scared?”
It seemed like his joke had worked, and Kang Inheon smiled. His gaze, which had only been looking at his cup, lifted, and he made eye contact with Lee Juwon.
The orange light hanging from the ceiling cast sharp shadows on Kang Inheon’s face. Lips wet with bitter alcohol opened.
“Do you want me to show you something truly scary?”
Lee Juwon quickly answered, curious and eager to keep the conversation going, “What is it?”
Kang Inheon stood up with a stagger. Turning loosely out of the kitchen, he returned with a file folder. The black file folder dropped onto the table.
He motioned his chin at it, as if telling him to open it.
When he opened it, a piece of paper was stuck inside. Kang Inheon said in a low voice, “When I registered at the HA after awakening as a hunter… you know that we had to write a will.”
The old paper with discoloured ends was Kang Inheon’s handwritten will. The will, notarized by the Hunter Association’s legal team, contained only one line.
Payment of compensation and inheritance of property upon death: Lee Juwon (XX1121-1109627), Palace Villa No. 3, Mayeon-dong, Seoul
Palace Villa No. 3 was the address of the home Lee Juwon lived in a long time ago. He moved so often that he couldn’t remember exactly when. Looking at Lee Juwon, who furrowed his brows, Kang Inheon spoke in a hollow voice, “Look at when it was written.”
Lee Juwon’s gaze fell to the date at the very bottom. The will was written seven years ago, on December 17th, the day Kang Inheon awakened as a hunter and registered with the Hunter Association, a week before his December interview.
Looking down at the will, Lee Juwon’s eyes shook. Kang Inheon said, letting out a flat laugh, “I’m giving you one last chance.”
“……”
“You should be running away, not marrying me.”
“……”
“Before I even joined the company… before we even met, I…” Kang Inheon smiled bitterly and continued, “Anyway… it’ll all be yours soon enough, even if you don’t do anything unnecessary… Just wait a bit…”
Lee Juwon just stared at the will and said nothing. Silence descended between them.
After a long moment, Lee Juwon lifted his drooping gaze to look at Kang Inheon.
“Hunter Kang.”
His eyes locked with Kang Inheon, who had raised his glass to his lips. Lee Juwon calmly spoke, “Wills are less powerful than you think. Neither of us have family, but in Korea, once your blood relatives are determined to find you, they’ll stick to you one way or another.”
Kang Inheon’s eyes, slightly dim from tipsiness, were filled with questions. However, he soon understood what Lee Juwon meant.
“You don’t want a single penny of your share to be taken away?”
“Yes.”
Lee Juwon nodded his head.
“I’ve thought about giving up the inheritance of property even if we entered a civil union, but that won’t do. I don’t want to give anything to any of Hunter Kang’s possible relatives. The same goes for my relatives, too.”
“……”
“Isn’t this the money that Hunter Kang risked his life to earn? As you know, I worked hard to gather mine, too. We have to use it in moderation and live well now.”
Lee Juwon, who had been rubbing his face with his hand, snatched away the glass Kang Inheon was holding. The glass cup sparkled in the indirect light.
“Ha… I think you’re going to misunderstand me again if I put it like this…”
Swirling the glass without drinking, Lee Juwon stared down at the clear, amber liquid. Kang Inheon looked at him at an angle.
Lee Juwon, who had been looking at the glass for a while, suddenly spoke, “When I was twenty, I went to the hospital because my stomach hurt too much, and it was my appendix.”
He raised his gaze and looked at Kang Inheon as he continued, “So, my appendix has no end. No matter how much of a stalker you are, you didn’t know that, did you?”
Lee Juwon chuckled jokingly and scratched his cheek with his finger. The look on Kang Inheon’s face showed that he wasn’t unaware.
“Hm… You know that too. That’s impressive.”
When Lee Juwon looked at his glass again, Kang Inheon poured it full of bottled water. To think that he himself was drinking it straight while pouring water like this. Lee Juwon laughed a little, thinking it was funny. He brought it to his lips, and it still smelled good.
“Anyway, I had to have surgery… They keep telling me to bring a guardian because I was legally a minor back then, but at that time, I didn’t really have anyone to call. The only adults I could think of were… my homeroom teacher when I was in my 3rd year of high school, the owner of the convenience store, and the parents of the house I tutored at, and I think that’s about it?” Lee Juwon’s voice continued calmly, “I could have asked any of them to come, and they probably would have. Out of feelings of compassion, thinking that I had even asked them of all people. But since I just kept grumbling, the hospital couldn’t do anything and operated on me without a guardian.
After taking a moment to even out his breathing, Lee Juwon shrugged.
“I’ve been thinking about why I foolishly held it in and allowed the peritonitis to progress, but… at that time, in my young mind, I must have wanted to contact someone rather than ask for a favour.” Lee Juwon raised his head and looked at Kang Inheon’s face. Smiling slightly, he continued, “Then the person who was contacted would naturally run to me… Why did you call me of all people? I don’t have to pay for the hospital bill too, do I? They wouldn’t come with such questions, and they’d only worry about me…”
“……”
“After that, I didn’t go to the hospital whenever possible… I don’t know if you remember this, but there was a time, long ago, when I fainted, and you brought me to the hospital and registered as my guardian. Back then, when I saw your name listed as my guardian, I felt… weird. There was also a time later on when you were hospitalized after being injured in the Bangjuk-dong dungeon, and I registered as your guardian.”
Lee Juwon’s gaze dropped downward and drifted a bit, as if recalling that time. Only the sound of his low words fell on the table.
“At that time, civil unions had just been passed by the National Assembly. The news came on the television in the hospital waiting room after I finished the hospitalization procedures for you, and I remember having a vague thought. Yeah, you don’t have to be related by blood to be a family. You can make a family. Now, it’s possible to do that with Hunter Kang. It would be nice if I wasn’t the only one alive in the resident registration…”
As he said that with a grin, Lee Juwon’s face looked lonely, and Kang Inheon couldn’t take his eyes off him.
“It’s funny, not even I knew what kind of nonsensical thoughts I was having and brushed them off and forgot about them because I found them ridiculous, but maybe I’ve wanted to become family with you ever since then.”
Lee Juwon stared down at the will for a moment, then grabbed the ends of it and tore it to pieces. He tipped his glass over the invalidated piece of paper that had been torn in two and poured the alcohol over it.
“I’m proposing to you not because I want to become your bereaved, but because I want to become your family.”
Kang Inheon’s thick Adam’s apple stirred.
“I want to live with you and do the normal things normal families do. Pick out each other’s clothes in the morning, cook dinner together when we get home from work, fall asleep together talking about the little things that happened during the day, and… go shopping for clothes when the seasons change. Play with water guns on rainy days, and make trivial wishes on full moons…”
“……”
“Of course there will be many fights too, but aren’t we used to that?”
Lee Juwon, who laughed jokingly as he added that last part, was silent for a while. Even the smile on his face had disappeared. He hesitated for a moment, moving his lips slightly, then let out a long breath and looked at Kang Inheon.
He grabbed Kang Inheon’s hand on the table. He laid his hand on the back of the large, strong, and hot hand. He squeezed it and said, “Please marry me.”
The corners of Kang Inheon’s eyes trembled. His eyes, bloodshot from the burst veins weighing down on them, were tinged with a melancholic light. His lips, which hadn’t been able to form a single word while Lee Juwon spoke, parted with difficulty.
“I…”
Kang Inheon pulled his hand away from Lee Juwon’s grasp. He covered his face with his large hands and was silent for a long time. He exhaled a long breath and raised his head again, his face contorting.
“You know now that… I’m not who I seem. That appearance is all stolen, and I really… much more than you think…”
Spitting out a painful breath, Kang Inheon tapped the torn will. He continued with a confused expression, “…Are you sure you saw this right? Aren’t you scared? Someone you don’t even know had…”
“Why would you be someone I didn’t know? We’re alumni.”
The focus in Kang Inheon’s eyes wavered at the unexpected words. Lee Juwon stared at the will, the ink smeared blue from the alcohol he had spilled.
“Looking at this…”
“……”
“It definitely feels like my heart is being squeezed tight, but… rather than scary… how should I put this…”
Thinking carefully, Lee Juwon soon nodded his head.
“Ah, yeah.”
“……”
“I’m upset.”
Finding the right word, Lee Juwon smiled faintly while looking at Kang Inheon.
“What Attorney Park said was right. Far from changing my mind, it upsets me.”
Lee Juwon ran his finger over the date written on the will. The soaked paper shrivelled even more under his touch.
“I’m sorry for making you wait so long.”
“……”
“But can’t you just… believe in me one more time?”
The tears that had been building up in the corners of Kang Inheon’s eyes finally fell. He felt something warm and hot spreading inside him and was unable to speak. He couldn’t lift his head as tears dripped down his face.
Kang Inheon wanted Lee Juwon to step down. Since he couldn’t reject his confession, Lee Juwon had to step back from it himself.
So if he didn’t back down, that was it. He didn’t have the ability to refuse in the first place.
No, those words were all futile. Because, in truth, he didn’t want him to back down. Maybe he just dared to try and test him… Resenting how he was always the one being tested and wandering, even if it was arrogant of him…
His weak rebellion tucked its tail. There was no helping it. Because when I yelled that I couldn’t trust you, I was screaming that I wanted to trust you.
Since that Christmas Eve eighteen years ago, Lee Juwon had been Kang Inheon’s absolute. He had taken the words he had heard back then as truth. He planted it as a support for a life that would wither and crumble without roots.
He had the strongest body of any human being, but he was also the weakest, and he doubted him, denied him, and even insulted him, but… even in those moments, he kept his doctrine like breathing itself.
God had reached out a hand to him again. It didn’t matter anymore if he was an evil god. It was irreverent to question which form was the real one. It was seditious to wonder about the justness of his commands. His god had asked him to believe again, so he could only believe.
“…Yeah, I’ll do so.” In a voice that was sunken in water, Kang Inheon continued, “I live by your words anyway.”
“……”
“But know this instead. You can say whatever you want, but I’m the one who follows them.” His quiet voice continued slowly, “I… will obey whatever you say until you die. You won’t be able to take this back, will that be okay? Even if you regret it later… it’s no use.”
Kang Inheon’s head was still lowered. Tears trickled down his thick, jet-black lashes.
Lee Juwon got up from the stool and walked around the island bar to his side. He grabbed his damp face and lifted it. Even with a small amount of force, Kang Inheon obediently raised his head.
Lee Juwon licked his trembling lips. There was the scent of vanilla caramel.
Unlike the first time they had kissed, their lips were only touching. The weightless trembling of their lips against each other was fully felt. Lee Juwon’s lips moved slightly.
Don’t cry, I won’t regret it.
I held on to those glass shards because I wanted to share my unhappiness with you.
Lee Juwon gently pressed his thumb against Kang Inheon’s lower lip. He rubbed the smooth inside of his lips and slid his finger between his teeth. Kang Inheon unconsciously opened his lips, afraid of hurting Lee Juwon’s finger.
Lee Juwon slid his tongue between his parted lips. The inside of his mouth was also warm, like his high body temperature. The tips of their tongues tickled.
After that, it didn’t matter who started first. They opened their lips and kissed so deeply that the tips of their noses pressed against each other. His tear-drenched cheeks were hot and slippery. The tongue filling the inside of his mouth was hot and slippery as well.
Even with just that, it felt intoxicating. They stuck their tongues out, licking and sucking on each other’s lips like addicts. It was a tongue-meltingly sweet kiss, but harsh enough to press down against each other’s taste buds. It was bitter like the liquor with a high alcohol level and salty like the tears that were still forming.
orcinus comments:
the two idiots have finally made up… juwon’s hospital story was sweet but sad, him wanting a family （ｉДｉ）
in fact, the next two chapters will probably be just as long, if not longer… praying for my fingers….. still, i’m happy juwon finally embraced his inner ceo lol i wish we could’ve gotten an iconic “from here to there” scene
Ahhh!! Finally! it’s finally happening, something sweet!!
The only drink I can imagine with that taste is spiked butterbeer. Why brain why when there’s sweetness (at least!) I cannot concentrate on it. Why. Spiked. Butterbeer.
Oh my goodness XDXD
I usually read this in the comfort of my bed in case I have to cry. Today I had to read with other people in the room and I was visibly SHAKING they make me so EMO I love them with an unhealthy passion 💔
Is the smut soon tho?
theres quite a lot coming 💀
waiting patiently 😳
FINALLY😭😭 IM SO HAPPY
༎ຶ‿༎ຶ༎ຶ‿༎ຶ༎ຶ‿༎ຶ༎ຶ‿༎ຶ༎ຶ‿༎ຶ༎ຶ‿༎ຶ
FINALLY!!! We’ve been starved off sugar for so long
Finally my two babies are together 😭❤️
Cute!!! Thank you for the update!!
Now time for kisses and cuddles….and maybe more 😈🔥
HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY
Akhirnya ada juga manis2 nya…
It’s some what funny how he is stalking the stalker. 🤭
But finally. 🎉🎊🎉🎊🎉I proudly present: The fluff is here!!!! 🎉🎊🎉🎊
That was some really sweet confession, and Kang Inheon just openly admits to be a stalker. Lol 🤣
If only ml knew about mc’s experiences in that dungeon 😅
Glad mc persevered in pursuing him!
Finallyyy~ they’re togetherr 🥳🥳🥳
They’ve come a long way 🥺
Damn… The feels I just can’t!!!
He’s waited far too long for this!!! Inheon-ah, your Juwon is finally in your arms…😭
i’m so happy they finally came to this point 😭