RB 53

In the end, Yeorok wiped his lips, wet with saliva, with the back of his hand and got up from the sofa. When the legs tangled with his pulled away, Eunho also read the mood and sat up.

“……”

Once the kiss ended, his runaway mind began to return. Shame, embarrassment… countless feelings crowded into Eunho’s head as the silence stretched.

More than anything, Yeorok’s face, which looked like he was hit by reality, made Eunho the most anxious. But he did not have the courage to ask what was wrong. All he could do was keep his mouth shut and lower his head.

“You use the bedroom, Sim Eunho-ssi. Touch everything except what’s in the study.”

Yeorok had already straightened his messy clothes and looked quietly down at the top of Eunho’s bowed head.

“While you stay here, you’ll be living alone. Just make sure you follow the warnings I told you earlier. It will be inconvenient without someone to look after you… I’ll need to think about how to deal with that part too. For now, sleep, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“…Chairman.”

Eunho stopped him as he was about to leave. He buried his flushed face stolen content between his knees and barely squeezed out his voice.

“Please don’t hate me too much.”

Eunho was afraid of Yeorok’s changed attitude. Being left alone in this house was fine. He had already braced himself for the uncomfortable nights they would have to share. But he did not think he could endure Yeorok’s cold tone, his gaze, and the ruthless side that surfaced from time to time.

The sound of feet brushing the floor came closer. From the heavy air alone, he could feel Yeorok standing near him.

“You want too much from me.”

“……”

“Feeling wronged is your problem, Sim Eunho-ssi. You were the one who said we should suffer together. We’ll both be disgusted, but each of us will bear our own pain.”

Yeorok drove in the wedge without care. He coldly looked at Eunho for a moment, then left as if he had nothing more to say. The front door closed, followed by the sound of the door lock engaging.

Even though no one was watching, Eunho hugged his knees and buried his face deeper into his arms. His body was tense, and Yeorok’s scent still lingered.

Shaking and sorrow rose together until his chest felt stiff. For a unauthorized copymoment he doubted his choice, but there was no way to turn back.

Who knew how long he stayed crouched. Eunho finally let out a long sigh and decided to climb out of the pit of despair for now. He went into the bathroom, washed his face with cold water, then came out and looked around the empty room.

This was his third time visiting Yeorok’s officetel. Even though he had permission, being in a house without its owner, poking around like this, made him feel like a thief.

There were five rooms, and only the study was locked. The bedroom had only the most basic furniture, but since it was Yeorok’s space, it was full of his scent.

Eunho stared blankly at the wide bed, then closed the door and turned away. With drained steps he returned to the living room and sat down under the sofa.

When he crouched on the cold floor, Eunho looked like a shadow himself. He was pitiful in such a luxurious home. No matter how much he looked like the heir of Haegang on the outside, inside he was still Sim Eunho from the shantytown.

His body and mind were too worn out. Right now, he only wanted to rest without thinking. There was a comfortable bedroom, and a soft sofa waiting behind him, but Eunho deliberately chose the hard, uncomfortable bare floor.

Like a punishment he gave to himself.

“This is a path where we both destroy ourselves.”

Maybe that was true.

If they mixed their bodies, their hearts would be obvious. Even now his chest trembled this much, he would surely fall deeper for him.

Beyond the issue of being two men, Yeorok and he were practically family. After sex, could he still treat Yeorok as just family? Was it possible to hide his feelings when their skin touched?

“Do you have feelings for me?”

“No, you don’t. You can’t. Do you think you and I make sense?”

Even if he expressed it, Yeorok would never accept such feelings. Better to hold them in alone, even if they festered.

He tried hard not to be hated, but it already felt like Yeorok’s affection for him had run dry. That truth hurt him the most.

“……”

His tear glands seemed dried out, his eyes felt dry. Eunho closed his hot eyelids and let his head drop. He exhaled trembling breath.

“…Haa.”

Yes, this was all something he had to endure alone. Eunho wrapped himself in the loneliness of this unfamiliar place like a blanket and chose to fall asleep exhausted.

‎

‎

Around noon the next day, a visitor came to the officetel.

It was Secretary Hong.

“I will keep bringing your meals like this. And here are clothes to change into.”

He carried a paper bag full of food and a 28-inch suitcase. Inside were clothes and underwear that looked like they belonged to Eunho. There was also his tablet PC, notebooks, and writing tools he often used. It was not likely Secretary Hong packed it himself. Seo Taehwa must have prepared the luggage.

“Do you need anything else?”

“No… this should be enough.”

Eunho carefully grasped the handles of the paper bag. From meals to changes of clothes, the fact that he would now be living not in the annex but in Yeorok’s officetel began to feel real.

“Are you feeling unwell anywhere?”

He suddenly asked about Eunho’s health. It was such an awkward thing to hear from Secretary Hong that Eunho stared straight up at him. From the beginning until now, Secretary Hong, fitting for Yeorok’s right-hand man, had always been stern and without mood swings.

“Ahn Jaehwan asked me to check for him.”

“Ah… yes. I’m fine.”

The silence continued, and the awkward atmosphere too. Eunho hesitated, then asked a question.

“…Does everyone know about my situation?”

“The plan will proceed as before, but the chairman will personally take care of the remaining schedule. Sim Eunho-ssi is to stay in the officetel for about four months.”

“Four months.”

It was longer than he thought. Eunho gasped, he wondered if he could endure four months of lessons with Choi Yeorok with his mind intact.

“They don’t know the details. I am the only one who knows that the chairman will be sleeping with you, so keep that in mind.”

Secretary Hong unusually let his words drag a little. It seemed the current situation was uncomfortable even for him.

“…Secretary Hong, do I look like a crazy person to you?”

“Do you need my opinion?”

“I don’t know what the right choice is… that’s why.”

Eunho’s lips curled faintly, but the powerless smile quickly disappeared, leaving only bleakness on his pale face.

Secretary Hong studied him and carefully spoke.

“To be honest, I think it was a reckless request. But since the chairman himself agreed, I have ​visit our site​no right to interfere.”

“……”

“I follow the chairman’s words absolutely. More than anyone, I want his will to be accomplished.”

Secretary Hong spoke calmly. As Seo Taehwa once said, his loyalty toward Choi Yeorok was especially strong.

“I also ask for your full cooperation, Sim Eunho-ssi.”

“…Yes.”

“If you need help, contact me. Regarding the chairman’s visiting schedule, I will contact you directly.”

He handed him a phone. It was obviously brand-new, and the only saved contact was listed as Secretary Hong Namyeong.

“…Thank you.”

“I’ll take my leave.”

He offered a polite farewell and left.

Once again left alone in the wide house, Eunho could only stand for a long time staring at the phone, the lunchbox, and the suitcase in his hands. Maybe because he was isolated, the lonely feeling would not go away.

The message came around midnight.

[Arrival expected in 30 minutes.]

Eunho had dozed off for a bit and woke at the phone alert. The message from Secretary Hong contained nothing extra, only Yeorok’s expected arrival time.

“…He’s coming.”

Since midnight had already passed, he thought Yeorok would not come today. Eunho put the phone down and exhaled a long breath. His heart, which had been calm until now, began to stir from a single message.

What he would be doing when he met Yeorok was obvious. It would surely be a continuation of yesterday’s act. Eunho touched his lips, still swollen, then quietly stood up. His slow steps led him to the bathroom.

Not long after, the wall pad alarm sounded, signaling a car entering. Yeorok, right on time, came into the officetel alone. When he saw Eunho, who had come to greet him at the entrance, he said nothing for a while.

T-shirt and long pants. Eunho was dressed in plain, comfortable homewear without anything to criticize, but that made Yeorok even more displeased. It was like he had been waiting only for him to come. Even though he himself had ordered it, that fact annoyed him.

Yeorok ignored Eunho’s greeting and changed into slippers. He stopped in the living room and looked around. The place looked no different from yesterday. The table was clean, the cushions on the sofa untouched.

Yeorok went straight into the bedroom. The bedding was neatly folded with no sign of anyone lying on it. The pillow was also untouched. It was impossible to tell what Eunho had done these two days. There was no trace of life in the house.

Normally he might have asked, where did you sleep, did you eat, but now Yeorok had no such kindness left. Instead, Eunho’s suffocating way of being only irritated him.

“Close the door and come in.”

Yeorok spoke in an irritable tone, sitting down on the bed. Eunho, who had been standing silently behind him, did as told and closed the door.

The bedroom was pitch dark. The only light came from the city outside seeping through the window. In the stillness, the sound of bare feet moving across the floor was heard. Eunho stood in front of Yeorok, waiting for the next order.

Yeorok pulled his tie knot down and loosened the button choking his throat. He spoke.

“Kiss me. The way you did yesterday.”

“Now?”

“Then should we go into the bathroom and take a shower together instead?”

There was a hint of laughter in his voice, but Eunho knew he was not joking. Not wanting to anger him further, he obediently followed.

At first he thought he would not see anything in the dark, but his eyes soon adjusted. He could clearly make out Yeorok’s features, drawn in strong lines.

Eunho swallowed dryly and put his hand on Yeorok’s shoulder. He wondered how he should start. It was his first time initiating a kiss, and his mind went blank.

“What are you doing? Are we going to waste the whole night like this?”

If Yeorok had not pointed it out, Eunho really might have dragged it out for thirty minutes, even an hour. He stepped in closer until their knees touched and lowered his head.