House of the Fog

“Do you dislike me because I’m a man?”“It’s not that.”“Then, am I too ugly, or dirty, or do I smell bad…? If you tell me, I’ll fix it.”Dan combed his tangled wig back into place. Taejae stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray. Then, he accidentally nudged the coffee cup Dan had brought with his wrist, making the black liquid slosh violently. Frowning slightly, he pushed the tray away and said,“I.”“…”“Don’t want children.”“…”Dan’s soul seemed to leave his face. It was the first time he had heard such a thing. What kind of alpha doesn’t want children? Just as an omega was born to bear children, so was an alpha. That was only natural. That’s why alphas and omegas existed.Even if he found Dan repulsive or unpleasant, to tell such an outrageous lie was despicable. But he couldn’t voice that thought.“But…”“Leave now.”Taejae was firm. Dan’s eyes wavered like cold coffee. As he fumbled with his lips, he suddenly fell to his knees, bowing his head to the floor. The pitch-black darkness before his eyes felt familiar.“Please don’t kick me out.”“…”“Please let me stay here.”“…”“I did everything wrong. I’m sorry. Forgive me. So please…”Dan pleaded with his eyes tightly shut. He couldn’t go back to the orphanage like this. He would get beaten by Director Lee. No, actually, that was fine, but he couldn’t bear being looked at as if he were useless trash.‘A piece of trash that just eats food.’‘A disgusting parasite.’‘Your parents abandoned you because you’re like this.’‘If you keep acting like an idiot, I’ll abandon you too.’‘Do you think there’s a place for you to go? Huh?’‘You’ll die begging on the streets. Worthless eum-in…’Even now, Director Lee’s voice echoed in his ears. Every time he heard those words, Dan felt the urge to gouge out his eardrums with a needle.Then, there was the sound of the chair leather creaking, followed by footsteps. Taejae was approaching. Dan instinctively covered the back of his head with both hands, expecting a kick. What was Taejae wearing now? Hopefully not his boots. Thinking this, he curled up like a caterpillar.“Child.”Contrary to his expectation, a gentle voice fell on the back of his head. It was a deep voice that made his ears tingle, but there was no anger in it.Dan slowly raised his head. Taejae was kneeling in front of him on one knee.“…”Dan looked at him blankly. Despite the black lines obstructing his view from the wig, Taejae was still clear.“I can’t have an omega in my house.”“…”“I can look after you for a few days, so find a place to go.”The voice was somewhat kind, but his expression and gaze were not. Dan saw an illusion of a giant wall slowly falling towards him. He, like a cockroach, couldn’t push it away.“But… But…”His foolish lips repeated the same words. Taejae slowly stood up, seemingly intent on ending the conversation.Dan desperately grabbed Taejae’s wrist. It was an act devoid of both fear and decorum, but he had no time to think about that. He was desperate. All he could think about was holding onto Taejae.“Please, don’t kick me out. I’m good at mating. I can do it well. Just try it once.”“…”“Now, do you want to try now?”Dan flipped over like a frog, head down, buttocks up towards Taejae in an obscene manner. Holding himself up with his small toes, he started to pull down his pants, revealing the upper part of his white, round buttocks.Taejae’s face turned cold.“What are you doing?”With his face contorted, he grabbed Dan’s wrist. Dan’s thin body fluttered like a tattered flag of a defeated army under the rough force.“Just once, please?”Dan tried to pull his pants down with one hand. Taejae then grabbed both his hands and bound them. Dan found himself caught like a live chicken in Taejae’s grip.Dan squirmed to escape, but Taejae’s hands didn’t budge. He struggled to free his pants, but unfortunately, he had no skill to do so without his hands.Dan changed his approach. Folding his legs neatly to kneel, he looked up at Taejae with a tear-stained face. The wig sticking to his forehead and cheeks looked grotesque.“Or, please use me as a servant. I’m good at cleaning. I’m good at laundry too. My father praised me for being meticulous. I’m sure you’ll be satisfied. So…”Rough breaths escaped from Dan’s reddened, swollen lips. His breath was hotter, thicker, and more humid than usual because of the crying.Suddenly, all expression vanished from Taejae’s face. He released Dan’s hands as if throwing them away. Dan fell to one side with a thud.“Ugh…”Dan let out a short groan and looked at Taejae through the wig that had fallen forward.Taejae, frowning, was quickly backing away. It was almost like he was fleeing, an action not quite fitting for him. He kept backing up until his thighs hit the desk.Covering his lower jaw with his large hand, Taejae commanded,“Go back now.”“…”“Quickly.”Dan looked at him blankly with tear-filled eyes, wondering how repulsive he must be for Taejae to back away like that.“…”Dan moved his lips, but there were no more words to say. All that came to mind was…Please save me.Don’t abandon me.Please.All that came to mind were words like that. But he knew such words wouldn’t change Taejae’s mind. On the contrary, they would only make him angrier.It’s all over.He was ultimately abandoned.Dan sniffed and staggered to his feet. He pulled up his pants, which had fallen to his hips, then stood straight and bowed to Taejae.“I… I’ll go.”“…”Taejae didn’t respond. He just put a new cigarette in his mouth. Dan sniffed again, backing out of the study. He bowed once more at the door and then closed it.Through the crack in the door, he glimpsed Taejae opening the window.“What happened last night?”Ms. Gong asked. Dan, who was moving side dishes, looked up at her sharply. In his narrowed vision, he saw Ms. Gong’s worried face.Dan rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand, feeling the swollen lids like steamed buns. They were even hot to the touch, truly like steamed buns filled with red bean paste that would gush out if split in half.“…Nothing.”Dan shook his head, knowing it was an absurd lie, but he had no other words.“Did the Colonel scold you?”Ms. Gong asked again.“Uh…”Dan hesitated, dragging his words. They hadn’t exactly exchanged pleasantries, but he wasn’t scolded either. Taejae had just politely asked him to leave without any reprimand. Now that he thought about it, there was no mention of the cold coffee delivery either. If it had been Director Lee, he would have slapped him, asking if he brought this to be eaten.“He’s not harsh enough to scold a child…”Ms. Gong, already concluding that Dan had been scolded, tilted her head as she sat at the table.Dan gave an ambiguous smile and sat in front of her. Taejae was very harsh, though. It seemed Ms. Gong didn’t know everything.“Let’s eat for now.”Ms. Gong picked up her chopsticks. The thin man sitting silently beside her also picked up his. Dan pulled his chair in closer, waiting for them to take the first bite, and inadvertently swallowed his saliva, then chuckled to himself.He had been so down he cried all night, but sitting at the table, all his gloom vanished.Fried tofu with salty soy sauce. Crisp and refreshing young radish kimchi. Sweet braised potatoes. Soybean paste soup with cabbage. Seaweed grilled with perilla oil. And, as always, the precious fried egg.It was an unbeatable spread for gloom. He thought to himself, ‘Let’s eat first,’ which was laughable, and also thought that once he returned to the orphanage, he wouldn’t be able to dream of such food, so he should eat as much as he could now.Watching the others chew, Dan finally picked up his chopsticks and took a heaping spoonful of rice. The rice was sticky and each grain delightfully chewy.Dan diligently scooped up side dishes and soup to his mouth. The side dishes were perfectly seasoned, with the rich aroma of sesame oil, making it impossible to rest his chopsticks.Once again, Dan kept exclaiming, “It’s so delicious,” “It’s the best,” and other praises. He looked at his rice bowl, which had only two spoonfuls left, with drooping eyes.“I’ve already finished…”He clearly got a generous portion, but he didn’t know when it disappeared. It was ironic that even after eating so much, he wasn’t full. He carefully took half a spoonful of rice. This way, he could make two spoonfuls into three.“If I eat like this every day, I’ll turn into a pig soon. I’ll get scolded for gaining weight…”Dan muttered to himself. Ms. Gong, who had been watching him eat, tilted her head.“Scolded? By whom?”“My father.”“Father?”“The director.”“Ah…”Ms. Gong frowned then relaxed. Just the thought of Director Lee, who had a bad impression, made her feel unpleasant. He was rude, smelled bad, and did whatever he pleased.“You could gain some weight. Dan, you’re too skinny now.”“But father doesn’t like it. Who would buy a fat pig?”At that, Ms. Gong pursed her lips and mumbled,“He…”“Yes?”“It’s nothing.”Ms. Gong pushed the last remaining fried egg towards Dan, urging him to eat more. Dan then moved the fried egg to his rice bowl. How many meals had he had in this house? Dan never touched the fried egg unless Ms. Gong allowed it.“He’s saying it for your own good. If you don’t sell because you’re fat, it’s only you who loses out.”Dan said while cutting the fried egg with his spoon.“Do you not sell if you’re fat?”“Yes. Because it looks like you’ll waste their fortune by eating a lot, he said never to gain weight…”In fact, it was hard to understand. Not that gaining weight would make you unsellable, but because the environment at the orphanage didn’t allow one to gain weight. Meals were scarce there. Eating just a small potato in a bowl of water with only soybean paste, there was no way to put on weight.The Korean Empire was experiencing unprecedented peace and prosperity, but that was only for ordinary people. Beggars were still beggars. No matter which country, beggars remained beggars.Those who went hungry, slept in cold places, and lived a shabby life.Those who weren’t saved by the miracle of the industrial revolution.Or those who were born by mistake of God.Those who should not have been born into this world.Dan stuffed a whole egg yolk into his mouth. The savory taste was heavenly, yet oddly, his heart ached. He thought of the omegas at the orphanage. Did they all get to eat? They weren’t particularly close, or rather, they fought over every spoonful at meal times, so this sympathy was laughable.However,“If a family’s fortune is diminished just by eating, they shouldn’t have an omega. That’s not how our house is.”Ms. Gong said something that didn’t make sense.“Yes?”“Major General Hwang sends us two thousand sacks of rice regularly.”“Two thousand sacks of rice?”“Yes, you know, the rice even the Emperor eats.”“Ah…”“He sends several sacks every time, even though there’s no one to eat it all.”“…”“So don’t worry. No one in our house will think you’re wasting our fortune by eating a lot.”“Oh…”“And Dan, you need to gain some weight. You need to be healthy to have healthy children.”“…”Dan gave an ambiguous smile. If he had heard this before being told to leave, he would have been overjoyed. He’d have a reason to eat like a pig. But not now. There was no need to have healthy children.In two days, when he leaves this house, Ms. Gong might regret having fed him, knowing the truth.Unaware of Dan’s sinking mood, Ms. Gong rubbed her own cheek with her wrinkled hand.“I might have a sharp personality. I don’t gain weight no matter how much I eat. It would be nice to have some weight; as you get older, being too thin makes you look harsh.”“Your personality is sharp?”Dan’s eyes widened at such an absurd statement. She was sometimes cold and stern, but that wasn’t what you’d call a sharp personality.She didn’t scold for eating a lot, didn’t give out unnecessary slaps, didn’t lock him in his room, and even called him “Mr. Dan” instead of “hey” or “brat.” He couldn’t understand where she got the idea that she was sharp.“Ms. Gong has a lot of dignity.”“…Dignity? Me?”“Yes. You don’t scream or hit. You’re like a lady of a wealthy household.”“A lady? What…”Ms. Gong looked towards the garden, clearing her throat, then brushed her hair, which was pinned up, with her hand. She also lifted her cheeks with a smile that made her cheekbones rise.The man sitting beside her glanced at Ms. Gong. Though his face was expressionless, he playfully hit her shoulder, asking why she was laughing. The man then returned to his meal in silence.Ms. Gong, sitting with her back straight, turned her gaze to Dan.“But, what do you mean by ‘doesn’t hit’? Did that director hit you, Mr. Dan?”“Yes. But it’s okay. I got hit because I did something wrong. It’s… uh… education? No, uh… Ah! Discipline. That’s it.”“…”Ms. Gong narrowed her eyes but didn’t continue the conversation. At that point, Dan had emptied his rice bowl. Still feeling unsatisfied, he scraped the remaining rice from the bowl.“Do you want more rice?”Ms. Gong asked.“Is it okay?”Dan asked back, as if he had been waiting for this.Rain had been falling since early morning. It wasn’t a downpour, but a steady drizzle that continued into the afternoon, making the entire house humid. The windows were filled with fog, giving the illusion that the house was floating on clouds.After finishing lunch, Dan was squatting in the kitchen with Ms. Gong, washing dishes. Originally, Ms. Gong was uncomfortable with Dan entering the kitchen, but when Dan had approached her the day before, saying, “Can’t I help with the dishes? We’ll finish faster together,” she surprisingly allowed him to help without much objection.So Dan did his first job in this house. It was just rinsing the dishes Ms. Gong had washed, but even this made him feel at ease, like he was earning his keep.While Dan was scrubbing the spoon’s head with his thumb, he glanced towards the back door. He thought there was a jar stand there, but the fog made it invisible. Yet, the sound of the rain was clear.After staring outside for a while, Dan let out a deep sigh.Today was the second day Taejae had mentioned. Meaning, it was the day Dan was supposed to leave the mansion.Time had flown by. Since that day in Taejae’s study, Dan had been racking his brain on how to persuade him, but nothing came to mind.So he decided to beg, to kneel and plead until his hands blistered. With that petty plan, he spent the day with his nose pressed against the window, waiting for Taejae to return.But Taejae hadn’t come home for two days.What was he doing, where was he? When Dan asked Ms. Gong, she replied nonchalantly that he would come when it was time.Thus, Dan was robbed of even the chance to beg. Now, all he had to think about was how to minimize the beating from Director Lee.‘Worthless brat!’‘Worthless scum!’Even now, the loud shouts scratched at his eardrums. Imagining the kicks he’d receive upon arriving at the orphanage made him wish he could just disappear into the fog.Even if he did, neither Director Lee nor Taejae would probably care much.Director Lee would be happy that there was one less mouth to feed at the orphanage, and Taejae would feel as if a thorn had been removed from his side with the male omega gone.As Dan sighed again while rinsing a rice bowl, Ms. Gong clapped her hands, covered in soap suds, causing foam to fly everywhere.“Look at me!”Dan wiped the foam from his cheek with his forearm as he looked at her. She was getting up in a hurry.“What’s wrong?”“I need to close the terrace.”“The terrace?”“Oh, there’s a terrace on the second floor, and if the door’s open, rain gets in.”“Ah… Should I go?”Dan asked. At that, Ms. Gong’s hurried movements stopped.“Mr. Dan?”“Yes.”Dan stood up without hesitation. He remembered Ms. Gong complaining during breakfast that her knees hurt on rainy days like this. It would be bad if she fell while climbing the stairs with her aching knees; she was not young anymore.“Just closing it will do, right?”“You need to latch it too. It can open with the wind.”“Okay.”“…I could go.”Even though Dan volunteered, Ms. Gong’s expression was not bright. She even bit her lip, painted with dark lipstick, seemingly uncomfortable with passing off her duties.Dan gave her a gentle smile. He wanted to repay her for something. He had been greatly indebted during his stay here. Though he could only do this with his uneducated mind, it was still better than doing nothing.He wanted to be remembered as a useless person who at least had some sense of propriety.“I’ll be back soon.”With those words, Dan crossed the kitchen. He ran so fast that his footsteps were silent, or maybe they made a soft “dodo” sound. His hair fluttered with each leap.Watching Dan’s retreating back, Ms. Gong murmured to herself.“…A squirrel, a squirrel.”Dan quietly ascended to the second floor. Even though he knew Taejae wasn’t home, he instinctively moved silently. Perhaps he didn’t want to catch Taejae’s attention, even faintly, after having waited for him so desperately for two days.The second floor was quiet. The sound of the rain was less audible because the windows were far away. Unlike when he came up two days ago, there was no particular scent. Probably because Taejae had been away for so long.Instead, there was a strong smell of wood from the stairs and stone from the walls. It was a serene yet somewhat eerie smell.“Terrace… Terrace…”Dan quickly found the terrace. Right beside the stairs, it had doors that opened to both sides with iron lattice frames and clear glass, allowing a clear view outside.“Wow…”Dan couldn’t help but exclaim when he saw the view.A massive tree filled the window. He hadn’t known there was such a tree near the house, as his room window faced the front gate.The tree was enormous. Dan was on the second floor, and it still reached there. No, it was even taller. Even pressing his cheek to the glass, he couldn’t see the top of the tree. The fog hung thick on it, hiding its type and the shape of its leaves, but its grandeur was unmistakable.“There was such a tree…”The sound of the rain here was different from what he heard on the first floor. It was the sound made by rain meeting the tree. The branches swaying in the wind and the leaves fluttering in the raindrops created a sound like “shaa… shaa…”The cool, resounding sound was like the sound of waves. Though Dan had never seen waves, it was a magnificent sound nonetheless.After standing there, dazed for a while, he remembered his task. He gently shook the door.It seemed locked, but when he pulled harder, the door opened with a whoosh, letting rain in. Dan frowned as raindrops landed on his cheek.He pushed the door shut again, carefully latching it. Shaking it once more, it didn’t open this time.He did something useful!Dan nodded with a proud smile. He looked at the tree through the glass for a moment before turning around.Holding onto the stair railing, Dan carefully descended. How long had he stood in front of the terrace for his feet to get so wet? As he walked, his footprints marked the black stairs.When he was halfway down the stairs,Through the gentle sound of rain, he faintly heard a car. The sound of wheels crushing wet gravel was louder and clearer than usual.Dan stopped in his tracks.“Uh…”Is it Taejae?Could it be Taejae?Or maybe someone else coming to pick him up. Like a taxi driver to take him back to the orphanage or Director Lee, horns sprouting, breathing steam through his nose.Dan’s eyes swirled with confusion. He stood on his tiptoes, looking around for a place to escape or hide. But there was none; this place was never meant for him to begin with.At that moment, the car sound stopped. This meant the car had reached its destination.Dan clenched and then released his teeth. There were no other options. Whatever misfortune awaited, he had to face it.With a gloomy expression, Dan descended the stairs. Ironically, he found himself not wanting to leave this house. When he first arrived, he wanted to finish the ‘job’ quickly and return to the orphanage, but it seemed he had somehow adapted to this vast, clean, and splendid house.Letting out a deep sigh, Dan stepped down the stairs. When there were about five or six steps left,Suddenly, his wet feet slipped, and his body tumbled down. His ankle bent into an L-shape, and his vision tilted. He flailed his hands trying to grab the railing, but they only brushed against it without catching.“Uh…”His body tilted faster and steeper. His feet completely left the stairs, and all that was left was a fall. The hard marble floor grew closer by the second.At that moment, Dan remembered what Director Lee had said.“I’ve heard that even the workers here often die. They get sick, languish, or fall down the stairs and break their necks, or disappear without a trace like they’re possessed by ghosts, into that fog.”So, he was caught by that curse too. This was the price for daring to enter a monster’s house, to die like this. To die with a broken neck, how cruel!Dan closed his eyes tightly. At that very moment,Bang!A sound like the house collapsing echoed.A sharp, heavy pain enveloped his entire body. His temples, elbow, and knee ached as if they had been hammered.“Ugh…”Dan groaned, curling his shoulders and rubbing his elbow with his palm. After writhing in pain for a moment, he suddenly jumped up like a spring. Then he felt his neck.Is it broken? Fractured? Did a bone protrude?Fortunately, his neck was intact.He didn’t die.Dan let out a sigh of relief with all his might. Then he tried to get up, supporting himself with his hands on the floor. But as soon as he put weight on his leg, he fell backward.“Ouch…”His ankle hurt terribly. It felt like he’d been struck by lightning inside his shin bone.Dan held his foot in his hands, examining it from all angles. There was no blood, no bruise, it looked fine on the outside, but he couldn’t stand up. Every time he tried to apply force, it felt like nails were being hammered into his ankle.Dan tried his best to get up. Whether it was Taejae or Director Lee, he knew he’d be scolded for lying there like this. It was already humiliating enough to be kicked out; if he got scolded too, he might burst into tears like a child.Just then, footsteps came from the end of the hallway, and Ms. Gong appeared with a pale face. She had probably heard the sound of Dan falling like a cymbal. Seeing Dan sprawled at the bottom of the stairs, she gasped.“Mr. Dan!”“Ms. Gong…”Dan pouted his lower lip. Strangely, seeing Ms. Gong’s face made him feel sad. His chest heaved, and his nose tingled as if tears were about to fall.But he didn’t actually cry because behind Ms. Gong,“…”Taejae was standing.Since he had been away for two days, Dan assumed he had been at the military base, but he wasn’t in uniform. Nor was he in formal attire. He was just in a plain shirt and pants.Dan felt a little, just a little, annoyed with him. Did he not come home for two days even though there was no work? Why? Was it because he didn’t want to see him? Because he was in the house? Because he thought Dan might bother him again? So he just left the house?He was truly a bad person. Whoever would be his wife in the future, she would surely have a hard time. He even thought, ‘He should get a scolding from his wife,’ when,Taejae passed Ms. Gong and approached Dan. Dan, scared, immediately lowered his head.“…I’m sorry.”Dan apologized first. It was an apology for causing a commotion. As soon as Taejae got home, there was a loud noise, so he must have thought enemies had invaded. That’s why his expression was so fierce.“Why were you coming down from there?”Taejae asked in a low voice.“Uh, that’s…”Dan swallowed his voice. Feeling interrogated, his shoulders kept hunching. He hadn’t done anything wrong. He hadn’t stolen anything. Words wouldn’t come out.At that moment, Ms. Gong came to Dan’s rescue.“I asked him to close the terrace door because I was worried the rain would get in.”“…”Taejae’s lips tightened into a line. His fierce gaze softened somewhat, but he didn’t stop watching Dan.“I, I’ll, I’ll go get my bag.”Unable to endure Taejae’s piercing gaze any longer, Dan tried to stand up. He used the floor, then the stairs, then the railing to pull himself up, and his ankle twinged again. But Dan didn’t moan. He gritted his teeth and endured it because he didn’t want to make a worse impression.When he finally managed to stand, Taejae grabbed his elbow like snatching it. With such force, Dan couldn’t resist and was pulled along.“Uh… why, why are you doing this?”Dan struggled with his limbs. Was he going to throw him again? Or perhaps throw him out the window? Or maybe to hit him? Dan closed his eyes tightly, covering his face with his free hand when,His body gently lowered, and he felt something hard under his buttocks.Dan peeked through his eyes to assess the situation. He was sitting on the third step, and Taejae was crouched in front of him.What is this…Was he about to sit him down to beat him properly?As Dan braced himself, pulling his chin in, Taejae grabbed his heel. The warm, firm hand on his cold, wet heel felt very alien.“Let, let me go.”Dan tried to pull his foot away, swallowing hard. But Taejae wouldn’t allow it. Instead, he gripped his heel more firmly.“Why…”Dan’s face turned pale. Was he going to break his ankle? Or cut it off? Or maybe bite it?As he continued with his bloody imagination, Taejae gently pushed back on his instep. However, from Dan’s perspective, it was anything but gentle. Sharp pain shot from his ankle to his crown.“Ah!”Dan let out a scream-like groan.“Does it hurt?”Taejae asked, his brow still furrowed. Dan, frightened, shook his head convulsively.“No, no. It doesn’t hurt. Not at all.”At this unconvincing statement, Taejae raised and then lowered one eyebrow. Then he placed his hand under Dan’s foot and gently pushed his instep upward again.“Ugh…”Dan inhaled sharply to stifle his groan, biting his lip so hard that his philtrum stretched.It felt like his ankle bone and muscles were being wrung out like laundry. It was a different kind of pain than being hit. But Dan gritted his teeth and endured it. No one liked to see a servant or an omega in pain. Even if he was to be kicked out, it was just a matter of Dan’s insignificant pride.“…”Taejae looked at Dan intently. His eyes, dark to the point of looking blue, studied Dan’s face, which was now fully exposed without the wig.His large, round eyes without double eyelids. Long and voluminous eyelashes. Brown eyes with a subtle hint of red. A nose round and shiny like a pearl. Clean cheeks where every fine hair was visible. Plump and red lips. A small, short chin like a child’s.Taejae’s Adam’s apple bobbed significantly. His calloused hand gently rubbed Dan’s white heel, causing Dan’s knees to twitch with the tickling sensation.“Ms. Gong.”Taejae called for Ms. Gong while keeping his eyes on Dan’s face. Ms. Gong stepped closer and bowed her head.“Yes, Colonel.”“Get some bandages, please.”“Ah, yes.”Upon receiving the order, Ms. Gong hurried back down the hallway. Taejae sat a bit closer to Dan and looked him in the eye as he asked,“Really doesn’t hurt?”“Yes.”Dan answered without hesitation. It was an answer given without even a second’s thought. Taejae’s eyes narrowed slightly.“I’ll scold you if you’re lying.”“…”At that, Dan took a sharp intake of breath. After a moment’s hesitation, he stuttered out the truth.“It, it hurts a little. Really just a little. This much.”Dan showed ‘a little’ by bringing his thumb and index finger close together. He added ‘really’ out of fear that he might still get scolded.Taejae looked at Dan intently again. Dan averted his gaze, feeling uncomfortable under Taejae’s relentless scrutiny. It felt like his face might get a hole in it.…Maybe he has that kind of superpower? To make holes with his gaze? Well, he did stop the hiccups, so there’s no reason he couldn’t have such an ability.Scared, Dan covered his cheeks with his small hands and mumbled,“I’m sorry…”“…”Taejae stared at Dan with an expressionless face. Then he blew his bangs up, the breath reaching Dan’s nose. Surprised, Dan leaned back.At that moment, Taejae stood up. Dan reflexively looked up at him, and then Taejae’s hand went behind his knees, grabbing his waist. In that instant of surprise,“Yikes!”Dan was lifted up, letting out an unlovely scream. With his vision suddenly changing, he looked at Taejae with wide, teary eyes. His face, so close, was terrifyingly expressionless.“Why, why are you doing this…”Was he finally going to eat him? Was he going to put him in a pot? Come to think of it, the kitchen pot was huge enough to fit him easily. He could vividly imagine himself, stripped bare like a live chicken, boiling in it.Dan clasped his hands together, begging.“Please put me down. Please. I did something wrong. So…”“What did you do wrong?”“Everything. Everything. So please put me down. Okay?”Dan twisted his body in panic. Taejae frowned, seemingly annoyed by the fuss.“Stay still. You’ll get hurt if you fall.”After a brief warning, he slightly tossed Dan upward and caught him again. There was no intent to threaten; he was just adjusting Dan who had slipped.“…”However, for Dan, it was definitely threatening. Shocked by the jerking motion, Dan held his breath with wide eyes. His hands and feet turned cold. At that moment, even the pain in his ankle seemed to disappear.Unaware of Dan’s feelings, Taejae carried him down the hallway with large strides.Dan’s hair fluttered around. It was a speed entirely different from when he walked. Exaggerating a bit, it felt like he was in a car. A very tall car on the second floor. The view from above was fascinating but also scary. Falling from here would hurt much, much more than falling down the stairs.Dan’s face turned redder by the second from holding his breath. His chest puffed up, and his body stiffened like a corpse.Then, with Dan in his arms, Taejae lightly tapped Dan’s temple with his forehead.“You need to breathe. You’ll start hiccupping again.”“…”“Breathe, quickly.”“…”With no response from Dan, Taejae exhaled through his nose. Then he tossed Dan up and caught him again.“Eek!”Dan, startled, hugged Taejae’s face and quickly exhaled the breath he was holding.“Good.”Taejae praised him. However, Dan looked like he was about to cry. Being carried by Taejae was extremely uncomfortable. He couldn’t understand why he was doing this.With his long strides, Taejae quickly crossed the hallway and reached the entrance. A little further would be the living room, and beyond that, the kitchen.Dan swallowed hard. Was he really taking him to the kitchen? Maybe Ms. Gong was there, boiling water. Or perhaps the thin man was sharpening a kitchen knife.Finally, Taejae stepped into the living room. Dan’s chest heaved rapidly. He was holding onto Taejae’s hair without realizing it.Fortunately, Taejae headed deep into the living room, the opposite direction of the kitchen. Relieved, Dan let go of Taejae’s hair. Then, like a relaxed cat, he slumped onto Taejae’s broad shoulders. His soft cheeks pressed against Taejae’s nape.“…”Taejae subtly raised and then lowered his chin, frowning slightly where Dan couldn’t see.After a moment’s thought, Taejae set Dan down on a spacious four-seater sofa. Then he stood in front of him, straight and tall, not leaning or puffing out his chest. His shadow enveloped Dan completely.As Dan scratched at the leather of the sofa with his fingertips under Taejae’s intense gaze, Ms. Gong appeared carrying a bag as big as herself. The bag was so large that anyone seeing it might think it was Ms. Gong, not Dan, who was moving out today.Ms. Gong dropped the heavy bag at Taejae’s feet, then wiped her forehead with the back of her hand, sighing.“Thanks.”After a brief thank you, Taejae crouched at Dan’s feet. He opened the bag and rummaged through it.The bag contained all sorts of things: pills in glass bottles, ointment in aluminum cans, patches, tweezers, scissors, cotton… There wasn’t just one or two types of bandages.Taejae felt around, then picked up the most sturdy and durable bandage. He placed Dan’s foot on his thigh. Dan subtly tried to pull his foot away, biting his lower lip.“Shh…”Taejae made a sound with his tongue to stop him. Dan quietly pushed his foot back.Taejae pressed around Dan’s ankle with his thumb and middle finger, then neatly rolled up his pants leg. He applied a patch all over. It had a sharp, cool scent.With skilled hands, Taejae began wrapping the bandage around Dan’s ankle, avoiding the joint. Dan watched, mouth agape.Thankfully, it didn’t hurt. If anything was bothersome, it was how rough Taejae’s hand felt with its calluses and scars. However, his touch was gentle, so it wasn’t painful.“…”Dan watched Taejae silently. He didn’t hit him or curse at him as expected. Nor did he intend to eat him. Instead, he was treating his ankle.He was an incomprehensible man. Dan’s dull mind couldn’t define him.But he knew one thing; the man had a handsome face. Seeing him up close, aspects of his beauty that had gone unnoticed before flooded Dan’s vision.The scar on his right eyebrow was rougher than he thought. It seemed to have healed naturally rather than being stitched, which oddly suited him well.His eyelashes weren’t particularly long but were dense, giving his eyes a fierce look. His eyes also had a subtle upward slant.As Dan quietly observed Taejae’s face, he tensed then relaxed his lips. He then noticed that Taejae’s cheeks looked sharper. Two days ago in the study, his jaw seemed more robust, but now it was sharp.What had he been doing for those two days… Did he not eat? If he had been home, Ms. Gong would have served him lavish meals three times a day. Thinking about the meals he missed made Dan feel sorry.Still, his massive frame and broad shoulders remained. Dan was measuring the width of Taejae’s thick shoulders with his eyes when,“Try to stand.”Taejae looked up at Dan as he spoke. Startled by the sudden eye contact, Dan shivered. Taejae tilted his head, questioning why, and as Dan habitually held his breath, he quickly averted his gaze. Taejae tapped Dan’s little toe.“Foot.”At that, Dan said “Ah,” and pressed down with the sole of his foot. There was a sharp pain, but not enough to scream. He felt the muscles being supported by the bandage.“How is it? Does it hurt?”