ETP Ch 87

Yoohyun was so flustered that Sungyeon, seeing his reaction, was also startled.

He… he didn’t think asking to live together was a proposal, did he? Of course, he desperately wanted to just confess his feelings, but this wasn’t the right time.

“Then it’s okay, right! Uh, Sunbae-nim’s rut is over, and my heat cycle is over too…?”

Then it should be somewhat fine, shouldn’t it? Right now, he isn’t a slave to those pheromones. Even if the pheromones are a bit unstable, somehow it will work out, right?

No, it has to work out. The biggest reason Sungyeon wanted to live with Yoohyun again was that he was disappointed that Yoohyun’s pheromones were gone from the house.

Sungyeon worked his frozen brain hard, trying to find a legitimate reason for what he had said.

“That’s right. I don’t have the urge to thrust anywhere now. If I happen to lunge at you, spray me with a self-defense spray.”

“Eek?”

Th-thrust…?

Sungyeon’s eyes widened in surprise at the vulgar words coming from Yoohyun’s mouth.

Yoohyun also realized belatedly that he had spoken without a filter and regretted it, but he closed his mouth, assuming the meaning had gotten across anyway.

Yoohyun was currently in a situation where increasing the dosage of suppressants after his rut was a bit of a burden. However, he couldn’t help it. He absolutely didn’t want to miss this opportunity that had presented itself again.

“R-right! You’re, you’re like a patient right now, Sunbae-nim…”

“Yeah. That’s right.”

Yoohyun gently steered the wheel, agreeing with Bokseung’s words.

With the stable ride and the scent of Yoohyun’s pheromones, which he hadn’t smelled in a long time, Sungyeon’s eyes started to droop.

I shouldn’t fall asleep here! I haven’t seen him in a long time, I need to talk to him more!

Sungyeon shook his head vigorously to shake off the approaching drowsiness. Then, a topic suddenly came to mind, and he immediately asked.

“Oh! Speaking of which, Sunbae-nim, didn’t you say you had something to tell me about that bastard Kim Taeon?”

“Huh?”

“I think you said you’d talk about that bastard because it would be wrapped up in a few days? Why? Did that miserable guy finally get caught?”

“Ah, that…”

It had been less than five minutes since Bokseung asked him to live together. Since the pretext for living together was Kim Taeon, it was difficult to say anything. Yoohyun bit his lip with a look of dismay.

Ah, what should I do. Should I reveal everything? Or should I feign ignorance for just a few days?

Bokseung, completely unaware of his complex inner thoughts, chattered with his small lips.

“That bastard needs to be locked up properly this time. He didn’t just do that to me; he must have been a complete jerk to other people too, right? If you see one thing, you know ten; that bastard needs to be removed from society!”

“Really?”

“Yes!”

“Do you really think that bastard should be removed from society?”

At Yoohyun’s question, Sungyeon nodded emphatically.

What’s the point of letting such bastards loose in society? They’ll just bully other weak people and laugh, thinking it’s fun. What a despicable guy.

Sungyeon was furious, unaware that if Kim Taeon were caught, he would lose his reason to be with Yoohyun.

“Hmm…”

Yoohyun finished his short deliberation while looking at the panting child.

Yoohyun arrived at the officetel parking lot, turned off the engine, and turned toward Bokseung.

“Kim Bokseung.”

“Yes!”

“I have something to tell you…”

Sungyeon also turned his body toward Yoohyun to face him. He had a premonition that what he was about to say was about Kim Taeon.

But why does he look so discouraged when talking about that bastard?

Sungyeon swallowed hard, looking at Yoohyun’s hesitant lips. His lips, illuminated by the dim lighting unique to the parking lot, looked so dangerous and… delicious… Sigh.

Yoohyun, completely unaware of what Sungyeon was thinking while looking at him, furrowed his brows.

Somehow, after saying this, I feel like I’m going to get scolded a lot, maybe even get hit.

No, being hit wasn’t the problem. He was most afraid that Bokseung might show a look of contempt and never see his face again. It was a hesitation unlike the usual Yoohyun.

“Sunbae-nim?”

“Yeah.”

At Bokseung’s urging, Yoohyun suppressed the hesitation in his mind. It was a feeling of ‘It’ll work out somehow.’ He wasn’t usually this reckless, but it seemed he had caught the child’s carefree attitude.

“You know Kim Taeon.”

“Yes.”

“He’s gone.”

“…Pardon?”

Gone what?

Sungyeon looked blankly at Yoohyun’s words without an object. It wasn’t the first or second time he was unkind, but he truly couldn’t anticipate anything this time.

Does ‘gone’ mean Kim Taeon ran away somewhere, or that they couldn’t catch him even after finding him, or does it mean Kim Taeon is no longer in this world?

The situation was confusing because there wasn’t just one possibility for the subject of ‘gone.’

“Kim Taeon is not in our country right now.”

“Ah, so you mean Kim Taeon ran away overseas?”

“Not exactly.”

“Pardon? Then?”

“I sent him.”

Yoohyun thought he had provided a supplementary explanation. In his opinion, it was kind and detailed. It didn’t sound that way at all to the receiving Bokseung.

After a moment of silence, Bokseung shouted loudly.

“Why would you send that bastard away?!? No, it’s not enough to catch him and beat him up, why would you let him escape?!”

“Huh?”

“You just said you sent Kim Taeon overseas!!”

Ah, that ‘sent’ wasn’t this ‘sent.’

Yoohyun looked troubled, seeing Bokseung who seemed ready to open the car door and head to the airport immediately.

He realized that Kim Bokseung really took things literally. That innocent quality was cute, but calming Bokseung’s anger was the priority now.

“Wait, I’ll explain again.”

Yoohyun grabbed Bokseung’s wrist. Bokseung’s face, which was flushed with excitement, now flushed with heat for a different reason, but Yoohyun, unaware of this, patted the back of Bokseung’s hand gently, telling him to calm down.

“Ugh, yes. P-please explain.”

Sungyeon scratched his tingling cheek, feeling Yoohyun’s hand on the back of his own.

Seriously, even when having such an important conversation, I’m just feeling how warm and nice his hand is. Instincts are truly honest.

Heh heh, Sungyeon chuckled inwardly, calmed down his excitement, and looked at Yoohyun.

Hoping that he would explain clearly this time.

As Sungyeon wished, Yoohyun kindly explained this time. Sungyeon realized that a lot had happened in that short time when he was asleep.

“…So, the evening of that incident, Kim Taeon was immediately dealt with and sent overseas…?”

“Yes.”

“H-how…? No, by yourself, Sunbae-nim?!”

Even if Hwang Yoohyun is a chaebol, how can he send a normal citizen away like that?!

“Yeah, one person is possible even without the family’s help.”

He can send him.

He did send him.

Sungyeon just nodded, speechless.

Dramas aren’t completely fiction. Come to think of it, the day after the incident with Kim Taeon, he said he sent him somewhere. At the time, he wondered what that meant, and it was this. Wow, that’s truly amazing.

“If that gets caught…”

“It won’t get caught. And even if it does, what can they do to me?”

Sungyeon couldn’t help but be convinced by the overly confident attitude.

“So.”

“Yes?”

Sungyeon’s heart thumped at Yoohyun’s look, as if he had something more to say. If he heard anything more, he felt like he would cross a point of no return! That shouldn’t happen!

Shake, shake, Sungyeon shook his head vigorously, but Yoohyun’s mouth, once opened, showed no sign of closing.

“I was wrong.”

“Agh, no…!! Huh?”

Sungyeon, who had no intention of hearing any deeper secrets, shouted, and at the same time, an unbelievable phrase popped out of Yoohyun’s mouth.

‘I was wrong’? Feeling like he must have misheard, Sungyeon asked again, “Huh? Huh?”

“I said, I was wrong.”

“Uh, what were you wrong about, Sunbae-nim?”

“For not telling you from the start and hiding it. If I had told you from the beginning, you wouldn’t have had to leave your house and stay with me, and you wouldn’t have had to clothe, feed, and even teach me manners.”

A sound like teeth grinding seemed to be heard at the part about ‘teaching manners,’ but nevertheless, Yoohyun was sincerely admitting his mistake.

“You wouldn’t have had to go through various inconvenient things either. It was my greed, I wanted to stay with you. I’m sorry.”

Yoohyun continued with a calm expression.

Sungyeon wondered if this was really the face of someone apologizing, but he nodded anyway.

Despite the expression, the child’s voice was so downcast, he had to accept the apology.

Of course, intentionally deceiving him about Kim Taeon from the start was despicable, but after hearing the enormous truth, he felt no impact from that.

“Uh, yes. I understand.”

“Here.”

Yoohyun leaned his face forward.

Why, why again?!

Sungyeon recoiled in disgust. What is he trying to do this time, shoving his handsome face forward!

Sungyeon continued to scoot his butt back even after his back hit the car window.

“Hit me once.”

“W-what did you say?”

“Aren’t you angry?”

Uh, your actions have completely chased away my anger.

Sungyeon could only manage a bewildered laugh, looking at Yoohyun’s barbaric apology method.

Seriously, in which country’s law does hitting someone resolve anger?

Sungyeon, a solid social worker of the Republic of Korea, glared at the violent Hwang Yoohyun. Then, he extended his white and slender index finger and gently pushed Yoohyun’s well-defined forehead.

“Even so, what do you mean by ‘hit me’?”

“But what if you pout like last time and stop contacting me.”

“When did I pout so much!”

Yoohyun, who had experienced him pouting quite a few times, was about to list them but stopped himself. He probably didn’t ask for an answer.

Yoohyun had grown somewhat perceptive.