PIA 80

The unexpected words left Ji-an speechless. Even as he hesitated for a long time, Jeong Hee-seo waited patiently.

“Do you… like children, Hyung?”

This was actually the first question he should have asked. Responsibility and love are separate issues. Especially for someone like Jeong Hee-seo, who had ample wealth and could easily take responsibility for one or two lives.

What exactly did he mean by “taking responsibility”? Even though he could guess the answer, Ji-an still wanted to ask.

Using his lack of options as an excuse, he deceived himself saying it was for the child’s sake.

Ji-an didn’t realize he was clutching the hem of his T-shirt so tightly his knuckles had turned white.

“Were you thinking of raising the child yourself, Hyung?”

“…”

Jeong Hee-seo looked down at Ji-an for a moment, then reached out to gently touch Ji-an’s hair, tracing the outline of his forehead with his fingertips.

“It’s quite disappointing that you say that… but I have no excuse since I made you think that way.”

Jeong Hee-seo forced a bright expression and smiled widely.

“I will raise the child, Ji-an. Together with you. If you’ll allow me.”

Ji-an’s face contorted. His cheeks flushed helplessly, and blood rushed to the tips of his ears, making him dizzy.

Having grown up without love, the feelings Ji-an had desperately sought confirmation for, were sweet. Even though he knew he couldn’t repay it, he had to confirm it. He really was a terrible, selfish, and awful person.

* * *

The pile of blankets on the carpet shifted slightly. Secretary Yoon’s eyes became alert as he had been watching it motionlessly for 20 minutes.

He had been itching to act, restrained by his boss’s instruction not to disturb Ji-an until he woke up naturally.

“Good morning!”

Secretary Yoon blew the wake-up call loudly without hesitation.

After a moment of rustling and catching his breath, Ji-an poked his head out of the blankets. Seeing Ji-an’s slightly curly hair sticking out wildly, Secretary Yoon quickly turned his head.

“… Ah, hello. Secretary Yoon.”

As he fully opened his eyes, the day was piercingly bright. Ji-an scratched his nape in embarrassment, somewhat relieved that Jeong Hee-seo wasn’t around the rolled-up blanket.

Ah… He slept so well again.

To hide his awkwardness, Ji-an quickly got up and headed for the bathroom, feeling Secretary Yoon’s gaze follow him. Ji-an bowed repeatedly as he escaped from him. Passing by, he noticed a mountain of luggage in the living room that wasn’t there before.

‘Surely Secretary Yoon didn’t bring all that by himself? In one car?’

“Hyung doesn’t seem like a terrible employer,” he mumbled as he opened the bathroom door, only to see Jeong Hee-seo looking back at him.

“Ji-an, did you sleep well?”

“I’m sorry!”

As Ji-an reflexively tried to close the door in surprise, Jeong Hee-seo grabbed it. He was in the middle of putting on his tie, already dressed impeccably in a suit. Realizing he had overreacted, Ji-an smiled awkwardly.

“Ji-an, you don’t know this, but I am a terrible employer.”

“Haha, haha.”

“Wash up quickly and come out. We’ll eat with Woo-young.”

Jeong Hee-seo nonchalantly touched Ji-an and walked towards the living room. Ji-an was the only one feeling anxious and patting his chest in relief.

Phew… He thought he was going to see Jeong Hee-seo’s d1ck first thing in the morning.

Like the saying about building the Great Wall overnight, after being intimate, a strange sense of bond had developed as if their hearts had also connected. Moreover, Jeong Hee-seo acted naturally as if there wasn’t even a 1mm distance between them.

Ji-an had to consciously guard against the feeling of closeness, as if they had known each other for years.

Especially when thinking about last night, when they slept tightly embraced like a pair of mandarin ducks.

“…I’m going crazy, seriously.”

Ji-an ran his hand through his disheveled hair and picked up a toothbrush. He tried his best to avoid looking at the two toothbrushes naturally plugged into the sterilizer.

In just a moment, the table was filled with food that Secretary Yoon had obviously bought. Where did the dishes come from, and when was the soup heated? Ji-an stopped counting the side dishes.

“Thank you for the meal.”

He didn’t need to resolve to eat well out of gratitude for Secretary Yoon’s efforts. Despite having gone out for dinner last night and even indulging in late-night snacks, he was still hungry. He must have a starving ghost in his stomach.

Ah, not a ghost, but a baby. Sorry.

Ji-an gently rubbed his lower abdomen as he stuffed a mouthful of rice into his mouth. Actually, just white rice would have been enough with Jeong Hee-seo around, but this was an excessively luxurious breakfast.

“It would be nice to have an elevator connected to here.”

Secretary Yoon, sitting across from Ji-an, muttered as he ate. Before Ji-an could even process what he meant, Jeong Hee-seo chimed in.

“That’s a good idea. We could add another parking lot below, make a storage room, and connect an elevator from there to here. It would be convenient for coming and going.”

“I wonder why the homeowner didn’t think of that when building this place.”

“Well, I guess they didn’t plan on going out much.”

It was hard to laugh off such talk when it came from a man with both the means and money to make it happen. It was almost fantastical how he could concretely imagine and implement what others might dismiss as far-fetched ideas. Ji-an chuckled and added another outlandish suggestion.

“Please add a slide from here to the bottom of the mountain too. For riding on nice days. Make the course dynamic while you’re at it.”

“…”

When there was no response, Ji-an quickly looked up, worried he had interjected inappropriately or if it sounded sarcastic. But Jeong Hee-seo was looking at him with upturned lips. The sight of his eyes narrowing with his smile made Ji-an blush.

“That’s a great idea. I’ll look for relevant specialists right away.”

“No, Hyung…”

Ji-an didn’t get the chance to say ‘That’s not what I meant, it was a joke.’ Because Jeong Hee-seo had suddenly stood up and leaned over to kiss the top of Ji-an’s head. Secretary Yoon buried his nose in his rice bowl as if he was suddenly extremely hungry.

Ji-an was about to become the owner of a personal slide. It suddenly occurred to him that this might even make the news. They might end up on some program about people who spend money meaninglessly.

Still, riding a water slide in raincoats on a rainy day could be quite fun… No, that’s not the point.

Ji-an scratched his reddened cheeks and gave Jeong Hee-seo a playful glare.

“You’re really spoiling me, you know.”

As soon as Ji-an put down his chopsticks, Jeong Hee-seo finished getting ready for work. Ji-an’s eyes widened and he raised his hand as he saw Secretary Yoon taking out Jeong Hee-seo’s shoes from the luggage he had brought.

“Speaking of which, what about me? What about my clothes?”

“You have a lot to do at home today.”

Jeong Hee-seo checked the time on his wrist. The lines of his suit flowed beautifully over his long limbs. He adjusted his attire and pointed upstairs as he spoke to Ji-an.

“Although I said you could do as you like, but you’ll have to share the bedroom with me.”

“Ah…”

“There are no separate rooms.”

Does this mean the mentor-mentee game is over as of today? Ji-an nodded awkwardly. A bedroom, he thought.

He felt embarrassed and self-conscious, even though Secretary Yoon had already seen them sleeping and waking up together. Only Ji-an was blushing and checking if Secretary Yoon was listening. In fact, the secretary was too busy with his own tasks to pay attention. Whether he was perceptive or just confident, Jeong Hee-seo’s gaze was focused solely on Ji-an.

“You can explore the house in advance, figure out the layout, and choose spaces you want to use alone.”

“Okay.”

“The people I’ve informed will come for interviews. Later in the afternoon, people will be coming and going to move my belongings. I should be home from work by then, so don’t worry. You should also contact your family. Discuss what to bring from home.”

“Yes—”

A stream of gentle instructions poured out. Essentially, he was asking Ji-an to oversee the move. Ji-an nodded incessantly like a bobblehead doll until he heard laughter and looked up. Jeong Hee-seo moved a step closer and whispered.

“And choose a nursery room too.”

“Oh… okay.”

Why did he look so handsome? Even the tips of his eyelashes, gleamed by the bright light, were beautiful. Was it because of the architect’s impressive design, making this space, this house feel like part of an artwork? Even he seemed to become part of the artwork standing there.

Ji-an was staring  in fascination at Hee-seo’s face when he tilted his head slightly and lowered his lips.

With an audible ‘smooch’, he sucked on Ji-an’s lower lip before slowly pulling away.

We just ate!

Ji-an covered his lips as he blushed and stepped back, the man smiled like a painting and narrowed the distance again as much as Ji-an backed away. He gently grasped Ji-an’s wrist, pushed it away, and pressed his lips against Ji-an’s, pushing his tongue into his mouth.

“Mmm…”

A tingling mint flavor invaded Ji-an’s mouth. The man’s t0ngue, unfairly fresh from brushing and gargling, moved without hesitation. Jeong Hee-seo raised the cool flesh of his tongue to scrape the inside of Ji-an’s mouth, tickling the sensitive palate. The wet sound of saliva echoed in Ji-an’s ears.

Ji-an didn’t even know that he was clinging to him on tiptoe. The skinship that Ji-an had become accustomed to in a short period of time was so addictive and stimulating.

Sweet. Jeong Hee-seo’s pheromones and his saliva were sweet.

With a ‘chu-up’ sound, the man pulled away. Ji-an felt dazed and needed more time to regain his senses. When Ji-an realized that Jeong Hee-seo’s stiff shirt without a single wrinkle was completely wrinkled, he hurriedly straightened it. Jeong Hee-seo smiled gently and ran his thumb over the saliva dripping from the corner of Ji-an’s mouth.

“Take good care of the house, baby.”

B-baby…

There was no time to protest that he was all grown up. Jeong Hee-seo turned swiftly and left the house with Secretary Yoon. As the heavy door closed, the spacious house instantly fell silent. Through the large glass windows facing outside, two figures could be seen hurriedly crossing the garden.

Ji-an quietly sat back down at the dining table.

“Haah…What am I going to do?”

It feels so good…

But for some reason, he felt like crying.