M 70

His cheek was numb from lying on his side for so long. Sehwa rubbed his flattened cheek and slowly got up from the bed.

He must have dozed off while moving to the official residence. It was as if the nausea that had made him sick to his stomach was a lie – when he opened his eyes after what felt like passing out, Sehwa found himself lying on the bed in the guest room.

Sehwa absently fiddled with the soft sleeve of his loungewear. It was an unfamiliar outfit. The person who had changed his clothes and moved him here was probably Ki Tae-jeong. He had said before that he always took care of things after s3x, so it didn’t seem likely he would have assigned the task to an aide.

Imagining the man who must have handled him so gently that he didn’t wake up once during the move and change of clothes made his stomach flutter unbearably.

The kiss they shared in the glass greenhouse of the government building didn’t last long. It was just a light pressing of lips, a kiss that didn’t hint at anything more to come. Afterward, Sehwa leaned on—or rather, was practically carried by—Ki Tae-jeong as they left.

In the end, they hadn’t completed the guardian registration. Sehwa had seen Ki Tae-jeong turn off the program and leave the tablet behind, but it didn’t seem like he’d given any additional instructions to someone else about it. Since it was a necessary procedure, they would probably revisit the matter soon. But at least for today, it was clear that it wasn’t going to be forced. Even though he could have proceeded on his own, the man had chosen to respect Sehwa’s opinion.

Sehwa turned on the reading light attached to the headboard and looked around the room, now filled with decorative cabinets unlike when he first arrived. It seemed the items that had been stacked like towers had been moved inside. It was more than could fit in just a few storage cabinets… well, he must have organized it somehow. Although Sehwa had picked out clothes to wear from among them because he had nothing else, he didn’t intend to use any of the other items anyway.

And on the coffee table… there was a familiar black check card placed neatly. Remembering what happened then, Sehwa punched the bed sheets a few times. He should have told Ki Tae-jeong about this earlier. How he felt when he saw the card inserted alone in the empty wallet. It felt like his very existence was being erased, and it hurt so much, so please don’t do that again…

His shoulders, which had risen high as he sighed, sank down endlessly. As Sehwa stared into space for a moment, recalling the numbness of that time, he suddenly remembered the ridiculous thing he had done the day Ki Tae-jeong first gave him that card. Forgetting even the digging he had just been doing, he burst out laughing without realizing it.

Worried there might only be 10,000 won in it, he had chosen a 3,000 won ice cream. Still wanting to somehow get on Ki Tae-jeong’s nerves. Not knowing there was actually 12 billion won in it. He had bought it thinking it was a splurge, but Ki Tae-jeong probably didn’t know that.

“Ah… I want to eat ice cream.”

Sehwa covered his mouth at the words that had popped out without him realizing and looked down at his lower abdomen.

“What… Is this because of you?”

Confused by the sudden shift in his train of thought, he found himself asking the baby in his belly.

The nausea had subsided, but his stomach wasn’t completely settled. Yet as soon as the thought of wanting to eat something crossed his mind, a fierce hunger washed over him. No, it wasn’t so much that he was hungry… he wanted to taste all the foods that were flashing through his mind right now. It felt like he absolutely had to.

Sehwa found this unfamiliar and absurd. To be suddenly craving ice cream after recalling such sad memories.

“They say mood swings get worse during pregnancy… I guess it’s true.”

Muttering softly, Sehwa was about to lie back down when he sat bolt upright again in less than a second. His body bounced up as if there were springs attached to his bottom.

“Wow… you’re really something.”

Feeling embarrassed for no reason even though no one was watching, he grumbled at the fetus – no, embryo – that didn’t even have ears yet. Suddenly making him unable to smell the flowers he liked. Making him desperate for food in the middle of serious contemplation.

Even when he was locked in an underground workshop for four days without a drop of water, he hadn’t craved anything this badly…. Anyway, unable to just lie still like this, Sehwa was slipping his feet into slippers when, absurdly, he caught sight of his big toenail in the light and very specifically recalled what he wanted to eat right now.

Cherries.

Those small, round, red fruits.

Among the desserts Ki Tae-jeong had sent through his subordinates before, there was also a cherry-flavored cake. The light pink cream spread on top, the red fruit pieces embedded in the sponge… there wasn’t a single part that wasn’t delicious. If there was cherry-flavored ice cream, not fruit but tasting like cherries, that would be good too.

After hesitating for a moment, Sehwa carefully opened the door and came out into the hallway. All the while inwardly chiding the tiny bean-sized embryo.

The chances of finding cherries in the refrigerator were slim, even if he rummaged through it. According to Sergeant Major Choi, Ki Tae-jeong disliked people coming and going, so he didn’t even keep a full-time housekeeper. He usually ate out, and when he was at the official residence, his aides would bring meals at set times. Someone like that was unlikely to have stocked the fridge with a variety of fruits.

Still, Sehwa didn’t stop his cat burglar-like steps. Hoping that looking inside might make him crave something else.

Fortunately, there was a soft light coming from under the decorative cabinet in the hallway, so it wasn’t difficult to find the direction to the kitchen…

“Huh?”

As he got closer to the kitchen, he realized it wasn’t the sensor reacting to his movement… there was a light on in the inner space. Peeking around the corner, he could see past the cooking area to what looked like a room with just a large table and no door, and beyond that, a small light was leaking out.

Hesitating, Sehwa looked alternately at his flat stomach and his slippers, then walked towards the light like a martyr. Given the content of their last conversation… just the thought of facing him made his heart race uncontrollably.

Sehwa smoothed down his sticking-up hair with his palm, trying to calm himself. Even if Ki Tae-jeong was in there, there was no need to feel awkward. He could just say normally: Oh, you’re still up. I came down because I was a bit hungry. Well then, good night…. That’s all he needed to say.

Above all… he needed to raid the refrigerator now. He really wanted to eat cherries. Or apples or tangerines would be fine too. Anyway, the determination to put something sweet, tangy and refreshing in his mouth pushed away all the numbness and uncertainty that had briefly washed over him.

Come to think of it, he hadn’t even thought about wanting to eat fruit before. He didn’t have money to buy such things, and even if he did, he would have used it all to pay off debts. But now, after tasting a few delicious things from Ki Tae-jeong, he was naturally thinking of precious foods.

Without realizing it, everything he had received from him, became so familiar and expected.

As the hazy yellow light grew larger, a clear presence could be felt inside. Passing through the wide-open entrance, a colorless space that seemed cut off from the world unfolded.

An imposing array of what looked like custom-made wine cellars and display cabinets lined the entire visible wall. He didn’t know much about it, but these must be expensive, high-quality liquors that would make connoisseurs’ eyes roll, right? Just looking at them gave him a feeling of intoxication.

Sehwa, whose gaze had been involuntarily drawn to the overwhelming sight, quickly shook his head and searched for the man who must be holed up somewhere in this fortress.

“What are you doing?”

“Ah…”

Ki Tae-jeong was sitting in the corner of a bar on one side. He calmly tilted his glass without being surprised by Sehwa’s sudden appearance. He had been careful, hadn’t made any sound coming here… but it seemed he had already noticed his coming this way.

“Why did you come down?”

“You’re not sleeping?”

Oh dear… Their words overlapped abruptly, leading to a moment of silence. Sehwa awkwardly scratched the back of his neck, waiting for Ki Tae-jeong to speak again. But when he showed no reaction after a few seconds, he decided to speak first. However,

“How’s your stomach?”

“I suddenly got hungry…”

…embarrassingly, the same thing from earlier repeated itself.

Sehwa cleared his throat briefly, and Ki Tae-jeong emptied the glass he was holding in one gulp.

It was awkward… but just as ticklish. As much as when he had imagined Ki Tae-jeong carrying him and changing his clothes earlier. It felt like invisible feathers were tickling the inside of his heart.

“You’re hungry?”

After an awkward atmosphere that seemed difficult to recover from, Ki Tae-jeong casually spoke first. Sehwa inwardly sighed with relief and cautiously approached him.

“Why are you walking like that? You seem uncomfortable somewhere.”

Sehwa had tried to be friendly out of gratitude for smoothing over the situation… but Ki Tae-jeong frowned deeply seeing Sehwa’s awkward gait.

“What? Oh, no. It doesn’t hurt. I really just wanted to fill my stomach a bit…”

Sehwa hoped that his earlobes, which were probably red in the dim lighting, were hidden. Why had he done that? If he had just stayed still, Ki Tae-jeong would have called him over as usual. He had unnecessarily done something out of character…

“Hmm, there’s nothing edible here.”

“I thought there were apples in the fridge…”

“They went bad so I threw them all out.”

Ah… Sehwa held onto the stool backrest and pondered for a moment. What should he do? He didn’t know the layout of the 5-star complex and couldn’t just go out alone in the middle of the night. No, was there even a place selling cherries at this hour? That was the first problem. Plus, he didn’t have much money on hand. There was some cash in the bag he brought, but he had heard the prices in the 5-star complex were exorbitant. Though surely cherries wouldn’t cost over a million won, no matter what…

“What do you want to eat?”

“Huh?”

“You’re pouting like a duck and worrying about something.”

Embarrassed, Sehwa pressed his palms firmly against his mouth.

“I just woke up and my mouth feels empty… I’m not really that hungry.”

“Hmm, I have to go out tomorrow morning so that won’t work…”

Ki Tae-jeong tapped his wristwatch and tilted his head to the side. He seemed to be checking his schedule.

“I’ll assign Sergeant Major Choi to you, so choose whatever you want to eat.”

“Where are you going?”

Sehwa had asked without much thought. He had just responded normally because he said he was going out, but… Ki Tae-jeong raised one eyebrow high as if he had heard something unexpected. Whatever part of that question he found so amusing, he even chuckled.

“Some higher-ups suddenly called me in. I need to stop by the Ministry of National Defense briefly.”

Ki Tae-jeong was a Brigadier General, and he had heard there were only four ranks above him before reaching the head of state. People with higher ranks than him… It was dizzying to even consider, so Sehwa just nodded dazedly.

“I see…”

“Why?”

“Pardon?”

“Why are you asking that? Would you prefer if I went with you instead of Sergeant Major Choi?”

What? Sehwa blinked rapidly for a moment, dumbfounded.

“No, that’s not…”

It seems the baby in his belly is definitely his bloodline, as Ki Tae-jeong said. The baby is suddenly whining for cherries, and the man is saying such unexpected things… How could both of them have such surprising trains of thought?

“I just asked out of politeness because you said you’d be away. Just normally. Isn’t that how people usually converse?”

“Is that so? Your expression says otherwise.”

Completely turning the stool to face his direction, Ki Tae-jeong slightly leaned his upper body. Thinking he might try to kiss him, he tried to step back a few steps, but his wrist was immediately caught. And then… nothing happened. Despite tensing up and shrinking back, all he did was firmly grasp his hand once and let go.

“I’ll give Sergeant Major Choi a card, so this time don’t choose something like a 3,000 won ice cream.”

“Back then, I… Ah! Wait a minute!”

Sehwa, who was about to fumble for an excuse out of embarrassment, suddenly remembered something when he heard that and grabbed Ki Tae-jeong back.

“What exactly is that card? The black card you gave me before.”

“You’re finally asking that now.”

Ki Tae-jeong chuckled as if incredulous, and tapped Sehwa’s nose bridge with his bent index finger.

“It didn’t seem to be in the Brigadier General’s name…”

“It’s in your name, and all the money in it is yours too. More precisely, it’s money that should have been your share, which I got back from Boss Son.”

“Boss Son… Do you mean Boss Son from the House?”

“Yeah. The bastard who once asked you for 3.8 billion won.”

​“That’s… right?”​

“When I paid off all your debts, he suddenly pulled that crap, which pissed me off, so I told him to cough up about three times that amount.”

“Is… that so?”

“That bastard will soon find out whose pocket the 12 billion won went into.”

“……”

Sehwa waited for more words, but that was all of Ki Tae-jeong’s explanation. He said he took three times the amount the bastard Son had demanded because his actions annoyed him.

“…I see.”

Sensing that he didn’t intend to say more, Sehwa just responded that he understood for now.

Sehwa could roughly understand the flow of events, but… it was still puzzling. His debt increase shouldn’t have been something to upset Ki Tae-jeong. Wasn’t it separate from the 200 million won he had paid off for him anyway? That bastard boss must have come up with that trick to trouble him, not the formidable Brigadier General.

Ah, perhaps Boss Son had asked Ki Tae-jeong to pay back that 3.8 billion won too? Aha. If so, it was quite understandable why the man wanted to teach Boss Son a lesson. When he hears that the 12 billion won is in Sehwa’s possession, of all people, the bastard Boss would be even more infuriated.

So that’s why he put that huge sum in his account… It was fortunate, if anything. At least it didn’t seem like he was using his name for something like money laundering.

Still, after hearing the whole story, it seemed even more that he shouldn’t touch that card. 12 billion won…. It was an amount he couldn’t repay even a tenth of if he sold all his organs.

One shouldn’t carelessly pick up blind money with no contract, IOU, or ledger. Especially when it was Boss Son’s money, of all people. At a glance, it seemed he should even put back the 3,000 won he had used then.

“So.”

As if to wake Sehwa from his thoughts, Ki Tae-jeong tapped the back of his hand. His fingers naturally intertwined with his, slowly rubbing his palm. No, tickling it. It was a touch that felt meaningful in many ways… enough to make him suddenly inhale sharply.

“What exactly are you craving that you’re being so suspiciously quiet about it?