IPSTDS Chapter 56

Chapter 56

“Me…”

Nahyuk’s hesitation did not last long. Perhaps he had already made his decision from the moment Lee Kangil suggested pretending to be lovers.

He decided to answer the way his heart desired.

“I want to.”

Even if the act of being fake lovers ended in sadness, Nahyuk wanted to spend time with Lee Kangil as though they were truly together.

If by some chance he really ended up dying like this, he wanted to experience something like love so he could leave without regrets. Even if it was fake, if he could love and then die, he felt he could close his eyes in peace.

It was a pity that he would never know what it felt like to truly love someone he loved… but he resolved not to be greedy.

—I knew you’d say that.

Through the receiver, Kangil’s voice somehow sounded delighted.

He even hummed faintly. Perhaps he was welcoming the fact that he himself had come to a clearer understanding of his own confusing feelings.

—Yoon Noah.

“Yeah.”

—Then starting today, it’s our Day One.

“…”

Nahyuk screamed inside. Half of it was shock at the cringe-worthy words, and the other half was happiness.

“It’s… it’s fake, so why bother keeping track of things like that.”

—Why not? Even if it’s fake, I’ll be sincere about it. What’s the problem? You’re not planning on being sincere?

“…I’m sincere too.”

—Where are you now?

“On my way home…”

—I’ll come find you. Wait for me.

The call ended just like that. Nahyuk leaned back fully into the seat and let out a long breath.

“Ha…”

Why did he feel even more nervous after hanging up?

Even though his body felt the weariness from his frequent outings, he couldn’t fall asleep. Nahyuk’s mind was filled only with the thought of meeting Lee Kangil.

* * *

Lee Kangil had arrived at Nahyuk’s house before he did.

As if it were his own home, he was already sitting in the living room, casually chatting with the household staff he had quickly grown familiar with. He was even drinking the tea that Chief Song cherished most.

When Nahyuk stepped through the front door and saw the scene, he clicked his tongue.

‘That guy would survive even if he were stranded alone on a deserted island.’

His social adaptability was truly impressive.

At that moment, Kangil spotted Nahyuk. He set down his teacup with elegance and immediately sprang up from the sofa.

“…K-Kangil?”

Why did this sudden sense of unease come over him?

The next moment, his unease became reality.

“Darling!”

Calling out the absurd endearment, Kangil ran straight toward him.

Nahyuk instinctively stepped back, but Kangil’s movements were far quicker.

The scent of Kangil’s cologne drifted to the tip of his nose. It wasn’t unpleasant—in fact, it made him slightly dizzy. While he was caught off guard by that momentary intoxication, Kangil’s large body pulled him into a firm embrace.

Their bodies pressed together without a gap, and Kangil’s warmth was overwhelming.

“Darling, I missed you.”

The rawness of the expression was burdensome, yet strangely, it didn’t feel bad. In fact, Nahyuk welcomed the sudden embrace and the intimate address.

‘If I really had a lover, would it feel like this?’

Nahyuk felt his cheeks grow warm.

With a small burst of courage, he reached out and lightly grasped the hem of Kangil’s shirt, as though truly treating him like a lover. His heart pounded at a rapid pace.

“But the staff seem awfully entertained watching us… should we give them an even more dramatic scene?”

Ah, right. The staff were here.

“No.”

Nahyuk quickly pushed Kangil away. Kangil allowed himself to be pushed back without resistance and looked down at him.

The expression on his face was nothing but playful.

“You can’t do that in front of people.”

“So what? Didn’t you accept my proposal knowing you’d have to go this far?”

“…Did I?”

Well, if they even fooled Noah’s staff, then Seo Dowoong would be all the easier to deceive. Nahyuk finally gave in to Kangil’s logic.

“Then let’s head upstairs.”

With those words, Kangil’s large hand clasped Nahyuk’s, intertwining their fingers tightly together.

It wasn’t just hand-holding; he laced their fingers snugly, one by one.

It was the first time in Nahyuk’s life he had ever held hands that way.

Without waiting for a reply, Kangil strode forward on his long legs. Nahyuk simply stared at his broad back.

‘Why does my heart flutter like this…’

Flustered, Nahyuk ducked his burning face.

* * *

By the time he reached his room, he could feel his condition had suddenly worsened.

Separate from the pounding of his heart, his body had no strength left. Even standing felt like a burden. Leaving behind an excited Kangil, he collapsed onto the bed.

“…Are you in pain?”

Kangil perched on the edge of the bed and asked with concern.

“It’s not that I’m in terrible pain… just tired. Maybe today’s outing drained me too much.”

Kangil gently brushed aside the hair that had fallen across his forehead.

Nahyuk liked the warmth of that tender touch. It almost felt as though he were being loved, which made it all the more pleasant. Closing his eyes, he savored the sensation.

“Would it be too much to ask you to tell me what happened today?”

“…No, of course I should. Because of what happened today, you ended up pretending to be my lover too.”

At that moment, the bed dipped beside him. When Nahyuk cracked his eyes open, Kangil had boldly lain down next to him.

“What are you doing? Why are you lying down?”

“To listen while lying beside you. It feels more intimate this way.”

“You really are a strange man.”

“I’m a funny and extraordinary man.”

Even though humility didn’t exist in Kangil’s vocabulary, Nahyuk couldn’t hate it. Smiling faintly, he began.

“Recently, my grandfather called me over…”

He slowly recounted how Yoon Taesik gave his children equal opportunities, how that led to him becoming entangled with Seo Dowoong, how Seo Dowoong refused to believe him when he said he wasn’t interested, and how, because of that, Kangil ended up being dragged into the matter.

After laying it all out, he still couldn’t understand why Seo Dowoong would go so far as to drag his name into it.

“…Why do you think Seo Dowoong is doing this? Is it some kind of possessiveness over people who once liked him? Like, does he think the whole world has to love him? Something twisted like that?”

Kangil made a thoughtful sound. He, too, didn’t answer immediately, as though it was difficult to guess Seo Dowoong’s intent.

Finally, his voice came.

“There are two possibilities. First, like you said, strong possessiveness. And second…”

Turning his body, Kangil shifted to face Nahyuk directly.

Nahyuk only tilted his head slightly to meet his eyes. Without his smile, Kangil’s expression looked oddly cold.

“…That Seo Dowoong likes you.”

“That’s ridiculous. Unless he’s a pervert, there’s no way he’d like me.”

“Pervert?”

“Yeah! He hated me when I liked him, but now that I don’t, he suddenly likes me? If that’s not perverted, what is? I hate stuff like that.”

“But people’s feelings aren’t something they can control. Maybe he secretly enjoyed the way you clung to him.”

“That’s the worst…”

Nahyuk still couldn’t believe such a man would end up paired with Kim Daon. Should he try to stop that future from happening?

But he didn’t want to. As Kangil had said, people’s hearts weren’t something even they could control.

Love between two people was theirs alone to figure out. For an outsider like himself to interfere would be overstepping.

‘And besides, I can’t even manage my own love life. I have no time to worry about someone else’s.’

So he decided simply to trust Kim Daon.

He believed the wise Daon would firmly claim his own love—even if he acted differently than in the original story.

“What about you?”

Kangil’s voice broke his train of thought.

“Hm?”

“If Seo Dowoong were to confess to you, would you still be able to reject him firmly, like you are now?”

“Of course. Why would I ever trust him enough to like him again? If I liked him, he’d probably just flip his feelings again.”

Besides, Nahyuk had never truly been captivated by Seo Dowoong. He had little interest in him.

“Oh, steadfast, are you?”

“You’re all so strange. Why can’t you just believe me?”

“It’s not that I don’t believe you. I just wanted to double-check. Our little wildcat must have clung to Seo Dowoong an awful lot, after all.”

Nahyuk turned to face him more directly and answered firmly.

“I don’t cling to him anymore.”

He didn’t even have the strength to. Just one outing had left him weak as a sickly chick, barely able to lie on the bed.

A faint, weary smile spread across his face.

Kangil seemed amused by that expression, chuckling as he touched Nahyuk’s cheek.

“Then what about Kim Daon?”

“…What?”

“What if Kim Daon said he liked you instead of Seo Dowoong?”

“…”

It was something Nahyuk had never considered. His words caught in his throat, and the silly smile he’d been wearing disappeared.

Kangil noticed his change in expression instantly and smirked with one side of his mouth.

“Look at that, you can’t even answer.”

“…Am I supposed to hate that idea?”

“You need to be sure of yourself.”

“Huh? Sure about what?”

At that moment, Kangil’s face moved closer.

What is he planning to do? Nahyuk thought—when suddenly, Kangil’s lips brushed softly against his own.

A light kiss.

“Anyway, we’re lovers now.”

“…”

“You can’t show signs of liking another man in front of your lover.”