IPSTDS Chapter 104

Chapter 104

Waking from a long sleep, Nahyuk wished with all his heart that the events of the previous day had only been a dream. Park Sangcheol’s threats, Seo Dowoong’s strange behavior… he hoped none of it had been real.

But the moment he saw the two men sleeping peacefully on either side of him, he realized it had not been a dream. If it had, he would never have shared a bed with Kim Daon and Lee Kangil.

Propping up only his upper body, Nahyuk gazed at Daon’s face for a long time.

He remembered Daon saying that he often had nightmares.

But now, Daon’s face was nothing but calm. He slept with a straight posture, his expression free of tension.

It was a relief to see he wasn’t dreaming badly.

Just then, Daon’s eyelids opened. Had he sensed Nahyuk’s stare and woken because of it?

When their eyes met, Nahyuk quickly apologized.

“Sorry, did I wake you?”

Daon answered with a faint smile.

“No. I always wake up early. I’m not much of a sleeper.”

Looking at the clock, Nahyuk realized it was still a little early to be awake.

Daon quietly sat up and whispered into his ear.

“Let the sleepyhead rest more. Want to come out with me?”

Instead of answering, Nahyuk gave a slight nod.

Kangil was a heavy sleeper; once he drifted off, he rarely woke. And since he had worked late into the night all week, it seemed better to let him rest as much as he could.

So the two quietly left the room and sat down on the sofa in the second-floor living room.

Daon went downstairs, saying he would bring tea. He returned shortly, placing a steaming cup in front of Nahyuk.

“Thanks.”

“If you need anything else, just say so.”

“If someone saw, they’d think you were the master of this house.”

“Well, your house is my house, and my house is yours.”

With an easy grin, Daon lifted his cup to his lips.

Watching him, Nahyuk thought, as always, how pretty Daon was—no swelling in the morning, not even messy bed hair.

On Daon’s face, the face he had always wished would be happy, there was no shadow. Unlike in the original story, he hadn’t ended up with Seo Dowoong, and even with the sudden obstacle of Park Sangcheol, his light had not dimmed.

That alone, Nahyuk thought, was a relief.

“Hyung, it’s a bit heavy to ask first thing in the morning, but…”

It sounded as if Daon had called him out just to say this.

“What is it you want to ask?”

Still holding his cup, Daon answered.

“Can you tell me in detail what happened yesterday with Seo Dowoong?”

“…”

Nahyuk took a sip of tea instead of answering. He had fallen asleep without deciding how much to tell him.

Was it right to spill it all so early in the morning? Would Daon be hurt by Seo Dowoong’s sudden shift in behavior?

Noticing his hesitation, Daon spoke first.

“Whatever you say, I won’t be disappointed in you.”

“It’s not that I’m worried about you being disappointed in me. I’m afraid you’ll be hurt, or misunderstand.”

He was afraid Daon would misunderstand when he told him that Seo Dowoong had said he liked him. That he would think Nahyuk had pretended to reject him in front of Daon but seduced him like the original Yoon Noah behind his back.

That was what made him hesitate.

Nahyuk wet his dry lips with his tongue.

“Whatever you say, I won’t misunderstand. I promise. And if I do get hurt, you can comfort me, right?”

“…What?”

“You just have to comfort me with all your heart. That’s enough. So don’t carry this alone anymore. Tell me the truth. I want your burden to lighten by sharing what’s troubling you.”

The words pierced him. With Daon, whose kindness seemed second nature, there was no way to win through words.

His worries felt pointless now. He resolved to tell the truth.

“Thanks for saying that, Daon. The truth is…”

Staring somewhere on the table, Nahyuk began recounting what had happened:

How Seo Dowoong had said he liked him. How he had used Daon as leverage to force him into returning his feelings. How he had kissed him against his will.

“….”

Would Daon be angry?

Or would he ask if he had been scheming behind his back, like he feared?

Would he even cut ties, saying they shouldn’t stay close anymore? That, Nahyuk thought, would be unbearably sad.

Lowering his head, he braced for the reply. But instead of blame or accusation, what came was… an embrace.

…An embrace?

Caught off guard, Nahyuk could only collapse into it. He felt no urge to resist.

“D-Daon?”

“I’m furious.”

“….”

“I’m furious that Seo Dowoong treated you like that. I can’t forgive him. And I’m angry at myself too, for only finding out now.”

“You’re not disappointed in me? You don’t misunderstand?”

Daon held him so tightly against his chest that he couldn’t see his face. Nahyuk wanted to check if the words were said just to comfort him, or if they were truly sincere.

“No. If anything, I feel wronged on your behalf. Because I know you like me more than Seo Dowoong. Right? I want to hear it from your own mouth.”

“Yeah. I like you more than Seo Dowoong. No—I dislike Seo Dowoong.”

“You like me, then?”

“…Mm. I like you, Daon.”

The moment he said it, Nahyuk thought he could hear the pounding of Daon’s heartbeat against his ear.

“Say it again. Just once more.”

It was an easy request.

“I like you, Daon.”

“Ha… hyung, really.”

Letting out a long sigh, Daon held him for a long while. Nahyuk stroked his back gently, as though comforting him instead.

‘We’ve built enough trust now that you won’t misunderstand me so easily.’

Daon had asked for comfort, but in this moment, the one being comforted was Nahyuk.

He treasured Daon—someone who believed in him, who liked him, when he had no real family, no friends, no lover.

“Don’t worry, Daon. Even if Seo Dowoong doesn’t help you, you’ve still got me. Remember, I’m the hyung who lives in a ridiculously big house.”

The words the real Yoon Noah had once boasted to him, before Nahyuk possessed his body.

Daon seemed to remember too.

“Of course I remember. My hyung who lives in a ridiculously big house, a cool hyung.”

“I’ll protect you. I’m capable of that much.”

Right after those uncharacteristic boastful words, Daon let out a small laugh. If it could make him smile, Nahyuk would gladly boast even more.

“It’s okay. I don’t care about other people. Even if I lose my job, I’ll be fine. I know I’ll succeed anywhere, because I’m good at what I do.”

It was astounding confidence. For Nahyuk, who had always had low self-esteem, it was a way of thinking he had never had.

And strangely enough, he believed it. Daon really did seem like he would succeed at anything. He’d stand out even as a freelancer.

“Even so, as your hyung, I’ll help you. Especially since Seo Dowoong said he wouldn’t protect you because of me.”

“Then hyung.”

“Yeah?”

“Let’s figure out a solution together.”

“Right?”

“Then let’s meet often, just the two of us, without Lee Kangil knowing.”

After all, Kangil went to work on weekdays. They could see each other then.

“…Let’s do that.”

“Promise.”

“Yeah.”

Only then did Daon release him.

Nahyuk finally looked at his face, which he had been afraid to see. There was only a faint smile there, no trace of negativity.

The sigh that escaped his lips carried nothing but relief.

“Hyung, can I ask for one more bit of comfort?”

“How?”

Daon tilted his face to the side. Soft lips pressed against Nahyuk’s cheek.

“Wow. I did it. I feel so much better now.”

He wore a sly smile.

“D-Daon… you’ve been kissing me a lot more lately.”

“So you didn’t like it…?”

But there had been nothing unpleasant. His lips had left too quickly for that.

Nahyuk shook his head.

“Good.”

Though nothing had truly been solved, Daon sipped his tea with a lighter expression. Nahyuk, meanwhile, wondered when he should reach out to Yoon Taesik, all the while gazing at Daon.

Perhaps sensing his eyes, Daon spoke without looking at him.

“Hyung, if anything like that happens again, don’t hide it. Tell me right away.”

“Yeah, I will.”

* * *

Even after finishing his tea, it was still too early for breakfast.

Nahyuk lay back down on the bed. Even then, Lee Kangil hadn’t stirred from his sleep.

Daon finished his tea and left for his own home. It was Sunday, but he said he needed to go feed his younger brothers.

‘It really felt like there was something else, though.’

Perhaps Daon had left in order to meet or speak with Seo Dowoong. Maybe he had moved the meeting elsewhere so Nahyuk wouldn’t worry.

All Nahyuk could hope was that nothing serious would happen—that softhearted Daon wouldn’t get hurt.

Just as he was about to drift back to sleep, the phone at his bedside buzzed lightly.

When he turned on the screen, he saw that the original novel, updated at irregular times, had posted another chapter.

「‘Even in Ruins, Flowers Bloom – Episode 81 Uploaded!’」

It had already reached episode 81, and the fact that he could read it even from within the story itself struck him as uncanny.

Abandoning sleep, Nahyuk began to read.

Episode 81 opened not with his own reality, but with Seo Dowoong, who loved Kim Daon in the original, crushing Park Sangcheol.

True to the declaration he had once made to Yoon Noah in the story, Seo Dowoong handled everything by himself.

Not only did he stop Sangcheol from publishing articles, he even prevented him from leaking the information to the sly cyber-gossip mongers he had prepared.

Though Park Sangcheol had worked at a reputable news outlet, his mistake had been underestimating Seo Dowoong.

Instead of blackmailing Yoon Noah, his only chance would have been to drop the gossip anonymously and without warning. Only then would he have stood a chance.

Because of this incident, Seo Dowoong and Daon’s love deepened, and it seemed as though everything was being neatly tied up.

But then, something unexpected began to unfold in the original story.