MIM 126

The method of murder, severing the carotid artery, was excessively brutal, and there was talk of needing to investigate it in connection with the previous laboratory murder case. Some believed that the Janggang police, through a lax investigation that included making the absurd mistake of contaminating the crime scene, had targeted the easiest suspect. Others believed that Shin-woo had deliberately provoked Joo-yeon by flaunting Ma Jin-seong’s head, which he had taken as a trophy, and that Joo-yeon, harboring resentment, had committed the act. Stories that were neither entirely true nor entirely false circulated and grew.

Shin-woo, as well as Jae-seung, could not be completely free from these suspicions. He had falsely testified that Joo-yeon had pointed a gun at him before she died, and he had been granted self-defense due to evidence planted by the Janggang police, so it was only natural that someone would be suspicious.

Given this situation, the sight of Shin-woo and him walking around hand in hand aroused numerous suspicions. Rumors openly circulated that the two had conspired to murder Ma Jin-seong and Joo-yeon. He could endure it because it wasn’t entirely false, but he had no intention of dating while being conscious of the people around him. He wanted to love him even more, as he regretted the time he had already wasted.

“What do I have to do to make dating feel real?”

Jae-seung, having put down his phone, asked Woo-hee, who was cleaning the tables across from him. “Excuse me?” she asked, not understanding immediately. He calmly explained, “Shin-woo says dating me doesn’t feel real yet. What do couples usually do?”

“They go out and play together, eat, sleep… they think about each other all day long. They do everything together.”

“We’ve been doing that even before we started dating.”

Perhaps it wasn’t that things hadn’t changed since they started dating, but that they had been dating all along. Thinking about it now, it was strange. They often slept together in the same bed, and they always met up when they had time. Now that he thought about it, the fact that he had rented out an amusement park was no ordinary thing.

As he was deep in thought, Woo-hee offered another answer. “Then try something more romantic. Give him flowers, go on a trip together, or enjoy a date at a nice restaurant.”

“I’ve done all that.”

“But how can it not feel like you’re dating?”

That’s right. At the question, Jae-seung pondered. He felt excited and affectionate when he was with him, wanted to see him smile more, wanted to treat him well, and wanted to kiss him, but what was the reason why it still didn’t feel real?

Maybe he just needed time. He had liked him for so long without any expectations, was so used to suppressing and separating his own emotions, that even though it was his own relationship, it still felt like someone else’s affair.

Just as he had finished his coffee, Shin-woo, dressed neatly, came out of the room. He was wearing jeans and a black turtleneck, with a windbreaker draped over his arm. The moderately fitting shirt showed off his beautiful physique. Fortunately, he had been feeding him three meals a day, so he had regained much of his former figure.

“Coffee, honey?”

Jae-seung asked, holding up his empty cup. Shin-woo glanced at him once and sat down next to Woo-hee. He didn’t even answer, as if he didn’t like the new title, and playfully bumped shoulders with Woo-hee, who was arranging the flower vase.

“He’s telling me to drop out of school.”

Then he whispered loud enough for everyone to hear. Woo-hee, who was wiping the vase, laughed and chimed in, “Oh my, why?”

“That’s what I’m saying. Is a boyfriend with a long education not appealing?”

“That’s not true.”

Even though he knew he was being teased, he couldn’t help but react. Shin-woo, grinning at Jae-seung’s reaction, picked up Maro, who had placed both paws on his lap. “Want some water?” he cooed affectionately, moving away. His gaze followed him. Jae-seung, who had been sitting crookedly, jumped up and followed him.

“About marriage.”

Shin-woo, who had placed Maro next to the water bowl, looked up. Jae-seung crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, looking down at him. As marriage was brought up once again, Shin-woo raised his eyebrows as if he was in trouble.

“It’s too early to be talking about that. How long has it been since you became an adult?”

He was tempted to demand if he hadn’t waited a thousand nights, but Jae-seung carefully paused. More important than his own desire to hold the ceremony right away was what Shin-woo was thinking. Shin-woo stroked Maro, who was lapping up water, and slowly stood up. The two pairs of eyes that met were devoid of mischievousness and held a rather serious light.

“People in your position sometimes see marriage as a business tool.”

Jae-seung, who had been listening quietly, narrowed his eyes. It meant that he didn’t like the flow of the conversation, but Shin-woo didn’t care.

“There are many people who marry spouses who will help their business and then have separate affairs by agreement.”

“That’s crazy talk.”

Having a spouse and a lover separately, no matter how much he liked Ma Corporation, he would never do that. Shin-woo chuckled at his sincere mutterings.

“I’m not saying you should marry someone else, but that you should think carefully. You’re not a kid anymore either. It’s better if it benefits the company, if possible. And we can keep dating.”

“Marrying me is a huge benefit too.”

For a fleeting moment, his eyes softened. Not missing that brief opening, Jae-seung reached out his long arms, wrapped them around Shin-woo’s waist, and pulled him close. As if dancing to elegant music, he took one of his hands and spun him around, a soft laugh tickling his ear. He felt good. He felt like he could listen to Shin-woo’s laughter for hours.

“Butler Hwang said he’d officiate.”

“…”

“Right? Honey.”

Pouting with affection, Jae-seung brought Shin-woo’s hand to his cheek. His face was full of smiles, but Shin-woo couldn’t answer easily.

Suddenly, he remembered the day he first brought Shin-woo to the new house. It was after he was discharged from the hospital and was temporarily staying at the villa, when the house was still under construction. Looking at the new house, which had a completely different structure from the existing mansion, he couldn’t help but admire it. He chattered about their desks that would be placed in the study, and the bed that was large enough for two men and a dog to roll around on, all the while smiling as he looked around. Then, he lingered for a long time around the guest room closest to the entrance on the first floor. Just as he was wondering why he kept going in and out of the empty room, Shin-woo suddenly said,

[I like it here. The scenery outside is pretty too.]

Not immediately understanding what he meant, he grumbled, asking if he was suggesting they sleep in separate rooms now. Shin-woo said that wasn’t what he meant and asked him to prepare a room for him on this side. He understood that he wanted to be guaranteed privacy even while living together. He vowed to mix his things all over the house as they lived together.

It was much later, one afternoon when he was tidying himself up in the entrance hall to go out, that he realized why Shin-woo had requested that room.

That morning, Jae-seung had been busy preparing for Butler Hwang’s last day. The family members gathered to plan a party, and Shin-woo had gone out to buy the necessary items. Butler Hwang, with a thick file of documents under his arm, came to Jae-seung, who was diligently writing a congratulatory speech in the study.

[This is Shin-woo’s personal information. The Chairman collected it during his lifetime… I couldn’t dispose of it on my own.]

He had said that there was no information left on the employees, but the file that Butler Hwang handed over was quite thick. Do-jin. Joo-won. Unfamiliar names that were not the fake identities that Ma Jin-seong had created, and family photos in which Shin-woo did not exist in the frame, caught his eye.

Shin-woo, whom he had vaguely thought had been abandoned in Mangwol District, had a history of being adopted. Ma Jin-seong had very persistently investigated the reasons why Shin-woo had been abandoned twice and how the family who had adopted him afterward had been doing. Shin-woo was presumed to have been abandoned soon after being adopted, and the couple had filed a missing person report but eventually closed the case as a disappearance after failing to find him.

Rage surged as he thought about why Ma Jin-seong had collected this information and how he had used it. Jae-seung only checked Shin-woo’s real birthday and age, then shredded all the documents and photos.