MIM 61

The idea that cumming would stabilize his energy was something he’d made up to persuade Shin-woo, but looking at his physical condition today, it seemed to have some truth to it. Jae-seung stepped into the living room while touching his freshly shaved cheek. The skin felt exceptionally smooth under his touch.

That diligent bastard must have woken up early. Jae-seung stretched his legs out on the sofa, pretending to read today’s news while looking around the mansion. Did he go out to see the dog? He thought about going to the garden but decided against it, feeling it unnecessary.

“Haah…”

As the sun rose and morning came, an inevitable sense of self-loathing washed over him. Last night, he really wasn’t in his right mind. Was it even reasonable to have gone so crazy with that guy? The difficulty controlling sexual desire seemed like another side effect of the transformation. His body had been ruined by going into heat every month since his rut started this year. The timing had been particularly bad, seeing someone who would take all his overflow of sexual desire without complaint after so long, plus being excited by Omega pheromones.

It made no sense unless he thought about it that way. The fact that even after witnessing everyone’s wariness of Shin-woo, and even after being threatened by him, he still ended up sleeping with him.

He needed self-control. Jae-seung deliberately shook off the memories of last night that kept invading his mind. Then he called a servant to request coffee, something he rarely drank. Planning to develop a taste for caffeine from now on since he needed to keep his mind sharp.

Today’s tasks particularly required concentration. Jae-seung took a sip of black coffee, then generously added the milk and sugar that came with it and stirred thoroughly. While waiting for the sugar to dissolve, he picked up his phone.

He needed to meet his brother who was supposedly hiding in a mental hospital while being perfectly sane. The problem was that he had no idea which hospital he was in. Being half-siblings, his mother had no interest in his brother, and asking Butler Hwang only got him answers of ignorance. Making inquiries since morning and contacting his brother’s supposed close friend yielded nothing. Even searching with all kinds of keywords turned up nothing.

As if he had deliberately hidden himself away completely.

After staring at his sparse phone contacts, Jae-seung called Ye-wook. Being the son of a director at a prominent company, he might have ways to find out.

-Hello?

“It’s me. Sorry to ask this first thing in the morning, but can I ask you for a favor?”

As soon as Ye-wook answered, Jae-seung got straight to the point. He felt awkward since he hadn’t properly thanked him for yesterday, but having missed the timing, it was hard to bring it up again. Jae-seung chewed his lips nervously before shaking his head to clear away the unnecessary thoughts.

We’re not even friends, no need to be so careful with words. There are no expectations for human relationships. He steadied himself and continued directly.

“I want to know which mental hospital my brother is in. I want to visit him.”

-Visit? Why suddenly?

“I heard he’s hiding there despite being perfectly sane. I need to talk to him.”

Ye-wook let out a small laugh upon hearing this. He seemed to have an idea why his brother was holed up in the hospital but didn’t elaborate.

-Alright. I’ll look into it and let you know.

“It’s strange that I can’t find anything no matter how hard I search. Even his friends don’t know.”

-Just trust me.

Though it was probably just a casual remark, it felt strange. Someone saying something like this when he felt like he might go crazy from being unable to trust anyone. Of course, that didn’t mean he would readily believe it.

Still… he didn’t need to be so standoffish. After hesitating, repeatedly rolling his lips inward, Jae-seung gathered his courage.

“You’re the only one I can ask. I only have seven people in my phone contacts.”

And one of those is Gong Ji-woon. Ye-wook burst out laughing and told him not to worry before hanging up.

Today ends with just one late afternoon lecture. If he gets a call today, he’ll leave right away. He had already planned to shake off Shin-woo using fighting lessons as an excuse. Just as Jae-seung was putting down his cup after taking a few more sips of the tasteless coffee.

“Who was that?”

“Ack!”

Shin-woo, who had suddenly appeared behind him, stared blankly. Since he had been leaning his head toward Jae-seung’s face, the distance was close. It seemed about the same distance as last night when they had looked into each other’s eyes with their foreheads touching. Unlike then, meeting his cold eyes now made Jae-seung choke.

His throat felt like it was tearing. After waiting for his coughing fit to end, Shin-woo suddenly stuck a thermometer in his ear and pulled it out.

“No fever.”

“Ugh, eavesdropping on phone calls without making any sound, what’s with that?”

“Who was it?”

His eyes scrutinized Jae-seung persistently. After showing no interest all morning, he came running as soon as he talked to someone else. Just like at yesterday’s party, he obviously disliked Jae-seung investigating his surroundings. Jae-seung snorted and crossed his legs.

“Why do you need to know?”

“Why don’t you have people to ask favors from? I can do anything, so instead of poking around elsewhere, just ask me.”

Don’t throw parties without me, only ask favors from me. He was ridiculous in every way. Jae-seung raised the corner of his mouth slightly and threw out a light joke.

“Ha, are you jealous?”

“Yes.”

His heart jumped at the unexpected answer. It was meant to be brushed off as a joke and change the subject, but when he answered affirmatively, Jae-seung was at a loss for words. Not stopping there, Shin-woo added deliberately:

“I am jealous.”

So please ask me for favors from now on. He left one more comment while smiling with gently creased eyes. While Jae-seung just stared blankly, he turned and left. Until Shin-woo completely disappeared from view, Jae-seung couldn’t take his eyes off that round back of his head. The playful curve of his eyes lingered in his vision for a while.

***

The mental hospital where his brother was admitted was located at the northern edge of the city. Not only was it excessively far from downtown, but the facilities were also old, making it impossible to find a single advantage that would make someone choose this place among many hospitals. The conditions were so poor that one doctor had to see dozens of patients due to the shortage of medical staff.

Of course, if he was mentally sound, he wouldn’t need doctors anyway. Jae-seung surveyed the hospital that came into view as soon as he got out of the car. The red brick building looking down at him beyond the large entrance looked more like a prison than a hospital.

Getting to visit was more complicated than expected. Upon inquiry, this hospital’s rules were particularly strict – visits had to be requested a month in advance, and non-family members couldn’t visit without family consent. Thanks to Ye-wook knowing the hospital director’s son and getting special consideration, otherwise he might have had to wait a full month.

Jae-seung stood in front of the room prepared for visits, following the nurse’s guidance. This was his first meeting with his brother since their father’s incident. He felt somewhat at a loss, unable to properly remember what time they had spent together or what kind of person he was.

He hadn’t welcomed Jae-seung’s visit request. When first contacting the hospital, he was rejected twice, being told the patient’s condition wasn’t good. How could someone reportedly perfectly sane be in such poor condition that they couldn’t even meet someone? After several persistent attempts, he finally got to see him, but it was clear his brother wasn’t happy about the current situation.

When the nurse opened the door, a snow-white table caught his eye first. Jae-seung took a deep breath before stepping in.

“What do you want to say? Say it quickly and get out.”

The sharp voice came before the nurse could even close the door. Jae-seung raised his eyes to look at his brother sitting across the table.

He was much thinner than in photos and his eyes were fierce. His eyes were sunken as if he hadn’t slept for days, and his hair showed pressure marks as if unwashed. While his overall impression was unremarkable for a mental patient, his glaring eyes were terrifying. Jae-seung saw an incomprehensible, deep hatred brimming in those eyes.

He has reason to hate me since I’m set to inherit Maseong. Jae-seung easily found the reason for being hated.

“They said you were fine, and you really seem to be?”

“You agreed to that nonsensical will, so why come all the way here?”

“About Shin-woo being my guardian? I think that’s a bit suspicious too. So, why are you hiding here?”

When asked with an utterly uncomprehending expression, his brother sighed while pressing the table with trembling fists. His eyes examining Jae-seung were bloodshot.

“…Do you really not know?”