PIA 27

Ji-an was worried that the voice would suddenly disappear again, so he hurriedly got to the point and the voice started chuckling.

―No matter how much you struggle, you can’t avoid the plot development.

“How can you be so sure? Just getting married is enough to avoid it now.”

―You’re probably forcing the development. The more you do that, the less likely you are to have a chance with Jeong Han-joo. The time is limited.

Was not realizing one’s wishes the meaning behind all this?

“I said I don’t need a relationship. Just tell me how to break the development.”

He couldn’t continue to be controlled like this.

Based on his experience so far, tomorrow, Madam Myung Hyun-sook may burst in and say, “What’s your relationship with my eldest grandson! Oh, you’re pregnant. Let’s have a wedding right away!” Such a situation could arise.

Perhaps Ji-an’s sincerity had been conveyed a little, as the voice sighed sympathetically. It murmured that it couldn’t understand why he wanted to have a baby and also expressed that it didn’t know how changing could be a solution.

―If the development is prolonged, and if you deviate from the original flow, the character can also change… That could be a solution.

“…How? How would they change?”

―I don’t know. You have to experience it yourself.

“Why is it that you never know anything decisive? How can you be sure about the changes?”

―You’ve changed already.

Ji-an frowned and his expression hardened. What had changed, especially considering he might not even know that he has feelings for Hee-seo? Was this some kind of manipulation?

―Anyway, if other characters change like you did, the plot might change. However, you should be prepared for it becoming uncontrollable. Friend.

“Who’s your friend?”

―Haha. Seeing how quickly you changed, I wonder if other characters have already changed.

“…But I’m not a character. Am I the same as them?”

―Well… I wonder.

∞

After the voice disappeared without giving any specific information, Ji-an fell into theoretical contemplation.

―If you think about it, you’re a character too. Same goes for me. I eat, sleep, live, move, even have sex, it’s all the same, isn’t it? What makes us different? On what basis?

It was just like the last words the voice left behind. Today, he ate, laughed, and chatted with Jeong Hee-seo. They walked together and entered the hotel room together. Well, not exactly the same about the sex part. Anyway, they’re both human beings.

If that’s the case, was this really a drama? Or was the world he came from was a drama? Perhaps the world he lived in was not a novel written by someone. Maybe the term “plot development” was just another word for fate…

His worries continued until he finished taking a shower, organized his clothes, changed into a white gown, and lay down on the bed.

Aside from that, the more Ji-an thought about it, the more annoying the voice seemed.

‘Why did it keep saying that we had sex? When you look closely, that thing is really cheap with his words…’

It had been like that since Ji-an first came into this world. It kept saying he had sex with him. Ji-an didn’t even have any memory of that. It said they had sex a few times, and they even had a few knottings. He keeps… keeps…

“Ugh, anyway, what a weird pervert.”

Just as Ji-an was muttering, Hee-seo entered through the open door.

Jeong Hee-seo suddenly stopped with one leg over the boundary between the corridor and the room.

“The door was open.”

“I didn’t say that because of you, hyung!”

Almost immediately, an excuse came out.

While the reasons were different, in Hee-seo’s case, it was because Ji-an was sitting on the bed with the gown almost completely undone.

“…”

“…”

It was strange how often conversations came to a standstill. Ji-an waited for Jeong Hee-seo to speak first. Hee-seo’s expression was a mix of confusion  and subtle complexity.

“Someone will come with a change of clothes. So… ”

Jeong Hee-seo raised his hand and pointed at Ji-an. Ji-an, who had followed his move, was startled as he realized he was undressed. Ji-an was only wearing a gown with no panties because he didn’t have any underwear to change into, and it had been loosely untied.

“I, I didn’t notice because the room was so warm.”

Rising abruptly, Ji-an tightened the belt of his gown around his waist. He noticed that Hee-seo had deep wrinkles on his forehead.

“Hmm… Will you stay in this room?”

“Yes. Is there any problem?”

Looking inside, the large bedroom on the right was clearly the suite’s main room. It had a television for watching movies, a small coffee table, and a super king-size spacious bed. It was a place he shouldn’t dare to occupy.

On the other hand, where Ji-an was sitting now was literally a sub-guest room with a small shower room in the corner. He thought it was appropriate for him to be here…

“If you’re suggesting we sleep together…”

Ji-an blurted out fearfully but hastily added when he saw Hee-seo’s eyebrow rise discontentedly.

“Oh, no… I didn’t mean to make any strange misunderstandings with you, hyung-nim. I thought maybe you were worried about the pheromones… I wanted to tell you that my pheromones aren’t that urgent right now, and I’m not really that kind of person…”

“I know. After I leave for work, you are the one who spends the whole day here. I was trying to tell you to stay in a comfortable room.”

“I’m not that inconsiderate.”

“It’s already a minus because you don’t have one, what’s there to consider?”

Jeong Hee-seo pushed Ji-an’s back and pushed him into the large bedroom. Despite making a sound like “aigoo” as if resisting, Ji-an, who pretended to be pushed, opened his mouth wide at the sight of the extra-large bed. The white and soft bedding was like clouds.

“Well then, I won’t hesitate…”

Being pushed, he ended up diving into it. Even though he relaxed and collapsed, the elastic mattress supported him without any impact. It was heaven.

“Since someone will come… Fix your clothes.”

“Oh―yes. I understand. Your Excellency.”

Jeong Hee-seo sighed and raised his finger again. Gosh, Jeong Hee-so seemed to be quite strict despite his appearance. Ji-an, still recovering from the shock of the dive, responded while clumsily covering his buttocks.

With those words, Jeong Hee-seo left Ji-an’s side. He took out his laptop from the bag he had brought with him, set it out on the table, and quickly immersed himself in something.  The sliding door between the bedroom and the living room was wide open, so Ji-an could clearly see what he was doing.

Ji-an later remembered that Jeong Hee-seo had left work to come pick him up. Despite feeling sorry, sleep began to pour over him. It was a combination of a full stomach, a relaxed body, and a soft bed.

“I’ll take a short rest. Just one nap…”

He snuggled into the warm goose-down comforter.

Following Hee-seo’s instructions, he politely closed his eyes and fell asleep. However, Ji-an couldn’t meet the secretary. He was pinned to the bed, as if he were being tied to it.

Despite hearing people talking and some wandering sounds in the dressing room, he had no idea what was going on. They didn’t seem to care about him, so Ji-an just let his mind relax.

When he woke up with a refreshed body, it was already the middle of the night. He got up and the smart light turned on as he moved. It seemed like Jeong Hee-seo had gone out to work.

Feeling thirsty, he headed to the kitchen to get some water, but there was a lunch box and a handkerchief on the table. Of course, there was no such thing as a note.

A handkerchief soaked in Jeong Hee-seo’s pheromones. This was the note. It contained a message wishing him to eat well.

Ji-an smiled and sat down in front of the floor-to-ceiling window with his lunch box. Looking down at the night view lined with yellow lights in the pitch-black darkness, he alternated between Hee-seo’s pheromones and bites of the lunchbox.

“It’s a spectacular view.”

At this moment, he had no worry. He was just happy.

Jeong Hee-seo was a man with such a perfect sense of distance that all his worries were meaningless. Ji-an never thought he would be so easy to talk with and gentle. He felt that avoiding marriage would be a piece of cake. He felt as if he was sitting in a completely safe space.

∞

However, as usual, when it comes to human affairs, one should not make guarantees. In Ji-an’s case, this was especially true after his possession.

– How long are you going to eat lunch while holding on to my handkerchief? Come outside for a moment.

“No… I like it here. Anyway, I won’t go outside at all.”

The trusted Jeong Hee-seo has begun to betray Ji-an, not exactly betraying him but rather expressing dissatisfaction with his current escape from reality.

Ten days hiding in the hotel room.

Ji-an would wake up in the morning with a swollen face, have breakfast brought up by room service while sitting across from Jeong Hee-seo, see him off to work, and then spend the rest of the day idly wandering around.

Lunch and dinner were usually shared with Jeong Hee-seo’s handkerchief. On rare occasions when Jeong Hee-seo finished work early, they would order extravagant room service menus together.

It was truly a satisfying routine, but the one feeling stifled in this imperial confinement was not Ji-an but Jeong Hee-seo.

– Don’t you know how dangerous it is to lack vitamin D?

“Ahh! My forehead is burning right now. Are you curious why?”

– … I don’t know what kind of nonsense you’re trying to tell me, but go ahead.

“It’s because the direct sunlight pouring through the floor-to-ceiling window is too hot.”

– …

A war of nerves between Ji-an, who adamantly refused to go outside, and the peculiar Jeong Hee-seo had begun.