EDEN — Chapter 6 (Part 1)

Chapter 6.

He finally stepped inside. I-eon, who had been about to head straight for the bathroom without even looking back, suddenly stopped walking. He realized he had come into the hotel without a single change of clothes.

“What am I supposed to do about clothes?”

“I’ll have someone bring them. Go wash up.”

“……”

Do-jin said this as he sat down on the sofa. I-eon had no idea who he planned to call for this… He watched Do-jin make a phone call somewhere, then headed into the bathroom. The bathroom door was unfortunately made of frosted glass that revealed the silhouette inside, but thankfully there was a powder room separating it from the living area.

He stripped quickly and showered even faster than on mornings when he overslept before class. He washed his hair at top speed and finished his shower in no time. Wearing only a bathrobe, I-eon stepped out. He didn’t forget to grip the front tightly so it wouldn’t gape open if he let his guard down. The emptiness beneath drove him insane, but pretending not to notice was the best he could do.

Kwon Do-jin was still sitting on the sofa. His eyes, which had been quietly fixed on the window, drifted toward I-eon. Trying hard to stay composed, I-eon walked to the fridge and took out a bottle of water.

“What about the clothes?”

“They’ll be here soon.”

“…You should wash up too.”

He tried to sound casual and drank the water, but Do-jin’s gaze didn’t change. Tilting his head slightly, Do-jin traced I-eon’s body through the robe, then let his gaze slide down to the bare ankle showing below. His proportions were good, his frame was fairly broad, but his wrists and ankles were on the slender side. Do-jin fixed his eyes on the small bone protruding above the ankle.

“……”

Because of that, even after finishing the water, I-eon stood frozen in place. He was clearly conscious of Do-jin’s gaze. Then, pretending to look around the room for no reason, he quietly slipped out of sight behind the wall. Do-jin let out a deep sigh, finding the silent escape cute, and finally headed to the bathroom.

A soft click sounded as the door closed. I-eon shuffled backward without a sound, checked that Do-jin was gone, and came out to the living room. He sank onto the plush sofa and let out a helpless laugh. In all his life, not once had he been conscious of another man next to him, no matter if the guy stripped naked or started dancing! What on earth was this ridiculous tension?

“This is insane…”

He sprawled out and covered his forehead with the back of his hand. He didn’t know anymore. Everything was just confusing.

Maybe because everything was so quiet, he could faintly hear water running even though two doors separated them. The thought that Do-jin had definitely heard him showering made him want to curl up and die. He should’ve insisted they go to a public bathhouse instead, so he could just wash up among loud, grumbling old men. Too late for regrets now. He groaned, sighing over and over, when suddenly the doorbell rang. I-eon flinched, looked toward the quiet entrance, tightened his robe, and walked over.

“Who is it?”

“……”

A moment of silence passed, then a man’s voice came from behind the door.

“I’ve brought the clothes you requested.”

“……”

Because of that, even after finishing the water, I-eon stood frozen in place. He was clearly conscious of Do-jin’s gaze. Then, pretending to look around the room for no reason, he quietly slipped out of sight behind the wall. Do-jin let out a deep sigh, finding the silent escape cute, and finally headed to the bathroom.

A soft click sounded as the door closed. I-eon shuffled backward without a sound, checked that Do-jin was gone, and came out to the living room. He sank onto the plush sofa and let out a helpless laugh. In all his life, not once had he been conscious of another man next to him, no matter if the guy stripped naked or started dancing! What on earth was this ridiculous tension?

“This is insane…”

He sprawled out and covered his forehead with the back of his hand. He didn’t know anymore. Everything was just confusing.

Maybe because everything was so quiet, he could faintly hear water running even though two doors separated them. The thought that Do-jin had definitely heard him showering made him want to curl up and die. He should’ve insisted they go to a public bathhouse instead, so he could just wash up among loud, grumbling old men. Too late for regrets now. He groaned, sighing over and over, when suddenly the doorbell rang. I-eon flinched, looked toward the quiet entrance, tightened his robe, and walked over.

“Who is it?”

“……”

A moment of silence passed, then a man’s voice came from behind the door.

“I’ve brought the clothes you requested.”

“Ah.”

It must have been something Do-jin had ordered. Eager to get out of the bathrobe as fast as possible, I-eon opened the door without hesitation. A thick-built man in a black suit stood there holding two paper shopping bags. His outfit and overall aura were too rough for a clothing store employee… I-eon assumed he must be a hotel staff member and bowed as he accepted the bags.

“Thank you.”

“Not at all. I’ll be on my way.”

The man finished his polite bow and hurried off. I-eon stared blankly at the man’s retreating figure, he didn’t look ordinary at all, then quickly looked down at the bags.

Run.

The thought hit him out of nowhere. Who knew what kind of weird atmosphere might spark again once Kwon Do-jin came out, so escaping beforehand was the healthiest option. He could leave first, then send a message saying his tutoring session had been moved earlier so he had to take a taxi right away. A ridiculous excuse, but it was all he had. He could pay for the clothes later.

Once resolved, I-eon tossed aside the robe and hurried to change. Of the two sets, he put on the smaller one, and it fit perfectly. Almost too perfectly, like it had been tailored for him… How did Do-jin know his exact size that well? No time to think about that now. He buttoned his jeans, grabbed his phone and wallet from the table, and headed for the entrance. The moment he slipped one foot into his shoe—

Click. The bathroom door opened.

Do-jin came out rubbing his wet hair with a towel, and his eyes met I-eon’s.

“……”

“……”

“Where are you going?”

“My tutoring session….”

Shit, what was the point of even saying that now. The useless words scattered in his mouth. The thin thread of reason that had wavered for a moment snapped back into place. Do-jin, looking as if he knew everything, pretended otherwise and said as though he was willing to play along.

“Let’s go. I just need to get dressed.”

“…Yeah.”

He should’ve just stayed still… Another regret that came too late.

On the way back to Seoul, unlike Do-jin who looked no different from when they’d left, I-eon felt like he was going to suffocate. He’d considered telling him to just drop him anywhere, but Do-jin insisted on taking him all the way to his home. Then, out of nowhere, he asked,

“Should I wait?”

“For what?”

“For when your tutoring ends.”

Why would he wait for that? The question left him speechless, and Do-jin glanced over at him.

“It’s dangerous to be out alone this late.”

“……”

It was midsummer, so even at 8 p.m. it wasn’t that dark. I-eon frowned at the nonsense that wasn’t even worth considering.

“What are you talking about. Just go home.”

“It means I don’t want to say goodbye.”

With those words, Do-jin fully turned his head and stared straight at him. The sudden honesty hit without warning, making I-eon’s whole body stiffen. Internally shaken to the core, he swallowed hard and, unable to look beside him, hurried to open the door.

“Thanks for the ride. Get home safe.”

He glared at the innocent side mirror while saying goodbye and shut the door. The door slammed loudly because he hadn’t controlled his strength, but he didn’t look back. He practically ran into his building as if fleeing. The feeling of Do-jin’s eyes following him made his feet feel like they would tangle. The car they had come in didn’t leave until long after I-eon had gone inside.

He wasn’t sure how he spent the rest of the time. Despite being more confused than he’d ever been in his life, he somehow moved and thought like a machine, finished his tutoring session, and found it was already 8 p.m. As he walked absentmindedly to clear his head, he saw his familiar apartment building and let out a tired sigh without realizing it. Ever since parting with Kwon Do-jin, he’d been so spaced out that he missed the student’s questions three times during the lesson. Luckily, the kid was sweet, and since it was the first time it ever happened, the only consequence was the student asking if the heat had gotten to him…

Even though the temperature was much lower than it had been at midday, the lingering heat he couldn’t forget still clung to him. The moment he let his guard down, memories from earlier in the day tried to resurface, and he forced them down as he reached to enter the shared entrance code. Just then, the driver’s door of a car parked near the wall opened. I-eon froze for a second, wondering if Do-jin had really waited for him, but felt relief wash over him when an unfamiliar man stepped out.

However, the man didn’t hesitate and headed straight toward him. The memory of Do-jin saying it was dangerous to walk alone at night flashed across his mind, and I-eon watched the man with wary eyes. When the man came within a couple of steps, he spoke.

“Um, Jung I-eon?”

“Yes?”

“Sorry to show up like this out of the blue. I saw you briefly before…”

A neatly dressed man in his early to mid-thirties wearing a clean suit. His face was vaguely familiar, making I-eon frown slightly, and the man introduced himself first.

“I’m Do-jin’s older cousin.”

“…Ah.”

I-eon accepted the business card he offered. The title read: President Kwon Jun-hee, K Electronics. A major conglomerate whose products practically everyone in the country used… I-eon had known from past photos that Kwon Do-jin’s parents were prominent, but seeing the business card made it feel more real. He also remembered this man intruding on the two of them during their meal, pretending he didn’t know them. His wariness eased, but his confusion grew.

“What brings you to me…?”

“This isn’t something to discuss on the street. Do you mind if I trouble you for a moment?”

The man smiled kindly. Unlike his cousin, he had a very normal, tidy appearance, giving a decent first impression. Still, I-eon didn’t want to let a stranger into his home.

“If it’s nothing serious, I’d rather end it here.”

“It’s important. Hmm… If you have time, would you like to go somewhere for tea?”

He didn’t give up despite the direct refusal and offered again. I-eon had no idea why this man had come looking for him, but since he was family to Kwon Do-jin and also polite, it felt difficult to push him away completely. I-eon reluctantly nodded.

They chose a quiet, traditional-style teahouse. A private room shut off from the outside was perfect for keeping their conversation discreet. It seemed both Kwon Do-jin and this man preferred enclosed spaces. The man sipped his tea for a long time, hesitating, before finally speaking carefully.

“So, right now… are you living alone?”

“Yes? Yes.”

Why was he suddenly asking personal history questions? After hearing I-eon’s answer, the man hesitated again for a long time before saying something incomprehensible.

“Then your children…”

“…?”

“No, I suppose they’d be my nephews. Where are the children?”

“…Pardon?”

Why was he looking for nephews here? When I-eon made a confused expression at the sudden question, the man interpreted it as wariness and softened his face.

“I didn’t come here to interfere with your relationship. I was honestly surprised to hear Do-jin got married…”

His gentle expression didn’t last long. Curiosity flashed sharply in his eyes.

“Was it just the ceremony? He did travel around Europe a lot, but when did he even meet someone, get married, and have children…? He hides things so well that I had no idea.”

I-eon stared blankly as the words spilled out nonstop, and then the man suddenly frowned.

“But is he even doing his part properly? He still barely leaves the house. Ah, are the kids adopted? Or was it done another way…?”

“…I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about.”

He was only being honest, yet the man’s face twisted with embarrassment.

“Oh dear… I did show up out of nowhere. But really, you don’t need to be cautious. Do-jin did everything the chairman, ah, his grandfather, ordered until he turned twenty-two, just as promised. After that, he began living however he pleased. I have no intention of interfering.”

As the man rambled on by himself, one thing clicked for I-eon. What else could be referred to as “marriage” except their marriage in Eden? There must’ve been a misunderstanding between the cousins.

“Are you talking about the marriage in the game?”

“…What? The game?”

“I met your cousin in a virtual reality game. Things happened and we ended up married there. I think that’s what you’re referring to.”

“……”

The man blinked at him, stunned. Then he jolted so hard the table shook, leaning forward like he’d leap across it.

“Then what about the children?”

“I have no idea what you mean…”

“You two said you had kids! Back then, after I barged in and got dragged out!”

Ah. Oh…

Finally understanding the situation, I-eon stared at the man in disbelief and let out a long sigh.

“You were eavesdropping outside?”

“……”

The man shut his mouth tightly, hit directly in the weak spot. The misunderstanding was ridiculously absurd.

“That was about the game pets. Cats.”

“……”

“He got them for me.”

“Ha… hahaha……”

The man collapsed forward onto the table with a hollow, soulless laugh. Well, it was disappointing enough for despair, but he was the one who overheard and misunderstood everything. All I-eon could think was that the man had an incredible imagination. Still slumped over, the man lifted only his face and muttered weakly,

“So it was… the game… Eden…”

“…You’re familiar with it?”

“Yes, well… Our company invested in its development.”

Right, VR this realistic was the first of its kind across all industries, so it had become a global sensation. Both the domestic and global servers generated staggering income. Naturally, a big group like K Group would’ve invested.

“Anyway… You two are dating, right?”

At that question, asked after all his frustrated flailing, I-eon’s expression froze. He had been trying hard to shove the events of earlier that day into the farthest corner of his mind, but he wasn’t being given any chance to forget.

“…No.”

“…What?”

The man, who had deflated like a punctured balloon, shot upright at I-eon’s denial. His face was filled with utter disbelief.

“He even went so far as to get professionally groomed at a shop before going out, so how can you say…”

“……”

“…Don’t tell me it’s one-sided?”

I-eon simply turned his head away. A one-sided crush. Was that what it should be called…? He himself had only learned about it today, so he had nothing to add.

The man collapsed back onto the table again. “Well, I suppose I understand. You’re not even into men and suddenly one confesses, so yeah…” he mumbled, his voice trailing off as silence settled between them. Then he suddenly raised his head and said,

“But he’s not exactly the type of guy whose face is limited by gender, right?”

“……”

“Ahem, sorry. I’m being ridiculous. We’re both only children, so we grew up like brothers.”

He’s totally bragging… Watching the man sip his tea awkwardly brought up several questions I-eon wanted to ask. Like whether Do-jin was always like this, whether he really had no friends because he never left the house, personal family history… He didn’t say any of it aloud. But then the man muttered something offhand that couldn’t be ignored.

“I was really surprised when I heard he went all the way to a hotel today.”

“…He told you?”

“Huh? Oh, no. Do-jin has a dedicated security team. They told me.”

At those words, the image of the man in the black suit who had brought the clothes earlier came to mind. Now that he thought about it, the man looked more like a bodyguard than a hotel employee… A strange discomfort rose within him. It was one thing for a wealthy family to assign guards in case of emergencies, but they reported every detail to his cousin? That level of monitoring seemed excessive for an adult.

I-eon looked warily at the man across from him. Noticing the discomfort, the man scrambled to explain.

“It’s only when he goes out. He almost never leaves the house, so it’s rare…”

“Why are you hovering over a grown adult like he’s a child? That’s weird.”

“Hmm……”

Is this some kind of successor rivalry? Is this meeting part of some shady scheme? Dramatic scenarios began unfolding in his mind. Reality was always stranger than dramas, after all. He’d met a third-generation chaebol in a game, the guy liked him, but behind the scenes he was being oppressed by his overly nice-looking cousin, anything could fit. The more suspicious I-eon grew, the more troubled the man looked. And seeing his troubled face only made him look more suspicious. Yes, that explained why someone with Do-jin’s background lived so passively, there was a reason.

The man took longer to hesitate than with anything else he’d said, then finally exhaled deeply. It was a story he hated telling, especially to the person his younger cousin liked, but he couldn’t leave I-eon thinking he was the villain.

“The truth is… when Do-jin was in elementary school, um… he was kidnapped.”

“…What?”

“He was rescued the same day and unharmed, thankfully. But later we found out… the kidnapper acted almost impulsively, the whole plan was full of holes. And yet, even though Do-jin had several chances to escape, he didn’t move at all.”

“That’s just because he was scared…”

“No. He wasn’t scared at all. That’s what’s frightening. You may have sensed it too, but that kid has an abnormal lack of will to live.”

“……”

“He’s had counseling a few times, but the conclusion was always the same, he’s simply less responsive than most people.”

I-eon thought of Do-jin’s face, which rarely showed much change no matter what happened. It was true, from the first time they met, he had seemed unusually detached. Only after they got closer did his range of expression widen and allow I-eon to notice subtle differences.

The man continued with a bitter expression.

“It had only been a year since he lost his parents, so we thought it might be depression, but that wasn’t the root cause. Back then, he really seemed like a child who lacked even the basic human instinct to survive. We didn’t notice because he acted normal enough at school.”

Kwon Jun-hee could never forget the conversation he’d had with his cousin back then. Do-jin was one of those kids who suddenly shoot up in height around age fifteen, so at the time of the kidnapping, when he was eleven, he had been a small, pretty boy who looked almost delicate. Jun-hee, who had been twenty at the time, felt unbearably sorry for him, losing his parents and experiencing something so traumatic. Even his blank, indifferent face seemed to be a mask to hide the pain.

After finishing their first counseling session, they were heading home. The child sat so still he seemed like a doll, so Jun-hee tried to comfort him by chatting away on his own. Then, at some point, Do-jin turned his head from the window and stared at him blankly. And then he said,

‘Why do you keep tiptoeing around me?’

‘H-Huh?’

‘Ever since my parents died, you talk more.’

It was a topic every adult and every older cousin had avoided completely in front of him. They thought he was too young to handle it, so they tiptoed around it. But the one person they tiptoed for openly brought it up without any trouble.

‘They said there was no trace of foul play. It was an accident. If I’m left alone because of that, well… nothing we can do. I get that everyone pities a kid being left alone but…’

A little annoying. His last words were mumbled so faintly he could barely hear them, but Jun-hee could guess them from the child’s expression. To think a little kid had been thinking that while adults were deliberately acting cheerful around him… He was nine years younger than him, yet he left Jun-hee speechless.

‘Do-jin, that’s…’

‘I have guardians and plenty of people to take care of me, and I’ve got enough inheritance to last a lifetime… I don’t think my situation is that unfortunate.’

‘…How mature.’

It was something he blurted out in panic. And Do-jin must’ve known that, he glanced at him once, then turned back to the window. As if responding wasn’t worth it. Seeing a child so precocious it bordered on cold-hearted, Jun-hee didn’t know whether to consider it a relief or a tragedy. It was good he wasn’t devastated… but his personality… no, he’d always been like that, but still…

They had the chauffeur keep quiet so the grandfather wouldn’t hear about it, and that was the end of it , but the memory remained vivid.

He decided this wasn’t something he should mention. Shaking off the heavy thoughts, he spoke lightly and summarized only the necessary parts.

“After that, he had more therapy, always had a driver escort him to school, and his grandfather started taking him around. I also took him out whenever I had time. It happened only once, and he functions normally now but… well, he’s still the same in many ways.”

“……”

“We really tried everything across every field. In the end, the only thing he showed interest in was that VR game. But honestly, that was enough, it was the first time he ever wanted to go meet someone. We were thrilled thinking he’d finally met a girl, so we gave him tons of advice.”

Watching the man laugh sheepishly, I-eon finally understood that moment from before. He had thought Jun-hee was simply excited because the friendless kid was finally going outside… but apparently he’d assumed it was a date and secretly followed them.

The heavy part of the story had ended, but knowing the background left I-eon with a complicated feeling. Still, he could better understand Do-jin’s lacking social skills and lethargy. He had been born with that disposition.

Since he had nothing to add, he just stared at the elegant teapot. After a moment of hesitation, the man leaned toward him.

“It’s really the first time he’s shown interest in someone. I’m amazed, happy, and… honestly, a bit scared. I know how you feel, but I hope you can think positively if possible.”

I-eon didn’t answer. He sipped the tea with its soft floral scent. Lost in their own thoughts, both remained silent in the already quiet room. After a while, the one who broke the silence was I-eon.

“But is it okay to tell me all this?”

“Well…”

Scratching his cheek and darting his eyes around, the man suddenly grinned.

“I guess it means we want you to understand how serious he is. Haha.”

“That’s a pretty heavy thing to dump on someone.”

“……”

The man, who had been smiling brightly, now looked worried. It was obvious he feared that by oversharing, he might make I-eon feel burdened enough to reject Do-jin. Before he could even think of how to fix the situation, he blurted out more words in a hurry.

“You might not know this, but Do-jin is very wealthy.”

“…What?”

“He inherited a lot, but his grandfather also set aside an enormous fund for him… and it keeps growing because he never spends a thing. If you accept him, all of that will go to you!”

“……”

“In a loving relationship, what’s yours is mine and what’s mine is yours, right? Haha.”

Since when was that a rule…?

I-eon stared at the man’s gleaming white smile, the kind toothbrush commercials loved. Several supercars were gathering dust at Do-jin’s house. And even the absurd amount of money Do-jin spent on the game probably didn’t even register as “spending” to him.

And the cousin’s idea of promoting Do-jin’s good points was… unusual. Encouraging someone to look at their precious relative as a pile of money? Sure, from a strictly realistic perspective, it was effective , but normally when trying to maintain dignity, people highlight personality or character first. But all this man had mentioned were his face and his money. Just like Do-jin, family resemblance ran deep.

After misunderstanding upon misunderstanding, and even unexpected tragedy spilling out, the conversation finally came to an end. The man drove I-eon back home and apologized repeatedly for showing up unannounced.

“You can tell Do-jin, but please don’t phrase it badly. Despite living like he has no motivation, he can flip out suddenly, cousin or not…”

“Yeah… sure…”

Telling someone “I heard your childhood trauma from another person” didn’t gain anything, so there was no reason to snitch. He had never intended to anyway. Still worried, the man asked him to promise several more times before finally driving off. Their talk had taken longer than expected, and the sky was completely dark.

Instead of going straight inside, I-eon looked up at the night sky and let out a long, tangled sigh. A rich heir liking a completely ordinary civilian, and then the family personally coming to speak to them… it was a classic setup straight out of a drama. Not that he came to shove an envelope of money at him and demand a breakup, in fact, it was almost the opposite, which only made it more confusing.

“……”

Feeling like his thoughts were a tangled ball of yarn he couldn’t unravel, he ruffled his hair roughly. I-eon was usually the type who had clear likes and dislikes, but he had never once been confused about his own feelings like this. Normally, if he liked something, he accepted it, and if he didn’t, he pushed it away. So what was the problem now? Was it because he genuinely liked Kwon Do-jin as a person? Or because everything was so unexpected it left him shaken?

The only thing he could say for sure was this, just like when they kissed, at least he didn’t feel repulsed.

After sleeping, memories of the day before always blurred a little, so I-eon had logged into Eden with a clearer mind. That is, until he saw the man lying there.

“……?”

The sight that greeted him the moment he logged in was so ridiculous he thought he had entered the wrong house. The tall man, who filled up the oversized sofa on purpose, lay there with his fingers interlaced neatly over his stomach, eyes closed as if sleeping. Esteban’s expression as he approached the dumbfounded I-eon was pure distress.

“You’ve arrived, Sir I-eon.”

“…How long has he been like that?”

Pointing at Raham, he asked, and Esteban let out a deep sigh. A brazen man had claimed the house while the owner was away , but since he wasn’t a stranger, Esteban didn’t know how to kick him out.

“Not quite an hour, I suppose. He came in suddenly, looked around the house, and then just lay down like that… Perhaps I should have removed him?”

“No… It’s fine.”

If he did that, Esteban might get dragged into the trouble for no reason. Raham wasn’t the type to simply leave an NPC alone.

Standing in front of the sofa, I-eon looked down at the uninvited guest. …He should wake him up, right? He reached out, planning to shake his shoulder, but the peacefully closed eyelids slid open. Because I-eon had leaned over him, he froze as if caught doing something wrong. Raham looked at him and smiled gently.

“Hello.”

“……”

When I-eon stepped back, Raham sat up and leaned against the backrest, eyes fixed on him. Unlike Raham, who looked completely calm, I-eon couldn’t bring himself to treat him normally after their lips had met. He looked away without replying. At this rate, he was practically announcing to the world how aware he was.

Trying to act natural, I-eon awkwardly shifted his body and sat in the single-seat chair. He’d planned to avoid Raham until he sorted out his thoughts, but he hadn’t imagined Raham would be waiting in his house. He hadn’t restricted the entry settings for friends and guild members… Should he turn it on now? That would be way too obvious…

“……”