IH Ch 70

Chapter 70

There had never been a time he felt this awkward. While he was wrestling with himself like this, he turned his head to see what the other was doing—and flinched. Dohwa was watching him with his head slightly tilted.

“……”

How long had he been staring at him? More than that, why was he watching like that? Jae-i’s expression contorted at the thought. At that moment, Dohwa asked,

“Don’t you have something to say to me?”

“……”

He wanted to snap back, Do I look like I would?, but held it in and clenched his jaw.

Hwang Jae-i, what the hell is wrong with you? This isn’t like you. If you’ve got something to say, just get it out and be done with it. Jae-i tightened his grip on the steering wheel and slowly opened his mouth.

“What I said back there… I’m sorry.”

“……”

Looking at Hwang Jae-i’s face right now, no one could tell whether he was sincerely apologizing or picking a fight. His red eyes were sharp, and his grip on the steering wheel looked like he was about to crush it if his apology wasn’t accepted. What the hell is this. Dohwa thought, but responded calmly.

“I’ll accept your apology.”

“……”

For a moment, Jae-i’s expression became difficult to describe. He had apologized first, and Dohwa had accepted it—but he still looked affronted. Seeing this, Dohwa closed his eyes briefly and opened them again. The lingering unpleasantness, which had stuck to his chest like a residue, melted away completely. Feeling much better, Dohwa said, “I’ll drive.”

But Jae-i started the car immediately.

“I’ll drive. Just put your seatbelt on.”

“You’re tired.”

He was saying all sorts of strange things now. He couldn’t even remember the last time someone expressed concern over whether he was tired. Maybe Dohwa had forgotten he was an S-rank from being around him too much. Just as Jae-i was about to say something, Dohwa suddenly stood up.

“What are you doing?”

Startled, Jae-i instinctively leaned toward the door. But with an unbothered face, Dohwa climbed over him and said plainly,

“I’m driving. Move to the passenger seat.”

“……”

So he was literally climbing over him to switch seats? Why couldn’t he have just said that with words? Why this?

Thrown off, Jae-i couldn’t bring himself to touch Dohwa and awkwardly shifted his body further away. The locked seat creaked, and he managed to wriggle his way to the side.

“Wait. Don’t do anything. Just stay like that.”

He tried to move to the passenger seat, but it wasn’t going to be easy. With Dohwa sitting on top of him, he couldn’t shift over without touching him. In the past, he wouldn’t have thought twice about acting without hesitation—but now, he couldn’t do it.

He didn’t want to repeat the experience of saying something careless and needing to apologize.

“……”

Dohwa quietly watched Jae-i struggle, trying not to touch him as he attempted to move his large frame out of the seat. Some habits were hard to kill—his face was full of scowls, and his lips kept twitching. Watching this, Dohwa lowered his head.

Chup.

“……”

Frozen and unable to breathe, Jae-i slowly lifted his gaze. Between his legs, crouched down, was Dohwa.

“You just…”

He couldn’t even bring himself to ask what was that, and pressed a hand to his forehead where their skin had just touched. Had that really happened? It felt like something soft had grazed his forehead. Was he imagining things? Dazed, Jae-i asked,

“What did you just do to my forehead?”

“……”

What do you mean, what did I do. Seeing him groaning with all those scowls somehow looked a little cute, so Dohwa had only meant to tell him to relax his expression with that little gesture. He hadn’t expected a reaction like this. From the look on his face, you’d think he genuinely hated it. So Dohwa’s response came out rather harsh.

“Why? You burst into my room every night, touch me however you want, kiss me whenever you feel like it—and I can’t?”

“When did I ever do that?!”

“You did!”

Jae-i flinched, as if wrongly accused, and started to protest. But Dohwa didn’t back down and cut him off sharply. Then he grabbed Jae-i by the collar and shoved him aside.

“I said I’m driving. Move!”

Normally, Jae-i would never let himself be dragged around just because someone grabbed his collar. But this time, he couldn’t refuse that pulling hand and awkwardly shifted seats. Still covering his forehead with one hand, Jae-i now sat in the passenger seat like someone who had just been violated. Dohwa’s mood hit rock bottom.

He hadn’t said anything that wasn’t true. Hwang Jae-i really had barged into his room almost every night, holding him tight and kissing him. And yet now he was pretending none of it happened—as if it wasn’t a big deal, as if he never did such things. That was just cowardly. Saying he didn’t remember so he could brush it off and make Dohwa look like the strange one? That wasn’t fair. While fastening his seatbelt, Dohwa glanced at Jae-i before starting the car.

Jae-i still sat glued to the door, hand over his forehead. His big frame made it all the more ridiculous. With oddly cold eyes, Dohwa stared at him and spoke curtly.

“Put on your seatbelt.”

Throughout the drive, Jae-i’s thoughts were in turmoil. If he had only been focused on why Dohwa kissed his forehead, he would’ve asked again. But what kept playing in his mind was the sensation—those soft, warm lips briefly brushing against his forehead.

It was only the second time he had ever felt that. The first time had also been because of Dohwa—when he had just woken up one morning, bleary-eyed, and had suddenly kissed him. That moment.

Jae-i had tried to forget it, deliberately pushing the memory aside, but now it was resurfacing again and again. Forehead. Lips. Forehead. Lips. Tormented by the recurring memory, Jae-i only realized they were close to home when the thought of reporters finally crossed his mind.

They were probably still swarming the place. What if they got caught by one of those persistent journalists? Worried, he quickly scanned the outside. But the street was eerily empty in the early dawn light.

“……”

That was strange. Those tenacious reporters wouldn’t give up that easily. Maybe they were hiding nearby? But there was no sign of anyone. He had expected at least four or five days of hell from the scandal over his illegitimate child. What was going on?

Puzzled, Jae-i pulled out his spare phone before getting out of the car.

He never imagined he’d be the one checking the media updates himself. Just as he was about to turn on the phone—which had been off this whole time—Dohwa suddenly zipped past him toward the house.

“……Where are you going?”

He hadn’t meant to speak, but the words slipped out. Dohwa, hearing the question, responded like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Your place.”

“……”

“I drove the whole way. I’m tired and sleepy.”

Who told you to drive? Jae-i had been planning to take the wheel, and then this guy barged in and kissed his forehead—

“……”

Hwang Jae-i closed his eyes tightly. In the meantime, Dohwa continued heading inside.

There were multiple entrances they had to pass to reach the elevator, and naturally, Dohwa was stopped at the first one. The transparent glass door didn’t budge, no matter how much he waved or knocked.

Wondering what was going on, Dohwa looked back.

His face blatantly read: Open the door. It was shameless, really. Normally, Jae-i wouldn’t have cared how Dohwa looked at him. That’s how it used to be—but…

By the time he realized it, he was already opening the door. He didn’t even need to do anything special—just stepping in front of it was enough for it to unlock. Passing through the several doors together, they finally reached the elevator. Jae-i lowered his gaze.

Whether intentional or just a coincidence, Dohwa let out a soft yawn. Then, raising his hand, he rubbed beneath his eyes—but his sleeve was filthy.

“……”

It had been a long day. That went for him, but also for Dohwa. The round-trip drive alone must’ve been exhausting. It was already late, and he didn’t want to argue over anything unnecessary.

They should go inside, wash up, and get some rest. There would be plenty to deal with in the coming days, no need to wear themselves out over nothing. Yes, that sounded like a plan. Jae-i relaxed his tense shoulders.

Click.

With a cheerful sound, his vision brightened.

What came into view first was a now-familiar face. A small face with delicate, well-balanced features. Deep, calm black eyes…

Ah. One of his eyelashes was stuck to his cheek. It wasn’t a big deal, but it bothered him for some reason, so he reached out and brushed it off. Hoo, he blew it away—and then froze.

He didn’t know how to describe what he was feeling. Discomfort? No, maybe it was familiarity. As he lowered his head, Jae-i saw all sorts of desserts spread out in front of him. Only the most delicious and expensive items, clearly taken from the fridge. Still stunned, he stared blankly at them, then slowly looked up again—and noticed something he hadn’t earlier.

Dohwa was sitting right beside the bed, knees pulled up to his chest. Judging by his sleepy, dazed face, he must’ve just woken up. He looked slightly irritated. Pouting a bit, Dohwa spoke in a hoarse voice.

“I said I’m not eating.”

“……”

Jae-i just blinked. His eyes moved between Dohwa and the spread of desserts, then noticed a spoon on the floor below the bed. Absentmindedly placing a hand on his own head, Jae-i thought:

Was that cheerful sound earlier from being hit with that spoon? Did I get smacked with it?

He still hadn’t grasped the full situation, but one thing was clear—he was the one who had brought all those desserts and placed them in front of Dohwa.

…Have I finally lost my mind?