TCBW C65

Chapter 65

He had not announced his visit, nor given any notice—yet somehow he had discovered the address of the house they were living in and appeared out of nowhere, ringing the doorbell without warning.

When Dowoon, recalling him only faintly, opened the door, Unhyo recoiled at the sight of his face and barked out,

“Why—of all people—are you here?!”

Dowoon did not dignify the outburst with a reaction, as though dealing with someone unhinged. Without waiting for permission, Unhyo tried to step into the house, demanding to know where Suhoe was sleeping.

“Where is the young master?”

Dowoon blocked him before he could cross the threshold, the unwelcome intruder seeking his spouse.

“He is sleeping.”

“Move aside. I don’t understand why someone like you is here.”

“What problem is there with me being in my own home?”

“My home? Then you are this Lee Dowoon person?”

“That is correct.”

“Why—why did it have to be you?”

Unhyo’s massive frame was halted by Dowoon’s arm, and he glared up at him, brows drawn tight.

“What sort of man are you? What are you to—”

Dowoon, feeling as though conversation was impossible, did not respond at once. He simply looked down at the man standing so close in his doorway—this firm-built Beta with pale brown eyes, someone who had barged into a stranger’s home with no intention of explaining why he had come.

And his posture—ready to lunge at any moment—made him resemble an animal ready to bite.

Why were there nothing but dogs around his spouse? Dogs so fiercely loyal to their master they snapped at anyone else?

Dowoon’s expression hardened, unreadable.

“I have no idea what you are saying. And whatever brought you here—I believe you were present that day as well. I had a legitimate reason to bring him away, and from that day forward, he has not been a person of Unbang Mountain.”

“And I am asking you: why? You did not even stand on the groom’s seat!”

Dowoon knew this man had been one of his spouse’s attendants at the ceremony—that was why he had opened the door at all—but he could not simply allow someone inside who refused to give any explanation for his arrival.

Unhyo also could not back down. This man—he saw Suhoe as nothing more than a vessel to absorb misfortune.

He glared at Dowoon, displeased at his demand for a reason, and then recalled Chairman Lee’s visit to Unbang Mountain in search of Gyegeum that day.

Which meant this man was his son. So, naturally, Dowoon must have taken Suhoe away with the same intent as his father—that much anyone with sense could deduce.

In other words, explaining his purpose here would be meaningless; their goals were diametrically opposed.

“How, what intent…? I came because I wished to see the young master I raised with my own hands. I saw the address written among Lord Gyegeum’s papers. Now, have I earned the right to enter this fine mansion?”

Dowoon did not believe him.

The Balhwadong residence was far from Unbang Mountain—even by car, the journey was long. For someone to arrive unannounced at such a late hour clearly meant there was an urgent purpose.

And the clothing he wore—ceremonial garb—was far too impractical for everyday life.

It would have been more believable if he had claimed to have stepped out briefly from work to handle something pressing.

So Dowoon was certain Unhyo was lying. There was a true reason—one he wished to conceal.

And if he had come all this way in such haste, then it was surely something Dowoon needed to know—and if it concerned Suhoe, all the more imperative.

Dowoon’s gaze swept over him. The only thing the man carried was the long robe draped over his shoulder. Whatever he had come for, it was not to deliver some large, physical object.

Which meant either a small object—or something intangible.

He considered the latter first. If there was any sign of the former, he would pivot immediately.

“Even if you came to see him, he is not someone who can be shown freely to just anyone.”

He deliberately prodded at Unhyo’s pride, intending to spark anger and force him to speak his true purpose.

“You said if I gave a reason, you would call the young master out.”

Unhyo let out a bitter laugh. As Dowoon suspected, this matter was urgent—and he had little time.

The longer he remained outside the shrine grounds, the greater the risk someone at Unbang Mountain would realize he was gone.

Arguing with Dowoon here was a waste. So he tried again to push past him into the house.

But he stopped abruptly.

A chill surged through the air—like afterimages swirling past, brushing him with a threat sharp enough to halt him mid-stride.

That same dread from before washed over him as he tried to pass Dowoon. Every hair on his body stood on end, a shudder running from his toes to his scalp. It had barely grazed him, yet it was unmistakably a warning.

Spirits—powerful ones.

To ordinary people it might have seemed like a sudden draft in an enclosed space, but a man who had served gods for decades knew exactly what it was.

Approach recklessly and harm would follow. And the more one resisted, the stronger the boundary grew.

Unhyo froze, trying to discern the nature of the souls entwined around Dowoon.

Unaware or unconcerned, Dowoon gripped his shoulder with crushing force.

“Come again another time.”

Shocked not only by the presence of spirits but by Dowoon’s physical strength, Unhyo flinched and stumbled back, rubbing the shoulder that had nearly been dislocated as he pushed himself free.

“…Ha… There will be no next time.”

His voice was low, as if trying not to let Dowoon hear.

He knew now he would not meet Suhoe today.

He had escaped the shrine by sheer coincidence.

There might not be another chance. Even if there were, who could say when—and by then it might be too late.

Dowoon, hearing his tone, was certain now there was something he was hiding—something that could not wait.

Seeing him tremble in frustration, Dowoon sensed he was moments away from revealing everything. Unhyo opened his mouth at last, ready to speak—

—and suddenly a rush of floral scent swept in.

“Unhyo-nim!”

Before Dowoon could even turn to locate the source, Suhoe came dashing out—no sound of waking, no footsteps on the stairs, as though he had flown.

Dowoon’s expression twisted.

He had been so close to learning the truth—only for his spouse to appear at the worst possible moment and derail everything.

And then—right in front of him—Suhoe rushed past him without a glance and threw himself into Unhyo’s arms.

Something hot and ugly stirred inside Dowoon.

“Young master!”

The man who had moments earlier been bristling with hostility now softened completely, transformed by affection.

Dowoon pressed his fingers to his brow in disbelief.

First, Suhoe ruined the moment. Then this Unhyo—who had been nothing but a nuisance since the last heat—returned only to further complicate things.

“What brings you here?”

“I came because I missed you!”

They spoke to each other as though Dowoon did not exist—checking one another for injuries, exchanging relief and worry.

It was an emotional reunion worthy of tears.

Dowoon dragged a hand through his hair. With his spouse now present, questioning Unhyo further would be impossible.

“Why didn’t you come in…?”

Suhoe blinked, genuinely distressed. Dowoon stared blankly into space, unsurprised.

“He… your husband refused to let me inside.”

Unhyo put on the most pitiful expression he could muster.