IH Ch 14

Chapter 14

The next morning, when the sun had risen, Hwang Jae-i lay frozen with his eyes open. Because something strange was snugly nestled in his arms. At first, he thought it was just an extension of a dream—but it wasn’t. Right now, that unidentified boy was nestled deeply in his arms, even making soft purring noises as he slept soundly.

What the hell is this.

Hwang Jae-i’s face automatically twisted into a scowl, and he instinctively moved to push the boy away, then froze. He remembered the last time he had unconsciously pushed the boy and he’d hit the wall hard. Releasing the strength from the hand gripping the boy’s shoulder, Hwang Jae-i closed his eyes tightly and silently counted to ten before opening them again.

But that didn’t change the situation. The boy was still nestled quietly in his arms. Wearing his clothes, no less.

Hwang Jae-i was someone who, once he grew fond of something, would use it obsessively. The loungewear the boy was wearing was the one he’d liked best lately. He frowned, wondering why the boy had it on, but quickly composed himself. No matter what had happened, he needed to get up and leave this room—but then he froze again. One of his arms was under the boy’s head. A classic arm pillow.

“…Insane.”

His quality of sleep had been poor lately, but even so—this wasn’t right. Gritting his teeth, furious at whatever he might have done, Hwang Jae-i slowly pulled his arm out and gently lowered the boy’s small head to the floor. He thought it was done and was about to get up when he stopped again.

“……”

He turned his stiff neck to look down and saw a small hand resting lightly on his thigh. The still hand groped around, then gave a little squeeze at his pants, as if pinching at the skin beneath. A frown formed on the boy’s face, and he buried it into the floor, curling his shoulders. It was obvious—his living heater had disappeared and he was blindly reaching for it in search.

This guy—really. Hwang Jae-i’s scowl deepened, but he couldn’t tear his eyes away from the boy’s partially revealed face. The soft, delicate features, the long eyelashes, the small, high-bridged nose, and parted lips. And the faint, unfamiliar scent lingering on himself, from being so close for so long.

“……”

Feeling a queasy churn in his stomach, Jae-i reached for the small hand resting on his thigh. Though he’d meant to smack it away and get up, instead, he pinched the hem of the clothes between two fingers and gently laid the hand down on the floor. Then he darted out of the room in a near panic, this time even closing the door gently behind him.

Standing in the middle of the living room, Hwang Jae-i wore a grave expression.

Once, it could be chalked up as a mistake. But twice—no. He had definitely been alone, and he hadn’t intended to sleep. Was it possible he’d dozed off unknowingly while spacing out? If that were the case, then why hadn’t he just slept peacefully—why had he ended up embracing the boy in that room?

Could this be a newly developed symptom? Something unconscious that had surfaced without his knowing. Why, all of a sudden—

“…It’s because of that brat.”

If there were any reason for a new symptom to appear, it could only be that kid in the room. He had to get rid of him, he thought, and reached for his phone. He planned to call the guild and send someone over. But the phone was dead.

Frowning, he powered it back on, checking the storage room door multiple times while it booted.

“……”

Fine, but why had that brat just stayed still? Shouldn’t he have said something like “let go” or “don’t do that”? Then the image of himself clinging to the boy like a leech came to mind.

Jae-i clenched his phone hard. The corner cracked with a sharp snap, and he quickly loosened his grip. As soon as it powered on, he tried calling Ahn Yuna. But her phone was off too. Frustrated, he entered the guild’s group chat and asked if anyone had seen her. Just as he was typing to say she should call him back, Johan responded.

[She’s on vacation. Said unless it’s a situation where your arm’s about to be ripped off, don’t contact her. And if anyone does and says something stupid, no matter who it is, she’ll split their skull in half.]

“…What the hell.”

There was no way Hwang Jae-i’s arm was going to be torn off. That was just her warning not to contact her until her vacation was over.

He could ignore whatever the others said, but Ahn Yuna was tricky. Should he tell someone else? But there was no one else as reliable as her. Johan would probably come if called, but remembering how his attitude had shifted the moment he saw the boy made Jae-i feel sour. Still, for the sake of efficiency, maybe he had no choice.

Letting out a deep sigh, Hwang Jae-i called Johan. But unlike earlier, he didn’t pick up.

“…Is he playing games?”

Just as he ground his teeth in irritation, Johan answered.

[…Yeah?]

His tone sounded guilty, like he knew he’d answered late on purpose. Displeased but choosing to move past it for now, Hwang Jae-i spoke curtly.

“If Han Siyeol is there, send him over. Make sure he can transfer directly to the Association…”

He was about to tell him to bring a transfer stone linked to the Association when Johan interrupted with a “That probably won’t work.”

[The Association’s a mess right now. Tons of people are crowding around. We should probably steer clear of the area for a while.]

“What are you talking about? Why are people gathering?”

[The Lee Myunghwan Victims’ Coalition is demanding compensation.]

“……”

That made even less sense. Why would victims demand compensation from the Association? Wasn’t Lee Myunghwan, that old bastard—who was already dead—the one who should pay?

[They say since the Association raided Lee Myunghwan, there must’ve been money or valuables involved. They want compensation, but with him dead and his underlings scattered, there’s no one left to pay. Things got heated fast, and now a crowd’s gathered at the Association. They’re trying not to escalate, but some suspect the government might be behind the whole protest.]

“Of course it’s the government.”

When trouble cropped up in the Hunter world, it was over 90% likely to be linked to the government. Having internalized that fact long ago, Hwang Jae-i didn’t hesitate with his answer. Johan chuckled.

[Same thought here. But even if it is, we can’t go cracking skulls right away, right? They’re planning to wait until the weekend to act, but the area around the Association is going to be chaotic till then. If it’s not urgent, I’d avoid it.]

“……”

But all he wanted was to station one person. Was that so hard? Maybe he should call the Association Director—

The moment the slick, slippery face of Director Kim Wi came to mind, a wave of irritation surged. Just then, Johan said, a little too eagerly, “By the way, Guild Master…”

[Is he doing well? If he needs anything, I could go myself instead of sending Han Siyeol…]

Before he could finish, Hwang Jae-i hung up. And not stopping there, he turned off the phone and hurled it onto the sofa. Even though it was a soft couch, throwing it that hard still sent a jolt through the phone. It hit with a thud, bounced slightly, then fell, screen cracked.

He decided to stop caring about the boy inside the house. He’d try to live as if he were alone. But his thoughts kept drifting elsewhere. Straight to the uninvited guest in the storage room.

He shouldn’t have brought him here to begin with. He should’ve ignored that hidden passage. Why had he poked around so much and stumbled on it?

“……”

Damn it, I can’t stop thinking about it.

In the end, Hwang Jae-i shot to his feet.

“Why am I even bothering with this?”

This was his house, and that kid wasn’t even a rolling stone—just… Wait, doesn’t he need to go to the bathroom?

“……”

He didn’t know why that thought came to him so suddenly. He couldn’t recall what time yesterday the boy had gone back into the room. At least once a day, he’d need the toilet, right? And those two bowls of porridge from yesterday had probably digested by now too.

Tilting his head in frustration, Hwang Jae-i muttered a curse and slowly made his way toward the storage room. Standing before the door, he looked as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders. With a deeply reluctant expression, he grasped the doorknob and turned it.

As soon as the door opened, the boy appeared nearby. His face went pale, eyes wide with surprise. Clutching his hands and standing awkwardly, it was obvious what he wanted. So Hwang Jae-i stepped aside, jerked his chin, and said curtly:

“Go.”

“……”

The boy, watching his mood, quickly bowed his head and hurried out. He darted straight into the nearby bathroom like a startled cat. The way he moved—so feline—made Hwang Jae-i feel foolish for agonizing over him all this time.

If he thought about it, the boy had been dragged into an unfamiliar place. Sharing space with a stranger couldn’t have been easy. Maybe he’d just been trying to stay quiet and made a mistake.

Right. Spending a few days with someone as inconspicuous as a shadow shouldn’t be a big deal. He’d just treat him like he wasn’t there. With that, Hwang Jae-i strode into the kitchen.

Contrary to appearances, Hwang Jae-i liked things that were sweet and soft. He’d tasted every notable dessert from both domestic and international makers. Those who knew his tastes would often bring cake whenever he seemed in a bad mood. And though he’d recognize the gesture, he’d pretend not to notice and let it pass.

That was why his house had a special refrigerator, designed just for desserts. Built with various expensive features to maintain the freshness of newly made treats. In terms of cost, the fridge far outweighed the desserts it stored—but so what? He was Hwang Jae-i. Even if he spent billions upgrading his fridge to better enjoy his desserts, no one could say a thing.