IH Ch 48

Chapter 48

To begin with, he wanted to erase from his memory the fact that the other guy had grabbed his crotch, yet now the guy was speaking as if something was wrong with its size.

Hwang Jae-i recalled the moment when he had fallen and Dohwa, who had ended up grabbing that area, hadn’t immediately let go but instead remained frozen. It wasn’t until Jae-i, scowling, shoved his shoulder that Dohwa finally released his grip. Still lying face-down on the bed, he continued to stare fixedly at his own hand.

Jae-i hadn’t wanted to acknowledge it. He wanted to ignore whatever the other did, to not care one bit. But as the guy became increasingly serious, he couldn’t just sit there and watch, so he asked—irritated—what the hell he was doing. Only then did Dohwa sit up, clutching his hands tightly. With a grave look, he turned to Jae-i and said, “You’re too big down there—it’s weird.”

Never once in his life had anyone commented on that part of him. Since childhood, there had been plenty of depraved people who tried to approach him sexually, but even then, no one had dared bring up its size. Probably because he crushed them before they could even say a word.

…No. Actually, how could someone talk about it so casually like that? Did he not know what shame was?

Jae-i, now serious, simply glared at Dohwa, who froze entirely and stopped fidgeting. Hugging the box to his chest like a shield, Dohwa muttered,

“I must’ve said something weird again. That’s why you’re upset, right?”

Jae-i said nothing.

He merely stared at Dohwa’s profile with a cold, expressionless face.

“I just…”

Dohwa trailed off mid-sentence, hesitated, then finally continued.

“I didn’t want to upset you. Because I know you’ll only take me with you if I don’t make you mad.”

“…”

“…If you stay upset, I’ll have to go back to the Association.”

His voice grew smaller and smaller until he fell silent altogether.

Jae-i realized that, at the very least, the guy understood his own situation. Ordinarily, he should have been locked up in the Association’s prison—and that was the expected course. So why was he now shifting the responsibility onto Jae-i with words like that?

He wanted to say: whether I take you with me or not, where you belong is already decided. You stay at the Association prison, undergo an investigation, and if you’re found guilty, you’re punished. If not, then you’re released.

But Dohwa had likely grown up in that cult-like place since childhood. Having lived there so long, without any real-world experience, could he even survive properly outside? Not likely. People like him typically ended up committing crimes or getting involved in shady dealings and ended up in jail. Otherwise, they scraped by doing jobs everyone else avoided.

That was just how it was. No matter what the guy said, there was nothing worth paying attention to. And yet—why did he feel like this?

“…”

Jae-i, still wearing a hardened expression, raised an eyebrow at the vibration in his pocket. His phone was set up to react differently depending on the caller, and this wasn’t one he could ignore. He quickly pulled out the phone, and his eyes gleamed as he checked the message.

Hwang Jae-i was known as a total bastard.

People said that since he had been an S-rank from a young age, he must have been raised like a prince, constantly pampered, and as a result, he didn’t know his place and acted selfishly. They said he lacked manners, couldn’t form basic human relationships, and had a completely broken personality. To support that image, footage of him always showed him angry, rough, and defiant. It was as if he’d never had a single moment of peace or joy in his life.

But right now, outside the vehicle and behind a run-down building, Hwang Jae-i was with a petite, middle-aged woman. With both hands, he carefully accepted a heavy-looking envelope she handed him, quietly listening to her speak. His usual cold, irritable face was nowhere to be seen. He appeared calm and composed, not frowning even once.

Though she seemed to be the only one doing most of the talking, the woman remained cheerful throughout. Smiling, she even patted Jae-i’s arm and then looked toward Dohwa, who was sitting in the car. Dohwa instinctively bowed his head in greeting, then quickly lowered it again.

“…”

What was their relationship? Judging by Jae-i’s demeanor, they seemed to have known each other for a long time.

The woman then lightly hugged Jae-i, patted his back, and slowly stepped away. She made a gesture as if telling him to go on, and Jae-i, who had remained silent until then, finally opened his mouth. I’ll visit again. Stay well. Dohwa inferred the words from the movement of his lips and turned his gaze away.

A moment later, the car door opened, and Jae-i got in. The envelope he carefully placed on his lap carried the aroma of greasy food. Even though Dohwa wasn’t hungry, having eaten earlier, the scent still drew his attention. As he stared, Jae-i placed the envelope between them with a thud and started the engine.

The woman remained standing there as the car backed out of the lot. Jae-i gave a final nod in her direction as she waved, then slowly pulled away.

With one hand on the steering wheel, Jae-i used the other to reach into the bag and pulled out something round and soft, which he popped into his mouth. He chewed thoughtfully, then ate a few more. One was slightly bigger, and he finished it in two bites.

It looked like a doughnut but was chewier, and inside was something black. Dohwa didn’t know exactly what it was, but it looked incredibly tasty. He wondered what the point was in watching someone else eat, yet he couldn’t tear his eyes away. Whenever Jae-i glanced in his direction, Dohwa would quickly avert his gaze.

He could still end up being taken back to the Association, so he had to remain cautious. He told himself to stay quiet at least until they arrived at Jae-i’s house—when suddenly, something round was pushed toward his face. Dohwa flinched, instinctively took it, and looked at Jae-i.

“…”

Seeing that Jae-i wasn’t looking his way, Dohwa hesitantly opened his mouth. It was still warm, soft and chewy, with a toasty, nutty flavor.

As the unfamiliar texture spread in his mouth, Dohwa’s eyes widened.

“Glutinous rice doughnut.”

“…”

“This one has red bean paste.”

The next one Jae-i handed over had something dark inside. Since the first had been delicious, Dohwa took it more quickly this time and brought it to his mouth. Unlike Jae-i, he couldn’t finish it in two bites.

As he bit into the edge, the chewy outer layer gave way to a fluffy, sweet filling inside. He licked it with the tip of his tongue, feeling little round bits—like crushed beans—embedded throughout. They resembled beans but were far sweeter and tastier.

Dohwa chewed diligently, silently counting to ten in his head. Otherwise, he felt he might just gobble it down in one gulp. He hadn’t realized such things even existed. Even though he’d eaten a lot of new foods while living with Jae-i, it was still surprising that there were more things left to discover. As he finished off what he held, Jae-i handed him another and something twisted called a “kkwabaegi.”

Even cold, it was still delicious and chewy. When he licked the oil and sugar from his fingers, a wet tissue was tossed his way with a disapproving tsk. Dohwa wiped his fingers clean, then looked longingly at the paper bag. Was it all gone? The bag was so big—maybe there was more?

Perhaps because of that wistful look, Jae-i used his hand to cover the bag.

“These were given to me to eat.”

“…”

“You’ve already had a lot.”

That was true—he had eaten quite a bit. But they had tasted so good.

Dohwa smacked his lips and, with effort, pulled his eyes away to look out the window. The sunset had started to dye the sky. As he blankly stared at the wide wash of red spreading through the sky, something suddenly popped up again. It was one of the ones filled with red bean. Dohwa quickly accepted it, but instead of eating it right away, he turned to Jae-i.

“…Can I eat this?”

“No.”

At the blunt reply, Dohwa flinched.

If he wasn’t supposed to eat it, then why give it to him? Was he just supposed to smell it and look at it before handing it back? Unsure of what to do, he gently fiddled with it at his fingertips until Jae-i scowled and said,

“If it gets cold, it won’t taste good.”

“…”

“It’s only good when it’s warm.”

So he was supposed to eat it, after all. Even if it had to be eaten warm, he could’ve just left it for later. There was no real reason he had to be given one. And yet, Jae-i was still handing them over one by one. He really was a kind person.

Thinking about it, even though he was blunt, Jae-i had helped clean him up when he made a mess, provided him with clothes to wear, gave him meals, cake—and now these delicious treats. Never in his life had anyone done so much for him.

In a quiet, almost crawling voice, Dohwa said thank you, then took a bite. He chewed slowly this time, not as hurriedly as before.