SLC 14

“…What brings the young master here?”

Secretary Kang was surprised upon seeing Mok Seongha who had come out for breakfast.

“He said the brain must stay awake in the morning.”

“Who said that?”

“Teacher.”

Secretary Kang looked at Kim Jinkyung as though he was a bit surprised.

“It seems better to adjust your lifestyle to the exam schedule. People usually do that a lot.”

As they lived together, Kim Jinkyung saw Mok Seongha’s daily routine. He was a typical night owl type of panther, no, human who woke up late and went to bed late.

“You woke up at this hour to eat breakfast….”

Secretary Kang wore a moved expression. Kim Jinkyung checked the clock. It was 8 a.m. The time did not warrant such emotion.

“…You need to wake up even earlier.”

When Kim Jinkyung cautiously offered advice, Mok Seongha immediately showed displeasure.

“Even earlier than this?”

“Yes. You wake up at six. That way, your brain awakens and becomes active.”

It was realistic advice. However, for Mok Seongha who had never attended school in his entire life, morning rising seemed a difficult mission nonetheless.

“I understand.”

Mok Seongha listened to Kim Jinkyung’s words even while he displayed reluctance.

“When I told you to wake up early because it is good for your health, you did not even pretend to listen.”

Secretary Kang grumbled as though he found it absurd.

“I had no choice. And even if I wake up late, my health is fine.”

“…That may be so, but..”

Secretary Kang looked fierce as though he would not bat an eye even if he sliced one or two people with a knife, yet he appeared exceedingly weak toward that “young master.”

“Have the two of you eaten breakfast together all this time?”

Mok Seongha asked as he observed the two of them sitting forlornly alone at the large table. Kim Jinkyung nodded.

Numerous employees worked in this vast mansion, but Kim Jinkyung rarely saw their faces. The person who prepared meals would disappear as soon as Kim Jinkyung could express gratitude after setting the table. In the end, since entering this house, Kim Jinkyung had eaten most breakfasts with Secretary Kang.

“Please prepare a meal for the young master.”

When Secretary Kang contacted someone somewhere, the meal was served shortly afterward. Mok Seongha picked up his spoon without a word.

“Hey.”

“Yes?”

Now, whenever Mok Seongha called “Hey,” Kim Jinkyung responded reflexively.

“That thing about you sleeping with a man a while ago. I thought about it.”

Secretary Kang, who had just been about to eat pumpkin porridge, immediately gave him a contemptuous gaze. Kim Jinkyung set down his spoon in grievance.

“No, I really only slept.”

“Since you like men that much, of course you would have done so.”

Secretary Kang hurled a sneer.

Because Kim Jinkyung had confessed multiple times in front of both of them that he liked men so much, too much, he gave up further explanation.

“Ah, perhaps that day when contact was lost…”

Secretary Kang glared even more menacingly than before. Kim Jinkyung silently ate only the porridge. It was true that he had drunk alcohol and lost contact.

“From today, don’t go out and conduct lessons inside.”

“Yes? Why, why?”

“You don’t need to meet men for a while, right?”

“…….”

“Will you meet again?”

“It is not that I intend to meet again, but if I stay only in this house….”

“What happens if you stay only in the house?”

Kim Jinkyung looked at Mok Seongha. The latter wore a white T-shirt and shorts. At least he had dressed somewhat properly. He often wandered around shirtless. He even received lessons that way sometimes. It had not been a big issue before Kim Jinkyung realized his feelings, but once he became aware of his heart, it turned into a tremendously big problem.

“What is it ?”

Mok Seongha growled fiercely. Whenever he grew irritated, veins stood out on his nape. Kim Jinkyung’s gaze unwittingly went there….

No. Snap out of it.

He quickly pinched his thigh and answered.

“It feels stifling. I originally wandered around all the time even when I lived alone. I ate meals only outside too. They said I have a wandering fate when I had my fortune told…. Haha.”

It was a lie. Kim Jinkyung was a homebody. He preferred staying inside even in a cramped studio apartment. He had handled studying and meals almost entirely in his room.

But for now, he had to prevent being alone with Mok Seongha in a closed space as much as possible. If the sound of his pounding heart was heard and his feelings were exposed, he would surely be buried alive.

“Then do it in the garden.”

“I refuse.”

“Why?”

“…….”

The garden of this house was a lavish feast of all sorts of trees and flowers. Kim Jinkyung did not know whose taste it reflected, but it was beautifully and elegantly excessive. Any spot cut out and photographed would become a spectacle like Monet’s painting.

…In short, it was too romantic. It was a background where if anyone brought someone there and faced each other for just one hour, an unintended flirtation would arise.

“I have pollen allergy.”

“You said you also have cat allergy, teacher. Don’t you take your medicine every morning?”

Secretary Kang unintentionally assisted. Jinkyung quickly nodded his head.

“You did not seem to have pollen allergy. I saw last time.”

Kim Jinkyung flinched.

Previously, he had spent the night in the glass garden with Mok Seongha transformed into a black panther.

“Anyway, the garden is a bit difficult. There, and….”

Mok Seongha looked at Kim Jinkyung. His gaze occasionally revealed an obsessive intensity that felt suffocating. Once he fixed his eyes on someone, he neither averted nor lowered his gaze. The instinct of a predator eyeing prey seeped through.

His breath caught in his throat. If Kim Jinkyung carelessly looked away for a moment by mistake, Mok Seongha seemed as though he would rush over immediately, bite Kim Jinkyung’s throat, and cut off his breath.

…He will surely kill me if he finds out.

“…Outside is better. I absolutely want to do it outside.”

Kim Jinkyung murmured in a small voice. At first, he had wanted to take Mok Seongha outside, but now the desire to survive took precedence.

“Fine.”

After thinking briefly, Mok Seongha accepted unexpectedly obediently. The relief lasted only a moment.

“Instead, if the June mock exam scores do not come out well, I will lock you up and make you do nothing but tutoring.”

“…….”

The content clearly meant to study properly, yet the atmosphere felt as though it would become a gory confinement story if heard with eyes closed.

Kim Jinkyung sighed, and his eyes met Secretary Kang’s. The latter clicked his tongue and turned his head.

“You deserved it.” The eyes of the frightening man said so.

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“Did you see? Over there.”

“What is that? A model?”

Kim Jinkyung heard the whispering on his way back after receiving coffee on a tray. Kim Jinkyung smiled bitterly as he looked at Mok Seongha sitting far away.

The reactions around him remained the same. Mok Seongha continued reading books or solving problems without casting a single glance at the surroundings.

Kim Jinkyung had deliberately sought a cafe with few people and a comfortable atmosphere. Since no one sat nearby, Mok Seongha appeared considerably more relaxed.

Although he had come out because being alone in a confined space felt uncomfortable, Kim Jinkyung thought it fortunate. No matter what, Mok Seongha would eventually need to come outside someday. Practicing gradually this way would be slightly better for the future.

“Would you like some?”

Kim Jinkyung knew Mok Seongha would not drink, but he offered the bought coffee and asked.

“I don’t drink.”

“Haha.”

Whose cat is this bad fellow? He would never follow if someone told him to come because they would give him food.

Kim Jinkyung set down two cups of coffee in front of himself and opened the book.

“Did you solve the problems from the part I mentioned?”

“Here.”

Kim Jinkyung quickly graded them and scanned the incorrect problems with his eyes. Explaining the wrong problems was good, but for someone like Mok Seongha who didn’t understand concepts, it was important to go over the unknown parts from the very concepts again.

“You need to understand the cosine concept and move on rather than just plugging in the formula.”

Kim Jinkyung explained to Mok Seongha.

“I know the cosine formula.”

“Then try explaining it to me while writing it down.”

Kim Jinkyung handed over a blank sheet from the practice notebook. When Mok Seongha hesitated, he continued with a smile as though he had expected it.

“If you memorize and solve problems, eventually you cannot solve them even if the problems are twisted a little or become difficult. Because you do not know which formula to bring in.”

“How do you know that?”

“The kids I taught were like that. They all do that when I let them solve problems.”

Mok Seongha stared at Kim Jinkyung as he continued the explanation while drawing a triangle in the notebook. Then suddenly Mok Seongha called out “hey.”

“Yes?”

“Have you done a lot of tutoring before?”

“Yes. A few times.”

The best ways to earn tuition and living expenses were scholarships and tutoring. Kim Jinkyung tried not to miss scholarships as much as possible, but when he unfortunately failed, Kim Jinkyung increased tutoring.

Just like now.

“Did they all study well?”

Kim Jinkyung felt a bit confused. It was the first time Mok Seongha had asked about other people.

“There were students who did well, and there were students who were average….”

“Who did the best?”

“There is one friend who entered the same school as me.”

“What? How many times did you do it with that guy?”

The question sounded strange.

“He was already good, so he attended academy and just did sub-concepts with me, so my influence probably was not that great.”

“Did you do it more often than with me?”

“No. There is no student I met this frequently for lessons.”

Mok Seongha’s fierce gaze softened a little.

“You are not doing it with any other student besides me right now, right?”

“Even if told to, I have no time for that.”

“If you had time, would you do it?”

…It felt as though he had explained the importance of objects while teaching English grammar.

“Well. That is….”

“Hey, a man is coming.”

“……”

Please stop saying that.

“You do not need to tell me those things anymore.”

“One is really coming.”

“I will handle it myself….”

At that moment, someone tapped Kim Jinkyung’s shoulder from behind.

“Kim Jinkyung!”

“Uh?”

“What are you doing here?”

It was Seo Sangil. Mok Seongha tilted his head slightly with an expression that said, “See. A man really had come.”

“I am in the middle of tutoring. You?”

“My girlfriend said she wanted to drink, so I came to buy coffee. She said the latte here is delicious.”

Seo Sangil was extremely devoted to his lover. Whatever she asked, he would immediately say “yes, okay,” and fulfill her request without complaint. Come to think of it, this cafe was midway between Seo Sangil’s place and his studio apartment.

“By the way, this guy is that….”

When Seo Sangil looked at Mok Seongha and greeted him warmly, Kim Jinkyung jumped up from his seat and cut off his friend’s words.

“Sangil, come talk with me for a second.”

“Uh? Uh….”

“Excuse me, just a moment.”

Kim Jinkyung asked for understanding and stood up from his seat. After dragging Seo Sangil to a corner of the cafe, he scolded his friend in a low voice.

“Watch what you say.”

“Why? Isn’t that the guy?”

“It is him…. Please watch what you say.”

There were more than five bodyguards scattered around the cafe even now. Kim Jinkyung did not want to see his oblivious friend get dragged away by them for saying something wrong.

“But isn’t he younger than you? Why aren’t you so polite?”

“…He is scary.”

“Ahahaha.”

Seo Sangil burst into laughter and put his arm around Kim Jinkyung’s shoulder.

“Why don’t you use honorifics with me? Am I not scary?”

“As if.”

“Now that I think about it, you used honorifics with me briefly in first year.”

“…….”

Kim Jinkyung pondered how to explain affectionately that he had naturally used honorifics thinking Seo Sangil was a third-year senior because of his prematurely aged appearance when they first met.

“You looked old.”

“You did it even when we were in the same class.”

“That was because it felt awkward.”

“Hahaha. Funny bastard.”

Seo Sangil playfully messed up Kim Jinkyung’s hair.

“Go buy your coffee and hurry. Noona is waiting.”

“Ah, right.”

Seo Sangil, about to order coffee, rummaged in his pocket and then turned back to Kim Jinkyung with an ah.

“Hey, lend me some money. I left my wallet.”

“…….”

As Kim Jinkyung took out his wallet from his pocket to give money while cursing Seo Sangil with cold eyes…

“Uh…?”

….a hand reached from behind and took Kim Jinkyung’s wallet. When the startled Kim Jinkyung turned around, Mok Seongha put the wallet into his own pocket with an expressionless face.

“That is mine.”

“I know.”

“Please give it back.”

“I will hold it for a moment. And you.”

Mok Seongha pointed at Seo Sangil with a nod.

“You? Did you just call me you?”

Seo Sangil pointed at himself and asked back as though it was absurd.

“Yes, you. Come out with me.”

Kim Jinkyung was horrified.

“Why are you doing this? Why this guy suddenly….”

“Let me talk to him for a bit.”

“What talk?”

Seo Sangil smiled and countered. As someone who did sports, he did not avoid a fight that came to him.

“If you have something to say, say it to me. I will pass it on.”

Kim Jinkyung desperately tried to dissuade Mok Seongha.

“Really?”

Mok Seongha unexpectedly obeyed Kim Jinkyung’s words meekly. Fortunately. At least he listened because Kim Jinkyung was the teacher….

“Then ask why this bastard is extorting your money.”

“Yes…what? Yes? Extorting money?”

Kim Jinkyung asked back in horror.

“Yes. What is he doing to a poor beggar with no money?”

“Poor beggar? Me?”

The question confused Kim Jinkyung. He didn’t if he was trying to pick a fight or take his side.

“You have no money.”

“…It is not that I have none at all.”

“That amount means you have none.”

In your standards, most people probably have none at all.

Kim Jinkyung massaged his throbbing forehead with one hand.

“First….”

To soothe Mok Seongha, Kim Jinkyung continued calmly.

“What? Poor beggar?”

But the spark flew from an unexpected place.

“Did you just call him a poor beggar?”

Seo Sangil’s face turned menacing. Kim Jinkyung turned around to dissuade his friend this time while sweating.