SLC 43

Beep, beep, beep, a monotonous machine sound filled the hospital room. Choi Dojung, the chairman, had an oxygen tube connected to his nose as he greeted the visitor who came into the room with an expressionless face.

Kim Jinkyung greeted him as politely as possible.

“Hello. It’s been a while.”

“Yes.”

The old man’s voice sounded rougher than before.

“You look healthy….”

Kim Jinkyung, who was about to add that it was a relief, swallowed dryly. He didn’t look healthy. After rolling his large eyes around frantically, he hurriedly looked for different words.

“Compared to before….”

There was no way to say that he looked better either. The old man with the ashen complexion quietly stared at Kim Jinkyung. After failing his second greeting as well, Kim Jinkyung quietly shrank into the corner.

“You haven’t died yet.”

Kim Jinkyung looked at Mok Seongha, astonished by his remark.

“I guess it isn’t time yet.”

Despite the outrageous remark, Chairman Choi Dojung didn’t look particularly displeased. Only Kim Jinkyung, who had no way of knowing the usual conversation style between the two, fidgeted while reading the room.

“What did the hospital say?”

“What would they say? They just give me morphine and try to keep me comfortable. More importantly, where did you even go?”

“To the apple orchard.”

Kim Jinkyung felt anxious.

Even though he was a grandson who cared about his grandfather, Mok Seongha’s tone was aggressive enough to make anyone watching break into a cold sweat.

“What’s so special about an apple orchard that you’d even run away from home?”

“Ah, it wasn’t running away. I suggested to Seongha-ssi that we go get some fresh air for a bit. I also informed Secretary Kang.”

Kim Jinkyung, who was standing behind him, hurriedly answered with a pale face.

“Did I ask you?”

“…I’m sorry.”

Kim Jinkyung quickly lowered his head and apologized.

Chairman Choi Dojung clicked his tongue.

Just as Secretary Kang had reported.

His nature was kind, but he was weak and timid to a useless degree.

Those words perfectly described Kim Jinkyung. Even now, after being dragged into the hospital room by his grandson holding his wrist, he couldn’t even properly lift his head and was floundering.

With that kind of weak heart, what use was he?

Even if he made a hundred concessions, if he were at least a man who could be of some help to his grandson, he might have kept him by his side, but Kim Jinkyung didn’t show a single redeeming quality.

What his grandson needed was someone who could protect him.

“So what happened between you two?”

Chairman Choi Dojung asked while looking at his grandson. Even after returning from the brink of death, his aura remained the same.

“I didn’t transform.”

“What?”

“Even after getting water poured on me, I didn’t change.”

Mok Seongha answered with sparkling eyes.

Chairman Choi Dojung sighed. His gaze was similar to the one from the day Mok Seongha had come to see him after maintaining a human form for over ten days.

“Yes. Even after getting wet, you didn’t transform….”

Chairman Choi Dojung slowly raised his body. Then he picked up the kettle that was placed on the bedside table and splashed the water. It happened without warning. What followed was something no one could have predicted.

“……!”

“……!”

“…….”

The person who got soaked, the person who poured the water, and the person who avoided the water were all shocked.

“Why did the teacher take it instead?”

Kim Jinkyung responded to Chairman Choi Dojung’s question with an awkward expression.

“…I thought it was hot water, so I unconsciously….”

It seemed he had assumed that water from a kettle would be hot.

“Are you out of your mind?”

Mok Seongha glared at him.

“If you thought it was hot water, you should’ve dodged it. Why would you take the hit!?”

“Ha ha. Yes, I guess so.”

Kim Jinkyung awkwardly smiled as he wiped the water running down his face with his palm.

“What were you going to do if it was really hot water?!”

Mok Seongha scolded him as he wiped Kim Jinkyung’s face with his own hand. Chairman Choi Dojung stared at the completely soaked Kim Jinkyung with an expressionless face, then spoke.

“Did I look like a lunatic who’d pour hot water on my own grandson?”

“Ah, no. It’s not that….”

Kim Jinkyung, pale as a sheet, held out both hands. It was such a timid gesture that it was hard to believe he was someone who had blocked hot water with his body.

“Teacher, step outside for a moment. I have something to say to Seongha.”

“Wait.”

Mok Seongha grabbed Kim Jinkyung’s wrist and picked up a bottle of bottled water from the table. Then he quickly poured it over his own head, soaking his hair completely.

“You’ve confirmed it, right?”

He asked the chairman, then turned to Kim Jinkyung.

“Teacher. Go out and change your clothes.”

“It’s fine. If I leave it, it’ll dry….”

“I don’t like it.”

Mok Seongha handed him a towel. Kim Jinkyung roughly wiped his face, then asked, “Are you okay?”

“I didn’t transform. I’m fine.”

With an expression that looked like he had just left a child by the river, Kim Jinkyung looked back several times before leaving the hospital room.

Mok Seongha’s gaze was also on the hospital room door after Kim Jinkyung left.

“Why did you suddenly do that?”

Chairman Choi Dojung’s question prompted Mok Seongha to turn his head and say, “Huh?”

“I’m asking if there’s a reason you suddenly stopped transforming.”

“I don’t know.”

Mok Seongha answered and shook the water off his hair.

“It’s just that when the teacher is next to me, even if I get water poured on me, I don’t transform. When he’s not there, I transform. I tested it at home.”

That was probably why he had grabbed that pale young man’s wrist and brought him to the hospital room.

“Why is it like that?”

“…….”

Chairman Choi Dojung closed his mouth.

All of his grandson’s changes were related to ‘water,’ rainy days, and in situations where his hair became completely soaked.

His grandson didn’t remember it, but it had rained on the day of that ‘incident.’ He couldn’t know exactly what had happened that day, but his grandson must have been in a situation where his head was soaked. And considering the state he was found in, that was probably his dead mother’s….

“It doesn’t seem like he has any special ability.”

Mok Seongha shook the water off and looked toward the door.

Chairman Choi Dojung could guess the reason without difficulty.

The condition for his grandson’s change was ‘water,’ but the factor wasn’t water. It was psychological. He must be feeling safe next to that pale, timid teacher.

“Grandfather, do you happen to know?”

“…….”

It’s so obvious, yet he doesn’t realize it.

Chairman Choi Dojung clicked his tongue.

It already made his stomach turn that his grandson had chosen a psychological safe base as a man, but the fact that he didn’t even recognize that situation made it even worse.

“Anyway, there’s something I want to ask.”

“What is it?”

“You remember that I said I’d grant one of your wishes?”

Chairman Choi Dojung nodded. Mok Seongha put on an unusually serious face and continued.

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“Did you talk things through well with the chairman?”

“Yeah. More or less.”

Mok Seongha answered while fastening his seat belt in the car.

“What about your clothes?”

“Ah, I changed. Secretary Kang gave me new ones.”

Secretary Kang handed him a cotton T shirt bought from a convenience store, wearing a face that asked if he really had to take care of even this. Mok Seongha had personally contacted Secretary Kang to prepare clothes while they were still in the hospital room.

“Isn’t it cheap?”

“No. It’s from a convenience store, but it’s nice.”

“Then why does it smell like this.”

“What about the smell?”

Kim Jinkyung pressed his nose to his clothes and sniffed as he asked back.

“It smells weird.”

“It’s fine.”

Mok Seongha brought his face close to Kim Jinkyung’s shoulder. Startled by the face that came close without warning, Kim Jinkyung froze on the spot.

“It smells like chemicals.”

“It’s probably because it’s new clothes. I can wash it when I get home.”

Kim Jinkyung tugged on his clothes and turned his head. Mok Seongha didn’t take his eyes off his face.

Secretary Kang, who was watching the scene from the driver’s seat, sighed and began driving.

“Hey. Put your belt on.”

Kim Jinkyung hurried to fasten his seat belt in response to Mok Seongha’s remark. With Mok Seongha’s relentless gaze caressing his cheek, an anxious Kim Jinkyung kept failing to secure the belt.

“Are you stupid?”

Even though he said that, he sounded amused. Mok Seongha reached out and fastened Kim Jinkyung’s seat belt clip for him.

“…Thank you.”

Kim Jinkyung’s face turned red over such a small action, and he thanked him in a small voice. Mok Seongha smiled, as if that pleased him again.

“Seriously.”

Finding the car air unnecessarily hot, Secretary Kang grumbled and turned up the air conditioning.

“What?”

“It’s nothing. As you instructed, everything is prepared. We’ll depart.”

“You can drop me off at a nearby station.”

Mok Seongha gently tapped his foot in response to Kim Jinkyung’s words.

“Drop you off for what? You’re tired.”

“I’m fine.”

“Fine my ass. You didn’t sleep a wink the night before last.”

“No, it’s not like I didn’t sleep at all….”

Kim Jinkyung glanced at Secretary Kang, who was driving, unsure of what to do. Secretary Kang kept his eyes on the road.

“Aren’t you hungry?”

“I can eat when I get home.”

“Ramen again, right?”

“…I’ll eat a lunchbox.”

“What lunchbox?”

“I have to go pick one.”

While exchanging trivial, nutritionally empty conversation, Mok Seongha glanced at Kim Jinkyung’s face several times. Kim Jinkyung did the same. When their eyes met, one of them would look completely out of it, while the other would hurriedly turn away like he’d been burned.

…This is driving me insane. Damn it.

Secretary Kang focused on driving, trying as much as possible not to pay attention to the back seat.

When the car stopped by the main road, Kim Jinkyung hurriedly said, “Thank you,” and got out. Mok Seongha quickly followed him out.

“Ah, it’s fine. I can go alone.”

“Go alone. Who’s stopping you?”

“…….”

Kim Jinkyung looked back, then started walking ahead. Mok Seongha followed behind him, keeping a fixed distance.

“…Aren’t you going home?”

“I’m on my way.”

There was no more imposed logic than this situation.

Even at the entrance of the studio apartment building, Mok Seongha didn’t change direction.

“Then I’ll go ahead first. Later….”

Later, can I contact him? …Should I? Shouldn’t I? Is it better to just keep my mouth shut and go up?

While Kim Jinkyung was hesitating, Mok Seongha passed him and went inside.

“Where are you going?”

“Home.”

“That’s not it.”

No matter what Kim Jinkyung said, Mok Seongha took the stairs two at a time and went up. Kim Jinkyung was startled and followed after him.

Did I clean the room before I left? When did I wash the bedding? I did laundry last week, but I was so busy this week that I didn’t. And he’s sensitive to smells, so definitely…. No, why, is Mok Seongha going to sleep over?

He was worrying.

“Um, Seongha-ssi. For today, at least….”

“Are you tired?”

“Ah, yes. A little….”

So many things had happened that he couldn’t possibly put them all into words. It was true that he was physically and mentally exhausted.

“Then let’s talk tomorrow.”

When Mok Seongha unexpectedly backed down so easily, Kim Jinkyung felt a little flustered. But he tried to act normal and greeted him.

“Yes. Then please go home safely.”

“Yeah.”

After saying that, Mok Seongha opened the door to the apartment next to Kim Jinkyung’s.

“Good night.”

The door next door closed.

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After finishing his shower, Kim Jinkyung sat on the bed and let out a long sigh. At the same time, his phone message notification sound rang.

Mok Seongha

Why did you sigh?

It was from Mok Seongha.

After reading the message, Kim Jinkyung looked around, then thought of the thin walls of the studio apartment and the man’s excellent hearing, and massaged his forehead.

Mok Seongha had moved in next door. Into that extremely narrow studio apartment that he had once asked whether it was really a place for humans to live.

What? Here? Why? No, when? How?

Kim Jinkyung had called Mok Seongha back after he went into the next apartment and stammered as he asked. He couldn’t understand it. Why come here and leave that huge mansion behind? When did he even make that decision? How was all of this even possible?

Mok Seongha wrapped up all of those question marks with a simple answer.

‘To be next to you.’

It felt like hearing a confession.

‘I thought about it on the way to the hospital. You wouldn’t come into the mansion even if I told you to.’

‘……’

It was an undeniable fact.

It had only been a few days since he decided he couldn’t stay there anymore and left on his own.

‘When you’re next to me, I feel like it’s okay even if I get soaked in water. I don’t know the reason myself.’

His quiet voice was tinged with a little warmth.

His fingertips felt itchy, and not knowing where to put his gaze, Kim Jinkyung traced the pattern of the old studio apartment hallway with his eyes.

‘If it’s that I don’t transform only when you’re next to me….’

Before Mok Seongha could finish speaking, Secretary Kang arrived with moving boxes and said, “Please move aside,” as he cut between the two of them and went in. After that, boxes started coming in one after another.

The conversation ended there.

After returning to his room, Kim Jinkyung roughly tidied up and took a shower.

I asked why you sighed. You’re not answering?

When there was no response, Mok Seongha started pestering him again.

It’s nothing. I just did it.

Are you tired?

Yes. A little.

Then go to sleep quickly

I’m going to dry my hair and sleep.

Kim Jinkyung took out the hair dryer and dried his hair. Another message came in right away.

Hey. It’s loud

Kim Jinkyung turned off the dryer.

It’s fine. Dry it

Can I turn it back on? While Kim Jinkyung hesitated, another message popped up on the screen.

I said dry it

Kim Jinkyung turned the dryer back on. This time, with weak airflow.

Strong airflow

Wasn’t it loud just now?

Just dry it quickly

As if he could see Kim Jinkyung’s inner conflict, Mok Seongha sent another message. Kim Jinkyung hurriedly turned up the airflow and dried his hair. After finishing, he put the dryer cord away.

He considered reading a book, but it seemed like the words would not register, so he switched out the light and lay down.

The thought that he was lying next to him with just one thin wall between them made his heart flutter.

It hadn’t even been like this when they slept in the same room…. So it really wasn’t just the kiss.

A line from a novel he had read before came to mind, where the protagonist said his life was divided into before and after having sex. He had thought it was exaggerated at the time, but it wasn’t. Mok Seongha’s kiss had divided his life in two. Before and after the kiss.

Are you going to sleep?

Yes?

Aren’t you hungry?

Only then did Kim Jinkyung remember that he hadn’t eaten anything all day. No, since he had slept through half of yesterday, it was almost two days.

What about you, Seongha-ssi?

I ate earlier

It seemed there had been a lunchbox among the boxes Secretary Kang had packed.

Did you wash the dishes?

He had grown up without ever getting a single drop of water on his fingertips, in more ways than one.

They said they collect them if you leave them out

…As expected of a young master.

You changed sleeping places, aren’t you uncomfortable?

Uncomfortable.

Mok Seongha was honest. He didn’t know how to talk around things, and he had no pretenses. He said things as they were and spoke what he felt. At first, that was flustering, but now it was rather comfortable because Kim Jinkyung didn’t have to think about hidden meanings behind his words.

If it’s too hard on you, you can go back.

It’s fine.

It seemed like he wrote something and erased it, because the typing indicator kept appearing.

I can’t help it. If I want to stay next to you.

His heart started pounding again. He told himself it wasn’t a confession and that it didn’t mean that, but Kim Jinkyung kept rereading the message Mok Seongha sent.

What’s wrong?

Did he get caught rereading the message because he liked it too much? With trembling hands, Kim Jinkyung typed and sent a reply.

Huh? What do you mean?

Your heart’s beating really fast. Are you sick?

I’m not sick, I was just startled….

Kim Jinkyung hurriedly deleted the sentence he had typed up to there. A question asking why he was startled would definitely come back.

I was just startled….

No, that wasn’t it either. He had to clearly explain why he was startled. Then what was he supposed to send? Wait.

Can he hear my heartbeat from over there right now?

While he was agonizing, there was a loud banging sound from the front door, bang bang, as someone knocked. There was no need to ask who it was. Kim Jinkyung ran over and opened the door. As expected, it was Mok Seongha.

And he was wearing nothing but his underwear.

“What’s wrong?”

Mok Seongha asked with a fierce glare. But the one who wanted to ask that was Kim Jinkyung.

Why are you like this? Why did you come out like that? Why on earth….

“Your heart’s beating really fast. Don’t you need to go to the hospital?”

“No, that’s not it….”

Kim Jinkyung turned his head with a red face. Mok Seongha’s lower body, covered only by a pair of drawers, entered his field of vision.

“Why is your face red? Do you have a fever?”

Mok Seongha’s hand covered Kim Jinkyung’s forehead. That was when it happened.

“Ah, fuck. Who’s yelling in the hallway at this hour? Are you crazy?”

It was the exam taker who lived across the hall. No one knew what exam he was taking, but he was a famous long term resident who had been studying while living in this studio apartment for 10 years. Before the door could open, Kim Jinkyung quickly grabbed Mok Seongha’s arm and pulled him inside.

“What’s with that bastard?”

“Shh.”

Kim Jinkyung covered his lips with his finger, gesturing for him to be quiet. He hadn’t lived here for very long, but through countless incidents, he knew all too well how sensitive and bad tempered the man across the hall was.

“Be quiet already! Fuck, I’m trying to study!”

After shouting a few more irritated complaints in the hallway, the man went back into his room. Only after hearing the door close did Kim Jinkyung breathe out a sigh of relief.

“Why are you out like that without even getting dressed?”

Because of his special circumstances, Kim Jinkyung knew that he had a habit of not wearing much even normally, but he couldn’t help saying something.

“If someone else sees you, it’ll be a big problem….”

Their gazes met. Mok Seongha was wearing only one piece of underwear, pushed against his body, and he was also the person Kim Jinkyung had a crush on.

“…A big problem….”

From the moment their eyes met, Mok Seongha didn’t blink even once and just stared at Kim Jinkyung like someone possessed. And Kim Jinkyung was the same.

Mok Seongha slowly lowered his head.

This was bad.

The thought flashed through his mind at the moment their lips met. After that, he couldn’t think of anything.

Mok Seongha wrapped an arm around the back of Kim Jinkyung’s head and kissed him roughly. Wet sounds of tongues and lips rubbing together followed between their entwined breaths. Mok Seongha’s fingers moved through Kim Jinkyung’s hair. He clutched it, rubbed it roughly, then slowly smoothed it down. Kim Jinkyung was realizing now that even hair could become an erogenous zone.

When he came to his senses, they were no longer at the entrance. They were lying down inside the room, kissing.

“…Haa….”

“……Haa.”

Neither of them knew how to breathe properly while kissing, so after they parted their lips, they panted for quite a while.

Even though he knew how irresponsible this kind of act was when their relationship wasn’t defined, he couldn’t hit the brakes. No, it felt like the brakes had been ripped out entirely.

They say that once someone experiences drugs, they can never return to their previous life. Because drugs damage the brain’s system, making normal life impossible.

For Kim Jinkyung, kissing Mok Seongha was like drugs. Once he kissed him, it was impossible to return to his previous life. Every time their eyes met, he only thought about kissing him. It felt like his brain was broken.

“…Can I sleep here?”

Mok Seongha asked.

Kim Jinkyung had every intention of refusing.

Nothing was certain yet. Whether Mok Seongha liked him, whether he would get married, or whether all of this was really for his sake….

“I want to sleep here.”

…He’s handsome.

Kim Jinkyung, meeting Mok Seongha’s eyes, ended up blurting out his admiration without thinking.

“Your heart’s beating really fast again.”

“I’m sorry.”

Kim Jinkyung hurriedly covered the area around his heart with his palm and apologized.

“What are you sorry for?”

“For being noisy…. You don’t like noisy things, or things that smell.”

Mok Seongha laughed, then he grabbed Kim Jinkyung’s hand and pulled it down.

“It’s not noisy.”

His fingers threaded through Kim Jinkyung’s splayed fingers.

“I don’t dislike the smell either.”

Mok Seongha’s nose was hovering over Kim Jinkyung’s neck. A ticklish sensation rushed down the tips of his toes as they came into dangerous close contact.

“It’s beating really fast again. You’re not sick, right?”

“Yes. It’s not that kind of thing…….just a little….”

Kim Jinkyung couldn’t continue.

Excited, happy, startled.

No matter which one he chose, it felt like an insufficient answer. Then a thought suddenly crossed his mind, and he lifted his head.

“But can you really hear my heartbeat from the next room?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“Then how are you planning to live here?”

Studio apartments guaranteed minimal soundproofing, weak security, and poor ventilation. For Mok Seongha, who was sensitive to sound and smells, a studio apartment was the worst possible living environment.

“It’ll be hard for you. The noise and the smells, and you’ll keep running into other people…. I mean, do you really have to live here?”

Separate from his feelings for Mok Seongha, Kim Jinkyung couldn’t help thinking that him choosing to live in a studio apartment just to stay nearby wasn’t right.

“Hey.”

Mok Seongha’s voice was low and cold. Every time he called him “hey,” Kim Jinkyung felt like a hard snowball was being thrown at him. This time too, but instead of crashing down like before, it bloomed like snowflakes.

“I told you. I need you.”

“…….”

“And you said you’re graduating next year and need to study. You have to get a job too.”

Hearing the excuse he had once used to try to cut ties come out of Mok Seongha’s mouth gave him a strange feeling.

“Then I’ll just have to endure it.”

Hearing a self-sacrificing comment from someone who was selfish warmed his heart. Kim Jinkyung discovered only after meeting Mok Seongha that if your heart beats too quickly, your vision can begin to sway.

“You don’t have to worry too much. I only hear your heartbeat if I pay attention. But this place really is loud. Why the fuck do you even hear the toilet flushing? How are you living in a place like this?”

“…Haha.”

“I can hear the bastard across the hall coughing too. And who the hell is the guy who eats ramen and smokes at the same time? The smell came up and I almost threw up. Should I just kill them all?”

…Self sacrifice or whatever, Mok Seongha absolutely couldn’t live here. This wasn’t a matter of a pampered young master. It was a matter of survival.

“Seongha-ssi, just….”

“But I think I’ll be okay if I’m with you.”

“…….”

“When I hear your heartbeat and smell your scent, it is bearable.”

Mok Seongha slowly lifted his body.

“So, I can sleep here tonight, right?”

The shameless young master, who only thought about himself, asked with a wide smile.

Mok Seongha was a born hunter. He knew exactly how to drive his prey and when to strike. This hunt too, he revealed his fangs at the perfect moment. In the end, Kim Jinkyung surrendered.

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“…Isn’t it cramped?”

“It is.”

“Then I’ll go down.”

As Kim Jinkyung tried to get up from the bed, Mok Seongha tightened his arm and pulled him in. Kim Jinkyung gasped as he was pinned in place.

For the young master who insisted on sleeping in this room instead of the one next door, Kim Jinkyung willingly offered his bed.

“I’ll sleep on the floor.”

There wasn’t even a blanket to lay under the bed, so Kim Jinkyung lay down on the bare floor as he spoke.

“Why are you sleeping on the floor?”

“…Then do you want to sleep on the floor, Seongha ssi?”

“I can’t sleep unless it’s a bed.”

“…….?”