SLC 7

Kim Jinkyung knew better than anyone that one of his few strengths was his ability to sleep soundly. It allowed him to wake up feeling refreshed every morning.

But when he opened his eyes this morning, he felt with his entire body that he hadn’t been able to make use of that strength.

“…Ugh…”

His whole body ached as if he’d been beaten all over.

It felt like he’d slept on the hard ground…

“Ah!”

Kim Jinkyung’s eyes flew open in shock. Looking around, he saw not his bed, but trees and flowers. It seemed he’d fallen asleep right there on the bench while gazing at the night sky the evening before.

Kim Jinkyung let out a sigh. Now he’d gone and become really homeless.

“…He could’ve woken me up before leaving.”

Kim Jinkyung muttered as he brushed off the leaves stuck to his body. Even if he couldn’t speak, a paw shake or a bite…

That’s when he sensed movement nearby. Turning his head, Kim Jinkyung froze in place.

“I did wake you. You just didn’t get up.”

The man who replied slowly rose to his feet. He was completely naked, not a thread on him.

“……”

It was then that he learned for the first time that when a person is too shocked, their mind goes completely blank, rendering them unable to react.

The man raised his arms and stretched his body. It was a fluid motion, like a cat arching its back.

It was as if a sculpture, reinforced steel molded with clay for artistic flair, had come to life and started moving. The muscles spreading out on either side of his spine flexed like wings. The line tracing down his indented back was interrupted by the firm rise of his buttocks. The sculpture’s back bore rough, unfinished marks. When he realized those were old scars, the man turned around.

What is that? Why is the tail still in front…

Kim Jinkyung’s eyes met the man’s.

“You like men.”

“…Pardon?”

“You must’ve seen men’s bodies enough to get tired of them. Why are you staring like that?”

It felt like the last bit of blood in his brain was evaporating.

“I-I’m sorry.”

With his face and neck flushed crimson, Kim Jinkyung covered his face and bowed his head, eliciting a chuckle.

“I’ll just… go to my room and… no. I’ll leave now.”

“Do as you please.”

I should just go die. Yeah, die. Why even live?

As Kim Jinkyung tried to exit the glass garden, Mok Seongha called out, “Hey.”

“Yes?”

“Can you find your way?”

“……”

Honestly, he wasn’t confident.

“Follow me.”

Kim Jinkyung trailed behind the man. Under the painfully blue morning sky, he had to walk with his head bowed like a criminal.

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As soon as he finished showering, Kim Jinkyung escaped the mansion, claiming he had to go to school. But even during classes, he struggled to stay focused. Whether listening to lectures, eating meals, or reading books in the library, the scene from that morning refused to leave his mind.

“…Kyung.”

“……”

“Kim Jinkyung!”

“Yes?”

“What are you doing? I’ve called you several times with no response,” Go Jinyoung said as he set down his bag.

“I’m sorry. I was lost in thought for a moment…”

“How’s the assignment preparation going?”

“That’s actually why I contacted you. Something came up, so organizing the materials might take a bit longer.”

He’d lost his USB with the organized data when his laptop was stolen, so he had to start over from scratch.

“Why? What happened?”

“There was a fire at my place.”

“Ah.”

Go Jinyoung nodded knowingly.

“That building in front of the school? Damn. You lived there?”

“Yes.”

“Whoa. It burned down completely. So all your stuff must be gone too?”

“…Haha. Yeah.”

“What a mess. Did you have fire insurance or anything?”

“I didn’t…”

“Then the landlord probably did. They’ll compensate you, obviously. Get mental distress damages too, make sure of it.”

People always whispered behind his back that the phrase “head in the clouds” was invented for Go Jinyoung.

“Yes. I hope it gets resolved.”

Having seen the landlord’s ashen face standing dazed in front of the burning building, it was obvious he wouldn’t get compensation, let alone his deposit back, but Kim Jinkyung said it anyway.

“So where are you staying now?”

“Uh, well…”

The word “where” naturally brought to mind the broad back he’d seen that morning, turning Kim Jinkyung’s face beet red.

“Ooh, girlfriend?”

“No.”

“Come on, don’t deny it. Who is she? Same school?”

“I’m staying at an acquaintance’s place for a bit. Not a girlfriend.”

“You’re blushing. Is she pretty? Does she have an older or younger sister? Introduce me if she does.”

The moment he felt ashamed of his past self for ever harboring feelings for this man—who was now asking a junior whose apartment had burned down to set him up with a girl—was really mortifying.

“Anyway, I’ll send the materials as soon as they’re organized.”

“Yeah, sure.”

Kim Jinkyung packed his bag and stood up.

“Hey, Jinkyung, are you applying for the dorm then?”

“They don’t allow mid-term entry.”

“No, in special cases, if there’s space, you can. Ask at the admin office. Want me to check for you?”

Go Jinyoung was kindly without malice. Like how, at the freshman welcome party, when he’d drunk too much without knowing his limit and blacked out, he’d gone out of his way to a distant convenience store to buy him a hangover remedy.

…Ah, that’s when I fell for him at first sight. This cheap, easy one-sided crush of mine.

“No, I’ll ask myself. Thanks for letting me know.”

“If you’re grateful…”

“Goodbye.”

Before he could go on about women again, Kim Jinkyung quickly bowed and left the spot.

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“If there’s anything you need, just call.”

“…Yes. Thank you.”

Kim Jinkyung bowed awkwardly while seated. The employee placed the food on the table and immediately left the dining room.

Even with a feast of delicacies before him, Kim Jinkyung had no appetite.

“Why aren’t you eating? Saying grace?”

The man seated at the head of the long table asked. Kim Jinkyung shook his head, saying no, and picked up his chopsticks.

On his way in with a hamburger set, Kim Jinkyung had run into Secretary Kang at the entrance, who confiscated the bag and herded him into the dining room. The pretext was to eat proper food instead of something unhealthy for the body.

As expected, Kim Jinkyung wasn’t the only one who needed to eat a “proper meal” at that hour. Spotting Mok Seongha already at the table, Kim Jinkyung stiffened in surprise. Mok Seongha merely glanced over without any particular reaction.

Maybe I should just starve.

After a moment’s hesitation, Mok Seongha said, without lifting his head, “Sit.” Kim Jinkyung promptly pulled out a chair and sat down.

And so began the awkward dinner.

The dishes were excellent enough to justify Secretary Kang’s confidence in taking the hamburger, but his appetite still didn’t return. Kim Jinkyung ate small portions from his plate.

Mok Seongha ate while poring over a book, without initiating any conversation. An uncomfortable silence hung in the air.

“…Are you reading a book?”

He desperately wanted to smack himself for blurting out something to break the awkwardness.

“You told me to study.”

“Pardon?”

“You said to do it like eating meals.”

“Oh…”

He recalled answering the question about when to study by saying it should be done consistently, like eating.

…He’s really taking it literally.

The other man, faithfully following his offhand advice, seemed a bit impressive.

“If you keep at it like that, even if not this year, you’ll be able to get into the university you want.”

It was his honest thought. Physical time constraints made guaranteeing admission this year impossible, but persistence would yield good results.

“I have to pass this year.”

“These days, a lot of people retake the exam…”

“No.”

Mok Seongha looked up. His gaze was resolute. It wasn’t just stubbornness.

“Is there a reason you can’t retake it?”

“I told the Chairman I’d pass this year.”

“……”

He vaguely recalled the mention that university admission was the Chairman’s wish. Kim Jinkyung cautiously began, “Um…”

“…Who is the Chairman?”

“My grandfather.”

Do people normally call their grandfather “Chairman”?

It struck him as odd, but deciding it wasn’t his place to question the title, Kim Jinkyung continued.

“Why not talk it over properly with the Chairman? Daeip (meaning university entrance) doesn’t determine your whole life, but if he values it highly, maybe just once…”

Mok Seongha slammed the book shut. Kim Jinkyung flinched, shrinking his shoulders.

“Who the hell is that?”

“Pardon?”

“Who’s this ‘Daeip’ to decide my life? Some bastard I’ve never even seen.”

Kim Jinkyung’s mind went blank. What did I just hear?

“Dae-Daeip?”

“Yeah.”

Irritation flared vividly in those golden-flecked eyes. Kim Jinkyung shook his head, saying no.

“That’s not a person’s name; it means daehak iphak (university entrance). Abbreviated as ‘daeip.’”

Mok Seongha’s gaze dropped briefly before fixing back on Kim Jinkyung.

“Why abbreviate it?”

“Pardon?”

“Why bother shortening it unnecessarily?”

Kim Jinkyung was momentarily speechless. Was he serious? Did he really not know?

“Um…”

After some thought, Kim Jinkyung carefully opened his mouth.

“You said you passed high school through the qualification exam, right?”

“Yeah.”

“What about middle school?”

“That too.”

“…Um, then.”

A thought had been nagging at him. Kim Jinkyung proceeded as cautiously as possible.

“What about elementary school…?”

“Didn’t go.”

The answer came so matter-of-factly that Kim Jinkyung could only blink, unsure how to respond.

Special circumstances, a glaring lack of common knowledge, and their conversations so far…

‘With only one tutoring session a week, getting into any of those schools would be extremely difficult. It might be better to attend cram school daily or enroll in a boarding academy instead…’

‘That’s impossible.’

‘It’s a tetanus shot. You don’t need a rabies shot. Young master doesn’t wander outside..’

Putting it all together, the conclusion was clear.

“By any chance… do you not go outside?”

“Is there a need to?”

Mok Seongha replied curtly in an emotionless voice. Kim Jinkyung bowed his head.

He felt uneasy.

No elementary school. Middle and high school all passed through qualification exams, and no going out. Even university admission decisions are made not by himself, but by this “Chairman.”

It wasn’t hard for Kim Jinkyung to draw a conclusion.

Neglect, and confinement.

Mok Seongha must have been living a life close to abandonment, imprisoned in this vast mansion. Come to think of it, since arriving here, he’d never seen Mok Seongha’s parents or heard any stories about them.

It was rare to see other employees besides Secretary Kang. In this enormous house, Mok Seongha seemed to spend nearly all his time alone.

Realizing that fact made Kim Jinkyung angry.

How does it make sense to lock up a person—no, an animal—no, a person and an animal, preventing him from going outside or meeting people? Just because he turns into a black panther when wet, he’s supposed to spend his whole life trapped here?

Mok Seongha said he doesn’t go out because there’s no need, but that’s no different from imprisonment. Could a child’s choice to seclude himself, without even attending elementary school, really be voluntary?

At first, he considered reporting it to the police. But there were too many risks. He couldn’t tell anyone Mok Seongha’s secret, and the chances were high that a report about an adult man being “confined” in a large house while living in luxury wouldn’t be taken seriously.

So what should he do?

Pretending not to know was the most realistic and sensible solution. After all, Kim Jinkyung himself was working under threat.

…But as a human being, he couldn’t just do that.

“Why?”

“Pardon?”

“Why are you staring? Do you have something to say?”

Mok Seongha asked without lifting his head from solving problems. Perhaps due to his animal blood, his senses were exceptional.

“No, haha, well…”

How should he put it?

Jumping straight in with an offer to help probably wouldn’t earn trust. Talking about confinement likely wouldn’t faze him. And above all, this place had a high chance of being bugged.

“Do you… like movies?”

“What?”

Mok Seongha looked up with a slight frown. His long eyebrows arched upward.

They were beautifully drawn, like artwork.

“A movie by a director I like is coming out next week. I got free tickets, so if you like films…”

…Did that sound too pushy? No, getting him outside was the priority.

Even just one outing would be half the battle.

“What movie?” Okay, he’s showing interest.

Kim Jinkyung’s face brightened.

“It’s SF, and this one’s like a prequel. But…”

“Just tell me the title. Secretary Kang will get it.”

“Get what?”

“The movie.”

Is he talking about illegal downloads?

Kim Jinkyung smiled awkwardly and continued.

“Movies are best on a big screen.”

“We have a theater at home. In the east wing. The screen’s bigger than most cinemas. Just buy the screening rights.”

Being confined in a rich house makes extraction tricky.

“Ah, I see. Then I’ll watch it alone…”

Kim Jinkyung muttered awkwardly to himself, searching for another approach.

“What do you usually do when you’re bored?”

“I’m not bored.”

“Uh, then, do you have any hobbies or things you like?” He needed to find something, anything, to spark interest in going out.

“No.”

“Ahaha. You have a peaceful personality.” Kim Jinkyung racked his brain for other ideas.

“So you don’t go to clubs or anything? Like drinking with friends, or…”

Mok Seongha set down the pen in his hand. Kim Jinkyung gasped, holding his breath.

“Hey.”

“Yes?”

“Does this conversation have anything to do with studying?”

“O-Of course…”

It didn’t. Not at all.

“It does. Learning, well, learning methods need to be tailored slightly to the individual, so knowing the student’s characteristics is important. Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences says so, and Carol Tomlinson’s differentiated instruction theory, and…”

Kim Jinkyung scraped together every bit of knowledge he had to dress up his flimsy argument.

“Really?”

Mok Seongha bought it hook, line, and sinker.

“Yes. That’s right!”

“I don’t go to clubs. Drinking alone is more comfortable. What else are you curious about?”

“…Your ideal type?”

He planned to fabricate a pretty junior and use an introduction as bait to lure him out.

“Not you.”

“O-Of course not.”

Kim Jinkyung’s face turned beet red. It was his usual 0 confessions, 1 rejection, but this time his chest ached more than usual.

…Maybe because this time the other knows I like men.

Glancing at the quickly deflated Kim Jinkyung, Mok Seongha added, “I don’t have one anyway.”

“Pardon?”

“I’ve never thought about someone to have sex with.”

“No, um, not necessarily someone to have intercourse with, ideal type starts from feeling attraction, and then later, no, I’m not saying now…”

Kim Jinkyung’s words tangled into a mess. His pale skin flushed red in an instant. Mok Seongha stared quietly at the rapid change in Kim Jinkyung’s face.

“Whether now or later, I’m not doing it.”

“…Pardon?”

“I’m not doing it.”

“Doing what?”

“Sex.”

Kim Jinkyung nearly blurted out, “Why?”

He couldn’t look at him often because it was intimidating, but Mok Seongha was unnecessarily handsome.

It was like artistic lines overlaid on mathematically perfect proportions. Especially with those golden irises, his eyes looked extravagantly luxurious. With an appearance screaming hedonism and debauchery, and he’s saying he’ll never use it?

What a waste! Why? Why on earth!

“Ah, you’re still young… How old are you?” Kim Jinkyung realized only then that he didn’t know the other’s age.

“If I’m younger than you, we drop the formalities?”

“No.”

“Twenty-two.”

Younger than him. He wanted to drop them. But valuing his life over Confucian principles, Kim Jinkyung stuck to honorifics.

“Then you might feel that way for now. Haha.”

“No. It’ll stay that way.”

“But once you go to university, you’ll meet good friends…” He had to plant the best possible impression of the outside world.

“I said I’d get the grades to get admitted, not that I’d attend.”

The reply left Kim Jinkyung speechless for a moment.

“So, you’ll just get accepted and not go?”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

He was genuinely curious.

If the Chairman told him to go to university, that meant he’d let him out once he did?

Above all, Mok Seongha studied really hard. At first, Kim Jinkyung thought he was just a rich young master getting tutored with money, but no. Mok Seongha gave it his all. To the point of tying a pen to his tail to solve problems.

After all that effort, he won’t attend?

“I don’t need to go that far.”

“Um… We don’t do everything just because it’s necessary. Sometimes, you can just do it.”

“Just do it?”

Mok Seongha chuckled, propping his chin.

“I’m not a Nike fan.”

It sounded like a joke, but there was a clear boundary. Not just some ignorant youth’s bravado.

Kim Jinkyung blinked a few times before cautiously speaking.

“…By any chance, do you dislike being around people?”

“Yeah.”

“Is there a particular reason?”

“Do you have a particular reason for liking men?”

The question came back as a question. A wise answer to a foolish query. After pondering, Kim Jinkyung replied, “No.”

“Anything else you’re curious about?”

“…No.”

With that, Kim Jinkyung resumed the lesson.