RACA 20

Yesterday when he woke up, he had similar symptoms. At the time, Pyo Jaebeom was there with him, so he didn’t think deeply about it, but it was definitely strange.

“Could it be… chronic fatigue?!”

That makes perfect sense! Reflecting on the ordeal he’d endured every night for the past few days, his average sleep probably hadn’t even reached four hours.

After all, Pyo Jaebeom was a ruthless gang boss who squeezed every last drop out of people, tormenting them until morning.

“But why is it so bright?”

He cursed the Alpha, who wasn’t there, then refocused his attention on his surroundings. It wasn’t a mistake. It felt like it had been ages since he’d normally wake up.

Stumbling to his feet, Eunsol approached the room’s only console cabinet. Inside lay the paper he’d secretly taken from Jaebeom’s study not long ago, along with a long rod perfect for standing upright. It was a clumsily drawn sundial.

When people desperately want to know something, they find a way. This makeshift solution was Eunsol’s creation, a civilized person’s minimal desire to grasp how time flows.

“What the hell does confinement have to do with time?!”

How absurd it felt when he realized there wasn’t a single clock in the house. When he casually asked Pyo Jaebeom about it, he only responded with a mocking question: “Isn’t it something you don’t really need anyway?”

But Eunsol had his reasons.

He wanted to know when Pyo Jaebeom would come home! But he quickly realized it was practically useless.

‘He’d have to come home around the same time every day!’

If arriving at different times was a skill, then it was a skill indeed. How could every single day, without fail, bring him home at a different hour?

Just yesterday, he didn’t come in until nearly 10 PM. The earliest he’d ever been home was before 5 PM.

Was his work schedule elastic because he was the head of a savings bank? Or was it because he was entertaining clients?

But considering that, he often asked him to whip something up late at night, so it didn’t seem like he had plans.

“Holy crap…”

Eunsol covered his mouth as he checked the scale he’d drawn on paper while thinking about Pyo Jaebeom’s schedule. The shadow cast by the stick pointed to 10 o’clock.

“What the hell? What’s going on? Why is it this late?!”

He quickly replayed yesterday’s events. After tearing the house apart, he’d collapsed onto the sofa, exhausted.

Then he’d fallen asleep. When Pyo Jaebeom woke his, the time he’d shown him was…

“It was 9:30.”

After that, he’d carried him to bed, fed me, washed him, and taken him to the master bedroom. Since Pyo Jaebeom wasn’t there, he’d quickly returned to lie down on the bed. That meant it was at most around 10:30.

“So I slept for nearly 11 hours?”

Unbelievable. He checked the sundial again, but the dial hadn’t budged. It was true.

“Am I sick?”

At this point, he couldn’t help but suspect something. The sudden craving for spicy food, the constant fatigue, and the fact that once he fell asleep, he slept like the dead, everything was off.

“Anyway, why didn’t he wake me up?”

Where had Pyo Jaebeom, the one who’d tormented him all night only to shove him out of bed for breakfast, gone? Eunsol staggered to his feet. Fortunately, he didn’t feel the same anemia as before.

But just in case, he walked cautiously out of the room. He pricked up his ears, listening for sounds, but realizing it was pointless, he pouted.

“He’s probably watching everything on camera anyway, so whatever.”

He’d wondered how he always appeared with such perfect timing, turns out he had a cheat code. Eunsol glared at the CCTV camera, whose exact position remained elusive, then quickly looked away.

He’d stared for maybe 0.003 seconds, surely Pyo Jaebeom hadn’t noticed!

He headed to the kitchen first, sipping water before checking the living room. He opened the study door, then finally inspected the master bedroom before reaching his conclusion.

“He really isn’t here. Looks like he went to work. What’s going on?”

Confused by this unprecedented situation, Eunsol stood in the hallway, rubbing his chin.

“Well, whatever. If he’s not here, that’s fine.”

He quickly dismissed his worries. If Pyo Jaebeom wasn’t around anyway, how could he possibly know?

Since things had turned out this way, it would be productive to sleep in, do some light exercise, prepare a late breakfast, and then clean up.

As always, Eunsol simplified the situation. After sleeping for 11 hours, he still felt sluggish, so he began stretching to loosen up his body.

Lately, he felt himself growing lazier. Before, it had been his habit to drink a glass of water and stretch as soon as he opened his eyes, then head out for a jog.

“Guess it’s because I’ve been cooped up at home.”

He’d never been much of an outdoorsy type to begin with. But he’d never skipped his runs.

He felt a pang of regret, but quickly shook it off. He knew dwelling on what he couldn’t do wouldn’t help.

Better to find ways to make the most of what he could do now.

•••

“I think there might be something wrong with my body.”

“What?”

Jaebeom, who had been scooping spicy stew with his spoon, glanced over. Lee Eunsol was spouting nonsense with the most serious expression. According to the additional report he’d received from Kwak Sang before leaving work, his body was robust with no major ailments.

His vision was good in both eyes, no signs of dental work, and his blood profile was excellent, or so they said.

‘Aren’t those ideal conditions for having kids, hyung-nim?’

Kwak Sang’s smug expression back then had annoyed him enough to give him a whack on the back of the head, but that was probably just because he’d messed up his title.

“What is it?”

He asked, challenging him to speak up. Lee Eunsol slammed down the chopsticks he was holding and blurted out.

“Don’t you think this is weird?”

Jaebeom followed his pointing finger. At the end of it, a spicy rockfish stew proudly displayed its delicious appearance.

“You’re a good cook. So have some confidence.”

His slightly patronizing reply made Eunsol’s tiny face crumple. It was amazing how his eyes, nose, and mouth all fit into that small space. Especially when his slightly elongated almond-shaped eyes sparkled, they strangely drew his gaze.

“Ah! That’s not it.”

Lee Eunsol, looking flustered, mumbled before continuing hesitantly.

“I slept too much. I went to bed just after 10 last night, you know? And then I didn’t wake up until around 10 this morning.”

“How do you even know the time today?”

“Seriously, that’s not the point!”

Seeing Lee Eunsol now, his timid persona seemingly discarded, squinting his eyes and arguing back, made him laugh. Jaebeom raised his eyebrows.

“Not only that, but all week long, I keep craving spicy food and eating it. Like this, and for lunch I had spicy udon again!”

Jaebeom recalled the meals Eunsol had prepared lately. Indeed, many featured intensely red hues.

He’d assumed he either craved stimulation or was making a statement to him, but apparently not.

“Guess you’re pregnant or something.”

His lighthearted joke made Eunsol’s face contort adorably.

“Ugh, could you take me seriously for once?!”

“Sure. So what?”

He immediate reaction was just like his cat’s. Usually the most docile creature, but if you kept touching its sensitive belly or paws, it’d flatten its ears back, shake its tail wildly, and hiss – not unlike Lee Eunsol’s current response.

“Plus, I keep feeling dizzy…”

“What?”

That word made Jaebeom’s previously relaxed expression freeze. He recalled Lee Eunsol nearly collapsing in the living room yesterday.

It didn’t seem like he just tripped over his own feet, he looked strangely weak!

“Hold on.”

“Huh?”

Lee Eunsol shot a look of “What’s wrong?” at Jaebeom who stared blankly back, then immediately pulled out his phone and dialed a number.

[Yes, CEO…]

“Send a doctor to the house immediately.”

Jaebeom ordered before the other person could finish speaking.

“Tell them to bring all the testing equipment.”

[Huh? What equipment?]

“Anything. Bring whatever can test for Omega.”

When Kwak Sang, who usually answered without question, objected, Jaebeom growled.

[Yes! Understood, boss!]

Feeling his boss was in a foul mood, Kwak Sang replied in an anxious voice.

The call ended shortly after, but Jaebeom’s attention had already shifted to Lee Eunsol sitting across from him. Look at that carefree face, even after telling him he’s sick.

“If you’re pulling another stunt this time, I won’t let it slide.”

Something about him irked him, and Jaebeom made a point of being difficult.

Pyo Jaebeom didn’t leave Eunsol’s side even while the doctor examined him. He sat cross-legged on the single sofa, arms folded, glaring at them with such intensity that it made both the doctor and Eunsol uncomfortable.

‘Why on earth is he acting like this?’

‘I have no idea.’

‘Could you tell him to stop staring?’

‘Me? No way!’

They exchanged that conversation with their eyes. But unable to voice their complaints directly, they decided to focus on the conversation instead.