* * *
Cha Gil-Do, who had finished preparing to take Baek Eun-Seong to the gallery recommended by the chief secretary, glanced toward the bed.
The more he looked, the more his eyes lingered. Especially, on that body.
‘Has he lost more weight?’
Pale skin, a waist narrow enough to grab with one hand, and wrists and nape that seemed even slimmer than before. When Cha Gil-Do met Baek Eun-Seong’s eyes, he slipped on his coat and said,
“Baek Eun-Seong, you get ready too.”
“I’m going too?”
Baek Eun-Seong looked surprised at the suggestion.
Though he had locked him up, Cha Gil-Do disliked how he only stayed buried under the blankets, so he flicked Baek Eun-Seong’s forehead with his finger. Judging by the way he immediately grabbed his forehead with a wincing face, it must have stung.
Baek Eun-Seong came out after changing clothes. Even though it was just a plain gray knit and black pants, it looked better than the flashy leather outfits Baek Eun-Seong used to prefer.
“This suits you much better.”
So much that it stood out more.
If he had dressed like this normally, he wouldn’t have been called a thug nearly as much. But apparently, it wasn’t to his taste, since Baek Eun-Seong grumbled right away.
“It’s not my taste….”
“Of course, it’s mine.”
From head to toe, nothing was out of place. He was satisfied with how well he had dressed him up. The only problem was that others would see him the same way too.
‘I wish he’d act a little sharper.’
Not that he wanted him to act like trash again. Just that temper of his, the one that kept others at bay—having at least that much would be good. Of course, Cha Gil-Do excluded himself from that thought as he tapped Baek Eun-Seong’s exposed nape.
No reaction at all.
He let his hand wander lower down the nape. Baek Eun-Seong’s skin was so soft and pliant it felt like his fingers would melt into it. Maybe that was why a guilty thrill stirred inside Cha Gil-Do as he spoke.
“Not going to move away?”
“From what?”
Someone was touching his body without permission, and all he could say was “From what?” Cha Gil-Do was dumbfounded. Baek Eun-Seong blinked at him wide-eyed, as if he really didn’t understand. What kind of soft tofu was this kid?
“…You’re way too defenseless.”
And he was supposed to set him free like this?
Out there, he’d be dog food for the first stray mutt that came along. Even if someone lunged at him, he wouldn’t even realize until it was too late. The thought of some lowlife laying hands on Baek Eun-Seong made Cha Gil-Do bristle with disgust. Disgust strong enough that in his mind, he ripped those bastards apart.
And why? He concluded it was because he hadn’t handled Baek Eun-Seong with his own hands.
Anyway, there was no way he could leave Baek Eun-Seong alone in his current state. And he doubted he’d understand even if he tried to explain it in words.
‘If he can’t understand words, he’ll learn through his body.’
Cha Gil-Do pulled Baek Eun-Seong’s nape toward him. With no resistance, Baek Eun-Seong fell into his arms, still not putting up a fight. Looking down at him, Cha Gil-Do lowered himself and sank his teeth into that pale, slender neck. At the bite, Baek Eun-Seong’s shoulders trembled violently. Catching that reaction out of the corner of his eye, Cha Gil-Do asked, suppressing the sadistic urge that flared at the sight of the red bite mark.
“Do you feel a little wary now?”
He thought that would get the message across, but he had overestimated Baek Eun-Seong.
“…Am I going to get bitten when we go there?”
Cha Gil-Do was speechless. So speechless that laughter slipped out through his teeth.
“Ha, haha.”
Once it started, he couldn’t stop. Forgetting his composure, Cha Gil-Do covered his face with a hand as laughter burst out of him. Between his fingers, Baek Eun-Seong’s dazed face came into view.
After mauling his neck like that, all he could ask was a question like that.
‘What am I supposed to do with him.’
The laughter died away.
“No.”
At that, Baek Eun-Seong’s tightly pressed lips jutted out into a pout.
Cha Gil-Do kept wondering if it was safe to take him out. That was why he deliberately left the mark where it could be seen. With him at his side, anyone with sense would back off.
As soon as they got into the car, Cha Gil-Do looked for a wristwatch to give Baek Eun-Seong. That thin wrist had been nagging at him. The fact that it was a limited-edition luxury watch didn’t matter. What mattered was that if swung with enough force, it could smash a nose bone and still hold up.
When he asked for his hand, Baek Eun-Seong just blinked at him, so he grabbed it himself and fastened the watch on. Even after adjusting the size, it was still a little loose. But the solid material was reassuring.
“Not bad.”
“I don’t even check the time much….”
“A watch is like rank. Wear it.”
Even with the gift, Baek Eun-Seong’s reaction was lukewarm. But Cha Gil-Do hadn’t given it expecting anything back, so it didn’t matter.
Still, it was better for him to wear one wherever he went. Especially in this field, appearances alone could be a threat. The watch was both weapon and filter.
Baek Eun-Seong nodded.
‘Does he even understand what he’s nodding at?’
With that thought, Cha Gil-Do held out his hand to him. He seemed to be checking something. Watching closely, he realized only after Baek Eun-Seong compared it with his own palm and looked sullen that he had been reading his palm lines.
Unlike his own, which extended to his wrist, Baek Eun-Seong’s life line was strikingly short. But Cha Gil-Do didn’t believe in superstitions. He hoped Baek Eun-Seong didn’t either. Better to believe him than that nonsense. At least he had no intention of letting go of Baek Eun-Seong, whether his life line was long or short.
* * *
The gallery bored Cha Gil-Do. Though he had studied art for practical purposes, he never gained true interest.
Well, except once. After that, it was the same.
Cha Gil-Do followed Baek Eun-Seong as he looked at paintings. A canvas covered in nothing but squares, in dark, dreary tones. He couldn’t stand it. But Baek Eun-Seong stared at it fixedly. Wasn’t looking at a painting supposed to take three seconds? Unlike him, Baek Eun-Seong stood there like a stone statue.
Maybe there was something he wasn’t seeing? Squinting hard, all Cha Gil-Do saw was more unpleasant squares. Still no idea what the painting meant, he muttered,
“Crude and rough, I can’t even tell what it’s supposed to be.”
At his voice, Baek Eun-Seong lifted his head to look at him briefly, then turned back to the painting.
“Even if it lacks delicacy and refinement, it’s a work filled with raw ambition.”
That was unexpected. To be honest, it shocked him. The Baek Eun-Seong he knew had been trash with no relation to art. Granted, that was before his dissociative identity disorder.
But wasn’t that a pretty objective interpretation? And to call it raw ambition, that insight…
He was about to ask how he came up with that, when Baek Eun-Seong pointed. On the description plate, the title read <Raw Ambition>. Only then did Cha Gil-Do understand, though the painting itself still didn’t interest him.
“Didn’t your paintings look different from this?”
“My style’s figurative. This here is modern abstract art, so the interpretation changes depending on how you see it. That’s what makes it fun.”
Cha Gil-Do nodded. Like Baek Eun-Seong said, he also preferred interpreting and analyzing things.
“Sure, this would’ve attracted me more… back then.”
Back before he had seen the cherry blossoms in full bloom on that restaurant wall.
This time, looking at paintings wasn’t as boring. Only because he didn’t realize his gaze was fixed on Baek Eun-Seong.
Then, an uninvited guest approached.
The moment Cha Gil-Do recognized OUN’s CEO Oh Yu-Seong, he instinctively pulled Baek Eun-Seong behind him.
Catching on, Oh Yu-Seong tried to take interest in Baek Eun-Seong, but Cha Gil-Do immediately bared his teeth. When Baek Eun-Seong, clueless as ever, tried to peek out, Cha Gil-Do tightened his grip on his hand to stop him.
‘Stay quiet and still.’
Thankfully, Baek Eun-Seong behaved.
Cha Gil-Do didn’t want Oh Yu-Seong to see a single thing about him.
“Do I need to spell it out for you to get lost?”
Once, he might have said it more politely. Not anymore.
After Oh Yu-Seong left, Cha Gil-Do tried to take Baek Eun-Seong home. But seeing the round back of his head still fixed on the painting made him waver.
Since Oh Yu-Seong was gone anyway, maybe they could stay a little longer.
“Want to look more?”
This time, Baek Eun-Seong didn’t answer right away. Not ignoring him, just hesitating.
“You can insist if you want.”
“A little…?”
Finally, he admitted, glancing up timidly, that he wanted to.
“Don’t hesitate.”
“Then a little more… a lot.”
How could he say no to that? Cha Gil-Do nodded.
‘Should I build him a studio?’
A greenhouse combined with a studio could work. Add a sofa so he could nap too.
‘That’d make Dr. Seo nag less.’
It wasn’t for Baek Eun-Seong’s sake. Just because Dr. Seo kept hounding him.
That’s right.
As he was justifying himself, Baek Eun-Seong’s voice drifted to his ears. His gaze went straight to those lips.
“Um… shall we go?”
Though there were still more to see, Baek Eun-Seong suddenly suggested leaving. Cha Gil-Do was puzzled. He had seemed so eager just moments ago.
“Why?”
“Because you kept staring only at me. I thought you were bored….”
That was the second time today Cha Gil-Do was caught off guard.
‘I was?’
He hadn’t even realized he wasn’t looking at the paintings. No wonder he hadn’t been bored. So that was why. And realizing it only now was strange in itself.
He muttered, almost to himself,
“…I see. I didn’t even have the chance to be bored.”
“What?”
Thinking the mutter was meant for him, Baek Eun-Seong asked. Cha Gil-Do met his eyes and said,
“I’m plenty entertained right now.”
So much that he couldn’t think straight.
While Baek Eun-Seong went to the bathroom, Cha Gil-Do didn’t spare the paintings a glance. He waited. Time passed until finally, Baek Eun-Seong came running from afar.
‘Why’s he running like that?’
What if he tripped?
Thinking he was going to fling himself into his arms, Cha Gil-Do opened them wide. Baek Eun-Seong indeed rushed straight into them. But something was off. His breathing was too ragged, his face too pale. Feeling the stares of those around, Cha Gil-Do tucked him into his coat.
The last time he had been this startled was when Baek Eun-Seong called his face ghostly.
Had he seen a ghost again? When he asked, Baek Eun-Seong trembled as he answered.
“They tried to bite me….”
At those words, a fire flared up in Cha Gil-Do’s chest in an instant.