He wasn’t wrong. Lee Won thought. He just overlooked the fact that food has to pass through his mouth before entering his stomach. And he realized that even when he was this hungry, food that didn’t taste good didn’t taste good.
Lee Won, who walked around the spacious house and returned to the study, was now so hungry that he felt dizzy. But he couldn’t eat his sandwich. At that moment, a loud roar came out from his stomach. It seemed like he was protesting, asking when the food would come.
No matter how expensive the meat was, it could be this unpleasant to eat. Lee Won slowly chewed his sandwich with a distorted face. His goal was to minimize the time it stayed in his mouth, but it wasn’t easy. His stomach was screaming for something to eat, and his mouth was screaming that he didn’t want to eat this kind of thing.
Lee Won pretended to look at the documents and dropped his arrogantly frowned face.
Caesar was not paying attention to Lee Won’s agony and was eating his sandwich. The strong jaw moved slowly and the sound of vegetables crunching and chewing could be heard. Lee Won barely managed to swallow his rising saliva.
It would have been better if there was no food. His intestines felt like they were twisting at the smell of the sweet sandwich. Caesar, who had been watching Lee Won until then, opened his mouth as he clenched his teeth and endured his agony.
“Why don’t you eat it? There’s enough.”
Lee Won coldly refused the light invitation.
“No problem, I have mine.”
He didn’t really trust the words he said while holding the sandwich in his hand that he hadn’t even touched. Still, Lee Won stubbornly turned away from him and opened the document. Caesar stopped offering and started eating the sandwich by himself.
Lee Won wanted to fix his eyes on the document, but the letters didn’t catch his eye. His attention was completely focused on Caesar’s sandwich at the edge of his vision. He carefully swallowed his saliva so as not to be noticed, and Caesar opened his mouth.
“How much is the tax on this land?”
Lee Won reluctantly raised his head at the sudden question. Caesar’s hands were empty, as if he had already eaten one. Fortunately, he felt regretful, but Lee Won pretended not to notice.
Lee Won, who had not missed the timing, put down the sandwich he was holding and looked for the data more hastily than usual. Caesar, who had been looking at the numbers, reached out and grabbed the sandwich. Lee Won unconsciously swallowed his saliva and hurriedly turned his head away at the sight of him biting into the bread while fixing his eyes on the documents.
He furrowed his brows as his stomach started to hurt again, but Caesar suddenly put the documents down.
“I’m tired. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
He quickly got up and quietly walked out of the study, holding the jacket he had hung on the sofa. Lee Won pretended to look at the documents until he heard the door to the study open and close.
Lee Won sat still for a while. The study was quiet, and there was no sound. After Caesar left, all that was left were Lee Won and the sandwiches. I listened closely, but there was no sound of footsteps.
Lee Won got up slightly, opened the door, and looked out into the hallway. There was not a single ant in the quiet mansion. After carefully looking around, Lee Won closed the door again and turned around to look down at the plate. At that moment, a violent growl came out of his stomach, and Lee Won quickly pressed his stomach.
He walked back to his seat and sat down, staring blankly ahead. There were two kinds of sandwiches left. One of the plates was his and the other was Caesar’s.
… They were left over anyway.
The reason was enough. Lee Won hesitated and reached out to take one of the plates. Unfortunately, the one chosen was not the one he had made. Lee Won’s lips parted hesitantly, and Caesar’s sandwich went inside.
The first thing I felt was the sour scent of black bread. The fermented scent commonly found in black bread enjoyed by Russians was familiar, but strangely enough, it stimulated my appetite. The moment I bit into it, the deep scent of food filled my mouth.
At the same time, the crunchy texture of the vegetables stimulated my tongue, and the soft flesh of fresh raw ham met my mouth. Lee Won's eyes widened without him knowing it.
It felt like an orchestra was playing in my mouth. I couldn't believe it. Why is this so delicious?! Lee Won put down the sandwich he was eating and opened the bread to check the inside. No matter how much I looked at it, it was an ordinary sandwich that didn't look any different.
Was it because I was hungry?
But even so, what I made was something I absolutely could not eat. Lee Won stared blankly at the sandwich with a frown. He looked at the sandwich with its insides clearly exposed, then quickly covered the bread and put the sandwich in his mouth.
The crunchy lettuce tasted sweet in his mouth. There were still a lot of sandwiches left. It didn’t seem like it would be noticeable even if one or two were gone. Lee Won opened the document and chewed on the sandwich while skimming through the letters. Lee Won felt like his head was spinning for the first time in a few hours. He happily immersed himself in the data and busily highlighted it. Before he knew it, the large sandwiches were disappearing into his mouth one by one.
Fumbling.
Lee Won, who absentmindedly reached out to his plate, felt something empty and raised his head. In an instant, his eyes widened. The plate that had been full was now empty.
Lee Won looked down at his plate in silence for a while. He wanted to deny it, but his stomach, feeling full, told him it was real. Lee Won folded his arms and looked at his plate with his brow furrowed. No matter how much he looked, the empty plate would never be filled again. Lee Won’s gaze glanced at the plate next to him. The sandwich he had made was still there. Lee Won readily reached out and opened the bread. After moving the ingredients of the sandwich, which was filled with meat as it was, little by little and reshaping it, he covered the bread again and moved it to the next plate. This won’t do. He frowned at the sandwich that looked shabby to anyone, and suddenly felt a strange gaze. Lee Won, who had absentmindedly turned his head, stopped staring. A tall man was leaning against the door of the study and staring at him blankly. With his platinum blonde hair flowing naturally and his rough shirt, Lee Won realized that he had not gone to sleep but had simply changed his clothes. Lee Won, who had been silent for a while, opened his mouth.
“I’ll add a condition. If you work overtime, you have to provide a late-night snack.”
Caesar said with a faint smile.
“Is there anything else you need?”
Lee Won soon turned his head.
“For now, there’s nothing.”
He said it as if he was indifferent, but he could tell that his ears were burning. I can’t help it because I’m hungry. Lee Won thought, fixing his gaze on the documents and turning away from Caesar. Caesar, who had been silent for a while, walked toward the sofa. Suddenly, his bare feet came into view, and he felt him find an empty seat on the sofa and sit down.
For a while, Lee Won pretended to focus on his work without saying anything. He could faintly smell the refreshing scent of body shampoo. Of course, the source was all too clear. Lee Won resisted the urge to raise his head and forced himself to gather his attention that kept scattering. He looked at the letters diligently, but he had to read the same line over and over again to finally understand the meaning. While he read through each line carefully and highlighted it, he was barely able to regain his previous concentration. Caesar stared blankly at him, his chin resting on one hand, as he stared at him, absorbed in his work with deep wrinkles between his eyebrows.
When the butler, who had woken up at dawn, carefully opened the study door, he saw an astonishing sight. A haggard lawyer was scanning through documents, and his master was looking at him. Incredibly, Caesar was looking at Yi-won with a faint smile.
After a rare sunny spell, the clouds began to gather again. While the suspicious dark clouds gathered and prepared to sprinkle snow again, people walked along the streets with anxious steps. The building located in the center of the street stood tall, overwhelming the people passing by. The sight of people passing by the eerie building was quite a sight. The feeling of looking down at them from the top floor was incomparable to anything else. However, Tyutchev was in a bad mood today.
“What does it mean that the Tsar is letting a foreigner into his house?”
The person who reported the news in a sharp voice answered in a hushed voice.
“That is, he is a lawyer and is handling Berdyaev’s business.”
“Berdyayev’s business?”
“That, the land. And other assets.”
Blood rushed to Tyutchev’s swollen cheeks.
“Did the Tsar really say he’d get it? He’d confront Lomonosov head-on?!”
The man on the other side answered with great tension at the dry voice.
“That’s what it seems. And the lawyer is quite persistent.”
Tyutchev wiped his thin crown with a handkerchief and took a deep breath.
“What the heck… It’s difficult to provoke Lomonosov any further! And not only that, you’re leaving the organization’s advisory lawyer alone and using a fresh-faced foreign lawyer to carry out the work? And you’re doing it without giving any information to the executives! What the hell are you doing! What have you done when things have gotten this bad? Why didn’t you report it earlier?”
“I’m sorry. I’ll just watch the situation a little longer and report to you…”
As if it was right in front of him, Tyutchev cursed at him as he bowed his head and apologized. His head was filled with complaints about Caesar.
I didn’t like that bastard from the beginning. The successor to the organization that was supposed to protect the pure blood of the great Russian people was hanging out with a foreigner. That guy really wasn’t fit to take over the organization. Tyutchev opened his mouth as he thought.
“Find out what those guys are doing right now and report back. Find out how far they’ve progressed with Berdyaev, which law firm that lawyer belongs to and how much they know, and find out what the Tsar is planning with that lawyer."
“Do it!”
“Yes, I understand.”
The other party, who had hastily answered, continued hesitantly.
“Uh, but, that lawyer… He’s so hardworking that he sleeps and eats in his study. He used to commute to work, but now he just sits down in his mansion and works all day, so I can’t get any information out…”
Tutchev gritted his teeth at his halting words.
“If you’re that hardworking, it’s even more difficult!”
Tutchev continued, pacing around the office.
“Get the information out somehow. Either trick the lawyer into talking, or threaten him, or whatever, just use your brain.”
The man who had been pressing him angrily stopped walking.
“If that doesn’t work out,”
Tutchev’s voice dropped even lower, and his small eyes sparkled sharply.
“Get rid of that lawyer.”
The restaurant was quiet. There was no noise except the occasional footsteps of the butler bringing the plates and food, and the occasional clanking of cutlery. In the silence that continued, Lee Won diligently cut the meat and stuffed it into his mouth. Steak in the morning? If it were any other time, he would have been surprised, but today was an exception.
Was this grilled meat the same one from yesterday?
It tasted completely different from the meat he had eaten the day before. Lee Won savored the taste, secretly admiring the top-quality steak that was properly grilled and bursting with fragrant meat juice in his mouth. Caesar leisurely sipped his wine and watched him. Lee Won, who had been eating without saying a word, suddenly opened his mouth.
“What happened to my scooter?”
Caesar’s hand, which was holding the wine glass to his mouth, stopped. Caesar said nonchalantly to Lee Won, who was cutting a large piece of steak in half.
“It’s not easy to find an old scooter that looks exactly like that.”
A vein stood out on one side of Lee Won’s forehead. Lee Won, who had been cutting off a chunk of meat with a fork, put the steak in his mouth without saying anything. Caesar, who had been drinking wine lightly, put down his glass and smiled.
“The Bolshoi Theater’s performance program has changed. How about tonight?”
When Lee Won glanced at him, Caesar continued.
“It’s called the Nutcracker.”
Lee Won asked with a blank expression.
“Will the trial end when I see the Nutcracker?”
Caesar said, still smiling.
“No, it doesn’t matter at all.”
Lee Won put the last piece in his mouth as if he had expected that. Lee Won, who had cleaned his plate, wiped his mouth with a napkin and stood up. Caesar spoke again to Lee Won, who was about to leave.
“It’ll be stuffy if you just stay at home.”
Lee Won looked down at him indifferently and answered.
“I came here to work, not to play.”
As I was about to pass Caesar, a basket full of bread suddenly came into view. Lee Won, who glanced at the bread that was as good as steak, reached out without hesitation. Caesar stared at Lee Won’s back as he readily took a piece of bread and left. With a faint expression of disappointment.
Lee Won frowned as he walked straight toward the study.
What on earth is he thinking, that bastard?
The more I thought about it, the more ridiculous it became. Did he ask me to kiss him? Did he intentionally ruin the scooter? Judging by his current attitude, there was no way the scooter would come until he finished his work. On top of that, he was an executive of a group made up of only Russkis, and he dragged me into his work and now he was even keeping me in the house. I couldn’t understand why he was doing that.
One thing for sure was that I couldn’t trust him. If Caesar lost interest and let go in the middle, all the hard work up to now would have been in vain. While he was still interested, I had to somehow take advantage of the opportunity. The conclusion was already clear.
I should concentrate fully and finish this in a short time.
With determination, Lee Won walked quickly and took a big bite of the bread in his hand. Lee Won made a rough plan, allocating the work in his head. If he focused completely on this work, he could finish it in a few days.
Lee Won opened the door to the study with that thought. The calculation was not wrong. However, there was an obstacle that Lee Won had not yet considered.
Knock knock.
Lee Won’s efforts were in vain when he heard a knock just as he was about to concentrate on the documents. He frowned and raised his head, and soon the study door opened and a red rose came into view. The one who brought the flower was Caesar.
“The morning rose blooms for the beautiful.”
Caesar smiled as he held out the flower to Yi-won. It was as if he was sure Yi-won would gladly accept it. However, all he got in return was Yi-won’s cold gaze.
Is that man crazy?
Instead of accepting the rose, Caesar said to Yi-won, who turned his head away coldly.
“Don’t you like roses?”
Yi-won still stared at the documents without saying anything. However, it wasn’t easy to concentrate on work. And that was especially true when there was a troublemaker in front of him who was determined to interfere with his work. Caesar continued to speak.
“Strange, you and I are perfect. Even the ones with thorns… Or do you like acacias? Well, acacias are more useful than roses. You can get honey from them…”
Thump.
Yi-won closed the documents with a loud noise and raised his head. His face, looking at Caesar, was distorted with displeasure.
“What are you doing? Here. What time is it now and why are you doing this? Aren’t you working? Aren’t you going out?”
When Caesar, who went out at the same time every day, was nagged, Caesar calmly replied.
“You can do your work at home.”
It didn’t end there. Caesar looked around the sofa, found an empty seat, and sat down in it. Yi-won blinked in shock. This troublemaker had now completely settled down and sat down.
Feeling his stress level skyrocketing, Yi-won flapped his papers in frustration. It was already a headache to figure out who the rightful owner was, since the owner was moving around to prevent tracking, and now there was a troublemaker who came in on purpose, so there was no way things would go well.
Yi-won tried to ignore him and focus on his work, but as expected, Caesar wouldn’t leave him alone.
“The paperwork I was looking at yesterday, where is it?”
Yi-won held out his hand without saying anything and showed a bundle of documents. Before Caesar could say anything else, Yi-won put them down on his lap. With his mouth shut, he looked back at the highlighted part, and Caesar said,
“Work is good, but it would be good to take a break sometimes.”
Yi-won did not answer. Caesar continued.
“Go your own free path, wherever your free soul wants to go, and do not ask for any reward for your noble actions. The reward is yours…”
Caesar laughed briefly and added,
“Pushkin is always good.”
“If you want to recite poetry, go out and recite it.”
Caesar said, unable to contain his irritation.
“Do you want to go with me?”
“I said no.”
Caesar laughed.
“It would be fun.”
This time, he didn’t answer at all. He tried to ignore it, but he ended up speaking without realizing it. Yi-won once again vowed to remain silent and fixed his gaze on the documents. Where could there be any precedents that could be useful in this case?
Other times, he found what he needed right away, but this time, he couldn’t think of anything. Of course, it was because of the man in front of him. Caesar was now humming Aria and carelessly fluttering the documents Yi-won had given him. If he keeps doing that, even one of them will disappear.
Yi-won secretly hoped that would happen and firmly separated them. I’ll kick him out right now. While he was absentmindedly flipping through the documents, paying attention to Caesar, Caesar put down the documents and looked at Yi-won. At his gaze that seemed to want something, Yi-won just sifted through the documents in complete indifference.
After staring at Yi-won for a while, Caesar picked up the bouquet of roses he had brought. He was picking out red roses with pretty buds, and he picked one out. Suddenly, Yi-won In his vision, Caesar leaned toward him.
Tok.
The rosebud lightly hit Yiwon’s head, and at the same time, Yiwon shouted in anger.
“What are you doing!”
The accumulated irritation exploded and Yiwon immediately shook it off. However, what happened next was something he had not expected.
A sharp ‘thud’ sound rang out. Yiwon was startled and opened his eyes wide. Caesar, who had been hit squarely in the face, was looking at him with wide eyes in surprise.
For a while, the two stared at each other blankly. The one who hit and the one who was hit were both frozen in shock and did not move. Caesar’s cheek slowly turned red and Yiwon’s handprint began to slowly reveal itself. Yiwon was the first to come to his senses.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to do that.”
Even though it was a mistake, he slapped him. Caesar was still in a daze, staring blankly at Yi-won, unable to even think about covering his slightly swollen cheek. It was the first time he had seen Caesar’s face so blankly. Yi-won made up his mind after seeing his bewildered appearance.
“Hit me once.”
An eye for an eye, a cheek for a cheek. Yi-won closed his eyes and turned his face to Caesar. He ignored Caesar’s hands that he had glanced at before closing his eyes. He decided to forget the elegant hands with long joints but at the same time the solid shape that gave him a sense of strength, and the way he had skillfully handled a sword while making sandwiches the day before.
However, he did not forget to clench his fists and clench his molars. He was not used to being hit in the face. However, since he had already decided to give it to him, he wanted it to end quickly. Yi-won raised his chin as if urging him. He had a feeling that a large hand would soon slap his cheek, but surprisingly, Caesar did not readily slap his cheek.
He just stared blankly down at him. He wished he could do it quickly. Yi-won blinked his eyelashes with his eyes closed in tension. Caesar, who had been staring blankly down at his long, black eyelashes, lowered his head.
Suddenly, something affectionate touched Yi-won’s lips along with his low breathing. We touched. Unexpected.
The sensation made Yiwon pause. But that moment didn’t last long. The moment the lips that had touched softly sucked Yiwon’s lower lip, Yiwon immediately threw out the fist he had been clenching.
With a dull thud, Caesar this time grabbed his other cheek and stepped back. Yiwon yelled next.
“What are you doing!? I told you to hit me, who told you to kiss me?”
Caesar smiled naturally at Yiwon, who suddenly got angry.
“I thought you told me to kiss you since you closed your eyes and stuck your face out.”
When Yiwon distorted his face in disbelief, Caesar pointed to the newly formed handprint and said.
“Are you allowing a second kiss now?”
Yiwon immediately clenched his fist at Caesar, who readily tilted his head. He threw a punch at him without any hesitation, but this time it didn’t hit him.
Caesar, who had dodged, grabbed the wrist of Lee Won, who had just swung away, and pulled him back. When Lee Won was dragged away, Caesar unexpectedly laughed out loud. Unlike Lee Won, who immediately frowned and raised his head, Caesar shifted his gaze.
Following his gaze toward Lee Won’s tightly clenched fist in his hand, Caesar’s lips moved down. When Lee Won was surprised by the light kiss, Caesar looked up and looked at him.
“I’ll consider this the price I received.”
With those words, Caesar let go of Lee Won’s hand. Caesar gave Lee Won a slight smile as he absentmindedly stepped back, then turned around and left the study. Lee Won stared blankly at the quietly closed study door for a moment. When he realized that he had been tricked, it was already too late.
“What the hell, that bastard!”
Lee Won swore in anger and kicked the documents on the floor. However, he soon regretted it. The documents that looked like a mess to others but had some sort of order were all tangled up and scattered all at once.
Lee Won sat on the floor with a distorted face and a groan boiling deep in his throat. Even as he hurriedly gathered the documents back together, his insides continued to boil. Anyway, let’s just count them as exchanges. I was the one who hit first.
He tried to rationally understand, but his distorted face wouldn’t straighten out. Lee Won couldn’t figure it out. The situation was already sorted out, so why did his insides keep churning? Lee Won, who had absentmindedly rubbed his lips with the back of his hand, suddenly stopped moving.
The warmth that had brushed his lips met the warmth that remained on the back of his hand. His heart, which was pounding with belated anger, seemed to be receiving a strangely different vibration.
The sounds of the commotion continued from early morning. Suddenly, Lee Won opened his eyes to the sound of footsteps and was taken aback by the unfamiliar scenery that came into his sight, but soon he understood. This was not an old boarding house in an apartment building. Lee Won sat up, still feeling unfamiliar with the spacious and splendid guest room that matched the grand mansion.
The room, filled with antique furniture, was luxurious to the point of being old-fashioned. The porcelain placed here and there seemed to be from several centuries ago, and the oil paintings hanging on the walls had the signatures of artists he had heard of somewhere.
Lee Won had no particular interest in all of that, but the bed was different. The mattress, sheets, and thick blanket were so soft and comfortable that it felt like he was lying on a cloud.
So that’s why rich people eat in bed.
Lee Won got out of bed after being convinced inside. He was going back soon, so it would be difficult if he got used to a bed like this. While thinking that, Lee Won glanced down at the bed with regret.
He heard footsteps again. As I walked and looked out the window, I saw a familiar sedan waiting. It seemed like Caesar was about to go to work. Looking down at the men in black suits moving their bodies hurriedly, Lee Won thought of something and said, “Ah.”
The black sedan was covered in a thick layer of fog in the intermittent snow. The gloomy sky seemed like it would soon pour down heavy snow. Caesar glanced at the sky and walked without hesitation. The men in black suits standing in two rows all bowed their heads toward him. Caesar walked toward the car with an expressionless face as usual. Snowflakes fell one by one on the thick, rich fur coat that gradually changed from white to black from his shoulders to his feet. The man who had been standing with an unwavering posture opened the back door of the car, and Caesar bent down. After Caesar got into the car, the man who returned to the driver’s seat started the engine, and the door that had been closed suddenly opened. As Caesar turned his head, Lee Won, who had quickly gotten in, closed the door and said.
“Just drop it off on the way.”
Caesar frowned at his gaze as he looked straight ahead, speaking nonchalantly. As if asking what on earth he was thinking. Lee Won opened his mouth at the suspicious gaze.
“I’m not leaving until I’m done with work. I’m going out to buy books.”
Lee Won hurriedly urged Caesar, who had not said anything.
“What are you doing? Go quickly.”
Caesar turned his head and nodded through the rearview mirror. The organization member who had been watching with a tense face hurriedly started the car. Behind the passenger car that was smoothly driving away, a van filled with the organization’s men followed in a line.