Yeonwoo let out a sigh and blinked slowly, weighed down by a feeling of helplessness. After some deliberation, he called Chahyun again.
"Hello."
Just hours ago, no matter what he did, the call wouldn’t connect. But now, Chahyun answered casually.
"Does your mother know what you’re doing?"
—What, are you gonna go snitch if I say she doesn’t?
"You lock people up just because they don’t do what you want? That’s not normal."
Yeonwoo gripped his phone as if it were Chahyun’s collar.
"This is a crime."
—I’ve got a meeting, I’m busy. I’ll come by before dinner, so even if you miss me, hang in there a bit.
"Baek Chahyun! Hey, you lunatic! You—!"
Before Yeonwoo could finish, Chahyun hung up without warning.
Seething, Yeonwoo grabbed the nearest sofa cushion and hurled it.
***
An hour later, Chahyun actually showed up. He couldn’t get in due to the changed door lock, so Yeonwoo rushed out to open the door himself.
"You crazy bastard…! Huh?"
He reached to grab Chahyun by the collar the moment he saw him, but then noticed someone familiar standing behind him.
"D-Doctor?"
It was his attending physician, the one handling his ankle treatment.
Chahyun gently loosened Yeonwoo’s grip on his collar and stepped inside the officetel. The doctor, who had briefly looked surprised, gave a polite nod as if he hadn’t seen anything at all.
Yeonwoo shot Chahyun a glare, demanding an explanation, but the doctor spoke first.
"I heard you sprained your ankle."
"Ah… yes."
Yeonwoo awkwardly cleared his throat and answered, glancing sideways at Chahyun beside the doctor.
He must’ve come straight from work—he was dressed in a sharp suit, the very opposite of Yeonwoo, who had been wrestling with this space all afternoon.
"Please, come in, Doctor. I got injured yesterday, but I wasn’t in a state where I could visit the hospital."
Chahyun calmly ushered the doctor inside like it was his own home. The casualness of it made Yeonwoo feel sick to his stomach.
Still, he couldn’t throw a fit in front of the doctor who had helped him through long-term rehabilitation for his ankle. He forced down the curse that surged up his throat. Not being able to say what he wanted made it feel like a burning lump was stuck in his chest.
There was nothing for Yeonwoo to do. Chahyun explained everything about the injury—how it had happened, how bad it was. The doctor listened carefully while examining Yeonwoo’s ankle, gently touching and rotating it.
It was insane enough that Chahyun had brought a doctor from a major hospital here to treat him like this.
"You may not feel much pain now, but there could be muscular soreness later. I’ll prescribe some meds—be sure to take them, and apply ice packs whenever you can."
"Will it interfere with daily activities?"
"It’s best to avoid strenuous outdoor movement for a while. If the pain worsens or it starts swelling, come to the hospital immediately."
"Understood. Thank you, Doctor."
"Think nothing of it. When Director Baek calls, of course I come."
The two of them sat Yeonwoo down like a doll between them and talked at length before finishing the check-up.
As an experienced physician, he didn’t ask the obvious questions—how the injury had happened, why Yeonwoo hadn’t gone to the hospital despite the pain.
He simply followed Chahyun’s instructions, gave the examination, prescribed the medication, and left.
Watching Chahyun calmly talk about pain and long-term effects with the doctor—after locking someone in an officetel like this—he no longer seemed like the same person. He seemed like someone who had lost touch with reality.
Yeonwoo was so furious, so dumbfounded, he couldn’t even bring himself to say goodbye as the doctor left.
"At least it doesn’t seem serious."
Returning from seeing the doctor out, Chahyun approached the sofa where Yeonwoo sat.
"I’ll have someone pick up the medication. Let me know if you need anything else. First, you should ice it—"
"Is this funny to you?"
Yeonwoo cut him off, looking up at him.
"Why would you think that?"
"Does 'let’s break up' sound like a joke to you? What the hell are you doing? I don’t understand any of this."
"I know it was shocking and confusing."
"And knowing that, you still lock someone in their own home?"
"I just want you to take a moment and think calmly before you get angry."
Think calmly? About what? Yeonwoo exhaled a shallow, tired breath at the incomprehensible suggestion.
"About what you stand to gain from this."
What kind of ploy was this now? Every time Chahyun opened his mouth, Yeonwoo felt a headache forming.
"You’re good at calculating things."
Chahyun tapped his temple and murmured.
"I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about the engagement sooner. I’ll be more careful so you won’t have to worry about anything from now on."
"What I want is for you not to get married. Or to break up with me. One or the other."
Instead of answering, Chahyun knelt down and fitted a brace over Yeonwoo’s right ankle. He’d done it many times before, always after a fresh injury, so his hands moved with practiced ease.
After securing it snugly, he lowered his head and pressed a brief kiss to Yeonwoo’s ankle.
A chill ran up Yeonwoo’s spine, and he yanked his foot away. He shifted back on the sofa, putting more distance between them.
"Don’t pull this crap. Go get rid of those guys outside. I need to go to the café—because of you, I’ve been stuck here all day…"
"You don’t have to go out for a while. Just rest at home."
"What? That’s my café. What gives you the right to tell me not to go?"
"Just think of it as a short vacation. Your ankle’s injured anyway—take some time off to recover."
"You’re the reason it’s injured in the first place!"
He couldn’t help shouting again. Rational persuasion wasn’t enough.
Yeonwoo bit down on his lip, trying to rein in his anger.
"I didn’t mean to hurt you. Yesterday, I just… lost my temper in the moment…"
Seeing Yeonwoo’s twisted expression, Chahyun fidgeted anxiously with the sole of his foot and his ankle, touching them gently, over and over.
Yeonwoo couldn’t describe the unfamiliar fear that washed over him in response to Chahyun’s behavior.
He could feel guilt, happiness, sadness—so why couldn’t he recognize that this situation was not normal? Was it really just a moment of blind rage in response to the breakup?
But no. This had gone far beyond the bounds of what could be excused.
"If this is how it’s going to be, don’t go through with that marriage, Baek Chahyun. Just don’t."
Yeonwoo spoke in a low, frustrated voice. He lifted Chahyun’s chin and made him meet his gaze.
"You and that fiancée of yours don’t even love each other. You won’t be happy. So why do it at all?"
"No one gets married to be happy."
There wasn’t even a hint of sarcasm in the reply. It was so pure and matter-of-fact that Yeonwoo was left speechless.
Silence fell over the officetel for a while. Then Yeonwoo, still glaring, opened his mouth again.
"So what. How long do you plan to keep this up? It’s not like you’ll keep me locked up forever."
"Your heat cycle is coming soon, right? I’ll let you go once it’s over."
Yeonwoo was about to protest—what did that have to do with anything?—but Chahyun continued.
"Your ankle has to be fully healed, too."
"……"
"Until then, I don’t think I can let you go. I’m sorry."
He spoke as if it were his natural right to confine Yeonwoo like a pet.
The number of shocks Yeonwoo had endured since yesterday was too many to count. Not one of Chahyun’s actions had been normal. At this point, he didn’t even have the strength left to raise his voice.
Even though he hadn’t taken a single step outside the officetel, his body felt as heavy and sore as if he’d been working nonstop all day.
"Go."
Yeonwoo’s voice was cracked and hoarse. Chahyun stood up.
"What about food?"
"I’m not in the mood to sit and eat with you."
Sinking back fully into the sofa, Yeonwoo closed his eyes, defeated. Just looking at Chahyun made his blood boil. He didn’t have the energy left to argue or scream anymore.
He just wanted him to leave. That was all.
"I’ll ask the housekeeper to bring side dishes if there’s anything you want."
"I don’t need anything. Just go."
He mumbled the words into the crook of his arm like a sigh, and this time, there was no reply.
Minutes passed in silence before the sound of the front door opening and closing echoed through the apartment.
From the footsteps outside, it was clear more of those damned men were stationed at the door again.
His head throbbed. Sprawled out on the sofa, Yeonwoo tried to think of a way to escape this place.
He still had his phone. If it really came to it, he could call his mother or a friend for help. Or even one of the part-time workers at Neo Belle…
There was no way Chahyun didn’t know that. If he’d left the phone, then he clearly didn’t intend to keep him locked up forever.
Yeonwoo ran through the list of people he could contact in an emergency, but gave up soon after.
What was he supposed to say? That his lover had locked him in the house and he needed rescuing? He hadn’t reached that level of humiliation just yet.
Besides, it had only been one day. By tomorrow, who knew how Chahyun might change.
“Your heat cycle is coming soon. I’ll let you out when it’s over.”
Hopefully, when the heat passed, this ridiculous imprisonment game would end too.
And when it did… would that finally be the end?
"Wait."
Yeonwoo, deep in thought, suddenly remembered something.
Chahyun’s rut cycle wasn’t far off either.
Even if the exact dates didn’t overlap, there was a good chance it would coincide with his heat—at least in part.