Chapter 26

A soft cheek stuck to his smooth shirt like a wad of gum. Gyu-yeon, reaching for the car keys, froze at the inexplicable behavior.

What on earth is this?

Since they left the shop, Naru had been clinging persistently, wriggling as if determined to plant his scent on Gyu-yeon. At first he buried his head in Gyu-yeon’s chest and rubbed, then he locked his arms around Gyu-yeon’s and refused to let go.

“Let go for a moment, you have to get in the car.”

“…”

He’s doing this again.

Naru shook his head without a sound. The way he pressed his lips together reminded Gyu-yeon of the first time they met. Back then his gaze had been different—clearer—but when he shut his mouth like that the mood turned unnecessarily bleak and made people uneasy.

No matter what Gyu-yeon felt, Naru kept rubbing his cheek. His emotions were all over the place.

This was the first time Naru had faced a rival. In the basement it had been hard, but the Previous owner had been obsessed with only Naru, so he had never had to compete.

I thought the owner looked only at me no matter what. It isn’t like that.

In this world he could live far better than before. He didn’t have to obey, could move freely, had warm water, and there were many kind people. Naru had been content with that life, but still…

The problem was that freedom meant meeting all kinds of people. Geon-hyuk, who he’d met before, was one example, and Do-min from earlier also seemed to covet Gyu-yeon, who was like his owner.

Before, he had wanted to escape because attention from a single owner was overwhelming, but now he had to fight for attention. If he didn’t try, it felt like people would snatch Gyu-yeon away.

So he decided to show affection first. As a bonus, he worked hard to leave his scent—like saying, “Yu Gyu-yeon is mine!”

Sniff. Sniff.

“I told you to let go, why are you sniffing me?”

Naru, rubbing his cheek and sniffing, made a disappointed face. He had expected Gyu-yeon’s scent, but only the cool notes of cologne came through.

Gyu-yeon, with Naru still clinging to one arm, finally disentangled the small body. Shivering because his clothes were wet, Naru’s reluctance to get in the car felt almost ridiculous. He’d said he wanted to change, but now he didn’t seem to care about clothes at all.

“Get in for now.”

“…”

“What are you just staring at? Get in already.”

Gyu-yeon opened the passenger door and shoved Naru inside. He was so stubborn he had trouble freeing the arm the little one had grabbed.

Drained before they even started, Gyu-yeon slumped back the moment he sat in the driver’s seat. Naru, watching him in the quiet car, twisted around to sit up and prepared to lunge.

“Hey, buckle your seatbelt properly.”

“I want to stay a little closer…”

“You’ve been clinging on all this time, what are you saying, hey!”

Seizing the chance, Naru charged. It was a mercy the engine wasn’t running yet. He grabbed Gyu-yeon’s broad shoulders with both hands, shoved his face forward, and rubbed against him like before.

Gyu-yeon felt like he might lose his mind in a different way. Startled by the sudden cling, he showed no sign of letting go—in fact, he only clung tighter in the small space between them, which was maddening.

“Get off.”

“Who was that person earlier?”

“Who, are you talking about the new employee?”

“Employee? Are you close? Why? If they’re an employee, will they keep working at that shop? Until when?”

A barrage of questions fell out. Naru, testing the waters, brightened and fired them off. Gyu-yeon answered dryly, helpless, and gave a nervous laugh.

Is he doing this on purpose? Gyu-yeon had looked at Naru incredulously, then dropped the suspicion. On purpose? No—he was asking more earnestly than anyone. What on earth was he so curious about? If you looked closely, Naru was genuinely very curious.

“Since they’re a new employee, they’ll probably keep working together until they quit.”

“Why?”

“Because I hired them.”

“Why did you hire them?”

“…”

“Why did you hire them?”—it’s a simple question, but why is there emotion tangled up in it? What’s with that resentful look?

If he kept answering like this there would be no end. Gyu-yeon coldly pushed Naru away, who watched him with accusing eyes. He expected a fight, but Naru obediently fell back and sat.

Back in his seat, Naru fastened his seatbelt himself. Unexpected—he usually made Gyu-yeon do it.

Uneasy, Gyu-yeon tapped the accelerator. Naru, who had been peppering him with questions, clamped his mouth shut again. Glancing sideways, Gyu-yeon studied Naru’s suddenly serious face and furrowed his brows the same way.

“What’s wrong?”

“…”

“Why are you suddenly so down? Talk.”

“Just, the employee…”

Unable to contain his frustration, Gyu-yeon urged him to speak. Naru only fiddled with his fingers, unable to form the words.

I don’t like the new employee you hired!

The sentence wanted to burst out, but it wouldn’t. Naru held himself back, afraid of displeasing Gyu-yeon. Objectively, Do-min had done nothing wrong.

If he forced his personal feelings into this, Gyu-yeon would be embarrassed. Naru didn’t want to put him in a difficult position.

What should I do?

Naru’s troubled heart wouldn’t settle. He couldn’t tell Gyu-yeon directly that he disliked the employee, and he had neither the strength nor the authority to act. If he did nothing, he feared Do-min would take Gyu-yeon away.

Unusually determined, Naru slapped his hands as if struck by an idea. Gyu-yeon shook his head at the distracted behavior and glanced over. Naru opened his mouth with a resolute expression.

“I want to be an employee too!”

“Ah, shit, you scared me.”

“Employee! I want to be an employee too.”

It was an out-of-the-blue declaration. Gyu-yeon had to pause to make sure he’d heard correctly.

Naru bit his lip as if he wouldn’t change his mind. But this was a request Gyu-yeon would never grant. How could he put inexperienced Naru in a job? Gyu-yeon was strict about work.

“No.”

“I want to be an employee too.”

“Make sense when you try to say something.”

Naru’s tail drooped at Gyu-yeon’s firm refusal. As Gyu-yeon said, it was nonsense—work wasn’t a joke.

Silence fell over the car again. Naru stared out the window and added nothing. Since it wasn’t stubbornness, he could only hold the frustration inside.

The two arrived home and clumsily got out of the car. Gyu-yeon sighed—he’d been worrying about Naru the whole drive. Naru was simple to read most of the time, but moments like this left his true feelings mysterious, which frustrated Gyu-yeon.

“Go and change your clothes first.”

Without a word, Naru went up to the dressing room and rummaged through the densely hung clothes. His heart had been fluttering, but surrounded by Gyu-yeon’s scent he felt a little calmer.

Instead of changing, Naru fiddled with hangers and hid between the racks. Crouched among the soft, laundered clothes, the world was all Gyu-yeon’s scent. The front was dark, hidden by garments, and the small space made him feel safe.

Gyu-yeon smells good.

He even brought more clothes, surrounded himself, and lay down. Buried among the garments, Naru smiled.

“Why does it take so long to change clothes?”

“…”

“Ha, haha, shit. Yeah, it’s been quiet for some reason. Fuck…”

Gyu-yeon, waiting in the living room, felt something odd about the sudden quiet and went up to the dressing room. He’d been worried because Naru hadn’t looked himself earlier, but what he found was chaos—the dressing room a wreck.

Clothes that had been neatly hung were strewn on the floor, and the culprit was buried among them, sniffing. He made a mess at the slightest opportunity, and Gyu-yeon could only laugh bitterly, too exhausted to scold.

Naru seemed to like the pile he’d made. Ridiculous, he curled up like a baby bird in a nest and looked utterly secure.

“I told you to change your clothes—when did I tell you to make a mess?”

“If I’m here, Gyu-yeon’s scent is strong.”

“Ha, really…”

Picking up a piece of clothing, Gyu-yeon nagged with complete resignation. Naru answered brazenly. It was an honest reply, and because of that Gyu-yeon had no words.

Not “I want to tease you,” but “because you smell nice.” It disarmed him so he couldn’t even be angry.

Gyu-yeon exhaled and knelt in front of Naru. He was about to start straightening the clothes, but seeing Naru’s improved expression, he withdrew his hand.

“Fine, stay how you like.”

“Are you going to come?”

“Well then, shall I at least lie down here with you?”

“I’d like that…”

Oh my. What? “I’d like that”?

He’d only been teasing, but Naru took the bait and didn’t let go. Before he knew it, Gyu-yeon’s arm was grabbed and he was stuck in an awkward position.

“Let go of this.”

Unfazed by the sharp voice, Naru gripped Gyu-yeon’s arm and tugged hard. Gyu-yeon, kneeling, lost his balance and tumbled into the pile of clothes.

Naru wrapped his arms around Gyu-yeon to keep him from escaping, even interlacing his fingers so he couldn’t get free. Gyu-yeon alone was flustered by the sudden intimacy.

Naru thought about what to say so Gyu-yeon wouldn’t waver and would stay by his side forever. No matter how he agonized, no fitting words came, then he remembered what the Previous owner used to say.

“Don’t flirt around recklessly.”

At first he hadn’t understood that admonition, but now he roughly grasped its meaning.

So when you say something like that, you bind the body so they can’t move, and make the scariest face possible…

“Hey, why are you like this all of a sudden?”

In an instant Naru climbed onto Gyu-yeon’s body and used his knees to pin his arms so he couldn’t move. It was meant to subdue an opponent, but to Gyu-yeon it just felt bizarre.

First he hugged him tightly, and now he was straddling him. It was only natural he’d misunderstand.

Ignoring Gyu-yeon’s protest, Naru put on the scariest face he could manage and said an absurd line. The words, voiced in his soft tone, carried a strange edge of madness.

“Don’t flirt with other people.”

“…”

“Don’t go around flirting recklessly.”

This is crazy, definitely a crazy stunt—so why do I feel drawn in?

Gyu-yeon stared at Naru with a blank expression and squeezed his eyes shut. His head swam. He’d drained the other’s spirit, and it was ridiculous and almost funny that he himself was so serious.