Chapter 69

My head throbbed painfully from the morning. It felt as if someone were drilling through my temples.

Naru rustled out of bed and clutched his head. Is your head normally this bad the morning after drinking?

The emerald green soju bottle that had shone so beautifully now felt like a curse. In the middle of it, Geon-hu had mixed beer into the soju saying he’d make a tastier drink. Was that the problem?

Remembering yesterday’s company dinner, Naru grinned. Even with a headache, spending time with the staff had been enjoyable.

Laughing, chatting, drinking, eating. Being among people was always happiness.

Gyu-yeon was still asleep. His face had grown pale in a day and looked listless.

No wonder. Yesterday he had tended to the drunken employees and sent them home, even carrying Naru back.

Naru didn’t know that. His memory after leaving the restaurant was completely cut off.

The only thing he could remember was Gyu-yeon saying he’d buy him a fish-shaped pastry.

Hungry, Naru came out and rummaged through the living room. He searched his personal snack box, but there was no fish-shaped pastry to be found.

“Yu Gyu-yeon cheated me.”

Rumble.

Honestly, it wasn’t about the fish-shaped pastry right now; he just wanted to shove anything into her mouth.

He didn’t want cereal because it’s dry, he wanted something soupy…

No matter how he searched the kitchen, he couldn’t find anything appetizing. Naru opened the fridge to look inside.

“Hmm…”

Vegetables for cooking, neatly stacked packs of meat, the occasional dairy product, and eggs.

Pondering, Naru picked up a raw egg.

Thud!

He slammed the egg on the sink and the shell shattered into pieces. Naru quickly held a bowl to catch the yolk and saved it intact.

Then he buried his face directly into the plate.

Slurp.

The taste of raw egg after a long time was amazing. Slightly fishy yet nutty—the best.

Gyu-yeon woke to a vaguely familiar sound. He seemed to instinctively sense Naru’s odd behavior.

That bizarre slurping sound.

Yes, Gyu-yeon still couldn’t forget. The image of Naru with his nose in a bowl of cereal came back to him.

Anxiety grew. Gyu-yeon threw off the blanket and bolted out.

“Song Naru, don’t!”

Before even facing the situation, he blurted out a prohibition.

As if by magic, the slurping sound stopped at Gyu-yeon’s shout.

“What are you…”

The kitchen was a mess. A couple of eggs were broken with shells scattered around, and Naru had his face buried in a plate, inhaling raw egg.

He’d been quiet lately, but hunger had made him lose his senses.

“Where’s my fish-shaped pastry?”

“…”

“You said you’d buy me fish-shaped pastry.”

It was absurd that he was asking about fish-shaped pastry in the middle of this. He’d thought he couldn’t remember due to the drinking, yet he remembered this perfectly.

Gyu-yeon entered the kitchen and started clearing the cluttered sink. Over the months of cleaning up Naru’s messes, he’d improved his tidying skills.

“I’ll buy it for you when we go out later.”

“…”

He focused on cleaning, speaking absentmindedly. Naru glared subtly at Gyu-yeon without looking at his face.

“You’re staring at me right now.”

“…!”

“I can see everything.”

At Gyu-yeon’s sharp remark, Naru’s shoulders shook in surprise.

Does Gyu-yeon have eyes in the back of his head?

Naru, seriously suspicious, pouted. Gyu-yeon’s indifference made his want attention.

“I’m hurt.”

“What? Where does it hurt? Come here.”

At the word ‘hurt’, Gyu-yeon set the dishcloth down and pulled Naru’s arm.

Naru pretended to be sicker on purpose. His mouth corners drooped and his eyes quickly moistened.

“My head hurts.”

“I could tell since you drank so much like that. Sit down.”

“Huh?”

Gyu-yeon pressed Naru’s shoulders and sat him on a dining chair. Sitting dazedly, Naru watched Gyu-yeon bustle about from behind.

He should have worried more, but it was strange that he just nagged and stopped.

This isn’t right…

Gyu-yeon opened the fridge, took out bean sprouts, and skillfully began cooking. He was making hangover soup for Naru.

Naru, hunched over the table, sniffed. After a while, the clean, refreshing aroma tickled his nostrils.

A little later, Gyu-yeon returned carrying steaming soup. With rice and simple side dishes set out, a hearty breakfast was complete.

“Start with this.”

“What’s this?”

“Your stomach will be upset otherwise. It should help if you sober up, so don’t leave any.”

Naru scooped up a spoonful of bean sprout soup.

The hot, refreshing broth slid down her throat. Naru kicked her legs excitedly.

So this is a hangover cure!

Gyu-yeon smiled at Naru’s reaction. After taking a bite, he enthusiastically moved her spoon, making his careful effort worthwhile.

Watching him eat across from him, Gyu-yeon suddenly recalled what had happened last night.

Naru, who had been tossing and turning with nightmares about the Previous owner.

“You haven’t been having any trouble lately, right?”

“Trouble? No.”

“…Then in the past?”

At the cautious question, Naru tilted his head and scratched his cheek.

How far back did he mean by ‘the past’?

Gyu-yeon’s face stiffened oddly. Naru sensed it instinctively.

Gyu-yeon wanted to hear about what happened with the Previous owner. Why?

What happened with the Previous owner wasn’t appropriate for Gyu-yeon to hear. He had been abused far worse than he could imagine.

Naru decided to play oblivious and dodge the question.

“When Gyu-yeon first met me it was a bit hard, but it’s not like that anymore.”

Naru talked about when he first met Gyu-yeon. This should stop him from prying further into the past.

“Not that past, you know what I’m asking.”

“Why are you curious about that?”

Naru’s gaze turned defensive. He was protecting herself.

Naru didn’t want to detail what happened in the basement. More than fear at remembering it, he felt shame at Gyu-yeon learning the full story.

It was so brutal and filthy that he was afraid Gyu-yeon might leave him.

“It’s more worry than curiosity.”

“…”

Worry. Gyu-yeon answered in a serious tone.

Naru’s heart faltered for a moment. Worry, not mere curiosity.

He didn’t want to reveal the past, but whenever Gyu-yeon was so kind, he felt like confessing everything.

The truth was, I wanted to die there.

Suppressing the lump in his throat, Naru put on a bright smile.

“You don’t have to worry. I’m fine.”

“Fine my foot…”

Gyu-yeon couldn’t forget Naru’s troubled state from last night. If he were truly fine, he wouldn’t have been talking in his sleep like that.

Silence filled the space between them. Naru wiped the smile from him face at Gyu-yeon’s reaction.

The silence went on for a few minutes. Gyu-yeon didn’t bring it up first.

In the end, Naru broke the silence first.

“It was hard.”

“…”

“If I didn’t obey, they’d lock me up. In the basement I’d be trapped with no food, shivering from the cold. Even if I obeyed, I’d be punished. They’d say they were ‘teaching me a lesson’ while tormenting me.”

What he said defied common sense. Gyu-yeon clenched his fist subtly, holding back his anger.

But Naru seemed indifferent. The lack of expression made it more worrying. It was heartbreaking, as if he’d resigned himself to everything.

He’d heard bits about the Previous owner before, but hearing the details was something else entirely.

Gyu-yeon belatedly realized he’d made a mistake. He hadn’t expected it to be this bad and had made her recall painful memories.

“You can stop now,”

Gyu-yeon hurriedly tried to cut her off, but the story kept coming.

“When the owner came, I had to go out and greet them no matter what. If I didn’t, they’d grab my hair. Kneeling was basic. The owner said I look pretty when I kneel. I only got hurt.”

That was something no sane person could do.

He didn’t know exactly what kind of world Naru had lived in, but even coming here belatedly was a miracle.

Gyu-yeon felt as if his insides were dug out. It drove him mad that Naru had lived through that.

Worse than that was how casually Naru recounted her torment.

The emptiness in his eyes looked like a dead body on a mountain.

“Nights in the basement were scary. When I was tied up my hands and feet would go numb, and sometimes if the owner drugged me I’d cry until morning. I wanted to die.”

What Naru said was only a tiny portion. He had endured far worse, truly to the point of wanting to die.

The one-sided monologue ended. Gyu-yeon, holding his forehead, splashed his face with water and apologized to Naru.

“Sorry for pushing. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable on purpose.”

“…It’s okay. I’m not afraid of that person anymore.”

The heavy mood lightened a bit. Naru shrugged and, after answering, gulped down the remaining bean sprout soup straight from the plate.

Her nonchalant behavior didn’t ease Gyu-yeon’s heart.

He couldn’t possibly be fine after that. Someone fine wouldn’t have such sleep-talk…

“If you ever get scared thinking about that time,”

“I’m fine!”

“…”

“I said I’m fine!”

He liked worrying for him, but he hated the Previous owner issue coming up. He didn’t want him to worry over this.

“Still, mmph!”

As Gyu-yeon tried to continue, Naru suddenly lunged and kissed him. It was a move to forcibly shut him up.

After the peck, Naru smiled brightly. His small smile lit up the atmosphere.

Gyu-yeon’s expression went blank. He seemed unsure how to respond.

“No, Song Naru, mmph!”

Every time he tried to speak, his lips hit his. He kissed him relentlessly until their teeth bumped and stung.

He didn’t want to talk more, so he should just let it go.

Gyu-yeon let out a short sigh. Naru didn’t want to dwell on such worries, and he didn’t want to pry.

As he reached out to wipe Naru’s mouth, Gyu-yeon asked casually.

“How is it now?”

“Huh?”

“Living with me.”

A strange tension rose. Was Naru satisfied with his life now? Was he happy?

Naru looked at Gyu-yeon with unreadable eyes, then smiled purely.

“I’m happy!”

Naru didn’t hide his sincerity. Gyu-yeon felt something swell in the corner of his heart.

So three words could stir such feelings.

He was relieved that Naru was genuinely happy. Gyu-yeon made a vow.

He would do whatever it took to protect Naru’s life, which had only just become happy.