LM 70

He had encountered a man somewhere who supplied drugs and fit the nickname “pig.” The memory suddenly came back to him.

“Perhaps from that time at the bar?”

Although he didn’t mention a specific time, Kwon Siyul seemed to understand and nodded. “Ah,” Woo Hyunse said, slowly massaging the nape of Kwon Siyul’s neck. It was the animal who had tried to use the bathroom in a disgustingly messy way. He had only blacklisted him then, but now it seemed that wasn’t enough.

He had dared to try and touch Kwon Siyul.

“…Pigs should stay on the farm.”

A vein pulsed at his temple. His neck veins almost visibly throbbed. Even his pheromones, enveloping Kwon Siyul, quickly showed the change. Kwon Siyul, sensitive to this, looked up to meet Woo Hyunse’s eyes. His gaze was filled with concern at the small needle-like energy pricking the other man’s skin.

Woo Hyunse erased his cold expression and smiled as usual, lowering his head. The chilling pheromones around him quickly subsided. When he said it was a joke, Kwon Siyul’s tense expression finally relaxed somewhat.

“I’m so worried. He always says he’ll handle things himself, but this time it seems too dangerous.”

“I sent Hae-jeong, so you don’t need to worry.”

“Hae-jeong?”

“Yeah. Didn’t you see him once before? The big guy.”

Kwon Siyul furrowed his brow, not immediately recalling who it was, but then recognized the description Woo Hyunse gave. It was the man who had stood behind Woo Hyunse. He was as large as Woo Hyunse and had an equally imposing presence.

“Hae-jeong is ex-special forces. So Kwon Yuwon will be safe.”

“Is he that skilled?”

Woo Hyunse nodded his head silently. Kwon Siyul placed a hand on his chest and let out a whistle-like sigh of relief, but then his eyes suddenly widened as he looked at Woo Hyunse.

“But what about you? Won’t you be in danger while he’s gone?”

Finding his concern utterly adorable, Woo Hyunse couldn’t help but let out a short laugh. He had hired Park Hae-jeong for odd jobs, not primarily for protection. If he couldn’t take care of himself, he wouldn’t have made it this far—his body would have long since been wrapped in plastic, buried in some forsaken mountain or under the sea.

It was both amusing and heart-tickling to see Kwon Siyul worry about someone with an above-average build getting hurt by others. Never in Woo Hyunse’s life, before or after coming of age, had he heard this kind of concern.

“I know Yuwon is in danger, but you’re important too. We should bring that person back…but…”

But then Kwon Yuwon’s safety would be back in jeopardy. Kwon Siyul knew this too, so his words trailed off right then. His expression showed his conflicted thoughts. Looking at Kwon Siyul’s utterly serious face, Woo Hyunse couldn’t resist pressing his lips to Kwon Siyul’s cheek and nose tip. It was a face he couldn’t help but kiss.

“Kwon Yuwon is the urgent matter now, so it’s right for him to be there. I only go between the office and home, so where’s the danger in that?”

Still, Kwon Siyul didn’t seem convinced, his expression remaining gloomy in the meantime. Woo Hyunse chuckled and rubbed his forehead against Kwon Siyul’s.

“Kwon Siyul is in danger too, so don’t go to the bar for a while.”

“What? But that’s…Yuwon said places he doesn’t know about should be fine.”

“Well, I think differently. The world is surprisingly small.”

Woo Hyunse gave plausible examples, saying it’s not for nothing that they say everyone is connected within six degrees of separation. What if they ran into each other on the way to work or met by chance when someone came for a drink? Kwon Siyul’s face darkened. Despite Kwon Yuwon’s instructions, he had planned to keep going to work.

“Just take a break until Kwon Yuwon’s situation is resolved. It won’t take long.”

Woo Hyunse patted Kwon Siyul’s back, consoling him. Rationally speaking, Woo Hyunse was right about that. Wanting to maintain his daily routine might just be Kwon Siyul’s own selfish desire.

Unlike the depressed and drooping Kwon Siyul, the corners of Woo Hyunse’s lips were turned up. It was a very satisfied smile. He had been quietly wondering how to keep Kwon Siyul at his home, and now the opportunity had rolled in on its own. The cunning Woo Hyunse wasn’t about to let this slip by.

The worry about Kwon Yuwon was somewhat alleviated. If it had been someone else, anxiety would still remain, but Kwon Siyul’s trust in Woo Hyunse was solid. There was no way Woo Hyunse would lie to him about Kwon Yuwon’s life.

[Can’t you come to visit, hyung?]

[Everyone misses you.]

[Especially me.]

[The shop feels empty without you.]

[Did you take your medicine? Make sure to take it even if it’s bitter.]

He didn’t tell the truth to the bar staff. He made an excuse that he wasn’t feeling well and needed to rest and quit the job. Many were disappointed. They held their hands tightly and earnestly asked him to come back when he got better. Lying to such kind and good people pricked his conscience, but he buried the truth deep down.

After that, he occasionally received messages from others, but not as frequently as from Woo Taeju. The chat window with Woo Taeju was always at the top. Even though Kwon Siyul only replied once for every ten messages, Woo Taeju constantly reached out to him.

Thanks to that, he wasn’t bored. Stuck at home unable to go anywhere, the conversations with Woo Taeju were brief moments of respite in the stifling situation he found himself in.

During this time, Woo Hyunse firmly prevented him from going anywhere. Even when he said he’d just get some fresh air and take a walk in the park nearby, Woo Hyunse insisted on accompanying him. As if that made any sense.

Feeling burdened, he ended up not going out at all, and days piled up until a week had passed. While he wasn’t the type to enjoy going out and having fun, after a week, he felt like he was growing moldy.

[Hyung, do you remember our appointment this Wednesday? It’s my cousin’s sister’s concert.]

Of course, he remembered. He was already itching to get out of what felt like house arrest. This time, he was determined to go out no matter who followed or guarded him.

On the morning of the day, Kwon Siyul followed Woo Hyunse around with a smile. Although his waist was sore and he was still sleepy from their passionate night in bed, he wanted to see Woo Hyunse off to work.

Despite having a heavy lump on his back, Woo Hyunse moved well. He toasted olive ciabatta, fried eggs, and prepared fresh tomato juice. Kwon Siyul clung to Hyunse’s waist throughout, tucking his head between Woo Hyunse’s side and arm to watch him prepare the food.

He followed him into the dressing room as well. It was more interesting than a museum. The watches glittering under clear glass, neatly arranged neckties and cufflinks of various shapes, shirts hung orderly on hangers—it was fun to look around. With Woo Hyunse’s scent added to the mix, it felt like stepping into a high-end tailor shop.

Kwon Siyul sat on a high chair, slowly swinging his legs as he watched Woo Hyunse. Putting his arms through the shirt, straightening the collar that had rolled inward, buttoning up from bottom to top. The fabric stretched taut over his muscular forearms and broad chest without a single wrinkle.

“They say buttoning from the bottom up means you’re smart.”

“Is that so?”

He learned it at the orphanage. Buttoning from top to bottom meant you were careless, bottom to top meant smart, and from the middle meant foolish. You should start from the bottom to avoid misaligning the buttons. Woo Hyunse was smart.

“Can I choose your tie?”

Woo Hyunse gladly agreed. Kwon Siyul scampered over to the ties, looking back and forth between Woo Hyunse and the ties to see which would suit him best. Though anything would look good, a smooth silk navy tie caught his eye. It was plain without any patterns, but that happened to complement Hyunse’s striking appearance.

“How about this one?”

“Good.”

Even though it was about the tie, why did that “good” feel so nice? Kwon Siyul approached Woo Hyunse with a grin on his face, holding the tie out. As he had done before, Woo Hyunse lowered his head to Kwon Siyul’s height.

“Do you know how to tie a tie?”

“Of course. I wore ties like this when I was at the orphanage.”

He had worn hand-me-down uniforms from older kids at the orphanage. While other children wore clip-on ties, Kwon Siyul and Kwon Yuwon used regular ties with frayed ends. Though he wasn’t particularly dexterous, it was a mess at first, but practice makes perfect—by graduation, he had become a master of tying ties.

It was easy when tying it on himself, but facing Woo Hyunse made it difficult to handle. No matter how he twisted and turned it, the knot became increasingly strange. Kwon Siyul went behind Woo Hyunse, stood on his tiptoes, and reached over his shoulders.

The tie caught on his fingers, but the height difference made it very uncomfortable. Standing on tiptoes with his head raised high, he saw his struggling figure reflected in the full-length mirror. He could see he looked ridiculous.

Chuckling, Woo Hyunse took Kwon Siyul’s hands that had come down under his shoulders. Holding the tie together, he slowly wove the loop. While it had repeatedly tangled strangely when Kwon Siyul did it, the tie seemed to recognize its owner’s hands and fell into place.

Even after tying the knot, Woo Hyunse didn’t let go of Kwon Siyul’s hands. He gazed at Kwon Siyul’s reflection in the mirror, peeking out like a crab with just his eyes visible over Woo Hyunse’s shoulders.

“Why are you being so cute today? Is there something you want?”