TIN 19

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

But I couldn’t exactly ask him that. What would I say? ‘Do you know I’m that “hyung” from back then?’ He had already noticed, and was just pretending not to know, wasn’t he?

“It’s nothing.”

At least I didn’t get shot. After witnessing such a scene, I couldn’t easily bring up the topic.

“I was just looking.”

No, the truth was it wasn’t just that. Honestly, it wouldn’t be too difficult to prove I was the same person. There are many memories that couldn’t be uncovered by mere investigation and stories only the two of us would know about.

But what would I accomplish by convincing him?

If he didn’t remember, then that was just how much of a memory it was to him. I didn’t even know what his intention was in bringing a doppelganger in front of me. Given that he even suspected me of theft, I couldn’t definitively say he was searching for me for positive reasons.

Dwelling on past memories would only leave me with more regrets. I wasn’t going to live here forever, and I would inevitably have to leave him again, just like before. It would be best to remain as unobtrusive as possible and disappear quietly. If I ended up having to run away, the fewer traces I leave behind, the better it would be for all parties involved.

As soon as I finished that train of thought, I blankly stared out the window. I just wanted to avoid Joo Do-hwa’s gaze.

Apparently sensing my reaction, he spoke in a gentler tone next.

“Do you want to go out so badly?”

Perhaps it was just my imagination, but his tone sounded as affectionate as coaxing a child. I was momentarily at a loss for words, despite not particularly wanting to go out. Joo Do-hwa shrugged his shoulders and placed the cube back on the windowsill.

“That’s troublesome.”

There was no need to explain that he wasn’t trying to make it troublesome. Joo Do-hwa flashed a small smile and gave me a nod.

“Shall I give you a gift instead?”

* * *

The place Joo Do-hwa took me to was the first floor of the mansion. Following him down the stairs, there were boxes and shopping bags that hadn’t been there the day before. The expensive-looking items were all neatly wrapped with ribbons stuck to the top.

“What is all this?”

“I said they’re gifts.”

Joo Do-hwa answered dispassionately, as if I was asking the same question repeatedly. Was he playing Santa or something? Joo Do-hwa quickly corrected that idea.

“They’re all for you.”

“…All of them?”

I furrowed my brow. Did he really get all these shopping bags just for me? Instead of denying it, Joo Do-hwa simply nodded.

“I bought some things that looked like you might need them. After all, you don’t have any belongings here.”

I didn’t need anything, so I had no belongings. But he seemed unconcerned with my opinion, grabbing one of the boxes sitting on top. The ivory-colored box was wrapped in a black satin ribbon.

He pulled the end of the ribbon, untying the bow, and held the box out to me.

“Open it.”

“…”

Even at a glance, it didn’t look like something I would ‘need.’ I didn’t recognize the brand name, and it certainly didn’t resemble a basic necessity.

What could this possibly be…Thinking this, I lifted the lid, and saw inside there was a a neatly wrapped glass bottle inside.

“Perfume?”

“That’s right, perfume.”

Joo Do-hwa smiled prettily as if I had guessed correctly. He took the perfume bottle out of the box and spritzed the contents onto the ribbon he had just untied. The cloying scent, reminiscent of insects swarming, was quite similar to Joo Do-hwa’s own pheromone.

“They say this smells the most like my pheromone.”

I flinched, my fingertips trembling. It was because Joo Do-hwa had voiced the very thought I had. “Well, as a Beta, I suppose you wouldn’t know…” he added, then proceeded to tie the ribbon he had sprayed with the perfume around my wrist. His neatly manicured fingers worked delicately in tying the ribbon.

“There are other things besides the perfume.”

Satisfied with the ribbon around my wrist, he gestured to one of the staff members nearby. The uniformed employee brought over another box, slightly smaller than the previous one. Inside the neatly wrapped package was an expensive-looking watch.

“You do know how to read the time, right?”

Without waiting for my response, Joo Do-hwa began fitting the watch onto my wrist. The watch, with mysterious crystals studding the elongated ribbon strap, was set in place.

“Those are diamonds.”

“…Diamonds?”

“Yes, diamonds.”

I had no further outbursts of surprise. As he fiddled with the loosely fitting strap, he tilted his head to one side questioningly.

“Is it a bit big?”

Immediately, another staff member approached with a tablet. Likely checking the size.

Joo Do-hwa casually encircled my wrist with his thumb and index finger, giving it a half-hearted shake.

“Did you really starve at Oceans?”

My wrist fluttered in his grasp. I didn’t need to forcefully pull away, but I did need to correct his misunderstanding.

“I’ve been eating well.”

“Don’t joke around.”

But I was being serious. He clearly didn’t believe me. Unless I was as burly as Theo, this would be considered relatively normal. There were even staff members who were thin enough to break with just a bit of force.

“I could probably snap this with one hand.”

“…”

I discreetly withdrew my hand from him. I couldn’t help but feel a sense of unease, even though I shared the same thought. Rather than chastising my action, Joo Do-hwa smiled innocently, as if assuring me he wouldn’t do me any harm.

“Just try on the clothes. I had them bring a variety of sizes since I didn’t know your size.”

“There are clothes too?”

“I said everything here is for you.”

Joo Do-hwa replied matter-of-factly, gesturing to the staff. They set down the watch box and brought an even larger box. From it emerged a pristine pair of sneakers.

“I chose all white since your skin is so pale. You do know how to tie shoelaces, right?”

The spotless white made me worry they would get dirty even if I didn’t go anywhere. And they probably wouldn’t last long either. Nonetheless, Joo Do-hwa took one of the shoes in hand and knelt down before me.

“…?”

I stared at him with wide eyes as he lowered himself, placing one knee on the floor.

“Left foot.”

“…Are you going to put them on me?”

“Of course?”

He tilted his head, unabashedly. There was not a trace of mischief in his gaze that was directed at me. If anything, I was the one acting strangely.

“Don’t you know left from right?”

His tone wasn’t scolding. He even gestured kindly, indicating the left foot.

“I know which is which.”

“Okay, then the left foot.”

He wiggled his fingers, urging me to hurry. Resigned, I reluctantly lifted my left foot. Seeing me waver for a moment there, Joo Do-hwa gently wrapped his hand around my foot.

“Hold onto my shoulder.”

“…”

As if bewitched, I placed my hand on his shoulder. The firmness I felt was striking. With his familiar motions, Joo Do-hwa put the shoe on my foot, then took the other one from the staff to do the same for my right foot.

It couldn’t be said that Joo Do-hwa had mistreated me in the past few days. His tone was always gentle, his expression kind, and even his actions affectionate. The reason I could interact with him relatively comfortably, despite witnessing that scene on the first day, was due to this treatment.

But having him kneel before me like this was a different matter. The perfume, okay. Putting a watch on the ribbon, a kind of doll play. But putting shoes on me was going too far, wasn’t it?

“Try it like this.”

As if sensing my thoughts, he carefully maneuvered the shoe on my foot. Pressing his thumb into the toe area, then gently pushing his index finger into the heel.

“Your feet are smaller than I expected.”

I thought my size was fairly average, but at this moment, I couldn’t deny his words. His hands were so large that in comparison, my feet looked relatively small.

“I’ll get a size smaller for the shoes.”

The waiting staff member diligently noted something on the tablet. Joo Do-hwa was now fiddling with my Achilles tendon, which tickled uncomfortably, causing my eyes to twitch.

“It’s fine as is. It fits well enough.”

This was good enough to wear, wasn’t it? I usually just wore discarded or stolen shoes, so having a properly fitted pair was much rarer.

But it seemed Joo Do-hwa had a different opinion on the matter.

“It’s too big. It’ll slip off when you walk.”

“If I tighten the laces…”

“But you know, it’s quite fascinating.”

Without letting me finish, he abruptly changed the subject. Wondering what could be so fascinating, I soon felt his hand firmly grasp my exposed ankle. Startled, I gripped his shoulders with both hands, and he narrowed his eyes.

“When you were young, you were taller than me…”

There was a subtle sense of unease in the way he was holding my ankle, just like when he had grasped my wrist earlier. Despite the warmth of his touch, I momentarily felt a chill run up and down my spine.

“But now, you’re so small and delicate.”