Vol 1 Ch 21

“…Excuse me.”

 

The questions that kept popping into his head as he was being dragged along stimulated Kim Jinkyung’s timid but sensitive instincts.

 

“Please tell me why you’re taking me.”

 

Kim Jinkyung pulled his wrist free.

 

“If I tell you, you’ll go?”

 

“No, that’s not what I meant…”

 

“The Chairman is dying soon.”

 

Kim Jinkyung’s face turned white.

 

“Why that expression? It’s not like you’re the one dying.”

 

“No, …I’m sorry.”

 

“What do you have to be sorry for? It’s not like you gave the Chairman cancer.”

 

Kim Jinkyung lost his words at the increasingly heavy atmosphere.

 

He couldn’t even lift his head, feeling guilty for imagining bad things about a sick person.

 

“They developed a new drug in the States, but he won’t take treatment. So I was going to make the treatment decision, but he set up a condition for a proxy in advance. The senile old man.”

 

From the demotion of the title from Chairman to senile old man, he could guess how angry Mok Seongha was.

 

“He said he’d recognize me as a legal representative when I become an ‘adult.’”

 

“You are an adult.”

 

“I mean, an ‘adult’ who meets the conditions he recognizes.”

 

“What is that?”

 

“Either get married or go to a good university in Seoul.”

 

Kim Jinkyung didn’t understand. Were the two conditions related?

 

“Why is that…”

 

“When I heard that, I hadn’t even taken the elementary school GED. He probably didn’t think I’d get into university within a year.”

 

…In other words, he wants him to get married.

 

“When I said I was going to get into a good university in Seoul this year, the old man burst out laughing.”

 

After all, it was rare to pass the elementary, middle, and high school GEDs and get into university in such a short time. He could understand the Chairman’s reaction.

 

“I worked really hard.”

 

Kim Jinkyung knew how hard Mok Seongha worked, even if no one else did. His achievement was as rare as it was great. He felt even more impressed when he heard that he had passed all the GEDs on his own without proper tutoring.

 

“I thought I could do it. You said I was doing well, too, teacher.”

 

“That’s right. You’re doing well.”

 

“But the Chairman keeps coughing up blood.”

 

He remembered Mok Seongha’s expression not being good every time he went to see the Chairman. He felt bad.

 

“…Have you thought about other options?”

 

Kim Jinkyung asked very carefully. It might be a faster and easier choice to get married.

 

“No.”

 

His voice was sharp and firm.

 

“Still, if you meet them…”

 

He felt ridiculous for recommending marriage to someone he had a crush on, but he thought it would be better to make a choice that he wouldn’t regret.

 

“Once you pair up, you’re bound.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“You can never escape.”

 

Kim Jinkyung blinked. He didn’t readily understand that getting married meant he could never escape.

 

“Sex always makes the other person pregnant.”

 

“Huh? Ah, …yes.”

 

Was that what he meant?

 

Kim Jinkyung scratched his reddened cheek.

 

“I’m going to end this with me.”

 

Kim Jinkyung could vaguely guess what Mok Seongha meant by ‘this.’ The time spent going back and forth between being a leopard and a human couldn’t have been easy.

 

“Um, isn’t there anyone else who could be appointed as a proxy?”

 

“No. They’re all dead.”

 

He remembered that Mok Seongha had never mentioned his relatives or parents. He felt even more sorry for the Young Master.

 

“Have you told the Chairman, I mean, your grandfather, what you think?”

 

“I did. But he said I’m too young to know anything and told me to get married first.”

 

“Haha, that’s how elders are.”

 

Twenty-two was too young to get married, but the old man in the hospital bed might think differently. He had no parents or close relatives, so he would be even more so.

 

“He called me today and said he’s arranged a blind date.”

 

Kim Jinkyung muttered, “Oh dear.” So that’s why he’s so angry and brought me….

 

…Why me?

 

Kim Jinkyung raised his head.

 

“So I told him I like guys, a lot.”

 

“Huh? Who? Me?”

 

“No, me.”

 

Mok Seongha grabbed Kim Jinkyung’s wrist again.

 

“So go and tell him. That you’re dating me. And tell him I can get into university this year, so he should get treatment right away.”

 

“Huh? Huh? Huh!?”

 

Kim Jinkyung was horrified and widened his eyes at the completely unconnected conclusion. Mok Seongha, having finished his explanation, grabbed Kim Jinkyung’s wrist.

 

“No. Wait a minute. What are you talking about? Why me? We’re not dating? No, excuse me. No. Please.”

 

Kim Jinkyung struggled and tried to free himself from Mok Seongha’s hand, but he didn’t budge.

 

“Hey.”

 

“Yes?”

 

“Do you want to see the Chairman die because of you?”

 

“……”

 

What are you talking about? You just said I didn’t have to be sorry because it’s not like I gave the Chairman cancer.

 

“Live nicely.”

 

Mok Seongha tightened his grip on Kim Jinkyung’s wrist. Kim Jinkyung was suffocating with injustice. He had been called a pushover, an idiot, and a fool, but he had never been accused of living badly.

 

“No, wait a minute. This isn’t right. I would never…”

 

“You like all kinds of guys. Just pretend to like me for a few minutes.”

 

I already like you!

 

“No. This is really not right. I would never…”

 

While being dragged along, Kim Jinkyung desperately protested.

 

Mok Seongha stopped walking abruptly.

 

“Hey.”

 

“……”

 

A hard, cold lump of ice fell into his heart.

 

“I really hate going out.”

 

“……”

 

“It smells too much, and there are too many people, so it’s really fucked up, but I put up with it for your promiscuous sex life.”

 

“That’s…”

 

“So, you be promiscuous for me just once. It won’t take more than five minutes.”

 

“Someone else, someone else…”

 

Kim Jinkyung, who had never been promiscuous in his life, shook his head, stammering.

 

“Do you think the Chairman wouldn’t have checked your background?”

 

“Yes?”

 

“It means you’re the only one who can talk about university with me while dating me right now.”

 

Mok Seongha pulled Kim Jinkyung into his arms. Kim Jinkyung gasped as he was tightly embraced.

 

It was the first time. It was the first time he had been held in the arms of someone he liked.

 

And it made him feel a fear that made his hair stand on end. Kim Jinkyung was dragged away by Mok Seongha.

 

When he entered the hospital room, Kim Jinkyung couldn’t even lift his head.

 

***

 

Mok Seongha’s grandfather. The Chairman. The one who had ordered the man who was dating his grandson to be brought in.

 

…He didn’t have the courage to make eye contact.

 

“Are you Seongha’s tutor?”

 

“Yes. Ah, yes, I am. Hello.”

 

Kim Jinkyung belatedly bowed his head and greeted him.

 

“What’s your name?”

 

“Kim Jinkyung.”

 

Kim Jinkyung answered as politely as possible and raised his head. At that moment, he made eye contact with the old man sitting on the bed, half-raised.

 

Piercing eyes.

 

It was the first time he had encountered that expression he had seen in books in real life. He remembered the old tale that if you met a tiger in the mountains and made eye contact, you would become sick and die within a few days. Kim Jinkyung quickly lowered his head again. The hands he had clasped in front of him trembled. Mok Seongha saw Kim Jinkyung like that and suddenly grabbed his hand.

 

“Gasp.”

 

Kim Jinkyung was horrified and tried to let go, but Mok Seongha glared fiercely.

 

Just try letting go.

 

Before entering the hospital room, Mok Seongha had lowered his head and whispered while hugging Kim Jinkyung’s shoulders.

 

‘No matter what I say, don’t argue, just smile. If you do anything unnecessary inside, I won’t let you get away with it.’

 

‘…What will you do if I don’t get away with it?’

 

Kim Jinkyung made a meaningless resistance until the end.

 

‘I wonder. What should I do?’

 

Mok Seongha smiled with eyes so beautiful they were chilling. Before Kim Jinkyung could answer, Mok Seongha opened the door to the hospital room and went inside.

 

“You see? I’m dating the teacher. So I’m not marrying a woman.”

 

Mok Seongha shook Kim Jinkyung’s hand, which he had grabbed.

 

“No, that’s…”

 

As Kim Jinkyung fidgeted, Mok Seongha squeezed his hand. Kim Jinkyung swallowed a scream and shrugged his shoulders.

 

“Are you a student?”

 

The old man asked in a rough, dry voice mixed with a metallic sound. Kim Jinkyung quickly answered yes.

 

“…He is the Young Master’s tutor that we mentioned last time.”

 

Secretary Kang, who was standing next to him, calmly added an explanation.

 

“He looks younger than in the picture.”

 

“I-I’ve also served in the military.”

 

After answering, Kim Jinkyung quickly bit his tongue.

 

You idiot. Why are you saying that in this situation?

 

“And. You two are dating now?”

 

The old man’s white eyebrows twitched.

 

“It’s more than dating, it’s…”

 

…I’m being threatened by your grandson.

 

“Yes. We’re seriously dating.”

 

Mok Seongha cut off Kim Jinkyung’s words and answered instead.

 

Far from dating, they were just looking at textbooks. Secretary Kang, who was standing near the bed, stared intently at Kim Jinkyung, who couldn’t do anything. Kim Jinkyung quickly expressed his injustice with his eyes, but Secretary Kang’s expression was only fierce.

 

“When did you two become like that?”

 

Another question flew at Kim Jinkyung.

 

“Ah, that’s…”

 

Kim Jinkyung looked up at Mok Seongha with uneasy, shaking eyes.

 

“The teacher said he likes guys, and we hit it off…”

 

This time, Kim Jinkyung grabbed Mok Seongha’s hand tightly.

 

What will I become if you say that? It sounds like I’m a shameless criminal who seduced an innocent tutoring student!

 

“Why? Should I hold his other hand, too?”

 

Mok Seongha, completely misunderstanding the intention of the gesture, asked, not noticing the silent protest at all.

 

“Why would you hold both hands? It’s okay…”

 

Before he could finish speaking, Mok Seongha snatched Kim Jinkyung’s other hand as well. Kim Jinkyung, whose face was flushed red, shook his hands to pull them away, but this time, Mok Seongha didn’t budge either. Rather, he seemed to be enjoying the sight of him shaking his hands up and down while bickering.

 

“Stop.”

 

A firm scolding came from the Chairman, who was lying on the bed. Kim Jinkyung, who was very frightened, swallowed his breath and froze.

 

“Both of you, get out.”

 

The old man’s low voice trembled slightly with anger. Kim Jinkyung could see where Mok Seongha’s temper came from.

 

“Then I don’t have to go on blind dates anymore, right?”

 

Mok Seongha asked that on the spot, without any sense of the situation.

 

“Get out right now!”

 

At the old man’s roar like a beast, Kim Jinkyung could confirm where Mok Seongha’s temper came from.