Vol 1 Ch 22

“Let’s talk.”

 

As soon as they left the hospital and arrived at the mansion, Secretary Kang, having dismissed the people around him, grabbed Kim Jinkyung’s shoulder and said.

 

It wasn’t even, ‘Shall we?’ It was, ‘Let’s do it,’ and the heavy meaning within those words pounded Kim Jinkyung’s timid heart.

 

“M-me?”

 

Kim Jinkyung, who had been restless since they got in the car, asked again.

 

“Then who else would I be talking to?”

 

“Me.”

 

Mok Seongha cut in.

 

“Young Master can talk later, let’s talk to the teacher first…”

 

Mok Seongha blocked Kim Jinkyung’s path.

 

“Talk to me.”

 

Yeah, at least you have a conscience….

 

“Teacher, just shut your mouth.”

 

…Ah. This guy’s trying to stop me from saying anything else.

 

“Then let’s just talk here.”

 

Secretary Kang glared at the two of them in turn and continued.

 

“Are you two dating?”

 

“No, that’s…”

 

Mok Seongha gripped Kim Jinkyung’s hand tightly again.

 

Don’t say nonsense.

 

Threats flowed from Mok Seongha’s eyes.

 

“From my perspective, it seems Young Master is using the teacher as a shield because he doesn’t want to go on blind dates.”

 

“……!”

 

With his hand held, Kim Jinkyung diligently agreed with that opinion with his eyes.

 

“I understand that you don’t want to go on blind dates, but I cannot condone deceiving the Chairman in this way.”

 

“No, we’re really dating.”

 

Secretary Kang chuckled briefly. Then he scanned the two of them in turn.

 

“Dating? I’ve been watching Young Master for almost twenty years. There’s no way I wouldn’t notice if there was a strange vibe between you two. If I couldn’t tell, I’d have to gouge out my eyeballs.”

 

It was a rather cruel certainty, but Kim Jinkyung gave Secretary Kang meaningful glances, silently agreeing.

 

“Ah, of course, I’d gouge out the teacher’s eyes, not mine.”

 

“Huh, why my eyes?”

 

Kim Jinkyung hurriedly covered his eyes with one hand. Mok Seongha’s eyes flashed with a hint of amusement at the sight.

 

“If you managed to succeed in dating while avoiding my eyes, it means you were determined, so I’d have to gouge out the teacher’s eyes.”

 

“Don’t gouge them out.”

 

Mok Seongha ordered curtly.

 

“Don’t you dare lay a finger on the teacher.”

 

“…….”

 

The scar near Secretary Kang’s eye twitched. Kim Jinkyung cheered inwardly, then quickly canceled it. From the start, the origin of all this was that dark cat.

 

“Anyway, we’re dating. Report that to the Chairman.”

 

It seemed that information going to the Chairman passed through Secretary Kang.

 

“I will report if there is anything to report.”

 

The tone was polite, but it contained a lot of meaning.

 

Are you two really dating? Who are you trying to fool? Try to do well in front of me. How dare you flirt with our small and cute Young Master, and so on.

 

“Report it.”

 

Mok Seongha shook Kim Jinkyung’s hand tightly as he said that.

 

“Yes. I will definitely report that two adult men held hands. You look very intimate.”

 

“Um, Secretary Kang…”

 

Secretary Kang was the only person who stayed by Mok Seongha’s side in this vast mansion. It was no exaggeration to say that they were together almost all day, except for sleeping. It was impossible to get away with things with such a person. Kim Jinkyung decided to be honest.

 

“Hey.”

 

At that moment, Mok Seongha tilted his head and called out to Kim Jinkyung.

 

“You like me, right?”

 

“…….”

 

His heart sank. Even though he knew that Mok Seongha was saying that on purpose in front of Secretary Kang, the color drained from his face. His heart was beating so fast that he could feel the pulse in his eyes, and his vision was shaking.

 

“I like you too, so isn’t that enough?”

 

He had heard the words ‘I like you’ from the person he liked, but how could it be so miserable and scary?

 

Kim Jinkyung’s face, which was deeply bowed, gradually turned pale. Secretary Kang, unable to watch any longer, sighed and touched his forehead.

 

“Teacher, you’re going to collapse like that. You should have brought someone who’s good at acting. What are you going to do with someone like that?”

 

“Do you think the Chairman wouldn’t recognize someone who’s acting? And where and how am I supposed to meet someone other than him? Say something that makes sense.”

 

“…Does this make sense now?”

 

“It does.”

 

Mok Seongha said, looking at Kim Jinkyung. Kim Jinkyung just wanted to take responsibility for this fake relationship like an adult and get fired.

 

“Does Young Master know what couples do when they’re dating?”

 

Instead of answering, Mok Seongha raised the hand he was holding, or rather, forcibly gripping, and shook it.

 

“Besides that.”

 

“Well, dating?”

 

“That’s right. Dating. And what else?”

 

The atmosphere was gradually turning into a twenty-questions game. Mok Seongha pondered for a moment, then confidently sought an answer.

 

“Intercourse.”

 

“Then you must know how two men have intercourse?”

 

Mok Seongha’s relaxed expression froze at Secretary Kang’s sudden question. After a moment of silence, he nudged Kim Jinkyung’s arm.

 

“Huh?”

 

“Do it.”

 

“Do what?”

 

“Explain.”

 

“…Why would I do that?”

 

“You must do it all the time.”

 

“Do what all the time?”

 

Kim Jinkyung replied, disgusted.

 

“Once every two days?”

 

“…….”

 

“Then once every three days? How many times do you do it?”

 

“That’s enough. I’ve heard your answers well.”

 

Secretary Kang cut off Mok Seongha’s words.

 

“I wanted Young Master to make a good choice, and that feeling hasn’t changed. I sincerely hope that both of you will make good choices in the future.”

 

As he said that, Secretary Kang’s gaze was fixed on Kim Jinkyung.

 

No, it’s really not like that!

 

Before Kim Jinkyung could even express his injustice, Secretary Kang left.

 

“What is this?”

 

Kim Jinkyung shouted, releasing Mok Seongha’s hand.

 

“Why?”

 

“You said it would only take a few minutes. But why do we have to keep deceiving them?”

 

Mok Seongha had clearly threatened him to pretend to like him for a few minutes. He was an expert in unrequited love, but it was the longest few minutes of his life for Kim Jinkyung, who had never shown that he liked anyone.

 

“Because the Chairman doesn’t believe it?”

 

The simple and clear answer turned Kim Jinkyung’s stomach.

 

“Of course he doesn’t believe it. I wouldn’t believe it either if I were him.”

 

“Then we have to do it until he believes it.”

 

Do what! No one believes it! I don’t even believe that we’re dating right now!

 

There was a valid reason why Secretary Kang criticized Mok Seongha’s fake relationship without a shred of doubt.

 

“Hey. But how do men do it?”

 

“…….”

 

“Teacher, tell me.”

 

Mok Seongha nudged Kim Jinkyung’s foot with his own, urging him to answer. Kim Jinkyung covered his face with both hands, overwhelmed with self-loathing, and sat down.

 

How was he supposed to deceive anyone, being a huge shut-in cat who had never even received proper sex education, let alone romantic feelings?

 

“How do you do it?”

 

Mok Seongha persistently pressed for an answer. Kim Jinkyung choked with shame. He hated this guy who had seriously declared that he was dating him, even though he didn’t even know how men did it, and he hated Secretary Kang, who glared at him and threatened to gouge out his eyes.

 

But what he hated most was…

 

“If you can’t explain it with words, draw a picture and explain it. You’re good at drawing graphs.”

 

It was himself, who had been briefly excited by the fact that such a guy had held his hand. Kim Jinkyung sat down for a long time, chewing over his despair.

 

“Then do the tutoring you couldn’t do today later.”

 

Kim Jinkyung muttered weakly and grabbed the doorknob.

 

His body and mind were much more tattered than the day his studio apartment burned down and he was robbed of all his possessions after stopping by a sauna.

 

But before he could open the door, a hand reached out from behind and closed it again.

 

“Where are you going?”

 

“…To the room?”

 

Kim Jinkyung hesitated for a moment whether to add ‘my’ in front of ‘room’, but then removed it. He judged that he could not give the concept of ownership to a space where he was only staying temporarily.

 

“Don’t sleep there from today.”

 

Was he finally being kicked out?

 

Kim Jinkyung turned around with sparkling eyes. Mok Seongha grabbed Kim Jinkyung’s arm.

 

“Follow me.”

 

“Yes? Where? Why?”

 

“You always ask for the reason when I look at you.”

 

Mok Seongha pointed out Kim Jinkyung’s habit as if he was amazed.

 

“…Can’t I ask?”

 

“No, it’s just. I was wondering if anything would change if I knew the reason.”

 

Even as he spoke, Mok Seongha did not stop dragging Kim Jinkyung along.

 

“Of course, how you act will change depending on the reason.”

 

“No.”

 

Mok Seongha stood in front of a door and answered firmly.

 

“Nothing will change. You’re sleeping here from today.”

 

Mok Seongha opened the door. To be exact, his own door.

 

“…Are you crazy?”

 

Kim Jinkyung asked seriously. According to what he had studied, cats were territorial animals. This meant that they would be extremely stressed if someone entered their territory. Mok Seongha was half human, but half feline. He extremely disliked having people around him. He could count on one hand the number of times he had seen people working in this vast mansion.

 

But he was asking him to sleep in the same room?

 

“I’m not crazy.”

 

Mok Seongha answered, pushing Kim Jinkyung into his room.

 

“Then why are you saying that?”

 

He was as flustered as when he heard that they were dating from today.

 

“Secretary Kang doesn’t believe that we’re dating. If Secretary Kang doesn’t believe it, the Chairman won’t believe it either.”

 

“Of course.”

 

Kim Jinkyung replied.

 

It was a pretense of being lovers that no one could believe, no matter how hard they tried.

 

“They’ll believe it if we use the same room, right?”

 

“No!”

 

Kim Jinkyung answered abruptly and tried to leave the room, but an arm reaching out from behind wrapped around his neck.

 

“No. Don’t go out.”

 

“No, I can’t… Wait, wait…”

 

Mok Seongha’s arm, with its thick, prominent veins, wrapped around Kim Jinkyung’s face. His lips brushed against his arm every time he spoke. Hot blood rushed to his head. He felt a sense of crisis that his brain would be cooked.

 

Kim Jinkyung pushed Mok Seongha away with all his might, but he really couldn’t move even a little. Even though there was a difference in physique, he had even served in the military, so he was humiliated to be pushed back so much in terms of strength.

 

“Mok Seongha-ssi.”

 

“Why.”

 

Mok Seongha answered without releasing his arm. Kim Jinkyung really felt like crying. He wasn’t happy at all to be in the arms of the person he liked.

 

“I really can’t do it. I’m just…”

 

He was about to say that he should just fire him. It was easy to organize his unrequited love. Like a sticker, he was going to peel it off without a trace.

 

“Teacher.”

 

Mok Seongha’s voice had a strange resonance. The cold bass, with a metallic aftertaste, spread through Kim Jinkyung’s eardrums.

 

“I want to save the Chairman.”

 

“…….”

 

“I can give him my organs if he asks for them. I really can. I can even die if he tells me to.”

 

Mok Seongha had the unique composure of a predator. His pace wasn’t very fast, and his expressions and tone were always relaxed.

 

“But I can’t get married.”

 

Mok Seongha’s voice was shaking anxiously as he said that. He continued, burying his face in Kim Jinkyung’s shoulder.

 

“Just one month.”

 

“…….”

 

“I’ll show him my mock exam report in June and tell him myself. That I can do it. So please believe me.”

 

A man with a large build was clinging to him, asking him to participate in a scam. No, it was almost begging.

 

Kim Jinkyung bit his lower lip tightly.

 

“…Really?”

 

“What?”

 

“You said just one month.”

 

Mok Seongha nodded.

 

“Only until the June mock exam.”

 

“Then let’s write a contract.”

 

There was a high possibility that he would say something different like before if he said it verbally. For Mok Seongha, promises were only valid as contracts.

 

“I’ll write it. Right now.”

 

“…The contract?”

 

Mok Seongha’s pupils shook. Secretary Kang had made all the contracts between the two of them.

 

“I’ll write it simply. Is that okay?”

 

Mok Seongha nodded.

 

“And please release this arm. It’s hard.”

 

“Okay.”

 

Mok Seongha released his arm immediately. He felt like he had a large, obedient cat in front of him. Kim Jinkyung took a piece of A4 paper and a pen and sat down at the desk.

 

“Write it quickly. And tell me how men do it later.”

 

Mok Seongha, who had pulled up a chair and sat next to him, rested his chin on the desk and said.

 

…Idiot, moron, fool, and the most foolish person in the world.

 

“Draw a picture too.”

 

Mok Seongha tapped the paper with his finger, urging him.

 

…A human who will die only having unrequited love.

 

Kim Jinkyung swallowed a sigh and diligently filled in the contents of the contract.