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Join the Server“Ever since I met you, I’ve tried my best not to do the things you hate. How much more do I have to do?”
“Do you really think I’ve said everything that’s on my mind to you?” Lee Chae sighed deeply, shaking his head. “This is nothing. It’s not like I cheated on you. All you had to do was step back for once.”
“I don’t want to. It’s shitty.”
“Watch your language. Who’s the one being truly shitty here? f*ck.”
“If it’s so shitty, then leave. Why are you standing there nagging me about whether I smoke or not?”
“Wow… Hyung, I can’t believe you’d go this far with me.”
Lee Chae stared at Hae-jin with a look of pure shock. He gathered his documents with a sharp thud. He made as if to walk out without looking back, but then he spun around and marched right back to the desk.
“CEO, should I assume these documents are nullified? The agency asked for an answer by today. Otherwise, they’ll sign with someone else. I’ll do as I’m told, so just give the order.”
His voice was icy and devoid of emotion. Hae-jin knew that when Lee Chae was angry or extremely anxious, he actually became calmer. He realized Lee Chae had reached his limit.
But Hae-jin couldn’t stop himself.
“Jung Lee Chae, do you even love me?”
Cold sweat trickled down Hae-jin’s forehead. Just looking at Lee Chae’s face made him fear the answer would be “no.” Only after seeing Lee Chae’s stiff expression did Hae-jin realize what he had just spat out. Lee Chae bit his lip hard, as if forcing back the words he wanted to scream.
He’s going to bleed… Even in this mess, Hae-jin’s first instinct was to reach out and pull Lee Chae’s lip free.
“Are you serious? How can you doubt my feelings? I have never once doubted yours…”
Hae-jin was speechless. Jung Lee Chae was always kind, considerate, and protective. He treated Hae-jin’s minor scratches as if they were his own deep wounds. He took the lead in solving any difficult task related to Hae-jin. He even exercised daily and watched what he ate just to perform better for Hae-jin at night.
As a lover and a life partner, Lee Chae was flawless.
The one who was always impulsive, driven by instinct, and constantly complaining that their time together wasn’t enough—that was Hae-jin.
He had once complained about this to Jin-woo over drinks. His foul-mouthed friend had simply barked at him, saying as long as the chemistry in bed was good, what did it matter? He’d told Hae-jin that not everyone could be a “lunatic” like him.
It pissed him off, but it was true.
Is it because I’m a madman that I’m like this? Should I have hidden it better?
The thought that Lee Chae might get disgusted and run away if he realized just how crazy Hae-jin really was sent a wave of intense anxiety through him. If Lee Chae left and he had to endure that hell again…
Crazy. No way. I won’t let that happen.
This relationship was something he had staked his life on. Thinking back to the tearful struggle of wooing him and finally becoming his lover, things like commercials or using physical affection as leverage were things he should have just let slide.
Lee Chae sighed. “Why aren’t you saying anything? I asked if I ever doubted you.”
“No, you haven’t. You’re always perfect. I’m always the one in the wrong.”
He should have knelt and begged for forgiveness, promising he wasn’t a total psycho, but his mouth kept running on its own. If he weren’t a “madman,” would things be better? If he could match everything Lee Chae wanted, if his obsession were moderate and his personality stable… would there be no conflict?
No, then that wouldn’t be me. Then Jung Lee Chae would be loving someone else… Oh, f*ck.
He had to stop his thoughts before they spiraled further. Hae-jin signed the approval documents and handed them back gently.
“Lee Chae, go home alone today. I need to clear my head.”
He stood up to flee, but Lee Chae grabbed his wrist.
“You’re just going to leave after pissing me off like this?”
“I signed it. Please, just give me a break. I’m going crazy here.”
“And you think I’m fine if you leave like this?”
Hae-jin tried to pull away, but his feet froze at the sound of Lee Chae’s voice—it sounded like he was on the verge of tears. Hae-jin calmed himself and spoke as softly as he could.
“I’ve never lived as a model citizen. I’ve always been a wreck. I thought I’d changed a lot since meeting you, but I guess I still have a long way to go.”
“…”
“My obsession doesn’t mean I doubt you. I’ve never doubted you for a second. It’s just that my way of loving and your way are different. Give me one day. I’ll settle my thoughts and come back.”
Hae-jin patted Lee Chae’s shoulder comfortingly and walked out of the office.
“Was I too harsh?”
No, even so… smoking a cigarette right in front of me after barely touching one for a year? What does he have to be proud of?
At the office, Lee Chae was fine because he was buried in work. But after taking a ride home from Jae-hyung instead of Hae-jin and entering an empty room, the reality hit him. This was the first time they hadn’t gone home together.
He showered and sat on the bed, trying to figure out where things went wrong. No matter how hard he looked for an answer, he couldn’t grasp what was going on in Hae-jin’s head. One thing was clear: Hae-jin was caught in another one of his delusions.
He claimed he didn’t doubt Lee Chae’s love, yet Hae-jin always felt his own heart was “bigger,” even though he knew Lee Chae had been prepared to die for him.
If Lee Chae had an inferiority complex about his rank, Hae-jin had a constant lack of confidence regarding Lee Chae’s heart.
What more do I have to do?
As he was pondering, Jae-hyung burst into the room.
“Knock, please.”
“Hae-jin Hyung isn’t here, so I just opened it. Aren’t you eating?”
“I don’t feel like it.”
“You don’t eat with your ‘feelings’…” Jae-hyung grumbled, but scurried out when Lee Chae shot him a look.
“Haa… is he trying to drive me insane?”
After a moment of fury, Lee Chae calmed himself and concentrated. The imprinting mark was truly useful at times like this. Even if his partner vanished after a fight, he could tell where he was. Assuming Hae-jin was out drinking with Jin-woo, Lee Chae focused on the mark. But to his surprise, Hae-jin was somewhere else entirely.
“This place is…”
It was the bus stop where they used to date as college students, and where they had confessed their feelings after reuniting.
“How melodramatic. Seriously. Anyone would think we broke up.”
Lee Chae knew that as much as Hae-jin was instinctive and impulsive, he was also sentimental and fragile. Because it was a trait Lee Chae lacked, he actually liked it—sometimes it was cute, and the gap between his appearance and his delicate emotions was charming. But when he acted like a tragic hero over something so small, it was frustratingly annoying.
“That elementary school brat! He never changes. Honestly.”
Lee Chae changed his clothes to go retrieve “Child Hae-jin.” Then, he remembered what Hae-jin had said as he left.
‘Give me one day.’
Right. He asked for time, so it wouldn’t be right to just barge in. Instead of going, Lee Chae sent a text.
[Lee Chae]: Hyung, what are you doing there by yourself? [World’s Most Handsome Honey♥]: [Hyung (X), Honey (O)]
“…” Is he doing this to show he’s still sulking?
[Lee Chae]: Just stop and come home. [World’s Most Handsome Honey♥]: I told you I needed a day. [Lee Chae]: So you’re staying out tonight? [World’s Most Handsome Honey♥]: I’m in the process of becoming serious and mature.
Lee Chae felt a dizzying surge of anger.
[Lee Chae]: Are you doing this because you want to see me go crazy? [World’s Most Handsome Honey♥]: You don’t go crazy. I’m always the only madman.
What is that even supposed to mean?
Lee Chae, who had lived his whole life by a schedule, was a man whose only exception was Cha Hae-jin. He’d skipped so many classes and cleanup shifts because of that man! His entire life had changed after meeting Hae-jin. Even now, his daily routine was ruined because they weren’t having dinner together.
“I’m so ‘crazy’ I can’t keep a single plan, yet he says…”
Living with Hae-jin meant nothing ever went according to plan, but Lee Chae had never once complained about it. He was just frustrated when Hae-jin acted like a kid. Even this situation—he could find it cute to an extent.
Lee Chae stared at the screen and closed the chat. His wallpaper showed Hae-jin in his uniform, smiling sexily. Realizing he already missed him after only a few hours, he opened his gallery and scrolled through over two thousand photos.
Looking at them, he wondered why he was even trying to “win” a fight against someone this precious. They were imprinted; they had promised to stay together forever. That was enough.
“He was definitely strange today. No matter how mad he is, he would never let me go home alone… and he signed the papers way too easily.”
A sudden fear struck him. They say couples who have dated for ten years can get divorced in a single day. What if Cha Hae-jin actually lost his mind and suggested they break up?
The excitement doesn't stop here! If you enjoyed this, you’ll adore Crow's Golden Fragment. Start reading now!
Read : Crow's Golden Fragment
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