Chapter 14: The Unlocked Study

As he had observed on his way in, the living room and kitchen were a fair distance apart, positioned so they couldn’t be seen from each other.

Doyoo immediately rose from the sofa, standing to survey his surroundings. He knew Cheongshin lived alone, but the space was excessively simple, almost stark.

After a few minutes of observation, Doyoo confirmed that Cheongshin’s presence remained in the kitchen. He cautiously began to move, making sure to erase his own presence.

He wanted to go upstairs, but knew that the moment he stepped on even a single stair, Cheongshin would notice. Thus, Doyoo moved only within the bounds where he could remain completely undetected.

The corridor, adorned with only a few paintings, showed no other signs of human presence.

Each closed door, however, was protected by a different barrier spell. Observing that some even had elemental magic woven into them, Doyoo quickened his pace, his eyes calm and focused.

At the end of the corridor, he discovered an open door and paused his steps.

Strangely, this room had no barrier magic, nor any other kind of spell. ‘I can enter here,’ he thought.

Before entering, Doyoo turned to look back the way he had come, just in case. There was no one. No presence whatsoever.

‘Good,’ he mused. Doyoo then stepped silently into the room.

Upon entering, Doyoo saw walls filled with books. In the center of the room stood a desk and a chair; it was clearly designed as a study.

He quickly scanned the books lining the shelves. One wall held books on magic, while the opposite shelves contained a vast, well-ordered collection spanning various fields: medicine, botany, philosophy, humanities, and history.

Nothing seemed particularly unusual. Tearing his gaze from the bookshelves, Doyoo shifted his attention to the desk, where a photo frame caught his eye.

He moved closer to examine the picture within. It was a photograph of a young Cheongshin, smiling brightly, nestled in the arms of a woman.

‘He wasn’t handsome as a child, but incredibly pretty and cute.’

Doyoo, having idly muttered this thought to himself, was appalled by his own words and vigorously shook his head to dismiss it.

‘I must be crazy.’ Cheongshin’s constant, blatant teasing—”Aren’t I pretty? Aren’t I handsome?”—had clearly degraded Doyoo’s vocabulary.

While he admitted Cheongshin was an exceptionally beautiful person, he was currently on a mission and couldn’t let his guard down. Doyoo composed himself and re-examined the photo.

“That’s strange…” he murmured. It truly was. The face of the woman embracing Cheongshin, smiling, seemed familiar.

He had definitely seen her somewhere before, but the inability to recall it immediately was frustrating. Just as he was about to lean closer to get a better look at the photo,

“Senior.”

Reflexively, Doyoo snapped his head up, his eyes meeting Cheongshin’s, who stood framed in the doorway. Cheongshin’s soft, mellow voice was the same as always, but this time, shivers ran down Doyoo’s spine.

Doyoo quickly scrutinized Cheongshin’s expression. Cheongshin was gazing intently at Doyoo, a faint smile playing on his lips.

At first glance, he seemed normal, but the subtle gloom pervading the room highlighted a distinct difference. A chilling glint flickered in his green eyes.

Doyoo swallowed, his body freezing at the piercing, cold gaze.

His mouth moved on its own. “I-I’m sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing?”

“I was looking for the restroom, and all the doors were closed… This one was open, so I thought it might be the bathroom. My apologies.”

Doyoo bowed his head deeply and clasped his hands in front of him, mimicking someone genuinely regretful. He was trying to act completely intimidated, but he almost inadvertently clenched his bandaged hand in front of Cheongshin.

He released the tension in his hand just in time. Glancing up, Doyoo saw Cheongshin still staring intently at him with the same expression.

After a moment, Cheongshin stepped further into the room and spoke. “It’s alright. These things happen.”

Cheongshin approached, walking past Doyoo and simply flipped the photo frame face down. It was as if he didn’t want Doyoo to see it. This was a first.

The Cheongshin Doyoo knew would have playfully flirted, “Wasn’t I pretty even as a child?” but this outright rejection was perplexing. Doyoo hesitated for a moment before cautiously asking,

“Um, I’m sorry for looking at your photo… Is that you as a child in the picture? And is the woman next to you your mother?”

“Yes. But Senior, I’ll take you to the restroom. Please come this way.”

“…Thank you.”

Doyoo sensed that Cheongshin was unwilling to discuss the photo. Though he wanted to ask more, he held back and obediently followed Cheongshin.

After guiding Doyoo to the restroom door, Cheongshin uttered the outrageous question, “Would you like some help?” and was promptly sent away.

Left alone in the bathroom, Doyoo removed his horn-rimmed glasses and pressed his index finger and thumb against his temples.

It was difficult to ascertain whether Cheongshin had merely feigned ignorance or truly hadn’t noticed anything.

If Cheongshin were the type to express his emotions honestly, or if his acting had been just a little less perfect, Doyoo might have gained some insight. However, Cheongshin’s usual demeanor revealed nothing.

Doyoo sighed deeply before putting his glasses back on.

‘Focus.’

After muttering to himself, he exited the bathroom.

As Doyoo returned to the living room, Cheongshin, as if he had been waiting, guided him to the kitchen. Doyoo was astonished by the meal spread out on the dining table.

“Didn’t you say you were making porridge?”

“Initially, that was my plan, but I didn’t want my first guest in a long time to only have porridge. And since you enjoy eating, Senior, I wanted you to have a variety, so I prepared what I could quickly.”

To call it “what he could quickly prepare” was an understatement; the sheer variety and abundance were incredible. The porridge itself looked like a mere appetizer.

Cheongshin seated the bewildered Doyoo and then naturally took the chair beside him. “Please, eat up, Senior.”

Seeing Cheongshin ready to spoon-feed him, Doyoo recoiled, pulling off his mask. “I appreciate your kindness, but I can eat by myself.”

“I know you’re right-handed, Senior. Will you be able to use chopsticks?”

“I’m ambidextrous, Cheongshin, so I’ll be fine.”

He had once trained relentlessly to become ambidextrous, adapting to all sorts of situations for infiltration missions. Using chopsticks with his left hand was no problem at all.

“That’s a shame. Well, please eat slowly then.”

“Aren’t you eating?”

“I don’t eat at this hour. Don’t mind me, and just enjoy your meal.”

“…If you stare at me like that, I can’t eat.”

Cheongshin merely smiled in response.

Seeing his unwavering resolve, Doyoo finally gave up and took a bite of the porridge first. His eyes widened instinctively.

It was beef and vegetable porridge, surprisingly more delicious than he had anticipated. Doyoo began to sample the other dishes laid out with the porridge.

Not a single dish was subpar; everything perfectly suited Doyoo’s palate. Beyond simply suiting his taste, it was incredibly delicious.

Watching Doyoo eat with gusto, Cheongshin spoke with an enraptured expression. “Senior, you’re so pretty even from the side. Can I kiss you?”

“Cough!”

He had just been drinking water, and it went down the wrong pipe. Doyoo frantically reached for a tissue, and Cheongshin, quick to notice, thoughtfully pulled one out and handed it to Doyoo, smiling shyly. At that smile, Doyoo felt a premonition of ill omen, and Cheongshin spoke again.

“This feels like we’re newlyweds, doesn’t it, Senior Doyoo?”

“Cough, cough!”

‘This is going to give me indigestion. Definitely.’ Doyoo instinctively felt this as he looked at Cheongshin, who was gazing at him with deep affection, as if even his coughing fit was beautiful. Cheongshin gently patted Doyoo’s back.

“Please eat slowly. I can always make more if you’re still hungry.”

At Cheongshin’s tone, which practically reveled in their ‘newlywed’ fantasy alone, Doyoo simply gave up on conversation.

Doyoo left Cheongshin’s house that evening. Cheongshin had clung to him, insisting he stay the night, but Doyoo firmly shook him off.

“I don’t want to impose on you any further.”

“Impose, Senior? Between us?”

“I’m leaving. See you tomorrow.”

Now somewhat adept at handling Cheongshin, Doyoo pushed away the hand that tried to grab his and departed. He refused the offer to be escorted even to the station, and Cheongshin stood by the front door, waving, until Doyoo vanished around the corner without a backward glance.

“Hmm.”

Cheongshin covered his mouth with his hand. The scent of Doyoo lingered on it.

A scent like wood. Doyoo didn’t seem to wear perfume, yet whenever Cheongshin clung to him, a pleasant, comforting scent emanated from him, which he found fascinating.

Sometimes, it was a very delicious scent. It wasn’t the kind of scent that stimulated appetite like food. Rather, it was a scent that made him want to sink his teeth in, to shamelessly, primitively, possess it.

Cheongshin closed his eyes, still standing in place, and recalled the sensation of Doyoo’s firm body and his scent, which he had thoroughly touched today. A smile played on his lips. If he had his way, he would have tied Doyoo to his bed instead of sending him home, but he couldn’t.

He knew that such an action would only make the timid little tiger hide in a corner. It was better to make Doyoo fall deeply for him, ensuring he stayed by his side.

Cheongshin was confident he could seduce Doyoo. If he observed closely, Doyoo was subtly weak to his face. Whenever Cheongshin teared up and acted cute, Doyoo would often succumb, a sight so endearing it made him want to bite him.