Chapter 4: The Unspoken Bond

From the next day on, the bastard really did stay at my place, just as he’d said. Then, on the second day—or maybe the third—the man who was so quiet I doubted whether he was human or furniture woke up with me at dawn and suddenly opened his mouth.

He said he would cover all expenses incurred while he stayed, and that I was absolutely not to speak of him anywhere.

When I asked if I could at least tell my friend, thinking of Chae Yeryeong, I got a chilling glare for my trouble.

So when Chae Yeryeong called asking if anything was going on, I told him nothing was wrong, and that I was sorry but I’d be too busy to see him for a while.

Sorry, buddy. I definitely wasn’t swayed by the money that bastard offered me. Definitely not.

“I’m back!”

Even though I could see the shiny dress shoes by the entrance, there was no answer from the dark house.

It’s no different from when I lived alone. It was just a habit to talk to myself, but knowing someone was there made it feel emptier somehow.

“He’s asleep…”

Choi Taehyuk was sound asleep in my bed.

I’d been sleeping curled up on the sofa all this time and my back was killing me. I wanted to sleep in the bed too…

I watched him for a moment—his face so much softer in sleep than when awake—then turned away, remembering I needed to wash up.

The bed was a double, left behind by my parents. There was plenty of room. Maybe from today on, I could squeeze in beside him?

After washing up, I decided I wasn’t going to be treated like leftovers in my own house, so even though it was Choi Taehyuk, I boldly burrowed in beside him. Sleeping curled up on the sofa every night and then waking at dawn for physical labor was killing my back—I couldn’t take it anymore.

I said a prayer to God asking only that he not kick me in his sleep, then put some distance between us and drifted off.

I woke up in the morning with some anxiety that he might find me there and kick me, but fortunately, I opened my eyes still lying in bed. The moment I woke, I saw Choi Taehyuk looking down at me and nearly jumped out of my skin… I barely swallowed the scream, then carefully gauged his reaction and explained that my back hurt, so I slept in the bed. True to his reputation as the number one man of few words, he just nodded.

“So, uh… is it okay if I keep sleeping in the bed from now on?”

The irony of needing permission to sleep in my own bed wasn’t lost on me, but I had no choice. Somehow, being around Choi Taehyuk made me feel like I had to walk on eggshells.

I figured there was no way he’d say no, but I still waited for his answer with a bit of nervousness. And as expected, Mr. Taciturn just nodded again.

A week passed like that. In that time, Choi Taehyuk had fully established himself as the master of my house.

Since I’d started with such lavish service on the first day, it felt awkward to change course abruptly, so I figured I’d just keep it up—and that had continued for the entire week.

I made porridge for the first two days and fed him myself. By the third day, I figured he could eat solid food, so I brought him rice—but the bastard showed no sign of picking up his spoon, so I ended up feeding him again. I made meat side dishes that I’d never bother with for myself, helped him wash his face, even washed his hair.

And that wasn’t all. Twice a day, I checked and treated his wounds, bought him medicine, even bought him comfortable clothes to wear at home and dressed him myself. He required so much attention that I felt busier than when I was working two part-time jobs.

If you ask whether I volunteered to do all this—yes, I did. He never directly ordered me to do anything. In fact, Choi Taehyuk barely spoke all week.

But he never refused any of my services either. If anything, as time passed, he made me do them out of necessity.

For example, if I didn’t feed him, he wouldn’t lift a finger—just stared at me silently. When he wanted to wash up, he’d stand at the bathroom door and stare at me. It was those little actions that kept me doing this for a whole week.

“Today it’s budae jjigae. Here, it must be hard for you to eat by yourself with your condition, right? Hahaha! I’ll blow on it and feed you!”

“……”

“After you eat, let me check your wound. It looks almost healed on the outside, but are you sure you don’t need to go to the hospital?”

“……”

“Well, if you say you’re fine, then you’re fine. I washed your hair last night, so after I leave, get some more sleep. You really startled me when I came in last night, so please leave a light on once it gets dark.”

“……”

“Sunbae-nim, you’re really quiet except when Yeryeong is around. I’d think you were a stone statue! Hahahaha!”

Chewing away nicely while not saying a single word—this f*cking bastard. No matter how much I talked, I never got a proper response. And starting today, it seemed he was planning to be picky about side dishes too—he spotted the green onion mixed in and turned his head away.

Yesterday, he wouldn’t eat if I didn’t blow on the hot food, and now you’re complaining about side dishes? What a sight.

Internally, I was cursing up a storm, but outwardly I kept chattering away as I picked out the green onions, blew on the spoonful, and offered it to his mouth. His lips, which had been tightly sealed moments ago, obediently opened this time.

I just want to drop everything and go to work.

After all that trouble, the meal finally ended. As I’d done for days, I cleared the table and checked Choi Taehyuk’s wound.

“Ugh, it still looks painful. But it’s much better than before.”

Every time I saw it, I felt like throwing up, but I held it in and applied the medicine and changed the gauze.

I hate blood and I hate wounds, but seeing how much better it had gotten compared to the first time made me a little proud. I could feel Choi Taehyuk’s gaze on me, so I didn’t show it outwardly, but inside I was giggling with satisfaction.

I’d only been tending to him this whole time and hadn’t gotten any closer, but surely he wouldn’t forget this favor. At the very least, when I get kidnapped again, he’ll remember that I was caught up in it too.

Imagining a slightly better future put me in a good mood, and I treated his wounds with even more care, blowing on them gently.

“All done! Aren’t I getting good at this? I think I’ve become a genius at bandaging.”

“……”

I put my hands on my hips, puffed out my chest, and gave him looks hinting he should praise me—but Mr. Choi, who had clearly glued his mouth shut when I wasn’t looking, kept his lips sealed and just stared again. Right, what was I even expecting from you?

When things get awkward, what do you do? You run. It was about time to head to work anyway, so I stopped my chatter and hurriedly tidied up the gauze and supplies.

“Anyway, I’ve finished the morning routine for today, so I’ll be going now, sunbae-nim!”

To avoid going back and forth multiple times, I gathered the tray, water bottle, first-aid kit, and everything else in my arms and tossed out a quick goodbye as I left the room. What’s the point of talking to someone who won’t even respond, right?

“…Hyung.”

“Yes?”

The bastard spoke. Startled, I stopped mid-step and turned around. He said it again, clearly:

“Taehyuk hyung is fine.”

Before this, I’d occasionally run into him with Yeryeong and called him sunbae-nim the same way—he never said anything then, but now he was telling me to call him hyung?

“Ah… Okay. Then, uh… Tae—hyung? I’ll be heading to work now.”

“…Go.”

I answered in a daze at the sudden turn of events, but it was only after I left the room that I fully processed the situation.

I guess… I’m getting closer to Choi Taehyuk?

“Hey, you’re young—why are you already doing this kind of work?”

“The pay is good.”

“Tsk, a young guy like you should be looking for a proper job!”

“Ah, ajusshi, you talk too much! I have my reasons, okay? Reasons!”

The bickering started again. An ajusshi I’d gotten to know working a few shifts together kept bringing this up every time we met.

He said he’d been doing this work since he was young too, but every time he saw me, he couldn’t help nagging. It’s not like I want to do this. Right now I need high-paying gigs, I don’t have any skills, and this is the only job that lets me take time off whenever I need to—so I have no choice.

In my previous life, I’d planned to study and go to interviews in my free time. Since I knew it wouldn’t work out anyway, this time I’m putting the job hunt on hold and focusing on finding a way to survive first.

“By the way, did you hear about that?”

“Ajusshi, the manager is calling you. Aren’t you going?”

“Screw that, you little shit. I’m trying to tell you something interesting and you’re giving me attitude!”

“What is it? Just say it quick and go inside.”

“You curious?”

Even though he was a nag and genuinely annoyed me sometimes, he looked out for me a lot, so I held back and answered.

“I’m dying of curiosity, so just tell me already.”

“Heh heh, I knew you’d be curious. A few days ago, I saw a brawl near that abandoned building by our lodging.”

A brawl? Why a brawl all of a sudden?

“Nah, it didn’t look like some kids’ fight. So I pretended to smoke and eavesdropped from a spot where I couldn’t be seen. And they seemed like real gangster bastards? I mean, back in my day you’d see those types in back alleys, but these days they walk around openly? Anyway, I overheard something about the Black Dragon Faction’s successor or whatever. Then one of them even pulled out a knife and started swinging—more thrilling than watching some cheap movie, I tell you!”

“Yeah, yeah, sure—… Wait, what?”

Black Dragon Faction… Isn’t that the organization rumored to be Choi Taehyuk’s?

I’d been dismissive, thinking what kind of story about watching a brawl at his age, but now I was wide awake.

“Black Dragon Faction? You actually heard them say Black Dragon Faction?”

As soon as I asked, the ajusshi grinned and started acting all high and mighty.

[TL Note: Ahjussi = Middle-aged man ]

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