Chapter 60: An Irresistible Force

“May I ask just one thing?”

Sagyeol, unable to conceal his tension, slowly nodded.

“What exactly am I supposed to forgive you for?”

Sagyeol flinched.

“You’re not Lee Myeong-hwan’s biological son, and you were merely seven years old when it all happened. Is that what I should forgive?”

“Again, my mother—”

“Did you have any will in that?”

His frozen pupils widened. The cunning serpent, it seemed, had a blind spot when it came to his own affairs. It was a little amusing, and rather endearing.

‘…Endearing?’

Yeowon tilted his head, re-examining his own thoughts, as Sagyeol responded.

“No, I didn’t.”

His words were tinged with a sense of futility. ‘Yes. I didn’t.’ Yeowon nodded, watching him mutter softly.

“You don’t need to take responsibility for actions you were forced into without your will.”

“Right.”

“Of course, using those old records to find me was certainly an act of your own will.”

“……!”

His expressions were a true rollercoaster.

“All those involved are dead now, so if it truly weighs on your conscience, just settle your own transgressions.”

“Settle my transgressions…”

‘How? What am I supposed to do?’

“That’s for you to figure out.”

A brief silence settled between them. Even the front seats were as quiet as mice.

For a while, only the distant sound of horns and the countless city lights stroking the car windows passed them by.

After an indeterminate amount of time, Yeowon opened his mouth, a peculiar expression on his face.

“Sagyeol.”

“Yes?”

“Why are you fiddling with my hand?”

“Hm.”

‘Don’t just ‘hm,’ answer me.’ Yeowon’s eyebrows shot up.

Sagyeol offered his signature languid smile.

“Why are you smiling?”

“No reason. I’m just happy.”

“……”

His kneading fingers became subtly suggestive, and Sagyeol, lowering his head, bit down on Yeowon’s fingertip.

His gaze, slightly chewing and looking up, was far from ordinary. Feeling a tightness in his chest, Yeowon spoke.

“Don’t suck on it.”

“W-wait!”

Lee Hyun-su, who had been pretending not to listen, gasped in alarm. He had been peeking through the rearview mirror from the passenger seat, not even the driver’s.

He seemed to have gravely misunderstood something, given Sagyeol’s bowed head and the word ‘suck.’

“Are you insane?! Have you lost your mind?! Good heavens, what are you doing in the back seat with people right here…!”

“It’s not what you’re thinking, so shut up.”

Sagyeol, having already returned to his usual composure, clicked his tongue.

“Where did that perverted demon possess you to spout such nonsense?”

“Then are you saying he lied?!”

He spun his upper body around, pointing at Yeowon with a flushed face. Yeowon, singled out by the man’s fiery indignation, testified awkwardly.

“I was flustered for a moment and told him not to suck, but… that’s not what I meant.”

“See?”

Lee Hyun-su’s eyes widened in disbelief. Yeowon, however, hadn’t finished speaking.

“To be precise, he wasn’t sucking; he was gently nibbling…”

“Aargh!”

Lee Hyun-su, feeling utterly betrayed, sprang up. His slender body thrashed like a grasshopper, his head hitting the car ceiling.

His arm flailed in pain, striking the driver’s shoulder. The car lurched for a moment, a natural chain reaction.

Fortunately, the car quickly regained its balance. Sagyeol clicked his tongue in disapproval.

“Well done, truly. Imagine if we’d had an accident. How would you have dealt with the aftermath?”

“This is all your fault!”

Even after yelling, Lee Hyun-su still seethed, apparently not yet appeased.

“Frankly, if there was a real accident, *I’d* handle it, not you!”

“You?”

“……”

“Did you just say ‘you’?”

The salaried man belatedly came to his senses. By some divine intervention, the car arrived at its destination: a colossal shopping mall.

The building, radiating light from every surface, was even more spectacular at night than by day.

The car glided down into the underground parking lot, stopping before a VIP-exclusive elevator where staff members stood waiting.

Lee Hyun-su practically leaped out and opened the back door. The waiting staff member froze.

Professionally, the staff member quickly composed their expression and stepped back. Sagyeol, casting a glare at Lee Hyun-su, then turned to Yeowon, who remained motionless.

“You should get out.”

“……”

Seeing him still hesitate, Sagyeol felt a mischievous impulse. He extended a hand and bowed respectfully.

It was an escort gesture. Lee Hyun-su, waiting outside with the door open, looked utterly disgusted, as if Sagyeol had lost his mind.

Yeowon hesitated briefly, then took the hand. Lee Hyun-su was surprised, but Sagyeol was several times more so.

His habitual smile vanished, and his eyes widened slightly.

It was the expression of someone who had expected to be rejected. Seeing his reaction, Yeowon faltered, letting go of his hand slightly. The innocent returnee spoke with an air of bewilderment.

“Is this… not right?”

He had been speaking more, and their conversations felt so natural that he had momentarily forgotten. This man lacked common sense to an astonishing degree. He was the charming fellow who thought cake was only for birthdays.

Sagyeol, reminded of this fact anew, realized something rather nefarious. The serpent, resurfacing after a long absence, smiled languidly.

“No. It’s right.”

Yeowon nodded. ‘If you say so, then it must be.’

A look of pity settled on Lee Hyun-su’s face. He watched as if a muscular hamster were being led into a serpent’s maw.

Their gazes met. The hamster merely blinked, utterly bewildered. Only the venomous serpent hissed and chuckled.

He was led by Sagyeol into the shopping mall. The sense of luxury, palpable from the stairs, reached its peak when the doors opened.

‘Ah.’

Gazing at the vast hall and the splendid three-tiered chandelier, he finally recalled having been to a similar place just once before.

It was during those few days he had wandered aimlessly, reeling from the shock of learning the truth. The places he’d frequented with the former head of the Aftercare Department, before Sagyeol arrived, had all felt like this.

‘But what was that person’s name again?’

“What are you thinking about right now?”

Sagyeol, whose intuition bordered on clairvoyance, inquired. Beside them, Lee Hyun-su bit his lip. He didn’t know what it was, but he had a bad feeling.

Sure enough, Yeowon dropped a bombshell right from the start.

“I was thinking about the person who took me to places like this before.”

“What?!”

Just before Sagyeol could ask “Who the hell was that bastard?”, Yeowon spoke with a serious expression.

“But… it’s been two years, so I can’t remember their name.”

He quickly reined in his anger.

“Then that must mean they were just some insignificant person to you.”

“Is that so?”

Yeowon accepted it this time too. It felt strange to be believed so readily, no matter what he said.

“Your reactions have been unusually compliant for a while now.”

“Because what you said seems right.”

Yeowon added casually.

“Because I still vividly remember the very first moment I called your name.”

Sagyeol’s steady steps halted. Not just the situation, but the emotions, too, were crystal clear.

Yeowon recalled that moment as if flipping back to the previous page of a book.

“I think I was a little pleased that you came, driven by anger because of me.”

Sagyeol fidgeted alone, like a puppy with separation anxiety. He looked once at the marble floor, then once at the chandelier on the ceiling, before letting out a low groan.

“You truly are…”

Sagyeol, who had been seething for a long time with an emotion other than anger, once again took Yeowon’s hand and led him further inside.

“Let’s go.”

Yeowon nodded.

The shopping itself was surprisingly uneventful. The department store was utterly deserted, save for the staff.

Every department was operating normally, yet the only ones moving about were Sagyeol, Yeowon, and Lee Hyun-su, whose occupation seemed flexibly adaptable. His current role was porter.

“That coat you just tried on was nice. Yes, that one. Let’s get that too.”

“Isn’t that similar to the coat you’re wearing right now?”

“Not at all. They’re completely different.”

The staff member looked back and forth between the coat they were holding and Sagyeol’s. Sagyeol claimed they were similar, but upon closer inspection, they were identical.

Still, if he said so, then it must be.

“But why do you keep holding clothes up to me?”

“Because you’re going to wear them.”

“Why would I… Wait, are you telling me that coat is mine too?”

Sagyeol didn’t answer, simply moving on. Lee Hyun-su, left behind, handled the payment.

“Want to try this one too?”

“No.”

Despite the refusal, he remained cheerfully smiling, seemingly unfazed.

“What kind of bed should we get? The one I’m using now is king-sized; should we just share it?”

“I can just sleep on the floor… Wait, why are you talking as if I’m naturally going to sleep at your house?”

The honorary demon, nearly swayed, narrowed his eyes. Sagyeol, who had honed deceit as naturally as breathing, smoothly changed the subject.

“I think we’ve bought almost everything we need.”

“Are all of these really mine?”

“Of course.”

“I don’t need this much.”

Yeowon’s expression showed his dilemma. He thought of his current dwelling behind the cafe. It seemed unlikely that all these items would fit there.

“Is it because your current place is too small?”

Yeowon nodded.

“Then you just need to move to a bigger place.”

It was a miraculous piece of logic.

“How about my place?”

It turned out the answer had been predetermined. Yeowon sighed.

Before he could voice his refusal, Sagyeol quickly interjected.

“Even considering the future, you need to change your residence.”

It was an absurd excuse; even illogic had its limits. As Yeowon thought this, Sagyeol’s strangely restless demeanor caught his eye.

The man in his memories wasn’t like this.

When he first saw him at the hospital, Sagyeol had been languid and composed, like a venomous serpent. He possessed the arrogance typical of one who had everything.

He had no doubt that the world revolved around him, and a sinister determination to seize anything he desired was evident.

Besides, upon reflection, the contract stipulated that he would eventually move into Sagyeol’s house anyway. Sagyeol couldn’t possibly have forgotten that fact, so his words might have been his own attempt to lessen Yeowon’s reluctance.

“If you’re really worried, I’ll divide the space for you. As you can see, it’s a duplex and very spacious. If we try our best not to overlap our living areas—”

Yeowon was now certain it was an effort.

“……”

This man’s desperation was probably reserved solely for him. As that thought crossed his mind, words spilled out before he could control them.

“Alright.”

Yeowon nodded compliantly. This time, it was Sagyeol who was caught off guard.

He blinked foolishly, then stood closer.

“You’re really coming to my place?”

“Was it a joke?”

“No! Of course not!”

Seeing the man flustered in such an uncharacteristic way, Yeowon offered a faint smile. Sagyeol’s eyes widened until they could grow no larger. Had he ever seen Yeowon smile like that before? He was momentarily stunned, and when he snapped out of it, the smile was gone, as if it had been a fleeting illusion.

A groan of regret escaped him. Sagyeol whimpered like a dog needing to relieve itself, and Yeowon patted his shoulder.

“Right.”

Watching Yeowon walk ahead indifferently, Sagyeol slowly came to a realization. No, he had already known it from the moment he had lunged at him like a beast at the mere mention of ‘How have you been at the cafe?’

This was a kind of irresistible force.