Chapter 63: The Soft Spot

First, Heesung wanted to know more about Lee Yunwoo. He wanted to talk to him.

He wanted to see Yunwoo push someone else away because of him, the way Yunwoo pushed him away because of his mother. His heart was full of greed. That much was certain. What he wanted to do beyond that, he couldn’t have said himself.

‘I’m not the kind of kid who deserves this.’

He got that thought sometimes, but it felt like an irresistible force was moving him. In the end, he went to school a few times because of Yunwoo. If he was called, how could he not go? Even he didn’t know why he wanted to do everything Yunwoo asked.

But school had too many people and too much noise. And seeing Yunwoo sitting there calmly made it too real that Yunwoo was a different person from him. He wanted to drag him out and lock him somewhere.

How much effort did he need to hold back that urge? Would Yunwoo ever know?

Actually, Heesung didn’t know why he was holding back either. Was it because people would get tangled up and things would get annoying? He didn’t think locking up one Yunwoo would cause his world any trouble. But he didn’t want to do it. If he did, Yunwoo would definitely be shocked, and maybe he’d glare at him. Even the thought made his blood boil. If he actually saw it, who knew what he’d do.

Then, when Yunwoo came to his space on the weekend too, Heesung felt a thrill. Nothing Wonhwa had meddled in had ever turned out well, but this was unexpectedly good. His whole body tingled. He laughed, thinking it felt a little like arousal. It was a laugh that came from deep in his chest.

Even when Yunwoo made him do pointless things, like saying, “Don’t lie down, come sit here,” or, “Let’s study together,” he was just happy.

When Yunwoo looked at his old workbook strangely, Heesung was a little flustered.

“Did you buy an old one on purpose?”

“No, I bought it when it came out. It’s the only workbook here.”

Heesung had already learned the entire high school curriculum in middle school. That was because of Wonhwa, who had forced him to stuff it all into his head. Studying wasn’t hard at all. He just had to apply it. All the problems were the same anyway. However many questions were in a workbook, they were made by people, and any problem a person came up with was similar. If he learned one problem, he could solve ten.

But Yunwoo was different. Heesung wanted to read Yunwoo’s mind, but he couldn’t at all. Reading other people’s emotions was always hard, but thanks to his practice with women, he’d gotten decent at it. With Yunwoo, it was different. Why did his head stop and his heart grow impatient? Why did his mouth keep going dry…

Heesung pretended to be calm and asked.

“I have other subjects too. Want me to get them?”

“No, let’s look at mine together.”

He deliberately made Yunwoo sit next to him. Heesung knew Yunwoo liked his face. If he smiled just a little, Yunwoo couldn’t take his eyes off him and would flounder. How could he not know?

Then Yunwoo asked about college.

“I don’t have any thoughts yet. You?”

Heesung really didn’t have any. He didn’t care whether he went to college, so it was more worth thinking about what he’d do afterward. But the moment Yunwoo said, “If I don’t need a scholarship… Seohandae,” Heesung changed his mind.

“Then I’ll go to Seohandae too.”

If they went to the same university, he wouldn’t have to hear that tiresome excuse about his mother, and they could live together. A day like today would happen every day. His heart beat with a pleasant rhythm. That was how Heesung decided his goal.

And on that day, Heesung also found a way to make Yunwoo weak toward him. It was a very easy method.

“Because I’m sorry…”

It was so easy that Heesung only realized it belatedly, and he felt hollow. He hurt his hand by handling a dish wrong. Heesung had hurt so many people before that a wound like this didn’t surprise him. But Yunwoo turned white as a sheet and didn’t know what to do. His face went pale, like all the blood had drained out of his own cut hand. Then he was nice to Heesung. Extremely nice.

‘Ah. So he’s good to me when I’m hurt.’

Was it guilt? Heesung thought about it. But even if he hadn’t been hurt because of Yunwoo, Yunwoo would probably be good to him just because he had a wound. He would hover around, feeling sorry and wanting to help. If it was the Yunwoo Heesung knew, he’d do that and then some.

Yunwoo was kind and gentle. He had a lot of sympathy. Heesung had seen through his soft spot. Even as Yunwoo was leaving, he kept glancing at Heesung’s hand and checking his expression. Heesung chuckled inside.

He wished Yunwoo would only be close to him, only spend time with him. Always only with him. Heesung held that wish purely.

The next day, Heesung was in a good mood, until Yeon Hoyoung showed up without a word. He definitely had been. But Hoyoung came in the morning and ruined it so early that Heesung forgot he had to go to school.

Of all days, Yunwoo also came to the annex early that morning. The mansion’s security cameras raised an alarm when they detected motion. So when the alarm went off, Heesung thought Yeon Hoyoung, who had come all the way here, had finally left. He thought that bastard had been squatting here forever since morning. He muttered that he was an obedient son of a b*tch. Didn’t he realize his aunt didn’t care one bit about him? Wonhwa just used him. Hoyoung was a pushover and an idiot on top of that.

When Heesung checked and saw it was Yunwoo, he quickly walked out of the annex. But the two were already talking. Yunwoo’s gaze was fixed on Yeon Hoyoung.

Heesung decided he would crush Yeon Hoyoung soon. Not today. Yunwoo was waiting for him.

“Why does your aunt not give up on you and keep sending you after me?”

“Hey, f*ck. I didn’t want to come either. Aunt told me to check on you, so I came.”

Heesung had sliced open Yeon Hoyoung’s brother’s mouth when they were kids. Ever since, Hoyoung snarled at him every time they met. Even so, he had grown up without a mother and had attached himself to Wonhwa alone. Wonhwa knew Hoyoung well and used him as she pleased. It was a ridiculous spectacle.

“You’ve seen me, so that’s enough. Get out.”

“You son of a b*tch.”

Didn’t he know that calling him a son of a b*tch meant cursing out the aunt he adored so much? Heesung left Yeon Hoyoung behind and hurried inside the annex.

“Do you want to know about Yeon Hoyoung?”

“I’m a little curious, since you two know each other.”

And when Yunwoo said that, it was awful. Just as he was curious about Yunwoo, Yunwoo was curious about Yeon Hoyoung. He said he wanted to know about him.

Gentle Yunwoo. Yunwoo, who was good to him without expecting anything. Yunwoo, who came all the way to this corner to check on his mood before leaving. Yunwoo, who had put up walls at first, then fell for him so easily it was almost empty. Yunwoo, who always looked at him with eyes starved for affection. But who wasn’t annoying… It felt like his heart had dropped to the floor and shattered.

Heesung thought he really, truly needed to crush Yeon Hoyoung soon.

First, he had to make sure there was no one around Yunwoo he might take an interest in. Yeon Hoyoung lived far away, so he could set that aside for now. That left only one person close by.

“Please send Yunwoo’s mother far away.”

“…”

“So he can’t even see Yunwoo’s face.”

Wonhwa was silent for a moment.

Lee Yunwoo often used his mother as an excuse. I have to go home. Mom’s there. Because of Mom. The last weekend he said he couldn’t come was also because of his mother. But as far as Heesung could tell, Yunwoo didn’t particularly like his mother. He did show a habitual attachment to her. But he needed her, not loved her. Sometimes he even seemed to dislike her. He often grimaced slightly when he said “Mom,” and he hated talking about her. The only story Heesung had was the one Yunwoo sobbed out late at night. He dodged or deflected everything else. Sometimes he’d look at his empty phone and seem relieved. He probably didn’t realize it himself.

Heesung wanted to monopolize even that small attachment. So he decided to get rid of her first. If she disappeared, he could have Yunwoo to the extent of the void she left.

“Mom… is so happy you’ve been quiet lately.”

That meant she would do it.

“Yes. You’ve been really obedient lately. Mom is… so happy.”

Wonhwa’s voice started to rise with excitement.

“Yes, Heesung. You’re not weird at all. If someone like you is weird, then the world is packed full of weird people.”

She was so pleased she didn’t know what to do. It was the first time her son had behaved like this, and she seemed unable to contain her excitement.

“Someone like you is nothing. Look at you now. You’re getting along with a friend like this!”

And she said affectionately, “Heesung. Mom will do everything for you. Don’t worry. I’ll do everything you ask…”

Heesung let Wonhwa’s words go in one ear and out the other.

Heesung’s choice was right.

“Can I sleep over today?”

It was the first time Yunwoo had ever said he’d sleep in the annex. Even his eyes, swollen from crying, were pretty. That day, after he had twisted Heesung’s stomach with his talk of going home to study, the news that his mother was going far away shocked him, and he came running back. He was truly pretty.

Heesung understood why people wiped away others’ tears. He hated the tears staining that face. He wanted to make it clean.

Yunwoo sobbed openly as Heesung’s hands touched him.

“I’m so upset. Mom, Mom only cares about Lee Sunwoo… why would she… he’s a guy who’s no help at all, a guy who ran away with debt, and because of him our house fell into chaos… sc, scary people came. They came inside and spat.”

He sobbed and poured out everything that had happened to him. Heesung already knew all of it, except the part about spitting. He’d never heard that. It annoyed him. He was angry that there was something about Yunwoo he didn’t know.

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