CHAPTER 73: CAN’T THERE BE ANOTHER WAY?

The drive back home was quiet. Neither of them spoke a word to each other. As Cheon Areum had asked, Yoon Seoyul just drove back to Seoul without stopping once.

The automated lights of the entrance turned on as Cheon Areum opened the front door of the house. Taking off his bloody shoes and socks, he stepped onto the wooden floor with his bare feet. He really needed to shower before touching anything.

"Are you going to sleep without eating? You should eat something to get your energy back before going to sleep."

"I’m tired. I’ll get some energy from sleeping too."

Without looking back at Yoon Seoyul, Cheon Areum replied in a weak voice, climbing the staircase leading to his bedroom. He came to stand by the bed like a ghost wanting to possess the kid, as he stared at Rian, who was deep in slumber.

*

"Hyung! Hyung, wake up."

Someone shook him excessively with tiny hands that barely moved his body. The only person that came to his mind was Rian. Realizing those hands were losing strength with time, Cheon Areum opened his eyes with difficulty. It was bright. With half-lidded eyes, he saw Rian’s face hovering over him. Rian plopped down on the bed with a pout as Cheon Areum coiled his arms around Rian’s little upper body, sleepily clinging to him.

"Hyung, why did you cry last night?"

"...."

"You were fine when you left for work with Yoon Seoyul. You’ve been crying a lot... is it because of him?"

"How can you always tell I cried? Are my eyes swollen or red?"

"I won’t tell you if you won’t tell me!"

"Fair enough..."

"It’s the lips. They go down like this when you’re sad."

Rian gave him a downward smile as Cheon Areum gazed up at him.

"I use this to draw a sad face. So I know you’re sad when you do this. But your eyes are red and swollen too."

As if he was done with a significant observation, Rian nodded agreeably to himself. He had felt like his eyes were swelling, but only after seeing himself in the bathroom mirror did he find out he resembled a baby anteater.

Hoping Yoon Seoyul wouldn’t notice somehow, Cheon Areum entered the kitchen, hiding his face by staring at the plain white walls and not in his direction. Cheon Areum grabbed a seat at the kitchen island beside Rian, who had already started eating the breakfast Yoon Seoyul had made for them. The dining room connected to the kitchen with a dining table of eight daunting chairs, as always, was catching dust. Not even Yoon Seoyul had ever sat at the dining table. Even in the book, he would always sit here. As Yoon Seoyul had said, the house was needlessly too big and empty.

Yoon Seoyul placed a warm bowl of soup and rice in front of him on the kitchen island that had a spread of side dishes, but he just glared at the food with narrowing eyes. It wasn’t that the food itself looked unappetizing—he just really....

"I don’t want to eat. You can take these away."

"Want me to feed you?"

Cheon Areum, with his head down, shook it to decline the offer. Yoon Seoyul sat on his right side as Cheon Areum turned his head to the left side, looking at Rian, who had paused eating to glance at them.

"I bought ice cream. Do you want to eat that?"

"No. I’ll eat later..."

*CLANK*

"I don’t want to eat either."

Rian suddenly declared, throwing his spoon on top of the kitchen island.

"Wait, Rian, is something wrong? Why don’t you want to eat anymore?"

"Hyung, I want you to take me to the daycare."

Not listening to him, Rian jumped down from the seat, running upstairs to get his backpack. Cheon Areum dumbfoundedly stared at the half-eaten bowl of multi-grain rice and soybean soup while Yoon Seoyul calmly started clearing out the kitchen island.

"If you want to eat something else, let me know. I’ll get it for you."

*

Halfway to the daycare, in the backseat of the taxi, Rian abruptly broke the silence.

"Hyung, I want to eat cheese tteokbokki."

Stubbornly requesting to eat cheese tteokbokki and not backing down for an alternative, Cheon Areum had no choice as he searched the maps for a good place nearby. Taking the taxi there and ordering it for him but Rian’s hand, holding the chopsticks, stretched out in Cheon Areum’s direction.

"Hyung..."

Urging him to eat it.

"Why are you feeding it to me? You eat it."

Not responding to him, Rian stayed still, holding up the piece of cheese tteokbokki for him with shaky chopsticks nearing his limits. Cheon Areum sighed, giving up, as he bent down to eat the cheese tteokbokki from Rian’s hand. Smiling proudly with chubby cheeks, Rian’s eyes sparkled as he began to feed him more until he finished the whole thing.

*

Coming back to the house after dropping Rian at the daycare, Cheon Areum brainstormed for ideas to make him hate Yoon Seoyul. Not completely, but just enough to make him fall out of love with him. What would make him fall out of love instantly? Something he hated the most...

"Yoon Seoyul!"

Cheon Areum barged into his bedroom as Yoon Seoyul walked out of the closet after having changed his clothes.

"Can you do me a favor real quick?"

"What is it?"

Yoon Seoyul spoke, gazing at him intensely. Cheon Areum became nervous by the sudden eye contact. He frowned faintly as he spoke with anxiousness. A tinge of regret passed through him, but he still chose to speak out.

"Hit me. Slap me across the face as many times as you can, or punch me in the stomach. Anything—just hit me until I pass out."

He demanded, as Yoon Seoyul looked at him judgingly, but he didn’t say anything back. Thinking Yoon Seoyul had agreed to follow through, Cheon Areum closed his eyes, shutting them tightly, his eyebrows twitching with every audible step Yoon Seoyul took towards him.