* * *

The car left the highway and passed through a quiet village, winding its way up a steep mountain road. It truly seemed like an isolated place.

During the drive, Jingyeom sent a message to Sanho, saying that he would be staying in a place with no reception for a while and would contact him again when he was back home.

Originally, he had thought about contacting Soohyuk as well, but since it was Soohyuk who provided the house, he figured Soohyuk already knew, so he didn’t bother.

He also hesitated about messaging Wonbeom, but since Jinwoo and Soohyuk already knew, he assumed Wonbeom would know as well, so he didn’t send him anything either.

After putting his phone back in his pocket, Jingyeom asked, “How are we going to stay in touch? You said phones don’t work here. Can we go outside to use them?”

“Since the area is surrounded by mountains, it’s dangerous to go out. I heard there’s a landline phone in the house. We can use that. Let’s check when we get there.”

“What if it doesn’t work?”

Jingyeom didn’t mind the phone being out of service, but the thought of being left alone in a place with no communication scared him.

He hesitantly reached out and grabbed the hem of Jinwoo’s clothes, though Jinwoo wasn’t going anywhere.

For some reason, fear crept in.

Sensing Jingyeom’s worry, Jinwoo smiled gently. “It’ll work. If it doesn’t, we’ll figure it out together then.”

Only after hearing that did Jingyeom relax a little, letting go of Jinwoo’s clothes.

They drove on, the road winding endlessly through the mountains until they arrived at a massive iron gate.

The area was fenced off, and beyond that, all Jingyeom could see were towering trees.

When the car stopped at the entrance, the heavy gate opened automatically, without anyone ringing the bell or making a call.

This was Hoonil’s first time here as well, so he gave a short whistle and pressed the accelerator.

Even after passing through the gate, the forest remained dense with trees.

After driving a bit further, they reached a well-kept garden that contrasted with the wild surroundings.

A house, fortified with gray cement walls, came into view.

Jingyeom, who had been gazing out the window, noticed people scattered around the garden.

“Who are those people?” Jingyeom asked.

Jinwoo, looking out, answered casually, “They’re probably caretakers. The place is so big, they must need a lot of staff.”

In truth, they were bodyguards, disguised in casual clothing instead of suits.

Hoonil wondered if all this was really necessary.

They could’ve just told Jingyeom the truth and asked him to stay here quietly until things were settled.

Why go through all this trouble?

“They’re all so over the top,” he grumbled internally, though he would be just as frantic if something happened to Jingyeom.

Once out of the car, Jingyeom tilted his head back, looking up.

Judging by the fact that the car had stopped, this must be the house, but from the outside, it looked like nothing more than cement walls.

Only the occasional windows hinted that it was actually a house.

“Let’s save the sightseeing for inside. There’s nothing to see out here,” said Hoonil as he pulled the luggage from the trunk and used a keycard to open the front door.

Having lived in a house that still used keys, Jingyeom found even that unfamiliar.

His heart pounded in anticipation of how spacious and luxurious the inside must be.

Jingyeom, now holding a small bag that Jinwoo handed him, stepped into the house.

“Wow…”

The place was so pristine it felt like a model home.

Jingyeom’s eyes widened in amazement.

The entire wall facing the mountains was made of glass, offering a clear view of the surrounding landscape.

A large grassy garden stretched out in front, with a pavilion placed somewhat randomly amidst it.

Jingyeom’s gaze darted around nonstop before finally coming to rest.

Though everything fascinated him, most of the items in the house looked expensive.

The thought of having to pay for any accidental damage made him shrink his shoulders.

Hoonil, who had set the luggage down, threw himself onto the large sofa.

“Ah, it’s been a while since I drove. I’m tired. Don’t mind me; go ahead and explore. We’ll sort out the luggage later.”

As Hoonil sprawled on the sofa, Jingyeom set his own bag down beside it.

Jinwoo also put his down and took out his phone, checking if there was any signal.

“They really did a thorough job.”

Since they couldn’t take Jingyeom’s phone away, they had to come up with another solution.

Soohyuk had grinned confidently and said he would handle it, but to actually install a signal jammer…

Though Jinwoo had heard about it before coming, he still found it hard to believe, as signal jammers were illegal in Korea.

But apparently, they had adjusted the range to only block reception within a few meters of the house.

At least the CCTV was connected through cables, so that was still functional.

Without that, they wouldn’t even be able to use the security cameras.

Unaware of all this, Jingyeom simply thought he was in a house deep in the mountains where there was no phone reception.

Having traveled along a deserted mountain road with no other houses in sight, it made sense for him to believe that.

Jinwoo walked over to stand next to

Jingyeom, who was gazing out through the glass wall.

“If you want to go outside, you can. As long as you don’t go beyond the house’s perimeter, you can do whatever you like.”

“Really? But there were people in the garden earlier, and now there’s no one inside.”

“They probably stayed out to avoid making us uncomfortable. It’s past lunchtime—aren’t you hungry?”

Soohyuk had said the trip would take two hours, but in reality, it had taken them three to get here.

They had left the hospital after breakfast, but since it was already past lunchtime, it made sense that they’d be hungry.

Jingyeom rubbed his stomach.

Now that Jinwoo mentioned it, he was feeling a bit hungry.

“I guess I’m a little hungry.”

“They probably prepared lunch. Go ahead and keep looking around—I’ll check.”

As Jinwoo left, Jingyeom pressed his face up against the glass, trying to get a closer look outside.

He placed both hands on the glass to steady himself as he peered out.

When he was done, he pulled his hands away, but they left clear prints on the glass.

Glancing around to see if anyone noticed, he quickly blew on the glass and wiped it clean with his sleeve.

Hoonil, lying on the sofa, watched Jingyeom for a while as he stood by the window, then chuckled when he saw him carefully wiping away the prints.

“…Did you see that?”

“Yeah. You don’t have to clean it off. There’s a cleaning crew for that.”

“Still…”

Jingyeom didn’t want to leave smudges for someone else to clean.

Satisfied that the glass was now spotless, Jingyeom pretended nothing had happened, clasped his hands behind his back, and continued to look outside.

The trees swayed gently in the wind.

Some still had leaves, while others were almost bare.

Jingyeom had sensed the changing seasons from the hospital, but being here made it feel much closer to winter.

“Hyung, are you going to eat lunch?”

“We need to eat!”

At Jinwoo’s call, Hoonil, who had been lounging on the sofa, jumped up and led the still-exploring Jingyeom to the kitchen.

Upon seeing the table, Hoonil let out a small laugh.

The food looked freshly prepared, with steam still rising from the dishes.

“Did they put a GPS on the car or something?”

“Seriously. We arrived later than expected, but they still had everything ready. It’s like they really did track us.”

Normally, Jinwoo would’ve frowned at such an arrangement, but he seemed surprisingly unfazed, which made Hoonil raise his eyebrows in surprise.

Seeing his reaction, Jinwoo added, as if to explain, “I guess I’ve gotten used to it.”

Jingyeom didn’t understand what they were talking about and looked back and forth between the two.

Jinwoo smiled and guided him to a seat.

“Let’s eat lunch first. I’m starving.”

As soon as the meal ended, someone entered the kitchen.

The three people naturally stood up at the sight of a middle-aged woman they had never seen before.

“Hello. I’m Jeong Geumseon, the caretaker of this estate.”

“Ah, nice to meet you.”

Without introducing himself, Hoonil smiled and extended his hand for a handshake, which Ms. Jeong returned with a smile.

As they released hands, Jinwoo continued the introductions.

“Hello, I’m Baek Jinwoo. This is Baek Jingyeom, who will be staying here for a while.”

“Hello!”

Having lost the chance to introduce himself, Jingyeom gave a slight bow in greeting.

Ms. Jeong looked at Jinwoo and Jingyeom with a warm smile.

“You can just call me Ms. Jeong.”

“Please take good care of him, Ms. Jeong.”

“Of course.”

Hoonil and Ms. Jeong briefly exchanged glances before both quickly looked away.

“Dessert is being prepared in the glasshouse. It might take some time, so I’ll give you a tour of the estate first.”

The estate was quite vast.

Jingyeom had only seen a fraction of it.

The living spaces spanned from the basement to the third floor, with the second basement being used as a storage area—off-limits to them.

They were free to roam the grounds, which were all private property inside the fence, though Jingyeom hadn’t even noticed the fence despite passing through a gate, suggesting the property was enormous.

The rooms the three of them would stay in were all on the second floor.

In addition, there were rooms filled with various gaming consoles, shelves packed with movie and drama DVDs and Blu-rays, a room with all kinds of exercise equipment, and a room lined with bookshelves.

As Ms. Jeong explained and guided them through the different areas, Jingyeom’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

Even though they would only be staying temporarily, the place was incredible.

After the tour, Ms. Jeong led them outside.

“If you’d like to use the pool in the garden, just let us know in advance, and we’ll heat the water. If it’s too cold outside, there’s also a pool in the basement, which you can use as well. Just let us know beforehand, and we’ll have it ready for you.”

She also explained the purpose of another house visible outside.

“That’s where the staff live. Please follow me, I’ll now take you to the glasshouse.”

As soon as they entered the glasshouse, the warm air enveloped them, a stark contrast to the chilly outdoors.

Jingyeom shivered slightly, then slowly looked around the lush, green interior.

One of the first things Soohyuk did after purchasing the estate was build this glasshouse.

He wanted to create a space where Jingyeom could rest comfortably, even in winter, knowing how much time Jingyeom spent on the rooftop patio after Soohyuk had installed a bench there.

A team of experts had been brought in, and a large workforce was mobilized to complete the project quickly, just in time for Jingyeom’s arrival.

“We’ve set up tables and chairs throughout, so there are plenty of places to relax. If you’d like, we can also pitch a tent on the central platform. There’s a bathroom and a shower inside, so you won’t have any inconveniences if you choose to sleep here.”

“…I don’t think I’ll be sleeping here, but the facilities are impressive.”

Hoonil chuckled to himself, suspecting that the glasshouse was built because of something he had mentioned in the hospital.

Even if he wasn’t entirely sure, it was clear that Soohyuk had made it with Jingyeom in mind.

Building such a large glasshouse must have cost a fortune, and the upkeep wouldn’t be cheap either.

It was obvious that Soohyuk had poured a lot of effort into this space.

* * *