* * *

Jungin scratched his head awkwardly, feeling tired.

He took one last look at Beomhyeon sleeping peacefully before quietly leaving the room.

Fortunately, the door wasn’t locked, so it was an easy escape.

“Where… am I?”

He had been here once before and thought he could figure out where he was once outside, but the surroundings were unfamiliar.

He abandoned trying to recognize the place and instead followed a delicious aroma, walking for quite some time until the sound of people talking reached his ears.

And that smoke rising into the sky?

It had to be someone grilling meat. His heart suddenly raced, and Jungin picked up his pace, hurrying towards the source of the smoke.

Rustle—

“Huh? What’s this branch doing here—oof.”

“Who are you?”

Suddenly, a man appeared, pinning Jungin to the ground.

His arms were twisted, and his neck grabbed, leaving him too shocked to speak.

“I said, who are you? Who comes sneaking out from there, huh?”

“I-I’m just someone who got kidnapped!”

“What?”

No, no, that’s not it.

Right—say you’re a friend of Ki Beomhyeon.

He’s the young master here, so claiming to be his friend should work.

“Hey, are you crazy?”

But before Jungin could answer, someone rushed over and shoved the man off him, their eyes wide with shock.

“Are you okay?”

“Ugh… Th-thank you.”

It had only been a minute or so, but his entire body hurt, especially his twisted wrists and shoulders.

Jungin wiped away a tear that had slipped out and looked up.

“Do you need to go to the hospital?”

“No, it’s not that bad… haha.”

“Who is he, anyway?” the man who had pinned him asked, now looking at Jungin.

“He’s a guest brought by the young master!”

“…The young master brought a guest? Are you serious? Are you in on this too?”

“You crazy idiot! Stop before you do something you’ll regret and apologize!”

“But that makes him seem even more suspicious.”

“What the hell. Did this dumbass eat something wrong?”

Why are they suddenly fighting?

The atmosphere had turned so hostile that Jungin felt scared.

Geez, all this trouble just for some grilled meat.

As he tried to back away and return to the room he’d left, he bumped into someone solid.

“Oof.”

Turning around, Jungin came face-to-face with someone who looked strikingly like Ki Beomhyeon.

“Ki Beomhyeon?”

“…”

“Wait… you’re not him, are you?”

He looked older, like he could be Beomhyeon’s uncle.

As Jungin tilted his head in confusion, he noticed the room go quiet.

Even the big men who had been grilling meat bowed deeply, at a 90-degree angle.

No way…

“Are you… Ki Beomhyeon’s father?”

The man, Beomkyeon, watched Jungin’s trembling eyes and let out a twisted grin, speaking at last.

“Yes. But what is the youngest of the Hyun Group doing in my house?”

Oh no. He hadn’t expected to be discovered this soon.

He thought the parents wouldn’t be around because they’d been hospitalized last time.

He hadn’t anticipated this.

Jungin hesitated, wondering if he should hide his face, but he knew it was useless.

Those piercing eyes, so much like Beomhyeon’s, made him realize quickly that lying wouldn’t work.

What excuse should he come up with now?

Claiming he was just visiting didn’t seem convincing, especially since the men had just mentioned that Beomhyeon never brought friends home.

As his worries grew, Beomhyeon’s father reached out toward him.

Jungin instinctively flinched and closed his eyes, fearing he might get hit.

“No need to be so scared. Yes, it’s not strange for a fiancé to visit his fiancé’s house, after all.”

A warm but clumsy hand patted his head. Jungin opened his eyes, blushing in embarrassment.

But then his body stiffened at Beomkyeon’s words.

Fiancé…?

“…Fiancé?”

“Are you joking?”

“Huh?”

Beomkyeon’s face hardened, and the air grew icy. Jungin blinked, then lifted his head in disbelief.

“Wait, did I get engaged to Ki Beomhyeon?”

“Father.”

Suddenly, a familiar scent surrounded him, and warm arms enveloped his body.

When he glanced up, Ki Beomhyeon was there, holding him.

Jungin tried to squirm away, but Beomhyeon tightened his grip, refusing to let go.

Why is he doing this…?

Both Beomhyeon’s father and the other men watched the scene intently, making Jungin feel even more embarrassed.

Why was he the only one feeling flustered when Beomhyeon looked so unfazed?

But now wasn’t the time to be worrying about that.

Engaged?

Was Lee Jungin really engaged?

To Ki Beomhyeon, of all people…?

Clenching his fists, he looked up at Beomhyeon, whose face filled his vision.

“Ki Beomhyeon. Are we… engaged?”

He stood on tiptoe, whispering in Beomhyeon’s ear.

Beomhyeon was silent for a moment before nodding.

“Why didn’t you… tell me until now?!”

Jeez. Why hadn’t he said anything?

About the age difference, the real Lee Jungin’s death, and now the engagement.

Beomhyeon had never told him anything first.

The confusion made Jungin feel dizzy.

His legs gave way, and Beomhyeon caught him, frowning with concern.

“Are you okay?”

“Y-yeah… I’m fine.”

Despite his reassurance, Beomhyeon didn’t let go of him.

“Hey… you can let go now…”

The weight of all the staring eyes was unnerving.

Jungin took a deep breath, trying to steady himself, and then walked over to Beomkyeon, bowing deeply.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Lee Jungin.”

He hesitated, gathering his thoughts.

“I actually lost my memory in a car accident, so I couldn’t introduce myself properly before. I’m sorry.”

Engagements and all that… it was too much to process, but he felt the least he could do was offer a polite greeting.

“Hmm. You certainly seem different.”

Beomkyeon’s gaze seemed to pierce through him, shining in the darkness.

Well, of course, he was different; the real Lee Jungin was long gone.

But how did Beomkyeon notice?

He was the first to recognize something was off since Jungin had possessed this body.

What if he got found out?

Just then, the scent of burning meat wafted over.

Turning around, he saw perfectly good samgyeopsal sizzling away, about to burn.

What a waste!

After all the trouble he’d gone through to get here, it pained him to see the meat ruined.

Back in the orphanage, he’d never even had a chance to eat something like that!

“Um, the meat’s burning!”

“What’s so amusing that they’re letting all that precious meat go to waste?”

Jungin frowned, glancing at the people still frozen in surprise, before heading over to the barbecue.

“Hurry up and flip the meat; it’s going to burn!”

Just as he reached for the tongs to save the meat, Beomhyeon, who had appeared next to him, took the tongs from his hand.

“Why… why are you…?”

“What if you get hurt?”

Clicking his tongue disapprovingly, Beomhyeon handed the tongs to Mr. Yoon, who had followed them, and then grabbed Jungin by the wrist.

It smelled so good…

Jungin couldn’t let go of the thought as he watched the meat burn to a crisp, until Beomhyeon lifted him up entirely and moved him away from the barbecue.

“Hey, put me down!”

“Stay still. You never know what kind of trouble you’ll get into.”

“You’re one to talk!”

Kicking his legs and pounding Beomhyeon’s shoulder with a clenched fist, a loud laugh erupted from behind them.

Both Beomhyeon and Jungin stopped moving and turned toward the source.

“How entertaining.”

Beomkyeon shook with laughter, unable to wipe the grin from his face at the sight of his son like this.

* * *