RHFTY chapter 52

* * *

“…What?”

“Not as family, but as lovers. Do you still not understand?”

Chaeyi’s mouth fell open in shock.

The casual way he slipped in such an indecent remark, carrying a hint of emotion, left his even more flustered.

“Le… Leo? What kind of joke is this? No matter how you put it, this is too much!”

Her mind went blank, unable to process what was happening.

Stammering like a broken machine, he forced himself to speak.

Silence now felt like the worst thing that could happen.

As Chaeyi struggled to make sense of the sudden confession, Leonard, visibly hurt, let out a bitter laugh.

“…A joke?”

The overwhelming emotion Leonard felt was indescribable, triggered by his reaction—her attempt to brush it off as a joke despite everything he had said.

He completely lost the last thread of control he had over himself.

“I’ll show you if it’s really a joke.”

Leonard took a step closer to him, and in response, Chaeyi instinctively backed away.

“L-let’s just calm down and talk…”

He reacted instinctively, sensing the threat in his demeanor.

But to Leonard, it seemed like he was repulsed by him.

It was a moment he had dreaded and hoped would never come.

Yet here it was, and it cut him deeply.

At the same time, it ignited a stubborn determination within him.

Closing the distance between them, Leonard grabbed Chaeyi’s wrist before he could retreat any further.

As he looked up, startled, Leonard cradled the back of his head with surprising gentleness, pulling his closer.

“Le….”

As Chaeyi stared blankly at Leonard’s long eyelashes lowering, a soft but unfamiliar sensation pressed against his lips.

When he realized what it was, his heart plummeted. It felt as if it had physically dropped, though of course, it hadn’t.

But the sensation of pain, the shortness of breath, and the heat spreading through his body were all too real.

“Ah…”

Chaeyi squeezed his eyes shut, trying to push him away, but Leonard didn’t budge.

The memory of a dream where they kissed flashed through his mind—only it wasn’t a dream.

Experiencing it in reality made his realize that moment had been real all along.

‘Why….’

How foolish he must have seemed, relieved that nothing had happened.

He had worried endlessly about his mistakes and the possibility of upsetting him.

Now, that worry felt pitiful compared to the tumultuous emotions raging inside him.

But those thoughts vanished quickly as Leonard’s tongue slid past his sealed lips, the sensation sending a chill down his spine.

“…!”

Her body reacted on its own.

He pushed against Leonard’s chest with all his strength, creating a slight gap between them.

Then, he punched him.

Thud!

The dull sound echoed as Leonard’s face turned to the side.

Chaeyi’s punch had carried more emotion than he had anticipated.

“…Ah.”

“….”

Leonard didn’t retaliate.

Chaeyi, shocked by his own actions, gasped.

An oppressive silence settled between them.

Though Chaeyi, as a beta, lacked the physical strength to seriously harm Leonard, it was the first time he had ever struck him with such intensity.

Even Leonard seemed taken aback, and a red mark spread across his pale cheek, a testament to the force of his punch.

“Uh….”

Seeing the redness bloom on his skin, Chaeyi’s anger immediately subsided.

He felt guilty and unsure of what to say, his mouth opening and closing in hesitation.

Leonard slowly raised his hand to his cheek, then turned his head to face his again.

His expression, deeply shaken, couldn’t meet his eyes and instead remained fixed on the floor.

The sight of him looking so defeated softened his heart.

Moments ago, he had been furious, but now all he wanted was to comfort him.

“…Leo, I’m sorry I hit you.”

“No, it’s my fault.”

Leonard dropped his hand from his cheek and spoke in a resigned tone.

He was relieved, in a way, to have been brought back to his senses by his punch.

“I’m sorry, Chaeyi.”

“…”

“I’m going to step out and clear my head for a bit.”

Leonard walked past Chaeyi and headed downstairs, giving his space so he wouldn’t feel uncomfortable.

Left alone, Chaeyi slowly entered his room, closed the door, and sat on the bed, burying his face in his hands with a heavy sigh.

‘…Leo… loves me…?’

Not just as a friend or family, but in ‘that’ way?

It was so unexpected, so confusing.

A single question echoed in his mind.

‘Why?’

Why me, and why now, out of the blue? It didn’t make any sense.

They had lived like family for so long, only reconnecting years after his transformation.

He couldn’t fathom what had changed or when he had started to feel this way.

As memories of Leonard’s intense gaze and the heat of his breath filled his mind, he squeezed his eyes shut.

‘This is crazy. It’s insane.’

Even if they weren’t blood-related, he had always treated him like a son.

The fact that he had momentarily found the kiss with him pleasant disturbed his to the core.

‘This is impossible.’

But no matter how much he tried to block it out, the memory of their closeness, the warmth, and the weight of the kiss kept replaying in his mind.

His heart pounded too hard, his body flushed with heat, and he felt as if his face might burst.

‘What… what am I supposed to do?’

For the first time in his life, Chaeyi was utterly lost, desperate for advice, for help.

---

Fortunately, after some sleep, Chaeyi felt calmer and more composed.

As Leonard prepared to leave early, he quietly got up as well.

He wasn’t sure what to say, but Leonard acted as if nothing had happened.

“Chaeyi, did you sleep well?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah.”

“If you’re up, let’s go.”

Leonard left the room first.

At that moment, Chaeyi felt as though his sense of reality had faded, and he began to doubt whether what had happened yesterday was even real.

But just as they were getting into the carriage, Leonard brought it up again, making things clear.

“What I said yesterday wasn’t a joke or a lie, Chaeyi.”

It was his way of saying he didn’t want to leave things unresolved, like spilled water that couldn’t be gathered back.

“…….”

Chaeyi swallowed nervously. He was much calmer than he had been yesterday, and wanted to try convincing him through conversation first.

“I don’t understand why you’d say something like that. Why do you like me that way? Does it really have to be me? There are definitely younger, more compatible people out there for you.”

Of course, Leonard wasn’t swayed by such reasoning.

“Do there need to be pros and cons to liking someone? I like you because you’re Chaeyi. I could point to certain reasons, but honestly, it just happened naturally because of everything we’ve been through.”

“But… we’ve always been like family.”

“Always? No. That’s just what you thought.”

His words sounded almost cold.

It made his realize that things he had taken for granted might not have been true.

Ironically, this made his feel like he was the one being persuaded.

Chae, now at a loss for words, pressed his lips together in silence.

Just a moment ago, he had been determined to deny his feelings and convince him otherwise, but now, he found himself wanting to understand Leonard’s perspective a bit more.

“Are you not going to give up?”

“If I was going to, I would’ve done it a long time ago.”

“What’s so good about someone like me…?”

“I just like you, Chaeyi. What does age have to do with that?”

“…Are you sure you won’t regret it?”

“Chae. I’m not a kid anymore… this isn’t some fleeting emotion.”

“…….”

“I’ve thought about what a realistic relationship would look like. I’ve wrestled with it and even denied my feelings. But now, after all that confusion, I’ve come to my own conclusion.”

“…I see.”

It was the first time Chaeyi had heard Leonard’s honest feelings.

It was a complicated, subtle emotion…

Leonard had clearly spent time seriously reflecting on his own heart.

To Chaeyi, this side of him felt unfamiliar.

He could no longer hide behind the excuse of “You’re still young.”

This wasn’t a problem he could simply deny.

Now, he needed to figure out how he felt about the changing nature of his relationship with Leonard.

He had thought seriously about it, and now, he wanted to face it with the same sincerity.

‘How do I really feel about Leo? Is he still just like a son to me? Or… something else?’

But understanding his own feelings was still a difficult task.

Most of all, Chaeyi had never experienced romantic feelings for a man before, so it was hard to definitively say whether it was possible or not.

While he had been startled by their intense physical closeness, he had never actually felt disgusted by it.

Still, the thought of dating him had never crossed his mind.

Not that he had dated a woman either, for that matter.

‘This is hard.’

For Chaeyi, who had been single for over a decade, this was one of the greatest challenges he had faced.

* * *

*Summary page is only available for login users. Non-users can view the chapters on the chapter list.*