The situation was so peaceful that even Chirpy, who intensely disliked Woo Jaehyun, was fast asleep, exposing his belly.
The sound of his purring could be heard from the pile of clothes I had taken off.
And finally, it was because of Woo Jaehyun’s expression.
He was happy like someone who had gained the world, taking on all the chores as if he were a butler, and I couldn’t understand what made him so happy.
Seeing him genuinely happy, not just putting on a show as usual, I couldn’t bring myself to ask to be sent home.
‘I might not even be able to open my mouth until the end…’
What was more surprising was that far from feeling uncomfortable, I was gradually getting used to this situation.
Strangely, even staring blankly at the ceiling like this, I no longer entertained extreme thoughts.
And that was despite the fact that all I had done for two days was eat, sleep, and roll around on the sofa.
Unbeknownst to me, a subtle change had begun to take place.
‘Or is it because Woo Jaehyun is right beside me?’
I tilted my head, then yawned loudly and got off the bed.
While scratching my back and blinking my sleepy eyes, I abruptly stopped at my reflection in the full-length mirror.
My hair was a mess, and perhaps because I was wearing Woo Jaehyun’s clothes, the white t-shirt and shorts were hanging loosely.
Just by looking at my smooth, polished skin, I could tell how deeply I had slept.
“I’m really living it up.”
Although the worry was lessened thanks to Woo Jaehyun contacting my father, I was far too carefree for someone who was supposedly confined.
I chuckled lightly at myself for being so ridiculous and trudged over to the living room.
I walked past Woo Jaehyun, who looked busy in the kitchen again, and plopped down onto the sofa.
I naturally looked for the remote and turned on the TV, where a serious-faced announcer appeared on the screen.
Breaking news was being reported, completely different from yesterday’s.
“…While Hunter Seo Inho’s whereabouts remain unknown, Igor Alekseevich Petrov, a famous Russian philanthropist, is also currently unreachable. He is the person who provided the venue for this invitation event, and he is known to have suddenly disappeared on the same day Hunter Seo Inho went missing. If the contents of the anonymous letter released this morning are true, opinions are emerging that the possibility of Igor’s involvement in this missing persons case cannot be ruled out. A heated debate is ensuing among netizens regarding this. Some are saying…”
An anonymous letter?
Just last evening, the news was clearly reporting that I had been swept into an S-Rank dungeon.
But with the release of some anonymous letter, the atmosphere seemed to be rapidly shifting toward my kidnapping.
Although my name wasn’t explicitly mentioned, the information that Igor had kidnapped people and that they were rare Awakeners was enough to fuel such speculation.
It seemed one of the people imprisoned in the basement couldn’t hold back and exposed Igor’s true identity, which now put me in a rather difficult position.
I should have made them sign a non-disclosure agreement or something.
The moment I admitted the truth here, they would definitely probe into what happened there and the mansion’s location.
They would, of course, be curious about Igor’s whereabouts, and the truth would surely be revealed soon.
Then, there would be more than one person, including young Salim, who would face trouble.
Of course, it was a righteous action, but apart from that, another danger might arise.
Didn’t we even share the items in the treasure vault among ourselves?
Since I had unintentionally destroyed evidence by getting rid of the mansion, opening my mouth would be equivalent to self-destruction.
‘I must deny everything.’
I was staring intently at Igor’s photo on the TV, pondering excuses, when Woo Jaehyun, who had carried a large tray, sat down right next to me.
“Hyung, it’s ready.”
He then presented the tray, on which sat a plausible-looking omurice.
The words, though illegible, were even written painstakingly in ketchup.
Hmm.
I almost burst out laughing at the thought of those enormous hands writing each letter with such care.
I quickly managed to control the corner of my mouth that was trying to creep up and took a large spoonful of the omurice.
“How is it?”
Woo Jaehyun asked, observing my reaction even before I could chew.
I quietly looked at his expectant, moss-green eyes and then nodded.
“It’s tasty. Do you cook often?”
“No, this is the first time since you came, Hyung. I followed a YouTube tutorial.”
No wonder the utensils in the kitchen, yesterday and today, were all scattered messily.
A faint burnt smell was coming from the kitchen, suggesting he had failed several times in the process.
‘How many eggs did he throw away?’
While munching on the food, I glanced at the mountain of eggshells piled up on the table.
Honestly, the taste was quite mediocre compared to the effort, but since the chef had put his heart into it, I diligently moved my spoon.
“It has been confirmed that Hunters Cha Rui and Do Soohyuk are currently staying in Moscow. Hunter Woo Jaehyun’s location has not yet been determined, and the Arion Guild’s private jet remains stationary at Sheremetyevo Airport. They appear to be continuing their search efforts for the missing Hunter Seo Inho. Regarding this, Cha Sung Guild, The One Guild, and Arion Guild have not released any official statements. As the public remains unsure when the S-Rank Hunters will return to Korea…”
“What? Then what did I fly on?”
No wonder it was strange that there were no reporters when I arrived in Korea.
It seemed he had rented a different private jet to move quietly, and I was curious why he went to such lengths.
And why are Cha Rui and Do Soohyuk still in Russia?
They should have arrived in Korea by now.
When I persistently asked him yesterday, Woo Jaehyun had definitely answered that he would contact them.
Even if he didn’t reveal my location, the news that Seo Inho had been found should have been relayed, telling them to return.
But the fact that the two were still in Moscow meant they hadn’t received any contact yet.
I could only conclude that Woo Jaehyun had intentionally lied.
‘Did he really go to such lengths just to keep me by his side? To avoid letting others know?’
Given that he even used a Numenstone, it was hard to simply conclude it was for protection.
Rather, a strong sense of possessiveness was more palpable than protection.
Although the boy had constantly craved attention, I never expected him to act this way.
I had somewhat noticed it when he implanted the tracker, but Woo Jaehyun’s obsession was far beyond my standards.
“Hyung, can you stop watching TV now?”
I was so engrossed in the news that I had been scraping the empty plate for a while.
Woo Jaehyun, clearly displeased, picked up the remote control.
The TV screen immediately turned off, and the plate in my hand was snatched away.
He then immediately bent his large body and wrapped his arms around my waist.
Unable to withstand his weight, my body fell backward, and I ended up in a prone position underneath him.
Not stopping there, Woo Jaehyun rubbed his forehead on my shoulder and then subtly moved his head toward my neck.
My body instinctively trembled as I suddenly felt the soft touch of his lips and his warm breath.
“Hey…”
“It feels so good to be alone with you, Hyung.”
I tried to twist my body slightly, but of course, his arm didn’t budge.
Since he had my waist firmly embraced, moving was out of the question.
However, for some unknown reason, even being crushed by his weight, I didn’t feel any pressure.
Even though it should have been difficult to breathe, my chest rose and fell calmly.
“Ha.”
Woo Jaehyun exhaled with satisfaction, holding me in his arms almost like a shackle.
Then, he gently shook his head, as if he was overjoyed with this situation.
‘Wait a minute…’
Laughter erupted uncontrollably due to his hair tickling my neck.
Even if I was trained because of Chirpy, this was an unbearable level of ticklishness.
I struggled and laughed hysterically for a long time, and only after Woo Jaehyun stopped did I wipe the corner of my eyes with the back of my hand.
I had laughed so much that my eyes were full of tears.
I barely managed to calm the breath that was caught in my throat and opened my mouth.
No matter how much I wanted to gloss over it, I had to say what needed to be said.
“I’m only staying a few more days. And I’m going to contact the guys today. I’ll be watching you.”
“Understood.”
Woo Jaehyun surprisingly answered obediently and then tightened the arm around my waist again.
I was too tired to laugh anymore and tried to push away his face, but a long finger subtly slid inside my t-shirt.
To make matters worse, it started crawling up toward my lower back, so in a fit of anger, I grabbed a handful of his hair.
It was my signal for him to stop.
“Woo Jaehyun, enough.”
Despite this, Woo Jaehyun’s playful touching showed no sign of stopping.
Instead, he grinned slyly and climbed up, sliding to my shoulder blade.
Unlike Do Soohyuk, who always carried a sword, his hands were also rough and covered with calluses.
Since my senses were already heightened, my lower body was gradually starting to feel agitated.
I couldn’t help but feel this way, especially after the previous incident where I reacted in front of Cha Rui.
Just then, the hand that was gently stroking my shoulder blade and spine moved past my ribs to a sensitive spot.
Startled, I involuntarily twitched my hips slightly.
“Hyung, why won’t you tell me what happened at the mansion?”
“N-nothing happened. I was just attending to a bath, and…”
“Attending to a bath?”
