Yet, before I could even spit out those words, Lucian pulled me straight into his embrace.
A thick, heavy arm wrapped around my shoulder, giving me a light pat.
The skin pressed against mine was soft.
And…….
……Plush.
This isn’t right.
No matter how you look at it, this isn’t right.
I desperately tried to hold onto my sanity.
However, a random thought popped into my head.
‘What is the most comfortable bed in the world?’
Something like ‘beds are science’ from TV commercials?
Or maybe a warm, heated ondol floor after a heavy meal?
No.
It’s massive pecs.
This is instinct.
A primal human memory engraved since the dawn of creation.
I came to a profound realization.
Nestled inside Lucian’s arms, I knew this wasn’t a battle I could win.
……It was cozy.
The next day, I got ready to head to the movie theater where I had promised to meet Cedric.
Only two days had passed, yet Lucian had already naturally seeped into my daily routine.
As soon as I woke up today, he had made breakfast and even gone so far as to recommend what I should wear.
“Muted colors suit the Master well. However, I believe a slightly more cheerful mood would be preferable today.”
Standing in front of the wardrobe, he agonized over it, discussing styling with far more seriousness than I ever would.
With a heavy sigh, I checked that the custom shirt I’d ordered online for Lucian had arrived.
Tearing open the package, I tossed it to Lucian, who unfolded it with a pleased smile.
“To think the Master would pick out clothes for me—I am truly a blessed servant.”
……Fucking hell, stop attaching weird, profound meanings to everything.
Stepping out of the house and arriving at the movie theater, Cedric was already there waiting. Without a word, he handed me a sandwich.
I tilted my head in confusion.
“I already ate breakfast?”
Cedric tilted his head right back and shot the question right back at me.
“You don’t normally eat breakfast.”
‘How the hell would you know that?’
The words rushed up to my throat, but I swallowed them down.
It was a habit of mine to skip breakfast, true.
……Though it felt a bit awkward to explain that I now had a live-in final boss who doted on me.
In the end, I chose to keep my mouth firmly shut.
Seeing my reaction, Cedric looked even more bewildered, and feeling grateful for the gesture, I accepted the sandwich.
“Thanks.”
“……Whatever.”
For some reason, feeling his persistent, probing gaze on me, I instinctively covered the back of my neck with my hand.
Once the screening began, the lingering tension in my shoulders eased up a bit.
The lights slowly dimmed, and the opening scene of the movie flickered onto the screen.
The story started out centered around a politician.
On the outside, he wore a spotless mask of righteousness, churning out sweeping speeches about looking out for the working-class economy, but behind closed doors, he was lining his pockets with dirty money and securing backroom favors.
However, the subsequent progression of the film took an unexpected turn.
Unlike typical courtroom movies where a whistleblowing reporter or a righteous prosecutor serves as the protagonist, here, ‘the law’ itself became the mechanism used to tear the politician down.
Those in power tried to cleverly exploit legal loopholes to escape their crimes, but paradoxically, the ‘official procedures’ inherent to the law turned into a inescapable trap that ensnared them.
Treating the law as nothing more than a convenient shield, they ultimately faced the bitter irony of that very same law turning into a weapon that crushed them.
In the climax of the movie, the politician attempts to slip through the net of the law via perjury, only to trip over his own feet due to a legal clause he himself had amended in the past.
Treating the law merely as his personal shield, he ironically found himself trapped within the framework of the laws he had forged with his own hands, and utterly ruined.
-Did you honestly think this law would protect you?
Cedric gave it not even a sideways glance as he answered flatly.
“Figures. Though I doubt I’d ever be that sloppy.”
……As expected of a guy who eventually became Emperor.
The lights flickered back on, and people began rising from their seats one by one.
The theater was thick with the lingering atmosphere of the ending credits.
Amidst the murmuring noise, I stood up and looked over at Cedric.
“You said we have a team project right after this, right?”
Cedric nodded in affirmation.
“Yeah.”
“What time are we meeting?”
“An hour from now. At a cafe nearby,” Cedric said, sparing a glance at his watch.
Thinking of Gongi and Ian—the other members of our project team—I tilted my head.
“Guess I can just work on the report while waiting for them. But since we all take the same class anyway, couldn’t we have just met up all together?”
“They said they already saw it.”
Ah, they watched it beforehand, huh.
Nodding at that, just as I swung my backpack over my shoulder, a sudden question popped into my head.
“Then why is it an hour later?”
“To check things.”
“……Check what?”
Cedric slowly shifted his gaze toward me.
“You’ve been acting different lately.”
Instantly, my heart plummeted straight into my boots.
Avoiding his gaze, I bit down on my lower lip.
“……What are you even talking about?”
That’s my line.
To begin with, what on earth does he have in common with Kim Semo?
Those words hovered right on the tip of my tongue, threatening to spill out.
Cedric’s expression remained as impassive as ever, but his sharp, analytical eyes were scrutinizing my every reaction.
“Just a hunch.”
Cedric muttered.
Swallowing dryly, I looked back toward the screen.
The ending credits had already finished rolling.
Striding toward the exit, Cedric suddenly paused and blocked my path.
With a cryptic, meaningful smile, he said,
“There are some things I want to talk about before the others get here. An hour should be plenty of time.”
……Fucking hell.
Forcing myself to pretend I hadn’t heard, I gripped my backpack straps tight and followed Cedric out of the theater.
The outside air was freezing, but my mind felt blisteringly hot.
During the quiet walk side by side along the path, Cedric didn’t say much.
Yet that very silence only made me feel all the more anxious.
Stopping in front of a crosswalk, Cedric glanced sideways at me.
“Are you nervous?”
“……No.”
“Really?”
The moment those words left his mouth, the traffic light changed, and Cedric stepped forward nonchalantly.
Walking right behind him, I swallowed down a sigh internally.
Watching the flashing green pedestrian light, Cedric suddenly glanced back over his shoulder and said,
“You really should be.”
“……What?”
“Because I’m going to grill you.”
Fucking hell.
