My head throbbed like it was going to split open. I grabbed it, trying to open my eyes, but everything around me was so bright that I had to squint.

‘Why is it so bright?’

It wasn’t the soft glow of a bedside lamp. Startled, I sat up—only to see the face of the man I had been longing to see.

“Seunghyuk...”

Joo Seunghyuk was lying beside the bed.

“Did you sleep well?”

I blinked blankly. Was I dreaming right now?

I reached out toward Joo Seunghyuk cautiously. He gave a small laugh and «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» took my hand, bringing it to his face. His warm body heat spread through my fingertips.

“You... You’re real?”

“Of course I am. What, you think I’m fake?”

It really was Joo Seunghyuk. How was this possible? Yesterday, even though he brought me all sorts of things, he never showed me his face...

“Seunghyuk, ugh...!”

My head throbbed again. Why did the headache feel this bad...

Ah! Now that I think about it...

Last night, in a burst of anger, I drank wine straight from the bottle. Then I collapsed and fell asleep—and saw Seunghyuk.

After that...

‘You’re such a bastard!’

‘Why won’t you hug me? Why won’t you even touch me?! You asshole! You’re sick of my body now, aren’t you?!’

Aaaaargh!!! Lee Yeonsu, are you crazy?! If you drank, you should’ve just passed out quietly! What the hell were you thinking?!

With each fragmented memory that surfaced, a scream welled up from deep inside my chest.

I really made a mess of myself, didn’t I?

“Hyung, does it hurt?”

Joo Seunghyuk’s voice was surprisingly gentle. Even though I’d thrown a tantrum like that... was he not angry?

“Ah, no. I just have a bit of a hangover. I’m fine. Haha. Hahaha...”

“That’s good. But hyung, do you remember what happened yesterday?”

“No. I don’t.”

I shook my head firmly. I decided to seal away the hazy fragments that were surfacing. I didn’t remember the whole thing, so it wasn’t a total lie.

“You really don’t?”

“Mm.”

As he kept checking, a wave of anxiety swept over me. But I’d already said it, and I couldn’t take it back now.

“You don’t remember begging me to tie you up, f*ck you, and do you all over while you sobbed?”

When the hell did I sob! You liar! You’re making this up because I said I don’t remember, aren’t you?!

But now that I’d claimed I couldn’t remember, I had no way to call him out on his lie.

“I... did?”

“Yeah. I didn’t know you were so aggressive, hyung.”

“Th-That can’t be. I don’t remember, but I’m not the type to do that...”

I tried to deny it as gently as I could, but Joo Seunghyuk’s eyes narrowed in amusement.

“You don’t remember saying I could f*ck you, cum inside you, and do whatever I wanted?”

“......”

Don’t tell me I actually said that... My mind went blank from the stream of graphic words pouring from Joo Seunghyuk’s mouth.

Of course, he could just be making it all up—but since I only had fragmented memories of the night, I couldn’t fully deny it either.

“What kind of stuff are you watching to come up with ideas like that? Are you secretly doing naughty things behind my back?”

...It wasn’t naughty stuff, damn it. I was reading novels for work, and they just happened to be hardcore, brutal, R-rated stuff.

I’ve always been a guy who liked healing stories and cute characters, from my past life to now. But there was no way I could explain the original story to Joo Seunghyuk.

“No, it’s not like that. I just... watched one of those videos as a rite of passage after becoming an adult, and it was kind of traumatizing...”

“So you wanted to try it yourself?”

“No!”

“You asked me to.”

Joo Seunghyuk’s lips curled into a mischievous grin. That bastard. He definitely knew the truth and was teasing me on purpose.

“I probably meant it as a way of saying I just wanted you by my side, no matter how... not like me it sounded. I mean, I don’t remember, but that’s probably what I meant... I just wanted to be with you. Ugh...”

As I mumbled an embarrassed excuse, Joo Seunghyuk grabbed my lips between his index and middle finger and pulled.

“Mm?!”

Startled, I looked up. He let go of my lips and poked my cheek.

“Do you act like this with everyone?”

“Huh?”

“Is this a habit? Do you seduce people without thinking?”

When did I seduce him? I couldn’t understand the logic of this obsessive lunatic, but it was hard to refute.

“I only do it with you. Only with you.”

“You better. You should only do it with me.”

He chuckled and ruffled my hair. It was a calm, gentle smile, like everything had gone back to the way it was before I was locked up.

Was he not angry anymore?

“But... where are we?”

I asked cautiously while watching his expression.

I was fully dressed. There were no handcuffs or shackles. This wasn’t the basement—and it wasn’t his house, either.

The ceiling was low, and the layout was strange. Especially the shape of the windows—if it weren’t for the bed, I might’ve thought we were on a plane.

“It really feels like we’re on a plane.”

“It is a plane.”

Joo Seunghyuk said it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. But I couldn’t accept it that calmly.

“What?!”

“You said you ran away because you wanted to get on a plane. So I brought you.”

“N-No, I didn’t.”

“What do you mean, no? Are you lying again? You didn’t go because of the plane?”

...Because of the plane?

‘That was just a test flight! I’ve never been on a plane before. I just wanted to try it once before going with you. I didn’t want to look like a clueless idiot and embarrass you.’

Ah, that’s right. I did say something like that. No matter how drunk I was, what kind of ridiculous excuse was that?

Still, Joo Seunghyuk had accepted that nonsense—no, not just accepted it. He was choosing to hold on to our relationship, even if it was built on a flimsy lie.

“...Yeah. I wanted to fly.”

I nodded.

“Then that’s perfect, isn’t it?”

“Yeah. I’m sorry...”

“It’s okay. You wanted to get on a plane. It’s my fault for not realizing.”

“...Are you forgiving me?”

He didn’t answer. He just smiled.

So he’s letting it go for now—but he’s not forgiving me.

“B-But this isn’t really a plane, right? There’s a bed and a sofa...”

The interior looked nothing like the planes I knew. Sure, the ceiling was low, but this could just be a hotel designed like a plane.

I clung to that hope—until Joo Seunghyuk lifted the window shade. The vast open sky and clouds stretched endlessly beyond.

“It’s Seonghan’s private jet.”

“Aaagh!”

It really was a plane. The moment I saw the clouds, I panicked and threw myself into Joo Seunghyuk’s arms. He let out a soft chuckle.

“You ran away, but now look at you.”

“N-No!”

“What do you mean, no?”

“Aaack!!”

My mind went blank with fear. I just clung to him and shut my eyes.

“Are you going to run away again?”

I couldn’t even make a sound—I just shook my head violently. Joo Seunghyuk lowered the window shade again and gently patted my trembling back.

***

I was half-unconscious the entire time on the plane. You’d think he’d get annoyed after holding me like that for hours, but Joo Seunghyuk embraced me tightly without a hint of irritation.

We even caused a bit of a scene during the landing...

Still, once the plane had fully touched down, my mind slowly began to clear.

“...Sorry.”

His black shirt was wrinkled all over—because I’d been clutching it tightly the entire flight, refusing to let go.

“It’s okay. I liked that you held onto me and didn’t let go. If I’d known it’d be like this, I would’ve put you on a plane ages ago.”

He smiled faintly and rubbed my cheek. Thankfully, he didn’t seem upset.

“But... where are we?”

“You’re asking fast this time.”

“Sorry...”

The moment I realized I was on a plane, I’d gone into full-blown panic mode. There hadn’t been any room in my head to think or ask anything else.

“It’s fine.”

Just as his gentle voice began to calm me down, everything suddenly went dark. Seunghyuk had covered my eyes with a black cloth.

“Seunghyuk...?”

“Where we’re going from here is a secret. You can’t see it.”

“...Okay.”

I had no intention of arguing with him anyway, so I nodded obediently.

“Don’t take off the blindfold.”

“Okay.”

I answered with my hands folded politely in front of me.

“Good boy.”

He patted my head.

“...Yeah.”

When I nodded again, I heard Seunghyuk chuckle softly.

“Are you a good boy now, hyung?”

“I’m reflecting on what I did. Ah—!”

He suddenly pinched my cheek. Since I couldn’t see anything, the surprise made me cry out involuntarily.

“Don’t act so cute. It makes me want to forgive you.”

“......”

That must mean he hasn’t forgiven me.

I opened my mouth, unsure what to say, and something small slipped between my lips—a pill.

The bitter taste spread across my tongue, and my whole body went cold.

“Sh–Seuheok—”

The pill made it hard to move my tongue, and the word came out slurred. Seunghyuk placed a bottle of water in my hand.

“Drink.”

“Suh–heok... I’m sahwy...” (Seunghyuk, I’m sorry...)

But Seunghyuk hadn’t forgiven me. I didn’t know what kind of drug this was, but it was definitely not something good. Maybe... maybe he really brought me abroad to kill me.

Terrified, I begged, but Seunghyuk’s voice was cold.

“I really hate those reflexive apologies you spit out without thinking.”

“......”

He took the water bottle from my hand. Then he grabbed the back of my neck, and his lips pressed against mine. His tongue ravaged the inside of my mouth, violently and without pause. Amid the breathless, relentless kiss, I ended up swallowing the pill.

***

When I opened my eyes, I was greeted by a ceiling with an old-fashioned, antique ambiance.

Where am I? Ah, is this one of those...?

Did I get poisoned by Joo Seunghyuk and now fall into a fantasy world or something?

As I blinked slowly, a familiar voice reached my ears.

“Hyung, you’re awake?”

“Seunghyuk...!”

I turned my head and saw Joo Seunghyuk sitting in a chair next to the bed, looking down at me.

“I’m... alive?”

“Of course.”

“Didn’t you kill me?”

When Seunghyuk covered my eyes and fed me that pill, I was convinced I was going to die.

“Why would I kill you, hyung?”

He let out a soft, dry chuckle.

“But the pill...”

“It was a sleeping pill.”

“A sleeping pill?”

“Yes. We had to take a helicopter to get here. I didn’t think you’d survive the ride, so I put you to sleep.”

“Oh. I see...”

“I mean, I wouldn’t have minded if you clung to me the whole time, but it really looked like you were going to pass out.”

“...Yeah. Thanks.”

Just like he said, if I’d gotten on a helicopter in that state, I probably would’ve blacked out for real. Of course, it would've been even better if he’d told me beforehand, but giving me the sleeping pill ahead of time was actually a good call.

“Anyway... where is this place?”

“This is where I lived when I was little.”

“You lived abroad as a kid...?”

“Yeah.”

So it wasn’t the guesthouse on the Seonghan Group estate?