Instead of heading to the car, the two made their way downstairs. Jung Heeyeon had declined Director Yeon’s hand when they took the elevator, but when they reached the escalator, he ended up reaching to hold hands.
“Were you scared?”
“No, I just found it fascinating.”
When they were going up earlier, he had seemed determined to refuse his offer to hold hands even if asked. Whether or not he was aware of Director Yeon’s subtle pang of disappointment, Jung Heeyeon was too busy trailing after the man and looking around at everything. He wasn’t fidgety, but in Director Yeon’s eyes, the small, subtle movements looked like a child toddling along.
“What are you buying?”
“Something you don’t like.”
“There’s nothing I don’t like, though…”
“You don’t like vegetables.”
At this, Jung Heeyeon furrowed his brows slightly, as if hearing it for the first time.
“What? That’s not true. I like vegetables.”
“Really? You do?”
Director Yeon responded lightly, as if humoring a child, and began selecting ingredients at the grocery section.
Recently, Junh Heeyeon had developed a taste for bolder flavors—dishes that Director Yeon himself found unappealing. Then again, he was the one who introduced him to such foods. While they weren’t his preference, Director Yeon saw no reason to deny him what he wanted. Besides, it was amusing to observe how Jung Heeyeon’s expressions changed when he tasted new dishes.
“It’s really not. I can go back to eating like before…”
“Like before?”
“When I lived with the butler.”
It seemed that they hadn’t fed him poorly. As an omega raised with a clear purpose, he would have been well-cared for, like livestock groomed meticulously for slaughter. Director Yeon opened his lips slowly.
“Heeyeon, if there’s something you want to eat, eat as much as you want.”
Unlike them, Director Yeon had no intention of controlling Jung Heeyeon’s every decision.
–
The man rolled up his sleeves and began chopping vegetables with practiced ease. He could sense Junh Heeyeon’s curious glances as he stood quietly nearby. A glance in the other’s direction confirmed his interest—he clearly wanted to try it himself.
“Want to give it a shot?”
“Yes, can I?”
When he stepped aside, Jung Heeyeon hesitantly approached the cutting board. Awkwardly mimicking the man’s movements earlier, he began to cut. His unpracticed grip and hesitant technique made Director Yeon chuckle instead of intervening.
“…Why are you laughing?”
“You’re very terrible at it.”
Jung Heeyeon hadn’t expected such blunt honesty, and he bit his lips lightly. His fingers holding the knife fidgeted, seemingly embarrassed.
“…Director, you would have been bad at it when you started too.”
“I was good at it from the start.”
After a long contemplation, Jung Heeyeon mustered a rebuttal, but Director Yeon silenced him effortlessly.
He wasn’t lying, he really had been adept from the beginning. Though, the first knife he had wielded wasn’t a kitchen knife. Having been familiar with knives for so long, cooking tools posed no challenge.
Jung Heeyeon’s lips pressed tightly together, and the soft contours of his fair cheeks puffed slightly in frustration.
“Want some help?”
Jung Heeyeon nodded silently. Standing behind him, Director Yeon leaned forward, wrapping his hands around the small hands to guide his grip.
“Relax, Heeyeon.”
“Yes.”
The low, gentle voice right near his ear made him barely manage to relax his stiff hands.
“You need to move softly, like this.”
A low, gentle voice settled in his ear once again. It was the first time someone had whispered to him from behind, and it sent a shiver down his spine. It felt as if the ticklish sensation lingering at his fingertips had now crept up to his ear.
Jung Heeyeon, for no particular reason, glared at the yellow bell pepper before moving his hands to follow Director Yeon’s lead.
Soon, the bell pepper was sliced into thin pieces. Although it was better than before, the pieces he had cut were still uneven and clumsy.
“Our Heeyeon doesn’t seem to have much talent for working with his hands.”
It was a comment that left no room for denial.
Despite it taking longer than usual, the meal was eventually prepared in a timely manner. To demonstrate how to eat it, Director Yeon picked up his chopsticks and moved them fluidly, displaying his refined manners. Jung Heeyeon followed the example and picked up his own chopsticks.
“Thank you for the meal.”
“Eat plenty.”
“Yes.”
Jung Heeyeon dipped a sheet of rice paper into warm water and carefully placed his desired fillings inside. Although he mimicked Director Yeon’s motions and rolled the paper cautiously, his rolls kept falling apart, spilling the contents.
A soft chuckle came from across the table.
“You said you’d eat a lot, Heeyeon.”
Director Yeon teased him once again.
It wasn’t as if Jung Heeyeon had been overly ambitious with his food. From the moment they visited the convenience store, it was clear the omega in front of him was not particularly greedy.
The ingredients he placed on the rice paper were modest: two slices of pineapple, one piece of red bell pepper, one piece of green bell pepper, and a small slice of smoked duck.
Watching him fiddle with his chopsticks was endearing, and Director Yeon simply observed that. Inevitably, the filling fell out of the wrap.
Eventually, Director Yeon moved to sit beside the omega, whose clumsy hands struggled with the task.
“Want me to do it for you?”
“…Yes.”
After a brief moment of hesitation, Jung Heeyeon nodded.
With a soft chuckle, Director Yeon skillfully placed the ingredients evenly on the rice paper, folded the sides, and rolled it neatly. He set the finished wrap on a plate with dipping sauce.
“I don’t understand why I can’t do it properly.”
“Maybe because your baby hands are small.”
As if to verify his words, Jung Heeyeon looked down at his own hands, spreading his palms open. He was only a few weeks shy of adulthood, so he didn’t think his hands were that small. Then his gaze wandered to Director Yeon’s hands. Rather than his hands being small, it seemed like the other man’s hands were just quite big.
“Heeyeon.”
“Yes?”
“Eat.”
“Oh, thank you.”
Picking up the wrap Director Yeon had prepared, Jung Heeyeon took a bite. As expected, he couldn’t fit the whole thing in his mouth, only managing to eat half. His cheeks puffed slightly as he chewed, his mouth full.
Director Yeon reached out to poke Jung Heeyeon’s soft, pale cheek, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.
Taking care of Jung Heeyeon was proving to be quite enjoyable.
***
A quiet breath escaped into the cold winter air. The shallow exhale mixed with the biting chill of the season. From the high vantage point, the winter breeze felt even sharper.
The man gazed calmly at the sprawling cityscape below. Bare trees with exposed branches, low-rise buildings, and the endless lines of cars in traffic—all lay at his feet, scattered like trivial pieces.
His tightly shut lips parted slightly, the movement so surreal it looked like a scene from a painting. A faint breath escaped through the elegant curve of his lips, uncertain whether it was a sigh or a scoff. His eyes remained fixed on the view below.
“……”
Once, he had longed for this moment with all his heart. He had dreamed of standing at the top, trampling on those who had trampled him. For a child with nothing to his name, that dream was all he had.
In the dogfighting pits, the only way to survive was to defeat the other dogs. When freed from the hutch, survival meant biting other dogs outside. He clawed and climbed relentlessly, eventually rising high enough to turn on his master and kill him. But now that he had reached the peak, it all felt meaningless.
The man who had used him as a fighting dog had long been dead by Director Yeon’s hands. Chairman Jung, who had raised and sold him like livestock, was also now under his complete control. Having already claimed his prey, Director Yeon found no excitement in finishing them off. After all, cutting off their lifeline would be effortless if he chose to.
It was well past midnight, drawing closer to dawn. The deep shadows of the night stretched across the man as he stood still. Having stepped outside to smoke the moment he returned home, he was still in his full formal suit. The muted tones of his attire blended into the cold, dry darkness of winter, standing in stark contrast to the vibrant city lights below.
Yet the darkness couldn’t fully consume him. It seemed instead to be absorbed by him, dissolving into his presence. Perhaps it was the light spilling from the living room behind him, the faint glow of the cigarette embers in his fingers, or the dim illumination from nearby buildings.
“Jung Heeyeon…”
Director Yeon murmured the name under his breath. Flicking the cigarette ash with his index finger, he thought of the omega now residing in his home. He hadn’t bothered to check, but the other was likely asleep in the guest room by now.
Lately, he found his life to be fun. Though Jung Heeyeon required a lot of attention, he received as much affection in return. Teaching him everything from the simplest tasks to the smallest details of daily life and watching his every subtle change in expression had become unexpectedly entertaining.
“Jung Heeyeon…”
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