DOTH Volume 2 Chapter 4.5

Director Yeon followed Jung Heeyeon’s gaze to the line of snow ducks. At the very end of the lineup sat two rather clumsy-looking ducks. Without loosening his embrace on Jung Heeyeon, Director Yeon stretched out his arm to nudge the duck at the very end. In his large hand, the snow duck looked impossibly small. When his fingertip touched the duck’s protruding beak, Jung Heeyeon, still nestled in his embrace, flinched slightly.

“Who were you chatting so warmly with, Heeyeon?”

“Oh, the person who lent me the tool to make these showed me how to do it. We didn’t talk much, though…”

Jung Heeyeon seemed uneasy, worried that Director Yeon might knock over the snow duck. Noticing this, Director Yeon let out a small chuckle and withdrew his hand.

“What else did you talk about?”

“She just asked if I wanted to make more, but I said I was fine. They’re ducks. They’re cute, right?”

“Yeah, cute.”

To Director Yeon, they were just clumps of snow, but he humored Jung Heeyeon’s enthusiasm.

“This is my first time walking on snow. I like the sound it makes. It must sound even better at night.”

“Do you want to come out at night?”

Director Yeon looked at Jung Heeyeon as he asked. Lowering his gaze, he noticed the omega fiddling with his right wrist and palm, which had likely been strained when he grabbed the flower bed earlier to stop his fall.

“Hmm… I’m not sure. I just thought it might be quieter at night, so the sound would be clearer.”

“When you’re not sure, you can just try it.”

“Yes.”

Director Yeon slowly let go of the omega’s waist and then covered Jung Heeyeon’s right hand with his palm. The small body in his hold tensed up. Pretending not to notice Jung Heeyeon’s nervousness, Director Yeon interlaced his fingers with Jung Heeyeon’s, gently brushing over the scrape on his palm.

“Ah.”

Jung Heeyeon let out a soft sound. When he turned his hand over, a small trace of blood was visible. Though it wasn’t a deep wound, it looked painful enough to sting. It didn’t seem severe enough to scar, but disinfecting it was probably a good idea.

“Heeyeon, we’ll need to go inside to disinfect this.”

Jung Heeyeon’s pale cheeks puffed up slightly, seemingly disappointed, but after glancing at his injured palm, he nodded in agreement. As Director Yeon let go of his hand and stepped back, his movements were deliberate.

Jung Heeyeon fiddled with his wrist for a moment before starting to walk ahead. Director Yeon tilted his head slightly but didn’t grab him this time. He seemed curious to see how long Jung Heeyeon could hold out on his own without calling for him. Predictably, the omega soon stumbled again. Director Yeon thought it was just his hand that had been injured, but judging by the way Jung Heeyeon walked, his ankle seemed strained as well. His unsteady gait was precarious.

Once again, Director Yeon strode forward and lightly wrapped his arm around Jung Heeyeon’s waist. The omega tilted his head back to look at him, his face strikingly suited to the snowy background.

“Why won’t you ask me to hold your hand, Heeyeon?”

“Oh… I shouldn’t hold your hand.”

“Why not?”

Jung Heeyeon parted his lips slightly but didn’t respond right away. Ever since being held by Director Yeon, his heart had been racing, and he worried the sound might betray him. Even though he’d barely managed to pull away earlier, he was once again caught in the director’s embrace. He needed to get away, thus asking to hold hands now felt impossible.

“Hmm?”

Director Yeon coaxed gently, but Jung Heeyeon still couldn’t answer. He couldn’t very well admit that he wanted to avoid physical contact in case it caused the director to appear in yet another sultry dream. Nor was he skilled at smoothly changing the subject. In the end, he mumbled vaguely.

“It’s nothing.”

“Nothing?”

“Because I’m an adult now…”

“But our Heeyeon is still just a baby.”

Before Jung Heeyeon could retort, Director Yeon lightly flicked one of his dangling fingers.

“That’s why you keep falling.”

The touched fingertip curled inward. Despite the cold air numbing his hand, the sensation made his fingertips feel oddly warm.

–

Jung Heeyeon fidgeted with his bare feet. His palm now had a small square bandage covering the scrape.

“Heeyeon.”

The man who had disinfected the wound and applied the bandage tapped the edge of the bathtub, motioning for Jung Heeyeon to sit. He seemed intent on checking his ankle, noticing the slight limp on their way inside.

“Yes.”

Obediently, Jung Heeyeon sat on the edge of the tub. Director Yeon knelt beside him, one knee raised. Reaching behind Jung Heeyeon’s calf, he gently grabbed the leg that had been limping. He carefully placed the slender ankle onto his thigh.

Jung Heeyeon’s hands gripped the edge of the tub nervously. His body stiffened, feeling he shouldn’t move.

“Does it hurt?”

Director Yeon gently touched the small ankle bone with his fingers as he asked.

“It’s alright.”

Jung Heeyeon had naturally weak ankles. He had once heard that they were deliberately kept weak to prevent him from running away. Considering Chairman Jung’s methods of doing business, it wasn’t an entirely implausible story. He had never really had the chance to run or engage in activities that required strong ankles within the confines of the house, so the claim that it was intentional might very well be true.

“Our Heeyeon’s ankle is so small.” 

The tone didn’t sound critical, but Jung Heeyeon instinctively tensed his ankle. He wanted to pull his foot away from Director Yeon’s grasp, but the firm hold on his ankle made it impossible for him to move at all. The situation—showing his bare foot to the director—felt somewhat embarrassing. It wasn’t as though it was an inappropriate or shameful part of his body, yet he didn’t understand why he had that feeling.

“Your feet are small, too.”

At the follow-up comment, Jung Heeyeon fidgeted, curling his toes slightly.

“This part is swollen.”

 Director Yeon added, running his hand gently over the ankle. Indeed, there was some swelling.

“But I’m alright…”

“We’ll watch it until the evening. If it still hurts, I’ll contact Kim Jiwon.”

“I’m really alright… This happens often.”

Jung Heeyeon said quickly, cutting himself off as Kim Jiwon’s comment about wanting to sleep all day came to mind. It was a holiday, and he didn’t want to bother the doctor over something so trivial.

“Often?”

“Yes.”

When Director Yeon repeated the question, Jung Heeyeon nodded casually. He was used to this level of discomfort, thus it wasn’t a big deal to him. Resting for a while without walking would ease the pain. 

More than the pain, he wished the director would let go of his foot. If this continued, he worried he’d have another strange dream tonight.

Director Yeon stared at Jng Heeyeon for a moment before finally letting go of his ankle. The large hand grazed the delicate bone lightly before pulling away. There was no hesitation in his movement, but it felt like he did it slowly somehow. The small touch made Jung Heeyeon’s pale foot flinch slightly.

“Try walking.” 

Director Yeon instructed as he stood up. His alpha eyes were fixed on the omega’s ankle. Jung Heeyeon slowly got to his feet and cautiously walked around the bathroom. Though there was a slight limp, he didn’t seem to be in much pain, judging by the calm expression on his face.

“Director.”

He called out to Director Yeon after walking from the bathtub to the doorway that led to the room, signaling that he was okay.

“Yeah, Heeyeon?”

The reply came not from nearby but from deeper inside the room. Jung Heeyeon turned his head toward the sound of the director’s voice. It was just as gentle as always, but his gaze wasn’t on Jung Heeyeon—it was elsewhere. Jung Heeyeon let out a small, uneasy noise.

“Heeyeon.”

Finally, Director Yeon’s eyes settled on him. The director smiled softly, his eyes crinkling slightly. His face was full of amusement.

“What’s this?”

He nodded toward something with his chin. Jung Heeyeon followed his gaze and froze. Hanging there were the freshly washed underwear he had laid out to dry the previous night.

“It’s… my underwear.”

Despite the mortification that made his mind go blank, Jung Heeyeon managed to answer earnestly.

“Yeah. Why is your underwear hanging here?”

“Well…”

“Our Heeyeon…”

“No…”

“Did you touch yourself thinking of me?”

Director Yeon asked with his usual gentle expression.

Faced with a blunt question that didn’t match his gentle demeanor, Jung Heeyeon opened and closed his mouth a few times before finally managing to respond.

“Pardon…?”

Unlike his usual clear responses, his voice trembled slightly. The short answer was filled with an unmistakable sense of being flustered.

“Did you touch yourself thinking of this director?”

Director Yeon repeated the question just as softly, fully aware of Jung Heeyeon’s flustered state.

“Ah…”

Jung Heeyeon trailed off, blinking. Behind the smiling man stood the drying underwear he had washed earlier that morning. The unexpectedness of the situation made him inhale sharply, and a sudden hiccup escaped him. Director Yeon chuckled, his eyes crinkling further.

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