March Novel (Completed) - Chapter 70

My cheek was all numb from lying on my side for so long. Sehwa rubbed his pressed cheek and slowly got up.

He had unknowingly fallen asleep while being moved to the official residence. It was as if the nausea and vomiting that had made him sick to his stomach were a lie; he had closed his eyes as if fainting and opened them to find himself lying on the guest room bed.

Sehwa aimlessly fiddled with the soft sleeves of his indoor clothes. He had never seen these clothes before. The one who changed his clothes, the one who carried him here… it was probably Gi Taejeong. He had said that even before, Gi Taejeong had taken care of everything after sex, so it wasn’t likely he would have ordered his adjutant to do it.

Imagining the man who must have handled him so carefully, never waking him even once during the move and change of clothes, made his stomach tickle unbearably.

The kiss they shared in the glass greenhouse within the government building didn’t last long. It was simply a light pressing and parting of lips, a kiss in itself that hinted at no further actions. Then, leaning on Gi Taejeong, no, almost embraced by him, he came out.

In the end, the guardian registration wasn’t completed. He saw Gi Taejeong turn off the program and leave the tablet there, but… it didn’t seem like he had given separate instructions to anyone else afterwards. Since he said it was a necessary procedure, the time would come soon when they’d talk about it again… but for now, it was clear that day wasn’t today. Even though he could have pushed it through arbitrarily, the man had listened to his words.

Sehwa turned on the reading lamp attached to the headboard and scanned the room, which, unlike when he first arrived, was now filled with display cases. It seemed the items that had been stacked like a tower had been moved into them. It wasn’t the kind of volume that could fit into a few storage cabinets… well, he figured Gi Taejeong had sorted it out somehow. Although he had picked out clothes from them since he had nothing else to wear, he had no intention of using any of the other items anyway.

And on the sofa table… a familiar black check card lay neatly. Recalling what had happened back then, Sehwa punched the bedsheet a few times. He should have told Gi Taejeong about this earlier. How he felt when he saw the card sitting alone in the empty inner page. It felt as if his very existence was being erased, and it hurt so much, so he pleaded for him never to do it again…

His shoulders, which had risen with a sigh, dropped infinitely. Sehwa, who had been staring into space for a moment, replaying the dull ache of that time, suddenly… remembered the ridiculous thing he had done the day Gi Taejeong first handed him that card, and forgetting his earlier self-pity, he burst into laughter without realizing it.

He worried if there was even 10,000 won inside, yet he chose a 3,000 won ice cream. Still, he wanted to somehow get on Gi Taejeong’s nerves. Not knowing it contained a whopping 12 billion won. He had bought it with great resolve, but Gi Taejeong wouldn’t have known.

“Ah… I want to eat ice cream.”

Sehwa clapped a hand over his mouth at the words that had slipped out, then looked down at his lower belly.

“What… Is this because of you?”

The sudden, bewildering shift in his train of thought made him unconsciously ask the baby in his belly.

The dry heaving had subsided, but his stomach wasn’t completely settled. Yet, as soon as the thought of eating something crossed his mind, a fierce hunger swept over him. No, rather than being hungry… he wanted to taste all the foods that were flashing through his mind right now. He felt like he absolutely had to.

Sehwa found himself unfamiliar and bewildered by this feeling. To recall a sorrowful event and then suddenly crave ice cream was absurd.

“They say mood swings are severe during pregnancy… it must be true.”

Muttering softly, Sehwa was about to lie down again, but in less than a second, he shot back up. His body bounced as if he had springs in his buttocks.

“Wow… you’re really funny.”

No one was watching, but he felt embarrassed anyway, grumbling at the fetus, no, embryo, that didn’t even have ears yet. Suddenly, he couldn’t smell the flowers he used to love. He was in the middle of a serious thought, and then he was inexplicably hungry and didn’t know what to do.

Even when he was trapped in the underground workshop for four days without a drop of water, he hadn’t craved anything like this… Anyway, unable to just lie there, Sehwa slipped his feet into his slippers, and absurdly, looking at his thumbnail reflected in the light, he very specifically recalled what he wanted to eat right now.

Cherries.

That small, round, red fruit.

Among the desserts Gi Taejeong had sent through his subordinates before, there was also a cherry-flavored cake. The light pink cream spread on top, the red fruit bits embedded in the sponge… there wasn’t a single part that wasn’t delicious. If there was cherry-flavored ice cream instead of the fruit, that would be good too.

Hesitating for a moment, Sehwa carefully opened the door and stepped into the hallway. Inside, he kept scolding the tiny bean-sized baby.

Even if he rummaged through the refrigerator, the chances of finding cherries were slim. According to Master Sergeant Choi, Gi Taejeong disliked people coming and going, so he didn’t even keep a live-in housekeeper. He usually ate out, and when he was at the official residence, his adjutants would bring him food at set times. It was unlikely such a person would have a refrigerator stocked with various fruits.

Still, Sehwa didn’t stop his cat-like steps. He held out hope that he might find something else appealing if he looked inside.

Fortunately, a soft light emanated from beneath the display case in the hallway, making it easy to find his way to the kitchen…

“Huh?”

As he got closer to the kitchen, he realized that it wasn’t a sensor reacting to his movement… the light inside was on. Peeking his head around, he saw a room-like space beyond the cooking area, with a huge dining table but no door, and a small light was leaking from behind it.

Hesitating, Sehwa looked alternately at his flat belly and his slippers, then walked towards the light like a martyr. Since their last conversation had been somewhat… awkward, just thinking about facing him made his heart pound uncontrollably.

Sehwa pressed down his unruly side hair with his palm, composing himself. Even if Gi Taejeong was in there, there was no need to be awkward. “You’re not asleep yet, sir? I came down because I was a little hungry. Good night then…” He could just say something normal like that.

Above all… he needed to raid the refrigerator now. He desperately wanted cherries. Or apples or tangerines would be fine too. Anyway, the determination to put something sweet, tangy, and cool in his mouth overcame all the dullness and despair that had briefly washed over him.

Thinking about it, he hadn’t even thought about eating fruit before. He didn’t have the money to buy such things, and even if he did, he would have spent it all on paying off debts. But after having a few delicious things courtesy of Gi Taejeong, he was now naturally thinking of expensive foods.

Unbeknownst to him, when did the things he received from him become so familiar, so natural?

As the blurry yellow orb grew larger and larger, a distinct presence could be felt inside. Stepping through the wide-open entrance, a colorless space unfolded, as if cut off from the world.

The entire visible wall was oppressively lined with what looked like specially made wine cellars and display cases. He wasn’t sure, but they must be expensive, good liquors that would make any connoisseur’s eyes spin. Just looking at them made him feel tipsy.

Sehwa, whose gaze was naturally drawn to the overwhelming sight, quickly shook his head and searched for the man who must be holed up somewhere in this fortress.

“What are you doing, you?”

“Ah…”

Gi Taejeong was sitting in a corner of the bar. He wasn’t surprised to see Sehwa suddenly appear and calmly tilted his glass. He had been careful, he hadn’t made any noise coming here… it seemed he had already noticed Sehwa was coming this way.

“Why did you come down?”

“You weren’t asleep?”

Oh… Their words overlapped awkwardly, and silence fell for a moment. Sehwa scratched the back of his neck sheepishly, waiting for Gi Taejeong to speak again. But after a few seconds, he showed no reaction, so Sehwa finally decided to speak first. But then,

“How’s your stomach?”

“I suddenly got hungry…”

…Embarrassingly, the same thing happened again.

Sehwa coughed briefly, and Gi Taejeong drained the glass he was holding in one go.

It was embarrassing… but just as much, it was ticklish. As much as when he imagined Gi Taejeong carrying him and changing his clothes earlier. It felt like an invisible feather was tickling the inside of his heart.

“You’re hungry?”

The awkward atmosphere, difficult to salvage, lasted only a moment before Gi Taejeong casually spoke first. Sehwa let out a sigh of relief inwardly and hesitantly approached him.

“Why are you walking like that? You seem uncomfortable.”

He had tried to be friendly, grateful that Gi Taejeong had salvaged the situation… but Gi Taejeong frowned deeply, seeing Sehwa’s awkward gait.

“Huh? Oh, no. I’m not hurting. I just really wanted to get something to eat…”

Sehwa wished his earlobes, which must have turned red in the dim light, were hidden. Why did he do that? If he had just stayed still, Gi Taejeong would have called him closer as usual. He had done something he didn’t normally do…

“Hmm, there’s nothing edible here.”

“I thought there was an apple in the fridge…”

“It went bad, so I threw it all away.”

Ah… Sehwa held the back of the stool and pondered for a moment. What should he do? He didn’t even know the layout of the 5th district, so he couldn’t just go out alone in the middle of the night. No, was there even a place that sold cherries at this hour? That was the first problem. Besides, he had only a few coins on him. Although he had some cash in the bag he brought, he heard that prices in the 5th district were exorbitant. Even so, he didn’t think cherries would cost, like, over a million won…

“What do you want to eat so badly?”

“Huh?”

“You’re pouting like a duck and thinking about it, you.”

Embarrassed, Sehwa pressed his hand to his mouth.

“I just woke up feeling like snacking… I’m not terribly hungry.”

“Hmm, I have to go out tomorrow morning, so that’s not possible…”

Gi Taejeong tapped his wrist-watch and tilted his head. He seemed to be checking his schedule.

“I’ll have Master Sergeant Choi accompany you, so pick whatever you want to eat.”

“Where are you going?”

He had asked without much meaning. He had just responded normally when Gi Taejeong said he was going out… but Gi Taejeong raised one eyebrow significantly, as if he had heard something unexpected. He even let out a puff of air and chuckled, wondering what was so funny about the question.

“Someone higher up called me suddenly. I have to drop by the Ministry of National Defense for a bit.”

Gi Taejeong was a brigadier general, and only four ranks above him was the head of state. People higher in rank than him… Sehwa felt dizzy just thinking about it and simply nodded blankly.

“Oh, I see…”

“Why?”

“Huh?”

“Why are you asking that? Do you want me to go with you instead of Master Sergeant Choi?”

What? Sehwa blinked rapidly for a moment, dumbfounded.

“No, what on earth…?”

As Gi Taejeong said, the baby in his belly must indeed be his bloodline. The baby was suddenly craving cherries, and the man was saying such absurd things… How could both of them have their thoughts jump in such a bewildering direction?

“I just asked out of courtesy because you said you’d be away, just normally. People usually talk like this, don’t they?”

“Really? Your expression doesn’t say so.”

Gi Taejeong fully turned the stool in Sehwa’s direction and leaned his upper body slightly. Sehwa was about to step back a few paces, wondering if he was going to kiss him, but his wrist was immediately caught. And… nothing happened. It was all for naught that he had tensed up, as Gi Taejeong merely squeezed his hand once and let go.

“I’ll give the card to Master Sergeant Choi, so this time, don’t pick something like a 3,000 won ice cream.”

“Back then, I… Ah! Wait a minute!”

Sehwa, who was fumbling for an excuse in his embarrassment, suddenly remembered something upon hearing that and grabbed Gi Taejeong again.

“What is that card, anyway? The black check card you gave me before.”

“You’re quick to ask.”

Gi Taejeong chuckled as if dumbfounded, then bent his index finger and lightly tapped Sehwa’s nose.

“It didn’t seem to be in the Brigadier General’s name…”

“It is in your name, and all the money in it is yours. To be precise, it’s the money that was originally supposed to be yours, which I got back from President Son.”

“President Son? Are you talking about President Son from the House?”

“Yeah. That bastard once demanded 3.8 billion from you.”

“He… did?”

“When I paid off all your debts, that bastard started acting up, so I told him to cough up about three times that amount.”

“Re…ally?”

“That bastard will find out soon enough whose pocket 12 billion won went into.”

“……”

He waited for more, but Gi Taejeong’s explanation ended there. He was annoyed by President Son’s actions, so he took three times the amount President Son had demanded.

“…I see.”

It seemed he had no intention of saying more, so Sehwa replied that he understood for now.

He generally understood the flow of events, but it was still puzzling. His increased debt didn’t seem like something that would upset Gi Taejeong. Wasn’t it a separate incident from the 200 million won he had already paid off? The boss must have come up with that trick to trouble him, not the great Brigadier General.

Ah, perhaps President Son had asked Gi Taejeong to pay off that 3.8 billion as well? Aha. In that case, it was perfectly understandable that the man wanted to get back at President Son. If President Son heard that the 12 billion won was in Sehwa’s hands, he would be even more furious.

So that’s why he put that large sum of money in my account… It was a relief, if anything. At least it didn’t seem like he was using his name for money laundering or anything like that.

Still, after hearing the whole story, he felt even more strongly that he shouldn’t touch that card. 12 billion won… It was an amount he couldn’t repay even if he sold all his organs, not even a tenth of it.

Blind money, without a contract, a loan agreement, or a ledger, was not to be picked up carelessly. Especially when it was President Son’s money, of all people. He felt like he should subtly put back the 3,000 won he had used then.

“So.”

As if to awaken Sehwa from his thoughts, Gi Taejeong tapped the back of his hand. Their intertwined fingers slowly rubbed his palm. No, they tickled. It was a touch that conveyed various meanings, enough to make him gasp for breath…

“What on earth do you want to eat that you won’t tell me? Suspiciously.”