Chapter Text
The next morning in Busan turned out to be exceptionally clear and sunny, and the fresh sea air outside the window confidently promised that the upcoming day would be warm and windless. Kang Shin Jin and Lee Han Young woke up before everyone else in the house, and they were now preparing a homemade breakfast together in the spacious kitchen in absolute silence.
The judge distracted himself from his tasks for a second, gazing spellbound, long and intently at his husband, who was carefully slicing juicy fruits on a wooden board with an absolutely serene expression. Shin Jin caught this long loving gaze from behind almost immediately.
Placing the kitchen knife onto the marble countertop with a soft smile, Mr. Kang slowly approached Han Young practically flush, his powerful frame gently forcing the other to step back and press his back flat against the cool surface of the refrigerator.
Mr. Kang’s broad, warm palms came down confidently onto his husband’s waist. Tilting his head slightly and chuckling quietly, he asked:
— Why are you looking at me so intently, Han Young-ah?
The judge was not flustered in the slightest by such sudden proximity. He smoothly raised his arms, wrapping them tightly around his husband’s neck, and, drawing as close to his face as possible, gently brushed his nose against the other's. Feeling his spouse's hot breath, Han Young whispered barely audibly right into his lips:
— I was just… suddenly wondering what exactly you and I will do after this nightmare finally ends and all the dangerous affairs are safely resolved… Maybe the two of us could go to Jeju again? Just like back then, remember?..
Shin Jin smiled softly, incredibly warmly, looking into his spouse’s loving eyes:
— If that’s what you really want, then why not? I don’t mind at all, love. But all that will be a little later… Right now, come here.
Gripping his husband tightly and securely by the waist with one hand, while carefully grabbing the back of his head with the other, Shin Jin masterfully drew him closer and kissed him deeply. Han Young pressed even tighter against him with his entire body, readily returning the kiss with pure tenderness accumulated over days of anxiety.
While the married couple kissed self-forgetfully in the rays of the morning sun, Zhang Li Ping, who had just awoken after a rough night, walked toward the kitchen with quiet, noiseless steps. However, barely reaching the doorway and seeing this intimate picture before him, he instantly froze in his tracks, not daring to disturb their privacy.
Watching from the shadows of the hallway as his hyung so carefully embraced Lee Han Young by the waist and softly kissed him, Ping-er suddenly felt a light sadness deep in his soul. But simultaneously with this sadness, a colossal conscious relief washed over his heart.
Li Ping understood: this was all for the best. If Shin Jin really loved Han Young so deeply and genuinely, then Mr. Kang would definitely not be unbearably pained and lonely in that near future when he himself, Zhang Li Ping, would finally be gone from this world. The young billionaire smiled softly, barely noticeably at his thoughts and, turning smoothly, walked away back to his room so as not to get in the way of their family happiness.
When the full breakfast was completely ready, Mr. Kang called everyone present to the table in a loud, confident voice. Baek Yi Seok returned to the house at that exact moment after an intensive morning run along the coast and gladly joined the spouses in the kitchen. However, Zhang Li Ping never came down to them.
— Is Mr. Zhang still asleep? — Han Young inquired with a tinge of concern, looking over the empty spot at the table.
— No, he's definitely not asleep, — Yi Seok piped up immediately, taking a sip of water. — I personally saw him through the window just as I was heading out for my run. Maybe he just didn't hear you from his room? Let me go upstairs quickly and call him down to us.
Yi Seok had already stood up from his seat, intending to leave, but Shin Jin rose right after him sharply, almost aggressively, and cut him off flatly:
— No. You sit here and eat your breakfast in peace. I’ll go to him myself.
Mr. Kang headed toward the stairs with quick, wide strides. Going up to the second floor and approaching the right bedroom, Shin Jin knocked softly on the wooden door:
— Ping-er, come join us. It’s high time for breakfast.
However, not a single sound came from the room in response. Frowning, he was about to jiggle the handle and enter on his own, but found that the massive door was tightly locked from the inside with a latch.
Shin Jin exhaled heavily in irritation and knocked persistently again:
— Hey, open the door right now. What are you even doing in there? Are you really working again since the crack of dawn? All your business can well wait. Come down and have a proper breakfast first.
At this time, Zhang Li Ping was lying on the bed, curled into a ball after another injection of fentanyl. He waited motionlessly for the hellish, throbbing pain in his skull and abdominal cavity to finally subside and allow him to breathe. Seeing his hyung’s excessive persistence, he overcame the weakness and spoke up non-loudly through the door:
— You three go ahead and breakfast without me. I have absolutely no appetite right now. I’ll definitely eat something later on.
Shin Jin froze blankly after these words, and an intense anxiety instantly flared up in his soul:
— Ping-er, you ate practically nothing at dinner yesterday, and now you’re refusing food again! Is this total lack of appetite by any chance because of those sketchy weight loss drugs you told me about on the bench? I clearly asked you yesterday never to take that garbage again! Open the door, please.
The door handle on the outside jiggled persistently again. Zhang Li Ping let out a tired, defeated sigh, and his voice sounded very quiet and lifeless:
— Hyung… please go away…
Shin Jin stood stunned at the door. Something truly incomprehensible was happening to his protégé lately. Mr. Kang felt distinctly on a subconscious level that Ping-er, for some personal, unknown reasons of his own, was intentionally distancing himself further with every passing day. And this complete ignorance of the true reason behind such sudden icy coldness was literally driving him crazy.
His heavy thoughts were suddenly interrupted by Baek Yi Seok, who suddenly appeared on the second floor right beside him:
— Shin Jin, go back downstairs and have breakfast with your husband in peace. I’ll talk to A-Ping myself.
After that, Yi Seok, without even looking at his friend’s disgruntled face, addressed the locked door softly and directly:
— A-Ping, it’s me, Min Joon. Please open the door…
Kang Shin Jin had already drawn breath, intending to furiously object to such striking arrogance from his old comrade. Why on earth did Yi Seok decide that Zhang Li Ping was somehow closer to him than to his rightful mentor?! But before he could tell Yi Seok everything he thought, the latch clicked, and the bedroom door of the younger one opened slightly. Zhang Li Ping’s pale, exhausted face appeared from the narrow gap.
— Yi Seok, why did you come to me too? — the guy said softly, without a shadow of malice. — I already said clearly that I have no appetite right now.
Mr. Baek became heavily and genuinely worried upon seeing his partner so weak and pale.
— A-Ping, will you let me come inside? — Yi Seok asked quietly, looking devotedly straight into his eyes.
Zhang Li Ping gave a barely noticeable nod and obediently let him into the room. Seeing that his protégé was about to remain alone with Yi Seok behind closed doors, Kang Shin Jin felt an uncontrollable irritation stir inside him. Just as the younger one pulled the handle, intending to close the door behind himself, Shin Jin shot his hand forward sharply and caught it mid-way by force, rigidly preventing it from closing.
— Zhang Li Ping! Don’t you dare close this door right in my face! — Shin Jin raised his voice loudly, in no joking matter, no longer hiding his raging anger at all. — I am your mentor, and I have a full, absolute right to know what is happening to you, much more than some person you’ve known for two years at most!
Zhang Li Ping narrowed his eyes slightly at this shout, and responsive notes of deep irritation reflected in his brown eyes. His mentor was openly crossing absolutely all reasonable boundaries now, possessively refusing to let him speak to his friend in peace and simply be alone in his own room. And this behavior couldn't help but anger the self-assured, all-powerful CEO of the multinational corporations ShenWei and TAAS.
Ping-er stepped resolutely back out into the hallway to his mentor, closing the bedroom door tightly behind his back and thereby completely cutting Yi Seok off from this unpleasant, strictly personal conversation.
— Yi Seok is not "some person" to me at all, — Zhang Li Ping clarified in an icy tone, looking up at the man. — He is my close friend and a person I trust unconditionally right now.
Zhang Li Ping’s last words literally burned Shin Jin on some deep, subconscious level. He took a swift step forward, reducing the distance to a minimum, and, glaring straight into the junior’s eyes, hissed:
— I don’t give a damn. He will never be able to become closer to you than I am. He will never in his life be able to know you as deeply and in such detail as I do! Why can you share all your innermost thoughts so easily with him, but not with me?!
— What is your problem anyway, Kang Shin Jin?! — Zhang Li Ping exclaimed, finally losing his usual composure from the anger raging inside. — You’ve been acting irrationally and strangely since yesterday evening! I naively thought that you had permanently stopped your attempts to totally control my life ever since you returned to Seoul from Hong Kong. But now I see clearly that you haven’t changed one bit. You are still selfishly trying to lock me in your suffocating golden cage!..
Shin Jin stepped even closer to him after these words, literally forcing the younger one’s shoulder blades flat against the wooden door. He snatched Zhang Li Ping’s right arm with lightning speed and, with one sharp movement, roughly yanked the sleeve of his light shirt up to his very elbow, exposing the pale skin covered in deep, ugly scars from old burns.
— Look at your arm, Ping-er!.. — Shin Jin whispered furiously right into the very lips of the frozen Zhang Li Ping. — What exactly do these scars mean to you?! For me, they have always been and will remain an eternal sign of your absolute boundless devotion to me. But besides that, they are a warning sign of your self-destructive tendencies! And I have never, not for a second, forgotten about that. You can call my sincere protection a "golden cage" as much as your soul desires, but I will never in my life stop shielding you, whether you want it or not! You and I are eternally bound by a shared history, spilled blood, fire, and… that very night. You can't deny that, can you, Ping-er?
Zhang Li Ping’s eyes darted frantically across Shin Jin’s face at these words, and his breathing instantly became shallow and ragged from such a dangerous, intimate proximity of the man he loved. He swallowed convulsively, forced his gaze away toward the hallway with difficulty, and whispered barely audibly:
— You are standing too close to me, hyung… Step back right now. This is… improper.
Shin Jin smirked and obediently stepped back just one pace from him. Mr. Kang saw perfectly well how heavily flustered Ping-er became the moment his mentor simply approached him closely. This proved irrefutably that the junior clearly hadn't forgotten a single second of that fateful night spent in his arms, and still harbored deep feelings for his mentor. This realization warmed Shin Jin’s possessive soul with a pleasant heat. He stood for another minute, literally drilling his flustered protégé with his eyes, until Lee Han Young slowly came up to them on the second floor.
Lee Han Young looked quite puzzled and strictly first at his heavily breathing husband, then at the pale Mr. Zhang, and asked calmly:
— What are you two chattering about here for so long? Both of you get downstairs to breakfast, double-quick!
Then he turned directly to Zhang Li Ping and looked intently into his face:
— Mr. Zhang, you look, to put it mildly, unwell… Is everything definitely alright with you? Do you really not want to come down and eat with us?
Zhang Li Ping pulled himself together instantly, gave the judge a polite, strained smile, and replied:
— Everything is perfectly fine with me, Judge Lee, don’t worry. My head just hurts a little worse than usual since morning. And I really have no appetite at all. Please go ahead and have breakfast together with Shin Jin. I’ll talk a little business with Yi Seok now and lie down to rest in my room right after.
Han Young looked at the younger man with deep suspicion. Yesterday’s frightening findings in the bathroom in the form of bloodied napkins, a used syringe, and an empty medical ampoule of fentanyl still lay on the judge's heart like a heavy burden. Literally half an hour ago, he had already secretly sent a detailed message with all the specifics to a well-acquainted qualified doctor of his and was now waiting with great anxiety for his official reply. This was precisely why Lee Han Young made a firm decision not to tell absolutely anyone about it yet, so as not to raise a premature panic.
— Shin Jin, let's go back, — Han Young said softly but insistently. He took his husband by the hand gently but firmly and pulled him along toward the stairs. — Let's leave the two of them alone.
Mr. Kang did not want with all his heart to leave his protégé one-on-one with his old friend at this second, but he physically could not throw another wild scene of jealousy right in front of his lawful spouse. Therefore, he had to follow his husband back to the kitchen silently, holding back his internal fury.
Zhang Li Ping watched them go in silence until they disappeared on the first floor, and then, sighing heavily, turned and walked back into his room, where an anxious Baek Yi Seok had already been waiting for him by the window for a long time.
*******
Han Young sorted and sent all the compromising material on Prime Minister Song Pil Gu to his mentor, Judge Lim. Now, the next step in dismantling the Wu clan in the country was up to Lim Jung Sik.
In the afternoon, noticing his husband’s tension and exhaustion, Shin Jin decided to shake him up a bit and invited him out fishing. They rented a boat, gathered the gear, and headed out to sea. The Busan weather was delightful, and the sea was absolutely calm. Having cast their lines, the two men sat in silence.
Han Young behaved uncharacteristically quietly, completely immersed in his own thoughts. Shin Jin could not help but notice this strange change, as his spouse had still been in high spirits earlier that morning.
Shin Jin gently touched his husband’s shoulder and asked:
— Han Young-ah, why are you out of sorts? Did something happen?
The judge started, raised his eyes to his husband, and replied:
— I’m just a little tired. That’s all.
Shin Jin tenderly stroked his hair and whispered softly:
— You’ve had to go through a lot. I know how hard it was for you. When we return to Seoul, make sure to take a break from work. Get some rest.
Han Young stared at his husband’s profile for a long time, and then uttered barely audibly:
— Alright.
Soon, both of them got a bite at the same time. They successfully reeled in the fish, transferred the fresh catch into a large container with cold water, and continued the process.
While Shin Jin was admiring the serene sea surface, the judge shifted anxiously in his seat, not knowing how to break the news to his husband that he had learned an hour ago. Exactly an hour ago, while Han Young was sorting through tons of evidence against the Prime Minister, a reply from Dr. Kang Min Woo had arrived in his email. Earlier, the judge had sent him an inquiry listing the symptoms under which a patient is prescribed medical fentanyl.
Dr. Kang was a highly qualified specialist whom Lee had met several years ago during the investigation of a case. Upon receiving the email from Lee Han Young, Dr. Kang replied immediately:
"Judge Lee, ruling out criminal trafficking and drug addiction, in legal medical practice, ampouled fentanyl is a strictly controlled substance. It is prescribed to oncological patients at the terminal stage of cancer, when the patient develops a tolerance to regular opioids and so-called breakthrough pain syndrome sets in. The colossal weight loss, weakness, and vomiting with blood indicate the destruction of internal organs or internal bleeding. This person might have a tumor in the stomach or pancreas. Han Young, if this person is dear to you, brace yourself. They have, at best, from a few weeks to a couple of months left. This is palliative status. I am afraid it is already impossible to save him; one can only manage the hellish pain until the very end."
Han Young decided to test the waters first in order to predict Shin Jin’s possible reaction. He moved closer to his spouse and asked:
— Shin Jin, why do you think Mr. Zhang has lost so much weight? He looks physically emaciated and very weak…
Shin Jin gripped his fishing rod tighter and responded:
— You noticed it too? He recently suffered a severe case of pneumonia… Besides, that fool for some reason decided to take weight loss pills.
Han Young raised his eyebrows in surprise:
— Is that what he told you? And apart from that, he didn't say anything else?
— No, he didn't explain anything. He has generally begun to distance himself from me lately, and I don't know why. Perhaps Ping-er is angry that I didn't accept his fi… — Shin Jin suddenly broke off. He still could not bring himself to utter the word "fiancé." Swallowing the lump that had risen in his throat, he continued: — …for the fact that I don’t respect the piece of trash he chose for himself. And what did he even see in that Yu Wei Zhao?!
Han Young chuckled and sympathetically touched his forearm:
— I see that you shield Mr. Zhang almost like a father and wish him only the best. But, Shin Jin, sometimes you cross the line. Maybe Mr. Zhang really did fall in love with Mr. Yu?
Shin Jin averted his gaze and cut him off sharply and shortly:
— He never loved him and never will.
Han Young sighed heavily and asked the next question:
— Shin Jin, what would you do if Mr. Zhang’s health sharply deteriorated? Would you let him return to Hong Kong?
Shin Jin instantly tensed up and looked at his husband anxiously, with clear suspicion:
— Why are you asking about that?
Han Young placed his head on his shoulder compromisingly and said in a soothing tone:
— Oh… Just got curious.
Shin Jin put an arm around his spouse and stated confidently:
— I wouldn’t allow him to go anywhere. He has proven that he is incapable of taking care of himself. I would put him in the best clinic in Seoul and personally control his treatment.
Han Young remained silent. He made the decision not to tell his husband about Zhang Li Ping's fatal illness for now and to postpone this heavy conversation for later. They continued fishing in silence.
A few hours later, having caught a lot of fish, they finally returned to the shore. An incredibly beautiful sunset was already burning in the sky. Shin Jin and Han Young settled right on the sand and set about cleaning the catch. By this time, Yi Seok and Zhang Li Ping had just returned from the city and were now strolling leisurely along the coast, heatedly discussing something.
Han Young noticed them and smiled softly:
— Look at them. It seems they are quite close…
Shin Jin raised his eyes, only now noticing the pair walking along the beach and laughing merrily over something. His hand with the knife froze, and that same unpleasant, bitter feeling spilled into his throat again.
— A bit too close… — Shin Jin hissed through his teeth, barely containing the flared jealousy.
This morning Ping-er had spoken to him extremely reluctantly, yet now he was chatting with Yi Seok with great pleasure. Mr. Kang genuinely did not understand why his protégé was drawn to Yi Seok like this, yet pushed him away. What could those two even converse about for hours?
Suddenly, Zhang Li Ping stumbled, losing his balance, but Yi Seok reacted instantly and caught him, gripping him tightly by the waist.
Mr. Baek pressed him closer and whispered anxiously:
— A-Ping, tell me honestly, what has been happening to you lately? You have become terribly gaunt, and I thought it was the aftermath of the pneumonia. But now you have problems with motor skills and balance? Are these side effects after the stroke you suffered? Maybe we should go to the hospital tomorrow first thing, consult a doctor, and do a brain CT scan?
Zhang Li Ping did not pull away, on the contrary, he trustingly embraced his friend in return, burying his face in his shoulder.
— Dr. Zhu already did a CT scan for me. Everything is fine there, — Zhang Li Ping lied. After a short pause, he added quietly: — It's just that I've eaten practically nothing yesterday and today. Because of that, my head is spinning a bit.
Yi Seok stroked his back sympathetically:
— Your stomach still doesn't accept solid, heavy food? Is that why you felt nauseous during dinner yesterday and ran off to the bathroom?
Zhang Li Ping nodded wordlessly.
Yi Seok let out a heavy sigh:
— Why didn’t you tell me right away, A-Ping? I would have cooked something light for you. Tonight for dinner, I’ll boil some kuksu—remember like back then, in Hong Kong? It seemed your stomach liked that soup very much.
— Alright, — Zhang Li Ping replied shortly, warmed by the feeling that he was genuinely cared for and loved.
The only time he had experienced something similar was back in his distant childhood, when he lived in Taiwan with his mother, far from his father's tyrannical control.
Watching Baek Yi Seok embrace Zhang Li Ping for so long and so brazenly, Shin Jin finally blew up. From the outside, it looked like outright “cheating”, and he could no longer bear to endure this sight. He threw the knife into the sand with force, snapped to his feet, and shouted across the whole beach:
— Yi Seok! Instead of idling around, why don't you come over here and help me! I'm going to prepare dinner. Let Ping-er and Han Young rest a bit.
Mr. Baek reluctantly broke the embrace, let go of Zhang Li Ping, and headed toward Shin Jin. Meanwhile, Mr. Kang transferred all the cleaned fish into one bucket and roughly shoved it into Yi Seok’s hands:
— Here. Carry this into the house. And I'll grab everything else. Let's go.
In the kitchen, the two friends silently set about the cooking. Shin Jin was cutting the fish into portion sizes and sending them onto a scorching pan. Noticing Yi Seok pouring water into a small pot and throwing finely chopped vegetables and chicken meat in there, Shin Jin raised his eyebrows in surprise:
— What are you doing? Cooking soup?
Yi Seok nodded and replied with a soft smile:
— I’m preparing kuksu for A-Ping. He hasn't eaten anything at all since yesterday evening and is very weak.
Shin Jin frowned, and sarcasm slipped into his voice:
— And why can't Ping-er eat what I prepare? And where did you even get the idea that he would eat your soup?
Yi Seok threw a pinch of salt into the boiling water, covered the pot with a lid, and turned to his old friend:
— A-Ping won't touch your food simply because his stomach is currently incapable of digesting greasy or spicy food. I already cooked him this soup when we were in Hong Kong, and back then he ate it down to the very last spoon.
Shin Jin dropped his spoon onto a plate with a dull thud and stared point-blank at his pal. Distinct irritation was written in his eyes.
— And since when do you cook for him? — he asked with emphasis. — Why are you acting as if you are his lawful husband?
Yi Seok was also starting to get tired of these questionings, and he snapped back disgruntledly:
— And what business is it of yours? I want to take care of him, and I will do so!
Shin Jin took a step forward, drawing flush to Yi Seok, and looked straight into his eyes, trying to catch his gaze:
— Yi Seok… don't tell me that you've fallen in love with my Ping-er.
Yi Seok demonstratively rolled his eyes, turned back to the stove, and cut off drily:
— I am not going to discuss my private life with you, Shin Jin. You’d better watch the fish… I think it’s burning...
Shin Jin cursed, sharply grabbed the kitchen spatula, and set about feverishly flipping the sizzling pieces of fish.
The evening dinner passed relatively without any incident and in a surprisingly calm atmosphere. All four men, gathered around the common table, leisurely and constructively discussed current business matters, the alignments of forces in Seoul, and plans for the upcoming days. Zhang Li Ping ate the hot soup, which Baek Yi Seok had personally prepared for him today, with genuine pleasure.
At the same time, Kang Shin Jin practically did not touch his portion. He continuously and intently gazed at his protégé, catching absolutely every fleeting emotion on his pale face, registering the slightest changes in his gestures and body language.
Mr. Kang desperately wanted, with all his heart, to know what exactly the junior was thinking right now and what was truly happening in his closed heart. However, during the entire long dinner, Ping-er never once turned his head in his direction or graced his mentor with even a fleeting glance.
When the dinner finally came to an end, Yi Seok, was about to stay in the kitchen to clear the table and wash all the dirty dishes by himself. But Lee Han Young suddenly and resolutely caught him by the elbow. Gently but insistently leading his older comrade into the shadowed side of the hallway, while Shin Jin went to the bathroom for a couple of minutes. The judge stopped and asked him quietly, point-blank:
— Mr. Baek, tell me honestly… do you have feelings for Zhang Li Ping?
Yi Seok was flustered for a moment by such striking perceptiveness, his confidence wavering for a second, and he asked puzzledly:
— How… how exactly did you find out about this, Judge Lee?
Han Young smiled understandingly and very softly, looking at the older man’s embarrassment:
— Well… You constantly tenderly touched his hands, carefully embraced him at every opportunity, and openly praised and protected him in front of me. What is more, throughout this entire dinner today, you practically didn't take your warm gaze off his face… If all this is not real love, Mr. Baek, then I don't know what else it can be called.
Yi Seok swallowed heavily, feeling a slight, uncharacteristic awkwardness before the former judge, and clarified quietly:
— Judge Lee, did you… did you only want to ask me this?
Han Young shook his head in the negative, after which he trustingly placed his palm on Yi Seok’s shoulder and said sincerely:
— Mr. Baek, here is my friendly and human advice to you: do not waste precious time and confess your feelings to him right now. He just stepped out onto the porch a couple of minutes ago. Take advantage of this perfect chance and go for a walk together along the night beach. The sky tonight is exceptionally clear, and full of stars. This creates a truly romantic atmosphere. After all, I see clearly that with all your heart, you want much more from this relationship than just a platonic partnership. Am I absolutely right?
Yi Seok nodded silently and shortly, completely confirming Han Young's accurate guess.
— In that case, do not hesitate for a single second and go straight to him, — the judge encouraged him, removing his hand from his shoulder. — Show your courage and finally open your heart to him. And I will easily wash all the dishes in the kitchen myself. Go.
Yi Seok turned resolutely and headed toward the exit door of the house with quick, wide strides. The judge looked after him thoughtfully for a very long time, until he completely disappeared outside.
At that moment, a wide variety of conflicting and heavy emotions raged inside Han Young. The thing was, he was the only person in this entire house who had accidentally found out Mr. Zhang’s frightening medical secret, and this knowledge imposed a huge, almost suffocating responsibility on his conscience.
Out of deep respect and gratitude to his savior, Han Young physically could not just go and tell Baek Yi Seok about the young billionaire's fatal, progressive illness right now. But he could at least, indirectly like this, nudge the infatuated Mr. Baek to confess his feelings to the guy, in the secret hope that Zhang Li Ping, touched by this sincerity, would ultimately decide to open up to a reliable person.
Han Young wanted from the bottom of his soul that this controversial, harsh, but at the same time incredibly magnanimous man, who had personally done so much good for him and for Shin Jin over the last six years, would finally find his deserved peace and get a shred of personal happiness at least in these, possibly, last months of his life. The judge simply did not want, on a human level, for his savior to die in absolute loneliness and isolation.
From these bitter thoughts, Han Young's eyes instantly filled with hot tears. He frantically wiped the moisture from his eyes with quick movements of his fingers and, taking a deep breath, set about washing the accumulated dishes.
Meanwhile, Yi Seok stepped out onto the porch and immediately caught Zhang Li Ping alone. He was sitting quietly on a wooden bench right by the entrance. The young billionaire's deep brown eyes were fixed on the boundless, star-studded night sky.
Yi Seok carefully approached him closer and, smiling softly, said non-loudly:
— A-Ping, the night is just amazing. Let’s go for a little walk along the beach.
Zhang Li Ping slowly turned his head toward him, answered him with a very tender, tired smile and, rising wordlessly from the bench, obediently followed him. For some time, they walked in complete silence along the soft, cool sandy shore.
Inside, Yi Seok was desperately nervous, frantically sorting through words and not knowing how to properly start the conversation so as to smoothly and naturally transition to the main thing - the confession of his feelings. While he was completely absorbed by these complex thoughts in his head, Zhang Li Ping unexpectedly stopped, rolled up the hems of his light trousers to his very knees with quick movements, and ran straight toward the waves rolling onto the shore with a ringing laugh.
Mr. Baek was literally taken aback for a minute by such childish, spontaneous agility, and then shouted after him in alarm:
— A-Ping, stop, come back immediately! The water in the sea at this time of night is very cold, do you want to get sick?!
But Zhang Li Ping did not even think of stopping. He continued to run merrily along the very edge of the night beach, plunging up to his knees into the foamy seawater every now and then. He laughed sincerely, joyfully, and splashed the water in different directions with his feet with all his might. And when the worried Yi Seok finally ran right up to him, Mr. Zhang, taking a mischievous swing, splashed a handful of cool seawater at him, laughing loudly and ringingly.
Seeing this sincere, pure, and lively laugh of his, for the first time in this long day, Yi Seok’s stern soul was flooded with an incredible, aching warmth at that very second.
— Aren't… aren't you cold? — Mr. Baek asked with a smile, wiping the drops from his face.
— Well, to be honest, it’s a little chilly… But on the other hand, it’s so much fun! — Ping-er exclaimed ringingly, with burning eyes. — I’ve never splashed in the sea at night in my entire life. Catch me, if you can!
With these words, the guy turned sharply and dashed further along the water's edge. Yi Seok chuckled quietly and rushed in pursuit of him. Although Li Ping was significantly younger than his strong partner, the metastases in his lungs, which had been aggressively affected by chemotherapy back in the day, had formed extensive scarring in the tissues. Because of this, his respiratory volume was severely limited, and he grew tired very quickly. Li Ping stopped, breathing heavily and with a wheeze, clutching his chest with his hand.
Taking advantage of the moment, Yi Seok easily caught up with him and caught him from behind. His strong toned arms wrapped tightly and securely around the junior’s thin body, pressing him closer. Li Ping froze in this embrace, burying his head in the other's shoulder and still desperately trying to restore his broken breathing rhythm. Yi Seok pressed flat against him with his entire wide chest and his hot, ragged breath burned Ping-er's sensitive neck.
— A-Ping… you smell so good… — Yi Seok whispered barely audibly, being completely unable to contain the avalanche of emotions overflowing him anymore.
— Do you really like the fragrance of my shampoo that much? — Li Ping asked quietly, with a slight shortness of breath. — Vanilla extract is my absolute favorite. If you want, I can give you a whole box of the exact same shampoo from Hong Kong…
— It's not about your shampoo at all… I like the natural smell of your sk…— Yi Seok broke off sharply mid-word, reining in his wild impulses just in time.
He desperately wanted to tell the junior that he liked the natural, barely perceptible smell of his skin to distraction, and that right now, he desired to touch his pale neck with his lips. This extreme intimate proximity in the darkness was literally driving Yi Seok crazy.
And so as not to commit something irreparable and improper right now, which he might later bitterly regret, Mr. Baek forced himself to step back from the young man with an effort of will. He took A-Ping firmly by the hand and gently pulled him across the sand back toward the shore as far away from the cold water as possible.
Meanwhile, in the house, Kang Shin Jin, genuinely concerned by Ping-er's overly long absence, resolutely went outside. Scanning the surroundings, he began to tensely search with his eyes for his disobedient willful protégé. After half a minute, he clearly spotted two male figures nearby, right on the sandy beach. A tall, broad-shouldered man in a dark T-shirt stood half a step opposite a young man in a light white shirt, holding him tightly by the hand.
Mr. Kang instantly, without difficulty, recognized Baek Yi Seok and Zhang Li Ping in these silhouettes, and from this sight, his heart was painfully and sharply pricked by a stinging jealousy. Before his eyes, Yi Seok’s hands slowly slid a bit higher up the guy’s body and were now confidently holding him by the forearms, while Li Ping, to his deepest shock, allowed these intimate touches absolutely calmly.
It was physically unbearable and painful for Shin Jin to watch all this standing aside. Inside him, a wild desire raged to furiously run to them right now, drag his Ping-er away from his old friend by force, and press him tightly to his own chest. But Mr. Kang forced himself to stay in place. He made a decision to wait a little longer to see for himself just how far Yi Seok was willing to go in his arrogance, and to finally get a clear answer to that very question his comrade had evaded a couple of hours ago in the kitchen.
— Wow! Look over there quickly! A comet is flying! It’s so beautiful! — Li Ping suddenly cried out with genuine animation, raising his hand high and pointing with a thin finger somewhere into the depth of the night sky.
However, Yi Seok did not need to look up to contemplate true beauty at this moment. For him, all the authentic beauty of this world was currently standing right in front of him: enclosed in this fragile, painfully thin body. No distant comets, stars, or auroras could even come close to comparing their loveliness with the depth and brilliance of these stunning brown eyes.
Ping-er, suddenly noticing this overly long, heavy, and piercing gaze on himself, lowered his hand and looked intently at his partner. Yi Seok understood instantly that right now, the perfect, unique moment for the main confession of his life had come:
— A-Ping… I must tell you about a very important matter right now…
— Is this… is this somehow connected to what you told me confidentially this morning? — notes of intense anxiety slipped into Li Ping's voice instantly. — Have you changed your mind about secretly going to North Korea in search of your niece? But I already told you clearly that you absolutely don't need to go there yourself and risk your life so foolishly! My people will find her there and safely help her move here, to the South…
Yi Seok only squeezed his forearms even tighter and more securely, forcing the guy to focus entirely on him, and said quietly:
— No, I haven't changed my mind. My previous plan still remains in force. I am talking about something completely different now… A-Ping, I have wanted to tell you this so desperately since the longest time, but… I just never knew how to correctly put it into words…
With these words, Yi Seok leaned forward slightly, bringing his face closer to the face of his younger partner. Between their lips at this moment, literally a few insignificant millimeters remained.
Kang Shin Jin, who was watching this pair intently from the thick shadow of the trees, tensed with his entire body, his muscles stiffening. Mr. Kang's heart beat frightfully and erratically several times faster. He could not believe his eyes until the last that Yi Seok would truly dare to so openly encroach upon the one who actually belonged to him alone. But he was wounded even more deeply by the complete inaction of Ping-er himself. Could it be… could it be that Li Ping also wanted this kiss from Yi Seok?
Shin Jin’s broad palms clenched into tight, whitened fists in his pockets.
“Ping-er… I beg you, don't, don't kiss him… Don't give your heart to Yi Seok. After all… after all, it belongs to me,”— Shin Jin whispered desperately into the void of the night.
Against his will, his eyes quickly filled with stinging moisture. Mr. Kang understood perfectly, with horror: if Li Ping had really fallen in love with Yi Seok, then there would never be a place left for him next to the protégé anymore, and in the end, he would have to let him go forever. But the mere thought of such an outcome was mentally unbearable and fatally painful for Mr. Kang. Holding his breath, he continued to watch them spellbound from the darkness.
Meanwhile, Yi Seok leaned in by another small fraction of an inch, so that their noses touched softly.
— A-Ping, I… I love… — whispering these trembling words, Yi Seok was just about to completely cover the younger one's parted lips with his own.
But Li Ping suddenly, with a smooth and precise movement, covered his warm lips with his own cool fingers. Gazing intently straight into the man's dilated pupils, he whispered barely audibly:
— Tell me these important words only when you return alive and absolutely unharmed from North Korea… Jang Hee.
Hearing his real deeply concealed North Korean name from the junior’s lips, Yi Seok froze on the spot instantly. His stern heart was deeply moved, a lump rolled up to his throat, and he whispered in shock:
— That name… God, absolutely no one has called me that for a very, very long time. My late mother would call me that… A-Ping, please, call me by that name once more… Please…
Zhang Li Ping smiled very softly, with infinite sadness and warmth, and whispered:
— Jang Hee-ah… Be sure to keep your word. Return to me alive and unharmed.
Yi Seok, unable to help himself, kissed the cool fingers of A-Ping, which the latter was still holding at his lips, with deep reverent tenderness.
— I will. I swear to you that I will certainly return back to you alive and personally introduce you to my niece. I am more than sure that she will like you immensely! — Mr. Baek uttered strained through the tears that suddenly welled up in his eyes, and embraced Zhang Li Ping tightly, gratefully by the shoulders.
Li Ping obediently embraced him back, burying his chin in his shoulder. But his own moist eyes at this moment were fixed far into the dark sky, and bitter, soul-ripping thoughts rushed through his head like a whirlwind:
“Forgive me, Jang Hee… I physically won't be able to wait for you from this journey. I have very little time left to live in this world. And I cannot reciprocate, because my heart has been occupied by another person… But I sincerely hope that these words of mine will serve as the most powerful incentive for you to survive there no matter what and return back safe and sound.”
A few tears slowly rolled down Mr. Zhang’s pale cheeks in the darkness of the night.
At the same time, Shin Jin, who clearly saw from his shadow how Li Ping technically stopped Yi Seok and didn't let him kiss him, exhaled the air accumulated in his lungs convulsively and with colossal relief. A happy, triumphant smile appeared on his face for the first time that evening, and he carefully wiped away the unshed tear in the corners of his eyes.
— I knew it… I knew that you still love only me, Ping-er… — Mr. Kang whispered with deep triumph into the void of the night beach.
Soon, Zhang Li Ping and Baek Yi Seok returned to the house in silence after their heavy, emotional conversation on the night coast. However, Mr. Zhang did not go inside right away. He remained alone on the porch, feeling the cool night air pleasantly soothe his burning cheeks. The guy made a firm decision to smoke a cigarette from the very pack he had secretly bought in Busan today, when he went into the city for a couple of hours accompanied by his faithful friend.
In his entire conscious life, Li Ping had never smoked absolutely anything, deliberately protecting his body to flawlessly fulfill every single strict requirement of his mentor. But right now, his soul felt unbearably, suffocatingly melancholy, and the realization that he was terminally ill and slowly dying completely erased any past prohibitions. In his current position, there was absolutely no point anymore in caring about his own ruined health.
He sat down tiredly on the wooden bench by the entrance and lit a cigarette with trembling fingers. But no sooner had he brought it to his lips, intending to take a deep, soothing drag for the first time in his life, than someone swiftly appeared from the darkness right behind his back. The unknown person, with a sharp, authoritative movement, snatched the cigarette straight from his thin fingers and, with an accurate toss, threw it into the nearby trash bin.
Startled by the unexpectedness, Zhang Li Ping looked around sharply and instantly came face-to-face with the heavy, piercing gaze of his mentor. Shin Jin looked openly displeased by such sudden disobedience from his charge, but for some reason, contrary to all past habits, he did not flare up or cause the loud scandal that Li Ping was subconsciously already expecting from him.
Mr. Kang sat down on the bench right next to him in silence, maintaining a heavy stillness. At that moment, their knees touched tightly, and from this unexpected, intimate contact, Mr. Zhang started fearfully with his entire body, but did not move away.
— What are you doing out here so late, hyung? — Li Ping asked quietly, trying to steady his voice. — Why are you still not asleep?
— I could ask you the exact same question, Ping-er… — Shin Jin uttered non-loudly, with hidden reproach, not taking his eyes off him. — And why did you suddenly decide to smoke at all? You’ve never touched a cigarette in your entire life.
— Every day people experience something for the very first time…, — Li Ping replied indifferently, fixing his gaze ahead of him. — I just suddenly got curious about what it tasted like. That's all.
Meanwhile, Lee Han Young lay all alone in the matrimonial bed on the second floor, patiently waiting for his husband, who just would not return to the bedroom. Considering himself thoroughly puzzled and alarmed by his spouse's overly long absence, he got up, walked to the window, and looked out into the yard. There, below, in the uncertain light of the streetlamp, he clearly spotted two men sitting quietly on the bench by the porch. The judge recognized his husband's broad back and Mr. Zhang's fragile silhouette right away.
“And what could those two possibly be chatting about so intently in the dead of night? They could have easily talked about everything in the morning over breakfast…”— Han Young thought with mounting irritation, but he did not step away from the window, continuing his hidden observation.
Shin Jin slowly turned his head and looked intently at his protégé’s profile. The junior stubbornly continued to look somewhere into the distance at the remote stars, firmly refusing to turn his face to his mentor. At that moment, Mr. Kang distinctly noticed how the younger one's thin shoulders shook minutely from the night chill. Without further words, he resolutely took off his heavy leather jacket, carefully covered Li Ping’s shoulders with it, and then asked non-loudly:
— Ping-er… you are traveling back to Seoul with us tomorrow evening, aren't you?
Zhang Li Ping, still stubbornly not looking at him, replied in a quiet but firm tone:
— No, hyung. Early tomorrow morning, I am returning to Hong Kong for good.
Shin Jin was instantly alarmed by what he heard. He impulsively covered Ping-er’s pale hand with his own warm palm and squeezed it tightly, to the point of pain. In his usually confident voice, an open despair and a deep, hidden plea now clearly resounded:
— You… you are returning back to Hong Kong so soon? I was sure that you would stay here with me for at least a little longer… Why are you even rushing back so desperately to a place where, in essence, nobody is even waiting for you?
Ping-er slowly lowered his gaze to their joined, intertwined fingers and tried to carefully get his hand out of this captivity, but the mentor clearly did not intend to let him go so easily. Li Ping let out a heavy sigh and said quietly:
— Wei Zhao is waiting for me there. As soon as I return home, he and I will officially set the exact date for our upcoming wedding. By this time, he has probably already planned everything else on his own.
After these words, Shin Jin slowly, as if drained of strength, opened his fingers and let go of his hand. His voice trembled noticeably from the bitter tears rising to his throat, no matter how hard and desperately he tried to keep himself in check in front of Ping-er:
— Look me straight in the eyes, Ping-er… Please, look into my eyes now and answer one question honestly: do you… do you love Yu Wei Zhao?
Mr. Zhang slowly turned his torso toward him. He looked straight into his mentor’s pain-filled eyes for a very long time, and then asked quietly:
— If I answer you this question now, will you finally stop tormenting me with such questions once and for all?
In response, Shin Jin gave a barely perceptible, affirmative nod of his head. Zhang Li Ping smoothly drew closer to his face and, looking straight into his pupils, whispered clearly without a single hesitation:
— Yes, Shin Jin. I do love Yu Wei Zhao…
At these words, a single tear escaped from Mr. Kang’s eyes and rolled down his cheek. He rose from the bench abruptly, and disappeared inside the house with quick strides. Li Ping watched him go in silence until the door slammed shut, and then, left in absolute loneliness, slowly took off his mentor's leather jacket. He buried his face in it, greedily inhaling the familiar, beloved scent of the man dear to him.
Mr. Zhang’s heart was literally ripping to pieces at this second from unbearable melancholy and all-consuming love for him, but he could not allow himself to tell his hyung the truth. This confession would ruin his current peaceful family life with Lee Han Young. Zhang Li Ping could not hold it in and wept quietly, bitterly in the darkness, desperately pressing the mentor's warm garment to his chest.
“Shin Jin… Forgive me for this forced lie… What else was left for me to do? You love Lee Han Young. You have always loved exclusively him alone, and you have never in your life felt anything like that for me, no matter what I did for you these past years… After all, to you, I have always been nothing more than a disobedient foolish protégé, or merely a beautiful, rare "diamond". Just a thing to own. Nothing will happen to you if you ultimately lose one of your things out of hundreds of others. Soon, when I disappear, you will surely find something much more interesting and forever forget that I ever even existed in your life…”
From his window on the second floor, Lee Han Young clearly saw absolutely every single detail that had just unfolded before his eyes on the night porch. He saw with his own eyes how desperately his own lawful husband held his young protégé by the hand and did not want to let him go. He saw with what undisguised melancholy and love Zhang Li Ping looked at Shin Jin, and how this strong guy broke down, desperately pressing the older man's jacket to himself.
And at that very moment, it finally, crushingly dawned on Lee Han Young: what Kang Shin Jin actually felt for Zhang Li Ping had absolutely nothing to do with ordinary fatherly guardianship, or a mentor's protection. Between these two men, there clearly existed a mutual, deep, and very strong emotional attachment and love.
This frightening thought, like a domino effect, instantly led him to another, much more terrible, shocking discovery. From the sudden realization, the judge felt his legs give way, and he sat down heavily, abruptly on the edge of the bed, clutching the bedspread with his hands.
— When Shin Jin confessed his physical infidelity to me two months ago… could it be that he actually wanted to tell me that he spent that night precisely with Zhang Li Ping?! — Han Young whispered in shock, in absolute horror, into the empty, dark room. — No… That cannot be. After all, Shin Jin… Shin Jin loves me… I know that for sure.
Initially, Han Young firmly intended to tell his husband everything in detail and reveal the medical secret about Mr. Zhang's severe illness to him as soon as he returned to their bedroom. However, now, after everything he had witnessed on the porch, he completely changed his mind about doing so in a second.
Han Young realized clearly: if he told Shin Jin right now that Zhang Li Ping was terminally ill and had only a few months left to live, his husband would abandon him here in Korea, fly off after his beloved protégé to Hong Kong or any other point of the world without hesitating for a single moment, and spend all days and nights right next to him until the very last breath.
Lee Han Young loved Kang Shin Jin madly. For nothing in the world was he going to divorce him, just as he did not plan to let him go to another man even temporarily. Even if that man stood on the threshold of the grave.
The judge clenched his fists tightly. A stinging jealousy began to swiftly take over his mind.
— Mr. Zhang… you saved my life, and I am grateful to you for that, — Han Young whispered barely audibly into the darkness of the bedroom. — But I cannot and will not give you my husband… Please, fly back and live out your remaining months quietly and peacefully somewhere very far away from us. Die there, without burdening my husband with your illness, just as you originally planned to do. Preserve my family happiness and peace…
******
Early in the morning, long before the general family breakfast, Mr. Zhang’s personal assistant pulled up to the Busan house. Zi Ming had brought his boss his impeccably ironed business suit and now, trying not to disturb the residents' peace, patiently waited outside, sitting in the cabin of the company car.
Inside the house, Zhang Li Ping had already managed to take a quick shower and, having hastily dried his wet hair, set about promptly getting dressed. When he threw a clean shirt over his thin shoulders and had just begun fastening the first buttons, a non-loud but confident knock resounded on the wooden door of his bedroom.
— Come in, — Mr. Zhang gave his consent shortly and curtly, without even turning around.
He stood with his back to the exit, facing a large mirror, and continued methodically fastening the buttons on his chest.
When Kang Shin Jin smoothly stepped inside the room, Ping-er clearly saw his reflection in the mirror surface and froze for a fraction of a moment. Shin Jin silently approached him from behind and, with a confident movement, turned his protégé to face him, gripping him tightly by the shoulders. Mr. Kang's fingers, moving with surprising agility, took over the initiative and themselves began fastening the remaining buttons on the man’s shirt. Having finished with this, Shin Jin, without saying a word, slowly pulled a neatly folded tie that belonged to himself out of the deep pocket of his jacket.
Feeling something amiss, Zhang Li Ping impulsively caught his mentor's wrist with his thin fingers and whispered barely audibly:
— Hyung, I have my own tie, brought by Zi Ming. Why are you…
Before he could finish his thought, Shin Jin cut him off, looking straight into his brown eyes:
— Why do I want to give you precisely my tie, despite you having your own? Because I want to, Ping-er. What’s the matter, i can’t even do that now?
Under this heavy gaze, Li Ping submissively lowered his eyes and slowly opened his fingers, obediently letting go of his mentor's warm wrist. Mr. Kang did not waste precious time. Smoothly casting the tie around the younger one's neck, he set about skillfully tying a complex knot, while Ping-er's bewildered eyes wandered erratically over his strong-willed face. The younger one's breathing broke instantly from such fatal proximity, and inside his chest, his disease-exhausted heart beat painfully and dully several times faster.
Catching this overly intent, defenseless gaze upon himself, Kang Shin Jin froze for a second and raised his eyes. For some moment, his gaze found itself pinned deathly to his protégé's brown eyes, and then slowly, as if against his will, slid lower to his parted lips. Shin Jin swallowed the accumulated saliva heavily and, with an effort of will, sharply averted his gaze to the side, desperately trying to keep himself in check.
— I have no idea what exactly this Yu Wei Zhao managed to conquer your heart with so quickly, but I sincerely hope that you will never regret your choice, Ping-er, — Mr. Kang whispered coldly, hastily putting on his usual mask of a harsh, indifferent mentor.
— You are mistaken about him, hyung, — Zhang Li Ping uttered quietly but with absolute confidence, shifting his hazy gaze toward the large window beyond which the dawn was breaking. — Wei Zhao is actually not such a bad person at all as you imagine him to be. For my sake, he gave up drugs and alcohol forever, and he is even intending to officially transfer his entire company to me. A-Zhao is sincerely devoted to me. And I won't regret for a single second that I am marrying such a man.
These quiet words had a truly crushing effect on Shin Jin. In the depths of his soul, he felt the exact same wild, paralyzing bewilderment that had seized him during their night conversation on the bench. Failing to find anything to reply, he only tightened the knot of the tie on the guy's neck much faster and sharper, hastily stepped back from his body, and exited the room with a swift stride.
Left alone, Mr. Zhang interpreted this turbulent reaction of his mentor deeply in his own way, considering it ordinary dull anger for his another act of disobedience. He cast a brief look into the mirror for the last time, bringing his clothes into perfect order with quick movements, after which he resolutely stepped out of the bedroom and slowly descended to the first floor.
There, in the spacious hall, Baek Yi Seok and Lee Han Young were already waiting for him.
Zhang Li Ping first of all approached his older partner. He embraced Yi Seok tightly, with all possible warmth, and whispered to him quietly, barely audibly, straight into his ear:
— Jang Hee… if you have even the slightest problems there, in the North, call this number at any time of day or night. This is a direct contact for my most trusted employee. He will do everything possible and help you in any situation.
In response, Yi Seok squeezed his fragile body in his embrace with all his might and said confidently:
— I will return back to you as soon as possible. You won't even notice how quickly these couple of months will fly by, you'll see, A-Ping… And while I am not around, please, take care of your health. Eat on time and go to bed earlier.
Zhang Li Ping slowly pulled away from his chest and whispered just as quietly:
— Take care of yourself…
Then Mr. Zhang's sad eyes smoothly slid over to Lee Han Young, who was standing a bit apart and smiling softly. Junior walked over to him unhurriedly and, completely unexpectedly for Judge Lee, embraced him tightly and sincerely.
— Take care of yourself, Judge Lee. I sincerely hope that you will never be kidnapped by any bandits again in your life. Please, never get into such dangerous, criminal affairs again and… take care of Shin Jin. Hyung is sometimes simply unbearable in his anger and control, but I very much hope that you will always treat him with understanding and patience. Live together long and happily… — Zhang Li Ping whispered straight into his ear, blessing their marriage.
Lee Han Young, who had mentally accused the guy of all sins a second ago, did not embrace him back. His polite smile slipped completely from his face in an instant, exposing an icy detachment. Containing his internal tension with all his might, he only dryly squeezed out a couple of short words:
— Farewell, Mr. Zhang…
Zhang Li Ping slowly pulled away from him and scrutinized the judge’s handsome face intently for a few seconds. Lee Han Young had consciously said a final "farewell" to him just now instead of the usual "goodbye." However, seeing habitual soft smile on the judge's face, Mr. Zhang made a decision not to focus his attention on this fleetingly slipped detail. He was confident that Lee Han Young had not a single chance to find out about his secret.
Mr. Kang had been standing furthest of all this entire time, secluding himself in the darkest corner of the hall. Zhang Li Ping slowly walked over to him and had already hesitantly opened his arms, intending to embrace the man dear to him for the very last time in his life. But Shin Jin, noticing his intention, sharply, demonstratively took a step back, completely avoiding any physical contact and demonstratively leading his heavy gaze away to the side.
This cruel reaction wounded Mr. Zhang to the bottom of his soul. After all, he only wanted to embrace the man dear to him at parting and inhale his familiar scent for the last time in this world, yet his hyung egoistically deprived him of even this tiny last wish.
Zhang Li Ping did not forcefully push it or impose himself. He only looked at his mentor with a long gaze full of infinite melancholy and pain.
— Take care of yourself, hyung. May everything always be well with you in this life… I… — Mr. Zhang’s voice trembled noticeably and broke for a second from the suffocating emotions rolling up from within.
Shin Jin instantly registered this small, barely perceptible change in his intonation. He instinctively turned his head, looked at Ping-er’s face, and to his horror saw a whole sea of unspent tears and a painful smile in his eyes.
Li Ping swallowed the lump that had risen in his throat and, catching his breath, continued:
— I sincerely wish you and Lee Han Young a long life together, full of sincere love and happiness. I… I very much hope that you will never have to feel that terrible shock again in your life, which you endured so heavily two days ago because of Lee Han Young's kidnapping. I hope that your eyes from now on will shine exclusively from joy and will never face bitter sadness again…
These piercing words coming from the very heart pierced Kang Shin Jin's soul like a sharp blade. These strange wishes with this peculiar intonation did not sound like words about a temporary parting. They sounded like an irrevocable and final "farewell."
At that same second, such a suffocating wave of subconscious anxiety rose in the proud mentor's chest that for a moment he completely forgot all his resentment and jealousy. Kang Shin Jin whispered in alarm:
— Ping-er… What… what do you mean? Why do you say such words?
Zhang Li Ping realized in time that in a surge of feelings he had committed a dangerous slip and allowed himself a momentary weakness that could give him away completely. With quick, sharp movements of his fingers, he wiped away the tears that had appeared on his eyelashes and said:
— It's time for me to go. Zi Ming has been waiting for me for a very long time…
He turned sharply and walked swiftly toward the exit door. Shin Jin instinctively leaned forward with his entire body, intending to dash from his spot, grab him tightly by the hand, stop him, and force the junior to explain himself immediately. But the approaching footsteps of his own husband from the side stopped this impulse in him in a second.
Soon Lee Han Young found himself right next to him. He affectionately and firmly took his husband by the hands and said calmly:
— Shin Jin, let’s go to the kitchen quickly and have breakfast. Right after eating, we will need to clean up the rooms and officially hand over the keys to the owner of this house by lunchtime.
Shin Jin slowly turned his head, looked into the calm face of his spouse, and only squeezed his palm tighter in his hand.
— Alright, Han Young-ah. Whatever you say… Let's go have breakfast.