Chapter 4.2
“Louie, time to eat!”
In the bowl she set down, grilled beef lay nestled among fresh vegetables, looking like something straight from a high-end buffet.
Wow, pets in wealthy families really eat differently. But is it okay if I eat Louie’ food?
Licking his lips, Yi Hyeon looked up at the housekeeper, his eyes sparkling.
“Oh my, look at you! Did you see the beef? Louie, did you see it?”
The housekeeper, cheerfully speaking to Yi Hyeon, suddenly glanced over at Han Joon, taken aback.
“Joonie, don’t you have tutoring on Saturdays?”
“I’m worried about Louie, so I’m studying from home for now.”
“If the congressman finds out you skipped, he won’t be pleased.”
“He’s never pleased, no matter what I do.”
Han Joon spoke in a chilly tone, spinning the pen in his hand. It was the same cold demeanor Yi Hyeon was used to seeing at school. The housekeeper, seemingly uncomfortable with Han Joon’s frosty attitude, gave an awkward smile and patted Yi Hyeon on the head.
“Louie, do you know ‘Grade 2’ beef? We bought you the best so you can grow up big and strong! So, eat up and get well soon, okay?”
Trying to show he was perfectly fine, Yi Hyeon bounced up and down. The housekeeper laughed heartily, clapping her hands in delight.
“Oh, our Louie is practically human now, huh? He understands everything I say! Thank goodness that car only brushed by… Who would’ve thought Se Hyun would pull a stunt like that…”
What? The car just brushed by?
Yi Hyeon’s small body froze mid-bounce. He was certain he’d been hit by the car. He’d felt the bone-crushing impact, his body flung into the air, then the hard crash onto the asphalt. He’d felt every ounce of pain before losing consciousness. But to say the car had only grazed him?
Confused as his mind spun from the housekeeper’s strange words, his thoughts were soon overwhelmed by the smell of perfectly seasoned grilled beef.
It felt as if the human and canine instincts within him were colliding. If not, he wouldn’t be salivating over beef in the middle of such a dire situation.
“What idiot says it just brushed him? It went straight for him.”
Han Joon said, turning back to the housekeeper.
With the tension thickening, Yi Hyeon found himself frozen, unable to dive into the bowl despite the rumbling in his empty stomach.
Finally, surrendering to hunger, he closed his eyes, shoved his face into the bowl, and took a huge bite. He barely chewed, swallowing the beef in a couple of quick bites, letting the rich, savory flavor fill his mouth and stimulate his senses.
‘Delicious!’
“Is that not true? I asked Se Hyun, and he told me…”
“Ha! What garbage. He lies every time he opens his mouth, seriously. If my friend hadn’t been there, Louie would’ve been in serious danger.”
Hearing Han Joon’s voice filled with indignation, Yi Hyeon stopped mid-chew and lifted his head.
‘Friend? Does he mean me?’
It surprised Yi Hyeon that Han Joon, who always kept his distance, would refer to him as a friend.
After all, it was Han Joon who’d warned him not to get too close. So why now? While it could be someone else, Yi Hyeon was the one who’d saved Louie.
‘Was it possible that Han Joon had thought of me as a friend all along?’
But if that were true, why had Han Joon pushed him away, saying he had no intention of becoming close?
And where, exactly, was he now? His mind spun with these unsettling questions.
“Chew it slowly, Louie. I bought all this for you. Not the housekeeper—me. So, you should like me better, got it?”
As soon as the housekeeper left, Han Joon sprang up and lay down in front of Yi Hyeon, showering him with kisses.
But Yi Hyeon remained in deep thought, barely registering Han Joon’s affection. He was beginning to piece together what he needed to do.
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