Unrequited Love Thresher-Chapter 77: Birdcage

“Ha... Giyeon hasn’t come home yet?”

Lee Mihyun, having returned from work, went to check Ha Giyeon’s room and, finding it empty, immediately asked Kang Jini. He’d skipped breakfast and left early in the morning, and now it was late and he still hadn’t returned. Had he always spent this little time at home?

As Mihyun felt a creeping sense of dissonance, Kang Jini responded slowly, puzzled.

“He said he’s sleeping over at a friend’s place.”

“...He’s sleeping over?”

Even though he wasn’t feeling well, he was staying somewhere else instead of coming ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) home—Lee Mihyun couldn’t understand it. She knew that Giyeon no longer had hopes or expectations of them, but still, dragging his sick body out to sleep at a friend’s? That was ridiculous.

Was he that unwilling to see her?

He hadn’t sent her a single text, but had left a message with Kang Jini.

“Did you ask him yourself, ahjumma?”

“Giyeon sent me a message.”

Lee Mihyun turned on her heel and left the kitchen. Was she offended? Was her pride hurt? She didn’t even know how to describe the feeling.

Why had Ha Giyeon informed Kang Jini—and not her or even Ha Dohoon—that he wouldn’t be home that night? No matter what, she was still his mother.

She opened her phone and checked her notifications. As expected, they were almost all work-related. There wasn’t a single message from Giyeon. She opened her contacts and searched for his name.

Unlike Ha Dohoon, who was saved under “Son,” Ha Giyeon was simply saved under his full name—as if he were a business acquaintance. Mihyun stared at that for a moment, then edited the contact.

She typed “Giyeon,” erased it, then finally saved it as “Second Son” and closed her phone. Was this the best she could hope for now?

For some reason, a quiet sense of disappointment lodged itself deep in her chest.

***

Son Suhyeon and Ha Giyeon lay down under the blankets fairly early. It was partly because Giyeon wasn’t feeling well and needed proper rest—but mostly because Suhyeon’s house didn’t have a TV or computer, so it got really quiet unless they talked.

There was a laptop, but it wasn’t like there was anything in particular to do with it. And when the conversation ran out, the silence became awkward. So they both turned in for the night sooner than usual.

As Giyeon lay under the blanket, Suhyeon reached out to check his forehead one last time—but stopped himself. He’d nearly touched it without asking again.

Watching him, Giyeon mumbled from under the covers pulled up to his nose.

“I-I don’t mind...”

“Uh... what?”

“It’s just to check my fever, after all...”

Right. It was just to check on the other person’s condition. There was no deeper meaning to it. So it should be fine.

“......”

Yes, it should be fine—but Suhyeon felt his palm starting to sweat as he touched Giyeon’s forehead, and his heart began to race. He couldn’t tell if the heat was coming from Giyeon’s skin or his own hand.

Once you start becoming aware of something, it’s endless. Seriously.

Afraid that his pounding heart might be heard, Suhyeon quickly pulled his hand away, turned off the light, and lay under his blanket. It was right next to Giyeon’s.

The first night Giyeon had stayed at Suhyeon’s place, the distance between their blankets had been quite large—enough room for a third person to lie between them. But tonight was different. There was barely enough space between them to fit the length of Suhyeon’s foot.

Lying down, Suhyeon stared at the ceiling, then turned his head and looked at Giyeon. He, too, was blinking up at the ceiling. They couldn’t sleep yet, but the meds would kick in soon and knock him out.

Looking at the stiff way Giyeon lay there, Suhyeon chuckled quietly.

“...?”

“Ah, sorry. I just remembered the first time you stayed over. What was it you said after the second knock?”

“...!”

Giyeon flinched with embarrassment and pulled the blanket up over his head.

“T-That was just because everything felt awkward! I didn’t even mean to say it...”

“So you don’t do it anymore because you’re not awkward now?”

From under the covers, Giyeon said nothing at first—then peeked his face out just a little.

“I-It’s not awkward anymore... right...?”

“...!”

Suhyeon’s eyes widened at the unexpected reply. It sounded like they’d grown closer—and that filled him with a sense of joy. This kid was finally opening up to him.

“Yeah. It’s not awkward anymore.”

When Suhyeon answered with a gentle smile, Giyeon, who’d been hiding under the blanket, smiled too. Something about it made him feel warm and relaxed, like he’d sleep well tonight.

“......”

Sure enough, as the medicine took effect, Giyeon soon fell completely asleep. Suhyeon watched him for a while, quietly reassured, then started to doze off himself.

Until Giyeon’s hand popped out from under the blanket.

It must have happened as he turned in his sleep—his right hand was now lying outside the covers. Suhyeon gazed at the hand resting between the blankets.

Pale, slender, and limp with exhaustion, it looked oddly fragile. Suhyeon sat up and gently took Giyeon’s hand. It had been warm, but had grown cool—so he tucked it back under the blanket.

But a few minutes later, the hand slipped out again.

Is he too hot?

Didn’t seem like it, given that he was still buried under the blanket.

Suhyeon reached to tuck it back in—but paused, simply looking at it. Compared to his own, Giyeon’s hand was tiny. His own hands were on the larger side, but even for a boy, Giyeon’s were small. That made the difference feel even more pronounced.

A pale, small hand—like it was meant to touch only precious things. And it had so many things it should be holding.

Suhyeon mentally closed his hand over it and whispered inwardly: Please handle me, too. Because Suhyeon wanted to take on everything that Giyeon was carrying.

He moved to hold the hand—then hesitated and instead gently linked his pinky with Giyeon’s. The faint warmth that passed through their fingertips traveled slowly up his arm.

Feeling Giyeon’s warmth, Suhyeon finally closed his eyes.

***

Waking up not in his stifling room, but at Son Suhyeon’s house. Waking up next to him. Eating breakfast together.

It was the perfect morning.

If only his fever hadn’t returned.

On the way to school, his head had started to throb—and eventually, the fever climbed again. He tried to hide it, but Suhyeon picked up on it immediately. Before they even got on the bus, Suhyeon placed a hand on his forehead and frowned.

“I really am fine...”

“No, you’re not. You took medicine and still got a fever. I think you should skip school today.”

Suhyeon turned back toward his house, but Giyeon stopped him in a panic. If he went back to Suhyeon’s place, it would be comfortable for him, sure—but then Suhyeon wouldn’t go to school. He’d already left school early once yesterday. Giyeon didn’t want to burden him again.

In the end, he decided to go home. Suhyeon asked several times if he was sure.

“Are you really okay to go?”

“My parents and brother are all out, so it’ll be fine.”

By 8 o’clock, they’d all be gone to work or school, so the house would be empty. He could stay in his room and rest in peace.

“I’ll walk you there. Let’s go.”

“You have to go to school, sunbae.”

“I can go later.”

“No way! You already left early because of me yesterday...!”

“Okay, okay. I’ll just go with you as far as your place.”

“...That’s the same thing...!”

Suhyeon absolutely refused to back down, so Giyeon had no choice but to let himself be led home. He hadn’t wanted Suhyeon to see his house—but if he kept resisting, he’d just make Suhyeon even later. freeweɓnovel.cøm

“Um... this is it.”

It was a detached house with a yard, the kind of place you’d see in a chaebol family drama. As Suhyeon stood silently looking at the house, Giyeon couldn’t read his expression—and it made him anxious. What if he thought Giyeon was just another spoiled rich kid? What if he thought he’d been lying?

But Suhyeon merely glanced away and said, facing the gate:

“Text me if you get bored. I’ll keep my phone on.”

“...Okay...!”

As Giyeon nodded eagerly, Suhyeon waved him off and gestured for him to go in. Watching him disappear through the gate, Suhyeon finally turned to leave.

People whispered about how Ha Dohoon was some chaebol heir, the son of a big group chairman—and now Suhyeon understood why. Living in a house like that, it made sense he’d be used to power and arrogance.

Jealousy? Shame? Envy? It’d be a lie to say he felt none of that. But more than that, what caught Suhyeon’s attention was how Giyeon had forced himself to walk back into that place.

He looked like a bird vanishing into a cage.

Now that he knew where Giyeon lived, Suhyeon felt both relieved—and more determined than ever to find something he could do for him.