The next morning, sunlight poured into the room as Minjun slowly opened his eyes. His body felt heavy, as though he had not slept at all. He looked around, and realised at once that this was not his room.
Everything that had happened the day before had been real.
Beside him, Thomas slept peacefully, completely unaware of the chaos surrounding their lives.
A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts. One of the boss's men called to him, announcing that it was time to get up. The man entered politely and introduced himself.
"I'm Kenta Moriyama, the person responsible for your education."
Still overwhelmed by everything, Minjun introduced himself in return, awkwardly. Kenta placed a black and white suit on the bed and explained that Minjun was expected to wear it while he stayed there, since it was the standard attire for everyone in the organisation.
Having no choice, Minjun changed into the suit. As he dressed, he noticed Thomas watching him with sparkling eyes.
Now fully awake, the little boy smiled brightly and called out, "Mama."
Without thinking, Minjun smiled back and gently ruffled his hair. It felt strange, how naturally the child had accepted him. He asked Thomas whether he had slept well, and whether he wanted to rest a little longer, but the boy shook his head with confidence. He was ready to start the day.
Kenta reminded them that breakfast was important, because it was the only time the boss had available to spend with Thomas. Minjun thought privately that it was surprisingly early for such a formal meal, but he kept the thought to himself. He had already worked out that Kenta was someone who followed orders without question, and that arguing with him would accomplish nothing.
As Minjun helped Thomas get dressed, the little boy insisted that only Mama was allowed to help him, and refused any assistance from Kenta.
Minjun could not help laughing at Thomas's determination. Feeling slightly more comfortable with his unexpected new routine, he happily helped the boy get ready.
With everything prepared, Kenta led them through the hallway, reminding them not to be late. Trying to break the awkward silence, Minjun remarked casually that the boss was probably busy with yakuza business.
Kenta answered far more seriously than he had expected.
"The boss isn't just a yakuza member. He's the leader of the Uyama group. And Thomas, his son, will become the next leader one day."
The revelation made Minjun swallow nervously. He glanced down at Thomas, who was walking happily beside him and holding his hand, and tried to picture the adorable little boy leading a powerful criminal organisation. The thought seemed unbelievable.
At the same time, he could not help admiring Daiki, the boss. Without realising it, Minjun found himself thinking about how impressive the man was, and how admittedly handsome.
His thoughts were interrupted when Daiki himself appeared silently in the hallway. Startled, Minjun turned around quickly, feeling his face heat up as he realised he had probably been staring with a foolish expression.
Thomas ran straight to his father and announced excitedly that he had slept with his mama.
Embarrassed beyond words, Minjun simply lowered his head, too ashamed to explain anything. Then he looked up at Daiki again, wondering how a person could command so much authority without even saying a word.
At breakfast, Minjun was surprised by how simple the meal was. He had expected an extravagant feast. Instead he found a modest but satisfying breakfast waiting for him.
Without thinking, he said so out loud, then corrected himself quickly and thanked everyone for the meal. The men around the table gave him curious looks, which made him more nervous still, so he focused on eating and pretended that nothing had happened.
As he ate, he watched the table. Daiki ate quietly and calmly, and drank only coffee. It surprised Minjun that a man with so much power lived so modestly.
Minjun himself was so hungry that he practically devoured his food, which left him a little embarrassed.
Halfway through breakfast, one of the men leaned over and whispered something into Daiki's ear. The boss stood up immediately and ordered his men to prepare the car. Before leaving, he bent down and kissed Thomas on the cheek, and the little boy beamed with happiness.
But Thomas was not satisfied. With a mischievous grin, he called out to his father.
"Papa, you should kiss Mama, too."
Minjun tried to protest at once. Daiki cut him off calmly.
"Thomas is waiting."
Without another word, Daiki stepped closer, gently lifted Minjun's chin, and locked eyes with him. The intensity of that gaze left Minjun completely speechless.
In a low, commanding voice, Daiki said, "If Thomas calls you Mama, then you should call me Daiki."
Minjun's face turned bright red as Daiki went on staring at him. It was obvious the man knew exactly what effect he had on people.
Once again, Minjun found himself trapped in a situation he could not escape.
Later, Daiki sat impatiently in the back seat of his car. Noticing his unusual mood, his subordinates asked cautiously whether something was wrong, and whether they should handle the problem. Daiki gave them no answer. He simply flipped his lighter open and closed, open and closed, completely lost in thought.
His mind kept replaying what had happened that morning. He and Minjun standing face to face, closer and closer with every passing second. The teasing smile he had allowed himself.
"Are you just going to keep staring at me?"
That moment refused to leave his head. For some reason he could not name, Minjun had affected him in a way he did not understand.
Meanwhile, Minjun was equally distracted. Every time he remembered what had happened, his face burned with embarrassment. He still could not believe that he had kissed his boss. Even more shocking was the realisation that in a single day they had already hugged and kissed.
Thinking about those moments made his imagination run wild, filling his head with far more intimate scenes that left him flustered.
The moment he realised where his thoughts were heading, he scolded himself. They barely knew each other. Besides, Daiki had practically forced that kiss on him. To make matters worse, Thomas was nearby, looking at him with innocent eyes.
Feeling guilty, Minjun tried desperately to distract himself. He started singing a random song about fruit, hoping it would clear his mind.
It did not help at all. Finally he hurried off to the bathroom before anyone could notice how strangely he was behaving.