Chapter 127: The Visitor in the Rain

Even though he hadn’t seen Kang Ian in days, a single glance was all it took for Kei to realize just how abysmal the man’s current state was.

Kang Ian stood outside the window, soaked to the bone. Jet-black hair clung to his forehead, his combat gear was shredded into tatters, and his pale face was marred by countless bruises and dried streaks of unwashed blood.

Kei immediately pulled him inside.

"Why are you hurting this badly?!"

Kang Ian didn’t answer.

"Just sit down and bear with it for a moment," Kei said, turning toward the doorway. "Sora, get some warm water and a clean change of clothes ready, please!"

"Got it!" Kim Sora hurried into the back room.

Kei guided Kang Ian to a seat before inspecting his injuries closely. The once-sturdy combat attire was now torn to the point where it barely covered the body beneath. Large and small gashes littered his arms, shoulders, and neck, and one corner of his mouth was still oozing fresh blood.

"Where on earth have you been? Did you run into some brutal battle? Why would Moon So-Yeon let you wander around looking like this?"

Kang Ian still said nothing, fixing his gaze squarely on Kei.

Those platinum eyes, usually chillingly detached, looked even gloomier than before. Kei found himself feeling somewhat flustered under that intense stare, torn between whether to keep asking questions or to treat his wounds immediately.

Right at that moment, the kitten leaped down from the bed.

"Meow."

Kang Ian slowly shifted his gaze toward the cat.

A moment later, a laugh slipped past his lips, a raspy, chilling sound devoid of any real amusement.

"You really do love picking up stray little creatures and bringing them home, don’t you?"

Kei let out a sigh, bending down to scoop the cat up and stroke its fur.

"This little guy literally just showed up out of nowhere. I’m not some kind of magnet for stray animals like you’re making it sound."

"Is that so?" Kang Ian chuckled dryly.

He offered no further elaboration.

Kei looked at him, sensing clearly that the man was harboring something heavy yet completely unwilling to speak of it. If he kept pressing, Kang Ian would likely just stare at him in silence.

Fortunately, Sora arrived right then carrying a stack of fresh clothes and a large towel.

"Kei-nim, here are the clothes."

"Thanks, Sora."

Kei took the garments and handed the kitten over to her. "Take it out and feed it something. It’s probably been starving for a while."

Sora happily extended her hands.

Yet the moment the kitten left Kei’s embrace, it thrashed violently. It hooked its tiny claws into his shirt, clinging so tightly that the fabric stretched to its limit.

"Meow!"

"Again? Why does it hate me so much?!" Sora’s jaw went slack.

Kei gently pried the claws loose and deposited the cat into Sora’s arms. "Don’t give Sora a hard time."

The cat continued to stare at him with those shimmering golden eyes, but finally relented, allowing Sora to carry it away.

Before stepping out, Sora glanced back at Kei with a wary expression. "Kei-nim, it genuinely doesn’t like me."

"I suppose so." Sora shot the kitten a disgruntled glare.

The door clicked shut, leaving only Kei and Kang Ian in the room.

Just as Kei turned around, the distinct sound of a lock turning echoed through the silence.

*Click.*

Kang Ian had risen to his feet at some point.

His hand swiftly engaged the room’s door lock, and he began walking toward Kei step by step. Despite being covered in injuries, his movements remained blindingly fast. Kei only had time to retreat half a step before his back pressed firmly against the door.

Kang Ian planted one hand beside his head, lowering his face until it was mere inches from Kei’s.

The distance between them was so close that Kei could feel the chilling dampness radiating from his wet clothes.

Kei started.

That fleeting, sudden kiss from before rushed back into his mind unbidden.

The cold lips, the scorching breath, and the sensation of being pinned securely in Kang Ian’s embrace without a single escape route.

A fierce blush instantly flooded Kei’s face.

Kang Ian observed every minute shift in expression on his face. His gaze lingered briefly on the tips of Kei’s reddening ears, causing his own heartbeat to pick up a subtle pace.

Reaching out, he caught Kei by the chin, forcing him to tilt his head up so their eyes locked directly.

"Were you thinking about our last kiss?"

"I wasn’t!" Kei immediately fired back.

He raised a hand to push against Kang Ian’s chest, but the man before him barely budged an inch.

"Let me go, Kang Ian!"

A low, raspy chuckle rumbled right beside his ear.

Kang Ian lowered his head.

Kei’s lips were once more captured by the man’s breath.

This time, the kiss wasn’t a passing flash. Kang Ian gripped his chin firmly, denying Kei any room to evade. His breath carried the scent of cold rain and a faint metallic tang of blood, yet the kiss itself burned with a heat hot enough to leave Kei’s mind completely blank.

"Nhn..."

Kei’s eyes widened, his hands still pressed against the man’s chest. He wanted to push this madman away, wanted to demand what on earth he thought he was doing, but every word of protest was swallowed whole beneath the kiss.

A sudden, sharp wince crossed Kang Ian’s face as a jolt of pain radiated from his shoulder.

He gave a slight wince.

Kei instantly realized his own movement must have brushed against an open wound. He shoved harder against Kang Ian, and this time, offering no resistance, the man finally released him.

"You’re injured!" Kei snapped angrily, his voice laced with exasperation. "What on earth are you acting out for?"

Kang Ian took a half-step back, his fingers still lingering with the stolen warmth of Kei’s chin. He gazed at Kei’s flushed face, the corners of his lips curving upward.

"At least you’re actually looking at me now."

Kei froze.

Kang Ian’s voice was exceptionally soft, nearly dissolving into the patter of rain drumming against the window glass.

"You vanish for days, ignore my messages, suddenly show up looking like a wreck, and then just kiss me out of nowhere?" Kei clenched his fists. "What exactly do you want?"

Kang Ian didn’t reply right away.

He turned his gaze aside, the chill on his features gradually fading, leaving behind only an exhaustion so profound it felt suffocating.

After a long beat, he spoke:

"I missed you."

Kei was stunned.

Kang Ian lowered his gaze to look at him.

"So I came."

A roll of thunder boomed across the sky outside.

Kei stared at the man before him, taking in the crisscrossing injuries mapping his body, then flashing back to the lingering heat of the kiss just moments prior.

He wanted to scold him.

Yet in the end, Kei could only let out a long sigh.

"Sit down. Let me take care of those wounds first."

Kang Ian offered no argument, obediently taking a seat as told.

Kei picked up the medical kit, gently pulling down the tattered fabric over his shoulder. Amidst the relentless downpour outside, his hands carefully tended to each injury, while Kang Ian watched him in unbroken, unblinking silence.

"Meow..."

The kitten’s faint cry drifted in from the outside, quickly swallowed up by the heavy, cascading rain.