Clap - 71

Ichan was browsing through TV options to find a movie. The lineup of films displayed in a single column was overwhelming for him. He wasn’t particularly skilled at killing time by watching media, so he had no idea what might be interesting. In the end, he selected a poster from the “This Week’s Popular Picks” section.

Ihyun subtly moved closer and sat next to Jaemin. Jaemin wanted to move away, but with his hands and feet tied, he couldn’t budge an inch.

“Living here like this isn’t so bad, is it?”

Ihyun tilted his head slightly and met Jaemin’s gaze as he asked the question.

“…Pardon?”

Jaemin responded with a blank expression.

“I mean, you get to eat delicious food, drink coffee, and watch movies. Everything you mentioned before, you can do it here,” Ihyun said, lightly touching Jaemin’s earlobe. The ticklish sensation made Jaemin’s shoulders jerk, but Ihyun’s hand didn’t retreat. Instead, he pressed and pinched the soft flesh with his thumb and forefinger, leaving faint nail marks.

Jaemin replayed his words in his mind. Eat delicious food, drink coffee, watch movies. How had such statements come out of Ihyun’s mouth? He thought back to their recent activities—eating meals at the table, being served coffee and desserts, and now watching a movie. None of this was their usual behavior.

Why were they doing this?

Jaemin mulled over it for a long time. His slow brain struggled to process all the clues at once. Then it hit him—something he had said came back to him.

“Normally, when people love each other… they go out to watch movies, eat out, visit cafes, talk there, things like that… Can’t we love each other in a normal way? Not like this?”

That had been his plea to Ihyun and Ichan, who endlessly spoke of eternal love. He had begged them to let him go so they could have a normal relationship outside, away from the madness.

Jaemin’s eyes twisted unnaturally as realization dawned on him. So now… they were trying to have that “normal” love… right here in this house… with all these bizarre actions today.

The thought sent shivers down his spine.

Crazy people. They’re actually insane. And unfortunately, they’re smart, too.

How could they remember that, interpret it this way, and then act on it so thoroughly?

Ichan, watching Jaemin’s expression crumble bit by bit, lightly tapped Jaemin’s chin.

“So, smile a little. Get rid of that annoyed look,” he said.

“…”

“We gave you the food you wanted, served coffee like at a café, and now we’re even watching a movie,” he said, gesturing toward the TV screen where a film studio logo had just appeared.

But Jaemin couldn’t smile. His mind was hazy, his vision blurring. Ihyun and Ichan genuinely seemed to think they could “date” him in this house—a place too small to call a world but too large to call just a home.

“Are you even listening to me?”

The prolonged silence made Ichan pinch Jaemin’s plump lower lip. Startled, Jaemin forced himself to smile. Though his cheek muscles trembled and his eyes held no warmth, Ichan seemed satisfied.

Grabbing Jaemin’s chin lightly, Ichan pressed a quick kiss to his lips. Then he cut a piece of tart with a fork and fed it to him. Jaemin chewed it with a forced smile plastered on his face.

The cream spreading over his tongue tasted unbearably bitter.

The unsettling routine repeated itself endlessly. He fell asleep in their arms, washed with their help, ate meals at the table with his feet restrained, watched incomprehensible movies, and drank coffee. After each day’s schedule ended, he was taken back to the bedroom, where shackles were fastened around his ankles.

The monotony of it all was suffocating. The relentless repetition made him sick. He was growing increasingly anxious and afraid that his mind might truly break.

One day, Ihyun pricked Jaemin’s thumb to draw a drop of bl00d. Compliantly offering his hand, Jaemin tilted his head in confusion.

“Why… are you drawing bl00d again?”

He was already an Omega, and his secondary gender had manifested. Was there something more? Or was this just some routine health check?

After neatly collecting the sample, Ihyun sucked on Jaemin’s thumb briefly before letting it go. The scent of Jaemin’s bl00d lingered in his mouth, sweet and extraordinary, as if it were sacred nectar rather than metallic.

“Oh, we’re just testing the pheromone levels in your bl00d,” Ihyun replied leisurely.