Are You Addicted? (Volume 3). The Post-Honeymoon Phase.(18+)

Episode 36

April 8th- Tuesday.

07:00

"Thats right John, today is not another typical April day, we haven't experienced that much heat on an April morning for the past ten years—"

Jeez, okay we get it, it is unusually hot today, no need to blab about it so much.

Gu Hai muted the TV and turned on the air conditioner in the study, thank God he worked from home, it is rough out there today.

He flipped through the contract again, he cannot miss a thing, not even one detail, last time he flipped through this thing, Gu Yang interrupted him in the middle and he missed something, he was sure of it.

Closing a contract with a north Korean company is not a joke, especially not with a north Korean military company.

His head buried in documents, his brain immersed in lines and conditions of the contract, he reached for his ice coffee, his hand groping the area where he placed it earlier but nothing, no ice and no coffee.

He squished his dark brows together, did he imagine making the ice coffee earlier?

He blinked up, lifting his gaze from the ten thousand words pages, his gaze met an amused stare from a pair of big crinkled eyes.

The thief leaned against the study's doorframe, wrapped in a light mauve blanket, slurping his ice coffee through a purple straw.

"Morning baby." he smiled at him, forgetting all about his stolen coffee. "When did you wake up?"

"Just now, when I realized you are not in bed anymore."

"You should go back to bed, the more you rest, the more successful your recovery will be."

Bai Luo Yin rolled his eyes.

Wasn't it enough for you to treat me like a freakin baby all through February and March?

"I rested enough for a life time, let me help you with work."

"No. you need to rest, don't you want to feel better?"

"Let me help you or I will find something else to do."

Gu Hai sulked.

But unlike the past two months, this time Bai Luo Yin didn't back down, he simply grimaced.

"I already feel better, I am not going to sit around the house doing nothing."

Seriously, what does Gu Hai expect him to do? To eat, sleep, do physical therapy, shower and then sleep again? Like he did in the past two months? Wasn't he obedient enough? Every time he minced his way to the front door, planning to take a stroll, Gu Hai caught him red-handed, blocked him and showed him the way back to bed with a glare on.

Yes, he did recover faster than the doctor predicted thanks to Gu Hai's strict rules but still...

That Gu Hai, maybe he should have listened to his dad and enlist in the military, a Colonel's position will suit him like a glove. Great. He is still sulking, as if I am the one in the wrong here.

"I said, let me help you."

"Fine." Gu Hai said, two fingers supporting his head as he shook it no, clearly his mind and mouth mudded on covers of two different books.

"But shower first mmm? And eat. I left you scrambled eggs with a salad on the kitchen table."

"Finnnnnee." He rolled his eyes again, whatever you say boss.

Since they flew back from Hong Kong, Gu Hai began working from home, he watched every step of his recovery, making sure he will take it easy, a heartwarming gesture, no doubt, but burdening at the same time, now, two months later, he lost his freedom and became a prisoner at his own home. Not fun.

A triumphant smile danced on his face, a small victory today, a bigger one tomorrow. he turned around sashaying to the shower.

"There is something weird about this contract." Bai Luo Yin tilted his head, minimizing his big eyes at the paper, mid-chewing.

"Weird? I read through this a hundred times, what is weird?"

"I don't know, can't put my finger on it, it just feels... I can be wrong about this though." He shrugged.

Gu Hai snatched the contract from him, he will believe Bai Luo Yin's hunch over the written word any day of the week, his gaze scanned the document again, he is definitely missing something.

A loud vibration drew his and Bai Luo Yin's attention, his finger slid up the screen and pressed speaker.

"Yea?"

"Boss, you have to come to the office right now." Tong Zhe yelped.

"Why? What's going on?"

"Major General Kim is on his way here, he demands to meet with you, face to face."

"What is this about?"

"He found out you are gay and now he wants to back out of our deal."

Gu Hai pressed his lips into a harsh slash. another prejudiced unprofessional old man, beautiful.

"He can't back out of it," he said. "We already manufactured half of his guns, twenty-five mil worth."

"I told him that, but he didn't care, he said you deceived him, please come to the office now, he is on his way here. I am sorry boss."

"It's not your fault Tong Zhe, I am on my way."

He shoved his phone and car keys in his pocket, his hand jerked around the wooden hanger, gliding his casual suit down.

"Who is Major General Kim?" Bai Luo Yin asked.

"The one we signed this contract with, he is a big deal in the north Korean military, it's his company." Gu Hai patted his back, "Come on baby, you are coming with me, you are not staying here by yourself."

He nodded and followed Gu Hai out, no reason to say no, a stream of pure energy boosted every one of his veins, he looked forward to this day, finally, out of the house, too bad the circumstances were so unfortunate though.

His big eyes shot up from the polished gear box to the man occupying the driver's seat starting the car, his manly lips set in a hard irritated line but his gaze soft, no way to tell what he is actually feeling.

"How bad will it be if he cancels the contract?" he asked, hesitant.

"Bad. We will have a burning hole of twenty-five mil in our pocket."

"Can't you just tell him you are not gay and he got the wrong info?"

"I am not gay you say?" Gu Hai forced a chuckle. "Then how should I explain our relationship to him huh?"

Gu Hai threw him a glare, his facial features all tensed, yeah, he is not happy and will probably get exasperated by his suggestion.

He nibbled on the inside of his chin, his chest tingled, as if the ant military marched all over it, better get irritated than get humiliated and lose twenty-five mil.

"Friends?" he whispered.

-January 9th 2022-