Villa Nettiea

Chapter 26

Gulf's allowance had been cut off, and even his credit card was frozen, leaving him incredibly frustrated. It was true—his family had truly abandoned him. Mew could feel Gulf's sadness. While Gulf still kept his intimidating, tough demeanor, he became quiet and withdrawn around Mew. Mew had taken on the expenses for Gulf, which sometimes caused tension between them. Especially now—Mew had just caught Gulf lying to him. Gulf had told him he was practicing every weekend for the upcoming intramurals, where each department would perform, and Gulf had been chosen. Mew had agreed and felt happy for him. But while Gulf was supposedly at practice, Mew decided to go grocery shopping since their stock was running low. He also bought takoyaki for dinner, Gulf's constant craving that Mew couldn't quite understand.

"Here's your order, sir..."

"Bii! What are you doing here?" Mew was surprised to see Gulf waiting in the order pickup area. "I thought you were at practice." Gulf could see Mew's dark expression and bit his lip in fear. He knew what he did—he had lied.

"Boo..." he said hesitantly.

"Nattarine! Another order!" his manager called from inside. Both of them looked toward the kitchen.

"I'm sorry, Bii. I'll explain later, I'm really sorry." Gulf quickly went back inside. Mew didn't know what to feel—annoyance, anger, disappointment, since this was the first time Gulf had lied to him.

It was past 9 p.m. when Gulf got off work. As he exited the kitchen, he saw Mew sitting and watching him with a serious expression.

"You never told me you were married," his manager said, laughing awkwardly as he looked at Mew. Mew stood up as Gulf approached him. 

Mew remained quiet, the silence between them heavy as they both walked out of the restaurant and headed toward the car. Gulf followed him closely, unsure of how to bridge the gap that had formed between them. Once inside the car, Mew drove in silence, the hum of the engine filling the air. Gulf would occasionally glance at Mew, but Mew remained focused on the road, his grip tight on the steering wheel.

"Boo, I'm sorry," Gulf whispered, his voice barely audible, but Mew still heard it. "I know I made a mistake. I lied. And I admit it." He waited for Mew to respond, but there was nothing—no word, no reaction. Gulf bit his lip, feeling the tension rise in his chest. Mew's silence only made him more anxious.

Gulf kept his gaze on the window, trying to fight the tears that were welling up. He wiped his face quietly, not wanting to show Mew how much the situation was affecting him.

Before he knew it, they were back in their room. Gulf looked around, noticing that he was already in his pajamas. He hadn't even realized when Mew had changed his clothes for him. The realization hit him hard, a mixture of exhaustion and embarrassment. How had he missed everything? He glanced at the clock—10 a.m. It was late. He rushed to the bathroom to shower and get ready, feeling the weight of the situation hanging over him. He had overslept, and the guilt weighed heavily on him.

When he stepped out of the room, he saw Mew sitting on the couch, focused on his laptop, completely absorbed in whatever he was working on. The atmosphere was tense, and Mew's presence felt so much more imposing now.

"You're not going anywhere," Mew's voice rang out, authoritative and firm.

"But—" Gulf started to speak, but Mew interrupted.

"I've already taken you out of the performance. And they agreed." Mew didn't even look at him as he spoke. The words hit Gulf hard, and for a moment, neither of them spoke. The silence stretched between them, thick and heavy. After a few moments, Mew spoke again.

"Don't you have anything to say?"

Gulf swallowed hard. This was the first time he had ever been this scared in his life. Not even his own family made him feel this afraid.