[DBJ] Chapter 5

“Hey, ugly. Is your name really Benjamin?”

Felix asked in a serious voice as he stood with his back straight in front of the three-year-old child, who had just stopped crying. It made one want to ask what kind of ridiculous thing was he doing to a frightened child who was suddenly brought to a strange place, that even if you act as kindly as possible towards him, it wouldn’t still be enough to make up for it.

However, it was admirable how the child looked up at Felix, whom he resembled, and nodded. Seeing a bright and beautiful face amongst the sea of men in black, a face very much similar to his, the child probably felt some measure of reassurance without even realizing it.

“How old are you?”

“Three!”

The child answered, clumsily unfurling his fingers, which were usually curled like fern shoots, into a strange shape. He looked very proud of himself for knowing how to tell his age. His cuteness elicited exclamations filled with admiration all over the place.

“Where’s your father?”

“Papa… shop!”

“Shop? What’s your father’s job?”

“Um, flowers! Sooo many pretty flowers there!”

The child’s face, after he stopped crying, suddenly became cheerful when he talked about his father. He spread both arms widely and answered bravely. His voice was bright as if he wasn’t crying his lungs out earlier.

Since he had already stopped crying, was as pretty as a doll, and even answered brightly, the men in black were busy staring in awe as if they were looking at a very unusual creature. Every time the child would say something, his face would also turn pinkish which made the onlookers want to coo and give him a standing ovation as if he did so well. Unlike them, however, Felix was openly looking displeased.

“That so? Is it true that your father’s name is Isaac?”

“Papa is Papa!”

The child answered confidently. It looks like this ugly thing still couldn’t understand words well. “Whatever,” Felix muttered as he shrugged. He was about to ask about his mother next, when—

Bang—! The door burst open and then a man, huffing and sweating like crazy, barged into the room filled with men in black without any warning.

The men who were completely caught off their guards, thanks to the angelic child, immediately drew their guns on reflex and aimed at the intruder.

Click, click— The sound of safety switches being released sounded harsh to the ear. What kind of guy would, for whatever reason, have the guts to dare break into Felix’s private residence without any hesitation? Feeling a mixture of half astonishment and half disbelief, none of the men could utter a single word.

A deathly silence passed by. It was then that Felix turned to look.

“Papa!”

Right in that same moment, the child, who was previously sitting while being interrogated, bolted towards the man like lightning. It happened so quickly that no one was able to catch him.

With his mouth half-open, the child rushed towards the man, who stormed in after kicking the door open. He quickly hugged his father’s neck and then started crying. He finally saw his father while alone in an unfamiliar place so his anxiety must have exploded. This was a child who, just a while ago, was bravely answering questions.

“Benjamin!”

Isaac also wrapped both of his arms tightly around the child. He was kneeling while squeezing the child close to his chest. His eyes were closed and he let out a deep sigh, feeling relieved.

“Oh my God, thank heavens!” Isaac muttered weakly. His voice trembled as he comforted the crying child. And among the men watching the dramatic reunion between father and son, sniffling sounds could be heard.

Anyone watching would’ve thought that the kid was abused and tormented. Of course, kidnapping a child, even if they weren’t harmed, was still a crime. Felix rubbed his forehead, looking embarrassed.

“What on earth do you think you’re doing?”

However, when Isaac clenched his teeth and raised his dark eyes to give a cold and sharp look to Felix, who was some distance away, as if he wanted to kill him, Felix flinched and froze on the spot.

Felix wondered if he was looking at a different person in that instance. It seemed like he wasn’t always an indifferent man. Potent bloodlust flowed from his eyes which were as dark as an abyss, and his cold expression was enough to raise goosebumps. He was holding on to the child so tightly that veins were visible on both of his arms.

No matter how tactless Felix could be, it was clear to him what Isaac was feeling when he rushed into this place. In fact, even small animals would puff up their fur and try to look intimidating if someone tried to take their young. That was exactly how Isaac looked right now. He looked like a mother who got her young taken away from her.

“Hmm.” Felix, who was looking at Isaac closely, hummed before looking around.

“So what did I tell you?! I said, don’t do anything stupid, didn’t I? Why did you have to do as you please and take a kid who was fine living peacefully? Do you know how scary kidnapping is? Look, his father got so frightened he came running all the way here!”

And then, he suddenly started yelling. The surrounding immediately became quiet again. Everyone else had an expression on that said they don’t have an idea what the blond man was talking about. You were the one who ordered us to go get the guy, but now you’re directing all the blame on us? Everyone felt aggrieved, but no one dared to open their mouth to refute.

Felix was furious and he quickly kicked all of his men out. Like mutes who just ate honey, with their lips pursed and unable to express their thoughts, the men had no choice but to file out of the room quickly. It was a miserable situation to be in.

In the meantime, only Tony was looking at Felix with curious eyes. Having realized that Isaac was angry, Felix’s evasiveness was underhanded but quite prompt. It even made Tony wonder if he really was the same tactless guy all this time.

Tony, who couldn’t decide whether he felt admiration or not, turned to look at Isaac this time. He was still glaring at Felix, his eyes gleaming. To sum it up, Felix didn’t want to be hated by Isaac, so he suddenly used the quick wits that he usually didn’t have…

Putting it that way, wasn’t Isaac amazing then? Tony’s eyes sparkled, looking at Isaac under a new light.

“Why are you still here?”

However, Tony’s wonder didn’t last for long.

Tony’s shoulders flinched at Felix’s unfriendly voice, indirectly commanding him to get out.

“Should I also go out?”

“I have something to tell Isaac. Go and wait outside.”

“Understood…”

Tony walked out without saying anything else. Isaac who was hugging Benjamin tightly, as if he was afraid to lose him again, and Felix, who was very conscious of Isaac, while he pretended to be cool— this actually made quite a refreshing sight.

It was honestly his first time seeing this side of Felix. Who could’ve imagined that the famous arms dealer, Felix Felice, would become so anxious over one mere florist? Everyone who knew him would definitely shake their heads and say, “You’re joking, right?”

Tony, who looked back once more so he wouldn’t miss such a sight he had never witnessed before, tilted his head when a question suddenly came to his mind. How did that beta florist manage to successfully enter Felix’s private residence? The puzzled Tony clicked his tongue, thinking that the problem must be with their employees. Then, he bowed to Felix, who wasn’t even looking his way, and walked out of the room.

Clack— As soon as Tony left the room at last, quietly closing the door behind him, an awkward silence fell. Because of that, only the whimpers of the child in Isaac’s arms could be heard clearly. The sound could make one’s heart ache.

Felix scratched at his cheek, unable to hide his embarrassment. To be honest, he wasn’t expecting things to turn out like this. Benjamin, the recipient of the cards that Isaac write with his dreamy face, who would’ve guessed that he was only a three-year-old child?

Of course, it was just an excuse that Felix, who thought that Benjamin was Isaac’s lover, only wanted to speak with the man “peacefully” with the intention to persuade him to break up with Isaac… The truth was, it had always been the plan to catch him first and then do all sorts of methods to “convince” him to leave Isaac.

Not wanting to give up, he tried using other means to have Isaac, who determinedly answered he would not give up Benjamin. But Felix didn’t expect things to get this complicated.

Felix paced anxiously. He chewed on his lower lip while looking at Isaac. This was something he had never done before, walking on eggshells around someone…

“Isaac, I’m sorry this happened. It was my fault for not paying attention. I sincerely apologize.”

In the end, he delivered an apology after a deep sigh. If people who knew him, such as Tony or Jack, would see how Felix was at that moment, they would’ve fainted out of shock. They wouldn’t believe their eyes because Felix Felice was a proud and arrogant man who would rather choose death than apologize to others.

No matter how bad his crime was, he wasn’t a man who would apologize. Being a world-famous arms dealer and a mafioso held the same meaning as being a vicious and evil human being. And Felix Felice was, without a doubt, a man who lived up to such notoriety well.

However, even if the infamous Felix Felice delivered his apology, accompanied by nervousness that was so uncharacteristic of him, the angry Isaac never turned his eyes away from him. It was something understandable. What sane parent would quickly lose their anger after someone messed up with their innocent child?

“Isaac…”

Isaac was gently patting the back of Benjamin who barely stopped crying. When Felix, who was getting more nervous, took a step closer, Isaac jumped up with the child in his arms. Felix’s hesitant steps paused in an instant.

“Whatever your reason is, you’ve gone too far this time. No matter who you are, there are certain things you can’t simply do… such as kidnapping a child who is only three years old.”

Although there shouldn’t be any crime allowed to exist in this world, crimes involving children are the worst. No matter how evil he was, Felix was still someone who hated crimes aimed at young children. However, he went on to kidnap Isaac’s child. Even though technically, he didn’t know at first, it was still a fact that he lost face, got his pride wounded, and what he did was absolutely terrible.

“I know. I did say, ‘I didn’t know,’ but I admit it’s my fault. That’s why I’m apologizing to you like this.”

Felix muttered miserably, sweeping his palm over his dried lips.

“I hope this won’t happen again.”

“Of course.”

“We’re going back now. Also, I hope you won’t come to the shop from now on.”

Not only was he emotionless, but he was also as cold as the north wind in winter. The impatient Felix grabbed one of Isaac’s arms in reflex. The other man turned to Felix, not bothering to hide his scowl. The child, who had his face buried in his father’s chest, also looked up.

“Pfft!” Suddenly, Felix, looking at the two alternately, let out a stifled laugh similar to the sound of air rapidly escaping an inflated balloon.

“How similar.”

And then he casually tossed out a remark out of the blue. The amazed look in his eyes was proof that he wasn’t lying.

“Similar…?”

“The kid resembles you a lot.”

“Me?”

Isaac’s expression, while he tilted his head, clearly showed how surprised he was. The corners of Felix’s lips lifted subtly at the unexpected reaction.

“That’s right. I didn’t pick up on it at first because of the difference in your hair and eye colors, but his eyes the shape of his face are just like yours. The resemblance is really fascinating.”

Felix, who was talking softly, quickly let go when he realized he was still tightly holding on to Isaac’s arm. Feeling embarrassed for no reason, he cleared his throat and shoved his hands into his pockets. Isaac finally let out a short sigh after spacing out for a while.

“It’s… my first time hearing that Benjamin resembles me.”

“Your first time? Even though you look so similar?”

“…”

“Everyone you’ve met before must have cataracts.”

Felix replied confidently, shrugging his shoulder. And then, taking advantage of the moment Isaac was flustered, he pulled a chair and took the initiative to sit on the other side of the table.

“Sit down for now. Benjamin has also finally stopped crying.”

Unlike a few seconds ago, Felix’s face was serious when he asked Isaac to take a seat. His dark Prussian blue eyes were as deep as the ocean.

“Let’s talk.”

“No… We’d better get going.”

As if he didn’t hear anything, Isaac turned around, unwilling to even say anything.

“Cookie!” Right at that moment, the kid in Isaac’s arms suddenly yelled in delight then reached out toward the table, stopping him in his tracks.

When he turned around, there were delicious-looking cookies and milk on the table where Felix was tapping his fingers. It seemed that Jack had prepared some snacks to coax the child beforehand in case he cried when he woke up. Although they weren’t able to offer it since they got flustered when he started crying right away, the child discovered the cookies like he was a hungry ghost and was now asking for them.

Felix silently picked up a cookie and held it in front of Benjamin. “Cookie!” Benjamin exclaimed again, using his tiny fern-like hands to grab the cookie that was much bigger than his palms.

“Leave after he’s done eating. There are lots of cookies here anyway.”

Felix pushed the plate of cookies forward as if trying to appeal to the child.

“He hasn’t had a meal yet, so it wouldn’t be good if he ends up eating a lot of cookies.”

“Is that so…?”

Felix rubbed his chin awkwardly. He also couldn’t decide if he should take the plate away, or not. Of course, the child was greedily looking at the cookies, but there was nothing he could do since the dad said no.

While Felix was feeling dejected as he toyed with the plate of cookies, Isaac, who was still holding on to the child, let out a shallow sigh and quietly sat down across from the blond man. And then, Benjamin suddenly stretched over the table as if he wanted to climb over it, and reached toward the cookies. He had a half-eaten cookie in one hand, but he already wanted another.

“No.” Even before Isaac could speak, Felix had already held out a new cookie. Only after having a cookie in each hand did the child look satisfied and he finally settled and sat down on his father’s legs.

Crunch, crunch— The sound of cookies being chomped on by the child echoed loudly. Isaac, who was speechless at how greedy his son was for cookies, eventually clicked his tongue.

“He really is your son, huh? Well, just looking at his face, there’s no need to say anything else.” Felix muttered, tilting his head while his chin was propped on one hand.

“Yes.” Isaac simply answered.

“His mother?”

“Not around…”

“A single father, huh? But why are you living separately? There must be a reason seeing how you care about him so much. Moreover, the two of you aren’t even under the same family registry.”

“You even found out about that?”

Isaac’s face was dark as he asked instead of answering. Felix quickly noticed the fluctuations of the other man’s emotions, something he usually didn’t care to do with other people, so he waved his hand this time.

“No, it wasn’t me! It’s just that Tony was somehow looking into a few things and, um… of course, that was something that won’t make you feel good. I apologize about this too.”

“I see.” Isaac simply replied to Felix, who panicked and responded quickly. Isaac’s dark expression disappeared then. His face went back to being blank which was no different from usual. To tell the truth, he was pretty surprised. The tips of his fingers went cold. What happened had actually revealed a loophole in an unexpected place. He closed his eyes, then opened them again, but alarm bells were already ringing in his head.

What should I do about this?

“So, how much did you find out?”

Felix shrugged at Isaac’s question. He meant it was no big deal, but it seemed Isaac would continue to keep his mouth shut unless he explained in detail. Eventually, Felix had to repeat the information Tony had told him a while ago.

Isaac didn’t look surprised, anxious, or even angry. He just listened in silence, thinking deeply. His appearance incited an odd curiosity.

“Aren’t you going to tell me what’s going on?”

Felix asked, handing over a cup of milk to the child whose lips were covered in chocolate and cookie crumbs. Who knew where it came from, but the milk was inside a sippy cup decorated with strange but colorful pictures so there was no need to worry about it getting spilled.

The child held a cookie tightly in one hand, while he was drinking milk from the cup clutched in his other fist. Felix was amused, the corners of his lips curling up while looking at that scene.

“Greedy boy. You can put your cookie down while you drink your milk. There’s no one here now to steal your snack.”

However, it was unclear whether the child was able to understand what he murmured.

“My situation’s complicated…”

Isaac’s emotionless voice floated over Felix’s head while he was having fun watching Benjamin eating cookies and dropping crumbs all over the place. Felix glanced up. Isaac was expressionless as usual, but he seemed uneasy for some reason. That look didn’t sit right with Felix, so he sat straight, faced Isaac, and gave him a sharp stare.

“Just say it. Does it have something to do with your family?”

“It doesn’t.”

“What is it then?”

Isaac hesitated for a moment, not knowing whether he should open his mouth or shut it. He didn’t want to reveal his personal story to Felix who was no different from a stranger. However, Isaac, who was thinking deeply for a while, finally opened his mouth with a sigh.

“The truth is, there’s someone after me.”

Felix’s expression shifted slightly as if he wasn’t expecting such an answer.

“After you? Why? Who?”

“…That’s something I can’t tell you. It’s something personal, after all. However, I’m worried that Benjamin might get harmed because of it, so I can’t put us together under the same family registry. We also can’t stay under the same roof. Since my mother isn’t also connected to me on paper, I left Benjamin with her.”

Isaac was as indifferent as ever when he briefly explained. His emotionless face would make one feel uneasy because it was as if he was talking about someone else’s matter, not his.

“Tsk.” Felix clicked his tongue. “So that if the one looking for you manages to find you, Benjamin and your mother won’t be discovered?”

Isaac didn’t bother answering when asked about the obvious. Family ties shouldn’t exist for him. In the event that his location was discovered and they subject him to a background investigation, it should appear that he was alone, isolated from everyone. Not being able to stay with Benjamin was the hardest and most painful part, but there was no other way because he didn’t know when and how things would be if the situation turned bad.

However, Felix was able to accurately find out that Benjamin was Isaac’s son. Moreover, he even kidnapped the child. That meant those people could also do the same thing. The worst thing was, it would be much easier for them to kidnap both his mother and Benjamin.

At that thought, an icy chill came over Isaac and he hugged Benjamin reflexively. The child, fully captivated by milk and cookies, whimpered like a puppy. And it was only then that Isaac realized he was holding on to Benjamin with too much force, so he loosened his arms. His anxiety, however, didn’t disappear that easily.

I can’t let him be taken. If they managed to take Benjamin, there was no way they would hand him back as easily as Felix did. He didn’t know what to do. Isaac’s shoulders trembled slightly from the chill that didn’t go away.

He wasn’t even able to drop by their house often for fear that their relationship would get discovered. He had to think twice whether to see the child once a week. And if he wanted to, he would only go watch his child from a distance and then leave. He couldn’t even hang up or carry with him a picture of Benjamin. He wrote a letter every day with a heart full of longing, but he couldn’t bear to send it. Although he said that he was sending them properly when Felix asked, he was, in fact, just collecting most of them.

He also moved houses at least once every six months. And of course, Benjamin and Isaac’s mother would also do the same thing. In any case, it was because it would be more reassuring to always be one step ahead.

However, it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep moving around like that. Benjamin had already started attending preschool this year and in two years, he will be attending kindergarten. Isaac’s mother was also getting old, so it wouldn’t be easy for her to move frequently.

I’d rather keep moving by myself. That was a serious concern of his. And then, it was Felix this time. Because Felix, who barged into his life without warning, had openly expressed romantic interest in him for some unknown reason. Tony did tell him to run away, but if he did that without a word, he didn’t know what would happen. Because Felix showed how strangely persistent he could be and now, he even went as far as kidnapping Benjamin.

Right in the middle of such a daunting situation, he couldn’t have Felix as his enemy as well. It would probably be for the best if he just told him everything now. However, he still couldn’t trust Felix fully. As he had no idea how he would react…

He simply stated that someone was after him, but now, he was wondering what to do. Isaac closed his eyes and buried his nose in Benjamin’s hair. The unique sweet scent of the child, similar to milk and baby powder, spread and seemed to soothe his anxious mind.

“Papa, stop.”

Benjamin giggled and shook his head as if he found it annoying. With each movement, the child’s soft hair tips tickled Isaac’s cheeks and the tip of his nose. At that moment, Isaac’s lips stretched into a gentle smile without him realizing it.

“I will help you.”

Felix, who was sitting across him with his chin resting on one hand, opened his mouth and spoke in an indifferent tone. His stare was contemptuous, as though he was displeased with how Isaac and Benjamin were playfully teasing each other.

 

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TL’s Notes: 
– apologies for taking so long to update. i switched to night shift at work last December and totally forgot i’m not that young anymore to handle it. thought i could get used to it after a month or so, but no. lol! anyway, i’ll be back to day shift by the end of next month, so here’s to hoping i’ll be able to update more frequently then.