First Date (5)
Last night, Jaehyuk spotted a familiar face in the hotel lobby.
It was Jung Woohyun.
Of all people, that doctor bastard.
The moment he saw that face, his blood pressure strangely rose. Jaehyuk reflexively grabbed Jeongbae’s waist and pushed him slightly back, naturally blocking the view with his body.
Of course, Jeongbae didn’t notice. But it was certain Woohyun had seen Jeongbae. There was no way Jaehyuk would miss his expression stiffening minutely.
He even had an omega with him, calling himself an alpha. A meek, scholarly type of gentle-looking man. They probably met at the same hospital or somewhere similar. The man was naturally hanging on Woohyun’s arm.
‘Is he an idiot? Why is he meeting someone like that when he had Kang Jeongbae?’
Jaehyuk was intoxicated with a sense of victory. He wanted to shout that Kang Jeongbae was his. But his head soon cooled.
There’s no guarantee they’re completely over yet.
Kang Jeongbae might still be putting him and Jung Woohyun on the same level as tutors. Jealousy and anxiety simultaneously boiled up inside Jaehyuk.
‘I’ll really settle this. Kang Jeongbae’s lover is me now.’
Even though Jaehyuk was the one who pushed the sweet and soft Jeongbae into what was practically cohabitation, he inwardly knew. This was a one-sided game. Kang Jeongbae was someone who would quickly distance himself at the slightest opening, someone who could turn away at any time.
‘Today I must hear him say he likes me.’
Jaehyuk desperately needed that one phrase. Jeongbae seemed easy, but he never let the one important phrase leave his mouth. That ambiguity drove Jaehyuk crazy.
But conversely, once he admitted he liked someone, he wasn’t the type to easily take it back either. And Jaehyuk was confident. He’d never failed to seduce anyone in his life.
“Fuck!!!”
He struck the floor, feeling like his head would burst. He’d almost lost his reason in the bathroom.
‘I’ll… start to… like you….’
So he was even telling him to stop saying he likes him.
This isn’t ‘I like you’! Why are there so many supplementary explanations and conditions?
His head cooled sharply. The first method that came to mind was to tie him up like this and fuck him until he said the words ‘I like you.’ Actually, that was the most appealing plan. Except it was close to a crime.
Jaehyuk’s eyes cooled coldly.
‘Is there still a caretaker at Grandfather’s villa in Gangwon-do?’
The next method that came to mind was an even bigger crime. Kidnapping, confinement. He was roughly thinking through the route when he changed his mind. What if that made Kang Jeongbae really hate him?
Let’s save that as the very last method.
What Yoon Jaehyuk wanted wasn’t ‘pseudo-liking’ or ‘like-phobia’ or anything like that. At this rate, there’d be no difference between him and Jung Woohyun whom he’d just encountered.
Kang Jeongbae, not knowing his feelings, was sobbing with stifled breath under the blanket. Jaehyuk’s expression grew colder and colder.
He didn’t have the confidence to gently coax him and have sex. With his current anger, he’d definitely do about 100 things that would make Kang Jeongbae disgusted until he said ‘I like you.’ His hands were trembling.
Even Yoon Jaehyuk, who’d lived selfishly and recklessly, knew well enough that a ‘broken relationship’ was hard to repair. If he acted on the thoughts in his head right now, Kang Jeongbae would be terrified just seeing his shadow, or piss himself, or run away.
That was also somewhat appealing, but what Jaehyuk wanted was a more long-term and stable relationship.
‘For instance, a relationship where only the two of us see each other for life. A legal marriage relationship or something.’
Impatient alpha Yoon Jaehyuk who only thought about marriage with every breath. He sincerely wanted Kang Jeongbae to look at ‘only him’ with affectionate eyes and stroke his head until the day he died. But he’d slipped on the very first step. When the road ahead seemed endless….
‘What do I do with him?’
Hearing wheezing breaths, he lifted the blanket slightly to find Kang Jeongbae asleep with a wrecked face. Seeing him cry like this, he clearly had feelings for him….
‘What kind of bastard hurt him to make the kid like such a sunfish?’
As he slowly stroked his forehead and saw his reddened eyes and nose tip, his chest tingled again.
Jaehyuk was mindlessly kissing Jeongbae’s cheeks, jaw, and ears when he suddenly raised his head.
‘Did I only pull him in too much?’
Push and pull.
It was a phrase that only now occurred to him despite having hit someone almost like an 8-ton truck at full throttle.
Jaehyuk had never experienced ‘push and pull’ in his life. He’d just lived pushing away everyone who clung to him in droves. But now that he was in the position of clinging for the first time, his mental suffering was considerable.
‘Then let’s do the opposite. I’ll push.’
If he likes him, wouldn’t he regret his suddenly changed attitude? And realize his value right away.
‘Jaehyuk, I was wrong. Please come back. I can’t live without you. I like you. I like you. I like you.’
Imagining Kang Jeongbae grabbing his pants and begging for forgiveness with tears made him instantly hard. It was thrilling just imagining it. The shameless Jaehyuk started masturbating with the sleeping Kang Jeongbae right in front of him. He was nothing but a pervert.
‘Tomorrow I’ll hold back a bit and treat you coldly. So you can cling to me.’
While constantly fondling the sleeping Jeongbae, his plan was quite grandiose.
And the next morning.
“Fuck, what push and pull, I’m freezing to death with push and pull!”
“You really were just going to get out of the car and not see me, right?”
“Go where? Kang Jeongbae. You can’t get even one step away from me now.”
Yoon Jaehyuk swearing profusely and becoming an 8-ton truck again.
His push and pull plan couldn’t even last an hour.
***
“Hm? Do you know someone?”
Even at his partner’s question, Woohyun couldn’t answer immediately.
Kang Jeongbae.
He was there.
And standing side by side with that arrogant alpha who’d come to the clinic with him last time. His lips pressed tightly and his brow furrowed slightly. His partner unnecessarily gauged his reaction and examined Woohyun’s profile.
“Why… what’s wrong?”
Woohyun shook his head a beat late.
“No. Not at all.”
But his gaze had already left his partner long ago. It had been nearly a week since Jeongbae blocked his contact.
He hadn’t thought much of it. It would fizzle out. He’d just gotten a new lover himself. But seeing him laughing happily with another guy made him feel nauseous.
“Sorry, but let’s part here today.”
“What?”
Bewilderment and disappointment spread across his companion’s face, but Woohyun just found it bothersome. If it came to it, they could just break up. His face was coldly hardened as he turned away, leaving his companion alone.
‘You… can’t leave me.’
That day 8 years ago. The bloodstains clearly imprinted on the emergency room floor.
That sight sobbing while even holding his breath.
‘I’m the only one who knows your pain too.’
As he walked through the lobby and outside, cold air brushed his face. But his head grew even hotter instead. The alpha standing next to Jeongbae. The moment their eyes met, seeing him wrap around Jeongbae so he couldn’t see him, Woohyun understood at once.
That’s the gesture of a male guarding what’s his.
Woohyun expressionlessly steadied his breathing and rolled the car key with his fingertips. His steps were slow, but his thoughts had already reached a conclusion.
I can’t understand that Jeongbae chose that type….
Ding, a message from his partner appeared on the screen, but Woohyun didn’t even read it.
He had no interest at all.
Instead, only Jeongbae’s retreating figure from moments ago came to mind.
His disheveled hair, the timid stride following one step behind. And that characteristic calm atmosphere unique to him, that only someone hiding wounds could have. Veins rose on the back of Woohyun’s hand.
***
“What, why are you coming in together? Hyung, did you sleep over with him? What did you two do last night! What did you do!”
When he came home dragging his exhausted body, Dogyeom started throwing a fit. He’d just finished construction labor. Jeongbae, who would normally respond affectionately, passed Dogyeom wordlessly and entered the bathroom. He felt like his mind and body had been put in a spin dryer and wrung out. Not a drop of energy came out.
‘You can’t get even one step away from me now.’
What Yoon Jaehyuk said wasn’t a figurative expression. Jeongbae ground his teeth. He’d followed him all the way to the construction job and worked with him. He couldn’t forget the shocked expressions of the site foreman and other colleagues he’d known for years.
‘Jeongbae, that… who is that person?’
‘Well… he’s a younger friend I know who said he’d help with work.’
Jeongbae’s face flushed bright red with shame. A cleanly dressed model-like man was carrying rebar. It was like a photoshoot scene for the once-popular ‘industrial’ concept.
Yoon Jaehyuk was the craziest of the crazy. He begged and pleaded for him to go home first, but it was useless. Instead, a quiet threat came back.
‘I’ll go around the site shouting like a crazy person that I’m your wife.’
‘……’
Jeongbae lost even the will to answer. He’d just seen Jaehyuk’s push-and-pull romantic acrobatics show in the car. The thought that he was more than capable of it dominated his mind. In the end, Jeongbae finished the construction job together with Jaehyuk.
When he came out after washing in a daze, Jaehyuk was silently peeling an apple, and Dogyeom was shouting while picking up and eating the apple.
“So… you crazy bastard. Get out.”
“……”
“What did you do to our hyung to make his face so haggard? Want to die?”
“……”
The crisp sound of eating the apple continued. Jaehyuk, regardless, took the apple peels to the sink to clean up, then smoothly approached Jeongbae. Jeongbae unconsciously stepped back.
“I’ll wash up too. Eat the apple.”
Jaehyuk lightly stroked Jeongbae’s head once and entered the bathroom. Jeongbae felt like he’d go crazy. He unconsciously bit his nails. This quiet face was even more frightening. The guy who’d charged at him like a mad dog when they were alone acted like a normal person in front of others.
“Hyung. What’s for dinner tonight?”
Dogyeom, who’d pranced over, hugged Jeongbae tightly from behind. He was originally a kid who liked skinship and clung well. Jeongbae smiled and stroked his head.
“Ah, hyung, your pheromones are so nice. Wouldn’t it be better if I became an alpha too?”
Dogyeom buried his nose in Jeongbae’s nape and sniffed hard.
‘For his sake too, I need to come to my senses quickly.’
But no method came to mind at all. Yoon Jaehyuk pushing in so brazenly. And the bigger problem was….
‘Why do I feel relieved?’
The crazy alpha who declared he’d never leave, that he wouldn’t get even one step away, wasn’t just troublesome.
Again. The problem was always himself. This shouldn’t be happening…. But the fact that he wasn’t alone gave him insane comfort.
