It was a startling amount of money — but hadn’t he already been considering Kwon Gyo-eon’s proposal favorably anyway? Hae-yul forced a calm expression and spoke.
“…You said you’d prefer sharing meals and talking over money, so it feels a bit much for me to keep pushing back.”
His pride stung a little when Kwon Gyo-eon turned his head slightly to hold back a smile — but pride didn’t put food on the table. And since being stubborn about it wasn’t going to benefit him in any way, it was better to quietly go along with what the other person wanted.
“Thank you for understanding.”
It wasn’t exactly that he understood Kwon Gyo-eon — but Hae-yul decided to just vaguely nod along. Either way, if only to avoid uncomfortable situations, it would be best to find a decent place to move to as soon as possible.
Now that the conversation had more or less wrapped up, there was no need to sit across from Kwon Gyo-eon any longer. But just as Hae-yul tried to rise naturally from his seat, Kwon Gyo-eon’s voice stopped him.
“So do you plan on resting until the semester starts?”
At the out-of-nowhere question, Hae-yul answered with a puzzled look.
“Not exactly. I’m planning to study for my certifications, look at places to live, and see if there are any decent part-time jobs near campus — why?”
Kwon Gyo-eon’s eyebrow lifted slightly.
“Wouldn’t it be better to take a real break from part-time work for a while? You need to look after yourself before the semester starts, and pushing yourself won’t do you any good.”
When Hae-yul looked at him strangely, Kwon Gyo-eon added,
“Or what about doing office support work at my company?”
“…Office support? The hours for that kind of work don’t work for me. I’m looking for something I can keep doing even after the semester starts — office support hours would clash with my lectures.”
“Then we could just adjust your working hours to fit your schedule.”
Hae-yul stared back at Kwon Gyo-eon in disbelief at the casual reply.
“Isn’t that special treatment?”
“Yes. Does it being special treatment have a significant impact on your decision?”
What kind of question is that like it’s nothing? This wasn’t some small business — at a major corporation, special treatment like that would be the talk of the whole office in no time. Even if it was just a part-time position. On top of that, Hae-yul had no desire to draw attention to himself or become the subject of gossip.
And Kwon Gyo-eon’s family would be at that company too — there was not a single part of him that wanted to walk willingly into the Kwon family’s stronghold.
“Of course it matters. You don’t need to worry about my part-time job situation. I’ll figure it out on my own.”
Kwon Gyo-eon showed a regretful expression at Hae-yul’s firm refusal with a shake of his head.
“If you ever need it later, just say the word. I have enough pull to create one spot for you.”
“Sure, well…”
“By the way — do you know what position I hold at my company? The fact that you used the word ‘special treatment’ makes it seem like you know something. Or am I imagining that?”
At the probing question, Hae-yul’s expression stiffened. But only for a moment — he quickly covered it with an awkward smile and deflected.
“What? No. I just assumed from seeing you live alone in a place like this that you couldn’t possibly be an ordinary rank-and-file employee. That’s all… Am I wrong?”
Please just let this go. Hae-yul swallowed quietly and watched Kwon Gyo-eon’s reaction. He looked like he was weighing something, then gave a slow nod.
“I see. Well, I did mention before that I work at a company. So you just pieced together what I told you and came to that conclusion.”
He seemed to have accepted it, fortunately. Hae-yul let out a quiet sigh of relief where Kwon Gyo-eon couldn’t see and nodded quickly in agreement.
“Yes, exactly. I just guessed on my own from what you said.”
He had nearly let slip that he already knew things about Kwon Gyo-eon. While living here, not even a small mistake could be allowed. He had to be careful with every word, every action.
One moment of carelessness could land him in an awkward position like just now. If Kwon Gyo-eon had been suspicious of his deflection…
Just imagining the worst case for a brief moment made the tips of his fingers go cold. His heart was still pounding. Hae-yul glanced at Kwon Gyo-eon’s expression and then used needing to brush his teeth as an excuse to get up first.
Kwon Gyo-eon’s gaze followed the back of Hae-yul as he left the dining room with hurried steps — persistently, unblinkingly.
***
The next day, Hae-yul’s eyes snapped open the moment dawn broke. Whether it was because he had forced himself to sleep in a tense state, it didn’t feel like he’d slept properly at all. He climbed out of bed, washed up quickly in the bathroom attached to his room, and then hovered in front of the bedroom door.
He was trying to gauge what Kwon Gyo-eon was up to. With his ear pressed close to the door, listening intently to any sound from outside, Hae-yul soon shook his head slowly.
“What on earth am I doing…”
He felt pathetic. If he hadn’t gotten indebted to Kwon Gyo-eon in the first place, he wouldn’t have to worry about any of this. On top of that, Kwon Gyo-eon was sharp — absolutely not someone to underestimate.
He might be playing along on the surface while quietly finding it suspicious underneath.
Honestly, part of him felt wronged. It wasn’t as if he had chosen to enter this novel — so why had he ended up transmigrating against his will and going through all this trouble? Not only had he gotten tangled up with someone he should never have gotten tangled up with, but he had nearly let it slip that he was an outsider.
Though actually — maybe being found out as an outsider wasn’t the biggest problem. Provided he could endure the cold looks from the people around him, that was. He was going to return to his original world someday anyway, so what was the point of having a good reputation or image here?
It wasn’t as if he was going to live here for the rest of his life.
As Hae-yul went on rationalizing with a troubled expression, what sounded like Kwon Gyo-eon’s presence reached his ears. The footsteps outside, which had been moving around busily, gradually drew closer to the bedroom where Hae-yul was.
It was just the moment Hae-yul tensed and swallowed.
“Hae-yul.”
Kwon Gyo-eon knocked on the door and called his name. Hae-yul held his breath and stayed silent, and the person on the other side of the door went quiet just as quickly. Whether he had decided Hae-yul was still asleep, before long, Kwon Gyo-eon’s presence gradually faded away.
Hae-yul sat on the edge of the bed with a weary expression. What on earth was he doing this early in the morning? He couldn’t for the life of him understand why he had to monitor Kwon Gyo-eon’s every move like some kind of criminal.
Hae-yul let out a sigh and laid down on his side — and almost simultaneously, the phone on the nightstand vibrated. He reached for it and checked it, and his eyes went wide.
Kwon Gyo-eon Something came up so I’m heading into work. Breakfast is set out, so don’t skip it. Have fun with your classmates. 07:34
Kwon Gyo-eon going to work was a welcome development for Hae-yul, who had been feeling awkward about facing him after everything that had happened yesterday. Hae-yul set the phone back on the nightstand and lay back down on the bed, his expression noticeably more at ease.
***
“Hyung, over here!”
The moment Hae-yul stepped into Bon Appétit right on time, Lee San-ha greeted him with a loud, booming voice. The corners of Lee San-ha’s mouth were stretched wide, clearly overjoyed to see Hae-yul.
“Oh, San-ha. It’s been a while. You doing well?”
Hae-yul asked as he sat down across from Lee San-ha. Yun U-jae didn’t seem to have arrived yet — there was no sign of him.
“Of course! What about you, hyung? Have you been well? But why do you look so thin? Did you go on a diet or something?”
He had only asked a simple how-are-you, and Lee San-ha was already making a fuss as if he’d been waiting for it.
“Diet? No, it’s probably just from working. But San-ha, you look like you’ve filled out more? Have you been working out?”
“Hyung always notices! Want to feel my arms? You have no idea how hard I worked for these!”
Hae-yul looked at Lee San-ha with wide eyes as he immediately thrust his arm forward. Lee San-ha gave an embarrassed laugh.
“I mean, everyone treats omegas like they’re weak and frail. What, can’t omegas build muscle? Don’t you think?”
“I mean, that’s true.”
“Exactly. Hyung, come work out with me! We can build muscle and take revenge on narrow-minded people like Yun U-jae—!”
“Lee San-ha, you’re talking behind my back again the moment I’m gone.”
Lee San-ha’s head swiveled to the side. Yun U-jae pulled off his ball cap and looked at Lee San-ha sideways.
“…Oh, you’re here?”
“You’re dead, I swear.”
Yun U-jae clicked his tongue, then shifted his gaze over to Hae-yul.
“Hyung, you lost weight.”
Am I really that rough-looking if both Lee San-ha and Yun U-jae are saying it? It really seemed like he’d have to take Lee San-ha’s suggestion and put on some muscle through exercise. Though since he didn’t seem to be the type that gained muscle easily — even working a physically demanding part-time job had brought no visible change — he doubted working out would make much of a difference.
Hae-yul clicked his tongue inwardly and spoke up belatedly.
“Really? I don’t feel like I’ve lost that much… Anyway, U-jae’s here so let’s order food first. What do you want?”
“Let’s get this and this. Oh, there’s a new menu item — should we try that too? …Okay, I’ll order like this.”
Lee San-ha finished ordering on the tablet connected to the table and looked at Hae-yul with sparkling eyes.
“Hyung, so what happened?”
Hae-yul glanced sideways at Lee San-ha’s overly sparkling stare and began recounting the whole story.
