-89-
Only a soft orange light was glowing in the darkness. Did I dream? When did I fall asleep? Jeonggwan blinked slowly. Then, out of habit, he tried to reach for his phone on the bed, but his hand was held by something.
“…Are you awake?”
It was Junjae. Junjae was sitting beside the bed, tightly holding one of Jeonggwan’s hands with both of his. What’s this? That heart-wrenching prayer pose? He looked like someone grieving over a terminally ill lover. Come to think of it, his last memory was of being at the cafe… Did I faint?
“Oh no.”
Jeonggwan sat up abruptly. Ouch-. His head hurt from the sudden movement. But why did the back of his head hurt? Jeonggwan frowned and looked around where he had been lying. It seemed like a hospital room, but he wasn’t sure. The hospital rooms Jeonggwan knew had six beds, but this one only had the bed he was sitting on. He had never been in a private room before, so he couldn’t tell, but seeing the sliding door and the IV in his arm, it seemed to be a hospital.
Jeonggwan had never fainted in his life. He had never even been seriously ill, but suddenly he collapsed at the cafe, and now Junjae was holding his hand tightly with both hands in such a heartfelt manner? And he was admitted to a private room? It didn’t feel good at all. Jeonggwan felt his heart sink as he cautiously opened his mouth.
“Hyung… Am I dying…?”
“…”
“…Oh my goodness.”
Seeing Junjae just staring at him without saying anything, it was clear that something had happened to his body. He must have contracted an incurable disease or a serious illness. Is it pancreatic cancer? They say when it’s discovered, it’s already too late. That must be it… No wonder his stomach area had been aching. Jeonggwan held his stomach and made a tearful face.
“No wonder my stomach…”
“…They say it’s overwork.”
“Hurts… Huh?”
…Overwork? Jeonggwan straightened his back, which had been hunched over while holding his stomach.
“So I’m not dying?”
“…No.”
“Oh, what the… You scared me.”
So it wasn’t stomach pain, but hunger. Jeonggwan let out a long sigh of relief, then burst into a small laugh. It was funny how his body had immediately protested after he had been so focused on work without eating. He needed to tell Jihoon and Juhwan about this quickly so they could laugh together. Jeonggwan looked around for his phone to send a message, but Junjae, with a somewhat troubled expression, wouldn’t let go of his hand.
“Hyung, my phone…”
“…Jeonggwan.”
“Yes?”
“…You hit your head on the table leg when you fainted.”
“Oh no. That’s why my head hurts.”
No wonder. The back of his head had been throbbing. Jeonggwan freed one of his hands from Junjae’s grasp and felt the back of his head. Sure enough, there was a raised bump. Wait, isn’t this enough to cause a brain hemorrhage?
“Fortunately, it was just a mild concussion this time, but if you suddenly collapse like that again when you’re alone and seriously injure your head…”
Jeonggwan just thought he was lucky not to be seriously injured, but Junjae wasn’t thinking that way. He seemed angry. No, rather than anger, it was more like…
“Then, I…”
Junjae’s eyes, staring intently at Jeonggwan, were tinged with a bit of resentment. Junjae, who had never once blamed or resented him even when he found out that Jeonggwan had caused his dominant manifestation.
“…I was really scared. When they said you collapsed.”
“You must have been so worried…”
Jeonggwan placed his hand on top of Junjae’s with an apologetic expression. He patted Junjae’s hand as if to say sorry for worrying him. He had overdone it a bit more than usual to quickly achieve his dreams and marry Junjae, but he never dreamed he would faint from overwork…
No, but thinking about it, he felt a bit wronged. If he had prepared for the competition and worked at a leisurely pace, Junjae might have abandoned him at 39, saying it was too late, and married someone else, like in his dream. That’s why he had been in such a hurry…
“Hyung.”
“…Yes.”
“Thinking about it, I feel a bit wronged.”
“…Huh?”
“I was trying to quickly enter competitions, get a job, learn fast, open a shop, and marry you…”
Before Junjae could ask “Huh?” again, Jeonggwan, apparently having quite a few grievances, started rambling to Junjae.
“In my dream, you said you were going to marry another omega at 39 because your sperm was deteriorating. You said you could wait more than 9 years, but my subconscious must have thought that wasn’t easy. So I was trying to achieve my goals as quickly as possible and marry you soon, aiming to do it in 5 years! That’s why I was preparing for the competition like that. Of course, it was my own decision, so I shouldn’t blame you, but I still feel a bit wronged.”
If Jihoon had been there, he would have surely gotten into the rhythm.
“…Ah.”
But thinking about it after blurting it out, this didn’t seem right. It sounded like he was blaming Junjae for his fainting. In the end, it was because he couldn’t trust Junjae’s words about waiting and got impatient on his own, causing this mess. At times like this, he cursed his mouth for not being able to distinguish between what should and shouldn’t be said. As he realized his foolishness and was about to open his mouth to apologize to Junjae, it happened.
“…Hyung, I’m sor-“
“I’m sorry.”
“No…!”
“I didn’t know…”
Junjae apologized first again. Jeonggwan, flustered, waved his hands and shouted “No!”, but Junjae was sighing and covering his face with both hands.
“No, hyung. That’s not it. I shouldn’t have said that…”
Jeonggwan, startled, grabbed Junjae’s shoulders as he buried his face in his hands. He was truly an idiot. He could have just said “Sorry for worrying you” and ended the situation, but he had to open his mouth and create conflict. Really, what’s wrong with you, Kim Jeonggwan? Did your mouth go crazy because you’re hungry? You stupid pig. Jeonggwan cursed himself and didn’t know what to do, feeling sorry for the self-blaming Junjae.
“Hyung, I’m sorry…”
“…I didn’t know you wanted to marry me so badly.”
“No… That’s not it, I mean…”
“It’s not?”
“Huh? No, it is, but…”
Is it? Junjae asked, still covering his face. It is, but… Something felt off. Why does Junjae’s voice seem to be trembling? Is he laughing right now?
“…Hyung. Your face…”
“Haa…”
Ah, he’s not laughing, he must be crying. Jeonggwan, flustered, started rambling “That’s not it…” again, not knowing what to do.
“…Is it true?”
“It is. Everything you said is true…”
“Then that’s fine.”
Junjae, who had been asking in a low voice, removed his hands as if nothing had happened, but there was laughter, not tears, on his face. The trembling earlier had indeed been laughter.
“Oh, what the!”
“I didn’t know you wanted to marry me so badly.”
“I thought you were crying and got scared!”
“I almost cried from happiness.”
Jeonggwan pushed Junjae’s shoulder that he had been holding. He always seemed like a pitiful forget-me-not, only saying sorry, so Jeonggwan had been quite flustered thinking he was blaming himself this time too, but now Junjae knew how to play high-level pranks.
“But don’t overdo it.”
“…Okay.”
“No more overworking.”
Junjae hugged Jeonggwan as he nodded his head saying “Yes!” Then, stroking the bump on the back of Jeonggwan’s head, he spoke with a troubled expression.
“It could have been really dangerous.”
“I’m sorry for blaming you…”
“It’s okay to blame me. I actually felt good about it.”
“Hyung, that’s really a disease…”
It is a disease. Lovesickness. Junjae kissed the top of Jeonggwan’s head and whispered with a smile. Jeonggwan pushed him away, saying he was showing his nine-year age gap, and that he sounded like an old man suggesting they go eat medicinal chicken soup.
“Medicinal chicken soup sounds good though? I should feed you some now.”
“…Actually, I was just thinking it sounded delicious. Let’s go.”
* * *
Jeongwon, who was resting in the security guards’ lounge playing word chain games before his shift, was suddenly summoned to the managing director’s office. His colleagues who were resting with him worried, asking why he, of all people, was being summoned, but Jeongwon wasn’t particularly concerned. A few months ago, he might have trembled when Junjae summoned him, but not anymore.
Won Junjae, who acted like a lovesick fool in front of his youngest brother every day at home, was no longer scary. Every time he came to pick him up, he would lick Jeonggwan’s face like a cat grooming, to the point where it was embarrassing for the neighbors to see. Jeonghyun would grab the back of his neck in exasperation, and Jeongwon now carried the resignation letter he used to keep in his drawer close to his heart. He saw hope that his brother might marry into the Won Group, or so they say.
“Managing Director. You called for me.”
“Ah, you’re here. Please sit down.”
Junjae got up from his desk and guided Jeongwon to the sofa. Before dating Jeonggwan, Junjae would have given curt, commanding orders, but now he treated him gently because he was his lover’s brother.
“Yes, Managing Director.”
Even though the future heir of Won Electronics and his employer was his brother’s lover, which might have made him quite arrogant, Jeongwon, perhaps due to his strong conviction in his work, didn’t seem to have such thoughts at all and treated Junjae respectfully as his employer, just as before.
“Well, the thing is… We’re going to deploy an additional 4th security team, and it’s Jeonggwan’s security team, so I wanted to ask if you might be interested.”
However, Jeongwon’s brotherly feelings unconsciously surfaced, and he almost looked at Junjae with a slightly disdainful expression. The kid faints once from overwork, and he’s really making such a fuss…
“…No, sir. I’ll continue to be in charge of your security in Team 3 as I am now. Thank you for asking my opinion.”
“I see. And…”
“Yes?”
“Is Jeonggwan… not overworking himself at home again… What does he do at home… Is he taking the vitamins I sent regularly…”
“…Managing Director, that sounds a bit like stalking.”
