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Won Junjae, who paid for internet on the flight, kept contacting Kim Jeonggwan constantly. He asked how Jeonggwan was feeling, said he’d send desserts right away if he felt depressed, and that he’d take the next flight back to France if Jeonggwan missed him, among other things.
[Feeling very so good.]
[Not depressed, but send desserts anyway.]
[Stop being cheesy~ Hyung, go to sleep. You have to go to work as soon as you arrive!]
Although the replies were a bit indifferent, Junjae was relieved that Jeonggwan seemed to be genuinely fine. If Jeonggwan had shown even a hint of gloominess, Junjae would have felt terrible throughout his journey back to Korea. Come to think of it, Jeonggwan had a really strong mentality.
Usually, in situations like this, people would be greatly flustered, but Jeonggwan laughed so hard he even made barking sounds at comments like “It’s really a pearl necklace on a pig’s neck”… Whether to call it strong-willed or mentally tough… In any case, thinking it was very like Jeonggwan, Junjae chuckled and closed his eyes. As Jeonggwan had said, he needed to sleep before going straight to work after waking up.
– Ladies and gentlemen, our plane will be landing shortly.
Junjae’s eyelids lifted. Having boarded the plane after not sleeping for two days, Junjae had slept soundly without waking once until arriving at Incheon. Junjae, rubbing his face with one hand, habitually reached for his phone and opened it. It was to contact Jeonggwan about his arrival.
[Wow; The pig’s got some guts; – Won Seongje]
Seeing the last message, Junjae’s brow immediately furrowed. Why does Won Seongje keep sending messages? What a pathetic guy with nothing better to do. Junjae had no intention of replying, so he didn’t even click on the preview message and instead opened the KakaoTalk app.
Jeonggwan might be sleeping now, as there were no messages in the chat room after Junjae’s message saying he was going to sleep. Junjae left a message saying he had arrived in Korea and exited. Below that, there were over twenty messages from Secretary Kim, who only sent clipping messages, making Junjae frown. Had something happened in Korea?
[(Clipping) BJ Eup-eup, controversy over remarks about Won Group’s 3rd generation Won Junjae’s lover A during broadcast: “That pig XX must be great in bed”]
[(Clipping) Won Group 3rd generation’s lover A responds to BJ Eup-eup: “Do you even know me?”]
[(Clipping) BJ Eup-eup, another controversial statement: “That pig XX must do all kinds of dirty play”]
[(Clipping) Won Junjae’s lover A’s shocking statement to BJ Eup-eup: “Are you jealous because no one will do it with you?”] Article taken down on CEO’s orders
.
.
.
[(Clipping) BJ Eup-eup warns on broadcast that he will sue A for sexual harassment…]
[(Clipping) Won Junjae’s lover A: “If you’re going to curse in the future, pay for it” – 4 hours ago]
What’s all this? Junjae looked at each article with blank eyes. It was as if the saying “All the interesting things happen when I’m asleep” had come true, although of course, these weren’t interesting things, but events that Junjae should have known about in real-time had occurred while he was in deep sleep on the plane.
The male BJ, who was often controversial, had been captured cursing at Jeonggwan, perhaps out of an inferiority complex, and the image was included in the article. On Jeonggwan’s Instagram, there was a story post with the captured article screen and the text “Excuse me, but do you know me? ~? ♪”
The BJ, provoked by Jeonggwan, increasingly crossed the line with his remarks, harassing Jeonggwan further. In response, Jeonggwan started a live broadcast on his Instagram. Of course, he didn’t make it public to avoid potential attacks from the BJ’s malicious fans. Perhaps because of this, the level of Jeonggwan’s retorts to the BJ was quite high, but only one article about it was posted, seemingly out of consideration for the Won Group, and even that had been taken down by Won Youngjae, Junjae’s father.
“…”
Finally, the last report was from Secretary Oh, stating that they would proceed with suing the BJ who made the controversial remarks on the CEO’s orders. After hearing from Secretary Oh about the fines the BJ would have to pay if sued for defamation, sexual harassment, etc., Jeonggwan, excited, left a meaningful message saying that if they want to curse in the future, they should pay for it.
“…A complete victory.”
And then Jeonggwan peacefully went to sleep. It was a true victory. Junjae was no longer worried about Jeonggwan’s mental state.
* * *
Not being worried didn’t mean he didn’t want to see Jeonggwan. Because of this, Junjae really did fly to France every Friday, spent a fulfilling weekend with Jeonggwan, and then returned to Korea on Monday morning, going straight to work. This routine continued.
When Won Youngjae found out about this, he berated Junjae, saying he had gone crazy and asking what kind of embarrassment this would cause if others found out. But he couldn’t stop Junjae’s stubbornness, who had already booked a year’s worth of Friday flights to France.
So Won Youngjae changed tactics, offering Jeonggwan another small building worth 3 billion won to persuade Junjae to come only twice a month at most. But Jeonggwan, having tasted the sweetness of being a building owner, flatly refused the offer, saying that distance makes the heart grow fonder and that 3 billion wasn’t enough, demanding at least double.
Won Youngjae cursed Jeonggwan as a cunning, ill-mannered, and arrogant bastard, but had no choice but to offer a 6.8 billion won building. Jeonggwan clicked his tongue as if it were a shame but eventually accepted the deal.
Of course, Junjae knew all about this. Because they had already agreed to meet only twice a month at most. On the eighth Friday of visiting Jeonggwan, Junjae finally got a nosebleed from not sleeping all week and working even on the plane to avoid any problems or gossip when going to France.
So all of this was nothing more than Jeonggwan taking advantage of Won Youngjae. But Junjae, thoroughly love-struck, praised Jeonggwan endlessly, saying how clever and smart his lover was, and that he could be successful in business, regardless of his father’s wealth being depleted.
However, this relationship wasn’t always smooth sailing. Like others, they had their fair share of getting angry and arguing. They weren’t always sweet like some thousand-year love story.
When Junjae was feeling down, he would call Jeonggwan to gain energy from his bright voice and playfulness. In contrast, Jeonggwan preferred to have time alone to organize his thoughts and manage his mental state.
Because of this, they once had a big fight. One day, Jeonggwan came home in a low mood after receiving a terrible score in his practicum and a barrage of nagging from his professor. He opened a beer and tried to console his gloomy feelings alone. Junjae, thinking he had enough experience in their relationship, expressed his hurt feelings, asking why Jeonggwan didn’t confide in him and if he really loved and trusted him.
However, Jeonggwan argued back, saying this was just a difference in how they dealt with their moods, and questioned why Junjae was bringing up love and trust. What started as a small complaint from hurt feelings quickly escalated into a big argument. Well, in the end, like all couples, it concluded with a rather pathetic exchange of “I’m sorry,” “No, I’m more sorry,” “No, I love you more,” “No, I do!”
In this way, they spent half a year, a year, and then two years together. Jeonggwan’s two-year study abroad period, which felt both long and short, came to an end. Although he had a tough time in school, shedding tears due to the more difficult coursework compared to his Korean university, he also ate out a lot with Junjae and studied hard to graduate on time with others. Fortunately, Jeonggwan was able to complete the 2-year program on schedule and graduate. Despite the difficulty of graduating from this school, being a pastry school, there wasn’t anything special about the graduation ceremony. They just ate desserts they had made together, paired with champagne, while talking about their future and wrapping up their memories.
[When does it end? – Clingy]
Jeonggwan, who had been chatting with his classmates and professor for a while, read the message that had just arrived and immediately got up, approached the window, and looked down at the first floor. Sure enough, Junjae had come to pick him up, unable to wait at home. This is really clingy. Jeonggwan let out a short laugh, then carelessly put down his champagne glass on a nearby table and went down to the first floor.
“It hasn’t even been four hours since I left.”
“…Has it been four hours already?”
“This is ridiculous…”
Junjae had come to France a week before Jeonggwan’s graduation and had been sticking to him all day except when Jeonggwan was at school. Yet here he was, acting shamelessly as if he couldn’t wait to see him. Why is he like this, really? Jeonggwan spoke gruffly but didn’t seem to dislike it as he was about to approach Junjae for a hug.
“Gwan!”
Someone called out to Jeonggwan from behind as they came down to the first floor.
“Oh-! Leo!”
Leo was a handsome French alpha who, although not very close to Jeonggwan, often spoke to him at school due to his great interest in Korean dramas and K-pop.
“Qui est-ce?”
“Who is it?”
At the same time, questions of “Who is that?” came from both sides of Jeonggwan, one in French and the other in Korean. The Korean voice, which had been affectionate, immediately turned fierce. Junjae knew about close friends like Louis or the Japanese exchange student Kento, but he hadn’t heard about the obviously handsome Leo from Jeonggwan, so he automatically became defensive.
Even after two years, Junjae’s love-struck state hadn’t faded. He consistently reacted defensively whenever he saw a handsome person, alpha or not, next to Jeonggwan. It was both cheesy and endearing. Grinning at Junjae, Jeonggwan turned to Leo and spoke in French. Ah, this is my…
“Fiancé.”
However, Junjae answered instead. And quite fiercely, with a serious face. Quite brazenly claiming to be the fiancé. It was such an obvious defensive stance that it was embarrassing to watch. But this was how he drove away most pathetic alphas, so Junjae puffed himself up even more and released his pheromones.
Leo made a very confused and displeased expression as he quietly handed a bag to Jeonggwan. Kento asked me to tell you that you left your bag.
Ah, thank you.
After handing the bag to Jeonggwan, Leo was about to go back up to the second floor when he turned his head again and looked Junjae up and down.
“Nobody’s looking. Your squid. Whatever. Seriously.”
Then, in broken Korean, he delivered a strong rebuke to Junjae. As if he really couldn’t believe it.
However, the only one who faced this mysterious defeat was the squid in question. Jeonggwan looked at Leo with a shocked face, but Leo had already vanished to the second floor.
Wait, where did that bastard learn to say such things? I thought his constant talk about liking K-pop and dramas was just clumsy flirting… Was he really just a Korea lover…? But calling me a squid…? Jeonggwan was genuinely shocked and couldn’t close his mouth.
“…Why does everyone call me squid?”
Hearing the low, serious voice from beside him, Jeonggwan blinked and turned his head towards Junjae, thinking, “As expected, there’s no one but our clingy one.” Right? I’m not really a squid, am I? Jeonggwan looked up at Junjae with sparkling eyes, and Junjae, with the most serious face, as if wondering how this could be a squid,
with a face that seemed to ask how anyone could not love this Kim Jeonggwan, said:
“To our pig.”
Hey! Jeonggwan shouted and rushed at Junjae, who embraced him, laughing loudly, and added more words to Jeonggwan’s ear.
“I added ‘handsome’.”
That’ll do.
<The End>
