So does that mean you’re not uncomfortable either. They were in the same boat — so it seemed strange that he would sound disappointed about it.
“I… am uncomfortable. It’s not as though we’re anything to each other.”
He was only stating the facts. It hadn’t even been half a year since they’d made their agreement — to maintain the surface appearance of a married couple without any real contact, and to simply live well alongside each other. Yuhan’s attitude like this only deepened Jinwoo’s confusion.
Jinwoo had long noticed that Yuhan was unusually courteous for someone running a company of that scale. But it wasn’t because Jinwoo was special — it was simply the nature Yuhan had always carried.
Of course, it would have been a lie to say he felt nothing toward him at all, even a fraction. There wasn’t a person in the world who disliked someone who treated them well. It was something along those lines.
“That’s a little hurtful.”
“Sorry?”
What is he talking about now.
“During your heat you were so desperate to have me, and now this.”
Jinwoo shut his eyes tight. Begging for a kiss, pleading for more, grabbing onto him and asking him not to leave. He really ought to either develop a pill that erased memories quickly, or knock his own head against something hard enough to lose them — that would probably be better for him in the long run.
“That was….”
“I understand. I get that you only want to fulfill your obligations, Jinwoo.”
“……?”
Why is it only me you’re talking about. Wasn’t this something we agreed on together?
He didn’t even get to open his mouth. Yuhan had pushed his chair back from the dining table and stood. Jinwoo’s gaze followed him up naturally.
“That’s why I’ve been thinking — I think we need to be a little warmer with each other, as a married couple.”
But wasn’t the whole point of our relationship that we didn’t need any of that. Whether it was the lingering effects of the heat, or whether some part of him had unconsciously felt that Yuhan’s every word was forced, Jinwoo couldn’t follow the thread of it at all.
Yuhan, now standing, cupped Jinwoo’s cheek gently in one hand, then let go.
“You still have a fever. Don’t think about anything — just rest.”
With that, he disappeared into the study.
Being warmer with each other — how much more was there to do. Yuhan was already a sufficiently considerate and warm adult toward Jinwoo. His composed, unhurried manner was far too potent a thing for someone with no experience in romance.
“What is he….”
He’d come to his room to rest as Yuhan said, but his mind was still a complete mess. Jinwoo turned on his phone, which had been sitting on the charger. Since he couldn’t make sense of Yuhan’s intentions, he figured he’d ask his friends.
The moment the screen lit up, a notification flashed. Under normal circumstances Jinwoo received so little contact that his phone was practically decorative. Having it off for just a few days, the only people likely to have looked for him were family — but the name on the notification wasn’t family.
“Oh, I forgot.”
It was Hajin. He’d said he’d be in touch soon, and it seemed he’d called at exactly the worst time — right in the middle of the heat, when Jinwoo had been out of his mind. Since it hadn’t shown as a missed call, he would have had no idea if Hajin hadn’t sent a message.
“I should at least reply….”
Yuhan had told him not to get mixed up with him, but Hajin was still his family — Jinwoo couldn’t just ignore that.
[I’m sorry. Something came up and I wasn’t able to answer.]
He judged the message suitably polite without being too stiff — just the right tone.
Less than five minutes after tossing his phone onto the bed, it buzzed. He’d assumed it was a reply to his message, but the buzzing didn’t stop after one vibration. Hajin was calling.
Should I pick up? Should I not?
The room and the study were far enough apart that Yuhan wouldn’t be able to hear a phone call. Still, he found himself instinctively watching his step, and it was because of Yuhan’s warning — not quite a warning, but close enough to one.
The call he’d expected to cut off on its own kept going for quite some time, and eventually it became impossible to ignore any further, so he pressed the green button.
“…Hello?”
— Ah, you finally picked up.
Filtered through the phone, Hajin’s voice sounded remarkably like Yuhan’s. Jinwoo noticed it again — the brothers resembled each other enough in so many ways that it was almost hard to believe they were half-brothers.
— You must have been very busy lately.
“Yeah, kind of….”
Perhaps because of what Yuhan had already told him, his answer came out noticeably flat — he could feel it himself. Whether Hajin didn’t notice or simply chose to let it pass, he carried on smoothly.
— An opportunity came up to get early access to the Royal Collection Special Exhibition. I thought you’d enjoy it.
The wall he had carefully built around himself crumbled in an instant.
This was an exhibition Jinwoo had been waiting for — for entirely different reasons than the previous special exhibition. He’d had the chance to see it during his time studying abroad, but had missed it due to his own mistake, and had found out far too late that there was a soft-opening period open to a select few. And now Hajin was saying he could give him a ticket. The wall couldn’t help but fall.
“Yes! I’d absolutely love that!”
He caught the sound of laughter from the other end of the line. Even that was uncannily like Yuhan, and it left him with a strange feeling — because he realized he’d never had a phone call like this with Yuhan. Did Yuhan’s idea of being warmer as a married couple include something like this too? Jinwoo found himself wondering.
— Shall we meet tomorrow, then?
“Tomorrow?”
— Tomorrow’s the last day of the soft opening. You replied rather late, so….
If not for the heat, he could have gone with more time to prepare himself mentally and fully take in the exhibition. He felt a pang of disappointment, but told himself he could always visit again once it opened to the public.
He felt a small flicker of worry about whether Yuhan would let him go out tomorrow without a fuss. Then Jinwoo shook his head almost immediately. He’d only just realized — it wasn’t Yuhan’s place to permit him or not.
“Sounds good. Let’s meet tomorrow.”
* * *
He told Yuhan he was meeting a friend and left. It pricked at his conscience a little, knowing it was a lie — but if he’d told the truth, he was certain Yuhan would have said absolutely not. The fact that he was going to meet someone Yuhan was so opposed to still left an uncomfortable weight on one side of his chest. Even so, he couldn’t give up the exhibition.
He had a rough idea of why Yuhan was wary of Hajin. A half-brother and a rival all in one. The position of an eldest son who was also illegitimate — always precarious. In every respect, Yuhan was at a disadvantage. If Jinwoo bore him a healthy alpha child, Yuhan’s standing would be secured — but even that was nothing more than a probability.
Still, just because Yuhan kept his distance from Hajin didn’t mean Jinwoo was obligated to do the same. What Yuhan had said to him was a recommendation at most — not something he was bound to follow.
“That was wonderful. Thank you so much.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed it. It was a lucky chance, really — it fell into my lap.”
Contrary to Yuhan’s assessment, Hajin had excellent manners. Throughout the hours they’d spent viewing the exhibition together, he hadn’t raised his voice once, and his understanding of the works was considerable. Jinwoo could sense that Hajin’s interest ran deep — not unlike his own, having studied in this field.
“Let me buy you a meal as thanks.”
“I won’t say no to that.”
Jinwoo had thought ahead and booked a restaurant well-suited to the season — that stretch between spring and early summer. The space was inevitably open-air, but there was a certain charm to places like this every now and then.
As Jinwoo sipped lukewarm water, Hajin asked with a smile in his voice,
“Do you come to places like this with Yuhan too?”
“Sometimes. Why?”
“Just curious. I didn’t know he liked places like this.”
Whether Yuhan liked them or not, Jinwoo wasn’t entirely sure. It was mostly Jinwoo who sought out places with an interesting atmosphere, and Yuhan simply never turned down wherever Jinwoo had found. Jinwoo gave a light smile and left the interpretation entirely up to Hajin.
“This might be a rude question, but — were you recently in your heat cycle?”
“Ah…. Yes. Can you tell? Does it smell?”
