“…I don’t trust myself, Yeoul. I might do that kind of thing to you behind your back again.”
Han Yeoul said nothing. He seemed deep in thought. Seeing that he didn’t immediately say ‘no,’ I felt bitter on one hand, thinking I hadn’t given him much trust.
“Okay.”
In the contract, Han Yeoul was Party A, and I was Party B.
It will probably be like that for life. Han Yeoul will forever be my Party A.
We stamped our seals on the contract, applied our joint seals, and each took a copy.
“This really feels like a real contract.”
Han Yeoul giggled. It is a real contract. Did he think this was playing house? I planned to bind myself with various contracts going forward. Without doing that, I was scared I’d make Han Yeoul cry again.
My feelings for Han Yeoul won’t change, but my attitude can change at any time. As much as I love Han Yeoul, I’m someone with great confidence in myself, so there might come another moment when I love him in a way he doesn’t want. Like this time. So I need to tie myself down. So I can’t make excuses.
Because I’m someone who thoroughly keeps contracts and promises.
After writing the contract, I could mark Han Yeoul once a day, but Han Yeoul absolutely forbade marking during commute times. It seemed like being gossiped about as ‘an omega reeking of alpha scent’ had left him traumatized.
Thinking that when I meet his company people someday, I’ll pay them back double what Han Yeoul suffered, I pulled the departing Han Yeoul into my arms.
“Later, after you get off work, I’ll do it. So all your fatigue disappears.”
“Yeoul…”
I got caught trying to mark him secretly. How sharp his instincts have become since that day.
“I’m off, honey.”
The sight of Han Yeoul’s back as he left with a smile was cruel.
*
While sitting stubbornly in the cafe for two hours, my gaze wasn’t fixed on Han Yeoul but on the bastard sitting across from him.
Aren’t patent attorneys a profession that specializes in desk work—patent-related tasks, meaning paperwork? Why does Han Yeoul have so many external meetings?
Han Yeoul said company life was quite fun. That makes sense because from the company stories he rattles off at the dinner table, even though I don’t work at that company, I can clearly see what happened there.
I sat across from him and smiled while listening to those stories, but the more I listened, the more I thought maybe I should work at that company too.
Han Yeoul really had not even a speck of wariness. Of course, I know it’s my fault that I made him that way. I know all too well that it was none other than me who wrapped him up tightly in my pheromones like a hothouse flower and made him ‘see the world as beautiful’ until now.
Sometimes I even think it’s fortunate because of that. There were many cases where things didn’t work out because Han Yeoul couldn’t understand even when the other person appealed to him romantically.
“So that person said let’s meet outside often too, so I said okay.”
“Outside often too?”
“Yeah. People have lots of meetings at places like cafes too. I guess that person finds the office stuffy.”
The stuffy one is you, Yeoul.
Asking to meet outside often doesn’t mean that. It means he wants to do this and that with you outside. Ugh… what should I do with this frustrating guy? If he meets someone without knowing what kind of dark intentions they have and ends up getting badly hurt…
Given the situation, isn’t it not strange that I, who happen to be on vacation and a student with nothing to do, secretly follow Han Yeoul and stay nearby?
See that.
Unlike you who brought all sorts of meeting materials, that bastard sitting across from you didn’t bring anything. And why have a meeting after 6 PM? It’s not even business hours.
“They sell meals here too. Since we’re already late, why don’t we have dinner? What do you like, Han Yeoul-ssi?”
“Dinner… you mean?”
The bastard asked while pushing the menu toward him. Yeoul looked at the menu for a while and ordered aglio e olio. I couldn’t help but laugh. He doesn’t want to eat.
The bastard who had been spouting off about work—a pretext for bragging about himself—for two whole hours said that this place’s vongole is better than aglio e olio and arbitrarily ordered two vongoles.
“Puhaha.”
I laughed out loud without realizing it, then quickly ducked my head in case Han Yeoul heard me. Somehow I feel like I don’t need to worry much about this one?
That bastard who’s supposedly a client is doing everything Han Yeoul hates. Han Yeoul is just putting up with it thinking he’s working, but Han Yeoul doesn’t like people who ignore his opinion and do as they please.
He won’t even let it slide for a boyfriend, so this complete stranger bastard…
“Yes… well.”
He answered work questions carefully and clearly, but when asked personal questions during the meal, he avoided answering altogether—just that alone shows that bastard is done for.
Only then did I feel relieved.
I took a sip of the cold coffee in front of me and stretched pleasantly. Still, I can’t let my guard down. Today’s guy just happened to be a bit of an idiot, but if some weirdo latches on, it’ll be a headache, so I need to do something quickly.
Of course, our Yeoul won’t budge, but there’s such a thing as ‘what if.’
Like Yeoul says, there are probably more good people in the world, but that also means there are bad people too.
“Uncle Irang.”
[Oh, Seonjae.]
“You must have seen a lot of interesting things so far, huh?”
[What? Ah, Yeoul?]
Uncle Irang has been like a problem-solver for our family since I was young. A former police officer that Father attached to me as my bodyguard, but since my existence itself hasn’t really been revealed to the world yet, he doesn’t actively guard me. Instead, he often handles this and that at my request.
That this and that included dealing with flies buzzing around Han Yeoul.
[Don’t worry, Seonjae. My flyswatter is incredibly powerful, you know.]
“Haha. I totally trust you, Uncle. But I’m glad I came today. This isn’t even a fly—it’s just shit.”
[Shit?]
“Even without looking at Yeoul’s face, I can tell. He won’t be meeting that bastard again.”
[That’s fortunate. Still, it’s the first time meeting outside for work, so what if Yeoul doesn’t want to work anymore?]
“Even better if he says he doesn’t want to work.”
Thanks to Uncle Irang handling the things that tried to lure Han Yeoul out to meet outside, today was the first time Han Yeoul actually had a ‘date’ disguised as a meeting outside the company.
Of course, that would be the first and last time too.
“Aigoo, our Yeoul must be hungry, so I should go home and make something delicious.”
Only after seeing Han Yeoul refuse the other person trying to hold him back and say let’s meet at the company did I get up from my seat. While thinking about what to feed our Yeoul today.
“Do you really need to start work this soon?”
At Uncle Irang’s words, I placed freshly brewed warm coffee in front of him and smiled.
“That’s what I’m saying. Actually, these were things I was planning to proceed with in about 2 more years, but Han Yeoul turned out to be more impatient than I thought.”
“Right. I was surprised by that too. I thought Yeoul was quiet, but I’m relieved and all that he seems to take care of himself properly.”
Takes care of himself properly… Really? Thinking of all the numerous ‘efforts’ I’ve made so Han Yeoul could properly take care of himself, I still don’t feel at ease, like a young child left by the water. Uncle Irang sitting in front of me should know that better.
“I thought it was natural, but still, you’re amazing as always, Yoo Seonjae.”
Having heard the news of my contest award, Uncle Irang gave me a thumbs up. His refreshing smile was so sincere that I smiled back at him too.
Uncle Irang is one of the few people I open my heart to. Even though he has the somewhat stiff position of ‘bodyguard,’ which is in a way a professional relationship, maybe it’s because I’ve known him since I was young. He feels more like an uncle than an employee.
Plus, he’s a beta.
Or rather, it’s because he’s a beta, isn’t it? The reason I never had any wariness toward Uncle Irang from the start.
No matter how nice a person is, if they’re an alpha, I’m wary first and look later, so I’m not on good terms with alphas other than family. Not that I go around showing it. But everyone probably knows, right? People are all keenly perceptive about someone ‘disliking’ them.
Still, I plan to be kind to people I’m connected with through ‘work.’ After all, I need to clearly separate public and private matters.
