‘In the end, it means you like both me and Hahyun. So you’re telling the slightly more mature one, me, to be patient.’
If it had been the old Juwon, he would have tried to use whichever partner was more beneficial to him, but the changed Juwon was someone who didn’t want to hurt either of them, so he ended up choosing both.
If even half of half a chance of his feelings for me were sincere, that would be okay…
Hajin comforted himself with these thoughts as he kissed Juwon’s lips. Juwon whispered sweetly into his ear.
“Thank you. I knew Hajin-ssi would understand right away.”
“Yes.”
He answered, but it didn’t mean he was giving up half of his heart. The game wasn’t over yet.
Hahyun was a precious younger brother who needed his care, but at the same time, he was a rival in love with the person he liked between them.
Would Yoon Juwon ever know how that fact made his heart more anxious? No, he probably didn’t understand properly, which is why he was behaving this way.
So from now on, he would make him understand.
So that he couldn’t think of anyone else in front of him. Even if that person was Hahyun, it wouldn’t change.
* * *
“Phew.”
I exhaled with a sigh, sweating coldly. If it hadn’t been for the timely phone call that came just as he was about to push me down onto the bed, I didn’t want to imagine what state I would be in right now.
After hanging up the phone, Hajin looked at me with a complicated expression, then left the room saying he would change his clothes, his face dripping with reluctance.
As soon as he left, I collapsed onto the bed and scratched my arms. The goosebumps that had risen all over hadn’t subsided yet. I never thought the day would come when I would make such a confession in front of Hajin.
“I had no choice. He really looked like he was going to kill me…”
Remembering Hajin’s eyes when he saw Hahyun’s marks on my body, my body trembled. It was a gaze heavy with lust, possessiveness, and resentment. I was fortunate to have heard his answer about the scandal before he noticed Hahyun’s marks; otherwise, if we had fought because of those marks, I might still be surfing through portals typing out Seo Hajin’s name everywhere.
At that moment, Hajin, who had gone to change clothes, entered my room again. He was dressed in a sharp black suit, and judging by his stylish tie, he wasn’t going to a funeral. However, the shirt visible under his suit looked a bit more formal than what he usually wore.
While unable to take my eyes off his appearance, which looked like he had just stepped out of a fashion spread, I remembered how he had teased me earlier and picked a fight for no reason.
“Going on a date? Someone must be happy. Having a male lover at home and an actress lover outside.”
“Tease all you want, just put everything back where it belongs.”
The corner of Hajin’s mouth was slightly raised. It was an ambiguous smile, and I couldn’t tell if he was upset by my words or if he found them absurd.
“Where does it belong? Next to me?”
I don’t know why I suddenly said that. Maybe it was because I had seen his cold face earlier, but I think I wanted to keep stimulating him because I liked how he responded to my every word.
Hajin suddenly leaned slightly toward me. The musky scent resembling his skin smell hit me strongly. When I closed my eyes reflexively, I felt his lips colliding with mine. It was a brief kiss, but it instantly cleared my mind.
“Stop the seduction right there. I have to go, and it’s difficult for me.”
Hajin pulled my waist with a troubled face. My face heated up at the strange sensation felt even through clothes.
His lips fell again on various parts of my reddened face. While I was in a dreamy mood, I suddenly realized something important. I pushed him away with a twitch of my shoulders. He looked at me with a puzzled face.
“Why are you suddenly acting like this?”
“I just remembered something I needed to say. About the phone call… What if it comes again?”
Hajin pulled me back into his arms as if he couldn’t believe I had pushed him away for such a trivial thing, and answered.
“I told you not to worry. I’m doing my best to find out who it is.”
Judging by the irritation in his voice, finding the culprit wasn’t an easy task. Yet he still pretended everything was fine in front of me.
He gave a light kiss on my forehead and turned around.
“I need to go. If Hahyun comes, ask him for food and eat.”
“…You must be really busy.”
“Yeah, I am.”
Hajin’s shoulders looked heavy as he turned to leave. It was understandable since he had many burdens forcibly placed on him from a young age. Out of sympathy, I followed behind him. The corners of his eyes curved nicely as he asked why I was coming out instead of staying in the room.
Despite having heard from Hahyun that Hajin deliberately acted more pitiful in front of me, my heart still ached whenever Hajin acted like this.
* * *
As soon as Hahyun returned from work, he hugged me and kissed me all over my face. He was being overly affectionate, saying he had almost died from missing me.
Honestly, I wanted to laugh because he was so cute, but I bit my teeth hard to hold it in and pushed him away roughly. Hahyun’s eyes rolled quickly.
“Seo Hahyun, don’t you have anything to say to me?”
“I love you?”
“No, not that. Think about what you did wrong.”
“Hmm… Ah! I got it. It’s because I went to work alone, leaving you behind.”
Since I wasn’t showing anger, he seemed to be deliberately acting this way, so I hardened my expression.
“Last chance. If you don’t get it right this time, no sleeping together for a week.”
“Eek! There’s no such thing. I just won’t do it.”
“Do you think you have a choice?”
“…”
Although he lowered his eyes with an innocent expression, I was no longer deceived by that face. Thinking about how I fell for his drunk act yesterday still made my blood boil.
“You’ve really changed. I wish I could tie you up.”
“Shut up. That kind of talk doesn’t work.”
“…”
“I’ll give you 30 minutes to think about it in the living room and speak carefully. If you joke around or threaten me, I’ll add another week!”
After giving Hahyun a stern warning, I went upstairs. I could hear Hahyun wailing downstairs, but I pretended not to hear. I wanted to say three hours, but knowing Hahyun’s limits, I didn’t make an unreasonable demand.
Time went by quickly as I lay on the bed playing games on my phone for 30 minutes. Believing he would have found the right answer by now, I went outside. When I opened the door, Hahyun was kneeling in front of it with both hands raised.
He’s not a child…
“Hyung, hyung… I’m sorry. I won’t do it again.”
“Stand up first. I didn’t tell you to kneel.”
“Then will you forgive me?”
“Let me hear what you’re reflecting on first.”
Hahyun pushed out his lips and spoke with a face that looked like he was about to cry. His hands were still raised.
“I pretended I couldn’t drink when I actually can. I’m sorry. I did it because I like you so much.”
Honestly, I was taken aback because I didn’t expect him to admit it right away and ask for forgiveness. If he had denied it even a little, I was planning to use that as an excuse to distance myself from Hahyun and then think about how to continue the relationship between Hajin, Hahyun, and me, but that didn’t seem possible now.
“Sigh… First, put your hands down and get up. Let’s go to the sofa.”
“No. I’ll stay like this until you say you forgive me.”
He defies me over the most trivial things. I decided to respond seriously without being swayed.
“I’m going to eat downstairs and watch a movie. You can keep doing that here if you want.”
Tearful eyes blinked as they looked at me. His expression seemed to ask if I would really leave him behind. Of course, I betrayed his expectations and turned away.
“I’m sorry. I’ll get up.”
“You do that.”
Hahyun got up from his spot and stuck close to my side.
“Keep your distance. I’m not in the mood for that right now.”
This time he didn’t answer at all. I sighed and said.
“Seo Hahyun, do you know you’re really stubborn and don’t listen? If you like me, why don’t you listen to what I say?”
“…Because it feels like you’re telling me not to like you.”
“When did I say that? Think about it. I’ve never said anything like that, not even once.”
As my fear of the brothers disappeared, my natural instinct for verbal sparring revived. Hahyun seemed to change his strategy as he rubbed his forehead against my arm and acted cute.
“Hyung, I’m sorry. I really won’t do it again.”
“I told you to keep your distance. I’m not planning to forgive you easily.”
I shook off my arm with all my strength and went downstairs. Hahyun followed behind me and said.
“I feel wronged too.”
What’s there to feel wronged about?
“It’s because you only do it with Hajin hyung and not with me. If I hadn’t pretended to be drunk, would you have done it with me?”
Honestly, I couldn’t guarantee that myself. There was also the fact that I overlooked it because Hahyun looked cute when he was drunk.
“No. You don’t have to answer. Anyway, I was the one who did wrong.”
“…”
“Hyung… please don’t be angry. I’m sorry.”
In my mind, I was silent because I felt a little guilty, but Hahyun misunderstood that I wasn’t speaking because I was angry, so he kept repeating that he was sorry like a parrot until I drank water and sat on the sofa.
