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He couldn’t even remember when he was picked up, but he had even thrown up. Moreover, whether Junjae cleaned it up or not, he must have washed him, which meant he had to throw away clothes and everything. Jeonggwan felt sorry towards Junjae and was incredibly embarrassed to have shown such a side of himself when they hadn’t been dating for long. Thinking about the reverse situation, if Junjae had come to his house drunk, made a scene, and even thrown up… Jeonggwan thought he might have gotten annoyed while washing him and given him a light knock on the head. But Junjae said he didn’t cause any trouble and even bought hangover medicine from the pharmacy. There truly was no love like this selfless love.
“I’m sorry…”
Jeonggwan moved closer to Junjae and collapsed into his arms. A small chuckle resonated from the top of his head. The hand patting his back, saying it was okay, was so kind it seemed like honey might drip from it. As Jeonggwan quietly felt the gentle touch, he once again realized that you never know what will happen in life. Before dating Junjae, he thought this person would be a bit cold and indifferent even to a loved one, but after dating, he was a completely different person. It was like bringing home a wild, rough leopard with an injured front paw for treatment, only to find it running to you like a large dog even before you call its name.
It was becoming a problem how much he was growing to like this person. At first, he was impressed by his striking appearance, his status as a dominant alpha, and his immense wealth, but now he loved the kind actions and words Junjae showed him. He liked him so much that he worried he might become clingy later on. As Jeonggwan rubbed his face against Junjae’s chest and rested his chin on his shoulder, he could see the bluish dawn through the floor-to-ceiling windows. For Jeonggwan, dawn had always been just a passing time he encountered after watching YouTube late into the night or drinking and playing. But experiencing dawn with someone he liked felt so different.
“…It’s warm.”
This loving embrace, this blue hour, felt so warm.
“Ah- That’s refreshing.”
Jihoon put down his bowl with a look of relief after gulping down the steaming broth, and leaned back in his chair.
“…”
However, feeling a sharp gaze from somewhere, Jihoon straightened up again. Although Jihoon had finished eating, the clattering sounds from the dining table continued.
“Hyung, where did you buy this from? The broth is really delicious.”
“You like it? I’ll ask Secretary Oh.”
“Ask Won Junjae if the radish kimchi is from the same place too.”
“That’s right! The radish kimchi is really good too.”
Jihoon, seemingly oblivious, watched Jeonggwan and Juhwan praising the radish kimchi and slurping the broth, then glanced at Junjae, who had stopped eating. Junjae was quietly staring at some point on the table, looking somewhat dazed. It was understandable…
“…”
“…!!!”
Suddenly, as if sensing Jihoon’s gaze, Junjae looked up sharply, and Jihoon quickly lowered his head when their eyes met. Despite the hot broth he had just eaten, he felt a chill down to his throat.
So, to explain the situation, this happened just an hour ago. When Jihoon opened his eyes, he found himself in an unfamiliar room. It looked like a guest room in someone else’s house, so at first, he thought he had slept at his family home. After all, he had never been to the guest room in his family home.
‘What are you doing here?’
‘…Ugh, my head.’
However, when Kyung Juhwan woke up next to him on the same bed, Jihoon jumped out of the bed in panic. He checked his body, fearing something untoward might have happened, but fortunately, he was fully clothed. He breathed a sigh of relief for a moment, but then wondered why Kyung Juhwan was at his family home. Or was this even his family home? Could this be Kyung Juhwan’s house? If he had come to sleep at Kyung Juhwan’s house, it would be another point against him, and Jihoon’s expression soured at the thought of the headache it would cause.
‘Is this your house?’
‘…Isn’t it your house?’
However, when Juhwan asked if it wasn’t his house, Jihoon’s expression brightened again. Thankfully, it wasn’t Kyung Juhwan’s house. If so, it must be his family home, and although he might get scolded by his mother, he felt relieved. But why did the caretaker put them in the same room when there were many guest rooms? Jihoon glared at Juhwan, looking him up and down, then turned abruptly and opened the door to leave the room.
‘…Huh?’
‘Oh, do you want a yogurt smoothie too? I’m about to order.’
‘…What’s going on?’
‘Strawberry, mango, or plain? Which do you want?’
‘…Where is this?’
But this place, where Jeonggwan was lying on the sofa as if it were his own living room, was not Jihoon’s family home. Jihoon had a hypothesis that he didn’t want to remember, which kept trying to creep up from his toes, but he was too afraid to think about it.
Thump. Thump.
When another set of footsteps was heard from the opposite direction from which Jihoon had come out of the guest room, Jihoon felt a chill run down his spine. The high-rise view visible through the living room window, a house spacious enough to have guest rooms despite not being his or Kyung Juhwan’s home, and above all, Kim Jeonggwan lying comfortably on the sofa as if it were his own home. If so, there was only one person who could be walking out now.
‘…’
‘Good morning, hyung…’
‘…Let’s eat.’
Won Junjae, Kim Jeonggwan’s boyfriend and Jihoon’s relative. Although he said to eat, Jihoon felt like he might get indigestion before even starting.
* * *
Junjae left first, saying he had to go to work, leaving the three behind. But before he left, he and Jeonggwan were so lovey-dovey that Jihoon, who was watching, felt embarrassed. Jeonggwan, clinging to Junjae’s back as he walked to the entrance wearing a three-piece suit again today, looked like the epitome of a newlywed couple to anyone watching.
Jihoon and Juhwan, who had been staying in the dining room to avoid Junjae’s eyes, started chatting away as soon as Jeonggwan returned, asking him various questions. They didn’t forget to lie to the manager who called asking why Boss Jeonggwan hadn’t come to work, saying he was sick and had taken a day off. Of course, it would be deducted from his actual vacation days.
“Won Junjae is incredibly lenient with Jeonggwan though.”
“I know… If it were me, I would have left his friends on the street, no matter who they were.”
“I honestly thought hyung would have left Juhwan hyung and Gwan Jihoon behind.”
Jeonggwan-ah. Your boyfriend is alright. Juhwan grinned, resting his chin on the table. Jeonggwan nodded in agreement. Jeonggwan really thought Junjae would have left Juhwan and Jihoon behind. Because while Junjae was infinitely kind to him, when dealing with others, he always seemed to have his guard up, or should we say, full of caution. Anyway, although he had loosened up a bit compared to before, he was still the same Won Junjae as before.
But very thankfully, Junjae had taken care of both Jihoon and Juhwan and brought them to his house, even feeding them. It seemed he had graciously shown mercy, knowing they were his closest friend and most respected person. The more Jeonggwan saw of Junjae, the more he realized he was truly a gem. He was already a jewel, but upon closer inspection, he turned out to be an even more brilliant jewel.
“You look just like newlyweds, why don’t you just get married?”
“Yeah, get married now while you’re still in the honeymoon phase.”
“What are you talking about, I’m only twenty-three…”
Jeonggwan sipped his strawberry yogurt smoothie, looking embarrassed. Although it’s said that most omegas marry early, he was still only twenty-three. And they hadn’t been dating for long, so wouldn’t such talk be burdensome for both of them?
Honestly, when he was leaning on Junjae’s shoulder earlier that dawn, his heart felt like it was swelling. He had felt like he wanted to be with this person like this for the rest of his life. But…
“Won Junjae must be getting a ton of marriage proposals. Besides me, there were four other candidates. If you include those who didn’t even make it to the candidate list, it would be more than a truckload.”
“…That many?”
“Won Junjae’s father should be moving up to the chairman position soon. But for that to happen, he needs more power. Well, although it’s already considered a fait accompli… Still, you never know what might happen. So his father is probably desperate to get his son married.”
Jeonggwan’s hands, holding the cup with both hands, tensed a little. He knew that Junjae had entered the marriageable age. Jihoon had said that for a dominant alpha, 32 was a bit late. And Junjae had actually gone on a blind date, hadn’t he? It was fortunate that the blind date partner was Juhwan, but… He didn’t know when Junjae’s family might ask him to go on another blind date at their house.
He hated that idea so much. He didn’t want Junjae to promise a future with anyone else, or to be with anyone else. He wanted to be the only one to lean on those broad shoulders, to be embraced. He wanted Junjae to cherish and love only him.
“He might propose to you soon, you know?”
“Yeah, judging by Won Junjae’s eyes, it looks like he’s ready to propose any minute.”
“…”
However, marriage… Maybe because he was still young, it felt like such a distant concept to Jeonggwan. It wasn’t about wanting to meet more people because he was young, but rather, because he was young, there were still many things he wanted to do. He felt this especially after going to Hong Kong with Jihoon. Although he couldn’t focus on it now because he was in a relationship, he had dreams.
He wanted to participate in the national bakery competition, and further, in the world bakery competition. His goal wasn’t to win, but to increase his knowledge and broaden his horizons. And he wanted to enter the hotel bakery he had dreamed of and grow there. Then, around his late 20s, after learning all that, he wanted to open a small shop featuring special cakes that showcased his unique skills.
But marriage… He had heard that to live together with someone, you have to give up and compromise on many things. Moreover, although they had only been dating for a short time, from what he had seen so far, Junjae was really busy. He had many events to attend, parties, and frequent business trips. If he married Junjae, his life would surely change 180 degrees. He had vaguely thought, “I can still do bakery even if I’m married!” but realistically, he didn’t think it would be possible if he married the future heir of the Won Group. Bakery might just become a hobby, or he might not even be able to do it as a hobby.
He definitely wanted to be with Junjae. But the talk of marriage felt too early. For now, he just wanted to date like other people, supporting each other’s dreams, seeing each other when they missed each other, eating delicious food together… Was he being too selfish?
