-94-
[I had a feeling you’d say that. Well then, Jeonggwan, have a good time studying abroad. I always thought you’d do well at whatever you tried. And if you happen to fight with that person and need financial help, don’t hesitate to contact me anytime. I’ll always be cheering for you.]
As if he knew Jeonggwan would refuse immediately, a message arrived from Jung Taegeon without any disappointment or regret about not being able to meet. However, the content was so clingy that Jeonggwan stuck out his tongue in disgust. Though Taegeon said not to feel burdened, it was too obvious that he meant to keep Jeonggwan as a backup, making Jeonggwan think that regardless of being a wistful first love or whatever, an ex is just an ex.
To give Taegeon no room for misplaced hope, Jeonggwan quietly sent him a photo of the exterior of his 12 billion won building.
[My building ㅎ]
Implying that he wouldn’t need Taegeon’s help due to lack of money.
* * *
A handsome person wearing a bright red apron becomes a scene straight out of a drama. Jeonggwan felt he might go blind from Won Junjae’s beauty as he demurely watched the sizzling jjukkumi samgyeopsal on the grill, his red apron brightening up the whole restaurant. Click-.
“Hyung, you’re so cute and handsome.”
“Did you take a picture of me instead of the jjukkumi?”
“Yeah.”
As Jeonggwan nodded while looking at the photo he took of Junjae, Junjae smiled softly, seemingly pleased about something. Now familiar with this level of affection that he no longer needed to ask about, Jeonggwan silently picked up the spatula and stirred the jjusam once.
“Hyung, you should eat it wrapped in a perilla leaf with some pickled radish and corn cheese.”
Watching Jeonggwan’s deft hand movements that could wrap ssam with his eyes closed, Junjae clumsily but calmly followed suit. It was his first ssam in his life.
“It’s my first ssam.”
“You’re giving me that honor?”
“Yeah.”
Crazy. I love this so much. To think I’m the owner of Won Junjae’s first ssam. Jeonggwan beamed as he accepted and ate Junjae’s ssam. Perhaps because it was his first attempt, there was too much corn cheese, but with the added taste of emotion, it seemed like the most delicious ssam he had ever eaten.
“This might be my ten-thousandth ssam, but here you go-“
Jeonggwan also held up to Junjae’s mouth the ssam he had carefully wrapped for himself. Though it was more like his 12,980th ssam, not ten-thousandth, seeing Junjae accept it with shining eyes made Jeonggwan’s heart flutter. This hyung, he loves everything I do.
“It’s delicious, right?”
“…It’s spicy.”
“Ah, right. I added green chili peppers and garlic because I was going to eat it…”
However, Junjae’s face quickly crumpled from the combined attack of the spicy jjusam, peppers, and garlic. How is it that even his face scrunching up from spiciness is handsome? As Junjae’s white neck gradually reddened while he squinted his eyes, finding it too cute and handsome, Jeonggwan quickly poured him a probiotic drink and then picked up his phone to take a picture.
Click-.
“…Did you take another picture of me?”
“Yeah. Can I upload this to Instagram? It’s super cute.”
“Go ahead.”
Junjae nodded while drinking the beverage Jeonggwan had poured, apparently finding it quite spicy. As soon as Junjae gave his permission, Jeonggwan immediately opened the app to upload the photo to Instagram. It was taken without any editing or filters, yet how can a person be this handsome? Someone might think it’s a fansite photo of a celebrity boyfriend. With a proud heart, Jeonggwan added a neat caption and uploaded the photo to his Instagram.
[Pig_goeni – Spicy food weakling Gondu-nim #FirstJjusam]
“What’s Gondu?”
“Princess.”
“…Why am I a princess?”
“You said I was a prince.”
“Ah…”
Junjae chuckled as if he hadn’t expected that, still not letting go of the probiotic drink. He opened his own Instagram to like the photo Jeonggwan had posted. Junjae’s Instagram existed solely to tag Jeonggwan or like his posts, without a single photo of his own, which was why everyone thought Junjae didn’t use Instagram.
“This photo doesn’t have a like yet.”
“Who? Ah-“
However, Junjae was obsessed with Jeonggwan’s Instagram. He carefully monitored who liked and commented on each post, with Jung Taegeon being the one he watched most closely. Thinking Junjae wouldn’t know, Taegeon consistently liked Jeonggwan’s solo photos, food pictures, and scenery shots, but always skipped the ones related to or tagged with Junjae.
Junjae stared at Taegeon’s Instagram with a gloomy look, as if Taegeon were right in front of him, though to a third party, they both looked equally gloomy.
“…He hasn’t contacted you, right?”
“Creepy. He actually did today.”
“…He did?”
But I took care of it. Jeonggwan showed Junjae the DM exchange he had with Taegeon earlier that day. Originally, he wasn’t going to show it to avoid worrying Junjae unnecessarily, but he thought being completely open about how he handled it would be more reassuring.
“I told him this was my building and that I don’t need money.”
I did great, right? Jeonggwan looked at Junjae with a proud face, as if asking for praise.
“…”
However, Junjae’s expression, which Jeonggwan expected to soften quickly after initially hardening, remained stiff for some reason. Jeonggwan thought he had handled it perfectly, but perhaps there was something unsatisfactory in Junjae’s view.
“What’s wrong?”
“…First of all, we’re not going to break up.”
“Right.”
“…What would you have said if you didn’t have the building?”
Junjae had hoped Jeonggwan would have replied that there was no chance of that happening because he loved Junjae too much, but Jeonggwan’s actual response was completely different, leaving Junjae feeling disappointed. Knowing how different their ways of thinking were, and understanding which part of Taegeon’s message Jeonggwan had focused on, Junjae didn’t want to feel too upset, but…
“If I didn’t have the building? Hmm-. That I’d beg on the streets before asking you for help? Pukik.”
Junjae put down his chopsticks with a gloomy face. Even the second-best answer wasn’t “I love you too much to ever go to him!” …
“…I don’t want to eat anymore.”
“Yes! It’s all mine.”
He really managed to disappoint until the very end.
* * *
“Hyung, your thoughts are completely transparent.”
[How did I end up with someone like you? And yet, Junjae hyung was supposed to be the hardest alpha to win over.]
“It’s so fun teasing hyung. He’s too cute.”
[Are you a sadist?]
“Maybe.”
Jeonggwan actually knew that Junjae was feeling hurt. His expression clearly said, “I’m really super disappointed. If you don’t make it up to me now, I might seriously get upset.” However, Jeonggwan pretended not to notice until the end. Partly because Junjae was too cute, and also because he had decided to use this as a setup for the event he had prepared.
“Hey, but what if I lose this?”
[You can just buy another one secretly.]
“…Even though I’ve become a building owner, spending 6 million won on couple rings still makes my hands shake. I absolutely can’t buy another one.”
[Huh? 600,000 for a pair? That’s super cheap! Where did you buy them?]
“…Cheap?”
600,000 won for two rings is cheap? Jeonggwan had been checking the rings every day after work, worried they might suddenly disappear even though he had carefully stored them in his desk drawer. Jihoon’s comment about them being cheap suddenly made his heart sink. Then how expensive are the ones you guys wear…?
[Well, since it’s an engagement ring and you bought it, hyung will probably like it.]
“…I was planning to suggest using these instead of buying wedding rings 5 years later.”
[As if hyung would agree to that. You should have had them custom-made.]
“…Then would it cost about 10 million won?”
[What are you talking about? Yours would probably cost at least 300 million each.]
What is this guy saying now? How can one ring cost 300 million? Even though Jeonggwan had a 12 billion won building, he still couldn’t quite grasp it, and the wealth of Junjae that he occasionally heard about from Jihoon or Juhwan often felt unreal. He had been shocked to learn that one of Junjae’s cars cost 300 million, let alone the fact that he had several such cars. And now to hear that one ring could match the price of one of those cars.
“…This is really too much.”
[That’s why it’s good, isn’t it?]
“…I don’t dislike it.”
I don’t dislike it, but… Suddenly, the rings he had bought felt shabby. He had gone to a famous luxury jewelry store, considering Junjae’s status, and bought them with trembling hands. Now he worried about what if Junjae felt embarrassed receiving them?
And as this thought continued, he started to worry about what gift to buy for Junjae’s upcoming birthday. What about Christmas? What about anniversaries? Even though he was now the owner of a 12 billion won building, he didn’t know much about luxury goods, so even if he spent a lot on an expensive gift, it seemed it wouldn’t even match 1/10 of what Junjae could give.
“…”
At first, he had just found it fascinating and nice that Junjae’s family could casually give away houses and buildings. But as it increasingly surpassed the standards he had imagined, reaching a level of wealth that an ordinary person couldn’t predict, and how nonchalant they were about it, Jeonggwan suddenly felt a considerable distance between himself and Junjae.
However, just as Junjae had accepted him, he too had to accept Junjae as he was. So, trying to ignore that sense of distance, Jeonggwan looked again at the photo of spicy food weakling Junjae that he had posted on his Instagram.
