Taeon flopped down on the blanket. The thick cotton comforter was a gift from the orphanage director when he became independent.
‘Turn on the AC when it’s hot, turn on the heating when it’s cold, and take good care of yourself.’
It was too practical for advice given to a twenty-year-old becoming independent with just his body and a little money. Following the director’s words, he lived with the AC on in summer, and thanks to the high-quality cotton comforter, he could often manage without heating in winter.
Sunjeong liked this blanket. Even though his own house must have countless expensive blankets, he said it was comfortable to cover himself with this blanket that looked crude and, more than anything, felt suffocating when you were under it.
On the very occasional nights when Sunjeong stubbornly insisted and insisted again and ended up sleeping over at Taeon’s place, Sunjeong slept well covered with this blanket.
While Taeon spent the night with half-open eyes, his body heated up for reasons other than the blanket.
Well, this was all a thing of the past now.
Because Taeon and Sunjeong had now truly decided to become just close friends.
[I’m with my boyfriend all weekend]
[Can we join you?]
[I’ll introduce you to him too]
Taeon’s mood, which had improved because he was going to meet Sunjeong after a long time, plummeted vertically in an instant.
Boyfriend. What does this mean?
Taeon, who had been lying down in a comfortable mood, sat up abruptly again. Not that he could send anything to Sunjeong, but instead he just stared intently at the messages Sunjeong had sent. Like someone who thinks the answer will come from there if he keeps looking.
Of course, Sunjeong had once spouted nonsense about becoming promiscuous, but anyone could see that was nonsense said when he was completely worked up.
Naturally Sunjeong would date other alphas, but he didn’t think it would be now.
Was that alpha pheromone that rubbed off before from his boyfriend?
Ah……
Taeon, who had hoped for Sunjeong’s romance more than anyone, couldn’t understand at all why he suddenly felt like the ground was giving way beneath his feet again.
[It’s okay to come together, right?]
[If it’s not okay, I can’t come either because he’s my gum-stuck-to-shoe]
Messages poured in one after another as if too lazy to wait for Taeon’s answer.
The feeling that had become dismal for a moment soon began to regain reason.
It was better to see with his own two eyes. Whether he was someone who suited Sunjeong, whether he was some weird wolf-like alpha bastard. The men around Sunjeong would obviously be far better than Taeon, but still, he wanted to check if he was okay in Taeon’s eyes.
[Yeah it’s fine why wouldn’t it be]
Taeon, who finally sent the message, lay back down again, this time truly drained of energy.
The feeling of waiting for sleep that wouldn’t come was strangely melancholy.
The place was an oyster specialty restaurant that Taeon had once visited with Sunjeong.
A place where the meal price per person was four times Taeon’s daily wage.
That day when Sunjeong begged and pleaded as usual until they finally ventured outside Taeon’s neighborhood together to eat, he couldn’t express how moved he was to taste proper fresh oyster dishes for the first time.
Someday when I earn proper money, I should come here again, he thought, but even Taeon didn’t know when that would be.
But now he was coming here again. Taeon walked toward the restaurant with a bitter feeling.
He’d checked the mirror meticulously before, but somehow his appearance kept bothering him.
He knew his looks were good originally, but the problem was his appearance.
When it was just the two of them, Sunjeong and him, it didn’t matter at all. But thinking about being introduced to Sunjeong’s boyfriend, he couldn’t just carelessly go out wearing clothes that fit Taeon’s body well but couldn’t hide their worn look as usual.
So yesterday he went shopping for the first time in a while. Actually, he didn’t even properly browse clothes but just bought them right away after getting recommendations from the store clerk for clothes that fit Taeon’s build, but when he tried them on, the fit was good and they suited him well. It was embarrassing that they looked too newly bought, but it was better than looking shabby.
After unnecessarily picking up his phone to check himself one more time in the reflection on the screen, Taeon entered the shop.
An employee in a sharp black formal uniform looked at Taeon and smiled.
“Welcome.”
Taeon awkwardly nodded at the greeting and said Sunjeong’s name.
“Reservation under Go Sunjeong.”
“Ah, that’s room number 3. I’ll guide you.”
Trying to relieve the tension from his needlessly nervous heart, Taeon thanked the employee who opened the room door for him.
When the door opened, he saw two people sitting side by side.
Sunjeong’s familiar face and an unfamiliar alpha bastard.
He thought to himself that it was too much to attach the term ‘bastard’ to the unfamiliar alpha who hadn’t really done anything wrong, but somehow Taeon couldn’t bring himself to use respectful terms. Go Sunjeong was too innocent, way too innocent. Would the guy who seduced the gentle Go Sunjeong into a relationship be a proper guy? It was questionable.
“You’re here?”
“Hello, Taeon-ssi. I’m Jinhyeok. My surname is Jin.”
Unlike Sunjeong’s rather indifferent greeting, Jinhyeok, who approached with an affable smile, could be seen at a glance to be a decent guy.
For a moment, Taeon was overcome with a sense of futility.
Well-styled hair, smooth white skin, a good-natured smile.
And a watch and ring revealing their presence on his wrist.
For a moment he almost got startled thinking it was a ring on the fourth finger, but fortunately Jinhyeok’s ring was on his index finger. It was puzzling that he wore such a flashy ring on his index finger, but it wasn’t Taeon’s business.
“We got here first and were choosing the menu.”
“Yeah, good.”
There was a strangely weak tone in Taeon’s voice as he sat facing Sunjeong and Jinhyeok.
“Yoon Taeon. When you and I came here before, we had that thing together and you ate it well. Should we order that?”
“Ah, you came here… with Taeon-ssi?”
A voice tinged with a strangely displeased mood. Taeon’s gaze also sharply turned toward Jinhyeok.
“Yeah. I told you he’s my closest friend.”
“You did say that.”
The lovey-dovey chatter as if Taeon in front of them wasn’t even visible was unbearably grating to Taeon. And what about the way their bodies are stuck together?
“Should we order some alcohol too?”
“Honey has to drive, so it’s a bit much for just Yoon Taeon and me to drink.”
Sunjeong sometimes attached the surname when calling him and sometimes called just the name.
But today in particular, Sunjeong calling him Yoon Taeon made Taeon uncomfortable.
“Ah, I told the driver in advance tonight.”
“He works on weekends too?”
“He doesn’t, but sometimes if I tell him in advance, he comes. He says it’s better to earn some extra pocket money since he’s resting at home anyway.”
At the mention of driver, Taeon inwardly smirked.
If Taeon had been Sunjeong’s driver, would he be playing the waiting role right now?
Shortly after, Taeon stared blankly at the collar of the sommelier pouring the white wine they ordered by the bottle. Jinhyeok, who familiarly asked about the wine, spoke with the same affable smile as when he first greeted Taeon.
He’d come to this gathering out of curiosity about who the guy existing as Sunjeong’s ‘boyfriend’ next to him was, but……
Taeon could tell. There was no need to even be curious. Jinhyeok was an alpha who terribly suited Sunjeong.
Unlike Taeon, who couldn’t shake off the awkward and uncomfortable feeling when coming to restaurants like this.
It was wine that tasted good even to Taeon’s palate, who didn’t know much about wine flavor.
He had the common sense that it wasn’t alcohol to gulp down like soju or beer, but right now he terribly craved alcohol. He drank wine without even feeling Sunjeong’s gaze staring at Taeon, who barely tasted the fresh oysters in front of him and only drank wine.
“The red wine here is good too. It’s a shame to only drink white wine.”
In front of Jinhyeok, who even said to drink in moderation gently, Taeon quietly nodded.
I want to leave this place quickly, but he couldn’t. It was also a gathering that Taeon had called them to first.
When he heard the price of the wine he drank earlier, he was a little, no, very surprised, but he planned to pay that cost too. The person who called for a meal should pay. It was social etiquette he learned from the construction site uncles.
“Then should we order that too?”
“Drink in moderation.”
It was Sunjeong who stopped Taeon, who wanted to enjoy more of the alcohol starting to heat up his body.
“You have to go to work tomorrow, don’t you?”
“……”
Listening to Sunjeong’s voice, Taeon realized. Right now, he was about to fall into his own sadness again.
Even though it was obvious at a glance that Jinhyeok was someone who suited Sunjeong, he was just drinking without even knowing what kind of person he actually was.
Taeon, who suddenly came to his senses, decided to let go of all the weight in his heart and just focus on this gathering and the current conversation.
Then the oysters in front of him also came into view. He ate a fresh oyster in one bite and asked Jinhyeok leisurely.
“You must go to the same school as Go Sunjeong.”
Taeon, who realized he was also calling Sunjeong ‘Go Sunjeong,’ smirked.
After all, calling him ‘Sunjeong’ is a bit difficult for me.
“That’s right. Different high schools, but we’ve spent time together from kindergarten through elementary school, middle school, and college. Ah, Taeon-ssi went to the same high school as Sunjeong, right?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“What was Sunjeong like as a high school student?”
