“I’m sorry…”
That was the twelfth apology already. Though the food had been served quite a while ago, Hyowoo couldn’t lift his head.
‘I must be crazy… How could I, unless I was insane, with someone right next to me…’
Falling asleep during a conversation was shocking enough, but that wasn’t all—he’d slept for four hours using Lee Seohee’s shoulder and arm as a pillow. He’d committed an unimaginable atrocity.
An adult’s head weighs an average of 4-7kg. In other words, it was like placing a bowling ball on someone’s shoulder and making them hold that position for hours as punishment.
‘If it was going to be like this, I should’ve just gone home like he told me to…’
If he had, Hyowoo could have slept comfortably at home, and he too could have rested at a hotel. There was no greater imposition than this.
Moreover, he was an athlete whose body and condition were his livelihood.
What if being forced to become a human pillow caused problems with his condition, and as a result, he ruined a match?
His head spun at the thought that it could negatively affect not just Lee Seohee personally but the entire team.
“Is your shoulder okay? Isn’t your arm numb or anything?”
“I’m really completely fine. Don’t worry.”
Whenever Hyowoo asked with a pale face, he smiled and said he was fine.
“I’m not just saying that. Really, truly, I’m completely fine.”
“…Still…”
“If an athlete’s condition deteriorates because someone leaned on them and slept, they can’t be an athlete. Don’t underestimate an active Premier League striker.”
Even at the words telling him to relax, Hyowoo still couldn’t lift his head. As he bit his lower lip and silently fiddled with his fingers without saying anything, Lee Seohee handed him chopsticks.
“Come on, stop that and eat. At this rate, the food will all get cold.”
Only after hearing him urge that he was hungry did Hyowoo finally accept the utensils.
Perhaps because he normally didn’t eat breakfast well, he had no appetite at all, and his mouth felt dry. However, it seemed like he would only eat if Hyowoo at least pretended to eat.
He spooned a mouthful of the steaming stew. As the warm broth went down, his uncomfortable feelings eased a little.
‘More than that, when was the last time I slept this soundly?’
Due to his sensitive nature, Hyowoo always slept lightly. Even when he barely managed to fall asleep, he woke up every hour or two, and in an unfamiliar place, he couldn’t sleep at all.
Yet he’d leaned against an Alpha—and one whom just a few months ago he couldn’t even shake hands with—and slept for four hours. It was unbelievable.
‘What really is with this person…?’
It was the first time in his life experiencing this. Rather than surprising, the thought that it was fascinating wouldn’t leave his mind.
“Ah, and I learned one new fact today.”
Only after hearing that bright voice as if he’d discovered something great did Hyowoo finally return to reality and lift his head.
“Hyowoo-ssi, your eyelashes are incredibly long, you know?”
“What?”
“I’ve never seen eyelashes that long.”
When he made a puzzled expression, still not understanding, he casually added while deboning the fish.
“While looking at your sleeping face, Hyowoo-ssi, I naturally noticed them.”
Only after realizing he was talking about his own eyelashes did Hyowoo show a troubled expression.
“Why were you… looking at my face?”
“Well, because it’s your face, Hyowoo-ssi, so I looked.”
“What?”
“I wouldn’t look that carefully at someone else’s face.”
In that instant, the spoon Hyowoo was holding slipped. Seeing him barely catch the spoon before it fell into the stew pot, he couldn’t hold back his laughter and chuckled.
He was so embarrassed by himself frantically fumbling around without composure that he wanted to hide right away.
“D-Don’t stare at me like that.”
“Why not? It’s not like you’ll wear out.”
“I will wear out… So don’t look…”
Hyowoo was momentarily flustered by his own tone of voice responding as if sulking.
Since childhood, Hyowoo had been poor at expressing emotions. His joys, angers, sorrows, and pleasures rarely showed on his face, and he was often told he was expressionless.
For male Omegas, discrimination and mockery were everyday occurrences.
Hyowoo was no exception. He was used to teasing, and no matter what anyone said, he consistently showed no reaction. But with this man, Lee Seohee, whenever he was with him, this unfamiliar thing called ’emotions’ kept leaking out.
‘We’ve only met twice…’
He was so unfamiliar to himself when he was with him.
Just when he didn’t know what to do with his own reactions, Lee Seohee, who had been quietly watching Hyowoo, suddenly seemed to take a step back.
“If you say you’ll wear out, I have no choice.”
The relief that the troublesome wordplay had ended was brief, as he casually dropped another bomb.
“But it’s a bit unfair, you know?”
“What is?”
“Hyowoo-ssi keeps sneaking glances at me too. Yet you say I can’t look at you—that’s too much.”
Before those words even finished, Hyowoo flushed red from his face to his neck in an instant.
“You didn’t think I’d notice?”
It was true. Whenever Lee Seohee briefly turned his gaze elsewhere, he’d take advantage of that gap to secretly take him in with his eyes.
He couldn’t control it himself. Regardless of his own will, strangely enough, Hyowoo was strongly drawn to him.
“I’m… sorry…”
When he reflexively apologized, Lee Seohee laughed pleasantly.
“What are you sorry for? You didn’t do anything wrong.”
His smile, saying his face doesn’t wear out so look until he’s sick of it, was dazzling like the sun. He was briefly entranced by that smile containing light, then came to his senses and hastily turned his head.
‘He’s teasing me because my reactions are fun, so why do I keep falling for it…?’
Unable to retort even once to such childish pranks and being continuously swayed like this. It wasn’t like the calm and mature Hyowoo.
Just when he thought he had to somehow change the atmosphere, someone approached the two’s table.
“Lee Seohee-seonsu, please give me one autograph.”
A man who looked to be in his mid-50s abruptly held out a pen and paper without even greeting them.
‘Ah, finally…’
After 6 AM, the airport gradually began to bustle with activity.
People recognized Lee Seohee one by one, who had an appearance and physique that stood out anywhere, and by the time they set foot in the restaurant, his arrival was essentially public. It was only a matter of time before someone approached him.
Hyowoo felt uncomfortable at the somewhat rude man’s behavior, but he, who was asked for an autograph, smiled skillfully.
‘Right. This person is a celebrity. Even if the other person acts without manners, he should at least give an autograph…’
However, contrary to expectations, Lee Seohee didn’t accept the pen the man held out.
“I’m having a meal with a companion right now, so it’s difficult.”
As if he hadn’t expected to be refused at all, the man who had been triumphant thinking he’d get an autograph became quite flustered.
“Come on, don’t be like that and just do one for me? It’s not even difficult.”
“I’m sorry.”
As the refusal continued, the man’s face gradually became more menacing. He raised his voice asking if he couldn’t even do one measly autograph, if it was okay for a public figure to treat a fan like this, but he responded calmly without a moment’s hesitation.
“As I’ve said repeatedly, it seems difficult right now. I’m not alone.”
Gently but clearly, he expressed his wish for his privacy to be respected.
In the end, the man roughly snatched the paper back. Watching the back of the man returning to where his family was while spitting out curses, Hyowoo’s worry came first. It was obvious that posts like ‘Lee Seohee’s true nature’ or ‘attitude controversy’ would be uploaded to SNS.
“Sorry. You were in the middle of eating.”
“I’m fine. It’s not something for you to apologize for, Lee Seohee-seonsu…”
“At this rate, it really will all get cold. Hurry and eat.”
He picked up his chopsticks as if nothing had happened, but Hyowoo couldn’t readily pick up his utensils.
“You should have just done it for him…”
His heart grew heavy at the thought that bad rumors about him might spread because of this. However, he was very firm.
“I strictly distinguish between public time and private time. When I’m alone it doesn’t matter, but when I’m with acquaintances, I decline autographs or photos.”
“What if something bad gets posted on the internet because of this?”
To Hyowoo’s concern, he grinned saying that if he worried about every single thing like that, he couldn’t endure his athlete career.
“I have a private life too. I have to set clear standards for myself and draw the line, otherwise there’s no end to it.”
“I understand what you’re saying, but still, I wouldn’t want to hear bad things because of misunderstandings…”
Looking at Hyowoo full of worry, Lee Seohee revealed his firm principle.
“All I can do is ask for understanding. I think it’s unreasonable to expect the other person to unconditionally understand my circumstances.”
Perhaps because he’d only seen his gentle and affectionate side, this strong-willed aspect felt subtly new.
“And during this time right now, I absolutely don’t want to be disturbed by anyone.”
At those words, his calm heart stirred again. Though he’d simply called him a ‘companion’ to the man earlier, it felt like he was actually telling him that he was a special existence to Lee Seohee.
‘Why am I so happy about something like this…?’
Before he knew it, a faint smile spread across Hyowoo’s lips. Lee Seohee, who was watching that appearance, also seemed relieved and continued eating.
