After finishing their meal and stepping out, the main hall was completely empty.
The bill had already been settled. As Hyowoo slowly put on the coat the staff handed him, he discreetly gauged the other man’s mood.
‘Is it really okay to just get treated like this? It must have been quite expensive……’
Even though the other party had been the one to request the blind date, he wondered if it wasn’t too shameless, but Hyowoo ultimately said nothing.
‘He’s older than me and has way more money. Bringing up the bill would just make me look ridiculous.’
In times like these, it seemed wiser to just politely thank him for the meal.
“Thank you. The food was delicious.”
“Not at all. I also enjoyed the meal pleasantly thanks to you, Hyowoo-ssi.”
Outside the window, heavy snow was falling before they knew it.
Having been in the warm interior, just thinking about going outside made his body feel cold already. He carefully fastened the buttons of his coat and put his scarf in his pocket for now.
‘I should leave now, right?’
Just as he was about to bow to say goodbye, the man suddenly held out a small shopping bag decorated with a blue ribbon in front of Hyowoo.
“What’s… this?”
“It’s chocolate.”
“Chocolate?”
“It’s a token of appreciation for making time for me. When I asked Taeseo what would be good to give, she told me to give chocolate.”
Chocolate was one of the few foods that Hyowoo, who always had no appetite, would at least eat well.
Because of that, his bag was always stocked with various types of chocolate. Taeseo, who had once accidentally seen inside his bag, had been surprised, asking if he was running a chocolate business.
“I bought it from a shop that came highly recommended, but I haven’t tried it myself so I’m not sure how it’ll be.”
While he was happy to receive chocolate as a gift, he had never heard of giving a gift as thanks for coming out on a date like this.
‘Why is he giving me something like this……?’
Looking at Hyowoo, who was staring blankly at the shopping bag with a troubled expression, Lee Seohee smiled gently.
“It’s nothing grand, so please don’t feel burdened.”
He said that, but no matter how you looked at it, this was high-end handmade chocolate sold at specialty stores. You could tell just from the shimmering material of the shopping bag. An expensive meal and high-end chocolate on top of that. It was impossible not to feel burdened.
However, it wouldn’t be polite to refuse a gift that had been prepared with care either.
“Thank… you.”
After hesitating for a while, when he accepted the shopping bag, an even brighter smile spread across Lee Seohee’s face.
“Are you going straight home like this?”
“Yes, I was planning to.”
“Then I’ll take you home.”
“Ah, no. I can just catch a taxi out front.”
The meal and chocolate were unavoidable, but this was something he absolutely could not accept.
Currently, many reporters and his fans were waiting both inside and outside the hotel. If they were photographed together for no reason, it would definitely cause troublesome problems.
Whether his feelings got through or not, Lee Seohee didn’t insist further.
After firmly refusing even the courtesy of being escorted to the lobby, the two compromised on going together as far as the elevator.
“Hyowoo-ssi, may I ask you a favor?”
While waiting for the elevator to arrive, he quietly spoke up.
“When you get home, could you contact Taeseo to let her know you arrived safely?”
“Pardon?”
“I think I’ll feel relieved after confirming you got in safely.”
The two still didn’t know each other’s contact information.
Hyowoo didn’t readily give out his contact information. It was partly his personality of liking to be alone, but the reason was the anthropophobia he’d developed five years ago. After long treatment and effort, his condition had improved considerably, but contact with others was still uncomfortable.
Knowing his tendencies well, Taeseo had taken on the role of intermediary so that her cousin oppa wouldn’t contact him directly.
‘Did he hear that I’m uncomfortable? So he can’t ask me to contact him directly, and instead asks me to contact Taeseo……’
Excluding family, the people he contacted directly could be counted on one hand.
He even hid his contact information from classmates in the same department, so he had no intention of giving his number to an Alpha, an object of fear and disgust.
Instead of answering, he bit down hard on his lower lip.
‘Even though he says it like that, maybe he actually means to give him my number……’
Glancing sideways, he observed Lee Seohee’s face. He was just staring at the floor numbers above the elevator without any particular change. Still that relaxed and calm expression. Yet Hyowoo felt anxious for no reason.
‘Could he… be offended……?’
He started worrying whether his reaction might have felt like being ignored.
‘Right. He could be offended… It’s not just anyone, it’s Premier League star Lee Seohee……’
Moreover, he was his friend’s cousin oppa. The thought that it might be rude came rushing in.
‘He’s not even a bad person… Should I give it to him? He probably just wants to confirm I got home safely out of courtesy. Anyway, someone that accomplished wouldn’t even save my number… But still, giving my number to an Alpha……’
With one worry leading to another, his head quickly became a mess.
Should I give it, or not. Should I give it, or not. Just as he was weighing it dozens of times, that’s when it happened.
He spoke up.
“Ah, Hyowoo-ssi, and……’
It just happened to be the moment switching from ‘or not’ to ‘should I give it.’ His mouth moved on its own.
“Do you need my phone number?”
The moment the words ended, Hyowoo’s face turned white.
‘Wh… what do I do, I accidentally……’
His thoughts had come out of his mouth.
Lee Seohee also seemed taken aback, stopping what he was about to say and opening his eyes wide.
Where could there be such a stupid slip of the tongue? He wanted to bang his head against something.
‘To a popular superstar, asking “do you need my phone number”… how presumptuous… No, more than that… I don’t even want to give it……’
Wanting somehow to pretend it never happened, his confusion was brief. Lee Seohee took out his mobile phone with a pleased expression.
“Yes, please tell me! Ah, I’ll give you my number too.”
Like a young child receiving the most desired gift on their birthday, he was so happy that Hyowoo was momentarily dazed.
‘Someone like him would have much prettier and cooler people lining up for him…… Why specifically to me, a male Omega……’
Hyowoo wasn’t cold-hearted enough to tell someone who was that happy that he couldn’t give his number now.
In the end, he hesitantly told him his number.
Just as he finished saving his number too, with perfect timing, the elevator door opened with a ding—
“I had a pleasant time today. Get home safely.”
Even at his warm farewell, Hyowoo just bit his lips tightly without answering. Making such words or expressions itself was still awkward and uncomfortable. Instead, he conveyed his farewell by bowing his head.
As soon as the elevator door closed, he let out a long sigh and leaned against the wall. Perhaps because he’d been drained since morning, as soon as the tension released, it felt like all the energy was draining from his body.
‘That really was two hours without a sense of reality……’
He was a perfect person beyond imagination. Surprisingly handsome, and just being in the same space made the other person comfortable. Every gesture, every way of speaking overflowed with refinement, and he was a courteous and considerate person. Most of all…….
‘It was just calling my name, but I was able to quickly escape from the panic state……’
Since ‘that incident,’ had there ever been a time when he felt this kind of comfort from another person, and from an Alpha at that?
While having a meal and conversing with him, Hyowoo was able to feel ‘enjoyment’ for the first time in truly a long while.
As various thoughts crossed his mind, the elevator arrived at the lobby and the door opened. Hyowoo slowly headed toward the hotel entrance, dragging his tired body. As soon as the automatic door opened, a harsh wind struck his face.
‘I should hurry home before I freeze to death.’
He hunched up his body and headed with quick steps toward the waiting taxi. Absentmindedly putting his cold hands in his coat pockets, he couldn’t feel the scarf that should have been there.
‘Huh? I definitely put it here?’
Flustered, Hyowoo stopped walking and tried to remember. When leaving the restaurant, he had definitely received both the coat and the scarf for sure.
‘Did I drop it in the elevator or the lobby?’
That scarf was a gift sent by his noona living in Finland for her younger siblings. He absolutely couldn’t lose it. Just as he was about to tell the doorman waiting with the taxi door open that he was sorry, a loud cheer of ‘Waaah!’ was heard from behind him.
An ominous feeling came over him.
‘No way… it can’t be……?’
Hoping it was a mistake, he slowly turned around.
“Hyowoo-ssi!”
“Eh? Uh… I, I… Th-there, why……?”
He was so surprised that words wouldn’t come out properly.
“You dropped this.”
Only after seeing the scarf in his hand did he realize the reason he had chased after him.
“Ah, thank you. I was just about to go back in to look for it……”
The joy of finding his noona’s precious gift was brief. Before Hyowoo could even reach out his hand, he personally wrapped the scarf around his neck.
“With the snow falling and it being cold, you need to stay warm.”
At the unexpected action, Hyowoo froze in place. He could feel everyone around them simultaneously directing their gazes toward him.
“There aren’t many people waiting, so you should be able to catch a taxi quickly.”
Unlike him casually making conversation, Hyowoo’s heart grew increasingly anxious.
‘I can’t let this person get caught up in a scandal because of me.’
Thinking he needed to get away from this place as quickly as possible, even by a single second, Hyowoo was about to step away from him. Lee Seohee’s hand lightly grasped Hyowoo’s hand. Then, covering his mouth with his hand, he quietly whispered in his ear.
“I know it’s rude to ask this, but… do you happen to have suppressants with you?”
