“What do you… mean by strange?”
When Hyowoo tilted his head slightly, Rafe answered while taking a sip of the wine he’d ordered.
“He said he fell in love at first sight.”
“What?”
“He said you were small and cute, so he couldn’t help but fall for you. So he pestered and begged his cousin to finally get an introduction.”
Unlike Rafe, who spoke indifferently, Hyowoo’s pupils shook as if an earthquake had struck.
It was exactly the same answer he’d given when Gyeonwoo had asked Lee Seohee, ‘Why do you like my hyung?’
‘Back then I thought he was just joking around because he was in front of my brother…’
He never dreamed the same words would come out of Rafe’s mouth.
‘I knew Seohee-ssi was rather shameless, but… to say such things even to his friend?’
Though he hadn’t eaten anything, he pretended to wipe his mouth with a napkin to hide his face.
Watching such a Hyowoo, Rafe’s iron wall poker face finally broke. As if the flustered Hyowoo was cute, he showed a small smile at the corners of his mouth.
“When I actually met you, you were really as lovely as I’d heard. I was immediately convinced that falling in love at first sight wasn’t unreasonable.”
He also added that he was a bit surprised at first because you looked so young that he thought he was dating a minor.
However, that wasn’t very important to Hyowoo right now. It was because only the words ‘fell in love at first sight’ kept circling in his ears.
‘If it’s Rafe… wouldn’t he know?’
Hyowoo, who barely put down the napkin that had been covering his face, voiced the doubt he’d been avoiding for a while.
“That falling in love at first sight thing… is the part I don’t understand the most…”
“What do you mean?”
Rafe slightly frowned.
At the question of whether he thought Lee Seohee had lied, Hyowoo shook his head.
“It’s not that, but… I’m not sure.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about either.”
Though he’d brought it up, Hyowoo still hesitated.
‘Is it okay to ask something like this?’
Hyowoo, who had been carefully deliberating while fiddling with the phone in his pocket, finally took it out as if he’d made up his mind.
“He said he asked to be introduced after seeing this photo… What do you think?”
When he showed the photo in question, Rafe examined it closely and soon let out a chuckle.
“If he said he fell in love after seeing such a blurry photo, it really would be suspicious.”
“It’s not that I don’t trust him. But seeing this kind of photo, why such an amazing person asked to be introduced to me is still a mystery.”
To Hyowoo, who let out a small sigh while getting his phone back, Rafe also smiled as if in agreement.
“Actually, I thought it was strange too.”
At his reaction, Hyowoo smiled bitterly to himself, thinking ‘I knew it.’
‘Even in Rafe’s eyes, I looked woefully inadequate compared to Seohee-ssi…’
So much had happened in the meantime.
After many twists and turns, Hyowoo had become lovers with Lee Seohee.
After that, each day was happy enough to bring tears.
Lee Seohee always cherished Hyowoo, and there wasn’t a single waver in that heart. Hyowoo’s feelings also deepened as time passed.
However, they say that when light is strong, shadows also deepen.
As love grew, anxiety also grew within Hyowoo.
‘Is it really okay for someone like me to be by Seohee-ssi’s side?’
It was when Hyowoo, whose face had turned pale before he knew it, was slowly reaching for his water glass.
“It was the first time such romantic words like ‘fell in love at first sight’ came out of Connor’s mouth.”
“What?”
“I told you. He’s a cool-headed and rational guy.”
Hyowoo raised his head and stared straight at Rafe.
“He’s smart, quick to calculate, and never reveals his true feelings. He’s a really ruthless and scary type. Even though I’ve been with him for a long time as a friend and comrade, there were many times I didn’t know what he was thinking.”
Rafe’s words continued.
“I’m not saying Connor is two-faced. He’s a kind and good guy. But he’s really far from words like ‘romance’ or ‘romantic.'”
At those words, Hyowoo tilted his head again in puzzlement.
‘Seohee-ssi is cold…? Such a warm person?’
Though he’d recently heard him casually say terrifying things, Lee Seohee was always consistently affectionate.
To Hyowoo, who had only ever seen him with honey dripping from his eyes, he couldn’t imagine his other cold and calculating side at all.
“Even in my eyes, Hyowoo is a really pretty person. But I don’t think Connor fell for you based solely on your face.”
Hyowoo had suspected as much.
Lee Seohee was someone who had been selected as ‘the most beautiful person in the world’ by a global magazine.
Compared to him, Hyowoo was merely ‘decent-looking’ at best.
With a handsome face, wealth, and even a good personality making him a gentleman, it was only natural that many people would want to date him.
If so, he would naturally have abundant experience in ‘that area’ too.
Lee Seohee’s touch when kissing or touching him felt clearly accustomed to skinship to anyone’s eyes.
No matter how inexperienced Hyowoo was in romance, he could quickly tell that he wasn’t just a player excellent at soccer.
That’s why it was even harder to realistically accept the words ‘fell in love at first sight.’
‘But Seohee-ssi asked to be introduced after seeing the photo. Then, what on earth…’
Watching Hyowoo, who remained silent as if finding it difficult to understand, Rafe propped his chin on his hand and fell into thought for a moment.
After a while, he brought up a word Hyowoo could never have imagined.
“It might be a ‘destined mate.'”
* * *
Hyowoo stared blankly at Rafe. His expression was more bewildered than surprised.
“Is this your first time hearing about it?”
Destined mate.
A story had been passed down since long ago that for alphas and omegas, there exists one single ‘destined being’ to whom they’re drawn without reason or explanation.
Not pheromones, not physical or mental compatibility, but purely by instinct they come to desire each other.
But that was fiction all along. It was merely a legend, like the story that if you hold a knife in your mouth and look in the mirror at midnight, you’ll see your future partner. Of course, there was no scientific basis.
A few years ago, when a drama about destined mates became globally popular, ‘finding your destined mate’ spread like a trend for a while.
Of course, Hyowoo had dismissed it indifferently, thinking ‘Why are people getting so worked up over one piece of fiction?’
He’d never even believed in things like destiny in the first place.
“You thought it was stupid nonsense, right?”
“What? Ah… yes. I’m sorry…”
It seemed his thoughts had shown on his face without him realizing it.
Hyowoo, whose rude inner thoughts had been caught, quickly bowed his head.
“I don’t believe in such dusty old legends either. But when I look at Connor and Hyowoo, I think such a thing might really exist.”
Rafe lightly let abstract words flow while sipping wine.
But above Hyowoo’s head floated the unspoken rebuttal of ‘That’s ridiculous.’
“It’s already strange that he fell in love at first sight after seeing one blurry photo, but to say you’re destined mates based on that… Honestly, I don’t think it makes sense.”
“Of course, there are other reasons too.”
“Other reasons?”
“Connor’s current condition is at its peak.”
“…What?”
What does this mean now? What does Lee Seohee’s condition have to do with ‘destined mates’?
Toward Hyowoo, whose bewilderment had deepened, Rafe calmly began explaining.
“Connor’s condition has been consistently poor since his knee injury three years ago. That’s also why his skills stagnated.”
Hyowoo also remembered that injury.
It was so fatal that it was hard to believe it happened during a match, and he had to throw away the entire remaining season.
Because it was such a big issue, it naturally reached even Hyowoo’s ears, who had no interest in soccer.
Back then, he’d just let it pass as unfortunate news about a famous player, but now the weight of it hit completely differently.
“There are things that don’t work no matter how hard you try, right? An injury that can’t be solved by medicine won’t improve just through willpower.”
Even with combined drug treatment and rehabilitation, Lee Seohee’s knee showed little sign of improvement, Rafe recalled those days.
“The year before last, he pushed himself too hard in training out of impatience and his condition temporarily worsened.”
His less-than-perfect physical condition had a direct negative impact on his game performance. His results steadily drew a downward curve, and even retirement rumors circulated among soccer fans.
“When the striker who set the league’s highest scoring record was now being told he should step back from the front lines, his pride must have been deeply hurt. Being someone with a strong sense of responsibility, he blamed himself for all the team’s poor performance. The past few years must have been very painful and lonely.”
Hyowoo also unconsciously nodded. Because Lee Seohee would certainly have done that and more.
“But Connor’s condition suddenly started improving. To the point where it was like seeing him in his mid-twenties prime. Especially in March, he displayed miraculously perfect play.”
The word ‘March’ made Hyowoo’s eyes flinch.
“Around that time, you met Connor one more time, right?”
“What? Ah, yes…”
For some unknown reason, Hyowoo answered in a voice shrinking with guilt.
“There was even a match that weekend, but when he said he was going to Korea on the one day training was scheduled, I seriously thought he’d gone crazy. But after he came back, he was flying high.”
“Is that… so…?”
“Thanks to that, I was able to achieve the Treble I’d only dreamed of before retirement. Even though soccer is a team sport, a record like last season would have been impossible without Connor.”
Rafe was also a player who’d be offended to be called second-best in skill.
For him to not spare praise like this, Lee Seohee’s greatness was newly realized.
While it was pleasant to hear stories about Lee Seohee that he didn’t know, Hyowoo brought up the doubt that still remained unsolved.
“But… what does that have to do with destined mates?”
“You said you first met late December last year?”
“Yes.”
“That’s when it started. The period when Connor’s condition began recovering.”
“So… what’s the connection…”
“By any chance, have you seen <Juniper’s Summer>?”
