#100
“No, I wasn’t sure myself. I was the only one sober at the bar that day. You and Woohyun were too drunk. I even remember that person’s face, but Eunhong, that person might be…”
Judging from Jang Haesung’s eyes, he seemed convinced that Eunhong was dating Lee Jaeha. It was surprising that Woohyun hadn’t been spreading rumors about Jaeha, but Eunhong hadn’t expected Haesung to probe like this. Eunhong mentally revisited his reason for coming to the studio apartment alone today. He had worried about this exact situation arising. Eunhong quickly downed a shot of soju to hide his contorted face.
“He’s just a friend. Since childhood…”
As he lied, he keenly observed Haesung’s expression. Seemingly encouraged by Eunhong’s quiet voice, Kang Hanjae slammed down his soju glass and raised his voice.
“That Alpha from back then – ugh. Are you close with that person? Hong, let me tell you now, stay away from people like that. What kind of pheromones were those? Alpha pheromones aren’t even usually that noticeable, but that person… Anyway, I’m saying this because I care about you.”
“…”
“You shouldn’t associate with people like that. Just saying nasty things. Without even knowing. What kind of normal person insults a friend right to someone’s face?”
Hanjae earnestly advised, spitting as he spoke. Haesung nodded in agreement, saying his partner was absolutely right.
“What does he know? Right? What kind of relationship do we have, going all the way back to high school? Who does he think he is to interfere?”
With a hardened expression, Hanjae pressed Eunhong in a rather severe tone. When Eunhong just kept his mouth shut and listened, Hanjae seemed to interpret his silence as agreement, looking slightly satisfied. After passing the soju glass around a couple more times, Eunhong finally spoke.
“Tell An Woohyun I’ll come back on the weekend.”
At the lowered, coldly toned words, Haesung nodded with an alert expression. Eunhong added that Woohyun should change the password again after Haesung promised to deliver the message.
“Also tell him that if I come back and he’s not there and the door doesn’t open, I’ll break in if I have to.”
***
Perhaps due to the aftereffects of travel, his physical condition hadn’t been good for several days. It could also be due to the bitter cold he’d faced immediately upon returning. His throat was in such bad shape that he’d been making warm tea for himself. As Professor Choi had said, it might be a sign of an approaching heat. Eunhong glanced down at the quiet watch. His pheromone levels had been calm like the calm before a storm for a long time.
“My goodness, the security here is like Fort Knox.”
With the sound of the door lock disengaging, Mrs. Ham’s voice flowed in. Eunhong, who had been sitting on the sofa, jumped up to greet her.
“It took forever to get checked in. Good thing Manager Ju was there. Otherwise, I might not have gotten in. You know him too, right? Manager Ju…”
“You should have called me. This place is a bit more complicated than the Cheongdam house.”
Eunhong smiled weakly. Mrs. Ham kept grumbling that the transportation here was inconvenient and difficult to get to, then suddenly cast a glance at Eunhong.
“You seem to have lost a lot of weight. That’s strange. I’ve been making sure you eat well. Did you starve yourself on your trip?”
“Haha. No, my weight is the same. I checked when I went for an examination with Professor Choi.”
“Really? But why does your face look like that?”
Maybe it’s from staying up all night. Eunhong awkwardly brushed the back of his head.
“I’ll bring eel next time. You like it grilled, right? Do some exercise too.”
Eunhong followed her around and helped organize the refrigerator. As she continued asking questions like whether he liked sea bream or abalone, Mrs. Ham eventually asked about Jaeha, as if she had just remembered him after quite some time.
“Jaeha went to work. Things got busy at the main house.”
“Really? That’s unusual. CEO Lee leaving you behind on the weekend and going to work.”
“I know, right?”
It seemed that Chairman Lee was badgering Jaeha as if he had found his weakness. Perhaps he thought Jaeha might develop an attachment if he kept working on group matters. As a result, Eunhong had been commuting alone for several days already. Though Lee Jaesung had advised caution until media interest subsided, considering Jaeha’s habit of usually ignoring such advice, one could say there had been a change in his attitude.
Eunhong, who had been hovering around Mrs. Ham as she cut, chopped, and stir-fried, wondering if he could help, was shooed away to his room.
To be honest, it wasn’t so much that he wanted to help her as it was that he’d been alone all morning and was just glad to have someone around. Reluctantly, Eunhong dragged himself to the computer and pulled up the freelance work he’d been avoiding. A pile of messages greeted him.
“Sigh…”
More revision requests.
[Eunhong, I’m really, really, REALLY sorry, but there’s been a change in the plan, so I need to ask for additional revisions. I’ll adjust the schedule and payment! ]
It would be fortunate if it could be finished with just one round of revisions, but from the looks of it, this was just the beginning. He wished he could storm into the office to see firsthand how things were progressing, but since his home had changed and the distance had increased, he found it hard to make the trip.
Various changes were robbing Eunhong of his peace of mind. He pressed his eyes firmly and blamed his past self for taking on too much work. As he rolled his stiff shoulders, a certain person naturally came to mind. Those firm fingertips touching his body, melting him languorously… Whenever he recalled those pheromones, he would automatically respond.
“Mmm…”
Eunhong moistened his dry lips. The motionless watch seemed unfamiliar. Professor Choi had said that either Eunhong had truly become accustomed to controlling his condition, or it could be a precursor to his heat cycle. He had handed over emergency suppressants and added that Eunhong should always carry them.
‘When your pheromones surge, don’t hesitate to call CEO Lee.’
Call Jaeha… In other words, call him for sex. Was there ever such an exposed relationship? The Chairman, Professor Choi… it was still too awkward to know how to face people.
Though he held a pen, his work progress showed no signs of advancing. Just then, his phone rang suddenly, and he looked at it.
“…”
It was Woohyun. Eunhong checked the time and left the room. As he was about to go out, wearing a thin coat, Mrs. Ham caught him, saying that dinner was ready. Now that he noticed, the delicious smell was vibrating throughout the house.
“Where are you going in such a hurry? What about the meal?”
“I have something to take care of. I’ll heat it up when I get back.”
Eunhong informed the security personnel of his schedule and went to the underground parking lot to start the car. Due to the advice not to use public transportation for the time being, he had started using Jaeha’s car. Before leaving the parking lot, he sent a message to Woohyun, saying he would be there soon, so wait. Outside, sleet was falling.
The road was a bit congested, but he thought he could arrive within the time Woohyun had mentioned. About ten minutes after leaving home, he received a call from Jaeha.
“Hello. Go ahead.”
– Where are you going?
Stopped at a red light, Eunhong blinked momentarily at Jaeha’s question. Did the security personnel report even such details to Jaeha? When Eunhong remained silent, Jaeha urged an answer.
– Eunhong?
“Ah, I’m going to the studio apartment for a moment. To get some belongings.”
– Let’s go together.
“No. I’ll be quick, just grabbing a few things.”
– Hmm.
“This is the last time. Once I organize things, I won’t need to go back.”
Jaeha just cleared his throat without speaking for a moment. It must be due to his dissatisfaction with Eunhong meeting Woohyun. With Eunhong’s pheromones stable, there was no excuse to stop him, and it was obvious that Jaeha was reluctantly containing his stubbornness. Feeling unnecessarily anxious, Eunhong chewed on his lips and changed the subject.
“Will you be working late again today?”
– Yes, a little.
“Okay. Got it. Take care.”
Before hanging up, Jaeha repeatedly apologized. Even when asked what he was sorry for, he just said sorry again. Eunhong was so lost in thought about the conversation that he missed the green light. At the sound of the car behind him honking, he snapped back to attention and started the car.
In the quiet car, as he mechanically drove following the navigation’s instructions, the thoughts he had been suppressing inevitably surfaced. What troubled Eunhong most was undoubtedly the marriage talk. It was impossible not to think about it. It was remarkable that he had been able to suppress it until now.
The fact that Jaeha refused marriage so strongly that he would accept the main house work he so detested kept gnawing at Eunhong. Was it something to be so averse to, something that required such repeated apologies, something worth coming home with an ashen face every day?
His thoughts inevitably drifted in that direction.
“No. Don’t think like that. Jaeha is normal. …At least we should wait to decide after dating through all four seasons.”
Eunhong shook his head, justifying his inner feelings as if someone were listening. He repeated the same words over and over, like making a resolution.
***
Once the congested section cleared, he could quickly reach his destination. Not wanting to be confronted by Woohyun, he parked the car in a paid parking lot on the main road and walked to the studio apartment. After sending Jaeha a message saying he would finish quickly, he climbed the inclined road.
Woohyun opened the door as if he had been waiting. Although the password remained changed, he opened the door before Eunhong knocked three times, which could be considered welcoming.
“I’ll just grab my stuff and leave quickly.”
Woohyun, who had opened the door without even greeting Eunhong, flopped down on the bed without responding. He pulled a pillow into his arms, lay on his side, and focused solely on his phone without giving Eunhong a single glance.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
