A deafening crack of thunder echoed outside the window once again. The sudden noise shattered the suffocating stillness, making Yu-jin flinch and curl into himself—but Winston didn’t even blink. Embarrassed under the unwavering gaze fixed on him, Yu-jin straightened his shoulders hesitantly. After quietly watching him for a moment, Winston finally spoke, his voice slow.
“So.”
He had already heard how Yu-jin had tried to meet him but was blocked at every turn. Now, he was asking the real question.
“Why did you sleep with my father?”
Winston’s face was painted with utter boredom. Yu-jin began to carefully explain what had happened, how he had fallen into the trap—but seeing such a reaction made doubt creep into his heart.
“I didn’t sleep with your father.”
Yu-jin mumbled in a lifeless voice. As Winston furrowed his brow, Yu-jin confessed in a dwindling tone.
“I thought… I thought it was you. The pheromone scent… it was just like yours.”
“Ha.”
Winston exhaled, scoffing, as if telling him to say something that made sense.
“My father and I share the same genetic trait.”
“I know.”
So that’s all it was—a stupid mistake? Winston said mockingly, but Yu-jin responded with a faint murmur.
“But back then, I really thought it was your scent. I never even considered it could be Harold’s.”
When every door had closed on him, when all his efforts had crumbled to dust, Yu-jin had gone to Harold as a last resort. He knew it was shameless. But Harold was the only person who might help him.
“Harold agreed to meet me.”
Recalling the memory, a wave of misery washed over him. Yu-jin exhaled shakily before continuing in a low voice.
“We sat across from each other on the sofa and had tea. I apologized to him first… told him how ungrateful I’d been, and begged for his forgiveness. Harold… he was merciful. He said he forgave me.”
Yu-jin never lifted his head as he spoke about how Harold had embraced him, comforted him while he wept. His voice was steady, focused solely on recounting what had happened—almost like he was fulfilling a duty. Winston’s face remained unreadable, but from the moment Harold’s name was mentioned, his clenched fist tightened so hard that the joints turned white, the grip unrelenting.
“I told him I just wanted to see you. That no one would listen to me… I said if he let me meet you just once, I wouldn’t ask for anything else again. Harold didn’t say a word at first. Then he told me to go back for now… that he’d think it over and let me know.”
Huu… Yu-jin let out another deep breath and fell silent. As he hesitated, seemingly unable to continue, Winston finally spoke.
“I’m listening. Keep going.”
“Mm.” Yu-jin nodded instead of answering, inhaled deeply once more, and slowly exhaled.
“A few days later, I got a call.”
He tried to sound calm, but his voice trembled faintly. Realizing this, Yu-jin slowed his speech, carefully putting weight into every word, as if carving them out.
“I’d been waiting for Harold’s call, so the moment the phone rang, I picked it up. Harold sounded a little surprised… but then he just asked me a few casual questions. If I’d been doing well, whether I’d eaten…”
Winston suddenly felt a tingling pain in his hand. He looked down and frowned. He hadn’t realized just how tightly he’d been clenching his fist. Displeased with himself, he consciously loosened his grip. Yu-jin’s voice continued, soft but steady.
“I was anxious, but I didn’t want to upset him, so I tried to stay polite. I kept hoping Harold would bring it up first. And eventually, he did. He asked me if I still meant what I said—that I’d do anything just to see you again. I said yes, of course. I didn’t even hesitate for a second.”
Gulp. Yu-jin swallowed dryly, as if summoning immense courage for what he had to say next. His hands were tightly clasped together, knuckles white. Finally, he spoke, his voice hoarse and low.
“He asked if I was willing to sleep with him.”
Winston felt the tension return to his hands, the strength surging back into his fingers. But this time, he couldn’t open his fist. If he let go, he felt like he might end up smashing something. Once again, a blinding flash of lightning lit up the window—and then came the rumble of thunder, crashing down moments later.
***
Silence fell again. Yu-jin was visibly struggling to steady his ragged breathing, as though trying to force his surging emotions back down. Watching him quietly, Winston finally spoke.
“So.”
His voice was much lower than usual, like someone barely holding back the urge to shout. He continued, his tone frigid.
“So you slept with my father. Just to see me?”
“What else did I have in my life besides you?”
Yu-jin shot back, his voice tinged with the edge of a sob. For a brief moment, Winston’s heart turned cold, fearing Yu-jin might actually be crying. But when Yu-jin finally raised his head, no tears were visible—only eyes glistening wetter than usual.
Their gazes met for just a moment before Yu-jin turned away again. Whether he was trying to hide his emotions or for some other reason, Winston couldn’t tell. Yu-jin went on.
“It was such an unexpected proposition that I couldn’t give an answer. If he’d made that offer the first time we met, if I’d had time to think about it, maybe I would’ve said yes. But at the time… I was too shocked and flustered to even think straight. I just froze, completely lost… and Harold said he’d only been joking. That he understood how I felt.”
What had Harold really been thinking then? Maybe he’d meant it. Would things have changed if Yu-jin had agreed that night? The same question he’d asked himself again and again repeated in his mind—but now, it meant nothing. Not anymore.
“I thought he was just testing me. I was so relieved… and he was the only one who’d even acknowledged me, so… I trusted him. He told me he’d let me see you, to come to The Most Perfect Delight… He even sent a car. So I went to the mansion.”
Yu-jin brushed trembling fingers through his hair, then stared off into the distance—as if trying to summon back a memory he wished he’d forgotten. Though only a few seconds passed, Winston simply watched his profile in silence.
“I drank the tea the butler brought and waited for Harold. But then my body… started feeling strange. Like I was going into heat. I felt feverish, lightheaded… I couldn’t think clearly. I panicked and tried to leave the mansion, but…”
That sweet scent.
Yu-jin seemed to snap right back to that moment. His eyes were unfocused, his voice barely a whisper.
“I had no reason left. I just chased the scent. How could I resist it? It was your scent. I missed you so much. I thought Harold had kept his promise. That you were waiting for me…”
And when the door opened, when that intense scent washed over him like a wave—Yu-jin saw it.
Winston’s face, smiling so brightly, looking right at him.
Winnie.
Yu-jin hadn’t even hesitated. He ran into his arms. Breathed in that beloved, sweet scent with every fiber of his being. Threw himself into the embrace of the man he loved more than anyone else in the world. And for a fleeting moment, he sank into what felt like the happiest reality he’d ever known.
That was where his memory ended.
“When I opened my eyes… I was alone, in some run-down motel I’d never seen before.”
Yu-jin confessed in a hollow voice.
“I had no idea what had happened. I tried to meet Harold, but it was impossible… I got a little money from his secretary, but that’s not what I wanted. I begged—over and over again—I just wanted to see you…”
He had truly believed that Winston might be dead. That was the only explanation. Otherwise, there was no way Winston would’ve abandoned him like that. If Winston really had died… then there was no point in Yu-jin staying alive, either. He would follow him. How could he go on living in a world without Winston?
But he couldn’t die.
Just as he had resolved to end it all, he found a reason why he couldn’t.
He was pregnant—with Winston’s child.
He had no idea how he was supposed to give birth to and raise this baby alone. Back then, even taking care of his own body had been too much to bear. But he couldn’t lose Winston and the child too. He had to hold on somehow. And just when he’d made up his mind to survive…
Yu-jin saw the article.
The front page headline, boldly declaring Winston’s engagement to Evelyn.
My heart breaks every time he speak 😭 😭