19
It happened when Junghyun went to see Seunghyeok off in the morning. Seunghyeok caressed Junghyun’s cheek, who could barely open his eyes, and told him with an amused voice to go back in and sleep. The same thing had happened last night.
Since no one had ever caressed his face before, Junghyun was quite surprised and flustered. But it didn’t feel bad.
It seemed very natural—was stroking people’s faces a habit of his?
“……”
If that’s the case, it seems a bit unpleasant.
His mouth corners turned downward unconsciously.
Junghyun, who had sighed deeply enough to make his chest swell, checked the time. He wasn’t sure when Seunghyeok would return from work. He could check, but his hand wouldn’t move readily at the thought of burdening a busy person. He also worried about Seunghyeok coming back late like yesterday.
More than anything, he was concerned about Seunghyeok being too tired. When Junghyun learned what time Seunghyeok had returned, he was shocked. Despite being obviously exhausted, Seunghyeok had been kind enough to have dinner with him, which made Junghyun grateful.
A slight smile crept onto Junghyun’s face as he recalled having an early morning meal with him.
Thinking that Seunghyeok must have been tired, Junghyun felt a bit sorry for enjoying such moments.
Feeling it was about time to prepare dinner, he got up from his seat.
There wasn’t much he could do while staying at home all day.
Since it hadn’t been long since the house was thoroughly cleaned, there wasn’t much dust and everything remained in a clean state.
The only thing Junghyun could do proactively was cooking. And he enjoyed that.
Time passed well while cooking. It was fulfilling to see a dish come together as planned, and it was also fun to see how the taste changed slightly when ingredients were altered.
Yesterday was the first time he had cooked for someone else, but it was a different kind of joy to see someone enjoy the food he had made.
When he thought about it, there was no reason not to do something so beneficial to himself.
Since they already had braised ribs, he decided a spicy stew would complement it well, so he chose gochujang stew for the menu. While searching for recipes on his phone, Junghyun selected one that looked good. He had just gone to the refrigerator, prepared several ingredients, and was cooking them in a pot.
Junghyun’s phone rang. It was Seunghyeok.
“Yes, hyung.”
“What are you doing?”
“Oh, just hanging around. Watching TV…”
“I see. I have some work to finish up today, so I’ll be coming home late. Go ahead and eat dinner first.”
Hearing this, Junghyun felt slightly deflated. But he couldn’t show it. Glancing at the stew boiling on the gas stove, Junghyun deliberately made his voice sound cheerful.
“Okay. I haven’t started making dinner yet, so thank you for calling. Um, hyung.”
“Yes?”
“You must be tired, so don’t work too late.”
Having impulsively spoken up, Junghyun regretted it while saying the words. He wasn’t sure if he should be saying such things. Maybe it was too presumptuous. Fortunately, Seunghyeok didn’t seem to take it badly. The sound of him laughing came through the receiver.
All laughter sounded nice, but especially hearing Seunghyeok laugh made his chest tingle.
“Alright. Then make sure to lock up properly.”
“Yeeees.”
Junghyun answered briefly.
After ending the call, Junghyun collapsed onto the spacious island countertop.
For a while, Junghyun rubbed his cheek against the cold tabletop to cool down his heated face.
* * *
It was a day like any other. He woke up a little earlier than his alarm was set for and turned it off on his phone.
Junghyun, who had opened his eyes at the sound of Seunghyeok getting ready to leave, followed him out to see him off despite being tired, as Seunghyeok was heading out for an early start to work.
Unlike himself, an extremely dominant alpha who had no physical burden at all, it was natural for Junghyun, a recessive omega, to be tired. Watching him rub his eyes that wouldn’t fully open, staggering yet stubbornly insisting on saying goodbye, gave Seunghyeok an indescribable sense of satisfaction.
Perhaps because he was still young, when Seunghyeok gently stroked his soft-looking cheeks and told him to go back in and sleep, Junghyun’s foggy sleep-filled eyes suddenly cleared. He nodded, saying he understood, with a slightly reddened face.
After exchanging greetings, Seunghyeok went down to the parking lot and got into the car that was already running.
The black car carrying him moved smoothly, leaving the parking lot.
As Seunghyeok was going about his day as usual, Jeong Taejun came to see him just before the end of the workday. He still wore a friendly-looking smile on his face.
“CEO Ji. I’m here.”
“…Come in.”
He could have entered quietly, but the way he deliberately made noise revealed the man’s mischievousness. In any case, they had known each other for over a decade. Having known each other from such a young age, it felt awkward to speak formally to each other.
But while it might be acceptable in private, it wasn’t appropriate to speak casually in front of others. When Seunghyeok first started speaking formally with that resolve, Taejun had looked at him as if he were seeing a 3-meter-tall mouse.
After entering the president’s office, Taejun sat at the table, received some tea, and then took out a red USB and a brown paper envelope. He placed them on the table and began to speak.
“It wasn’t easy to find information about an incident from 20 years ago that wasn’t even recorded officially, but since you seemed to particularly request it, I worked quickly.”
Seunghyeok’s eyes narrowed.
“It seems Mr. Jeong Taejun’s skills have dulled a bit.”
“Oh come on, CEO Ji. Give me at least a bit of empty praise.”
Taejun said, shrugging his shoulders. Though he was joking, what he said wasn’t entirely wrong. Taejun’s information gathering and investigation skills were unparalleled. Seunghyeok impassively thanked him for his hard work, and Taejun seemed satisfied with that.
Wiping the playful expression from his face, Taejun spoke to Seunghyeok.
“Regarding what you requested previously, there’s something I need to tell you. Do you have time?”
The fact that he was asking this deliberately suggested that it wasn’t a conversation that would end in a few minutes.
Seunghyeok glanced at his watch and then asked for understanding. He called Junghyun’s phone, and after a couple of rings, the other person answered.
“Yes, hyung.”
The title he used without hesitation was quite pleasing to Seunghyeok. When asked what he was doing, Junghyun’s reply that he was just watching TV and hanging around seemed cute. Though it was an ordinary answer, Seunghyeok found himself smiling at the thought of Junghyun moving sluggishly around the large house.
Seunghyeok felt Taejun’s gaze fixed on him.
“I see. I have some work to finish up today, so I’ll be coming home late. Go ahead and eat dinner first.”
“Okay. I haven’t started making dinner yet, so thank you for calling. Um, hyung.”
Junghyun called out to Seunghyeok as if he had something to say.
“You must be tired, so don’t work too late.”
Seunghyeok wondered what he was going to say, but Junghyun was just concerned about his health. Anyone who knew Seunghyeok would probably have shaken their head at this unnecessary worry.
It wasn’t bad. No, it was quite nice.
Seunghyeok knew well that Junghyun wasn’t saying this with any ulterior motive. Junghyun was genuinely concerned about him.
Seunghyeok couldn’t help but laugh.
“Alright. Then make sure to lock up properly.”
“Yeeees.”
Seunghyeok ended the call while listening to Junghyun’s answer, his voice trailing slightly.
“What is it that you need to tell me… if you have something to say, say it.”
Taejun was looking at Seunghyeok with a bizarre expression. He was openly making a face as if he’d seen something he shouldn’t have. Seunghyeok couldn’t immediately figure out why Taejun was making such a face.
It was clearly because of the phone call, but from Seunghyeok’s perspective, he didn’t understand why.
“Who did you just call?”
At the sudden informal speech, Seunghyeok gave Taejun a glance.
“You should know who’s at my house.”
Seunghyeok replied indifferently while putting his phone in his pocket.
“…Mr. Junghyun?”
“That’s right.”
Taejun’s silence grew a bit longer.
“I was wondering what got into you to let someone into your house, but are you two playing house? Why are you making calls about coming home?”
“He’s making dinner… Mind your own business.”
Seunghyeok rarely mumbled, but he did this time. Taejun was exceptionally perceptive. He wouldn’t miss this.
“What’s he making? Dinner? Junghyun is making dinner? Wow, Seunghyeok, that’s terrible. Making the kid work. You’re rich, just buy something to eat.”
Seunghyeok’s expression soured.
“Mind your manner of address.”
“What?”
“We’re not friends, so why are you calling him by his first name? Address him properly.”
This time, Taejun’s expression soured.
“Mr. Junghyun. Happy now?”
He made no attempt to hide his expression of disgust.
Seunghyeok didn’t bother to respond.
“But why are you being so protective? It’s not like you. Junghyun’s pheromones were pretty appealing, but he’s still a kid. Surely you’re not thinking of anything else.”
“I didn’t know I needed someone else’s permission for my thoughts.”
Taejun was incredulous at Seunghyeok’s calm sarcasm.
“If someone offered to do anything for you, what would you say?”
At this question that came out of nowhere, Taejun was momentarily silent. Then, with an “umm,” he seemed to be thinking, and then pretended to contemplate as he moved his lips.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
