Chapter 70
◆
They arrived just when the department store was about to close, but since it was operated by NI Group, the staff had been waiting for Han Taekyung’s arrival. As soon as he arrived, they opened the doors for him.
“I’m sorry for coming so suddenly at such a late hour, Manager Kang. This was the only place I could think of.”
“Not at all. It’s an honor for us to have you visit, Executive Director.”
“Please give a 100% bonus to all employees who are still here. Make sure it’s paid today.”
“Yes, understood. Should we prepare a private room?”
“No. We’ll go directly to the sales floor.”
Han Taekyung greeted each employee he encountered. Watching him, Igeon felt conflicted. There was no need to trouble so many people and spend money just to buy him clothes… But he didn’t know what to say to Han Taekyung. Even if he said something, it didn’t seem like he would listen. If this had been the old Han Taekyung, he would have grabbed him by the neck and insisted they just leave…
“Mr. Seo Igeon.”
“Ah, yes.”
They arrived at a suit store famous for its exorbitant prices. Not only was it a separate store inside the department store, but it also had its own distinctive interior design. It was truly intimidating.
“You don’t need to make that expression. I’m not trying to burden you.”
You bastard. Would you not feel burdened in my position?
“If Mr. Seo Igeon chooses, I’ll gift it to all the security guards who worked hard to protect me today.”
“What?”
Igeon’s eyes widened in surprise. The store employees standing beside Han Taekyung also looked startled as they stared at Han Taekyung and Seo Igeon.
“Did you think I was only buying for Mr. Seo Igeon? I don’t give special treatment. So don’t feel burdened and just choose.”
His feelings became even more complicated. Moreover, he could feel the shining eyes of the other security guards behind him, all looking expectantly at Igeon. I can’t not choose something in this situation. Damn it. Igeon tried to select the most modest option with guidance from the store employees hovering beside him, but Han Taekyung rejected his choice and ultimately made him accept the clothes he picked out instead. Han Taekyung told him to change into those clothes immediately, and asked the staff to dispose of the suit Igeon had been wearing. That was how Igeon’s only formal suit bid farewell. Han Taekyung achieved a year’s worth of sales for that store in just one hour.
“I’m exhausted.”
As soon as he entered his home, Igeon slumped down on the floor and heaved a deep sigh. Though his home lacked warmth and signs of daily life after being away for so long, home was still home, and he couldn’t help but feel his tension dissipating upon arrival. Lying on the living room floor, he looked at the overturned paper bag. He truly had no words for receiving such a brand name outfit that he might wear once in a lifetime… or might never have known about at all.
“Ah, that’s right.”
It would be terrible if it got wrinkled from wearing it home. Igeon quickly got up and carefully removed the jacket and pants to hang them on hangers. Is it because it’s expensive? The clothes definitely had a luxurious, gleaming quality to them. Igeon lightly brushed the fabric. Suddenly, he remembered what had happened at the hotel earlier. Apparently, Kang Yuhan and Han Taekyung had not spent their heat together. Why was that? Even though they were engaged, Han Taekyung’s attitude toward Yuhan seemed worse than toward a stranger. So why did he get engaged to Kang Yuhan? This question would probably never be answered unless he asked Taekyung directly. And if he did ask, Taekyung would obviously be suspicious, so it was better not to ask. Besides, Igeon knew he had no right to ask Han Taekyung such things. He’d be fortunate not to be accused of meddling.
“Let’s not think about it.”
Yes, right now I should just focus on protecting Han Taekyung. After hanging up the clothes, Igeon soaked in the bath for a long time and then went into his bedroom, where he found missed calls from Jaewoo on his phone. Igeon quickly called Jaewoo back, worried that something might have happened to Taekyung.
[Hello?]
“Hello? Jaewoo. Sorry about that. I was taking a bath and couldn’t answer. Is something wrong?”
[No! I just wanted to know if your assignment went well today. Was it very difficult? I spoke with Taekyung Hyung earlier.]
“Ah… There’s nothing difficult for me. I’m just worried about Taekyung.”
[He… well, he was prepared for all this, so there shouldn’t be any problems. By the way, Hyung, when should we meet up? I’m actually free this weekend.]
“This weekend? That’s tomorrow, isn’t it?”
[Yes, and Taekyung Hyung said he’ll be staying home all day tomorrow anyway, and you said you’re off duty too.]
“Ah, right. Another guard will be with him tomorrow.”
[Then with me… or no, should you rest?]
“No, it’s fine. Let’s meet tomorrow.”
[Then let’s meet in Gangnam. I’ll treat you to something delicious.]
“No way. I should be the one paying.”
[Absolutely not. I’ll be paying. So just come comfortably.]
Igeon was about to insist on paying but held back. If he did, the phone call would probably never end, so he agreed and they set a specific time and place before ending the call. After entering the appointment in his scheduling app, Igeon lay down on the bedding spread across the floor and closed his eyes. He hoped that tomorrow would pass without incident.
◆
“This is driving me crazy.”
Igeon blankly opened his closet and messed up his carefully styled hair. For good reason—he truly had nothing to wear. The seasons had changed, and since he’d been wearing only formal suits recently, he hadn’t organized any season-appropriate clothes. He belatedly opened a storage box in the corner to search for clothes, but they were either too small, too big, or no longer in style. If it were just a regular friend, he would’ve thrown on anything, but he was meeting Han Jaewoo. At the very least, he shouldn’t embarrass Jaewoo, so Igeon became concerned. Then suddenly, the suit Han Taekyung had bought him yesterday caught his eye. It’s just a casual meeting, so isn’t a suit too much? Igeon shook his head, but soon had to admit that besides that, he had nothing else to wear. Should I be grateful to Han Taekyung?
“Haah….”
Igeon sighed and changed into the suit. Then he went to a nearby hair salon to style his hair to match the suit. Only then did he feel reassured that he looked presentable.
– Igeon Hyung, I’m leaving now! See you soon.
Seeing the message from Jaewoo, Igeon checked the time. Since the best manner is punctuality, he hurried to the meeting place.
Fortunately, he arrived 15 minutes early. Relieved that Jaewoo hadn’t arrived yet, Igeon was in the middle of texting Jaewoo to contact him upon arrival when he felt eyes on him. Looking up, he found himself suddenly surrounded by people.
“Are you… Athlete Seo Igeon?”
“Yes.”
“Oh my god! It really is Athlete Seo Igeon! What should I do!”
“Did someone say Seo Igeon??”
“This is crazy. What a surprise!”
Watching people recognize and gather around him, Igeon felt a sense of déjà vu. Actually, this was a common occurrence. It had been even more intense after winning the gold medal. Back then, he couldn’t even walk around outside. But he had never gotten used to the situation, and still wasn’t used to it now. While he was very grateful for people recognizing and supporting him, it was undeniably difficult.
“Hello.”
All he could do was smile and greet them in response to their attention. He thought people would have forgotten him after several years of retirement, but it was heartening that so many still remembered him.
“Athlete Seo Igeon, may I take a photo?”
Igeon checked his watch and looked around. There was no sign of Jaewoo. It should be fine until he arrives. As soon as Igeon agreed, everyone pulled out their phones and started taking pictures. Some requested selfies, and Igeon willingly obliged.
“I’m so happy. I’ve been your fan for a long time, Athlete Seo Igeon.”
“Thank you.”
“C-can I hug you once?”
“What? Oh!”
Before he could give permission, a fan pulled Igeon into a tight embrace. The crowd buzzed with excitement. What made it worse was that the fan was an omega, so their scent hit Igeon’s nose strongly. He felt people taking pictures, but not knowing what to do, he flailed his arms until the fan smiled brightly and released him.
“Thank you so much. I’ve truly fulfilled my wish. I’ll support you wherever you go.”
“Th-thank you.”
Some people looked at the omega with envious eyes before turning their gaze back to Igeon. The atmosphere suggested they wanted something similar, and as Igeon was worrying about what to do, he spotted Han Jaewoo mixed in with the crowd. As soon as their eyes met, Jaewoo waved, and it felt like a hand of salvation, so Igeon quickly ran over and grabbed it.
“Oh? Igeon Hyung!”
“Excuse me, please. We need to go.”
Holding Jaewoo’s hand tightly, he pushed through the crowd and led him away. After walking some distance to a place where there was no crowd, just people passing by, Igeon caught his breath and looked at Jaewoo.
“Jaewoo, are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine. But my hand hurts a bit.”
“Ah, sorry.”
Igeon quickly released Jaewoo’s hand that he had been holding. Seeing the red marks on his pale skin, Igeon felt truly sorry.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have dragged you out like that. There were just too many people… I was worried you might be inconvenienced.”
“Absolutely not! I was just watching, you know? You’re dressed so handsomely today plus you’re a gold medalist, how could you not attract attention? I think it’s fortunate you weren’t kidnapped by the omegas there.”
“No way. I’m not that popular.”
“What? Then what about all those people who gathered to see you earlier?”
“That’s just because I’m a gold medalist. They’re interested in that, not in me personally.”
“Ah… Hyung.”
Jaewoo put his hand on his forehead, looking truly sorry for Igeon.
“It’s very unfortunate… but well, it’s good for me.”
“Huh?”
“Let’s go eat. It’s nearby.”
This time, Jaewoo took Igeon’s hand first. While leading him to the restaurant, Jaewoo opened his phone and searched social media. Sure enough, photos of Seo Igeon were already posted on SNS, with quite high view counts. Seeing news articles starting to appear one after another, Jaewoo smiled meaningfully as he silenced his phone and put it in his pocket.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
