“Didn’t our Iseul miss Daddy?”
“Mished you so muuuch.”
Oh my. She’s become even smarter in just a week. She’s so smart that I’m worried the government might take her away for being too intelligent.
Iseul tottered toward Gong Pyeonghwa with precarious steps that made everyone watching nervous, yet somehow she managed not to fall.
Clinging to Pyeonghwa’s leg, she said,
“Appa. Mish you. Food.”
So she missed food… Not daddy… She was just hungry…
“Pwease.”
The emotional impact was slightly diminished, but Iseul was still so precious that it wouldn’t hurt even if he put her in his eye.
“Iseul, today you’re going on a picnic with grandma, grandpa, and auntie. Picnic. Picnic.”
“Piknik. Piknik. Go. Wet’s go. Go!”
***
Saebyeok finished preparing for work tomorrow and lay in bed. The entire weekend had been hectic.
After sending Iseul off, he felt lonely, which somehow made him feel even more tired.
♥MyHusband♥
are you up?
I went on a picnic with Iseul and everyone today ㅎㅅㅎ!
His husband never gave him a chance to feel lonely. Saebyeok grinned as he grabbed his phone.
♥MyHusband♥
And from now on, if we tell Gong Jeong and Gong Sarang, they’ll create alibis for us! Dating will be super sweet ㅋ
Huh? Not sure what happened, but something must have. Creating alibis?
♥MyHusband♥
Our date day isn’t far away!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
calm down
♥MyHusband♥
heehee♥♥♥ should we do it tomorrow?♥♥♥♥ should we do it tomorrow?♥♥♥♥♥
I’d love that too!
Though his text calmly told Pyeonghwa to settle down, Saebyeok wasn’t much different from him.
He wished tomorrow would come quickly. Work or whatever, he just wanted it to come.
We’re meeting after work, right? What time? Where? What should we do?
♥MyHusband♥
We should eat first, right? What do you want to eat?♥ Any place you want to go?
As long as they were together, anywhere would be fine.
Let’s go eat whatever you want
♥MyHusband♥
ㅠㅠ But I think driving around would be hard, so we’ll have to use public transportation ㅠㅠ won’t you be too tired?
Hmm… It would probably drain his energy, but if he had to choose between being tired and not seeing Pyeonghwa, being tired was definitely better.
It’s fine, not seeing you is more tiring
What’s this? Why no response? Is he sleeping?
Saebyeok almost felt upset, but soon a video call came through.
That’s more like it. Saebyeok smirked as he took his phone to the bathroom.
-Ah, Shin Saebyeok, you sly one. I’m really, wow, should I show you?
As Pyeonghwa was about to pull down his pants, Saebyeok bit his lip hard. Yes, that was exactly the response he wanted.
-I’m really excited, ha… I left Iseul with Noeul for a bit. I couldn’t possibly show her her father turning into a beast…
“Oh really, what are you saying.”
Though he acted disgusted, honestly, he felt elated inside.
-Tomorrow, I’m kissing you the moment I see you. Forget the date, let’s just find a sealed space with just the two of us, hm? Hm? You know what I mean, right? Hm?
He knew all too well. It meant having time to touch and rub each other’s bare skin.
“…But two hours isn’t enough.”
If Pyeonghwa ate dinner with his father and came to the company area, it would be a little past 9 PM, and considering Saebyeok’s schedule of having to go to work the next day, a meeting within 2 hours would be appropriate.
And once Pyeonghwa got fired up, he behaved as if he was in rut…
-…
See. Even he has nothing to say.
-…I’ll… try… to make an effort?
What kind of effort.
-What if I do a lot by myself before meeting you? Wouldn’t? That? Work?
Even he’s not sure, constantly questioning…
In truth, Saebyeok was getting heated as well.
Saebyeok was also a man in his prime, and he and Pyeonghwa were compatible not just in chemistry but in sexual compatibility too, and honestly, things had been building up.
“…We’ll make it work somehow.”
-Right? Ah. I miss you. I want to suck on your lips. I want to undress you. I want to lick you from head to toe…
“S-Stop it.”
-Why? Why stop? Are you getting excited hearing me talk? Did you imagine it? Me touching you…
“I’m hanging up!”
With work tomorrow, he didn’t have the energy to play with himself all night. Like a proper office worker, he could spend time feeling the powerlessness of passing time, blaming capitalists, and then conforming to reality, but not having phone se… No.
-No! No! Don’t hang up! I’m sorry! I love you! I was wrong! Let’s just chat about dirty things! You crazy bastard!
Self-reproach and reflection all in one sentence.
Saebyeok sighed softly and spoke in a gentle, reassuring voice.
“I miss you too, but thinking about going to work tomorrow is a bit… So yeah. If we were doing it while actually touching each other, I’d be into it…”
It seemed more exhausting to be the one granting such embarrassing requests than the one making them, and as an intern, it was a bit overwhelming.
-Just slack off. Just sleep at the company! Who’s bothering you? Which bastard…
“No, it’s not like that, it’s just that the environment has changed, and it feels a bit strange.”
It was a sudden change of environment and an unexpected job. Honestly, no matter how well they treated him, his in-laws’ place was an uncomfortable location.
-Ah, what to do. I feel so sorry for you.
Despite being in a similar situation, Pyeonghwa screamed as he sympathized with Saebyeok.
-What should I do. Should I hug you as soon as I see you tomorrow? You poor thing. My husband, looking at you now, you seem like half a person. Boo hoo.
It’s not that bad. I’m eating well. I might have even gained weight from not moving around.
Feeling awkward, Saebyeok listened to Pyeonghwa’s crying for a while before correcting him.
“Still, it’s incomparably easier than when I was working on the project. The atmosphere is one where everyone does their own work, and hyung talked to me separately about the team manager, and he doesn’t seem like a strange person, so it’s fine. I’m just tense because it’s unfamiliar. After all, commuting with father-in-law the entire time…”
-Our Saebyeok’s mental strength must be draining quickly… Oh my. You must be tired. Let’s stop talking and go to sleep. Our Saebyeok’s no-
“What are you saying… Let’s talk more before sleeping.”
When he held on once out of reluctance, a low laugh came from the other side of the phone.
-Then… where am I now? I think I’m in the bathroom of my room. I’ll get out and lie on the bed. Action.
Saebyeok also laughed as he lay down on the bed.
-Turn off the lights, lower your phone volume, and close your eyes. Now, I’ll tell you about Gong Pyeonghwa’s day today.
Like an obedient child, Saebyeok leaned back on the fluffy pillow and closed his eyes.
-Today, I went on a picnic with Iseul. Mother-in-law and Noeul really enjoyed it. They would smile broadly just watching Iseul sitting there.
Pyeonghwa spoke in a softer, more methodical voice than usual. It was a sleep-inducing voice for Shin Saebyeok’s perfect slumber.
-Father-in-law also pretended not to, but he really enjoyed it too. And today, while packing lunch, mother-in-law and I secretly ate the end pieces of kimbap. After always eating with you, eating only with mother-in-law made me feel a bit lonely?
“Kimbap sounds delicious. My mom’s kimbap is tasty.”
Saebyeok replied with a voice full of amusement.
-It’s not just the kimbap. Mother-in-law’s cooking skills are insane. She’s like Jang Geum. No joke. She should be called Jang Geum-nim, not mother-in-law.
His voice suddenly rose in excitement when talking about food. It made Saebyeok laugh, wondering how delicious it must have been to make him react like that.
“I’m glad you seem to be doing well.”
-I’m really doing well. Honestly, at first, I kind of… disliked father-in-law? I thought he was pressuring you mentally, squeezing you, abusing you. I didn’t say it, but I thought your family situation was complicated.
“Ah.”
I can see how he might think that. Saebyeok let out a small groan.
For some reason, Saebyeok had always felt intimidated in front of his father.
Thinking about it now, it might be because his father was an alpha and he was an omega. It had lessened since sharing pheromones with Pyeonghwa.
That doesn’t mean his father became comfortable though. To Saebyeok, his father was still a distant, towering figure.
-But as I watched him, how should I say it? He’s like an older, more taciturn Shin Saebyeok.
“What are you saying.”
-I’m saying I’m doing well. Lonely among family members who resemble you, searching for traces of our Saebyeok. Sob sob.
Why is he saying he’s lonely when he said he was doing well?
But Saebyeok understood Pyeonghwa’s feelings. He felt the same.
He found traces of Pyeonghwa in the way his siblings talked and acted, and glimpsed how Pyeonghwa’s existence had been formed by watching the family atmosphere and environment.
More modest than he appeared, unpretentious, harmonious, eating a lot, enjoying food, playing well, mischievous, kind, and beautiful. Gong Pyeonghwa.
“Me too. The atmosphere is very different from our home… honestly, it’s a bit tiring.”
That’s how it was. One Pyeonghwa was sometimes overwhelming, but here there were four of them.
“But I’m doing well.”
Even with four of them, they ultimately had the same essence as Pyeonghwa.
“It’s not bad.”
-Eeehhh. I bet it is? I bet it’s bad? Gong Sarang and Gong Jeong are fucking annoying, right?
The way siblings talk is really identical. No matter how much he denied it, from a listener’s perspective, there wasn’t much difference.
Saebyeok chuckled softly.
-Ah, why are you laughing! I’m serious. I bet they’re just pretending to be human in front of you? Definitely. 100 percent. So obvious.
Well… Isn’t that more about maintaining basic manners rather than pretending?
Anyway, whenever talk turned to their relationship, he became childish.
But that childish Pyeonghwa felt incredibly lovable.
Saebyeok never thought he’d become such a romantic, but somehow, that’s how it turned out.
-Using those annoying ones as a bridge isn’t very reliable, but what can we do? Right? I wish Monday would come quickly.
“Yeah.”
Agreeing with a statement that would make all Monday commuters rise in protest, Saebyeok closed his eyes.
Pyeonghwa’s low voice still came through the phone.
-Tomorrow, after work, our Saebyeok will be mentally tired, so should we go get something sweet? No, we should eat a proper meal first. Or maybe you want to eat something simple beforehand? It’ll be past 8 before I’m nearby. No, tell Gong Jeong to buy something and make him lend the car. Tell him to walk home.
“Oh really, what are you saying… Is that possible?”
-Who cares. Let’s just go for it. Tomorrow, as soon as we meet, I’m giving you a real deep kiss.
I want to do that too… Saebyeok silently swallowed.
-After kissing, what else should we do? Should we watch a movie? Anything you want to see? What’s showing these days? Or should we go to a foot bath cafe? You’ll be tired. Or maybe get a massage?
“Anything is fine.”
Just sitting on a bench in a quiet park, holding hands would be nice. Whatever it was, as long as it was with Pyeonghwa.
“I’m looking forward to it.”
Tomorrow, he could see not just the voice, but the real thing, not through a phone screen but the real Pyeonghwa right in front of him.
He wished tomorrow would come quickly.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
