Despite thinking it was strange that he was pointing at the chair across from him with a spoon, Junghyun sat down in the seat Yoonho offered.
Then, with both hands in his pockets as if urging him to get on with whatever he had to say, Junghyun pressed him.
“Speak quickly. I have a lunch appointment.”
“What appointment?”
“With the older gentleman.”
“With him? Why?”
“I asked him for something.”
Suggesting he shouldn’t waste time unnecessarily, Junghyun kicked Yoonho’s knee under the table. Yoonho, rubbing his knee as if in pain, continued speaking.
“I talked with hyung yesterday, you know?”
“That’s not called talking, it’s called drunk rambling.”
“Anyway, I had quite a long conversation with hyung… Even though I was pretty drunk, I remember it clearly.”
“Just get to the point.”
In response to Junghyun’s cold attitude, Yoonho put a spoonful of porridge in his mouth before continuing.
“I’ll keep it brief since I don’t have the energy to talk much anyway. Hyung has no intention of divorcing you.”
“I know that.”
Junghyun looked serious, as if to say he’d been agonizing over this for days, so how could he not know? As he started to push against the table to stand up, suggesting that if that was all Yoonho had to say he would leave, Yoonho picked up some braised meat with his chopsticks and corrected Junghyun’s misunderstanding.
“No, I mean he has absolutely no intention of divorcing you. Not just for the nine months, but forever.”
After dropping this bombshell, Yoonho ate the braised meat and then scooped a large spoonful of abalone porridge into his mouth.
Only then did Junghyun understand the meaning of Yoonho’s words.
“…What are you saying?”
“Exactly what you heard.”
“…Hyung said that?”
“He didn’t say those exact words, but that’s how it came across to me. It seems something has happened that you didn’t anticipate… so what will you do now?”
Under Yoonho’s gaze, which seemed to ask if he was prepared to deal with the consequences, Junghyun lowered his head with both hands still in his pockets.
His reaction was unexpected.
Contrary to expectations, Junghyun was neither surprised nor agitated. He was always someone without much emotional fluctuation, but he was too calm.
As if he already knew.
“You’re not surprised at all?”
“…”
“…You knew?”
“…”
Silence is affirmation.
That meant yes.
Yoonho let out a cynical laugh.
“Of course. If I noticed it, there’s no way you wouldn’t have. You’ve always been eerily perceptive.”
Muttering that something had seemed off, Yoonho shook his head in disgust.
Thinking once again that he shouldn’t have gotten involved with someone like this, repeating the same regret he had daily, he picked up his spoon again when Junghyun asked:
“…How did you know?”
At that brief question, Yoonho, who had quickly finished his meal, drank some water and began to explain leisurely.
“Just everything seemed strange. If nothing else, I know all too well that pride of his that can’t stand deception, yet he said he’d overlook everything despite knowing it all. It didn’t make sense. So I casually asked what he planned to do with you. He said that was a presumptuous question, so I asked if I should take that to mean he had no intention of divorcing you, and he didn’t answer, just like you’re doing now. Which means I’m right. And the reason is exactly what you already know.”
As Junghyun silently looked down at the ground in response to Yoonho’s matter-of-fact explanation, his profile showed he was deep in thought. Yoonho, having finished his water, asked again.
“Then, let me ask you this time. When did you find out?”
“…This morning.”
“This morning?”
“Yes.”
“Ah…”
At that mind-blowing timing, Yoonho sighed deeply as if he’d realized something.
It seemed he’d been played by Jaehyuk.
“Wow… these villains. I thought it was strange that hyung Jaehyuk was showing so much emotion… so this is why he called me.”
Yoonho shuddered at how they were both equally cunning.
Yesterday he had been caught off guard wondering what was happening, but now that he was sober, he understood the situation.
The reason Jaehyuk had specifically called him yesterday was for this very scene.
That’s why he deliberately made him drink and indirectly showed his emotions.
So that Yoonho would tell Junghyun.
He had walked right into the trap, and it seemed Junghyun had fallen for it too.
If he had figured this out, there was no way Junghyun wouldn’t have.
“Sigh… Then you understand now. Hyung has no intention of hiding it anymore.”
“…”
“What are you going to do? It seems like things will get more complicated than expected.”
Despite Yoonho’s continued questioning, Junghyun remained silent.
His face suggested he hadn’t sorted out his thoughts yet.
Frustrated with the situation, Yoonho clicked his tongue softly.
Yoonho was no stranger to reading people’s moods. If Junghyun’s perceptiveness was innate, Yoonho’s was acquired out of necessity.
So he quickly noticed.
“Think carefully. It’s obvious you feel similarly.”
“…”
“I know you have some trauma, but this isn’t something you can avoid.”
“…”
“Hyung is different from your father. He’s not a good person to everyone, but he can be good to you.”
At Yoonho’s surprisingly thoughtful advice, Junghyun silently raised his eyes to look at him.
With a bitter smile.
“You look slow, but you’re quick to catch on.”
“It’s obvious. Since your mother is a Beta, you fundamentally think like a Beta. To a Beta, the family structure in Alpha and Omega society would seem incomplete and precarious, so you decided not to have a family, yet what you want most is precisely that—a family, right?”
Once again, Junghyun did not answer.
But since he already knew the answer, Yoonho didn’t nag anymore and got up to clear the dishes.
“I’ve said what I needed to say, so you can go now. And tell him I’ll go to work in the afternoon.”
Saying he’d take a nap before going to work just in case, Yoonho busily cleared the table. After watching him for a moment, Junghyun slowly got up from his seat.
“…I’ll tell him that.”
“Yeah. Go.”
At Yoonho’s curt farewell, Junghyun put on the coat he had taken off and wrapped his scarf around his neck again, then crossed the bleak house and went out the front door.
He got into the elevator that had just arrived, pressed the button, and leaned against the wall.
Though he was moving, his mind was still in a daze.
Honestly, he didn’t even remember clearly how he’d gotten here.
His thoughts still couldn’t catch up with the situation.
As he tapped the floor with his toe in a nervous and complicated emotion he couldn’t identify, his phone rang in his pocket.
It was a message notification.
At that sound, his heart suddenly sank.
Wondering if it might be from that person, he uncharacteristically hesitated to check his phone, but then the elevator stopped.
As the door slowly opened, he dragged his heavy legs out while fumbling with the phone in his pocket.
He didn’t want to look, but he couldn’t keep ignoring it either.
There were many people who might contact him.
Thinking he had no choice, Junghyun took out his phone and checked the message as he walked to the parking lot.
He let out a sigh of relief.
Thankfully, it wasn’t from him.
[Detective Agency] We’ve received your materials and initial payment. We’ll begin work today. The timeline will be between two weeks at the shortest and a month at the longest.
Approaching his car, he replied to the message confirming the details he had been informed of in the contract.
[Please complete it as quickly as possible.]
After quickly pressing send with his suddenly frozen hands, he got into his parked car and started the engine.
Then, after fastening his seatbelt, as he was about to shift gears, Junghyun stopped and rested his head on the steering wheel.
In truth, he hadn’t just noticed it today.
He had suspected it for a long time.
The moment he became aware of the softening in the other man’s gaze, he had his suspicions.
But he ignored those feelings.
Because that was the only way their current relationship could continue. Not only that, but he himself found life with the other man enjoyable and comfortable, so he wanted to complete the year if possible.
That’s why he tried not to let the other man see his own feelings while ignoring the other man’s feelings.
Jaehyuk probably tried to hide his emotions for the same reason.
At least until yesterday.
As soon as he thought of this, Junghyun anxiously clutched his head, which was resting on the steering wheel.
If they were just canceling the contract and divorcing, that would be fine. Actually, even if they didn’t divorce but just maintained their relationship on paper for the time being, he could manage to endure.
It might be a bit uncomfortable and awkward, but that would be better than feeling guilty toward him.
If he got angry, Junghyun could take the brunt of it. However he wanted to express it wouldn’t matter.
He could get through that without much trouble.
But this was not good.
He should not show any affection toward Junghyun.
As he had said from the beginning, after a year, they were supposed to part ways cleanly and never see each other again.
Like complete strangers who had never met.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
