#122
Idam was once again shocked by his appearance.
Although his finger was cut enough to bleed, it wasn’t bleeding so severely that there was a smell of blood. His insane sense of smell was enough to give goosebumps. Was it because he was an extreme alpha?
Taemin’s tongue movement, exploring the knuckles of his finger, was as sensual as if they were kissing. As a result, Idam felt an unwelcome and strange sensation coming over him. Gradually, his heart began to flutter. It felt as stimulating as if he were intoxicated by an aphrodisiac. Thinking this would be trouble, he shook off Taemin’s hand.
“D-don’t do this…”
He felt uncomfortable, thinking Taemin was trying to show fake kindness again. He reminded himself over and over not to be fooled.
“I… I know everything now.”
“What do you mean?”
Sensing something was amiss, Taemin stared at Idam with tense eyes.
“You’re going to kill me after I’ve finished my job as your healing agent, aren’t you?”
Saying these painful words with his own mouth felt like putting a knife in his mouth for Idam. It was bitter and painful. As a result, his eyes quickly became wet, and tears rolled down his cheeks, creating tear tracks. Then Idam knelt before Taemin and looked up at him.
“I-I won’t tell anyone about your family matters. P-please spare my life…”
“Idam… Now… You…”
“I don’t care about myself.”
Although he would feel sorry for not keeping his mother’s last wish, if death was Idam’s fate, there was nothing he could do. But…
“The baby… It’s growing bigger. Its heart is beating, wanting to be born. So, couldn’t you just turn a blind eye and let us be…?”
Idam, who had been speaking pitifully, now even started begging with both hands.
“I’ll raise the baby quietly on my own. Hic… Please…”
Taemin felt a sharp pain in his chest at the sight of Idam crying and begging to live. Even when he had been stabbed in the chest by those who held grudges against him while running Baekwol Corporation, it hadn’t hurt like this. It was hard to breathe.
It seemed that the reason Idam had to run away after overhearing his conversation with his grandfather that day was “fear.” It seemed to be bigger than Taemin had imagined. Realizing this fact, indescribable pain and guilt bloomed in his heart.
In fact, until now, he had never thought about feeling pity for someone, or thinking that someone needed protection. He had just been pretending to understand someone’s sadness because it was socially necessary. It was the same for his grandfather and father.
But the fairy before his eyes wasn’t pretending; he genuinely dominated Taemin’s heartstrings and delivered a shock.
Taemin slowly sat down and met Idam’s eyes. He carefully raised his hand and touched Idam’s cheek. The soft touch of the downy hair was vivid.
What had he been doing to this child all this time?
He felt like going crazy with self-contempt.
“You don’t have to say such things.”
At Taemin’s voice, Idam’s tearful eyes momentarily widened.
“I’m sorry for not realizing it and making you like this.”
“…”
“I’ll tell you everything honestly now.”
At Taemin’s words, tension filled Idam’s eyes. The feeling of trembling, afraid of being hurt again, was clear.
“W-what… What are you going to say?”
“I love you.”
“What?”
“That’s what I wanted to say.”
For a moment, Idam seemed to fall into ecstasy at Taemin’s sudden confession. It was the words he had wanted to hear so badly from him in his right mind, not during a rut cycle. But…
“D-don’t say such things. I… I don’t believe you anymore…”
Idam, hurt and in emotional turmoil, denied his true feelings and averted his eyes.
“It’s not a lie.”
But Taemin looked straight into Idam’s eyes as he tried to run away.
“I was too stupid to understand my own feelings until now.”
“What…? What do you mean…”
Idam was perplexed when Taemin called himself stupid. His mouth opened and closed like a goldfish, not knowing how to respond. This side of Taemin felt unfamiliar.
“So I guess I wanted to be honest with Idam when the rut cycle came.”
“Did you… remember that night?”
Taemin nodded.
“Everything I did that night was sincere.”
“…”
“When I first met Idam, I froze. I thought there was a fairy in front of me. But at that time, I didn’t realize I had fallen for Idam. Because this feeling was a first for me.”
“A first…?”
According to Hayun, Taemin had lived quite promiscuously, so his claim that it was a first was puzzling. It was also disconcerting, as if he had never been in love before.
“And at that time, company secrets were being leaked, so I was preoccupied with stopping that.”
“What does the company secret leak have to do with having dinner with me?”
“Well…”
Taemin explained one by one the story involving Han Jiwoo and the company secret called the Jeramy Revolution.
“Initially, Han Jiwoo was planning to insert an SD card containing Jeramy’s information into Idam’s body and send it to China.”
“Oh my…”
Faced with this new fact, Idam’s hands automatically went to his mouth. The shock was even greater because he had thought it was just a simple dinner. Now he could understand why Han Jiwoo had suddenly come to the hotel room and caused a disturbance. In conclusion, if it hadn’t been for Taemin then, Idam wouldn’t exist like this now.
“I guess my feelings grew the more time I spent with Idam. That’s why I did childish things too.”
“Childish things?”
Idam tilted his head.
“The promise to meet my father at the Korean restaurant in Incheon last time, that wasn’t real.”
“Ah…”
He had thought it was strange and didn’t make sense when he had steak with Taemin’s brother last time.
“Why did you tell such a lie?”
The tears that had welled up had all dried up now, it was so absurd.
“Well…”
Taemin scratched his cheek, looking somewhat embarrassed.
“I wanted to properly share wedding rings with Idam. And I wanted to walk on the beach together.”
The reason felt light compared to the scale of the lie, making it even more baffling.
It was a fake marriage anyway, so what was the big deal about wearing wedding rings, and why was walking on the beach such a big deal? It didn’t make sense.
“Taking you to Jihwado was because I wanted to spend a long time alone with you, and celebrating your birthday was all because I liked you.”
Idam realized that what he had thought was his misunderstanding had actually been correct.
“I’m sorry for rejecting your confession.”
Idam’s eyes were still wavering like a boat drifting in the vast sea. Even if he explained like this, it couldn’t completely suppress the wounds and anxiety that had bloomed in his heart. Rather, it was scary in the opposite way.
What if this behavior of his now was just an act? If he was betrayed one more time, how would he handle the wound he would receive then?
Above all, the fact that he had handed Hayun over to Heo Jitae and used him remained unchanged.
“I-I don’t know. I… I don’t understand your feelings at all…”
Idam carefully pushed his chest away.
“I can’t believe it.”
“…”
“To me, you’re still scary and f-frightening.”
Idam swallowed dryly. Above all, when he thought of that article he had recently encountered, he felt even more confused.
“Besides, aren’t you getting married in the fall?”
“…”
“Is it okay to do this to me when you have a marriage partner?”
He felt like he had suddenly become the protagonist of a makjang drama. He felt like the wife would burst through the rooftop door right now and grab his hair, shaking it.
“Actually…”
Taemin hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“That marriage partner is you, Idam.”
“What?”
Idam was shocked, wondering what nonsense he was hearing.
“Why did you release such an article arbitrarily? What are you going to do about the consequences?”
He knew that Taemin was a reckless madman, but this was really absurd.
“Don’t worry. It’s not like your name was published anyway. I can handle any problems that arise from it.”
“…”
The article had spread quite widely, so the scale of trying to handle it would be considerable. He wondered why Taemin had done such a reckless thing. Moreover, thinking about how he had cried in sadness because of that article made him feel resentful.
“You’re mean. That article… Do you know how surprised I was?”
“Idam, I’m sorry.”
“Who would want to marry someone like you…”
Idam was so dumbfounded that informal speech was coming out of his mouth. The tears that had stopped for a moment started flowing again.
Taemin hugged Idam and patted his back. Idam tried to push Taemin away once more. But this time, he didn’t easily let go of his embrace. Thinking this wouldn’t do, Idam even stomped his feet. The problem was that his fluffy bear paw slippers were not at all effective in hurting Taemin.
“Ji Taemin, you jerk, you’re really crazy.”
“Yes, I’m a jerk. Curse at me all you want.”
Taemin looked like he didn’t mind being cursed at by Idam, who was much younger than him. But even so, he absolutely wouldn’t let go of the arms embracing Idam.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
