#87
“Haa… Ugh… Why… St-stop…”
Groaning, Idam tried to push Taemin away. Taemin seemed to realize what he was doing and stopped. His foggy pupils regained focus, and as his expression returned to normal, he looked embarrassed.
“Ah… I’m sorry…”
“Haa…”
Idam exhaled hotly and touched where Taemin had left his mark. He could clearly feel the deep teeth marks. Fortunately, it hadn’t drawn blood.
“For a moment, your scent was so good that I did it without thinking.”
Taemin’s complexion had become quite sickly. Idam was more worried because he had seemed unwell since last time.
“Are you really sick somewhere?”
“No, I’m not.”
Taemin denied it, but his pheromones were heavier and stickier than usual. Also, for some reason, they felt decadent and dangerous, making Idam uneasy.
“By the way, Idam, it’s evening now, are you okay to eat?”
“What? Ah…”
Suddenly, Idam touched his stomach. Though he had eaten plenty for lunch, he felt hungry.
* * *
Idam went out to the terrace with Taemin for dinner. There were many dishes prepared. Braised abalone and ribs, gujeolpan, mushroom and beef jeon, japchae, seasoned grilled fish, steamed clams, and all sorts of delicacies were spread out. He thought they usually ate lavishly, but today was really extraordinary.
“Wow! This looks delicious!”
Idam sat down, barely managing to keep his jaw from dropping. There was also mixed grain rice and seaweed soup. Since it was his birthday today, the seaweed soup felt particularly meaningful.
“Well then, let’s eat.”
Taemin, sitting across from him, smiled. Idam also picked up his spoon with a dazed expression. First, he tasted the seaweed soup while considering what to eat. It was rich with a nutty and oily flavor from the beef cubes generously cut into it. But it tasted somewhat different from usual.
He tasted each of the other dishes one by one. It was the same. Had Lady An’s cooking style changed? Moreover… Taemin wasn’t eating but was staring intently at Idam. Idam started to feel self-conscious, wondering if he was eating too ravenously. He carefully removed the rib bone he had been sucking clean from his mouth.
“How does it taste?”
Taemin’s voice seemed more tense than usual.
“It’s delicious. But…”
“But?”
“The taste seems a little different.”
“So it’s not good?”
“No, it’s sweeter than usual. So it’s even more delicious!”
Idam praised enthusiastically and placed the cleanly eaten rib bone on the table. It seemed Lady An had seasoned differently today. This was more to Idam’s taste. As a result, the dishes were disappearing quickly.
For some reason, Taemin kept smiling. Although he usually looked pleased when Idam ate well, today it seemed even more so.
After finishing the meal, it was time for dessert and the table was cleared. Idam touched his full stomach. But he still wanted something sweet and was confident he could devour whatever came out.
“Excuse me for a moment.”
Taemin left the terrace after asking for understanding. It was bewildering as he had never left like this during a meal before. Idam thought he was acting strange in many ways today.
Taemin returned faster than expected. In his hands was a whole cream cake. Moreover, it had candles stuck in it, flickering with light.
“Uh… huh?”
Idam’s mouth formed a perfect O. He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand, wondering if he was seeing an illusion.
“Happy birthday.”
Taemin whispered tenderly as he placed the cake in front of Idam. Idam’s large eyes expanded even more like glass beads.
“What? Birthday?”
“Yes. It’s your birthday today, isn’t it?”
Idam’s large eyes became moist and trembled. He had never imagined receiving such a celebration. Overcome with emotion, Idam examined the cake closely. There were twenty candles, and a message written in chocolate pen was visible.
– Happy birthday, Idam!
The letters were crooked and clumsy. But they looked the sweetest and prettiest in the world.
“Will you accept this too?”
“What?”
Idam looked up to see Taemin smiling gently, holding a bouquet of red roses.
“Thank you for being born.”
At his affectionate voice, tears began to roll down Idam’s cheeks. He grasped the rose bouquet tightly and smelled it, wondering if it was an illusion. But a clear scent was felt, as if to signal it was real. Though not as good as Taemin’s pheromones.
Idam’s heart became unbearably hot. He was so moved that he almost burst into tears, but barely swallowed them. His heart was pounding.
“How… how did you know my birthday?”
“I told you, didn’t I? I know everything about you.”
Taemin sat down next to Idam. He wiped Idam’s eyes with his thumb. It was like caressing a sculpture.
“Why are you crying again? Is it because there’s no birthday song?”
“Ah. That’s not it…”
“I wanted to sing for you and even practiced, but I’m tone-deaf so I gave up.”
“No, it’s okay. This is already more than enough. I really didn’t expect… So…”
It felt like a wish that shouldn’t have been harbored had come true.
“Then, will you blow out the candles now?”
“Yes… Yes…”
Idam sniffled and blew. He had occasionally blown out birthday candles before, but he had never felt this excited and happy.
“Originally, I planned to go on a yacht ride and tour nearby islands today, but I gave up because of the weather and your condition. I was so disappointed.”
“No, this is really wonderful and great.”
“We’ll definitely do what we couldn’t do today another time. Okay?”
It’s really not necessary, this is more than enough… But thinking about doing it together with Taemin made him greedy, so he couldn’t refuse.
“Then, shall we eat now?”
Taemin gestured to an employee on the terrace. The employee went inside the villa and came out with a real sword. Taemin naturally took it. The romantic atmosphere that had been building suddenly felt doused with cold water. Idam was bewildered, wondering why he was suddenly doing this.
“Why are you holding that?”
“I’m not good at cutting cake with a regular knife.”
After explaining, Taemin swung the sword. In an instant, the cake was divided into 8 equal pieces. It was a perfect result with no errors in size. Idam was dumbfounded, but thinking that this was also a part of Taemin made his heart flutter. Taemin returned the sword to the employee and moved the piece with the biggest strawberry onto a small plate, offering it to Idam.
“Here, try it.”
“Th-thank you.”
Idam picked up the fork with a dazed feeling and started eating the cake. Perhaps because the syrup had soaked into the bread, it was very sweet. The whipped cream was the same. This too was much sweeter compared to the desserts he usually ate. Idam’s round cheeks gradually began to turn pink.
“How is it? Is it okay?”
“Yes, it’s delicious!”
“Then, out of all the cakes you’ve eaten so far, how does it rank?”
“What?”
Why is he asking this? Idam was perplexed by his question but tried to answer.
“It’s the best, most delicious one.”
“Hahaha!”
At the same time, Taemin laughed heartily. His eyes also looked somewhat strange. He was clearly happy, but Idam didn’t understand why it felt chilling.
Anyway, it wasn’t just a polite response. Although the cake’s appearance was clumsy, it perfectly matched Idam’s taste for sweet things. Thanks to this, Idam’s heart fluttered even more. It felt like his heart had become an instrument and was playing.
“I’m so glad you seem to like everything. It was worth the effort.”
“What?”
Idam’s eyes widened as he had almost finished a slice of cake. Effort?
“What do you mean?”
“Ah… Actually…”
Taemin touched the back of his head sheepishly and continued.
“I made all of tonight’s dinner and dessert myself.”
“What? Y-you did, CEO?”
“Of course.”
“Oh.”
He had thought both the meal and the cake seemed more amateurish than usual. But it was still delicious, which was surprising…
“Why… did you make it?”
“Because it’s your birthday. It’s the first time I’ve cooked like this for someone, so I was very worried, but I’m so glad you like it.”
At his voice, Idam felt the flutter of love blooming in his chest, as if it had caught fire.
Maybe… the CEO feels the same way I do.
As this fluttering grew uncontrollably, the sun had already set.
“Then, shall we go to the beach now?”
“Ah, yes.”
He felt that even a thorny path would feel like a flower path if he was with him.
* * *
Perhaps because it had rained, the air was clear and the sound of waves was crisp. Idam and Taemin walked on the sandy beach, holding hands tightly. And Idam was holding the rose bouquet close.
The afternoon rain had stopped, and the sand had dried, feeling pleasantly soft. They chatted quietly. The topic of conversation was Idam’s impressions of the food Taemin had made.
After walking for a while, Taemin gently stopped.
“It’s a special day, isn’t it a shame to end it like this?”
“No, I’m already very grateful. This is truly the best birthday of my life.”
Idam said, hugging the bouquet tightly.
“No. That’s why I prepared something, will you look over there?”
Taemin gestured towards the sea. Idam’s gaze followed. Soon, a bright ball of light rose into the dark sky and burst into colorful lights. It was fireworks.
“Wh-what?”
“You said before that you went to an amusement park to see fireworks but were disappointed because you couldn’t.”
“Ah…”
“Today, I’ll fulfill that wish for you instead.”
The colorful fireworks embroidered the sky beautifully like blooming flowers. The bright light illuminated the dark night, presenting a spectacular sight. To Idam, they weren’t just simple fireworks. It felt like seeing Taemin’s feelings towards him.
Gradually, Idam’s round eyes became moist, and tears rolled down his cheeks. Taemin’s lips curved up gently.
“What’s wrong? Are you moved again?”
“I’m… I’m so, so happy.”
His heart felt like it would burst. He wanted to show his feelings to Taemin. At that moment, Taemin’s hand cupped Idam’s chin. His lips immediately met Idam’s. A soft sensation and sweet taste filled his mouth.
At this moment, Idam was certain that Taemin felt the same way.
Because of this, courage blossomed.
Just as Taemin’s tongue was about to enter Idam’s mouth, Idam wanted to convey his feelings first before continuing the deep kiss. He gently pushed Taemin’s shoulders and separated their lips. Then he strained his voice.
“Um… CEO…”
“Yes?”
“I like you.”
At Idam’s voice, confusion clouded Taemin’s eyes. But Idam didn’t read Taemin’s expression. He was just focused on wanting to show Taemin’s presence that filled his small chest.
“No… I love you.”
“……”
“When I think of you, my… my heart races… I want to be with you always… That’s how I feel…”
He must feel the same way as me. So… So…
Now I can really be his wife, can’t I?
But Taemin’s warm eyes turned cold in an instant.
“What should I do? I don’t like you, Idam.”
“What?”
“We’re just in a contractual relationship, aren’t we?”
