“He hasn’t come to the store.”
Hoyoung deliberately lowered his voice. The usual smile glued to his lips was gone, and he stood with a crooked posture, glaring at the entrance of the restaurant.
Hyung-cheol, who had been finishing off the remaining kimchi fried rice, also cast a cold glance at the new customer.
“If he shows up, we’ll let you know. Just leave your number and go.”
When the customer standing at the entrance showed no sign of leaving, Hyung-cheol finally took action. He tore off a piece of notepaper from the counter and handed it over along with a pen.
But the man, with his head tilted slightly to the side, didn’t even glance at the note Hyung-cheol offered. With his tall, striking appearance, his gaze was fixed on Hoyoung.
No—on the storage room door that Hoyoung was blocking.
Click.
A single step in black dress shoes, perfectly suited to his model-like appearance, crossed into the store. Immediately, both Hyung-cheol and Hoyoung scowled in unison.
“I told you, Haon-hyung isn’t here. Try somewhere else.”
The man, who had parked a luxury foreign car in front of the restaurant, walked in and immediately asked for Haon. He ignored Hoyoung’s question of who he was and only asked whether Haon had come to the store today.
Hoyoung grew more wary, judging by the man’s peculiar aura and expensive car. Hyung-cheol felt the same. Since Haon had come in with a horrific bruise on his face, the fact that someone had come all the way here looking for him only made the stranger seem more suspicious.
Even without asking, it was obvious the man was an Alpha. But he didn’t seem like someone who would be close to Haon. Just by looking at the sports car worth a fortune and the clothes he was wearing, it was painfully clear that he came from a completely different world.
And judging from the way he addressed Haon, there was no doubt they weren’t close.
“Haon-ssi.”
Inho raised his voice slightly as he approached the storage room. He ignored the two men blocking his way and walked forward without hesitation.
“Come any closer and I’m calling the cops!”
Hoyoung shouted, throwing his arms out to block the way in front of the storage room. But before he could even try to hold him back, Inho grabbed his shoulder and shoved him aside.
It happened so fast that even Hyung-cheol didn’t have time to stop him.
Click! Luckily, before Inho could tear off the doorknob, the door opened from the inside. Just as Hyung-cheol reached out to grab Inho’s arm—
“I-Inho-ssi!”
Haon, having heard Inho’s voice, appeared with a dazed expression. Seeing Inho’s arm pinned by a furious Hyung-cheol, he dashed out, bewildered by the scene.
“Wait, no—he’s, he’s someone I know!”
Haon’s eyes were locked on Hyung-cheol, who was tightly gripping Inho’s arm, so he didn’t notice Hoyoung sprawled on the floor.
Hoyoung quickly scrambled to his feet and struck a pose with one hand on his waist, pretending he hadn’t fallen.
“Someone you know?”
Hyung-cheol let go of Inho and turned to Haon. Judging from Haon’s reaction, it didn’t seem like Inho was the one who’d messed up his face. But he couldn’t be sure.
“So, he’s…”
Haon hesitated, glancing down at Inho’s arm. It was hard to give a clear explanation of what kind of relationship they had.
“Why did you leave without your phone?”
Just as Haon was racking his brain for an answer, a new question pierced through. Inho stood close in front of him, his expression cold.
“I was worried. I couldn’t reach you, and you weren’t home.”
“Ah, I—! I forgot to…”
Haon instinctively patted his pockets, knowing full well the phone wasn’t there. Inho let out a faint sigh and handed over the phone Haon had left in the bathroom.
“You left it at home.”
Receiving the phone, Haon scratched his forehead awkwardly.
“Sorry… I left in a rush and didn’t think to contact you.”
His voice grew small. He felt terrible that Inho had come all the way to the store because of him. Worse, Inho looked completely exhausted, which only deepened Haon’s guilt.
“Hey, Haon.”
Tae-hwi slipped in beside him, cutting into their conversation. He stood just a step away, carefully eyeing Inho up and down. He’d clearly seen Inho inspecting Haon’s face and limbs with obvious concern.
Seriously, Jung Haon had no sense.
“For now, just go inside. Take the rest of the day off.”
With a cheerful grin completely unlike the one he wore earlier when cursing at imaginary Lamborghinis in the storage room, Tae-hwi unfastened Haon’s apron and gave him a gentle push on the back.
“We kinda overreacted. There’ve just been a lot of weirdos around lately, you know?”
He smiled warmly, the worry melting from his face, and personally guided the two of them to the entrance.
Though still displeased, Hyung-cheol turned and headed back to the kitchen. New customers had just walked in, and it was time to get back to work.
“Haon-hyung.”
Hoyoung, who still felt unsettled, called out to him. He wore a deeply serious expression as he clutched Haon’s sleeve.
“Are you really okay?”
Hoyoung’s gaze shifted to Inho. Seeing the man, whose build was nearly double Haon’s, he tightened his grip on the sleeve.
“If it’s dangerous, don’t go. My oldest sister’s a detective, you know.”
He deliberately spoke loud enough for Inho to hear, almost as a warning. Inho faintly furrowed one eyebrow and gave a cryptic smile.
Haon, not seeing the exchange, looked up at Hoyoung and responded firmly.
“I’m fine, Hoyoung. But thanks for worrying. He’s not a dangerous person—he’s someone I know well.”
“How do you know him?”
Still serious, Hoyoung asked, but behind him a customer holding a menu pressed the call bell.
“Yes, just a moment—!”
Tae-hwi, who had shouted loudly, went to take the customer’s order first. He told Hoyoung to let it go, but Hoyoung didn’t listen. His guard toward Inho hadn’t dropped in the slightest.
“Hoyoung-ssi.”
Inho called out to him in a friendly tone and gently placed a hand on Haon’s shoulder. Pulling Haon closer to his side, he smoothly released Hoyoung’s grip and gave a light nod, lifting his gaze slightly.
“I’ll apologize for earlier—for pushing you. I misunderstood the situation too.”
“I tripped on my own. It wasn’t because of you.”
Hoyoung corrected him firmly, even if the distinction seemed pointless. Inho only replied with a casual “Ah, I see,” which made Hoyoung scowl even more.
“Hoyoung-ah, see you next week then. I’m heading out now!”
Startled by Hoyoung’s sharp attitude, Haon quickly dragged Inho out of the restaurant.
Behind them, Tae-hwi waved them off with both hands. Even in the middle of his shift, he came all the way to the entrance to get a better look at Inho’s face as they left.
“Well, well. Our youngest really stepped up today.”
He tousled Hoyoung’s hair from behind as the boy stood there fuming. Tae-hwi was proud of how Hoyoung had rushed to close the storage room door to protect Haon.
“Is it really okay for Haon-hyung to go off with him like that? What if that guy is dangerous?”
“What else? We’ll just call the cops if anything happens.”
But Tae-hwi’s answer only made Hoyoung look even more serious. He ran outside to memorize Inho’s license plate. Tae-hwi simply watched him, amused, gently patting his still-startled heart after seeing Inho’s looks up close.
The thought of hearing about Haon’s love life soon was already starting to stir excitement in him.
Ah, if only next week would come faster.
***
A tense silence filled the car as they headed home. Inho looked as though he was focused entirely on the road, while Haon sat stiffly, staring ahead and swallowing dryly.
He’d wanted to apologize again, but Inho had forbidden it the moment he got in the car, so Haon stayed silent. He was afraid if he opened his mouth, the habit would slip out.
“How’s your body feeling?”
Inho asked, tapping the steering wheel lightly without taking his eyes off the road. Traffic was a bit congested since it was Sunday evening.
“I’m okay.”
Thanks to the soft and warm seat, Haon was able to sit comfortably. It was much better than the stiff chairs at the restaurant.
“Thank you for coming to get me.”
When Inho didn’t respond, Haon cautiously continued the conversation. Other than apologizing, the only thing he could say to Inho was thank you.
Inho didn’t answer, just rolled his eyes sideways to glance at Haon. His face, worn with fatigue, remained pointed straight ahead. Haon, too, kept his gaze forward.
“You don’t remember what happened last night, do you?”
The next question came as if Inho already knew the answer. As expected, Haon gave a vague nod.
“When does it start to go blank?”
“I remember talking about working out… and about Mom.”
Even that memory was hazy, but Haon hadn’t forgotten the fact that they’d had a conversation.
He turned his head slightly to get a read on Inho’s expression. But just from his profile, it was impossible to tell what he might be thinking.
“I don’t even remember how I got back to the room.”
“Yeah…”
‘Did I do something wrong?’
He anxiously fiddled with the black mask sitting on his lap, his dry lips parting and closing without a word. Haon didn’t have the courage to ask about the things he couldn’t remember.
“Your phone, Haon-ssi.”
Inho spoke up instead, having waited for Haon to continue the conversation.
“I dropped it by accident and broke the screen. I’m sorry.”
“Ah, no—it’s fine. It was a cheap one anyway.”
“The screen’s completely shattered. You won’t be able to use it anymore.”
‘So that’s what happened.’
Haon hadn’t really gotten a good look when Inho handed it back to him. Now he recalled the phone buried deep in his pocket and waved his hand, still holding the mask.
“Don’t worry about it. Really, it’s okay.”
“Haon-ssi, please.”
The car came to a stop at a red light. Staring at the crimson glow, Inho took his hands off the wheel and rubbed his forehead. A faint sigh was laced into his low, steady voice.
“Can you stop saying that you’re okay all the time?”15
