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The jajangmyeon order that couldn’t be canceled was eventually delivered, and Jeongwoo and Youngjae got scolded by Junjae for over an hour. Youngjae was reprimanded for not telling them he had come to Korea, and for disrupting his nutritional balance after eating out for so long just because his brother asked him to order; Jeongwoo was scolded for always drinking and coming home at dawn, and now suddenly being home without saying anything and persuading his hyung to order jajangmyeon.
“Are you listening to your father?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Hyung. Stop talking and eat.”
However, all three of them let Junjae’s words go in one ear and out the other, frantically focused on finishing the food in front of them. Finally, Junjae let out a small sigh and gently placed a piece of pickled radish on top of Jeonggwan’s endless jjamppong noodles.
“But Jeongwoo, why didn’t you go drinking today?”
“Yeah, you were going to meet your boyfr—”
“…D-Dad!”
“…Oops.”
“Boyfriend?”
“Jeongwoo, you have a boyfriend?”
Jeongwoo, who had been aggressively shoveling Jeonggwan’s fried rice, stuck his spoon in the middle of it like planting a flag and made a face that said everything was ruined. Junjae’s eyes widened as if to ask what this was all about, and Youngjae calmly chewed and swallowed the japchae rice in his mouth before asking.
“Ah, Dad, you said we’d keep it secret!”
“The jjamppong… is delicious…”
“What’s this about? Do you really have a boyfriend?”
“Damn it…”
After glaring once at Jeonggwan who was pretending not to know, Jeongwoo seemed embarrassed by his father and hyung’s continued questions. He scratched his head, unable to speak easily, but then decided it wasn’t such a big deal and coolly revealed his relationship.
“We’ve only been dating for three months.”
“Who is he? What does he do?”
“Is he… an alpha?”
“Yes. He’s an alpha.”
“An alpha? One who lets you top him—! Ah, no. Ahem.”
Youngjae, realizing he’d asked too bluntly in front of his parents, quickly shut his mouth and looked away. Although his words were cut off, Jeongwoo understood what he was trying to ask and briefly stared at Youngjae with shocked eyes, but then hesitantly opened his mouth again as his overprotective father kept asking who the boyfriend was and what he did.
“Just…”
“Just? Just what? Who is he? Whose family? What does he do?”
“He sings well…”
“He sings well? Is he a vocal music major? Is it the second son of the Myung-an Group who just returned to Korea? But I think he majored in violin.”
“…And he dances well too.”
“Dance? Korean traditional dance? Or ballet? Don’t tell me it’s that family whose daughter just entered the Royal Ballet of Britain… Wait, I think their daughter was a beta.”
As Junjae ran through various family possibilities, Jeonggwan, who knew who Jeongwoo was dating, was trying not to burst into laughter. Youngjae, who seemed to have roughly guessed the person’s occupation from Jeongwoo’s description, looked quite bewildered, asking, “Aren’t you… bigger than him? Aren’t those people usually all skinny?” To which Jeongwoo advised that such narrow-minded views prevented one from enjoying the best things in life.
“So who is it?”
Finally, giving up on guessing, Junjae prompted Jeongwoo, who gently took out his phone and showed him a photo.
“…Huh? This guy,”
“That’s right.”
“…What do you mean, ‘that’s right’?”
Before Junjae could finish his question, Jeongwoo’s affirmative answer made him feel a sudden headache coming on. The photo Jeongwoo showed of his boyfriend was the advertising model for Won Electronics’ new phone—a member of the currently most popular idol group in South Korea, who served as the main visual.
The photo showed the two with their cheeks pressed together in a fresh, new-relationship selfie that confirmed they’d been dating just three months. Junjae suddenly became afraid. The only connection was that the idol was his company’s advertising model, and he wondered how they had met, what their point of contact was, and whether Jeongwoo had received the idol’s contact information through someone at the company. If that were the case, it would be a serious problem. It was all too common for celebrities to date business owners or their children and then appear in advertisements for their companies or become exclusive models, which could easily spiral into a massive scandal—about sponsorship and such matters. Especially since this idol was currently the main advertising model for Won Electronics’ flagship product.
“Won Jeongwoo.”
So Junjae put down his chopsticks and opened his mouth with a serious face to interrogate Jeongwoo, but as if he had already anticipated all of Junjae’s thoughts, Jeongwoo hastily spoke first.
“It’s true that I thought he was handsome when I saw him on the company’s advertisement billboard. But this wasn’t set up or anything. I was helping with closing at Dad’s bakery when he happened to come in, and our eyes met. Right, Dad?”
“Yes, that’s right. Suddenly, there were sparks between these two.”
Junjae looked at Jeonggwan with an expression asking “Really?” and when Jeonggwan nodded confirming it was true, Junjae finally relaxed and lightly stroked his chest in relief. He didn’t mind the dating itself, believing that at this age, Jeongwoo could date as much as he wanted, but he was worried about rumors that the Won Electronics future heir was engaging in sponsorship at such a young age.
Sitting next to him, Youngjae continued chewing his food with a still-confused face, and eventually, unable to contain his curiosity, took out his phone and sent a message to Jeongwoo sitting right in front of him.
[Aren’t you taller than him? But you’re the one being… topped?]
[Why are you talking about this stuff during dinner?]
[…I’m curious]
[What are you always so curious about; I’ve known you’ve been obsessed with Kid Detective since forever;]
[So???]
[Secret~]
[Ah! I won’t be able to sleep if you do this to me!]
[Wink]
Jeonggwan’s expression was languid as he lay on the sofa behind Youngjae and Jeongwoo, who were playing a joystick game connected to the TV in the living room. Seeing the children who had grown up just like they were when they were young, only bigger in size, brought a warm smile to Jeonggwan’s face. Youngjae deliberately losing a few rounds to let Jeongwoo win, and Jeongwoo just trying to enjoy the game without using any strategies or special moves, just pressing the joystick until it might break—they were all still the same.
“Our kids grew up exactly the same. Right, hyung?”
“Jeonggwan, you’re the one who stayed most the same.”
“Hyung is the most unchanged. Do you take preservatives every morning?”
But the one who remained most unchanged was Junjae, who was hugging Jeonggwan from behind, still sleek and shiny to the point it was hard to believe he had aged much. While Jeonggwan had developed many wrinkles and lost a lot of weight, Junjae was still firm and fit. There had even been news articles abroad asking if Junjae was a vampire, as he was still meticulous about taking care of himself. The reason—that he was afraid Jeonggwan might run away with someone else if he got old—was both funny and not. It made Jeonggwan happy to think that even after living together for so long, Junjae still wondered if Jeonggwan liked him, but it was also absurd that even after all this time, Junjae still didn’t fully trust him.
“You’re the one who stayed the same. They ask if you’re their hyung when you go out with the kids.”
“That’s because I dress cutely.”
“No. You’re just cute.”
A “yuck” sound came from somewhere, but Junjae and Jeonggwan were in their own world, playing with each other’s fingers and enjoying themselves. Despite their age, they still gave off the feeling of a couple in love. And Youngjae and Jeongwoo, watching their fathers, were grimacing as if they had seen something they shouldn’t have.
“Look at their expressions.”
“They must be jealous.”
As their fathers seemed to enjoy showing more affection in response to their sons’ reactions, Jeongwoo finally put down the game controller and got up first, as if he really couldn’t watch anymore, followed by Youngjae, who also stood up and headed toward his room.
“Have a good time.”
“Sleep well.”
Watching the backs of the two grown children heading to their rooms with heavy steps, Jeonggwan burst out laughing, and Junjae smiled pleasantly at the sight of Jeonggwan.
Jeonggwan, whose smile and laughter were always the same.
“…Cute.”
“Yeah. The kids are cute.”
“…Yes.”
Jeonggwan, who had entered this world after marrying him, always surprised Junjae with his ability to draw out the humanity in people who seemed full of contradictions—people that Junjae had always worried might disgust Jeonggwan and make him run away. Jeonggwan had said that he was also full of contradictions and that all people were the same, but Junjae believed it was simply because Jeonggwan was who he was that he could draw out their inner selves. His father, his grandfather, his mother, and Won Seongje.
These were opponents Junjae would not have even attempted to fight if he had been alone. Without Jeonggwan, he would probably be just going through the motions of life now. Or he might not even be alive. Jeonggwan had awakened him from a life he thought would be trapped in an eternal yoke.
“Jeonggwan.”
“Yes?”
“Thank you for marrying me.”
“Again? That’s creepy. I think I’ve heard it about two thousand times.”
“I’ll make it three thousand.”
At Junjae’s yet again started “I think I married well” routine, Jeonggwan snorted and shook his head. At what point did his sensitivity burst again?
“In the next life, too, with me…”
“Yes. I will. I will. I’ll marry you.”
As if Junjae was truly satisfied with their marriage in this life and now mentioning the next one, Jeonggwan just nodded and casually responded with laughter. And Junjae, stroking Jeonggwan’s hair, smiled back.
“Yes. I’m counting on it.”
