#129
Jang Haesung stared at his phone for a while after the call ended before putting it away. Kang Hanjae, who was sitting beside him with a sullen expression, said, “See?”
“He’s not coming, right? Would you come if you were him?”
“Hmm.”
“Come to think of it, how much misunderstanding did Hongi face back in high school? Regardless of his manifestation type, his looks were exceptional. The hospital tests must have been wrong. People’s intuition is more accurate.”
“That’s right, Eunhong was famous.”
“It would have been strange if he wasn’t. It’s not a joke when they talk about an alpha radar. There were quite a few guys who had the hots for Eunhong.”
Amid this casual conversation, An Woohyun, lying on the bed, snickered and cut in.
“He must have had a lot of fun hiding everything all this time.”
“Hey, why do you talk like that?”
“How amusing it must have been for him while you recessives gathered around talking about manifestation types. You guys are the idiots, snickering with amusement.”
The murmured words, spoken while he lay askew with his eyes covered, were very quiet but loud enough for everyone in the room to hear. Kang Hanjae retorted, throwing the tangerine he had been eating into a bag as if he had lost his appetite.
“Stop acting like trash. You heard that he only manifested recently. Your life is twisted because your attitude is twisted.”
“What the hell?”
“Honestly, what did Hongi do so wrong to you? To be frank, you’re the only one who’s been constantly messing up. Despite what you did, Hongi paid for your caregiver—he’s the bigger person, do you even realize that? Even a blood sibling wouldn’t look after you like that. He even helped you get into that company.”
“I got into the company on my own merit!”
They both flinched at Woohyun’s screaming outburst. His eyes were blazing blue, looking as if he might lunge at any moment, leaving them unable to retort. Woohyun spat out words filled with malice, grinding his molars.
“And he took that away from me!”
“……”
“You really… haven’t come to your senses.”
After Haesung’s final words, the hospital room fell silent. Hanjae, who had been looking at Woohyun with a shocked expression, his hands on his waist, abruptly turned and left the room. Haesung, though he had more to say, followed his partner out.
Woohyun glared at the closed door and furiously tore up the paper he had been holding. It was a summons from the police, which was as good as a death sentence for Woohyun. Because of this, he had lost his job and all chances for recovery. As things stood, he needed to hire a lawyer to try to reduce the sentence or fine, but he couldn’t reach Lee Sangmin, and he didn’t even have the means to afford a lawyer.
“Ugh…”
The fingernail he had been biting finally tore, and red blood dripped. Even the stinging pain in his fingertips felt like Eunhong’s fault, and Woohyun cursed under his breath.
“Fuck… why is it always me, always me who gets screwed over. Always just me…”
Anxiously fidgeting with his phone, Woohyun sat up as if he had made a decision and began looking at the screen. He couldn’t bear it—he felt he had to do something.
***
“Cheers!”
Clink! Eunhong roughly clinked his glass against the one Seo Heeseung held out. A wave of toasts passed across the long table. The graphic team had gathered to celebrate Eunhong’s return to work. They had made so many empty promises to buy drinks, so Eunhong had pledged to loosen his belt and go all out tonight, telling them to trust him.
The only flaw, if there was one, was that his glass contained carbonated water without a drop of alcohol… Due to the crime of knotting while intoxicated on pheromones during his heat cycle, Eunhong had to maintain a clear mind in the midst of this chaotic drinking session once again. Though they wouldn’t know if he was pregnant for another month, given both their manifestation types, they decided not to do anything they might regret.
Tsk.
Still, he couldn’t hide his craving for the clear beer-and-soju mix, perfectly blended, in front of him. Eunhong decided to focus on demolishing the meat in front of him with a disappointed face. After all, Lee Jaeha’s card was covering the tab tonight!
“Ah, Team Leader Ban is so cool! The most handsome man in the world!”
“Today I readily agree! Anyone who buys us Hanwoo beef is my brother!”
“In that spirit, can we add one more assorted platter?”
“I authorize it! Waitress!!”
“Team Leader Gil is a bit stingy.”
Eunhong couldn’t help but chuckle as he scanned the already tipsy faces around him. If he could pretend to be intoxicated by the atmosphere, then he too could say he was drunk.
The carbonated drink going down his throat couldn’t make him drunk, but his emotions were on a rollercoaster. Such a lively atmosphere was rare for him lately, partly due to joy and partly because he felt lonely and empty after losing those he had called friends recently.
“Eat a lot, everyone. Days like this don’t come often… focus more on the meat than the alcohol.”
“You’re so caring! Teacher!”
When Eunhong mentioned he couldn’t drink alcohol due to circumstances, those who had promised to focus on eating meat with just a little alcohol seemed to have disappeared—the atmosphere only grew more intense. Yoo Junseok, whose wedding day was fast approaching, poured alcohol down his throat as if determined to die. No one stopped him; instead, there was an atmosphere of collective doom.
“Eunhong, drink too, drink, drink, drink!”
Just as the incapacitated Junseok was about to fill Eunhong’s glass with soju, the phone in his back pocket started ringing. The timing was impeccable.
“Oh, Ban-part, where are you going? You’re not heading home, are you?”
Gil Dong-wook grabbed Eunhong as he stood up. Eunhong handed him his wallet as a hostage and went to a quiet corner to answer the phone.
“Your breathing makes my cock stand at attention. When are you done?”
“Hey, you’re crazy!”
Although there was no way anyone could have heard the voice through the phone, Eunhong jumped in surprise and looked around. His ears turned red instantly.
“Why are you like this, really… Can’t you stop saying things like that when you don’t look the type…”
“When something stands, you call it standing. What else should I say?”
As Eunhong floundered helplessly, Jaeha burst into laughter on the other end. Though Eunhong frowned and glared at the phone, he found the laughter so pleasing that he slid forward onto the table, resting his head.
“You gave me your card. You said to feed them as much as they want.”
“I’m regretting giving it to you. This is the first time I’ve regretted spending money on you.”
Eunhong’s lips curled up involuntarily at the playful complaint. Perhaps still bothered by how Eunhong had pushed away Dong-wook and exchanged glances with Junseok and Heeseung on the day he filed for leave and left work early, Jaeha had stubbornly shoved the black card into Eunhong’s wallet this morning, saying to feed them until their stomachs burst—until they’d feel sick at the mere thought of beef.
“My team is really boosting the restaurant’s sales. I’m afraid to look at the receipt.”
Eunhong pretended to shiver as he joked.
“Ah, I could just give the card and leave. Want me to do that?”
He was about to cut the conversation short, worried that nonsense would continue endlessly. In the distance, he could see Heeseung and Kim Jieun with their arms around each other’s shoulders, staggering toward the bathroom. They looked as if they were about to empty their stomachs, making Eunhong frown as he snickered.
“You know what. From now on, I’m only going to care for people who are nice to me.”
“You’re only now thinking like that? That’s still fast for you, Bunhong. I thought I’d have to wait another year.”
“I should put my childhood behind me. I’ll stop attaching meaning to relationships. I’ll live as if I’ve never been hurt, only taking care of good people.”
“Good, that’s a good attitude. Let’s stop digging tunnels. Your hyung will support you.”
“Okay.”
“So, should I come pick you up now?”
Eunhong burst out laughing at the persistent request to end the gathering. When Eunhong told him to wait a little longer, Jaeha generously said that next time he should just invite everyone to their home and he would call a chef, then hung up. Yeah, that’s not a bad idea. Just as Junseok had brought up the topic of a housewarming party, Eunhong’s face brightened with interest.
As he was about to get up to keep his promise of going all out in response to someone calling him, the phone that had just been disconnected rang again. Thinking Jaeha might have forgotten to say something, Eunhong picked up the phone, but a number not in his contacts was displayed on the screen.
It was a number he had deleted but couldn’t fail to recognize.
While he narrowed his eyes and stared at the screen, the call abruptly ended and a missed call message appeared. Then, without even a moment’s pause, the phone rang again. Eunhong frowned but pressed the answer button.
“Eunhong.”
He flinched involuntarily at the voice calling his name. Momentarily tempted to forgive Woohyun out of habit, as he had done in the past when their relationship was strained, Eunhong steeled himself and responded dryly.
“What do you want?”
“…I’d like to speak with Lee Jaeha, I mean, Mr. Lee Jaeha. Can you put him on? He’s with you, right?”
“……”
“I have something to say, but I can’t reach him. I also have something to ask…”
Eunhong exhaled a sigh, resuming the breath he had momentarily held. He felt foolish for worrying that he might rashly forgive Woohyun if he attempted conversation. When Eunhong didn’t respond, Woohyun, who had also been silent, continued.
“Or maybe you could put in a good word for me, for the sake of a guy whose life is ruined…”
“What are you saying…?”
“You’re good at that, pitying me. I’m asking you to do it one more time. For the last time.”
“…I’ve never pitied you. You’re the only one in this world who thinks what I did for you was out of pity.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
