#20
“I know, it’s a mystery to me too why the alphas like you so much. I can’t understand it.”
“Oh, you didn’t leave?”
Shim AD looked at the grumpy Woohyun with an interested expression. The smoke he exhaled was bright blue. Woohyun placed the umbrella in the hand of the dazed Eunhong.
“I have plans today too. Use this to go home.”
Without hesitation, Woohyun turned his back and walked away quickly. Eunhong silently watched as he got into a black sedan that had come up from the underground parking lot. Shim AD stubbed out his cigarette and nudged Eunhong.
“Want to ride in my car?”
Eunhong looked at Shim AD, then shook his head gently while showing the umbrella Woohyun had given him.
“No, thank you. I got an umbrella, so I’ll be fine.”
Leaving behind Shim AD with his worried gaze, Eunhong set off on his way home. Although it was earlier than usual, the winter made the streets dark. Walking alone, the conversation he had heard made the back of his neck prickle.
Maybe I should have taken the senior’s car… If I get mugged, it’d be better to be mugged by a pro… Just take my money and don’t send me to the afterlife by accident. Though I don’t have money either… All sorts of thoughts ran through Eunhong’s mind. The subway station felt further away than usual today. He wondered if it would have been better to take the main road, even if it was a detour.
The sidewalk was badly cracked, with dark puddles of melted snow here and there. As Eunhong walked, looking down to keep his white sneakers clean, someone started following him.
Of all times, there was no one on the street, and the only pub had closed. Walking down the dark street, the surroundings were eerily quiet, perhaps due to the accumulated snow.
When he looked up, he could see the blue sign of a convenience store about a block ahead. The alley between buildings seemed even darker due to the contrast. Eunhong unconsciously quickened his pace. As he walked with wider strides than usual, he stumbled on a broken sidewalk tile.
The person following him quickly caught Eunhong’s arm as he was about to fall.
“Why are you walking so hurriedly?”
Eunhong’s eyes widened like saucers. He shook off the arm and straightened up, then looked Lee Jaeha up and down before glancing around. His expression was as if he’d seen a ghost.
“How do you always appear like a ghost? How did you know to come here? It can’t be a coincidence.”
“I was waiting in front of the company, but I thought I missed you…”
Jaeha closed his mouth with an awkward expression. He seemed a bit sheepish about disappearing for a long time without contact.
“You could have called.”
“I don’t have a phone.”
Eunhong stared at Jaeha with wide eyes. Though it had only been a few days since they lost contact, he was unbelievably glad to see him. All the questions he had planned to ask flew out of his mind, and he was only concerned about his slightly pale complexion.
As Eunhong reached out his hand and took a step forward, Jaeha took a step back. Eunhong’s eyes widened. It was an unconscious avoidance, but when Eunhong’s expression changed completely, Jaeha also became flustered. Avoiding his gaze, he rubbed his face roughly and spoke to Eunhong. His sigh was heavy.
“I saw all the texts you sent. I wanted to reply, but… Did you hear from Professor Choi?”
“About your rut?”
Jaeha’s face turned pale at the direct answer.
“It’s natural, why did you hide it?”
“Well… It’s not exactly something nice to show.”
Jaeha’s expression visibly hardened. He knew Eunhong had found out about the rut he had been hiding all along, but hearing it directly from his mouth made it difficult for him to maintain his composure.
Seeing this, Eunhong felt even more guilty. It felt like he had not only pried into his friend’s private life but was now confronting him about it. So he tried to act as if it was no big deal. That was his intention, but…
“I felt a bit hurt, not knowing. I thought I knew a lot about you.”
“…Bunhong.”
“Everyone else knew you were in rut except me. What kind of friend am I? You’ve been hiding all your struggles all this time.”
“…”
“Is it… all resolved now?”
Jaeha, who had been standing silently in response to the reproachful words, flinched. The gaze looking at him seemed to be glaring rather than just shining. He gritted his teeth and asked.
“Resolved? What do you mean by resolved?”
“Huh?”
“What, are you talking about pheromone resolution with an omega or something like that?”
“Uh… I saw. On YouTube… Hey, it was really…”
“Really what?”
“I watched a famous professor explaining, and the content was no joke. They showed explicit diagrams and everything…”
Uh, so… Eunhong realized that the more he spoke, the more he was making mistakes. He could see Jaeha’s expression turning cold. But once his mouth started, it wouldn’t stop. He was even more flustered, causing his brain and tongue to get tangled.
“…”
“…So, you know, an alpha’s rut seemed really intense. I finally understood how difficult it must have been for you.”
So, you know… As he rolled his eyes looking at Jaeha, his expression was ominous. How should he smooth this over? Eunhong broke into an awkward laugh, sweat forming on his back.
“I was so surprised watching that, I even dropped my earphones in the toilet!”
Jaeha stared at Eunhong without changing his expression. Eunhong unconsciously tensed up. His eyes darted around, and his limbs became stiff like a robot. Jaeha’s gaze on Eunhong’s face narrowed, and then he suddenly reached out towards his face.
“Huh?”
Jaeha plucked out the wireless earphones from both of Eunhong’s ears and threw them away forcefully. There was no time to stop him. Eunhong’s gaze followed the two white bean sprout-like objects flying in a white arc. With a clatter, the earphones landed in a small, inconspicuous trash can in the corner.
Eunhong gaped stupidly. How did they go in there?
“10 points.”
“You crazy bastard! What are you doing? Why did you throw them? Why are you throwing away perfectly good things!”
Jaeha took out a handkerchief, wiped his own hands, and then grabbed Eunhong’s ears to wipe them too.
“I’ll buy you new ones.”
“You’ve lost it! Really, Lee Jaeha. I’m speechless.”
“Use mine for now. It’ll be inconvenient without them.”
As Eunhong frowned deeply, Jaeha rummaged through his pockets and then made a troubled expression.
“Ah, they’re in the car. Right. I smashed my phone, so…”
Haa. Seeing him exhale a long, weak sigh, Eunhong suddenly felt deflated. He wanted to keep arguing, but Jaeha looked so downcast that it worried him more.
“…Why did you break your phone?”
“I got upset when you mentioned the rut in your messages. I couldn’t beat up Professor Choi, so I took it out on the phone.”
“But, he was just worried about you…”
Jaeha’s gaze left Eunhong and scanned the surroundings. His expression as he glared at something was concerning. Eunhong hesitantly watched his reaction. Jaeha took a deep breath, exhaling a long sigh, and looked back at Eunhong. When their eyes met, he managed a weak smile. His expression seemed somewhat lonely. Jaeha spoke with a voice tinged with a sigh.
“Shall we get something to drink?”
“…Okay.”
They entered the nearby convenience store. Eunhong chose a sweet cup of coffee, while Jaeha picked sparkling water. The part-time worker manning the counter alone seemed somewhat surprised by Eunhong and Jaeha’s appearance. As he took Jaeha’s drink and scanned the barcode, he kept glancing at Jaeha’s face.
Eunhong wondered if he had recognized Jaeha and felt a bit nervous. He thought maybe they should have found a quieter, less crowded place, but Jaeha himself seemed unconcerned. He strode towards the window and squeezed his body into the inner side of the long table. Sitting at the plastic convenience store table, Jaeha made the chair look small, creating an optical illusion.
It was the most awkward time in all the years they had known each other. Even when Jaeha returned from studying abroad after three years, it wasn’t this awkward. Eunhong chewed on the innocent straw nervously.
Glance.
Eunhong’s gaze kept drifting to Jaeha’s face, or more precisely, his lips. How should he ask? He had thought about it countless times over the past few days, but now that they were face to face, he couldn’t think of the right words.
“We kissed, didn’t we? Who started it?” seemed worse than just keeping quiet…
Jaeha seemed completely unaffected. From his calm, settled gaze to his composed expression, it seemed like Eunhong was the only one concerned about the kiss. As he lowered his eyes and chewed on the straw, Eunhong unconsciously glanced at Jaeha again.
Just then, he caught sight of his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed his drink. Moisture clung to his reddened lips before being drawn in, and a bright red tongue darted out to lick away the droplets on his lips. He was mesmerized by the sight. Then their eyes suddenly met.
As Eunhong hurriedly buried his face, Jaeha gently nudged his foot with the tip of his shoe under the table.
“…Bunhong, I mean, Eunhong, I…”
“Huh?”
“That day… I was on the verge of my rut. My cycle is a bit of a mess, and when it hits, I’m sick for days. That day was right before it was about to start.”
“…And?”
“I think I made a mistake with you that day.”
“…A mistake.”
“I’m sorry. I wanted to apologize.”
Eunhong was momentarily dumbfounded by the sudden apology. It seemed that “I’m sorry” wasn’t what he had wanted to hear after all. Something deep in his heart whispered that what he truly desired was different. Suddenly, his mood plummeted. Then he felt ridiculous. He had been agonizing for so long, but with a simple apology for a “mistake,” it was all supposed to become as if nothing had happened.
He even felt a little upset.
