Ho Jaejung, who had been reminding himself to stay calm and not raise his blood pressure, widened his eyes.
“Do those eyes of yours only see young and pretty things? He seems to have nothing else going for him. Is he really 21? You brat, he’s twelve years younger than you. Have you lost your mind?!”
Twelve years. That was already something Ho Munbeom was concerned about.
The guilt he’d felt since first seeing Yeonwoo, and at every subsequent meeting, resurfaced, but Ho Munbeom pretended not to notice and spoke calmly.
“Don’t get excited, it’s bad for your health.”
“A person who worries about my health pulls something like this?”
Ho Jaejung closed his mouth, muttering that there were all sorts of ways to play tricks on people.
Looking at it differently, maybe his grandson disliked blind dates enough to pull this stunt. So he brought just any Omega before him… but that brat wouldn’t stand side by side with an Omega he didn’t care for.
Recalling how Ho Munbeom, who detested even having someone approach his personal space, had been sitting next to Yeonwoo earlier, Ho Jaejung spoke up.
“…Fine, I get it. For now, stop going on blind dates and do what you want. But don’t hurt that innocent young kid’s feelings.”
“…”
“I mean behave properly so there’s no scandal.”
Whether he understood or not, Ho Munbeom carelessly nodded his head back.
“There’s still a lot of food left. Please eat some before you go.”
“Feed that baby instead. He’s nothing but bones.”
Then Ho Jaejung looked his grandson up and down.
With that physique, he wondered what on earth he did with such a slender kid. He hoped his grandson was just deceiving him by bringing any random Omega. Ho Jaejung clicked his tongue and turned away. Watching his grandfather stride away, Ho Munbeom brushed back his hair.
“…”
In the end, everything had gone according to his wishes.
With this, the weekly blind dates were suspended, and his grandfather, disgusted, wouldn’t insist on marriage for a while. Now he could maintain his usual routine while stabilizing the group’s situation. And the person who had made this outcome possible was now alone.
Ho Munbeom thought of Yeonwoo, who had been stiff and rigid in front of Ho Jaejung.
It was almost as if he’d been dragged here after receiving a sudden call, but among the three of them, Yeonwoo had been the most nervous. Despite having done nothing wrong, he had looked at his departing grandfather with a helpless expression, as if he’d made a huge mistake. Recalling this, Ho Munbeom quickened his steps.
Left alone, Yeonwoo glanced repeatedly at the closed door.
He felt he knew what conversation the two would have outside even without hearing it. Feeling anxious, Yeonwoo heaved a deep sigh.
I shouldn’t have come. I should have refused, saying I had work.
But Yeonwoo knew that even if he had known about today’s events in advance, he would still have agreed and come running when Ho Munbeom called.
Still, being alone with Ho Munbeom was certainly different from having another person present. He had been extremely nervous about meeting the chairman, but contrary to his anxiety, he was a good person. Apart from not taking a liking to him, Ho Jaejung had noticeably tried to treat him kindly.
That’s why Yeonwoo felt even more like he was sitting on pins and needles, and he slowly lowered his head.
Just then, hearing the door, Yeonwoo raised his head, his eyes widening.
“…Why are you coming back alone?”
“He said he had something to do and left early.”
Sitting back down next to Yeonwoo, Ho Munbeom looked at the food laid out abundantly on the table and muttered.
“It must be cold now. I’ll have them bring it out again.”
“No, no. Don’t do that. It’s still warm.”
Ho Munbeom hadn’t been gone long, and the rice, soup, everything was still warm. Wondering why he would want to replace all this food, Yeonwoo hurriedly picked up his spoon. Then he wondered if it was proper when Ho Munbeom hadn’t even started eating.
As Yeonwoo hesitated, Ho Munbeom picked up his chopsticks.
“I was joking. The food here tastes good even when cold. Take your time eating.”
“…”
Oh, it was a joke.
But since the speaker was Ho Munbeom, Yeonwoo thought everything he said sounded serious. He put a spoonful of rice in his mouth. Perhaps because they were eating at such a nice place, even plain rice tasted delicious. Though he’d thought he wouldn’t taste anything due to nervousness, surprisingly, once the rice entered his mouth, it went down well.
Yeonwoo looked at the neatly arranged dishes while sipping his soup. With just this broth, he felt he could finish a whole bowl of rice. Afraid of appearing too ravenous, Yeonwoo consciously tried to chew his rice thoroughly. Then suddenly realizing that Munbeom, who had picked up his chopsticks, didn’t seem to be eating anything afterward, he looked at him.
“The clothes suit you well.”
He had said the same outside; it seemed he liked seeing him dressed this way.
Wearing new clothes should make one feel good, but not for Yeonwoo. Perhaps because of the perfectly fine clothes he’d had to abandon without saying a word, his current attire and appearance felt unfamiliar and uncomfortable. Yeonwoo fidgeted with his spoon.
“…I didn’t know you’d buy me new clothes.”
“I don’t mind, but since it’s the first meeting with my grandfather, I thought it would be better to pay attention to details. Haven’t you tried on the other clothes?”
“No, they said this suited me best.”
“You would have looked good in the others too.”
This time, he wasn’t sure how to respond. Conscious of Ho Munbeom’s gaze on him, Yeonwoo hesitated before speaking.
“I was wearing the clothes I wore when I went on that blind date with you, Executive Director.”
“…”
“But I think the clothes I’m wearing now are better.”
The price difference was probably more than tenfold, and even outwardly, these clothes were better. Above all, he had been complimented twice by this person, saying they suited him well. That was enough, Yeonwoo thought as he turned his head and continued eating. Meanwhile, Ho Munbeom quietly watched Yeonwoo, who was only eating rice and soup.
The air felt cold when they stepped outside. With hunched shoulders, Yeonwoo followed Munbeom and saw a single car standing in the spacious parking lot.
Come to think of it, Secretary Kang was nowhere to be seen. Yeonwoo felt embarrassed that he had forgotten the secretary’s existence, as all his attention had been focused on Ho Munbeom from the moment he arrived. Then he realized that Ho Munbeom was not getting into the car but standing next to the driver’s seat.
Yeonwoo fidgeted with his clasped hands. As he was hesitating whether to suggest calling a taxi based on the atmosphere, Ho Munbeom asked.
“You work tomorrow afternoon, right?”
Though he had taken two consecutive weekends off earlier, this time was different. With a half-day shift scheduled for Sunday afternoon, Yeonwoo looked at Ho Munbeom.
“How did you know?”
“I had someone find out”
At the casual response, Yeonwoo nodded, saying, “I see.” Having confirmed this reaction, Ho Munbeom spoke again.
“Would you like to come with me?”
“…”
Yeonwoo paused and looked at Ho Munbeom.
Having already spent two nights together, he wasn’t unaware of what those words meant. Yeonwoo parted his lips, gazing at Ho Munbeom, who seemed to know what his answer would be. A very small “Yes” flowed out.
***
Lately, it seemed he was frequenting hotel suites often. When he had been told to take a good room from each hotel before, he had agreed without much thought, never imagining he would use them like this.
The city visible through the car window was filled with bright lights even late at night. Looking down at a place filled with lights, cars, people, and noise wherever one went, Ho Munbeom turned around at the sound of movement. There stood Yeonwoo, who had just finished bathing.
“…”
Though it wasn’t the first time he was wearing only a robe, he still seemed awkward, just fidgeting with it. Observing Yeonwoo’s flushed cheeks and wet hair after his bath, Ho Munbeom reached out his hand toward him. Yeonwoo merely looked at that hand.
This was already the third time they had ended up like this. He should be getting used to it by now, but Yeonwoo didn’t seem to be, unable to approach easily. Seeing this, Ho Munbeom smiled faintly.
“Why are you just standing there? Should I come get you myself?”
“…No.”
Shaking his head as if flustered, Yeonwoo came over in one breath. Approaching with small steps, Yeonwoo looked up at Ho Munbeom and then lowered his head.
Yeonwoo wasn’t generally a person with expressive features. Nevertheless, he often acted quite honestly in front of him. Like now. As Ho Munbeom continued to look at him, Yeonwoo’s eyes shifted left and right as if embarrassed.
He had felt it since they first met, but Yeonwoo’s skin was remarkably clear. The not fully dried hair clinging to that skin was dyed a darker color than usual. Taking a deep breath, Ho Munbeom inhaled Yeonwoo’s scent and spoke.
“Yeonwoo.”
“…”
“Lift your head and look at me. We’re not strangers who need to be so formal with each other.”
Yeonwoo’s head moved slowly after hesitating, and his gaze followed even more slowly. The eyes looking at Ho Munbeom were moist. As if drawn to them, Ho Munbeom buried his face in Yeonwoo’s nape. The moment his high nose bridge touched, he could feel the fine hairs on the thin skin standing on end. That pure reaction pleased Ho Munbeom.
To think I’d find pleasure in something like this.
Thinking that he was newly discovering aspects of himself he had never known before, Ho Munbeom took a deep breath. Nothing but the scent of body wash could be detected from the transparent skin.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
