After Yeonwoo’s typical attitude of quickly accepting and agreeing with his words, Munbeom spoke following a brief silence.
“I meant there are many excuses we could use—resort staff, acquaintances, business meetings, and so on. You won’t have any trouble being known as my partner.”
The added explanation was kind and easier to hear. Nevertheless, with the earlier words still echoing in his ears, Yeonwoo simply replied, “Yes,” without adding anything more. Yeonwoo shifted his gaze toward the window. Though he occasionally felt Munbeom’s gaze, Yeonwoo never looked at him first.
The car, which had been driving without stopping, briefly halted in a sparsely populated area. Another vehicle was parked there, from which Secretary Kang emerged. He bowed deeply in greeting, though he couldn’t possibly see inside the car.
“Secretary Kang will escort you home from here.”
“…”
“I have work to attend to. I’m sorry.”
Munbeom had nothing to apologize for. Though the ending was somewhat disappointing, Yeonwoo had felt as if he were in a dream from yesterday until now.
For Yeonwoo, everything had been a first-time experience. What might be insignificant to Munbeom was different for Yeonwoo. Everything he had experienced, enjoyed, and even eaten felt excessive, making him feel grateful.
Surely Munbeom was being so considerate because he was a good person.
Looking directly at Munbeom, Yeonwoo greeted him with a smile.
“Thank you for taking me to such a nice place. I enjoyed it.”
Very much.
Without adding those words, Yeonwoo closed his mouth and quietly got out of the car. As he opened the back door to grab his bag, Munbeom seemed to want to say something, but Yeonwoo deliberately avoided eye contact. He didn’t want Munbeom to tire himself by worrying about him. Strangely, such thoughts came naturally.
After closing the car door, Yeonwoo bowed his head once more toward the window, through which he couldn’t see anything. Then he approached Secretary Kang, thanking him softly as he entered the car that Kang had opened for him. Secretary Kang, smiling, immediately moved to the driver’s seat, and the vehicle carrying Yeonwoo moved right away, but Munbeom’s car remained in place.
Munbeom just watched the departing vehicle.
With a hardened expression, he recalled the content of the earlier call from Ho Hyeonho.
‘I think Stepmother has returned. I’m telling you in advance so you won’t feel uncomfortable if you happen to meet her suddenly.’
“…”
Tilting his head back, Munbeom roughly ran his hand through his hair.
***
This time, Yeonwoo asked to be dropped off some distance from home. Secretary Kang seemed to want to take him all the way to his house, but Yeonwoo was able to get out by making an excuse about having something to buy.
After confirming that Secretary Kang’s car had driven away, Yeonwoo began to walk. Then, spotting a kimbap shop nearby, he ordered a roll of kimbap and udon. He must have been quite hungry, as he quickly emptied what was a substantial amount of food.
Walking with an outwardly calm expression, Yeonwoo occasionally looked up at the sky. Though he sometimes sighed briefly, his discomfort persisted, and he lightly hit his chest with his fist.
“…”
The good feelings had rapidly dissipated. His physical condition was also deteriorating in real-time. Though he felt he should go home and get some rest, he didn’t want to go there. There wouldn’t be anyone there anyway.
His face turning pale, Yeonwoo raised his hand and rubbed under his eyes.
“Excuse me.”
Just as he was thinking he should take a taxi if walking became too difficult, someone grabbed Yeonwoo’s shoulder with the words, “Excuse me.” Startled, Yeonwoo instinctively brushed the hand away and turned around. He saw a man slightly taller than himself. Seemingly surprised by Yeonwoo’s reaction, the man spread his hands in front of his chest and said,
“Ah, sorry for startling you by touching you suddenly. But I’m not a strange person—you’re just totally my type, and I wanted to get your number. If you don’t mind, could I have your number…?”
Yeonwoo looked at the extended phone and then at the man who had tried to grab him. Though there was hardly any pheromone detectable, he seemed to be an alpha.
Sighing, Yeonwoo turned his head without responding and hurried his steps. From behind, he heard someone calling, “Excuse me,” followed by muttering, “Acting so expensive, tch.”
“…”
Though it was an extremely unpleasant remark, Yeonwoo wasn’t feeling well, so he let it go in one ear and out the other. As the grumbling voice gradually faded, Yeonwoo sighed for what felt like the umpteenth time.
Ordinarily, today might have been a good day.
With a blank face, Yeonwoo shook his head, telling himself to focus. First, get home. After washing up and getting some rest, he would recover.
Whether physically or emotionally, or both.
Sometimes, there are moments when rest is desperately needed.
For Yeonwoo, today was such a day. If possible, he wanted to rest completely alone, without anyone’s interference. He hadn’t expected it to be ruined in this way. Yeonwoo stood blankly in front of the entrance.
A middle-aged woman was standing in the middle of the living room. With an expressionless face as if wearing a mask, clearly disliking even being in this place, the middle-aged woman’s name was Seo Miyoung, Lee Jonghoon’s wife.
“What are you doing standing there instead of coming in?”
“…”
What could she be doing here? Two possibilities immediately came to mind. One was the incident with Seongho, who had come looking for him and caused a scene; the other was the recent meeting that Lee Jonghoon had arranged. Neither had ended well. If she had come looking for him because of that, it would be best to be cautious.
After taking off his sneakers and entering, Yeonwoo headed toward his room, not the living room. He opened the closed door and examined the state of the room. He didn’t think she would have searched his room, but it was better to be safe.
Placing his bag in front of the wardrobe, he ran his palm over it. Should he open it to check if everything was safely on the bottom?
Yeonwoo had hidden the check he received from Munbeom at the bottom of the wardrobe drawer. Thinking he might as well check quickly since it wouldn’t take much time, he heard a sharp voice from outside.
“How long are you going to keep me waiting? Are you going to stay in your room and not come out?”
“…No, I’m coming.”
Yeonwoo found Miyoung difficult to deal with.
Though he was relatively fine when facing Lee Jonghoon or Seongho, standing before her made it uncomfortable to meet her eyes directly. Perhaps it was because, in her presence, he felt more strongly that he was the product of an affair. So he endured it when Miyoung cursed at him or laid hands on him.
As Yeonwoo emerged with reluctant steps, Miyoung asked as if she had been waiting:
“Where have you been?”
“…I was looking for a part-time job.”
“Looking for a job with an appearance that anyone can tell you’ve been out all night? Do you think I’m a fool?”
“…”
“You’ve even upgraded your clothes while I haven’t seen you! How can someone like you afford to wear such things? This shirt alone costs over a hundred thousand won.”
Miyoung grabbed Yeonwoo’s shirt as if clutching his collar, then released it. She continued, mentioning that his pants were from some brand, but it was a place Yeonwoo had never heard of. He was just shocked that the clothes Munbeom had given him were so expensive.
No, that wasn’t quite right. The clothes he had worn when meeting Munbeom’s grandfather, the chairman of the Ho Moon Group, had also looked expensive. For Ho Munbeom, wearing clothes in that price range was normal. It was Yeonwoo’s oversight not to have realized that the clothes he had prepared would be similar to those worn then.
“Has your tongue been glued? Why aren’t you answering my questions?!”
Flinching at the sharp voice reaching his ears, Yeonwoo raised his head.
Thoroughly angered, Miyoung pushed Yeonwoo’s shoulder hard.
“I’m asking which man you spread your legs for to get these clothes!!”
Ah, so that’s what she was curious about.
Though it was an extremely offensive comment, perhaps because it came from Miyoung, Yeonwoo felt surprisingly calm. After all, from their first meeting, she had said to Yeonwoo, whose face still had baby fuzz, “You look like you could seduce any man. Just like your father.”
“Why did we even take you in! Have you already forgotten why we’re paying your father’s hospital bills? Do you think we’re feeding and housing you and your father out of the goodness of our hearts?! Does that make you think it’s okay to sleep around?! So, are you planning to secure your position by having a child, just like your father?!!”
“…”
“What did you do at that blind date? It’s upsetting enough that they want to take someone like you, not even Seongho, to a blind date! And there you are, talking about selling your body everywhere?! How could you bring such shame to our faces! Because of you, we’re now…!!”
“Seongho can’t go to blind dates anyway.”
Miyoung’s expression, which had been pouring out accumulated resentment, visibly froze.
Looking directly at that face, Yeonwoo opened his mouth and said, “Seongho…”
“He can’t go on blind dates, regardless of being beta or omega. He’s been going around taking drugs.”
“You, you, trying to slander Seongho like this…”
“At first, I thought it was the smell of alcohol, but it didn’t seem like it. People don’t act that strangely just from drinking. Seeing how he comes all the way to where I live, claiming he has no money and demanding the deposit for my apartment, despite all the care you give him at home—Seongho’s drugs must be quite expensive. Or maybe he’s being overcharged somewhere.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
