“Huff.”
After finally sending Seunghyun, who had been clinging to him like a morning ritual and refusing to leave, to school, Suhwan sat on the sofa.
Then he looked at his phone screen with nervous eyes.
[Secretary Kim]
For Suhwan to contact Dowun first was something that hadn’t happened since he resumed living with Seunghyun. Until now, he had been so reluctant to make calls that even receiving contact from Dowun was frightening.
But now his relationship with Seunghyun was different from before. Suhwan took a deep breath and pressed the call button.
The calm dial tone sounded, and before long, Dowun answered the phone. He spoke in a composed voice.
—Yes, young master. How are you?
“Hello, Secretary. Are you busy right now?”
—It’s fine. Please go ahead, young master.
“Yes, well.”
First, he needed to stop seeing other omegas for blind dates. And he thought this was the opportunity to firmly establish that he wouldn’t break off the engagement with Seunghyun, in a way that Chairman Jin would understand.
“What’s Grandfather’s schedule like? I’d like to visit him.”
—You mean the chairman?
Dowun’s voice sounded surprised. Until now, Jin Suhwan never sought out Chairman Jin first. Their relationship had deteriorated rapidly since adolescence, hadn’t it? Suhwan responded to the flustered Dowun:
“Yes, I have something I need to tell him in person.”
—Ah… Yes. I understand. I’ll check his schedule and get back to you.
“Thank you.”
After hanging up, he let out another deep sigh. Honestly, he wasn’t confident that he could persuade Chairman Jin well. But it was something he had to do if he wanted to continue being with Seunghyun.
After finishing household chores, it was soon time for Suhwan to go to school. Although he had taken a week off using his rut as an excuse and would soon stop attending altogether, he still wanted to finish well until the end.
Besides, Monday’s liberal arts class was a lecture he shared with Seunghyun. Feeling a bit shy, Suhwan entered the bathroom.
“…Ah.”
Suhwan glanced at his reflection in the mirror and touched around his neck with his fingers, looking troubled. The marks from Seunghyun’s bites and caresses throughout the night were still clearly visible.
“What should I do about this?”
Suhwan muttered in a troubled tone. He knew Seunghyun disapproved of the marks left by Geonyul. That’s why he had let Seunghyun persistently caress his neck every night, and now it was a mess. Geonyul’s handprints, which would have faded with time anyway, were no longer visible.
But the suggestive-looking kiss marks were a bigger problem. Would they be covered if he put on bandages? Probably not.
After contemplating, Suhwan first washed up, then went to the dressing room. The weather was still a bit too warm for wearing turtlenecks or scarves.
“Hmm.”
Rummaging through the closet, Suhwan finally found a half-turtleneck that covered only half of his neck. The fabric was thin, so it seemed suitable for the current weather.
With a brief sigh of relief, Suhwan changed his clothes. Then, roughly shaking his still somewhat wet hair, he left the house.
“Oh, I came out a bit early.”
After arriving in front of the school, he glanced at his watch and realized he had misjudged the time. There was about an hour left before the lecture started.
Just as he was about to go straight to school anyway, Suhwan stopped in front of a cafe. It was the cafe where Seunghyun worked, where he had waited for him yesterday.
After hesitating, Suhwan carefully entered the cafe. Perhaps because he had spent nearly the entire day there yesterday, he no longer felt the need to avoid this place and go to another cafe.
As he opened the door, a cheerful bell sound rang throughout the cafe. Suhwan strode forward and stood at the counter.
“Welcome…”
The employee began to greet him but widened her eyes upon seeing Suhwan. Coincidentally, it was the same employee he had troubled before. She still stared at him with wide eyes.
But by now, Suhwan could handle such stares with indifference. Ignoring her surprised face, he looked at the menu and then turned to the employee:
“I’ll have a calamansi ade, please.”
“Ah… yes. That’s five thousand won.”
He handed over his card, completed the payment, and stepped back. People waiting behind him promptly ordered their drinks.
Shortly after, the buzzer vibrated, and Suhwan went to pick up his drink. The employee looked at him nervously and offered something.
“Um, this…”
“Pardon?”
What the employee gave him along with the drink was a macaron with blue and white mixed colors. Looking closely, it was a color he hadn’t seen among the macarons Seunghyun had given him yesterday. Suhwan looked at the employee with puzzled eyes.
“We just received these today. Since you enjoyed them yesterday…”
“Ah.”
So she was here yesterday too. Suhwan hadn’t noticed because he had been focusing solely on Seunghyun. Realizing that he had been mindlessly staring only at Seunghyun to such an extent, he felt embarrassed.
“Thank you.”
He received the macaron from the employee and bowed his head. She was barely smiling with an awkward expression. She seemed uncomfortable in every way, but Suhwan felt it didn’t matter. Still, feeling somewhat accepted by someone around Seunghyun, he gripped the bright blue macaron firmly in his hand.
Leaving the cafe, Suhwan walked with lighter steps than before. Somehow, today felt like it would be a good day. With a grinning face, he took a sip of his calamansi ade.
After passing the school entrance, Suhwan didn’t go straight to the lecture hall. He still had some time left, and perhaps because he had gulped down the ade too quickly, he felt the need to use the restroom.
Suhwan found and entered the alpha-designated restroom. At first, he had been surprised to learn that public restrooms were divided not only by gender but also by alpha and omega designations, but now he was quite accustomed to it.
As he hurriedly relieved himself and was about to leave the restroom, someone blocked his path.
“Oh…!”
Dark eyes behind horn-rimmed glasses stared fixedly at Suhwan. Startled, Suhwan looked down at the person blocking his way while trying to calm his racing heart.
“Hello, senior.”
“This is in front of the men’s restroom.”
It was Heeyoung. Somehow knowing Suhwan was here, she had popped out as if she had been waiting and was now blocking his way. And in front of the alpha-designated men’s restroom, no less.
Looking at the flustered Suhwan, Heeyoung opened her tightly sealed lips.
“Do you have my contact information?”
“…Contact information?”
“You never contacted me.”
“Ah…”
Suhwan suddenly recalled the contact information Heeyoung had given him during the lecture. And that had been shattered before his eyes by Seunghyun before he could even save it to his phone.
Unable to tell her the truth, Suhwan swallowed hard and replied in a calm tone:
“I actually lost it. But I definitely didn’t throw it away on purpose.”
“…”
“I didn’t throw it away because I didn’t want to contact you, so…”
But his excuses grew increasingly flimsy. Suhwan felt his vision gradually darkening. Jin Suhwan’s karma was once again choking him. What exactly had Heeyoung suffered at his hands? Suhwan continued with a dejected tone:
“So, if there’s something I did to you in the past, could you tell me? I’ll apologize and make it up to you.”
“…?”
“I’m sorry. Please just don’t tell Seunghyun. I’m begging you.”
“…?”
As Suhwan continued speaking, Heeyoung, who had been looking puzzled, tilted her head. Then, seeing Suhwan with his eyes downcast pitifully, she parted her lips with an “Ah.”
“You seem to have misunderstood something, senior.”
“Huh?”
“You never did anything to me.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“But why…”
Suhwan was confused by Heeyoung’s words. He had been sure that in the past, Jin Suhwan had treated Heeyoung terribly, and she had given him her contact information seeking compensation for that.
But that wasn’t the case. Then why had she randomly given him her contact information? Unable to understand, Suhwan was breaking out in a cold sweat when Heeyoung moved a bit closer.
“You won’t be able to persuade Chairman Jin easily.”
“What… did you say?”
Heeyoung’s dark eyes stared directly at Suhwan. He felt as though she had seen right through him. As if she could see into his mind, Heeyoung spoke again:
“Ask Jin Hwalyeon for help.”
“…!”
“She will help you.”
Suhwan’s eyes widened.
Jin Hwalyeon. She was Jin Suhwan’s cousin and currently the person most likely to inherit Hwamyeong. She had alpha traits and was much smarter and more charismatic than Jin Suhwan.
However, the conservative Jin Gilnyeong was reluctant to acknowledge Jin Hwalyeon because she was female. If Jin Suhwan hadn’t committed such reckless acts, Gilnyeong would never have acknowledged Hwalyeon until the end.
