Jaehyun had been waiting for the weekend to arrive. He had steeled his resolve like someone with a serious grudge.
When he heard from Seunghyun that Jin Suhwan wanted to meet him, Jaehyun agreed readily without a second thought.
There was no reason to avoid it. Rather, it was something he had been hoping for. After all, he needed to rescue Seunghyun from that cruel man. Jaehyun gritted his teeth.
Arriving first at the traditional Korean restaurant they had chosen as their meeting place, Jaehyun sat in his chair with a slouched posture.
In truth, Jaehyun had never met Jin Suhwan before. The man who had demanded engagement with Seunghyun had never visited Jaehyun or their parents. The engagement had proceeded entirely through written documents.
Moreover, Jaehyun, whose family had fallen on hard times and who had barely managed to attend university, had lived a life devoted solely to academics and research. Having lived a life far removed from the world of the wealthy for quite some time, he knew Seunghyun’s fiancé only superficially.
But that didn’t mean he was completely ignorant of the rumors. He was well aware of what kind of person Jin Suhwan of Hwamyeong was, how he was a scoundrel who went through omegas like disposable items.
Seunghyun wasn’t the type to talk about his troubles, no matter how painful they were. Jaehyun, as his family, knew this better than anyone. That’s why he couldn’t fully believe what Seunghyun had told him a few days ago.
That foolishly kind-hearted boy was surely enduring everything alone to avoid worrying his family. Seeing through this obvious fact, Jaehyun scoffed.
Today would be the day he rescued Seunghyun from that ruffian. Jaehyun reaffirmed his determination and widened his eyes.
“Um… hello, hyungnim. Sorry I’m late.”
Jaehyun’s eyes turned to the man standing before him. A handsome man in a neatly pressed suit bowed his head to Jaehyun with a respectful attitude.
In the private room that had been specially reserved, Jaehyun remained seated and looked up at Suhwan with a sidelong glance. He slightly furrowed his brow and asked as if he had a thorn in his mouth.
“Hyungnim? Why would I be your hyungnim?”
“Pardon?”
Suhwan’s eyes widened in surprise at the prickly response. He had considered many scenarios, but he hadn’t expected to be criticized for his choice of address, which made it even more disconcerting.
“Ah, I’m sorry. Professor.”
Suhwan barely recalled that Jaehyun was a university professor, and that despite becoming a professor at a young age, he had rather old-fashioned thinking.
Moreover, since he would have many negative preconceptions about Suhwan, a more formal address with appropriate distance would be better than a familiar one. Suhwan accepted this and immediately apologized to Jaehyun.
But Jaehyun’s face soured at this.
…What’s going on? Shouldn’t there be a power struggle here? Jaehyun was also taken aback by Suhwan backing down so easily, contrary to his expectations.
Somehow, the situation was different from what he had imagined. Only then did Jaehyun scrutinize Suhwan with fresh eyes.
Perhaps because he was an alpha, his well-built physique was much taller than Jaehyun had expected, but somehow he didn’t feel threatening. Wondering why, Jaehyun realized it was because of his docile eyes that seemed to be gauging Jaehyun’s reaction.
“What does it matter what you call me? How petty to quibble over forms of address.”
“You…”
Seunghyun, who was tightly holding Suhwan’s hand, spoke with a sneer. Jaehyun glared at him with a frown.
It wasn’t just Jin Suhwan who was strange. Seunghyun, clinging to that man’s side, was equally odd. When Jaehyun looked at him, Seunghyun deliberately turned his head away.
“Don’t mind him. My brother is like this with everyone.”
“What, you brat?”
“Sit down quickly, Suhwan hyung.”
“Huh? Oh.”
At Seunghyun’s urging, Suhwan sat down in his chair with a confused expression. Jaehyun watched this with astonished eyes.
It was clear that his brother was not in his right mind. Seeing Seunghyun’s childish behavior, Jaehyun gritted his teeth.
He doesn’t even realize I’m trying to help him. Whatever he was thinking, Jaehyun had no intention of playing along. Frowning, he sat in his chair, showing his discontent by shaking his leg.
“Um… what would you like to eat?”
“My brother eats everything well.”
Seunghyun, speaking in an indifferent tone, looked at the menu and pointed somewhere with his finger.
“How about this? Since you prefer meat to fish, let’s go with Set B that has tteokgalbi.”
“Ah, should we?”
Suhwan, who had been enticed by Seunghyun’s suggestion, was startled when he met Jaehyun’s eyes, which were looking at them with a cold gaze.
On second thought, with Korean set menus, everyone needed to order the same thing, so they shouldn’t decide carelessly. Suhwan shook his head and asked Jaehyun.
“No, um… what do you think, Professor?”
Honestly, it didn’t matter what they ordered. As Seunghyun said, Jaehyun wasn’t particularly picky about food. He simply didn’t eat much of anything because he tended to eat lightly.
He didn’t feel like nitpicking over something as trivial as the menu, so Jaehyun answered briefly in a curt tone.
“Order whatever you want.”
“Yes.”
Suhwan visibly brightened at Jaehyun’s easy permission. Not hiding his excited face, he called over an employee and ordered Set B that Seunghyun had mentioned.
Perhaps he really wanted tteokgalbi that badly? Jaehyun momentarily thought. That’s kind of cute…
No, what kind of nonsense am I thinking? Get a grip, Lee Jaehyun.
Jaehyun tensed his eye muscles, which had almost relaxed in an unseemly way. He, at least, must not fall for such deception. He had thought Suhwan was just a simple playboy, but he might be cleverer than expected. He’s probably planning to catch them off guard and then stab them in the back. Such a viper of a man.
“Enjoy your meal, Professor.”
“…You too.”
When the food arrived, Suhwan said with a bright smile. Jaehyun nodded with a disgruntled face.
Looking down, he saw dishes piled so high they seemed about to break the table legs. Indeed, Set B that Seunghyun had recommended contained many meat side dishes.
Seunghyun put his spoon into the soup placed in front of him. But the soup was much hotter than expected. He instinctively turned to the side and said.
“Hyung, be careful, this is very hot…”
“Ouch.”
Before he could finish, Suhwan, who had put the spoon in his mouth, let out a short cry. Seunghyun’s face turned pale as he immediately stood up and approached Suhwan.
“Did you burn your tongue?”
“Yeah…”
“Does it hurt a lot?”
“Ih… ih hurhs.”
Though he shook his head, his pronunciation was unclear due to his burned tongue. Suhwan’s thick eyebrows were deeply furrowed. It seemed that trying not to speak awkwardly made it hurt more. Seunghyun examined Suhwan with worried eyes.
Jaehyun looked at the two with incredulous eyes. What on earth are these two doing?
What was particularly astounding was Seunghyun’s behavior. He was fussing like a mother bird caring for her chick. And towards such a ruffian, no less.
“Let me see.”
“I’m…fine.”
“Why did you eat without blowing on it? You can’t even handle hot food well.”
While scolding him, Seunghyun put cold water to Suhwan’s lips. That wasn’t enough, so he called an employee and asked for ice water as well.
“Don’t swallow it, just hold it in your mouth. And don’t eat the ice.”
“Okay.”
Suhwan nodded and held the cold ice water in his mouth, gently moving his stinging tongue. Then his eyes met Jaehyun’s, whose face was grotesquely distorted.
“Ugh.”
“Ah, I told you not to swallow.”
“I’ll, I’ll handle it myself.”
Suhwan, who had unconsciously swallowed the water, pushed Seunghyun away in embarrassment. Since Seunghyun’s affectionate behavior was nothing new, receiving his care was a very familiar thing for Suhwan. But it wouldn’t be the same for Jaehyun. He had been too indulgent without considering Jaehyun sitting across from them.
Belatedly realizing this, Suhwan finally got Seunghyun to sit back in his place. Had he been too dramatic and turned Jaehyun off? He needed to show a dependable image somehow to gain Jaehyun’s trust, but he already felt like he had failed from the start.
“I’m sorry for making a scene while you’re eating.”
“…No.”
“I’m truly sorry.”
Suhwan apologized repeatedly and bowed his head. Jaehyun, still watching with a sullen face, slowly shook his head.
“Enough. Let’s just continue our meal.”
“Ah, yes.”
So they resumed eating in an awkward atmosphere. Suhwan endured his painful tongue and chewed his food diligently, while Seunghyun kept glancing at him, seemingly worried.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
