40
A growling sound came from his stomach. He thought that if he was hungry just staying at home, Ji Seunghyeok must be even hungrier after returning from work.
“You should have dinner, what should we do?”
“You already prepared something, didn’t you?”
“But that, the broth has reduced too much… it’s probably completely inedible now.”
When Jo Junghyun responded glumly, Ji Seunghyeok stood there as if momentarily forgetting what to say, then softly added.
“Um… I’m sorry.”
Ji Seunghyeok’s apology actually confused Jo Junghyun.
“What? No, I’m not saying it’s your fault, Hyung. I wasn’t blaming you, I was just stating a fact.”
Ji Seunghyeok watched Jo Junghyun shake his head in confusion and stroked his chin with a serious expression.
“But thinking about it, I don’t think I’m the only one at fault. Our jagi was acting too pretty, so I couldn’t control myself. If we had to pinpoint the cause, it’s actually with Junghyun-ssi, but well, let’s just say we both made a mistake together.”
“…”
Ji Seunghyeok had reached an absurd conclusion.
Left speechless by his calm and nonchalant muttering, Jo Junghyun could only move his lips. He didn’t argue because Ji Seunghyeok seemed to be in quite a good mood. Jo Junghyun was also secretly pleased that his pheromone scent was on him. It felt like he had stamped the alpha before him as his own.
After clearing his throat once, Jo Junghyun spoke.
“Hyung, food. Let’s eat.”
“Shall we? Wait just a moment. I’ll bring it.”
“Okay.”
Ji Seunghyeok rose from his seat after hearing Jo Junghyun’s nodding response. When he returned to the room, he was carrying a wooden tray table. His skill in setting it down without a wobble, even with various side dishes on it, was remarkable.
Jo Junghyun let out a small gasp of admiration.
“It’s nothing. When I was young, I used to move tables with thirty dishes on them.”
“Thirty? Dishes?”
“Yes. Go ahead and eat. It looks really delicious.”
Ji Seunghyeok handed him utensils to hold.
“Oh, there’s soup…?”
On the table was what appeared to be the soup that had seemed to have ended its life as soup by reducing too much earlier.
“Fortunately, it wasn’t burnt, so I added more water and boiled it again.”
“I see.”
The soup seemed bland but also had a slightly burnt taste. Even after stirring the bowl with his spoon and trying another spoonful, the taste was still ambiguous. After taking a sip of the broth, he looked at Ji Seunghyeok, who was eating silently and with apparent enjoyment. Watching him, Jo Junghyun decided that having imperfect soup was better than having none.
Sitting face to face while eating, Ji Seunghyeok again ate very quickly. He was so fast that Jo Junghyun didn’t even dare try to keep up.
While it was nice to eat with Ji Seunghyeok, keeping up with his pace was difficult. Jo Junghyun thought that eating that quickly would surely lead to indigestion.
Perhaps sensing Jo Junghyun’s gaze, Ji Seunghyeok paused the spoon that was scooping rice. Then, as if remembering something, he smiled.
“I eat too quickly, don’t I?”
“Ah, no… not at all.”
“It’s okay. I know it myself. It’s a habit.”
Ji Seunghyeok spoke as if talking about something trivial.
“A habit?”
“If I didn’t eat quickly, only empty bowls would be left. I’m sorry. From now on, I’ll match our jagi’s pace.”
When Ji Seunghyeok resumed eating, he matched his pace with Jo Junghyun’s as he had promised.
Jo Junghyun chewed more slowly than usual, contemplating what Ji Seunghyeok had said.
He couldn’t understand why only empty bowls would remain if one didn’t eat quickly, or why there would ever be a need to move a table with thirty dishes on it.
“Have some water.”
Ji Seunghyeok offered water to Jo Junghyun after he had chewed and swallowed his rice. A fairly large cup was filled with water. Though Jo Junghyun thought drinking so much water would fill him up, he accepted it gratefully. After drinking the moderately lukewarm water, he realized he had been feeling thirsty. Having emptied the cup cleanly, Jo Junghyun let out a sigh.
The two, who had been eating while facing each other for quite some time, finished by drinking warm tea together. And when Jo Junghyun tried to clear away the dishes, Ji Seunghyeok stopped him. He hugged Jo Junghyun once, as if refusing any objection, telling him to rest comfortably since he must be tired anyway.
Jo Junghyun, thinking this might be too overprotective, carefully tried to get out of bed. But his determination to stand on both feet was futile as he sat back down on the bed with a thud. Even though they hadn’t done anything so intense this time, his whole body wouldn’t function properly. There was only one explanation that came to mind, making Jo Junghyun blush as he climbed back onto the bed.
Lying quietly on the bed while listening to the sound of dishwashing outside, Jo Junghyun became afraid that he might turn into a cow at this rate.
Was it okay to live such a leisurely life?
He was worried about getting used to idling around at home all day without doing anything significant.
Then suddenly, thoughts about his circumstances that he had been trying to suppress emerged in Jo Junghyun’s mind. Though Ji Seunghyeok had said they were dating, the fact that his parents owed him money and had disappeared without contact remained unchanged. And it wasn’t a small amount, but tens of billions of won.
However, Ji Seunghyeok never mentioned anything about the debt to him. The same went for any talk about Jo Junghyun’s parents. It was far too inadequate to simply call it kindness.
It was a one-sided relationship. One where only Jo Junghyun benefited.
The anxiety about whether it was okay to be so indulged didn’t easily subside once it surfaced.
What did Ji Seunghyeok like about him anyway?
Especially since he was just a recessive omega, not even a dominant one.
He had heard about pheromone compatibility. But even so, he wasn’t confident about how attractive a recessive omega’s pheromones could be to an extremely dominant alpha like Ji Seunghyeok. However, besides that, he couldn’t think of any plausible reason.
He had learned that the pheromones released during an omega’s heat cycle powerfully seduced alphas. They stimulated instincts and were nearly impossible to refuse.
But Ji Seunghyeok’s change in attitude toward him had started just before that. If he thought about it, it wasn’t solely because of pheromones, though their relationship had been redefined as dating due to his heat cycle.
Maybe Ji Seunghyeok was taking responsibility because he had treated him kindly, calling him young? If not that, then was it really due to pheromones?
“…”
He didn’t want to think so cravenly, but no matter how he tried, he couldn’t separate the factor of pheromones from the equation.
His thoughts swayed like a ship that had lost its coordinates.
“What are you thinking about?”
At Ji Seunghyeok’s voice, Jo Junghyun, who had been staring at the wrinkled shadow on the sheet, hurriedly raised his head.
“Ah. Nothing, I’m not thinking anything.”
“Your face tells me otherwise. Tell me.”
“It’s really nothing.”
“If it’s nothing, then you can tell me, right?”
Ji Seunghyeok wouldn’t back down.
“Well… Just wondering what you like about me… just those kinds of thoughts.”
“You were thinking about that?”
Ji Seunghyeok looked at the honest Jo Junghyun with eyes that found him very cute. After speaking, regret washed over Jo Junghyun, wondering if he had been too transparent.
“I told you before, but you wanted to hear it again?”
“What? When?”
“You really don’t remember? I told you when we had dinner together before.”
“…Ah.”
It came to him immediately when Ji Seunghyeok mentioned it.
It was in Jo Junghyun’s memory too. But it felt somewhat different. Ji Seunghyeok had said he liked certain aspects of Jo Junghyun, but it didn’t feel like an answer to why they had become this kind of relationship.
But Ji Seunghyeok’s reaction was also understandable. From his perspective, it was enough to seem like Jo Junghyun was coaxing him for sweet words.
Was he simply acting spoiled with Ji Seunghyeok? That realization dawned on him.
It was a childish manifestation of pure love.
Ji Seunghyeok’s feelings were already evident in how he treated Jo Junghyun. Thinking about it, Jo Junghyun just wanted verbal confirmation.
That Ji Seunghyeok was attracted to Jo Junghyun as a person, not because of pheromones.
Perhaps when one reached Ji Seunghyeok’s age, they could understand each other without saying everything explicitly. Even if not, he wouldn’t act childishly like this. He wouldn’t seek confirmation but would skillfully manage his emotions. He had told Ji Seunghyeok not to treat him like a child, but he was actually behaving like one. At this rate, it was unavoidable for Ji Seunghyeok to treat him like a child.
Feeling embarrassed for being too clingy, Jo Junghyun fidgeted with the sheet. At some point, Ji Seunghyeok was pressing his index finger on Jo Junghyun’s brow, as if trying to smooth it out. Surprised, Jo Junghyun leaned back and covered the area Ji Seunghyeok had been touching with one hand, making him laugh.
“Were you so concerned that you were frowning?”
“What? Ah, no. Not at all. It’s not like that… no. I just think I said something unnecessary.”
It seemed he had been frowning without realizing it. Feeling as though all his inner thoughts had been exposed, he became even more embarrassed.
“Why is that unnecessary? If it’s something that concerns you, then that’s exactly what’s important. You did well to tell me. I wouldn’t know such things if you don’t say them. The reason why I like our Junghyun…”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
