#26
Tears that had collected at the corners of his eyes flowed down his gaunt cheeks each time they welled up. He held his breath to avoid making sobbing sounds.
Eunsol tried to strengthen his weakening resolve. Even if Hyun-oh had someone else, legally, he was still Hyun-oh’s husband.
Because of that, Hyun-oh’s mother treated him well, like a real family member. Whenever Eunsol was feeling intimidated, Kang Ye-ryeong never failed to remind him of his position.
He didn’t want to flaunt his status as Hyun-oh’s husband to others. He just wished… that every time Hyun-oh attended official events, he would remember that Eunsol was his husband.
That was the extent of Eunsol’s desire.
* * *
Hyun-oh woke up in bed, then slowly closed his eyes again as he sensed something unfamiliar. Thinking about what was different, he realized the warmth that should be felt beside him was missing.
He had slept deeply for the first time in a long while. For some time now, when he woke up, a dull headache at his temples would greet him first. But now, a subtle pheromone brushed his nose, relaxing all the muscles in his body.
He got up and felt the space beside him with his palm. It seemed that whoever had been there had left long ago—there was no warmth, only coolness.
He was certain he had laid the person who had fallen asleep in front of the door on the bed. He had confirmed they were sleeping before closing his eyes, so it was strange.
Even checking the time on the clock on the bedside table, it was a time when Eunsol would normally be asleep.
But Hyun-oh soon shook his head as if to shake off thoughts of Eunsol and got out of bed. As he headed to the bathroom to wash up, an alien pheromone caught his senses.
“…Oh, great.”
Normally, he would put clothes in the laundry basket after taking them off, but last night he had been so tired that he had simply left them on the sofa before falling asleep.
With much time having passed, the omega pheromone scent from the suit had faded. However, it was unpleasant to have another person’s pheromone infiltrating a space that had only been permeated with his and Eunsol’s pheromones.
Hyun-oh picked up the suit and tossed it into the trash rather than the laundry basket. After dusting off his hands as if they had been soiled, he entered the bathroom, washed up, and prepared for work.
After changing clothes and stepping out, he heard movement from the kitchen.
“…You’re awake.”
Eunsol, who hadn’t been in bed, was doing something in the kitchen. Hyun-oh had thought he might be somewhere in the house but hadn’t expected him to be in the kitchen. Upon seeing Hyun-oh, Eunsol’s eyes widened, and he bowed his head slightly.
“Aren’t you tired? It’s usually time for you to be asleep now.”
“…I’m fine.”
Contrary to his words, the shadows under Eunsol’s eyes were distinct. Hyun-oh felt uncomfortable seeing a face marked with such deep traces of fatigue, similar to his own when he hadn’t been able to sleep properly for a while.
Even if Eunsol didn’t know, Hyun-oh often woke up first and spent time gazing at Eunsol’s sleeping face. It was a habit that had formed at some point without him even realizing it.
Strangely, watching Eunsol sleep defenselessly by his side gave Hyun-oh a peculiar sense of fulfillment.
But today, Eunsol had woken up before him. It seemed almost as if he was avoiding Hyun-oh.
Unaware of what Hyun-oh was thinking as he looked at him, Eunsol handed him a tall glass.
“Um… please drink this before going to work.”
Only then did Hyun-oh look around the messy kitchen. Judging by the large juicer and scattered ingredients, it seemed Eunsol had made juice.
“What is this?”
Hyun-oh recalled the food Eunsol had made before. Remembering the peculiar taste made one side of his tongue tingle. However, what Eunsol was offering now was juice, which didn’t require cooking skills.
“I made it by blending things that are good for your health.”
The pale green juice didn’t look strange from the outside. The glass full of juice trembled unsteadily in Eunsol’s shaking hands.
In fact, Hyun-oh usually didn’t eat anything in the morning. Sometimes when he was tired, he would drink a strong shot of espresso or an americano, and that was it.
However, seeing Eunsol watching him nervously, he hesitated to refuse.
“Ah, if you don’t like it… you don’t have to drink it…”
In the ensuing silence, Eunsol slowly withdrew his hand.
Eunsol hadn’t slept all night. Even when he tried to fall asleep, the moment he recognized the unfamiliar omega pheromone, his drowsy mind had jolted awake.
Eventually, Eunsol gave up on sleeping and, after staring at Hyun-oh’s face for a while, got out of bed early. He wanted to do something for Hyun-oh before he left for work. He was well aware of his own poor cooking skills. So Eunsol had made a healthy juice that didn’t require any cooking ability.
He had tasted it beforehand. Thanks to following the recipe and adding the ingredients accordingly, it fortunately tasted decent.
But judging from Hyun-oh’s expression, it seemed his gesture wasn’t welcome. Just as he was resignedly withdrawing his hand, the glass suddenly disappeared from it.
“I’ll just drink this much.”
Hyun-oh tilted the glass and took a few sips of the juice. Half of the juice that had filled the glass disappeared instantly.
“…Thank you.”
“Why are you thanking me? I should be the one saying thank you.”
It was Eunsol who had woken up early to prepare it. That’s what Hyun-oh meant, but Eunsol’s shoulders stiffened.
“Shall we have dinner together outside later?”
“…With me?”
Hyun-oh was at a loss for words as Eunsol’s eyes widened in disbelief. Even if Hyun-oh had decided to distance himself from Eunsol, that was an internal struggle.
Eunsol and he were married. Especially those forces trying to bring him down would also try to find his weaknesses through Eunsol.
A strained marital life would be nothing but good prey for them.
“I’ll contact you through my secretary. Get some rest until then.”
Hyun-oh put down the glass and headed toward the front door. Perhaps because he had eaten something in the morning, his stomach felt a bit bloated, yet also somehow satisfyingly full. It was ambivalent, just like his feelings toward Eunsol.
Eunsol snapped out of his daze and followed closely behind Hyun-oh.
As Hyun-oh took out his shoes, put them on, and opened the front door, he turned around, sensing a gaze on his back.
“Have a good day.”
“…I will.”
As if he had been waiting for this moment, Eunsol bid Hyun-oh farewell. Hyun-oh didn’t add anything more, seeing Eunsol’s face looking strangely proud, as if he had accomplished a mission.
It was a first. Having someone at home see him off as he left for work.
Occasionally, his secretaries would come to his home and leave with him, but being seen off was an unfamiliar experience.
Hyun-oh quickened his pace to shake off the strange feeling. Eunsol remained at the front door until the sound of footsteps completely disappeared beyond the closed door.
* * *
“What wine would you like me to prepare?”
“Let Lee Eunsol choose.”
“Ah…”
Eunsol blinked in confusion. It was his first time at this restaurant, sitting face to face with Hyun-oh. Through one wall made entirely of glass, the night view of Seoul was visible at a glance.
At the thought of having a date with Hyun-oh, he had stopped by a shop to have his hair done meticulously. He had also chosen one of the outfits Kang Ye-ryeong had bought for him, telling him to wear it someday.
The light sky-blue shirt had unusually long cuffs that covered half of his hands. Eunsol fidgeted with the cuffs with his fingertips, which were becoming clammy with nervous sweat.
“Shall I show you our red wines?”
The waiter had been showing the wine list to Hyun-oh, but realizing that he had passed the choice to his companion, approached Eunsol.
The main course they had ordered was a rack of lamb steak. Thinking it would be better to suggest wines that would complement the steak, the waiter opened the page with the red wine list and presented it to Eunsol.
There was no Korean on the page.
Eunsol desperately tried to recall the knowledge he had studied. However, due to the tension of dining out with Hyun-oh, his mind was going completely blank.
The waiter, with a seemingly painted-on smile, didn’t rush Eunsol. Hyun-oh, too, simply waited with an indifferent gaze for Eunsol to choose the wine.
But as time passed, Eunsol felt increasing pressure. The thought that he shouldn’t ruin this precious time out with Hyun-oh completely dominated his mind.
Eunsol had no choice but to point to the first item on the list.
“Th-this one, please.”
“You have excellent taste.”
“…Yes.”
Words that were difficult to understand flowed from the waiter’s lips with fluent pronunciation. It was an elaboration on the wine Eunsol had chosen.
“You chose well.”
When even Hyun-oh complimented him, a faint blush spread across Eunsol’s face, which had been pale with tension. Eunsol didn’t know how much the wine he had chosen cost. He hadn’t noticed the dollar price written in small print below the wine’s description.
After the waiter bowed and left, Hyun-oh spoke first. Eunsol wiped his forehead, which was beaded with cold sweat, with the back of his hand, as if he had accomplished something significant.
“We’ll be able to receive the rings as early as next weekend. I got a call saying they’d be ready faster than expected.”
Eunsol recalled going to the jewelry shop with Hyun-oh to order the rings. He also remembered that because he couldn’t quickly choose a design he liked, they ended up ordering all the rings the shop had shown them.
“Why aren’t you using the card I gave you? I told you to buy whatever you want.”
The card Hyun-oh had given Eunsol was in his pocket. Since he usually stayed at home, he had no occasion to spend money. Moreover, the servants filled all his needs before he even had to request them, which made it even less necessary.
Besides, it hadn’t been long since Hyun-oh had given him the card. Should he have immediately headed to places to spend money right after receiving the card from him? Instead of quietly waiting for him at home.
Eunsol hunched his shoulders like a student facing a teacher without having completed an assignment.
How could he respond wisely to Hyun-oh’s words? No matter how much he racked his brain, no suitable answer came to mind.
“…I had no reason to use it.”
The answer he finally squeezed out was disappointingly honest.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
