By Zephyria “Do you want pickles in your sandwich?”
“…No.”
“Mustard?”
“I’ll eat that.”
“Lots of lettuce?”
“No.”
“Is your thigh okay?”
“Huh… what, what?!”
Hwang Hae-kyung stood inside the island like a bartender and combined the sandwich ingredients. As he asked Lee Yoon-san one by one about the ingredients to be added, Lee Yoon-san, who had been sitting stiffly in front of the island, gradually leaned his upper body towards him and gave answers. Then, Lee Yoon-san’s face flushed at the question that suddenly changed the subject.
“Why, why is my leg, what! You can just wash off what’s stained, why…!”
“Not the inside of your thigh. The part closer to your knee.”
“……”
“I tied it up.”
“Sh, shut up!”
Lee Yoon-san was horrified by the teasing questions and looked around, checking his surroundings where no one was there. Then Hwang Hae-kyung laughed, and Lee Yoon-san stomped his feet a little and touched the area where he had been tied up to check.
Maybe it was because the tanned skin color made it difficult to distinguish, but anyway, there was nothing wrong when I checked it while showering. In the first place, it was tied with an apron made of soft cloth, and it wasn’t like Lee Yoon-san struggled and received an impact, so there was no reason to get a bruise.
Anyway, Lee Yoon-san glared at Hwang Hae-kyung, who teased him, stomping his feet, and looked at the sandwich being assembled in his hand. Even in the meantime, he glanced at Hwang Hae-kyung, wondering if he would say something embarrassing again to tease him, but fortunately, the teasing seemed to end there. Still, thanks to that, the tension in Lee Yoon-san’s back, who had been subtly conscious of the kitchen and the island, was slightly relieved.
Lee Yoon-san took out his cell phone from his pants pocket and placed it on the island. It was too uncomfortable to keep it in his pants pocket. This time, he wore long pants. Hwang Hae-kyung’s touch that had entered his thigh when he wore short pants without thinking was still vivid. It was evening now, but I couldn’t repeat the same thing again.
Besides, the SNS chat room that had exploded by his friends while he was sitting in the living room after showering was a mess. From questions about whether he and Hwang Hae-kyung had really run away together to questions about where they were. The question of why they suddenly disappeared was constantly interspersed like a K-pop feature.
Not only that. Lee Yoon-san’s ID was tagged every time with question marks asking where he had gone in the newly uploaded stories and photos of his friends. It was such a noisy search that he was relieved that Hwang Hae-kyung’s ID was not tagged together.
Of course, for Lee Yoon-san, they were all difficult to answer, so he had no intention of entering the SNS app until he had enough answers prepared. Lee Yoon-san looked at his cell phone, where the top bar was still filled with noisy notifications, and then turned his gaze back to Hwang Hae-kyung. Thanks to getting angry once, he didn’t feel that the atmosphere was awkward with unnecessary self-consciousness.
“Hae-kyung, don’t you eat vegetables?”
“I ate too much when I was on a diet, so I’m tired of it.”
“Ah.”
Hwang Hae-kyung cut Lee Yoon-san’s sandwich and put it down, then assembled his own sandwich. As Lee Yoon-san watched Hwang Hae-kyung, who was taking a sandwich with a simple combination of cheese, ham, and sauce, to his mouth, a nonchalant answer popped out of Hwang Hae-kyung’s mouth. So Lee Yoon-san paused for a moment and had to roll his eyes.
He remembered that Hwang Hae-kyung had suddenly quit exercising and retired two years ago. Moreover, Lee Yoon-san didn’t know what kind of memory that part would remain for Hwang Hae-kyung, so he wondered if he had made a mistake.
He definitely wanted to know about Hwang Hae-kyung’s actions two years ago, but he had already closed his mouth on that topic once, and it was only a short time ago. Therefore, he was worried that the atmosphere would unintentionally become the same question right away.
If he had quit the exercise he had been doing all along at the peak, it must have been a very big deal in Hwang Hae-kyung’s life. He was also worried that the aftermath of that incident might not have healed yet, just two years later.
The person who has experienced something big is always the most difficult. And above all, Lee Yoon-san understood better than anyone the act of keeping silent about bad things or memories he had experienced. So he thought that Hwang Hae-kyung didn’t need to reveal everything about himself at this point, not long after they met again. Above all, now that the relationship between the two has become solid, there will be plenty of time to talk.
But unexpectedly, Hwang Hae-kyung didn’t react much. So Lee Yoon-san wondered what to say to change the subject, and just as an awkward silence was about to continue unnaturally, Hwang Hae-kyung opened his mouth.
“You must be a student too. Did you go to college?”
“Uh, me? Uh, uh. I go to a university near Sinchon.”
“Really? Me too.”
In fact, Lee Yoon-san knew the university that Hwang Hae-kyung had entered. He had seen it in the last article that Hwang Hae-kyung had completely retired from his career as an athlete. Lee Yoon-san’s school was near Daeheung Station, and Hwang Hae-kyung’s school was close to Sinchon Station. It was a long distance to walk, but it was a 5-minute taxi ride.
It was purely coincidental that Lee Yoon-san entered a university in a similar area to Hwang Hae-kyung. By the time Lee Yoon-san took the entrance exam, he had already lost contact with Hwang Hae-kyung for a while, and Lee Yoon-san applied to several schools in the same major and went to the school with the highest conventional name value among them.
“What’s your major?”
“I’m in artificial intelligence.”
“AI?”
“Yeah. I saw an ad a while ago where a hearing-impaired driver was driving a taxi, and there was a technology that visualized and tactilely implemented all the surrounding sounds so that he could drive safely. I thought that was so cool, so I wanted to study and work in that field from before. I just thought it was a way to compensate for people who are a little uncomfortable.”
I also want to play that role in society. It was the first time anyone had shown interest in my major, so Lee Yoon-san’s voice was a little excited. Most of the people around him, including his friends, thought that Lee Yoon-san had chosen his school name based on his grades.
However, only his parents knew what Lee Yoon-san was thinking, and he vividly remembered them listening to his good intentions to help someone and feeling proud. His parents were especially pleased that Lee Yoon-san had decided on a firm career path on his own will, rather than the fact that he had entered a good university, and Lee Yoon-san also took pride in his firm career path. That’s why he couldn’t help but be happy when the topic came up like this.
As expected, Hwang Hae-kyung was just staring at Lee Yoon-san. At Lee Yoon-san, who had a clear motive and will for what he wanted to do. Lee Yoon-san, who was sparkling his eyes and making an excited expression, saying that he had something he wanted to study and do, was so dazzling, so much like someone with a ‘dream’, that his appearance was so lovely that he was envious.
And it was Lee Yoon-san’s voice that woke Hwang Hae-kyung up.
“What about you, Hae-kyung?”
“Me?”
“Yeah. What’s your major?”
“I’m in applied statistics.”
“Wow, that’s unexpected.”
At Hwang Hae-kyung’s blunt words, Lee Yoon-san made a voice that seemed like admiration and surprise, and took a big bite of his sandwich. And Hwang Hae-kyung was just staring at Lee Yoon-san. Somehow, I felt a little down. Even though I’ve experienced this kind of reaction countless times.
“Do you also think it’s a waste that I quit volleyball?”
“Huh?”
That’s why. The question with a slightly sharp tone went out. Lee Yoon-san’s eyes widened at Hwang Hae-kyung’s question.
It was a familiar reaction. It was a reaction that he had been seeing steadily since Hwang Hae-kyung, who was good at volleyball and was called a genius, and who had even participated in the Olympics and became a gold medalist before he became an adult, suddenly announced his retirement and quit exercising.
Everyone speculated and argued about why Hwang Hae-kyung quit volleyball, and added a word or two, saying that his career was a waste. Then, when he went to a department that had nothing to do with sports, all sorts of speculative rumors made Hwang Hae-kyung sick of it. Most of them said that it was easy because he was an Alpha, and that the reason he was good at sports and could be called a genius was because he was born as an Alpha.
The gist of all the words was that ‘because he was born as an Alpha, he easily seizes everything without effort.’ That’s why it’s easy to give up a career that others can’t easily achieve, and it’s easy to make other choices. Everything that Hwang Hae-kyung achieved was possible because he was born with it, and it was possible because he was lucky in this life.
His past as a child model was also just because he was born as an ‘Alpha’ and benefited from his appearance, and his career as an athlete was also natural because he was born as an ‘Alpha’ with good physicals. The fact that he went to a good university was also easier and more natural than others because he was born as a smart ‘Alpha’.
There was nothing Hwang Hae-kyung could do in the process. It was too detailed to deny, and when he tried to affirm, self-censorship blocked his throat, saying, ‘Can I really say that I wasn’t affected by being an Alpha?’ Therefore, all he could do was just spend time quietly.
Of course, I didn’t expect to hear these words from Lee Yoon-san as well. Hwang Hae-kyung tried to manage his bitter expression as he looked at Lee Yoon-san’s round eyes and picked up his sandwich. I needed something to cover my expression right away.
“It’s not a waste at all, Hae-kyung.”
But the words that came out of Lee Yoon-san’s mouth were something Hwang Hae-kyung hadn’t expected.
“You worked so hard. You practiced and trained every day. You worked so hard, so what’s left to regret.”
“……”
“I know everything. You worked so hard that even the time to DM with me was different.”
“……”
“So you might want to do something else. You’ve done your part faithfully and diligently. Since you already have that experience, I think you’ll do well in other things too.”
Because you already know how to work hard. Lee Yoon-san covered his mouth with one hand while chewing the food in his mouth and diligently added. With a tone and attitude as if he was talking about a very ordinary and natural story.
“…What if it’s not something I want to do?”
“Huh?”
“It’s a little different from you. I’ve never thought that I have a talent for volleyball. I just did what I was given because I had to, and the results were good rather than wanting it desperately. I’ve thought that I could be a professional player without any problems, but I’ve never thought that I wanted it. I also went to a normal department that matched my grades, and I don’t really know what I want to do. Not yet.”
Hwang Hae-kyung’s words, as if feeling awkward or asking, “Is this okay?”, were unusually long. Lee Yoon-san blankly stared at Hwang Hae-kyung, then, noticing that his expression seemed somewhat sheepish, he paused his sandwich.
“Then that sounds even cooler….”
“What?”
“It means you know how to be diligent and consistently work hard, even without innate and tremendous talent.”
“……”
“And dreams don’t necessarily have to be a job or career path.”
We’re only twenty, twenty-one years old. Lee Yoon-san said, smiling slightly, and met Hwang Hae-kyung’s eyes again.
“It’s surprising that you’re majoring in statistics, but it suits you well. You’ll probably work incredibly hard at it, just like when you played volleyball, you.”
Hae-kyung, you already have the experience of working hard, and you’ve even achieved something with it. Lee Yoon-san said, smiling as if a little embarrassed to talk about the past, and Hwang Hae-kyung stood still, looking at Lee Yoon-san.
It was the first time he’d heard such words. Not speculation about his ‘innate talent as an Alpha,’ but words mentioning the time Hwang Hae-kyung had diligently worked hard.
Even his parents usually just smiled wryly and brushed off comments about Hwang Hae-kyung being good because he was an ‘Alpha.’ The fact that Alpha hormone activity affects overall physical ability had been medically proven.
But Lee Yoon-san was only talking about Hwang Hae-kyung’s efforts. Not talent or innate abilities as an Alpha, but saying, ‘You have experience working hard, so you can do well again.’ It was a reassuring statement for Hwang Hae-kyung.
The words ‘something you’ve already done’ were much clearer and more reassuring than ‘talent,’ which may or may not exist or be true. The statement ‘You have talent, so you’ll be good at anything’ is vague, but ‘You have experience, so why couldn’t you do it again?’ gave him much more self-confidence.
Moreover, the fact that he didn’t regret Hwang Hae-kyung’s abandoned volleyball career was a great comfort. It even felt as if the career of ‘volleyball’ was just a part of what Hwang Hae-kyung possessed.
The more people around him regretted his abandoned career, the more Hwang Hae-kyung felt as if volleyball had been his entire life. So, Hwang Hae-kyung, who didn’t play volleyball, sometimes felt like he had become an insignificant person. As if he had received a declaration that he had ended his prime and entered a period of decline.
Even though Hwang Hae-kyung was not even twenty years old when he quit volleyball, people talked as if Hwang Hae-kyung had made the biggest mistake of his life by quitting volleyball. Hwang Hae-kyung was the type to let such words flow, but even so, he was gradually buried in the words of criticism disguised as regret, pouring down like a torrential rain. He was able to live pretending to be calm because he had his family, but inwardly, he may have been festering.
But Lee Yoon-san said something different. As if volleyball was just a ‘part’ of what Hwang Hae-kyung had achieved. As if there was no lingering attachment because he had already done his best and worked hard. Lee Yoon-san didn’t regret or feel sorry at all for Hwang Hae-kyung’s past career.
He just seemed to dismiss it as ‘such a thing.’ A result of Hwang Hae-kyung’s past efforts, and one of the things he was good at. So, there was nothing to regret. The past career was a past event, and the essence was that Hwang Hae-kyung had ‘how to work hard’ left.
So, Hwang Hae-kyung just smiled as he looked at Lee Yoon-san. Lee Yoon-san, who was eating a sandwich while glancing at Hwang Hae-kyung’s expression and mood after pouring out everything he wanted to say, was constantly cute and lovely, to the point where his childhood when they didn’t get along well was ridiculous.
“Why…? Why are you smiling?”
“I’m angry at the elementary school Hwang Hae-kyung who didn’t play with you when you were little.”
“Not angry… but I kind of agree.”
“I’ll make up for it with the twenty-one-year-old me instead.”
“How?”
Hwang Hae-kyung said, looking into Lee Yoon-san’s eyes. His jet-black pupils looked like Black Pearl, or like Pebble shining on the beach under the hot sun.
“With all my heart.”
So, Hwang Hae-kyung looked into those eyes and answered kindly. To the owner of his heart, whom he didn’t even know when he had started to love.
After that, time was ordinary. Hwang Hae-kyung frowned as soon as he opened the door of the washing machine he had turned on at dawn. Because he hadn’t taken it out right away after turning it on, the laundry smelled strange. In the end, he had to turn on the washing machine one more time, and Hwang Hae-kyung and Lee Yoon-san decided to play a little with the laundry hung in the garden, using the blanket hanging on the clothesline as a net. It was because they had found a beach ball in the basement where the camping equipment was stored.
“Stand still and don’t move.”
“How can I not move when I’m playing beach volleyball? And I’m okay!”
Hwang Hae-kyung frowned as Lee Yoon-san, standing beyond the blanket, lifted his foot and shook it. Hwang Hae-kyung hadn’t even wanted to pass the beach ball, but Lee Yoon-san had insisted on coming out.
“I’ll take care of it, so just leave your foot alone.”
“No, how are you going to take care of it…?”
As soon as Lee Yoon-san found the deflated beach ball in the room, he went to his room and took out the air pump from his bag and inflated it. Hwang Hae-kyung looked puzzled because he had a very excited face, saying that he had seen it at the campsite when he was young. When he replied that he had only seen it when he was young and hadn’t played with it, Hwang Hae-kyung, who immediately became a sinner for not playing with Lee Yoon-san at that time, eventually surrendered.
As a result, Lee Yoon-san stood proudly, saying he would bounce the beach ball with his injured foot, and Hwang Hae-kyung, standing opposite the blanket, could only hold the beach ball in his hand with a headache expression.
The beach ball held in his large hand seemed to be slightly pressed. Lee Yoon-san’s eyes sparkled as he looked at Hwang Hae-kyung. It was unclear whether he was just happy to play ball with Hwang Hae-kyung, or whether he was happy with the outdoor activity. However, it was clear that he was just excited because he didn’t feel any pain in the soles of his feet right now.
“Here it comes.”
“Uh!”
At that, Hwang Hae-kyung sighed once and served the beach ball towards Lee Yoon-san. The weight and size were different from a volleyball, but after holding it a few times and estimating, it was easy to toss it to match Lee Yoon-san’s hand position.
“Wow!”
At that, Lee Yoon-san bounced the beach ball that fell right in front of him and sent it back to Hwang Hae-kyung. Of course, he couldn’t control his strength well, so the ball flew farther than he thought, but Hwang Hae-kyung stepped back following the ball and dropped the beach ball right to Lee Yoon-san’s hand position again.
“It’s so amazing, how does this happen?”
“Don’t put weight on your injured foot.”
It was amazing as the same pattern was repeated several times. It was amazing that it was possible to drop the ball so accurately with a beach ball that was clearly different in weight and texture from a volleyball. So, Lee Yoon-san kept passing the beach ball back and forth with Hwang Hae-kyung several times, and Hwang Hae-kyung received the ball that Lee Yoon-san was throwing without complaining, even though it was a somewhat boring pattern. He even came close to the blanket net and showed off his feint skills once in a while. Of course, even the ball that flew like that landed right above Lee Yoon-san’s hand. It seemed to be a kind of prank and affection.
Thanks to that, Lee Yoon-san was able to pass the ball that flew to him without moving a single step. It was almost a miraculous ball game. As he hit every ball that came flying and passed it to the other side, Lee Yoon-san even had the illusion that he had a great talent for beach volleyball. As with all ball games, it’s fun just to keep touching the ball without making mistakes.
“Show me a spike!”
“The ball will burst.”
“Really?”
“Really? This is vinyl. It’s just filled with air inside.”
“Then I’ll try!”
I’m not a former player! Lee Yoon-san shouted excitedly at the ball that came into his hand and grabbed the beach ball. And when he floated the ball in the air with a very excited expression and hit it with a Bang-Bang Punch, the ball seemed to fly far away with a loud noise. Hwang Hae-kyung, who was watching the scene, burst into laughter, and Lee Yoon-san was a little embarrassed by the beach ball that had flown away like a home run ball this time. If Hwang Hae-kyung didn’t intend to receive it, a home run was also possible with a beach ball.
“Ah, don’t laugh!”
“It’s so funny, the Bang sound was so loud.”
“It’s because it’s a vinyl ball!”
“I thought you were setting off a firecracker?”
Even if not as much as Hwang Hae-kyung, Lee Yoon-san is also an adult man with a tall height. Therefore, it was natural that a loud Bang! sound came from the ball hit with all his might with his palm.
However, the process of making that sound was so innocent, and Hwang Hae-kyung’s laughter didn’t stop because of the beach ball that had flown away so futilely. He continued to chuckle for a long time, and only stopped laughing when Lee Yoon-san’s expression turned cold.
And after facing the face of a sulky potato rabbit, he went to pick up the beach ball that had flown away.
“Try Bang-Bang Punch again.”
“…I hit a spike. Don’t make fun of me.”
“No. You were Bang-Bang Punching the back of the ball.”
“You said you would do it with all your heart, are you making fun of me with all your heart?!”
Hwang Hae-kyung laughed at Lee Yoon-san, who couldn’t stand his anger and shouted. It was the first time he had seen such a cool and clear laugh. Hwang Hae-kyung in his childhood was mostly sulky or cold, and Hwang Hae-kyung’s laughter, which he had seen twice in his adolescence, was mostly close to a smile, and Hwang Hae-kyung, whom he met again at the age of twenty, rarely showed a smiling face.
So, Lee Yoon-san erased the sulky expression on his face because he was upset and stared at Hwang Hae-kyung as if possessed.
The refreshing and cool smile he saw for the first time made him look like a boy. Even though he was much taller and his body had grown a lot. If only his foot was okay, he wanted to go over the blanket right away and stand in front of him and look at his smiling face in detail as if to engrave it.
Hwang Hae-kyung, whom Lee Yoon-san usually thinks of, was a person who suits winter. His pale skin was like snow, and his hazel eyes were like winter leaves that had fallen because they couldn’t withstand the cold. His cold expression, which looked cold when he didn’t smile, also reminded him of the cold winter when it snowed a lot. Only his warm brown hair reminded him of firewood burning in a bonfire to warm the winter, but everything else made him look like a winter boy.
Therefore, Lee Yoon-san didn’t feel much regret that he hadn’t seen Hwang Hae-kyung smile much. A boy like winter was cool enough even without smiling.
But not at this moment. Hwang Hae-kyung’s cool and clear laughter was refreshing. He was like the sunlight that had risen to the peak of summer. Both the playful laughter and the boyish laughter, though not loud, were all full of life at the age of twenty-one, so it was impossible to take his eyes off him.
“I’ll send the ball back to you again….”
So, he was just staring blankly at the scene, but Hwang Hae-kyung looked at Lee Yoon-san and held up the beach ball, as if he had finished laughing. He seemed to think that Lee Yoon-san, who was standing still without reacting, was sulking. So, he was about to float it in the air to send the ball to Lee Yoon-san, but,
“Son?”
Ahn Sun-mi’s voice was heard as the gate behind him opened. She stopped as she entered the gate with her husband, Hwang Jun-won, and Lee Yoon-san’s parents, and looked back and forth between Hwang Hae-kyung and Lee Yoon-san. With a bewildered expression as if she didn’t understand the current situation.
“…Auntie!”
So, Lee Yoon-san, who had been surprised and hardened, limped and approached them first. He was trying to take the initiative before the atmosphere became strange. Because Lee Yoon-san was the only one who knew that Hwang Hae-kyung had come here secretly without his family’s knowledge.
“Oh my, Baby! Is your foot okay? Don’t walk, Auntie will go!”
“Son, you should have told us! Why didn’t you contact us?”
Then, as Lee Yoon-san expected, the atmosphere, which had been mixed with bewilderment and silence, quickly collapsed. Ahn Sun-mi approached, stopping Lee Yoon-san, who was approaching her, with both hands, and Hwang Jun-won, who was standing behind her, smiled kindly and greeted Hwang Hae-kyung. Lee Jung-won and Lee Ga-eun, who were standing behind him, also said a word of greeting and approached Hwang Hae-kyung and hugged him lightly.
It was a sudden return of both families that was not expected.
✧✧✧
“It seems that a few people trespassed and played.”
After the family returned, the atmosphere became a little ambiguous. To be exact, the atmosphere between Hwang Hae-kyung and Lee Yoon-san.
The reason why the family returned was because the alarm went off at the training center and camping site owned by Hwang Hae-kyung’s family. It is a private property located in Jeju Island, a representative tourist destination in Korea, and it is well managed, so there were often cases where outsiders trespassed and were caught car camping or camping. So, they installed an external intrusion detection and alarm system, but it was an outdoor space and the place was so large, and there were so many people during peak seasons like these days, so security was not easy.
This time, it was a case where an external intrusion alarm went off at the outdoor camping site, and Hwang Jun-won came home saying that he would directly crack down on the news that the company and the manager had received an external intrusion alert. The rest of the group accompanied him to check Lee Yoon-san’s foot and have a meal together since they were going home anyway.
So, it was a meeting that was purely coincidental. Hwang Hae-kyung was caught by his family.
“Wow, that’s really bad. Did they clean up the trash?”
“No. They threw away everything they played with and used, trash, and ran away. I went to the campsite to check and came home first.”
“That’s terrible, really.”
Lee Yoon-san, who heard the story, frowned as if he was really angry at the trash and rudeness left behind by the campers who had trespassed on Hwang Hae-kyung’s private property, and Ahn Sun-mi and Lee Ga-eun smiled as if they thought Lee Yoon-san was cute.
They were sitting in the living room talking, and in front of them was a carrot cake that both parents had bought. As if it was true that they were going to have a meal at home since they were coming this way anyway.
And Hwang Hae-kyung was sitting on a terrace chair on the first floor, a little away from them. It wasn’t that he deliberately avoided the seat, it was just that the atmosphere was a little awkward. It had been too long since he had seen Lee Ga-eun and Lee Jung-won, and he had been caught coming here without his parents’ knowledge. And above all, now Lee Ga-eun and Lee Jung-won are not just adults who liked him, but Lee Yoon-san’s parents. The legal guardians and family of Lee Yoon-san, whom I am meeting.
“Son.”
So, he was sitting outside with a complicated mind in many ways, and Hwang Jun-won came out behind Hwang Hae-kyung. He sat on the chair next to Hwang Hae-kyung and took a sip of the canned beer in his hand. It was a Tangerine-Scented Ale Beer released in Jeju.
He just smiled as he looked at his grown-up son’s sulky expression. It was his son’s face that he saw in an unexpected place after a long time, so there were things he wanted to ask, but first of all, he was happy to see his son’s face.
“How’s your condition?”
“…Not bad.”
“How’s your mood?”
“That too.”
It was a check-up that he did every time and a routine conversation. The father and son were silent for a while, but it was by no means an uncomfortable silence.
After Ahn Sun-mi started living back and forth between Jeju and Seoul, the father and son often had time alone, and that time was usually filled with gruff but comfortable silence. As with other fathers and sons, the conversations between fathers and sons in Hwang Hae-kyung’s family were not trivial.
“When are you going back?”
“Why, do you want your dad and mom to leave quickly?”
“You came because there was a problem with the training center camping site. It wasn’t planned.”
“Well, that’s true. But I think I need to keep an eye on it. People keep trespassing illegally. I have to go and catch them right away when the alarm goes off. And report them.”
Of course, there were security personnel from the company in Jeju, but he didn’t want to deploy personnel for such things other than the scheduled schedule and route. Hwang Jun-won himself is the CEO of a security company.
“I’ll do it.”
Hwang Hae-kyung, who was sitting with his arms crossed and looking at the sky in front of him, said to his father. Then, Hwang Jun-won turned his head and looked at his son as if he was surprised, and Hwang Hae-kyung fiddled with the back of his neck as if making an excuse.
“Go on a trip as scheduled, just. I can stay here longer.”
“Are you going to stay in Jeju Island longer?”
“Yeah.”
When Hwang Jun-won asked with wide eyes, Hwang Hae-kyung answered gruffly and turned his gaze to the air as if embarrassed. When he asked Lee Yoon-san during the day, he said that he would stay in Jeju for a month. Originally, he was planning to go camping here and there with his mothers, but because he hurt his foot, he would probably stay here or stay in a hotel with his friends.
Hwang Hae-kyung, upon hearing Lee Yoon-san’s schedule, immediately thought of his own. He didn’t have any particular plans for this vacation either, so he could stay in Jeju for the same period. Moreover, his relationship with Lee Yoon-san had been developing.
“That’s good. If I tell Yoon-san to take care of… him, he’ll get angry again, won’t he, son?”
“I will take care of him.”
As Hwang Jun-won asked, glancing at his son, Hwang Hae-kyung replied curtly. It felt so new and welcome to hear his father tell him to take care of Lee Yoon-san. He used to hear it all the time when he was younger. Hwang Jun-won, noticing Hwang Hae-kyung’s ears turning red for no reason, chuckled and took a large gulp of beer.
He had an expression as if he didn’t know how to interpret his son’s blunt answer.
“It’s okay. I won’t stress you out with that kind of thing anymore, Hae-kyung.”
“…What?”
“You and Yoon-san didn’t get along very well when you were young. I’m sorry I forced you back then.”
“No, what are you talking about.”
“You play your way, son. You don’t have to take care of Yoon-san. The adults will take care of it.”
Hwang Jun-won patted Hwang Hae-kyung’s shoulder and stood up. Hwang Hae-kyung’s expression, looking at Hwang Jun-won as if he were absurd, was quite a sight. As a matter of fact, Hwang Hae-kyung was genuinely taken aback. When he was younger, they were always telling him to take care of him, to look after him, making a fuss, but now he couldn’t believe his father was saying such things. He was speechless.
So, because of that absurdity, even the obvious fact that he was dating Lee Yoon-san didn’t come to mind.
“Lee Yoon-san is a patient. I’m saying I’ll take care of him?”
“I said it’s okay. You came here to rest, so don’t worry about your brother and just have fun. Didn’t your friends come with you? What about him, Suk-jae and Se-jin? Didn’t you guys always hang out together, those tall guys? I still find it amazing how Suk-jae did libero with that height. Isn’t it advantageous for liberos to be small?”
“What are you talking about, why are you suddenly bringing them up?”
“I’m saying I won’t force you to act like a Hyung anymore.”
Hwang Hae-kyung said, following Hwang Jun-won, who emptied the remaining beer, took the can, and headed indoors, but it didn’t work at all. The situation had completely reversed from when he was young.
“It was wrong of me to force you so much when you were young. Your mom and I have been reflecting a lot on that.”
“That’s not it.”
“You don’t have to anymore, son.”
“No, why won’t you listen to me, ah.”
Hwang Hae-kyung felt his blood pressure rising due to his father’s changed attitude. Of course, even if his father said that, Hwang Hae-kyung had no intention of not taking care of Lee Yoon-san, but he felt uneasy because he thought the situation was turning strange.
He had smoothly expected that after the family barged in, an atmosphere would be created where the adults would encourage him to stay by Lee Yoon-san’s side, but that expectation was shattered. Hwang Hae-kyung’s plan to ride that atmosphere and casually reveal his relationship with Lee Yoon-san at the right timing was completely ruined.
“Yoon-san, don’t bother your Hyung either, and play with your friends. Got it?”
And it seemed that this wasn’t just Hwang Jun-won’s thought. As soon as he entered the living room, he heard Lee Jung-won and Lee Ga-eun scolding their son.
“Uh… but Mom, I’m with Hae-kyung….”
“You should say Hyung, Yoon-san. You’re not a baby potato anymore, you’re a big potato now.”
“Mom, first of all, I’m not a potato anymore….”
“We won’t force you anymore, so feel free to play with your friends. Got it? Ji-hoo and Soo-hyun came, right? Don’t bother your Hyung.”
“No… that’s not it.”
“We’ll move you to a hotel when the moms leave.”
“No, I’m fine, why are you doing this?”
“If Hae-kyung is here, it’s uncomfortable for you and Hae-kyung to live together, isn’t it? It’s not like it’s an empty house.”
“No….”
Lee Yoon-san also seemed just as bewildered by the current situation, unable to continue speaking with a flustered face. It was only after a long time that Lee Yoon-san’s wandering gaze fixed on Hwang Hae-kyung.
What should we do? Lee Yoon-san looked at Hwang Hae-kyung with that expression, and Hwang Hae-kyung had to suppress a laugh that was about to burst out because that dazed expression was funny and cute. First of all, it was a priority to handle the current situation.
“I’m okay, Auntie. Yoon-san can stay. His foot is injured, so I’ll take care of him.”
“No, Hae-kyung. Hae-kyung should rest and play too. You don’t have to take care of Yoon-san.”
“That’s right, Hae-kyung. When you were young, the Aunties felt sorry for Hae-kyung.”
However, despite Hwang Hae-kyung’s favorable words, Lee Jung-won and Lee Ga-eun’s apologies returned. Hwang Hae-kyung thought that the situation was really turning strange as he watched the adults’ quite firm attitude. Lee Yoon-san thought so too.
“We’re not going to force you two together anymore. It was all the adults’ greed and fault.”
Ahn Sun-mi, who was looking for an apron as if to prepare dinner, added the last words, making Hwang Hae-kyung and Lee Yoon-san’s heads go blank. In the midst of that situation, the young couple, only twenty-one and twenty years old, couldn’t say anything.
In this situation, they lacked the skill and nonchalance to say, “We’re actually dating,” and it felt like a major announcement, making them feel burdened as if they were committing a big deal. They couldn’t even dare to imagine the atmosphere after making such an announcement in a place where both families were gathered.
When you think about it, both families hadn’t exchanged or mentioned each other’s sons’ news even while they were going through adolescence, except for when they were very young. Although they didn’t know the reason, both Hwang Hae-kyung and Lee Yoon-san felt uneasy about that point. It was as if it was evidence that the thoughts and attitudes of the adults in each family had changed from when they were young.
Of course, even so, it wasn’t that they didn’t have any expectations that they would be congratulated if they revealed their relationship, but they were worried that if that wasn’t the case and an awkward atmosphere was created, the situation would turn negative. Therefore, the current situation was very embarrassing for the two of them, who had just wanted the adults of both families to put them together naturally, and then ride that atmosphere to casually reveal their changed relationship.
And secretly, they also had unnecessary worries. They were worried that if the adults knew that Alpha Hwang Hae-kyung and Omega Lee Yoon-san were dating, they might not let them stay in the same house. Of course, even now, the adults of both families seemed to be trying to separate Lee Yoon-san and Hwang Hae-kyung’s residence, but if they said they were dating in this situation, there was a high probability that they wouldn’t be allowed to stay in the same house. Because the fact that they were no longer in a ‘Hyung-brother’ relationship meant that they were in a relationship where they could spend the night together.
Moreover, Hwang Hae-kyung’s parents and Lee Yoon-san’s adoptive parents still treated Lee Yoon-san like a ‘Baby’, didn’t they? Hwang Hae-kyung was already feeling complicated about that. Of course, he also treated Lee Yoon-san like a Baby during the day, but that was a kind of pillow talk, wasn’t it?
“I can’t see where the apron went. Let’s eat dinner first!”
On the other hand, the expressions of the adults who had those children looked just comfortable. They seemed to think that it was a good choice to realize their past mistakes and apologize to the children, and they started taking out the ingredients with quite relieved faces and comfortable attitudes.
Most of them were things they had bought at the five-day market on their way home. As if they had planned to have a dinner party from the start, there were quite a lot of ingredients.
“I’ll make you something delicious! The kids just sit and watch!”
Only Hwang Hae-kyung and Lee Yoon-san’s hearts became endlessly complicated as they watched that scene.
“It’s nice to have a drink together now that the kids are all grown up. I’ll make you a punch cocktail.”
The adults were busy preparing dinner. Lee Ga-eun and Ahn Sun-mi were busy making salads and trimming seafood, and Hwang Jun-won was focused on grilling meat on the induction stove with the fan turned on to the strongest setting. And Lee Jung-won, who had unpacked a camping water jug and various fruits in front of Hwang Hae-kyung and Lee Yoon-san, who were sitting side by side at the table watching the scene, said to the two children.
She seemed to be newly enjoying the fact that she could have a meal with drinks with the children who had now become adults.
“That thing we used to make at the campsite?”
“Yeah. I’ll make it with lots of fruit and juice.”
Lee Jung-won replied with a smile to Lee Yoon-san’s words and poured a lot of blueberries and Shine Muscat into the water jug. Then, she added ice, champagne, and fruit juice in a rush, and started cutting summer fruits including watermelon and plums. It seemed that all of them would go into the punch.
Lee Yoon-san watched the scene with a curious expression. He knew that the adults drank alcohol at the campsite when he was young, but he didn’t know that they made something like this to drink. By the time the adults were drinking alcohol, Lee Yoon-san had already fallen asleep while watching Wing Pong. And that was the same for Hwang Hae-kyung, so he also sat still and watched Lee Jung-won make summer fruit punch.
“Our Yoon-san can’t have alcohol because his foot is injured, does Hae-kyung drink a little?”
“A little.”
“Can I put in Absolut?”
“Yes.”
A champagne bottle was already stuck upside down in the jug full of fruit, ice, and drinks, but Lee Jung-won didn’t stop there and took out three mini vodka bottles and stuck them in one after another. Then, a pretty decent party drink was completed.
“Wow… when are we going to eat all of this?”
“We’ll eat it quickly if we eat it, how many adults are there.”
Lee Jung-won didn’t usually enjoy sweet drinks, but summer nights with family were an exception. Especially if it was the first dinner with the two children who had grown up safely, she thought that a sweet and delicious drink was necessary. The adults seemed very excited about the long-awaited meal between the two families.
“It’s like a meeting between families before a wedding.”
“Uh, uh, uh?!”
Hwang Hae-kyung leaned slightly towards Lee Yoon-san and whispered, and Lee Yoon-san was flustered and surprised. His face, which had turned red like a child, was a bonus. On the other hand, Lee Jung-won, who had made the punch and turned around to get the glasses, filled a large glass with fruit punch using a ladle and placed it in front of Hwang Hae-kyung, and placed a separate Hwachae made for Lee Yoon-san.
“Yoon-san’s doesn’t have any alcohol in it, so try it. It’s like an aperitif.”
“I’ll enjoy it.”
“Me too, Mom.”
Hwang Hae-kyung, who took a sip of the punch, frowned but smiled slightly. It seemed too much like juice for his taste. And that was the same for Lee Yoon-san, but the Hwachae without alcohol was cool and sweet.
Lee Jung-won, who was looking at their expressions from the front with an excited expression, smiled and added that punch or Hwachae were originally eaten for that kind of taste. They were eaten to cool down and beat the summer heat. It certainly seemed like a party drink that you could drink endlessly if you ate it for the cool taste. Thanks to the large-capacity water jug containing colorful fruits, the atmosphere easily became friendly.
“I’ll put out the salad, eat it.”
Lee Ga-eun said, placing a salad plate between them, and Ahn Sun-mi also brought the trimmed seafood to the table. It was a plate filled with sea squirts, sea cucumbers, horseshoe crabs, and abalone sashimi.
Lee Yoon-san took out his cell phone and turned on the camera app at the most luxurious table he had encountered in Jeju, and Hwang Hae-kyung naturally leaned his upper body towards Lee Yoon-san and looked at the composition that Lee Yoon-san was taking. The pretty decent lighting and the food that kept being placed on the table were quite impressive.
And at the moment of trying to take that scene, Hwang Hae-kyung’s finger intruded and tapped one place on the camera screen. The island that was caught on the edge while capturing the food on the table widely.
“…Don’t.”
So it was natural for Lee Yoon-san to glare at Hwang Hae-kyung. It was because he was newly reminded of what he had done in that place just today. Lee Yoon-san touched his ears, which kept getting hot, a few times and warned Hwang Hae-kyung, but he just smiled.
Hwang Jun-won, who was bringing a plate full of meat from over there and putting it down, said a word when Lee Yoon-san made a sulky expression.
“Hae-kyung shouldn’t bully his younger brother.”
“I didn’t bully him.”
“What are we going to do if you guys still have that kind of relationship?”
Hwang Hae-kyung replied indifferently to his father’s words, but it seemed that it didn’t work because of Lee Yoon-san’s expression. Lee Yoon-san tried to fix it belatedly, but Hwang Jun-won had already turned back to the induction stove, saying that he had to grill shrimp.
The adults seemed quite chaotic as they continued to make and bring out food. They were also chatting among themselves, so the friendly atmosphere wasn’t broken.
“Come to think of it, what about Yoon-san’s friends?”
This time, Ahn Sun-mi, who had placed the mackerel sashimi bought at the five-day market on the table, asked Lee Yoon-san. She remembered that he had said that his friends would come before leaving the house.
“Uh… they came, but I came in first.”
“Oh my, why? Because of your foot?”
“Yes.”
Since he had no words to make up, he said half the truth, and Ahn Sun-mi’s expression was tinged with pity.
It would have been nice if he had time to talk to Hwang Hae-kyung in advance, but since he didn’t, he passed the situation with an ambiguous answer for now. If Lee Yoon-san was just a little more skillful, he would have been able to reveal their relationship by naturally saying that he and Hwang Hae-kyung had come home together.
But right now, Lee Yoon-san was all conscious of the chaotic atmosphere, the island, and Hwang Hae-kyung sitting next to him, so the biggest task was to get through this conversation smoothly.
“Your friends are all Omegas, right?”
“Yes.”
“How are the kids? I wonder if they’re all as nice as our Baby potato. Is there a good one? Our Hae-kyung doesn’t have anyone he’s meeting either.”
“Hae-kyung…?”
Ahn Sun-mi’s expression and tone of voice as she placed two bowls of red pepper paste and soy sauce in front of Lee Yoon-san were ordinary. So he could tell that she wasn’t just trying to test him or saying it with some intention. But it was inevitable that Lee Yoon-san’s mouth and expression broke down at that content.
“Yoon-san, you should say Hyung. Are you still going to be like that like when you were a Baby?”
In the meantime, Lee Ga-eun set the spoons and front plates on the table and scolded him, and Lee Yoon-san’s gaze turned to Hwang Hae-kyung sitting next to him. He was resting his chin on his elbow on the table, and his expression was a little smiling with one eyebrow furrowed. As if it was your turn to explain this time.
“By the way, Hyung Myung-jun hasn’t contacted you anymore? Didn’t he say he would play with you during vacation?”
“No, Mom, what are you talking about, why are you suddenly saying that….”
Chapter
“Who was that Sunbae who said he’d buy you drinks last time? If our Yoon-san was going to hurt his foot and not even be able to play properly, we should have just let him hang out with his friends in Seoul.”
“No, Mom. I would have been sad if I hadn’t come to Jeju. Don’t say weird things…”
Lee Yoon-san, keenly aware of Hwang Hae-kyung, tried to smooth things over at his mother’s pure yet cruel remark aimed at her son, but unfortunately, he wasn’t given the chance. The atmosphere at the table was already too convivial and chaotic, like a party.
“Ah, that’s right! Where did we put the Hallasan and Jeju citrus wine we bought earlier?”
“Oh my, I think we just left it in the car when we got out?”
“Wait here, I’ll go get it.”
“Come with me. Darlings, please get out some glasses. We can’t drink it in punch glasses.”
“Okay, okay.”
It was because the adults belatedly realized they had forgotten the most important alcohol. The adults, distracted by the Hallasan soju they had bought as a pair and the expensive Jeju citrus wine, quickly got up from their seats and scattered to the parking lot and the kitchen cabinet, respectively. And in that chaotic and noisy atmosphere, only Hwang Hae-kyung and Lee Yoon-san were left alone for a moment.
Taking advantage of the adults’ absence, Hwang Hae-kyung looked at Lee Yoon-san and whispered quietly. It was a voice so secretive that it wouldn’t reach the ears of the two adults who were rinsing glasses with water at the cabinet.
“What’s up, Yoon-san? You need to explain, in detail.”
So Lee Yoon-san also spoke in a whisper, with a very nervous expression, his eyes darting around.
“What… what do you mean…?”
“Who Yoo-rim is, what Myung-jun Hyung does, and what kind of bastard that Sunbae who offered to buy you drinks is.”
“No, they’re all just people from school!”
“I can’t live with this anxiety.”
You make me anxious every single day. Hwang Hae-kyung, with furrowed brows and a mischievous expression, hummed the lyrics as if whistling softly. The adults were already returning to the table, so he replaced it with a light and small humming, but the message was clear. Besides, his voice was quite pleasant to listen to, so Lee Yoon-san’s cheeks flushed again.
Anxious. Lee Yoon-san thought that was a word that only he could say, and he had never imagined hearing it from Hwang Hae-kyung’s mouth. At the same time, his heart rate was racing, making it a little difficult to remain calm.
Is this what romance is like? Lee Yoon-san was dying from the constantly fluctuating heart rate and the tension of being aware of his surroundings. It was a truly strange yet sweet thrill, like the punch placed on the table.
Hwang Hae-kyung looked at Lee Yoon-san and clenched and unclenched his empty hand once, an action that came from controlling his hand that was about to reach out to Lee Yoon-san. He could feel Lee Yoon-san’s soft Pheromone very faintly. It was a very fluffy Pheromone filled with excitement and fluttering emotions. It made Hwang Hae-kyung want to touch and grab it.
Seeing that it spread out very faintly and quickly subsided, it seemed that Lee Yoon-san had deliberately released it because he wanted to secretly show his feelings only to Hwang Hae-kyung. He knew that Hwang Hae-kyung was sensitive to even the smallest amount of Pheromone. However, he didn’t seem to know that this kind of expression only made Hwang Hae-kyung even more eager.
“Okay, let’s eat! In Jeju, you have to drink Jeju alcohol!”
Just as Hwang Hae-kyung, his ears helplessly reddened, clenched and unclenched his fist more strongly once again, the adults finished setting up the glasses and alcohol. They returned with Jeju alcohol and the glasses they had been saving, continuing the convivial atmosphere, and the dinner that started that way lasted until quite late.
It was a dinner gathering of the two families that had reunited after about 10 years.
-Hey, you traitor.
“Sorry. But my parents really came to my house.”
-Weren’t you the one who invited us to come play, Lee Yoon-san?!
“I’m really sorry.”
As Lee Yoon-san apologized, flustered by the voice coming from beyond the phone call, he heard a blunt reply that it was okay. Seeing his friends, who usually didn’t like phone calls and only chatted in the chat room, calling and complaining, he figured they must have been quite taken aback. Well, since he had suddenly disappeared with Hwang Hae-kyung and hadn’t even been in contact since, he could understand his friends’ feelings to some extent. So, in the middle of the family party that had continued from dinner to a full-fledged drinking session, he had come out to the terrace alone to make excuses that weren’t excuses.
-But if your parents came, does that mean we can’t hang out with you anymore?
“No. They’re going back to Biyangdo for camping tomorrow.”
-Ah, so can we hang out together tomorrow?
“Um… maybe?”
Hae-kyung has to agree, though. Lee Yoon-san swallowed those words and gave an arbitrary affirmative answer. Then Kim Ji-hoo and Shin Soo-hyun made a fuss among themselves beyond the phone call and forgave Lee Yoon-san’s ‘escape crime.’ After that, they talked about the hotel for a few words and ended the call.
To the question of exactly which room in which hotel they had booked, the news was that they had booked a decent room in a pretty good hotel for a few days. Lee Yoon-san was worried about the unexpectedly expensive accommodation fee, but Ham Se-jin had paid for it.
It was strange. The fact that Ham Se-jin, a friend of Hwang Hae-kyung, had paid for the accommodation expenses of his friends. But it didn’t seem like the right time to pry into the situation that had already happened, so he decided to just let it go for now.
Anyway, he was glad that there didn’t seem to be any major problems after he and Hwang Hae-kyung had left. His friends seemed to have looked around the pub a little more before going to the hotel and drinking with Hwang Hae-kyung’s friends and passing out, and Ham Se-jin and Lee Seok-jae also seemed to have gone to their own rooms and rested after the drinking session.
Lee Yoon-san, who had finished the call safely, sat on a chair on the terrace for a while. The atmosphere with the adults was convivial and noisy, but it was a little embarrassing. They no longer tried to put Hwang Hae-kyung and Lee Yoon-san together like before. No, rather, they apologized several times for the past mistake of forcibly trying to put the children together when they were young and were busy separating the two.
If Hwang Hae-kyung tried to take care of Lee Yoon-san, who had hurt his foot, Lee Yoon-san’s parents would stop him and take care of their son, and even if Lee Yoon-san tried to talk to Hwang Hae-kyung, they would jokingly tell him not to bother his Hyung. And since Hwang Hae-kyung’s parents were in the same situation, if Hwang Hae-kyung tried to joke around or cling to Lee Yoon-san, they would warn him not to bother his younger sibling or divert Hwang Hae-kyung’s attention to themselves.
The basis and argument for all those actions was, ‘You guys weren’t originally close, so there’s no need to force the atmosphere.’ It was frustrating, but there was no way to argue. In Lee Yoon-san’s opinion, and in Hwang Hae-kyung’s opinion, if they revealed their current relationship, it seemed that they would only attract attention and warnings from their parents.
‘If we tell them… they won’t go camping without us, will they?’
Just seeing him and Hwang Hae-kyung talking or joking around like this creates an atmosphere where they try to stop them, so if they were to declare that they were dating, the chances were high that they would be dragged to the family camping site together or that one of them would not be allowed to stay in this house. Therefore, it was best for Lee Yoon-san and Hwang Hae-kyung to stay in this house alone, so they decided to be careful with their words.
It was a conclusion that came from the intuition that it would be better to naturally tell their parents that they were dating after they returned from camping. But on the other hand, he also felt a little hurt by Hwang Hae-kyung’s parents.
Wasn’t I the son-in-law designated in that family…? Lee Yoon-san felt his heart becoming sullen at such thoughts that suddenly popped up.
When they were young, there were clearly several families where the mothers socialized, but as time passed, there were few people who contacted them often other than Hwang Hae-kyung’s family. Whenever he heard them chatting on the phone, it was always Hwang Hae-kyung’s parents, and Hwang Hae-kyung’s parents took care of his birthday, Christmas, and Children’s Day even during the development period when they couldn’t meet.
That was the same for Lee Yoon-san’s own parents as well. Lee Yoon-san knew that they had also taken care of Hwang Hae-kyung.
Since they had done that much for each other, he had naturally thought that Hwang Hae-kyung’s parents would like him. They had regretted not being able to play together like that when they were young, so he had secretly thought that it would be the same when they grew up. But what was this change of attitude? It was as if Lee Yoon-san had never even been considered as Hwang Hae-kyung’s partner, and they were showing interest in Lee Yoon-san’s friends.
Even when Choi Ga-ram’s comments and likes flooded Lee Yoon-san’s SNS posts during dinner, they even asked Lee Yoon-san if she was someone he was seeing. Hwang Hae-kyung was staring intently from the side, so he was sweating for no reason, but in fact, Lee Yoon-san had forgotten about Choi Ga-ram’s existence, so he didn’t intend to react in any particular way.
So, even if Hwang Hae-kyung wasn’t next to him, he was going to ignore Choi Ga-ram’s comments. In the first place, he had also given Choi Ga-ram an indirect negative signal.
But in the midst of all that, they asked him if he was seeing Choi Ga-ram, so it was only natural that Lee Yoon-san would be aware of Hwang Hae-kyung. So the atmosphere became a little awkward.
‘Auntie, I’m really a little hurt…’
For that reason, Lee Yoon-san didn’t want to go into the house where his family was having a fun alcohol party. He was unnecessarily aware of Hwang Hae-kyung because of Choi Ga-ram’s notification bomb and Ahn Sun-mi’s tactless remarks.
Let’s stay out here a little longer. Lee Yoon-san made that conclusion in his mind and shifted his gaze to the summer night sky of Jeju. The scent of summer night grass, which suited the blue night, was refreshing.
Meanwhile, Hwang Hae-kyung, who was trapped inside the alcohol party, was also thinking similarly to Lee Yoon-san. Wasn’t I the one who was stuck next to Lee Yoon-san in that family…? Hwang Hae-kyung looked at the adults chatting over there with a somewhat bewildered expression.
“Baby Potato must be really popular at school. He’s so gentle and cute, just everything.”
“But our Baby is a bit of a country bumpkin, so he doesn’t talk to us about that kind of thing.”
“That’s how all the kids are these days. Our Hae-kyung doesn’t talk about that kind of thing with his mom and dad either, right?”
The adults poured Jeju citrus wine into wine glasses, held a glass each, put on an LP record in the living room, and were immersed in chatting while going back and forth to the kitchen. Their stories were mainly related to newly released camping equipment, and once in a while, the topic would turn to their sons, and this time was that timing, as the adults’ gazes turned to Hwang Hae-kyung.
Hwang Hae-kyung was sipping Jeju citrus wine that filled half of his glass, sitting haphazardly on the sofa, and he couldn’t hide the boredom caused by Lee Yoon-san’s absence. He was only listening intently, eagerly absorbing only the stories about Lee Yoon-san. Especially his mom’s words that Lee Yoon-san must be popular and the Aunties’ words that didn’t exactly deny it.
“I already said it earlier.”
“Show us a picture of the girl you like and tell us, son.”
“Just see her in person, what’s with the pictures.”
Hwang Hae-kyung, who had answered somewhat sullenly to Ahn Sun-mi’s words, put down the glass he was holding and turned his gaze to the terrace. Lee Yoon-san, who had gone out for a while to make a phone call to appease his friends, hadn’t come back in.
Just when he was wondering if he should go out to the terrace, Lee Jung-won came and sat down next to Hwang Hae-kyung with a thud. She was holding a wine glass with Jeju citrus wine sloshing in one hand and a bottle of Jeju citrus wine in the other, and it seemed that she had come on purpose to pour more alcohol into Hwang Hae-kyung’s glass.
“How’s our Prince’s condition?”
“…I’m fine.”
Hwang Hae-kyung, who received more Jeju citrus wine that Lee Jung-won poured, answered awkwardly to Lee Jung-won’s affectionate tone. The nickname ‘Prince,’ which was still being maintained, was embarrassing, but that was the same context as the adults still calling Lee Yoon-san ‘Baby Potato.’ It was just a language that had become familiar like a habit, a language that they used to call the children they loved.
Lee Jung-won had been maintaining a particularly close relationship with Hwang Jun-won, who was also an Alpha. The fact that they were both in business and that they were Alphas with similar social positions seemed to be factors that solidified their bond.
So she knew a little about Hwang Hae-kyung’s news. She knew that Hwang Hae-kyung had gone to counseling after the Tokyo Olympics. She was the one who had helped Hwang Jun-won’s shaken mentality when Hwang Hae-kyung was going to counseling. Both Hwang Jun-won and Lee Jung-won hardly showed their hardships in front of their families, but they often shared their stories in places where they could drink together.
And Hwang Hae-kyung, Ahn Sun-mi, and Lee Ga-eun all knew that fact well.
“You guys have already grown up and are drinking with us.”
“I guess so.”
“It even seems like you drink better than those three over there.”
Lee Ga-eun, Ahn Sun-mi, and Hwang Jun-won, who had moved their seats to the dining table over there while turning up the volume of the old pop music coming from the turntable a little more, looked flushed. All three of them already had somewhat relaxed faces. They seemed to be so drunk and excited that they didn’t properly realize that the music was playing softly because they had moved their seats to the kitchen.
On the other hand, Lee Jung-won, who had come out from them and sat next to Hwang Hae-kyung on the sofa, looked very sober. It was a look that was like Lee Jung-won, who was known as the biggest drinker among the adults of Hwang Hae-kyung and Lee Yoon-san’s families. Hwang Hae-kyung also looked very sober, even though he hadn’t skipped a single drink at the dinner and drinking session that had been going on for several hours.
Lee Jung-won smiled at Hwang Hae-kyung sitting next to her. As if she had found her successor, who was known as the person with the strongest alcohol tolerance in the two families’ gathering.
“Drink and sleep well today. When you wake up, the Aunties, Mom, and Dad will all be gone again.”
“I’ll take care of Yoon-san.”
“It’s okay, Yoon-san is all grown up now, and we can’t give our Hae-kyung the stress of being the eldest son like when he was young.”
“It’s not like that.”
Lee Jung-won’s tone of voice as she swirled the Jeju citrus wine in her wine glass was comfortable. So Hwang Hae-kyung was able to erase the somewhat awkward atmosphere that had been going on for a long time. She also felt like her father, Hwang Jun-won.
“When you were born, Hae-kyung.”
“Yes.”
“You were so pretty, really. I thought, ‘How can such a pretty baby exist in the world?’ You seemed like a baby who was born to be loved, really.”
Lee Jung-won’s voice was so low and comfortable, like reading a fairy tale, that Hwang Hae-kyung turned his head and looked at Lee Jung-won. She smiled languidly as if reminiscing about something, took a sip of her drink, and continued to speak.
“You were so pretty even as you grew up. I couldn’t hate you at all, even though you didn’t play with our Yoon-san.”
“…I’m sorry about that time. I was still the Hyung, even though it was Yoon-san.”
“It’s not something to apologize for, Hae-kyung. You were young too. What I want to say is… there are no conditions attached to the love for you.”
Lee Jung-won said that in a comfortable voice, as if she was talking about her daily life, and then smiled kindly at Hwang Hae-kyung.
“Your parents, me, and my wife. We don’t attach any conditions to loving you or Yoon-san.”
“……”
“Just like how we loved you even when you didn’t play with Yoon-san.”
Kids often forget that, though. Lee Jung-won’s expression as she spoke was gentle. She briefly thought of her twenty-year-old son. Her young son, who didn’t want to upset his mothers, often followed them to the camping site and just lingered around.
And she thought of young Hwang Hae-kyung, who would go to the filming set with an attitude that showed he had no interest in being a child model. Children often tried to meet conditions because they wanted to be loved. The condition of listening to their mom well, the condition of doing things that their parents liked even if they didn’t like it. It was an action they chose because they didn’t know that they were loved even without those conditions.
So Lee Jung-won and her friends often reflect on and regret being busy and clumsy guardians when their children were young. They regret not telling their beloved children ‘You don’t have to do that’ in time.
She was silent for a while, thinking, and then continued to speak after catching her breath a little, as if she was full. Because there was something she wanted to tell them this time without being late.
“I don’t know what happened to you, Hae-kyung.”
“……”
“The Aunties raised our Yoon-san that way too? So maybe our Baby only knows that kind of love. Without conditions, just loving.”
Hwang Hae-kyung’s eyes widened a little as if surprised at Lee Jung-won’s words that followed. But Lee Jung-won continued to speak without paying attention to Hwang Hae-kyung. Because there was something she really wanted to tell him.
“So you can accept the heart that child gives you without being anxious.”
“…Auntie.”
“You have a subtly defensive and cautious side, you know. But Hae-kyung, Yoon-san is okay. And you’ll probably be okay too.”
Because the way of love you learned from us probably isn’t that different from Yoon-san’s. Lee Jung-won added that and took a sip of Jeju citrus wine. Hwang Hae-kyung just stared blankly at Lee Jung-won, shocked because her words sounded like she knew about the relationship between Lee Yoon-san and him.
“Auntie, about what you just said.”
“Did you think I wouldn’t know? The atmosphere between you two is so cute that the adults just wanted to tease you a little.”
“Wow… When did you find out?”
“Not long after you came home. It wasn’t the same atmosphere as when you were kids.”
It was easier to tell because they didn’t get along when they were young. Lee Jung-won added with a playful smile.
“This is so embarrassing, wow.”
Lee Jung-won laughed as Hwang Hae-kyung, taken aback by her nonchalant words, grabbed his bright red ears with both hands to cool them down. It was a laugh that was half-buried by the greatly increased volume of the old pop music, but it was also a refreshing and mischievous laugh, so Hwang Hae-kyung could only stare at her with a look of being had. And Lee Jung-won, who had been laughing like that for a while, patted Hwang Hae-kyung on the back and said.
“Please take good care of our Baby, Prince.”
“Is that an announcement that I’m the family’s chosen son-in-law?”
“You have to achieve your first love well to get to the inauguration. You’re still twenty, twenty-one, right?”
“I’ll do my best.”
The conversation that followed inevitably had laughter mixed in. Hwang Hae-kyung raised his glass and emptied the Jeju citrus wine at Lee Jung-won’s action of clinking her glass against his on the sofa table. And in the conversation that followed, there was no longer any awkwardness or unfamiliarity after a long time. Rather, it was even more comfortable than when they were kids.
The old pop music that filled the house, the voices of the adults who were tipsy from the alcohol, and even the Jeju Island liquor bottles that had been completely emptied were all just welcome on this night.
‘Are they all asleep?’
Lee Yoon-san, who was lying on the blanket on the floor, carefully raised his head and looked at the bed. He saw Lee Ga-eun, completely drunk, and Lee Jung-won, who was holding Lee Ga-eun in her arms, fast asleep, but after waving his hand in front of them just in case, Lee Yoon-san got up completely and left the room.
The end of the drinking party that lasted until late at night was the adults going to sleep. Fortunately, it ended when Lee Yoon-san returned from the terrace, but it was also a gathering that ended only after all that alcohol had been drunk.
The adults, who had emptied all the alcohol, scattered to their respective rooms. Hwang Hae-kyung’s parents went to the main room on the first floor, and Lee Yoon-san’s parents each took one of Lee Yoon-san’s arms and went to the guest room. In the process, Lee Yoon-san and Hwang Hae-kyung looked at each other, but the adults pretended not to notice their sons’ gazes. The displeased expression Hwang Hae-kyung made at that was the last face Lee Yoon-san saw of him.
Lee Yoon-san entered the room, sent his mothers to the bed, and laid a blanket on the floor. It was Hwang Jun-won who brought another blanket to the room, so Lee Yoon-san decided that he really had to keep his relationship with Hwang Hae-kyung a secret from the adults, at least for today. It was unfair that they were already trying to separate the two of them just because they were ‘Alpha and Omega who weren’t close since they were kids.’ At least, that’s what Lee Yoon-san thought, who didn’t know the situation behind the scenes.
He secretly came out to the living room, leaving his sleeping parents behind, and looked around. The first floor, where the lights were turned off after everyone fell asleep, was dark, but the lights were on in the kitchen.
‘Is it Hae-kyung?Since the last appearance of the adults was all drunk, Lee Yoon-san headed to the kitchen with such expectations. The closer he got to the kitchen, the longer the shadow stretched on the floor. It seemed like it was Hwang Hae-kyung. The length of the shadow was very long, and Hwang Hae-kyung was very tall.
But just before stepping into the kitchen, a hand suddenly grabbed his arm and pulled him to the side. Thanks to this, Lee Yoon-san’s body, who was so surprised that he couldn’t even scream, stiffened.
Of course, the owner of the hand was Hwang Hae-kyung. Lee Yoon-san stared at Hwang Hae-kyung, who had suddenly appeared, with wide eyes, and Hwang Hae-kyung gestured to him to be quiet and then gestured to the kitchen.
Only then did Lee Yoon-san, whose head was now free, look at the kitchen again, and he could see Hwang Jun-won’s silhouette, whether he was cleaning up or drinking water. In fact, it was a fact that he would have realized earlier if he had observed a little more carefully. Hwang Jun-won was also tall, but a little shorter than Hwang Hae-kyung, and the two had different hair colors. Hwang Hae-kyung’s brown hair was a sign of external trust.
Wow, that was close. Lee Yoon-san brushed his chest at the sight of Hwang Jun-won, whom he almost mistook for Hwang Hae-kyung. And when he turned his head again to look at Hwang Hae-kyung, Hwang Hae-kyung turned Lee Yoon-san’s body toward him, put both hands under his thighs, and lifted him up as he was.
“Hey…!”
Lee Yoon-san, who was horrified again by the sudden action, looked down at Hwang Hae-kyung with a look that said, ‘What are you doing?’ but Hwang Hae-kyung hugged him and started walking up the stairs again. It would be strange if there were two sets of footsteps. Hwang Hae-kyung said that to Lee Yoon-san with his mouth, but Lee Yoon-san, who suddenly had a high view, was too confused to understand.
When they were about halfway up the stairs to the second floor, Hwang Jun-won’s voice was heard from the kitchen. It seemed like he was cleaning up the food waste, as there was a rustling sound of plastic.
“Is that Hae-kyung on the stairs?Perhaps he felt a presence in the quiet dawn.
“Yeah.”
Then Hwang Hae-kyung answered indifferently, and Lee Yoon-san covered his mouth with a very nervous expression. He couldn’t even imagine what embarrassing and awkward situation would occur if Hwang Jun-won found out about this appearance.
“Why, do you need something? Dad will just clean up this food waste and go.”
“No. I was wondering if there was a charger on the first floor.”
“…Son.”
At the end of the conversation that continued in a normal tone, Hwang Jun-won sighed and smiled as he called Hwang Hae-kyung. This time, Hwang Hae-kyung frowned a little as if he was embarrassed. This was because when his father called him in that tone, he often tried to probe something.
“Let Yoon-san sleep.”
Sure enough, Lee Yoon-san’s body stiffened again at his words that hit the nail on the head. Lee Yoon-san’s habit of swallowing screams and freezing when he was surprised was still valid even as an adult.
“Don’t even think about taking a sleeping kid and bringing him upstairs. If you do that, Dad will really have no face to show Yoon-san’s mothers.”
At Hwang Jun-won’s scolding, which wasn’t really a scolding, Lee Yoon-san’s wide eyes looked at Hwang Hae-kyung’s face. Hwang Jun-won’s words were surprising in many ways. It was as if he knew about their relationship.
“I don’t touch sleeping kids.”
On the other hand, Hwang Hae-kyung nonchalantly told his father half a lie with a voice that seemed absurd. He knew very well that hesitating or pausing at times like this was no different from confessing.
Isn’t it okay to run away with a kid who came out on his own feet, not a sleeping kid? Hwang Hae-kyung thought that and made eye contact with Lee Yoon-san, who was looking at him with a complicated expression.
“Okay, Dad believes in our son. Hae-kyung, you go up and sleep too.”
“Okay.”
Fortunately, it seemed that Hwang Hae-kyung’s nonchalance worked, and Hwang Jun-won’s sign of approval was given. Hwang Hae-kyung made eye contact with Lee Yoon-san, who was still looking at him with a confused expression, and started climbing the stairs again. As he leisurely climbed the stairs, he deeply supported the area around Lee Yoon-san’s butt with one arm and pressed his back toward him with the other hand, and Lee Yoon-san, gentle and admirably, hugged Hwang Hae-kyung’s head.
Then, this time, Hwang Hae-kyung went down about two steps again and raised his voice as if to be heard by Hwang Jun-won.
“Dad.”
“Yeah, why.”
“Take good care of Auntie for me when you go camping.”
“Wow, that guy. It’s no use raising a son?At Hwang Hae-kyung’s words, which were half playful and half sly, Hwang Jun-won’s hollow laughter, filled with emptiness, was heard quite loudly. Then he grumbled as if to be heard, saying, ‘You take care of yourself, you little rascal. That guy, he can’t even think about when he was young,’ but even that voice had a bit of laughter mixed in, so Lee Yoon-san was finally able to relax his tense expression.
The two went up to the second floor and entered Hwang Hae-kyung’s room. It was a place Lee Yoon-san was seeing for the first time. Even when he first came to this house, he didn’t even think about going up to the second floor, and after that, Hwang Hae-kyung’s friends stayed here, so he couldn’t even step on the stairs.
“Does Uncle know about us?”
Lee Yoon-san asked as soon as he entered Hwang Hae-kyung’s room, and Hwang Hae-kyung nodded as he put him down near the bed. Then Auntie and our mothers too? Lee Yoon-san asked cautiously, just in case, and when Hwang Hae-kyung nodded even at that question, he made the expression of someone who had been betrayed by all the betrayals in the world.
Hwang Hae-kyung could only tell him what he had heard in response to the questions of when and how. From the beginning. He said the atmosphere was different from when they were kids. Everything he said calmly was all true even in Lee Yoon-san’s opinion, so he had nothing else to say.
The everyday conversation stopped abruptly. He felt an awkward tension that he hadn’t even noticed because he was so surprised by Hwang Jun-won’s remarks when he entered the room. Lee Yoon-san started to worry about this changed atmosphere.
He had spent time alone with Hwang Hae-kyung during the day as well, but he hadn’t felt that atmosphere then. Is it a little different now because it’s very late at night and it was daytime then? Lee Yoon-san thought that and glanced at Hwang Hae-kyung before averting his eyes.
It was because he had made eye contact with Hwang Hae-kyung, whom he had glanced at, right away. Just like when he made eye contact at the amusement park sometime in the past. Both then and now, Lee Yoon-san couldn’t help but think the same thing. Why do we make eye contact when I just look for a moment? Is it a coincidence? Or were you looking at me the whole time?
“Are you nervous?”
“Huh, huh?”
“You’re not looking at me.”
Hwang Hae-kyung hit the nail on the head as if he had read Lee Yoon-san’s thoughts. At that, Lee Yoon-san frowned slightly and then smiled as if admitting the truth. He thought it would be nothing more than bravado to say no.
“A little.”
“You’re so honest.”
“It’s meaningless to pretend I’m not to you, Hae-kyung. And you make people a little… nervous.”
“That’s your story.”
“What, me?”
“Yeah, you.”
“What does that mean… Are you nervous too, by any chance?”
At Hwang Hae-kyung’s words that followed, Lee Yoon-san finally raised his head and looked at Hwang Hae-kyung. Hwang Hae-kyung was looking at Lee Yoon-san with the same posture and gaze as when they had made eye contact a moment ago. As if he had never taken his eyes off him, like that.
He burst into laughter as if he was a little disheartened at Lee Yoon-san’s question. And he clenched and unclenched his empty fist tightly, avoided his gaze, and answered as if throwing it out with a voice full of embarrassment.
“Who wouldn’t be nervous in front of someone they like?”
Lee Yoon-san’s cheeks turned reddish at those words, which were the least roundabout confession among the expressions that came out of Hwang Hae-kyung’s mouth. It was an awkward moment because he was clumsy and lacked skill. Nevertheless, his heart fluttered enough to cover up that awkwardness.
Still, it was a little comforting to know that they were both nervous. It was a moment when Lee Yoon-san’s worries were relieved, as he had thought that only he was being awkward, nervous, and self-conscious, showing a childish appearance.
Lee Yoon-san didn’t feel Hwang Hae-kyung’s nervousness very well. Rather, Hwang Hae-kyung’s appearance of confessing that he was nervous seemed quite cool even to him.
Only then did Lee Yoon-san look around Hwang Hae-kyung’s room, where he had come in and sat down. Most of the furniture, including the bed, was tall, and as he had said he didn’t come often, it didn’t feel very lived-in. There was a desktop on the desk, the bed was big, and there was a small terrace connected to the full-length window on one side of the room. Pull-up bars were also installed on the doorframe of the door and the ceiling of the room, and the two pull-up bars were of different heights.
It was a taste that contrasted with Lee Yoon-san, who liked outdoor water activities even when he exercised. However, the high floor and the height of the furniture were elements that clearly showed that the owner of this room was Hwang Hae-kyung.
Above all, the lingering pheromone that was subtly permeating in the room made it especially certain.
“I can smell your scent.”
So those words came out of Lee Yoon-san’s mouth unintentionally as he was looking around the room.
“You’re saying some dangerous things.”It’s because you’re so good at controlling your Pheromone, Hae-kyung…” Hwang Hae-kyung was just looking at Lee Yoon-san, and after he pointed it out, he felt a little deflated and laughed because he could feel the cautiousness in Lee Yoon-san’s tone. It seemed that the statement that he smelled Hwang Hae-kyung’s scent was also meant literally this time.
“I control it, but I also take medicine.”
“Medicine? What medicine?”
“The same kind of medicine I used to take when I exercised.”
At Hwang Hae-kyung’s answer that followed, Lee Yoon-san’s head turned to him. His wide eyes were filled with bewilderment as if he had heard something he couldn’t understand, and Hwang Hae-kyung smiled bitterly at Lee Yoon-san’s expression and rolled his eyes.
His hazel eyes, which resembled a cat’s, rolled around as if contemplating and then fixed on Lee Yoon-san again.
“Why are you taking medicine? It’s a stable period.”
Usually, Alphas or Omegas who enter a stable period as adults do not take hormone or Pheromone Suppressant except during their Heat cycle. Of course, if there was an important schedule or exam and they needed to pay attention to their body cycle or condition, they would take medicine prescribed by the hospital, but that was always an exception.
So, Lee Yoon-san couldn’t understand this situation where Hwang Hae-kyung was saying that he took medicine from time to time.
“It’s just, it’s also a matter of habit.”
But at Hwang Hae-kyung’s words that followed, Lee Yoon-san’s expression softened a little.
He realized that Alphas who were used to living as athletes or Alphas or Omegas who were currently living as athletes also took Suppressant from time to time like Hwang Hae-kyung.
As Hwang Hae-kyung said, it was a matter of habit. It was because they had a lifestyle that had been tightly managed since they were teenagers, and because they didn’t have a partner to be with during their Heat cycle or didn’t want to find such a partner. Or, they were wary of the heightened pleasure and hazy state of the Heat cycle itself.
In any case, all those cases implied one thing. That they had or aspired to have a fairly straightforward sexual orientation.
‘But Hae-kyung doesn’t seem that straightforward…’
Lee Yoon-san, who had figured that out, stared at Hwang Hae-kyung and thought that. Then his ears turned red quickly. The skinship he had with Hwang Hae-kyung in this house naturally came to mind.
Although he didn’t have much experience yet, Lee Yoon-san thought that Hwang Hae-kyung had a bit of a tenacious side when it came to skinship. He would torment certain parts to the point of being tenacious or touch them obsessively, and he would act as if he didn’t know shame or embarrassment. At such times, he would always become silent, so his changed expression and atmosphere alone would make Lee Yoon-san shudder.
In fact, Lee Yoon-san had secretly assumed that Hwang Hae-kyung’s attitude was a skill created through experience. He had just turned twenty, but Hwang Hae-kyung had entered a stable period a year earlier than him, and he would have gone through Heat cycle several times in the meantime.
Lee Yoon-san’s speculation about Hwang Hae-kyung continued naturally. Hwang Hae-kyung’s hormone levels were high, so his Heat cycle would be shorter than others. Besides, he had never been left alone by those around him since he was young.
Hwang Hae-kyung, whether as a child model or a sports star, was always the subject of much attention. Lee Yoon-san inwardly thought that people around him wouldn’t have left Alpha Hwang Hae-kyung alone, especially now that he was an adult in his Heat cycle. Of course, he had heard him say something that implied it was his first time, but being inexperienced was definitely different from being a complete virgin.
But he had been habitually taking Suppressant. This was something Lee Yoon-san hadn’t even considered.
“Is there anything wrong with your health?”
“No. I’m just being careful.”
“…So I can’t smell your Pheromone?”
Lee Yoon-san’s question carried a hint of disappointment, and Hwang Hae-kyung smiled as if he was a little troubled. He clenched his empty fist tightly once, then wrapped his hand around the back of Lee Yoon-san’s neck and pulled him closer.
The moment Lee Yoon-san’s nape was grabbed by Hwang Hae-kyung, the kiss came to mind, making him feel dizzy for a moment. He couldn’t help but remember Hwang Hae-kyung, who grabbed the back of his neck to prevent him from escaping and didn’t let go until he could breathe through his nose.
“I can’t control myself when I’m with you.”
I’m not confident either. Hwang Hae-kyung, who leaned Lee Yoon-san towards him and hugged him, confessed in a low voice and swallowed hard.
“So just a little bit.”
As if urging himself, Hwang Hae-kyung whispered and finally released a very small amount of Pheromone, as if he had made up his mind. It wasn’t a Pheromone with sexual intent, but a daily Pheromone like a body scent.
The ratio of emitted components of Pheromone varies depending on the person’s mood or condition. And Hwang Hae-kyung released a tiny amount of the most stable condition Pheromone.
“Wow…”
Lee Yoon-san was leaning on Hwang Hae-kyung, so he could immediately smell the Pheromone coming from his body. Therefore, he couldn’t hide his admiration as soon as he smelled it.
It was a Pheromone like the dawn air of a cold season. It felt like a very clean and clear dawn air rushing into his lungs while running at full speed. It was a Pheromone that made him feel cold, refreshing, and a little overwhelming.
The clear and refreshing feeling was no different from what he had smelled on his clothes in the past, but his Pheromone, now fully mature, was a little chilly. Rather, that made him feel even more in tune with the owner of the Pheromone.
Lee Yoon-san put his nose to Hwang Hae-kyung’s neck and inhaled the scent a little deeper. This time, he inhaled the scent more slowly and carefully, and he felt the scent that had been pooling on the thin skin slowly flowing in without feeling overwhelming.
It was very rare to smell someone else’s Pheromone, but he felt a strange feeling every time he experienced it. Even though it was a scent classified as a smell, it was defined as a synesthetic image, and the fact that this scent changed depending on the person’s condition.
Come to think of it, he had never smelled Hwang Hae-kyung’s scent when he was having skinship with him. I want to know how it changes then… Lee Yoon-san thought unconsciously, but soon he was intoxicated by the scent that was rushing in again and put his thoughts aside.
Hwang Hae-kyung probably controls his Pheromone very well, and he also takes medicine, so he thought that urging him to smell it right now might make him more difficult.
Anyway, it’s not like they’re only meeting for a day or two, and he’ll naturally smell it someday, so there’s no need to be impatient. Therefore, this time, Lee Yoon-san also controlled his mind and controlled his Pheromone well.
Thanks to that, he realized. The skinship they were having now was no different from the skinship between Beta lovers who simply exchange body scents and emotions. He could feel so dizzy and excited enough even without Pheromone sensitivity.
“Stop now.”
“Huh… huh?”
He kept smelling the scent with such a dazed feeling, but when he came to his senses at Hwang Hae-kyung’s voice, Lee Yoon-san’s body was already lying on top of Hwang Hae-kyung.
It was a collaboration between Lee Yoon-san, who kept leaning towards Hwang Hae-kyung in pursuit of the scent, and Hwang Hae-kyung, who knew it and slowly leaned back and lay down.
“Do you like the scent?”
“Yeah… totally.”
“That’s a relief.”
Hwang Hae-kyung, who stopped Lee Yoon-san from getting up from above, smiled brightly. His mischievous smile was like Hwang Hae-kyung when he was young, so it was cute. Lee Yoon-san stared blankly at Hwang Hae-kyung, and Hwang Hae-kyung pulled Lee Yoon-san’s body, which had moved back a little, close and hugged him.
Lee Yoon-san was completely on top of Hwang Hae-kyung, and Hwang Hae-kyung’s hand wrapped around the back of Lee Yoon-san’s neck. And soon their lips overlapped.
The short, smacking kisses warmed the lips that had been cooled by the air conditioner. The kisses that touched and fell apart several times were simple but lovely, and the kisses that bit and briefly sucked Lee Yoon-san’s lips as if biting into ice cream were a little more intense and explicit.
“Ah…”
Since the hand wrapped around the back of his neck did not allow him to back away, he obediently opened his lips, and the tongue that rushed in was very warm. Like cheeks that were flushed with fever.
Hwang Hae-kyung’s tongue movement, which was on Lee Yoon-san’s oral mucosa, was as natural as if it were his own mouth, and his spine flinched at the hand that was slightly lifting his top and digging into his back.
Then Hwang Hae-kyung’s hand lightly patted Lee Yoon-san’s back. As if to reassure him.
Warm breath filled his mouth. Hwang Hae-kyung confirmed that the strength was slowly leaving Lee Yoon-san’s spine, and then pressed the back of his neck a little more towards him. Then, with his head slightly more pressed, the tips of their noses uncomfortably pressed against each other’s cheekbones and cheeks. It was a natural action for Lee Yoon-san, who felt uncomfortable, to turn his head further.
Hwang Hae-kyung did not miss the opportunity and twisted his head a little more and opened his mouth wide to share a deeper kiss with Lee Yoon-san. He hugged the already attached bodies so that they would not fall apart, and stubbornly kissed him, sweeping the roof of Lee Yoon-san’s mouth with the tip of his tongue and pressing the mucous membrane inside his cheek.
The entangled breaths were warm, and Hwang Hae-kyung’s tongue, which licked every corner of his wet lips, was dizzying. The sound of swallowing saliva with a gulp, and even the very small sound of clothes rubbing against each other, all dug into Lee Yoon-san’s ears and caused excitement.
“Hey…!”
Then, suddenly, Lee Yoon-san turned his head to the side and broke away from the kiss at Hwang Hae-kyung’s touch that wrapped around his shoulder blades. It was an action that came out because his big hand, which he didn’t know when it had come in, seemed like it would take off his top at any moment.
“Not today, not today. My moms are here, and Auntie and Uncle are…”
Lee Yoon-san said so apologetically with a flushed face, but he couldn’t find a place to put his eyes and rolled his eyes. He was expressing with his whole body that Hwang Jun-won was not asleep yet and that he was not ready to do anything lewd upstairs with both parents on the first floor.
Hwang Hae-kyung stared silently at Lee Yoon-san, who was flustered, and thought that he couldn’t make him any more difficult than this, and took his hand out of his clothes plainly. The expression of a child who lost in a game was a bonus.
“Okay. I won’t make it difficult.”
Instead, he hugged Lee Yoon-san’s body and lay down properly on the bed to settle down. As if he was going to sleep like this. Lee Yoon-san didn’t stop him this time either.
The two covered themselves with one blanket and lay facing each other, talking about this and that. The subtle tension or awkwardness when they first entered the room had disappeared without a trace.
The atmosphere between the two changed depending on the topic of the conversation. When they talked about games or recently watched baseball or soccer games, they were like boys having a strategy meeting in a blanket fort, and when they talked about each other, they were like a typical couple having pillow talk.
Then, suddenly, Lee Yoon-san blushed as he became aware of his appearance, and Hwang Hae-kyung also rolled his eyes as if the current situation was ticklish, or played a prank by hugging Lee Yoon-san tightly for no reason.
They talked and picked up their cell phones to watch a few shorts together, and when Hwang Hae-kyung said he couldn’t sleep well, Lee Yoon-san took the initiative to turn on ASMR to see if it really worked.
Then, a summary of a foreign movie came up as a recommended video, and they watched it, and they had a short conversation about the movies they had seen recently or the movies they liked.
In the end, when they fell asleep, it was already close to dawn. It was around the time when the adults woke up and started preparing to leave for camping again.
✧✧✧
Lee Yoon-san woke up in the morning when the sun had completely risen. He stared blankly at Hwang Hae-kyung, who was asleep in the same position as him, and carefully got up, because he remembered that he was originally going to wake up earlier and go back to the room on the first floor.
He didn’t remember exactly when the adults were supposed to leave, but judging from the completely bright sky outside, it seemed likely that he was already late.
Lee Yoon-san carefully went down to the first floor, hoping that the adults had already left, but unfortunately, it seemed that the adults who had drunk too much the night before had delayed their departure. Lee Yoon-san, who came down to the first floor, and Ahn Sun-mi, who was checking the camping tableware in the living room, made eye contact.
“Did you sleep well, Baby?”
“…Auntie.”
It was only Ahn Sun-mi who was left, counting the number of titanium bowls, as if the other adults had already left. Since he ran into Hwang Hae-kyung’s mom instead of his own, Lee Yoon-san’s eyes wandered, unable to find a place to go. And Ahn Sun-mi just smiled at Lee Yoon-san.
Since he came straight down from the second floor where Hwang Hae-kyung’s room was, it seemed like a situation where a twenty-year-old boy would be embarrassed. She pushed the tableware she was checking into her bag and came to Lee Yoon-san and straightened his disheveled hair.
“Your moms and Uncle are in the garage. Auntie is going out now, so go back to your room and sleep more.”
“Oh… okay…”
“Auntie thinks Hae-kyung and Yoon-san are quite trustworthy, but I still want Baby to sleep comfortably in the room on the first floor now.”
“Ah… yes, yes. That’s why I came down… I didn’t do anything with Hae-kyung, I just watched WhatTube. Movies, those movie summaries.”
“Okay. But what Auntie means, Yoon-san.”
Ahn Sun-mi tapped Lee Yoon-san’s arm, who was very embarrassed and rattled off things he didn’t need to say, and smiled brightly. It was at the same time that Lee Yoon-san’s rambling stopped.
“It means our Baby still has to be careful with his feet, so don’t go up the stairs again. You know?”
Ahn Sun-mi straightened Lee Yoon-san’s hair well and added so, smiling gently. So Lee Yoon-san could only nod with an bewildered expression.
I thought I would hear at least one word. He was thinking that in his mind.
Even though his family knew about his relationship with Hwang Hae-kyung, it was obvious that he was secretly sleeping in the same room and coming down. As Lee Yoon-san, who had just become an adult, was more accustomed to the control that had bound him as a minor, he was bewildered by the current lenient reaction.
No matter how long Ahn Sun-mi and Hwang Jun-won had loved him, he didn’t think it was a situation where they would just pass over it like this.
Is Auntie more lenient because she’s a Beta? Lee Yoon-san thought for a moment. He thought that maybe Ahn Sun-mi couldn’t smell Hwang Hae-kyung’s scent smeared all over his body, so she was reacting like this.
“I’m sure you’ll do well, but please take care of Hae-kyung. Yoon-san.”
But in Ahn Sun-mi’s words that followed, Lee Yoon-san could feel a slightly more special nuance. Her words sounded like the words of a parent entrusting their top student, who only gets first place, to school.
In Ahn Sun-mi’s request, he could see a request to take good care of Hwang Hae-kyung, or a belief in Hwang Hae-kyung. Judging only by the words themselves, it was clearly a request to him, but in the firm tone and tone mixed with relief, he could feel confidence and trust in Hwang Hae-kyung himself.
She was telling Lee Yoon-san to take good care of him, but it was as if Hwang Hae-kyung would take care of it himself.
“Yes, Auntie.”
So Lee Yoon-san was able to calm down the flustered and cautious inside and answer with a smile. If the person in front of him doesn’t look at him and Hwang Hae-kyung anxiously, it would be ridiculous to be anxious himself.
“Have a safe trip.”
So Lee Yoon-san was finally able to smile comfortably and say goodbye to Ahn Sun-mi.
Hwang Hae-kyung woke up an hour after both parents had left. He opened his eyes with a feeling of emptiness and faced an empty bed, and jumped up from his seat and headed to the first floor.
He hurriedly wandered around the living room, kitchen, and bathroom, looking for Lee Yoon-san, and found Lee Yoon-san lying asleep in the room he was supposed to stay in.
He opened the door and sat down next to the sleeping Lee Yoon-san. He was so surprised that he was wide awake, so he just stared blankly at the sleeping Lee Yoon-san, and unknowingly stroked his chest once.
He didn’t know why he felt that way, but the moment he realized that Lee Yoon-san, who he thought would be there, had disappeared, he felt dizzy somewhere. So he searched the whole house in a hurry, and he was calming down the aftermath by looking at the sleeping Lee Yoon-san.
“Who told you to disappear without saying a word?”
Hwang Hae-kyung muttered so in a sleepy voice and grabbed Lee Yoon-san’s face with both hands and kissed him here and there.
The light, continuous kisses were almost like harassment and were playful like they were for a child, but despite Hwang Hae-kyung’s interference, Lee Yoon-san did not wake up.
“Ugh…”
He just frowned as if the lips landing on his face were annoying and tried to turn his head. Hwang Hae-kyung laughed as if he was dumbfounded by Lee Yoon-san’s sleepiness and raised his head. When he let go of Lee Yoon-san’s face, Lee Yoon-san took a comfortable position and fell back into a deep sleep.
Hwang Hae-kyung couldn’t take his eyes off Lee Yoon-san’s face and stared at him for a long time. His face, sleeping soundly without knowing anything, was just like when he was young, and he felt sorry for himself in the past once again. Why didn’t he know how to find this cute? Why did he only think of him as a bothersome kid who was taking away his mom and dad?
“Good night, Yoon-san.”
Hwang Hae-kyung, who had been staring at the sleeping Lee Yoon-san for a long time, left a greeting in a low voice and got up from his seat. He quietly went out of the room and closed the door, then went to the kitchen and drank a glass of water. Then, his voice, which had been locked and sunken, seemed to come out a little as he wanted.
After that, he sat on the sofa on the first floor, glanced at the door where Lee Yoon-san was sleeping several times, picked up his cell phone and rummaged through WhatTube for no reason, went to the second floor and took medicine once more, and then came down to the first floor again. And in the end, he went to the door of the room where Lee Yoon-san was sleeping and sat down with his back against the wall next to the door.
“…It’s comfortable.”
Hwang Hae-kyung muttered to himself for no reason, feeling quite comfortable as he sat with his legs crossed and his arms crossed, leaning against his back. Of course, the hard floor can’t be more comfortable than the sofa, and the hard wall that touches his shoulder blades and the back of his head is not comparable to the sofa, but it was still comfortable. He won’t bother to figure out exactly where it’s comfortable.
Lee Yoon-san woke up to the loud vibration. He rubbed his eyes while looking at his cell phone, which was connected to the charger and vibrating wildly, and slowly got up and answered the phone. He hadn’t woken up yet, so he didn’t have time to check the caller.
-Hey!!
And he was horrified by the roaring voice he heard and looked at the cell phone screen. The caller was Kim Ji-hoo.
-I’m in a good mood because I ate seafood stew from the morning, so don’t scratch my temper and crawl out right now.
“…I haven’t said anything yet…”
-What’s with your voice, did you just wake up?
“Uh-huh…”
Lee Yoon-san rubbed his eyes at the sunlight pouring into the room. Even then, his eyelids were heavy and scratchy as if his eyes were swollen, so he blinked several times, and he felt like he was coming to his senses a little.
Even in the midst of all this, Kim Ji-hoo was saying something over the cell phone, but unfortunately, it was not properly recognized. First of all, the gist of what he was saying was, ‘If you abandon me and Shin Soo-hyun again today, the day you become a quadruped will be around the day after tomorrow.’
In fact, most of what Kim Ji-hoo said was a threat, so Lee Yoon-san ended the call by nodding that he understood. He was the one who called his friends to Jeju, so he couldn’t leave them alone any longer. He had already left them alone for two days.
“Hae-kyung, today…?”
So, I grabbed my phone and left the room, only to be confronted by Hwang Hae-kyung, who was sitting on the floor with his arms crossed, fast asleep, right as I opened the door. He was leaning against the wall right next to my door, arms crossed, fast asleep, and Lee Yoon-san had to rub his eyes again, unable to believe what he was seeing.
Why is he sleeping here? How long has he been here? Lee Yoon-san thought, crouching down next to Hwang Hae-kyung. He gently shook Hwang Hae-kyung’s arm and opened his mouth.
“Hae-kyung, why are you sleeping here? If you’re sleepy, go inside…”
But before Lee Yoon-san could finish, Hwang Hae-kyung grabbed Lee Yoon-san’s hand and pulled him onto his lap. Because he was crouching right next to him, he was pulled into an embrace in an instant.
Hwang Hae-kyung opened his eyes only after embracing Lee Yoon-san, holding his warm body tightly. Lee Yoon-san, feeling suffocated, wriggled, and he heard Hwang Hae-kyung chuckle softly above his head. It meant he was hugging him tightly on purpose, to tease him like this.
“I can’t breathe.”
“Yeah.”
“Ah, we don’t have time for this. I have to go out…”
“Friends?”
“Ye-eung.”
“Your pronunciation is all slurred because you’re not fully awake.”
His voice was teasing, full of playfulness and laughter, and Hwang Hae-kyung’s hands, which were holding him, were gently caressing his skin, so Lee Yoon-san’s ears turned red like apricots ripened in the summer sun. Strangely, even though he hadn’t said anything embarrassing, it felt like he had heard such words. It was probably because of the laughter in Hwang Hae-kyung’s voice.
Is my ego getting too big? Why am I thinking this? Lee Yoon-san was embarrassed and ashamed, even though it was just a thought in his head, so he closed his mouth and didn’t say anything. Instead, he pressed his forehead against Hwang Hae-kyung’s arm, who was holding him, and rubbed it, and Hwang Hae-kyung chuckled again.
The soft laughter, heard through the body holding him, tickled all over.
“Um… can’t we hang out with the guys today? I called them, but it’s like I’ve just been abandoning them.”
“Lee Seok-jae and Ham Se-jin will take care of themselves.”
“But I called them… they’re my friends…”
Lee Yoon-san’s eyes drooped at Hwang Hae-kyung’s indifferent reply, who had tapped his forehead against Lee Yoon-san’s head. It was because the situation was in danger of becoming awkward, as he had already made plans with his friends yesterday. Lee Yoon-san hadn’t specifically arranged anything with Hwang Hae-kyung for today, so he had vaguely assumed that they could all hang out together.
Hwang Hae-kyung hadn’t even considered refusing, since his friends were in Jeju. Even though he wasn’t close to Lee Yoon-san’s friends, he didn’t think Hwang Hae-kyung would ignore his own friends.
But his reaction was so indifferent.
“Let’s go together, Hae-kyung…”
In the end, a pleading voice came out of Lee Yoon-san’s mouth. It wasn’t an affectionate voice or tone, but rather a sidelong glance and a tentative nuance.
“Okay.”
Of course, even so, it was a method that Hwang Hae-kyung couldn’t resist. The glancing sidelong look that reminded Lee Yoon-san of a scene from a video he had mistakenly sent in the past, the tentative tone of voice, and above all, the choice of the word ‘together’ in particular.