By Zephyria “Let’s eat together, Jeong-won. We’re doing all this to live, right? Huh?”
“……”
“I really hate eating alone. It’s lonely. Huh? Huh? You must be hungry. What did you eat? You probably didn’t have the mind to, did you?”
Song Hae-seop chattered on as if he knew everything. He repeatedly raised and lowered his toes, humming a cheerful melody.
“You know, Jeong-won. About… Kwon Tae-hee.”
“……Yes.”
He unusually looked around before lowering his voice.
“Isn’t his sex style a bit too much? He’s annoyingly clingy, and he leaves too many marks with his mouth, making it uncomfortable to go about daily life.”
At the words that flowed out as if he were complaining, Seo Jeong-won reflexively raised his hand and touched the scarf around his neck.
“He gets me too excited, so I’m exhausted before we even start the main game. It’s embarrassing, shameful, and… I even feel humiliated. So, I find it overwhelming sometimes. How about you, Jeong-won? I’m really going crazy.”
“……Pardon?”
“Is this kind of talk uncomfortable for you? Should I stop?”
Song Hae-seop scratched his cheek with an awkward smile. Seo Jeong-won nodded, his face turning bright red in an instant. He avoided his gaze without realizing it, bowing his head and biting his lip.
“A cold?”
“……”
“It’s a bit chilly here, isn’t it? Tae-hee can’t stand the heat, so I really suffered when I first came here. My cold wouldn’t go away. I heard from the ajusshi that the temperature is constant throughout the year. So, it’s like this even in the middle of winter.”
“Cough……”
At Seo Jeong-won’s cough, Song Hae-seop quickly covered his mouth and nose. He muttered “virus” under his breath, waving his hands in the air.
“It’s going to get colder soon, I’m worried. Jeong-won, take good care of your health too. By the way, your skin is… really a light pink color. It’s amazing. How is it that color? Is Tae-hee interested in you because you’re so pretty?”
Song Hae-seop reached out and gently caressed his smooth skin. He skillfully concealed the fire burning inside as he scanned every inadequately hidden mark.
Seo Jeong-won was impressed by Song Hae-seop’s attitude towards him. He was generous and had great social skills.
Unlike himself, who was shy and timid, he was considerate and made others feel comfortable with his affable personality.
Even though his existence must be like a thorn in his side, he constantly talked to him without showing it, and he gently brushed over his hesitant and vague responses.
“Jeong-won, do you have any siblings? I’m alone, so I’m so envious of kids who have siblings.”
“I… have a Hyung.”
“That’s great. I always prayed that a Hyung would fall from the sky for me. How’s your relationship? Good? How many years apart?”
“He’s six years older. We used to have a good relationship, but now… it’s just.”
At the mumbled words, Song Hae-seop frowned as if he were more upset. He even reached out and tapped the air from across the table, as if patting his shoulder.
“Did you fight? Or did you grow apart?”
“It just… happened that way.”
“That’s upsetting. But in the end, family is all you have, right? Don’t worry. It’ll get better soon. But I… I don’t think I would ever fight with you if you were my younger brother, Jeong-won. You’re handsome and pretty. Just having a younger brother would be so great that I’d be begging you to play with me all the time.”
Seo Jeong-won looked at his face, which resembled his own, and thought of Seo Gyu-won. That’s why his heart kept fluttering.
He couldn’t come to his senses because of the affectionate and friendly behavior he showed, which resembled his Hyung.
“But in the end, they say that only real family remains. It’ll get better soon. That’s why I’m going to have a lot of children. My goal is three, but four or five would be okay too.”
“Ah……”
“I want to have siblings too, so let’s get along. I’m a year older than your Hyung, Jeong-won. So, be comfortable with me, be comfortable. Think of me as your Hyung.”
“……Yes.”
Seeing Seo Jeong-won nod with reddened eyes, Song Hae-seop realized that his weakness was his Hyung.
Even though their relationship wasn’t good, he must be a precious person. He laughed inwardly, thinking that it was too easy to read his inner thoughts because he was young.
“So pretty.”
Song Hae-seop muttered to himself as he looked at Seo Jeong-won. He really was pretty, even to him. In fact, he understood in his head that he was nothing more than an object that was not much different from himself, but even so, he was uneasy that Kwon Tae-hee was so interested in him. It felt like Seo Jeong-won was going to steal his place.
He had a feeling that Seo Jeong-won would be an obstacle to his future. He wanted to get him away from Kwon Tae-hee as soon as possible.
That’s why he was going to stimulate Seo Jeong-won’s pity. It would be good to make him see his Hyung through him. And it would be even better if he felt guilty.
Good people can’t hide their emotions, so he would be weighed down by guilt and leave as if running away after enduring a little longer.
“Jeong-won, are you in college?”
“No, I… I didn’t go to college, and I work at a flower shop. Seo-nam.”
Song Hae-seop’s eyes widened in surprise. When his smooth lips, without any chapped marks, parted, Kim Jae-sik brought the pasta.
“I thought I heard voices, so you two were here together.”
He placed the plate of pasta in front of Song Hae-seop and asked Seo Jeong-won what he would like to have for his meal.
“Ah, I—”
“Ajusshi, give Jeong-won the same thing. We decided to eat together.”
“Would you like pasta? Please feel free to tell me. Executive Director already instructed me to take care of your meal, so I was waiting.”
His tone was gentle and soft. Seo Jeong-won hesitated before finally answering that he would have pasta.
“Executive Director told me to prepare something soft and warm for you to eat, but would you like pasta?”
“Yes, that sounds good. Thank you.”
“Please wait a moment. I’ll bring it right away.”
Kim Jae-sik, who had keenly assessed the situation, disappeared back into the kitchen through the dining room. Song Hae-seop’s mouth opened again.
“Seo-nam isn’t that far from here, is it? I run a cafe. A small cafe. Did Tae-hee set up the flower shop for you too? My cafe is Tae-hee’s work. I don’t even know how to use the machine. The part-timers do everything. So, I have a lot of free time. Can I visit the flower shop later?”
“……Yes, of course. You can come.”
“Give me the address. And your phone number!”
Song Hae-seop held out his phone. Seo Jeong-won carefully took it, wrote down his contact information and address, and returned it.
“It’s close. I’m pretty free during the week, so I’ll visit often. That’ll be fun.”
He said, twirling the pasta noodles around his fork and popping them into his mouth.
“Let’s get along, huh? There’s no need for us to be on bad terms. It’s not like you really like Tae-hee, Jeong-won. And you definitely shouldn’t like him. Right?”
“……”
“There’s no reason why we can’t get along. Who else would I talk to about this? I actually have a confidentiality clause, so I can’t talk to anyone about this. But I think I can talk to you, Jeong-won. We’re in the same boat.”
He felt a strange feeling at the words “same boat,” but he couldn’t think of a suitable word to replace it.
He also had the thought that he was in a better position than him.
Song Hae-seop ate the pasta slowly and talked non-stop. Seo Jeong-won listened quietly and nodded or gave short answers whenever a question ended.
“But Jeong-won.”
“Yes?”
“You’re a Beta, right? I heard you were a Beta back then, but I still can’t believe it. I’d believe it if you said you were an Omega.”
“I’m a Beta. I’ve actually never… met an Omega in my life. You’re the first, Hae-seop.”
Seo Jeong-won felt embarrassed at calling Song Hae-seop’s name out loud for the first time. His face was hot. Song Hae-seop’s face turned red as well, as if he felt the same way.
“I got goosebumps here. Look.”
Song Hae-seop held out his arm. His white skin was covered in goosebumps. Then, at the same time, he burst out laughing as if it were absurd.
“Wow, how about you just call me Hyung? I feel so weird right now.”
“If… if that’s okay, yes. Thank you.”
“But you’re really cute, Jeong-won. Can I talk comfortably too?”
“Yes, you can. Just… call me comfortably.”
As they chattered and giggled, Seo Jeong-won’s pasta was placed on the table. Seo Jeong-won bowed his head towards Kim Jae-sik and swallowed hard, looking at the food that smelled delicious.
It felt like he was eating real food for the first time in days. He seemed to have been fed something throughout Kwon Tae-hee’s Rut, but nothing came to mind clearly. He only remembered swallowing lukewarm, stale things as if he were drinking them.
“What do you like, Jeong-won?”
“I think I eat everything without being picky.”
The way he put the pasta in his mouth little by little and chewed was like a small animal. Song Hae-seop smiled slightly as he watched.
Cute, innocent, and seems to trust people easily. He’s exactly the type to get scammed. If someone set out to deceive him, he seems like the type to give them everything, even his liver and gallbladder.