By Zephyria Song Hae-seop’s eyes curved into crescents at the slow, drawn-out words. As if he had heard a completely unexpected answer, he reached out and gently stroked Seo Jeong-won’s hair.
“I was wondering if I was being too friendly without realizing it. Honestly, the only words to describe our relationship are vulgar. This kind of relationship isn’t healthy or normal, after all.”
“……”
“Well, I’m happy to see Jeong-won.”
Song Hae-seop reached out and tapped Seo Jeong-won’s stiff cheek, asking why he was so serious and smiling gently.
“……Have you been well?”
“Yes, I’m always doing well. But I haven’t been able to see Tae-hee lately. He said he was busy, so I didn’t think you’d be here either, Jeong-won.”
“Ah. I… came after a long time too.”
Song Hae-seop didn’t believe Seo Jeong-won’s lukewarm answer. He knew that coming after a long time was also a lie, but he just laughed it off, feeling that pressing the issue would only make him look more ridiculous.
“You must have been very busy too, Jeong-won.”
“Not really……”
Song Hae-seop tilted his head, watching Seo Jeong-won trail off. Does he not know yet? His uniquely innocent face was as harmless as usual, devoid of any emotion. Well, Kwon Tae-hee wouldn’t be one to blab about such things. Song Hae-seop had been unilaterally notified of the end a few days ago.
Kwon Tae-hee had explained in a polite manner why he had made this decision. Listening to him, even without emotion, he couldn’t help but admit that the fault lay with him.
To his pleas for reconsideration, he generously offered to let him continue running the café. When he expressed his dismay at the suddenness, he added that he would also provide a small consolation payment.
Recalling that time, his emotions surged. An unpleasant feeling rose again. Song Hae-seop frowned slightly, then straightened up at the sound of an employee calling him, “CEO.”
“Just a moment. I’ll bring your drinks.”
“Yes.”
Song Hae-seop returned with a herbal tea and a latte topped with plenty of whipped cream.
“I didn’t know what you’d like. Try this, and if you don’t like it, have this.”
“Anything is fine. Thank you.”
“No thanks needed. If you like it, our café’s Dutch coffee is also popular. I’ll pack some for you. Take it with you.”
Seo Jeong-won waved his hand, refusing. He said he wouldn’t know the taste anyway. He muttered that if he had known he would receive it this way, he wouldn’t have given him the flowerpot, referring to Song Hae-seop calling it the flowerpot value.
“What’s with the ‘between us’?”
“……”
“Ah, right. I had something to tell you, Jeong-won. It’s good you came.”
Song Hae-seop leaned forward, lowering his voice. As if telling a secret that shouldn’t be leaked, he even put his hand next to his lips, like a blade.
“Back then, that person.”
“……”
“He died.”
“……Yes?”
He put a finger to his lips, as if telling Seo Jeong-won, who was startled and raised his voice, to be quiet.
“He… they say he committed suicide?”
“……”
“I asked what happened back then. He jumped from his officetel. Maybe he wanted to take revenge on Tae-hee? Or maybe he didn’t want to be forgotten for the rest of his life.”
The indifferent voice conveying Seo Gyu-won’s story lightly continued.
“Whatever the reason, it’s a really foolish and stupid thing to do. Don’t you think? What can you do after you die?”
Song Hae-seop straightened up, shrugging his shoulders. He said he couldn’t understand it no matter how much he thought about it.
“Love wasn’t a condition in the first place.”
“……”
“It’s too one-sided. But on the other hand, I wonder if he was that naive. Honestly, where is there affection in a relationship bound by money? Don’t you think? If he wanted to be loved, he shouldn’t have done this. To take everything he could get and then ask to be loved. That’s a bit much, isn’t it?”
Song Hae-seop vividly recounted the story, adding a little exaggeration to what he had heard. He was sure that Seo Jeong-won’s stiff expression was because he had heard shocking news.
“Ah, they said something like this too.”
“……What did they say?”
“Actually, he wasn’t trying to die, but you know, there’s that thing. To show how much he loves you, that he loves you so much he’s willing to die. If that’s true… it’s too creepy.”
Seo Jeong-won’s eyes trembled aimlessly. He knew that he had to filter out the sensational parts unless his Hyung woke up and told him the truth, but his heart was breaking.
“That’s how emotions are. They arise easily, deepen easily. And then they break even faster.”
“……”
“I wanted to meet Jeong-won and tell you this before I forgot, and it’s good you came.”
Song Hae-seop smiled as he finished the tragic story.
“But that person’s name is quite familiar. It’s a name I’ve heard somewhere before? I’ve definitely heard it.”
“The name?”
Seo Jeong-won felt his heart sink. He remembered Kang Da-hyun calling his Hyung’s name at the flower shop.
“It was common, though. Gyu… Gyu-hyun? Gyu-yeon? Anyway, he seemed to get along quite well with the Madam. They talked a lot about this and that.”
Song Hae-seop swept back the softly flowing bangs.
“He said he had a younger sibling. A young sibling. He used to say, as a habit, that he would go see them together after marrying Tae-hee.”
“Ah……”
“Only the sibling is pitiful.”
He tapped the warm teacup with his fingertips, spitting out whatever came to mind. Words poured out without thought.
“He probably doesn’t even know why his Hyung died. Honestly, who would tell him the truth? It’s too terrible.”
“……”
“If I were the sibling, I wouldn’t want to know these facts. Like why my Hyung made that choice. Ugh, how shocking would that be.”
Seo Jeong-won nodded, confirming Song Hae-seop’s shuddering reaction before his eyes. “I guess so,” he muttered weakly, agreeing. Then, he pretended to be nonchalant and ran his fingertips over the glass with water droplets on the surface.
His Hyung wasn’t terrible or creepy. It was the opposite. The fact that he had made this choice was terrible and creepy.
“Haa……”
Seo Jeong-won, startled by the sigh that burst out without him realizing it, quickly raised his head. He made eye contact with Song Hae-seop, who had been staring at him.
“Oh, right, I was wondering about that.”
“Yes?”
“How did you meet Tae-hee, Jeong-won? I was holding back on asking, thinking I’d ask when we got a little closer.”
Song Hae-seop asked, his eyes shining with curiosity. Perhaps he could hear it today, Seo Jeong-won thought, and he blurted out the story without being asked first. He spoke in a way that made it feel like he was forming a bond and sharing a secret.
“Omegas have agencies, or what should I call them? Something like that. They provide Omegas that suit the tastes of people who have a lot of money but are too lazy to date and don’t have time. They even clean up their past so that there are no problems and deliver them right to your doorstep.”
“Ah.”
“If there’s a story that needs to be known to anyone, can they even manipulate it as desired? The world has really become a better place, hasn’t it?”
Song Hae-seop nodded slightly, following the softly flowing music, and continued.
“These days, there are quite a few orders for that kind of thing because people prefer meeting through dating rather than arranged marriages.”
“Aren’t there people who recognize it…? You can’t deceive everyone.”
“If you haven’t lived too messily, it’s possible to some extent. Memories are distorted and fade over time.”
He leaned his arm on the table and stared intently at Seo Jeong-won, who was blinking his large eyes in surprise. He quietly let out a story that shouldn’t be known to the outside world, admiring his doll-like appearance.
“Tae-hee definitely wanted an Omega. But you’re a Beta, Jeong-won. Even if it’s curiosity from a pretty shell… wouldn’t that fade quickly?”
“……”
“What’s the reason Tae-hee keeps you around, Jeong-won?”
Song Hae-seop murmured quietly, examining Seo Jeong-won’s features, which were similar to his yet different, one by one. If they were similar, it would be right to choose the better one, but why did Kwon Tae-hee abandon me? A question he couldn’t voice swirled in his head.
“There’s no reason to take on the risk of Jeong-won. If rumors spread that he has a second, it’s not me who’s in trouble, it’s him.”
Seo Jeong-won’s expression gradually hardened at the words spoken with a bored look. In fact, he didn’t know what kind of reaction to show, so it was difficult. He seemed to be saying that he couldn’t understand Kwon Tae-hee, but listening to him, it felt like he was telling him that he was doing something wrong.
“So I was curious. Where and how did you two meet?”
“It wasn’t like what Hyung said… I had something I needed help with from the Executive Director.”
“What kind of help?”
“……I don’t think I can tell you the details.”
Seo Jeong-won pursed his small lips and finally said that he couldn’t tell. Song Hae-seop tried to coax him like a child, saying that he wouldn’t tell anyone, and even expressed his disappointment. Nevertheless, Seo Jeong-won kept his mouth shut.
“I won’t tell anyone. Really. I have a confidentiality clause, so I can’t even talk about Tae-hee anywhere else.”
“……I’m sorry.”
“How did you meet that you’re hiding it so much?”
Seo Jeong-won lowered his head and swallowed the words that rolled around in his mouth like thorns.
How could he say that Kwon Tae-hee was his Hyung’s fiancé, and that the man he had been pitying until just now was his Hyung? That he was receiving help with his hospital bills in exchange for replacing his Hyung…… No matter how unbiased they were, they wouldn’t look at him normally the moment they heard that.