By Zephyria As requested after their brief meeting, Song Hae-seop took Seo Jeong-won out for a walk that night. Their destination was a park not far from the house, and thankfully, due to the cold and late hour, there wasn’t a single person around.
“Are you cold? I thought you might be feeling stuffy, so I suggested coming out… Did I make a mistake?”
“…More than that, it’s a little scary.”
To do as Kwon Tae-hee had instructed, they needed to slowly circle the park two or three times, but Seo Jeong-won was frightened by the eerie and bleak atmosphere typical of the season and hesitated to move. Indeed, the park, with its orange streetlights lined up at regular intervals, resembled the backdrop of a horror movie just before something jumped out.
Song Hae-seop put his arm around Seo Jeong-won, who kept clinging to him, and tried to guess where Kwon Tae-hee might be. He didn’t see a car, so was he sitting somewhere? The benches all seemed empty… Could he be hiding in the darkness?
He kept turning his head and looking around as he walked forward. Seo Jeong-won’s eyes also darted around warily.
“Why, why? Is something there? Something feels like it’s going to jump out.”
“Huh? No, there’s nothing. Didn’t you hear a rustling sound?”
“Rustling? No, I didn’t hear anything… Hyung, can’t we just go? I’m not feeling stuffy.”
Seo Jeong-won placed his palm on his chest and muttered that his heart was beating too fast. Song Hae-seop looked at him and smiled, thinking that he seemed more scared than he had expected, even though he knew he was easily frightened.
“But we’re out for the first time in a while, so let’s walk at least half a lap, okay?”
“…”
“You need to exercise. That way, both the baby and Jeong-won will meet in good health.”
Song Hae-seop muttered quietly and reached out to take off Seo Jeong-won’s mask. He quickly hooked the strap around his wrist.
“It’s stuffy, isn’t it? Oh, right. I had something to talk about anyway. Listen as we walk slowly.”
“Yes.”
“Jeong-won, do you happen to… like the sea?”
“Ah… Yes, I do. It’s refreshing, and everywhere with the sea is wonderful.”
Seo Jeong-won, who was holding onto Song Hae-seop’s arm and looking around, replied.
“That’s a relief.”
“Yes?”
“So… about the place where Jeong-won will be staying. I was wondering if it would be better to go to my hometown.”
Song Hae-seop continued lightly, trying not to sound too persuasive. He didn’t want to sound too desperate, as if there were other options if he didn’t like it.
“It’s on the East Sea, you know? The sea is right there, and it’s a small fishing village, so there aren’t many people. Well, there are some tourists. The sea is really beautiful. And… my uncle runs a guesthouse there.”
“Ah.”
“Of course, if Jeong-won is uncomfortable, we can look into other options. So, feel free to tell me.”
Seo Jeong-won walked in silence, lost in thought. He thought it might be better to be in a place where no one knew of his existence. That way, Song Hae-seop wouldn’t be found out for helping him.
“…Can I ask why you’re suggesting that place?”
“Huh? Oh, uh. Of course. It’s not a grand reason… If we’re far apart, it’ll be difficult for me to take care of Jeong-won like I am now. Since my family is there, I thought it would be good to have someone to help in case of any… emergencies.”
Song Hae-seop had been expecting him to ask about the location or what kind of house it was, so he had prepared his answers in advance. He was flustered and answered whatever came to mind.
“And my uncle is a good cook. Jeong-won, you can’t cook, can you? You can’t just eat ramen, tuna, ham, and stuff like that all the time.”
Seo Jeong-won couldn’t help but agree with Song Hae-seop’s words. He was able to live a somewhat normal life now because he was providing him with food and shelter. Even the takeout food was mostly Korean dishes that weren’t too salty or spicy, and he often ate meat. Salads and cheeses were always on the table. If he were alone, he would definitely be filling his stomach with fast food, ramen, or convenience store lunches.
“So, that’s why I thought it might be good to go there. There’s no special reason.”
“…”
“If you don’t like it, I’ll look for another place. Just wait a few more days.”
“No, no. That place sounds good. I’ve been…shamelessly leaving everything to Hyung. I’m sorry.”
Song Hae-seop had never met anyone who apologized so readily for trivial things like Seo Jeong-won, or who appreciated his efforts. He himself had always received fair compensation when he helped others, and those he had helped were grateful at first, but most of them became brazen afterward. So, whenever he encountered this kind of attitude, he felt burdened and uncomfortable. He felt suffocated by guilt.
“…You know.”
“Yes?”
Song Hae-seop stopped walking and took a deep breath. The cold wind didn’t clear his blocked chest.
“So…”
Crack—!
It was then, just as he was about to reveal the truth as if possessed by something. He heard the sound of someone stepping on grass from quite a close distance. Seo Jeong-won jumped slightly like a startled cat. He squeezed his eyes shut and even let out a small shriek. In that instant, Song Hae-seop snapped back to his senses.
“Hyung?”
“Huh?”
“Are you okay? But this place is a little strange. I think we should go. I think someone’s here.”
Even as he anxiously looked around, Seo Jeong-won worried about him first. Song Hae-seop relaxed his stiff expression, smiled, and nodded. He barely managed to say that they should go. His spine tingled.
He had definitely confirmed that there wasn’t a single person in the park, so who… It felt like he had been warned not to get carried away with his emotions and say nonsense. Song Hae-seop’s expression hardened as he grabbed Seo Jeong-won’s arm and turned back the way they had come. Seo Jeong-won smiled only when they reached the entrance of the park.
“We’re here. Wow, it’s not dark, but it was really scary.”
The anxious look in Seo Jeong-won’s eyes completely disappeared. He even had the leisure to slowly scan his surroundings. There were several benches in the parking lot as well, and a man in sportswear was sitting on one of them. Seo Jeong-won stared intently at the man, who was wearing a white ball cap and looking at his phone with his upper body bent over, and then suddenly remembered something and called out to Song Hae-seop.
“But Hyung.”
“Huh?”
“What were you trying to say earlier?”
“Huh? Oh, that? I forgot. If I can’t remember, it probably wasn’t important. Let’s go quickly. It’s cold, and as Jeong-won said, it’s too scary at night.”
Song Hae-seop opened the passenger door and urged Seo Jeong-won to get in quickly.
“I was wrong to think that. Jeong-won shouldn’t catch a cold, what was I thinking, suggesting a walk…”
“It wasn’t cold. The padding Hyung gave me is long and warm…”
Song Hae-seop closed the door before he could even finish his answer. Then, he turned around and quickly scanned the park. His gaze also landed on the man wearing the white ball cap. That man didn’t seem like Kwon Tae-hee. He was dressed in a way he had never seen before, and the atmosphere he gave off was different.
Then where the hell was he? He was definitely here. Song Hae-seop unknowingly felt his body. Shit, did he put a bug on me or something? Did he install a camera in the house? The thought that Kwon Tae-hee was capable of doing that sent shivers down his spine.
“Ha…”
Song Hae-seop glared at the air, then turned sharply and got into the driver’s seat, quickly driving out of the parking lot.
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Kwon Tae-hee felt disappointed that the walk had ended sooner than he had expected, but he also felt disgusted as he watched the car speeding out of the park at an excessively dangerous speed. He didn’t like that he had a pregnant man in the passenger seat, and the way he was driving. Even if he tried to look at it favorably, there was really nothing he liked about it.
But regardless, he felt better after checking on Seo Jeong-won like this. Ever since Seo Jeong-won had left his side, he had felt like he was constantly sinking to an unfathomable bottom. Seeing Seo Jeong-won with his own eyes alleviated his frustration, even if only a little.
Song Hae-seop had thoughtfully taken off Seo Jeong-won’s mask, so he could see his clear face in detail. His face looked good, so it wasn’t a lie that he was eating well.
Kwon Tae-hee, who had been sitting on the bench, got up and took off the white ball cap he was wearing, then swept back his flattened hair.
“Hoo.”
He naturally headed to the place where Seo Jeong-won had been standing just a moment ago. Then, he stopped blankly in the place where no warmth remained and manipulated his phone. He played the file that had been stopped from the moment Seo Jeong-won entered the parking lot and listened to Seo Jeong-won’s recorded voice.
He had listened to it so many times that he had memorized the entire conversation the two had had at the hospital. Every time he heard the part about the pheromone shower, he couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief.
He found it audacious that he was asking if another Alpha’s Pheromone would work. It was something that would all be solved if he came to him, but he didn’t like that he was stubbornly going around in circles. It was absurd. The current situation, where he couldn’t even show himself even though he was right in front of him.
Every time he felt the urge to go and take him without considering the situation, Lee Ye-rim’s warning that it wouldn’t end well held him back.
“Shit.”
He wasn’t even angry anymore. He just wanted to keep him by his side and hold him until he was tired of it. After that, he wanted to smell Seo Jeong-won as much as he wanted until he was sick of it.