5 – Fifth Meeting (1)

What kind of person will I marry?

He had always been curious. Seo-woon had been interested in marriage even before manifesting as an omega. More precisely, he had yearned for it. The institution of marriage, the meaning that marriage held. In young Seo-woon’s eyes, marriage was the only way for people who didn’t share a drop of blood to become family.

Seo-woon lost his parents in an accident when he was young. Fortunately or unfortunately, because Seo-woon was too young, he had almost no memories of his parents. Even Seo-woon’s earliest memories all began with his uncle and aunt. Though they weren’t registered in the same family record, Seo-woon had always been with family since childhood. Seo-woon had a mother called aunt in the family register, and a father called uncle. He also had cousin siblings much younger than him, like real younger siblings.

Even so, people said Seo-woon was pitiful. A pitiful child who lost his parents at a young age and lived dependent on relatives’ house. It wasn’t wrong since it was true that his parents weren’t there, but Seo-woon didn’t think he was pitiful. He had never thought of himself as living dependent on relatives either. This was Seo-woon’s home and these were Seo-woon’s family.

That thought remained unchanged now. What Seo-woon yearned for was the very fact that he could create a family through his own complete will and choice, not to deny his current family. Seo-woon was simply curious. He had always dreamed of what kind of family he would create together with the spouse he chose.

Though others might see such a self as endlessly pitiful, Seo-woon could confidently say he had lived as ordinary a life as anyone else. Of course, to some people, it might never seem ordinary. When 90% of the world’s population were betas, Seo-woon was an omega, and a male omega at that. Thinking about it that way, Seo-woon was already screwed from birth. What was screwed? An ordinary life.

“Jung Seo-woon!”

Young Seo-woon didn’t know. He never dreamed his wedding would be such a mess. Actually, looking at the conditions alone, it was a perfect wedding lacking nothing. When Seo-woon arrived at the venue, the smell of money wafted from everywhere to the extent that he instinctively stepped back in discomfort.

So what? This was the battlefield. If he let his guard down even a little, he’d die. Well then, shall we begin? Seo-woon solemnly set out to perform his quest.

“You’re here? You came early. Thanks for coming.”

“Outside! Outside!”

“Oh. Outside. You’re very surprised, right? Calm down first. Take a deep breath.”

“Outside…!”

“Breathe in deeply, and exhale… There, one more time.”

It wasn’t generally the kind of conversation you’d have in a groom’s waiting room. Regardless, when he repeatedly guided deep breathing, the excited acquaintance gradually regained stability. Only then did Seo-woon attempt normal conversation.

“Traffic was really bad, right?”

“That’s not the problem! Did you see?”

Well, what could it be? There were so many possibilities that he didn’t dare guess. Security guards spread out all around the hotel? Us renting out the entire hotel for today? Reporters attempting to infiltrate being dragged away by security? People who appear on our country’s society pages walking around the hotel lobby laughing without wheelchairs? Or my husband-to-be being fucking handsome? For reference, Yi-jin in a tuxedo boasted visuals that made him want to register their marriage immediately.

That was enough. No matter what happened, this marriage absolutely had to fucking happen. Without anyone telling him to, Seo-woon was desperately holding onto his sanity. It was certainly an objectively impressive family, but Seo-woon was someone who had agreed to marriage looking only at Yi-jin. So far, the grace from the exterior was greater. Yi-jin’s family… he’d think about that gradually. First, let’s get married.

“Ahn, Yi-sun! XX Group chairman!”

Ah, that was it. As expected, there were too many possibilities. Seo-woon skillfully responded.

“Ah, you were surprised? I was surprised at first too, but it gets better soon. But what exactly surprised you? Did he sing again by any chance?”

“Singing? What singing?”

“His hobby is classical singing, and when his club acquaintances come, he keeps singing. If he didn’t sing, that’s good.”

The fortunate thing was that Chairman Ahn Yi-sun had less media exposure compared to other chaebol leaders. It wasn’t originally like that, but it had become more so recently. Well, that made sense. Though it was long ago, considering the time when he made a name as an unprecedented issue maker by being kicked out of his leadership position and completely ruining an entire affiliate, it was about time for things to quiet down. No, how fortunate it was that things had quieted down.

It was almost a decade ago when Chairman Ahn Yi-sun personally became more of an issue than the brand name. Perhaps because of that, unless you were from an older generation than Seo-woon, people usually didn’t recognize him at once, but this acquaintance seemed to keep up with the news regularly. Whatever the case, it seemed unlikely that he would belatedly search for people on portal sites by himself and come running while screaming. Good, let’s finish this in one go! Seo-woon calmly waited for his acquaintance to finish speaking.

“What is this! Why is Ahn Yi-sun here? Why is he receiving greetings from the groom’s side? Don’t tell me you’re marrying someone from XX Group?”

“That’s… right? It seems that way to you too?”

“Hey, what is this…! Why didn’t you tell me! Are you serious? Really with XX Group… What the hell is going on!”

That’s what I’m saying. I don’t know how many times this commotion has happened. First, calming the excitement was urgent. Seo-woon signaled the photographer with his eyes.

“Sorry to interrupt your conversation. We don’t have time, so we’ll start with the shooting. Friend, please get closer to the groom. Good, smile! One more time! Smi~le!”

Click, click! The loud shutter sound subdued the commotion in the waiting room. It was the acquaintance response manual that Seo-woon had built through several trials and errors.

In this case, most people focus on the shooting. Being surprised is one thing, but photos are a separate matter. How terrible would it be to have my bad photo permanently remain in someone else’s wedding album? Today, Seo-woon participated in the shoot with a joyful heart. There was no savior like this.
After that, it usually divided into two types. For acquaintances who were blatantly curious about the circumstances, he used his silent phone as an excuse to issue an eviction order (no acting required – just one word: “Chairman!” was enough), and for acquaintances who were too busy being surprised on their own rather than demanding explanations, he didn’t spare any soulful reactions. It was courtesy toward acquaintances who had taken time out of their precious golden weekend.

Still, perhaps he hadn’t lived wrongly so far – fortunately, the latter case was much more common. This time, Seo-woon was truly grateful for his narrow but deep human relationships.

“Are you all done?”

All the people who should come had now come. With just minutes left until the wedding ceremony, the boss monster appeared. It was Min-young, Seo-woon’s younger cousin.

“No more people coming?”

“They might come late, or they might not come at all.”

“What the hell. Why be late to someone else’s wedding? Just close the doors.”

Min-young had been fuming since before arriving at the venue, and her attitude was quite aggressive. Usually it wouldn’t be a problem, but right now there were too many watching eyes and listening ears. It couldn’t hurt to be careful about everything. Seo-woon silently raised his finger to cover his lips. Although she clearly understood, Min-young still had a sulky face. Somehow sensing the reason, Seo-woon didn’t scold Min-young further.

“Close what? It’s someone else’s wedding – what’s wrong with being late? Did you greet all the adults?”

“Of course. I did it all. Did it so much. They only act friendly at times like this. How old is Min-young this year? Are you studying well? You have to get into S University. What’s your class rank? You have to get in on the first try… So annoying.”

A Korean high school senior with only a month and a half left until the college entrance exam has a lot of anger in their heart. Especially at family gatherings. In many ways, it was largely Seo-woon’s fault.

“What can you do? If it weren’t for oppa, I could have held out until February, but I met them all today.”

“That’s right. It’s because of me. What should we do? What does our Min-young want to do?”

“What do you mean ‘our Min-young.’ Was it nice having the formal parent meeting without me? So annoying. I was the only one who didn’t know. I found out about oppa’s marriage last!”

She had a right to be upset. It wasn’t intentional, but Min-young had indeed been informed of the marriage quite urgently. In fact, the marriage itself had happened urgently, but he couldn’t bring himself to tell the truth. He didn’t want to. He wanted to show only good sides to his younger cousin whom he had practically raised himself. It wasn’t that he had done anything bad, but anyway, there was no need to show his raw self. Not to his younger cousin, not to acquaintances, not to his spouse – not to anyone. Seo-woon was fundamentally someone with clear distinctions toward others. Even his younger cousin, who was like a real sibling, was no exception.

“I’m sorry. I won’t do that again.”

“Yeah. I got it. Don’t do that at the next wedding. I’ll follow along to the formal parent meeting then too.”

Ahem, ahem! The helper who was adjusting Seo-woon’s outfit choked at the student’s bold statement.

“Ha, haha. Min-young, that’s a bit…”

The photographer watching this sent a signal from the corner. ‘Should I take a photo?’ ‘No, it’s okay.’ Seo-woon lightly shook his head. Min-young had become a person of concern faster than anyone. As expected of a boss monster.

“But oppa, by any chance are you pregn…”

“We didn’t imprint and I’m not pregnant. Did the adults say that? That I’m getting married because I messed up?”

“Yeah. Really not?”

“Yeah. No. If I have a baby, I’ll tell you first, so just let that talk go in one ear and out the other. Don’t worry about study talk either.”

“Really? For real? Promise? You absolutely can’t break it! You have to tell me first!”

“Yeah. Promise.”

No matter how much she tries to act mature, a kid is still a kid. With just one indefinite promise, Min-young, who had been sulking, quickly returned to her usual self.

“Oppa, oppa. You know you look incredibly cool today? Amazing, seriously. My reputation lives because of oppa, really!”

It was good that she returned, but somehow the level was getting risky. It was at a level where he didn’t know where or how to start correcting her.

“Ha, haha. Thanks. I’m glad your reputation lives…”

“Yeah! It’s so alive! Oppa, look here.”

“Yeah. Why are you…”

“Damn, your face is so small. Come forward a bit. Yeah, stop.”

He was definitely wearing a pure white tuxedo, but on the phone screen, some rabbit was twinkling its eyes and flapping its big ears around. Like this? When Seo-woon leaned forward, Min-young struck a pose as if she had been waiting.

Quantity over quality – if you just keep taking photos, you’ll definitely get at least one good one. Endless selfie time continued. From rabbit to cat, then rabbit again (this rabbit had slightly bigger ears), to cat whiskers with cute cheek touch effects and heart-shaped blusher. All sorts of filters appeared. Seo-woon, who was quite awkward at first, gradually became more skilled at posing.

“Wait a minute.”

“Ah, why? There’s no time. Hurry up and take it.”

“That filter from before again.”

“This one?”

“Yeah. Now take it.”

“……”

“……”

“Crazy. Oppa, this is your life shot? Wow, this is amazing. Use this as your profile picture.”

“I think people will think I got hacked. Just send it to me first.”

“Okay. Now let’s take a video. Rabbit call?”

“Call. The one with big ears.”

“Call.”

There may be people who have never done it, but there’s no one who has done it only once – beauty filters are revolutionary. Seo-woon was already immersed in selfie bliss. It was a whole new world. When Min-young in the filter made a fist with her left hand and acted cute, Seo-woon raised his right hand to match.

Ah, what great sense. Min-young extended her opposite fist while keeping her gaze fixed on the phone. Seo-woon also brought his opposite fist over without taking his eyes off the phone. Naturally, they missed. Ding! The two checked the results as soon as the first filming ended. Since it was still the first video, it felt a bit awkward. Again! Filming resumed immediately. Seo-woon quickly struck a pose.

“Today is Seo-woon oppa’s wedding day! How do you feel?”

Suddenly? The second one was an interview concept. “Um… I’m so overwhelmed… I sincerely thank everyone who attended today.” The confusion was brief – Seo-woon put his heart and soul into the filming. I admit it. Honestly, it was kind of fun. Seo-woon in the video rivaled celebrities. This looks pretty good, right? Seo-woon acted as cute, handsome, pretty, and cool as he could.

“Mr. Seo-woon. The executive director has arrived.”

What? Who? Although they had been together since early dawn until now, except for when she choked, this was the first time hearing the helper’s voice. Seo-woon instinctively sensed danger. Who the executive director was came second.

“Seo-woon.”

Ah. Shit. You were the executive director? Seo-woon learned his future husband’s job title on their wedding day. It was a freaking eureka moment.

Why are you here…? The visual that made him want to register their marriage immediately was looking at Seo-woon. Seo-woon smiled awkwardly and let out the air he had puffed into his cheeks. Yi-jin’s gaze turned to Seo-woon’s deflated cheeks.

“Wow. Crazy handsome… The visual chemistry is amazing…”

Min-young, who had also puffed up her cheeks with air like Seo-woon, made deflated sounds from the side. Ah, this seems a bit embarrassing right now? No, it is embarrassing.

“I’m sorry. I was interrupting.”

Don’t! Don’t say anything! Seo-woon silently shouted.

“There are still about 2 minutes left, so you can continue filming.”

“Ah, no. We can stop now…”

“Brother-in-law should film together too!”
When did you become brother-in-law? It was an incomprehensible crazy affinity. It wasn’t just Seo-woon who was surprised – Yi-jin, who had briefly raised his eyebrows, politely declined with a bow. Fuck, he rejected it! That was even more embarrassing.

“No. I appreciate the suggestion, but I’m not as skilled as you two, so I think I’d just get in the way. Since we don’t have much time, it would be more efficient for you two to take photos together today.”

Don’t! Don’t talk about being skilled! This time too, Seo-woon only shouted internally.

“What skill? Just take them! You get better at selfies the more you take them. Seo-woon oppa was really bad at taking photos at first too.”

“Is that so? It didn’t seem that way at all… As expected, Seo-woon is amazing.”

Don’t! Don’t make that face like I’m amazing over something like this! This time he almost said it out loud. Fortunately, Min-young struck first.

“I taught him everything. Brother-in-law can do it too! I’ll teach you.”

“Thank you.”

“But brother-in-law is reaaaaally handsome. Wow, you’re even more handsome up close! Are all alphas like this?”

“What do you mean?”

“Wow, your face! Are all alphas as handsome as brother-in-law?”

“Just because they’re the same alpha doesn’t mean they all look exactly the same. Thank you for the compliment. You’re beautiful too, Min-young.”

“What? Beautiful, what? Wow shit, that’s crazy. Can’t you say it one more time?”

“You’re beautiful too, Min-young. You resemble Seo-woon.”

“What? Crazy. Oppa, did you hear? He says I’m beautiful because I resemble you! Wow, brother-in-law, I didn’t see you that way, but you’re already being a doting husband?”

Of course. With all that loud chattering, how could he not hear? I can hear very well, so could everyone please shut up…? The sacred groom’s waiting room – two time bombs had gathered. It was an unexpected combination.

“Seo-woon. Shall we go in now?”

Yi-jin, who had checked his wristwatch, politely called Seo-woon. The time had finally come. Now Seo-woon was really getting married. He was about to enter the ceremony hall with an alpha he had seen a total of five times, including today.

That’s quite a lot, really. Seo-woon left the groom’s waiting room with Yi-jin. “Fighting!” Min-young sent a loud message of support from behind.

Right, fighting. Let’s do our best. Let’s work hard and even try business class on a national airline. When the wedding is over, Seo-woon will go on his honeymoon. Together with the alpha in front of him, Yi-jin who will become his husband.

“Yi-jin.”

“Yes. Please go ahead.”

“What’s your position?”

“Executive managing director.”

I see. They had only exchanged about two sentences, but everything around them was noisy. It’ll be even worse when we go in, right? Or maybe it’ll be better once we go in? I don’t know. I don’t know anything, but what’s certain is that it’s very far from the ordinary marriage Seo-woon had dreamed of.

This is screwed, totally screwed. Even though he had taken refuge in the groom’s waiting room, it seemed like there would be no place to hide from now on. He had been too complacent about the confident request not to announce it to the media. From the start, talking about whether to announce someone else’s marriage or not wasn’t normal. And what about the alpha next to him? Even when working at a small company, he never had the chance to dine with an executive managing director.

“Yi-jin.”

“Yes, Seo-woon.”

“I’m getting a bit nervous, what should I do?”

“Don’t worry. Just do as you practiced this morning. If you don’t remember the movements, I’ll tell you again. Or how about watching the practice video for a moment? I’ll walk as slowly as possible.”

He looked ready to call a helper immediately, so he quickly stopped him. At times like this, you just need to hold hands, Jin. They had had sex but never held hands – after briefly conflicted, Seo-woon quickly grabbed Yi-jin’s hand. As if he hadn’t expected his hand to be grabbed, Yi-jin’s eyebrows moved greatly. What’s that? Laughter burst out spontaneously. Not because it was funny, but because he was handsome. As expected, this marriage must happen. Seo-woon quickly regained his composure.

“We don’t know each other well yet, but…”

Executive director, you’ll be entering shortly. Starting the countdown. 10, 9… The countdown began. The helper’s voice, the surrounding commotion, the sharp gazes – everything felt unreal. Only the warmth in their awkwardly clasped hands felt like the only reality. Seo-woon smiled and said:

“I won’t make you regret proposing marriage. Go ahead first. I’ll be right in.”

He hadn’t particularly expected an answer, but as expected, no answer came back. Instead, a gaze followed him. The mysterious gaze that hadn’t left Seo-woon for a moment since he first entered the cafe lingered on Seo-woon for a long time. The same was true even after the sound effect announcing the groom’s entrance filled the hotel lobby.

Executive director, you can enter now. …Executive director? Executive director! Executive director, you need to enter now…! Yi-jin entered the ceremony hall only after his name was called several times. Gorgeous chandeliers and thunderous applause celebrated the two people’s marriage.

Groom Ahn Yi-jin, groom Jung Seo-woon. The two were married. It was a grand wedding that rented out the entire hotel.

* * *
When you turn 30, you have many ceremonial occasions. The most representative example among them is weddings. Due to his narrow but deep human relationships, he hadn’t been to many weddings, but he’d been to as many as others. Generally speaking, Seo-woon had his own average understanding of how weddings proceed and how long they take from what he’d seen and heard.

That average was completely shattered today. First of all, the wedding was too long, and facts that even Seo-woon didn’t know kept popping up in the middle. He had a lot to say especially about the pre-ceremony congratulatory performance. When you say a band will perform, anyone thinks of maybe one congratulatory song, not a congratulatory performance reminiscent of a concert hall.

It was his first time in his life experiencing a wedding with a congratulatory performance. They even performed five songs for the congratulatory performance. Befitting a XX Electronics advertisement model, the last song was decorated with a commercial jingle. Not only did they sing five congratulatory songs, but a commercial jingle echoing through the wedding hall – when he first received the briefing from Yi-jin, he wasn’t particularly keen on it, but he remembered giving his confirmation considering Yi-jin’s family background. (As it turned out, these weren’t even congratulatory songs. The congratulatory songs were separate.)

He regretted it. That rash decision back then. If he had known it would be this exciting, he should have changed all the other four songs to commercial jingles too. Indeed, the best songs are the ones you know – when the familiar commercial jingle rang out, his shoulders naturally started moving.

The guests’ reaction was tremendous too. Of course, those who favored wheelchairs maintained their dignity to the end, but excluding them, the rest of the guests succeeded in bringing about an encore performance with enthusiastic responses reminiscent of a concert hall.

Another fact Seo-woon didn’t know – there was an intermission in the middle of the main ceremony. During this time, ice cream was served to the guests, and Seo-woon had thought this ice cream was dessert. Although he was quite flustered, since his mistake of not properly checking was significant, he ate the ice cream pretending nothing was wrong. As a result, the ice cream was delicious, so he was very satisfied.

They skipped the officiant and replaced it with words of blessing from the parents. This was a very common case up to this point, but the problem was that six people gave the blessings. Even when he received the briefing from Yi-jin, he had expected it wouldn’t be ordinary, but experiencing it firsthand, this time was quite long. The intermission should have been placed here.

Seo-woon’s uncle and aunt, Yi-jin’s parents, and Yi-jin’s uncle and aunt all had their individual blessing time. While Seo-woon’s uncle and aunt were in place of his parents, Yi-jin had a total of four people, including his uncle and aunt, who had prepared blessings. Perhaps because they were together at the American branch, they seemed to get along much better than Seo-woon had thought.

His uncle went up to the podium holding Seo-woon’s baby clothes. It was anxious from the entrance, and sure enough, he ended up showing tears and was hastily collected by his aunt.

It was literally a time full of personality. Starting with his uncle and going through Yi-jin’s family members, there wasn’t a single person without character. The last turn was Yi-jin’s uncle, who seemed as emotionally overwhelmed as Seo-woon’s uncle. When his uncle actually teared up, it was a bit flustering, but not very surprising.

Although there were a few mishaps in the middle, the wedding itself flowed very successfully. Despite the long, long ceremony, most of the guests stayed seated until the end. It must have been because they couldn’t get up carelessly given the occasion, but outwardly it looked nothing short of perfect.

On the other hand, the protagonist of this occasion, Seo-woon, was gradually getting tired. In front were wedding photography cameras, and behind were countless people watching Seo-woon throughout the ceremony. Some with congratulatory meaning, some with exploratory meaning. Murmuring could be heard from various places.

Was it persecution complex? Maybe it was Seo-woon’s own problem. In fact, it was that unreasonable a marriage. If it seemed that way even to Seo-woon, how much more so to others’ eyes? So today, no matter what happened, Seo-woon had to appear the happiest in the world.

Of course he was happy. He was also grateful. But he didn’t want to be found fault with for no reason. He didn’t want to be pitied either. Only he should pity himself. If the marriage with Yi-jin turned out to be a failure, it would be a matter of blaming his past self, not something for other people to get involved in. So don’t blame me. The only person I can trust in the future is myself. Even a husband is ultimately a stranger. What I can trust is…

“Seo-woon.”

Ah, I was startled. Before he knew it, the second congratulatory song had ended. He wasn’t making a strange face, was he? Instead of answering, Seo-woon looked up at Yi-jin. As expected, he was handsome even when looked at again. Somehow it seemed like his mood was improving too. Seo-woon tried to shake off his thoughts with idle thinking.

“Actually, there’s something I haven’t told you, Seo-woon.”

“What is it?”

“I’m sorry. I can’t tell you from my position.”

An orchestral performance was scheduled as the third congratulatory song. While the orchestra performers were each preparing their instruments, the person who would become his husband said he had a secret he hadn’t told him.

A secret – this is good. Everyone has secrets if they’re human. Even if there’s no particularly special story, everything about me that I haven’t revealed to others is a secret. In this context, Seo-woon was someone with many secrets. He dealt with people while revealing himself as little as possible, and with clear boundaries between others and himself, he didn’t easily allow even that.

But this isn’t right. It was true that Seo-woon was that kind of person, but at least on his wedding day, and moreover in the middle of the wedding ceremony, he didn’t have secrets to bring up threateningly. At least if you’re a sensible person, you shouldn’t have such things.

Is there no way out now? What’s his intention in telling me this story now? In the moment when the orchestra was preparing to perform, Seo-woon imagined thousands of possibilities.

What is it? What could it be? Does he actually have a child? If this marriage is a smokescreen and he actually has someone he truly loves… what should I do? Should I kill him? No. Let’s think realistically. Anger is momentary but money is eternal, so let’s get alimony. I’ll squeeze him hard. I’ll squeeze him big so he can never do such trashy things again. Life is real battle, damn it! How dare he!

As always, incidents happen at unexpected moments. Just when Yi-jin’s trash theory had become established fact in Seo-woon’s mind, the orchestral performance began. The fact that he could still hear the performance amid all this meant that some incredible people had definitely come, whoever they were.

Of course they would have. Such great and distinguished chaebol family. His battle power instantly hit max level. Seo-woon completely turned toward Yi-jin with his back to the guests.

So, it was behind him. The sound came from behind him. Precisely, it was singing. The orchestral performance changed instantly.

“Life is beautiful.”

It was tremendous cheering. When the song started, the guests suddenly screamed. Unlike Seo-woon, who was dumbfounded not knowing what was going on, Yi-jin was looking down at Seo-woon with his usual expression. “Seo-woon,” buried in the music, Yi-jin’s voice sounded particularly small.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you in advance.”

Never mind that, just don’t do things you need to be sorry for. It was regrettable that he couldn’t be as sarcastic as he wanted because the singing was too loud. This kind of talk should be done properly in a quiet place. Let’s talk after the wedding is over – he only said that instead. Seo-woon was determined to have it out with Yi-jin somehow.

How fortunate. Ten million times fortunate. Well done, past me. Really well done. Even thinking about it again, it was dizzying. If Seo-woon at this time had been even a little less composed, he would have almost created the biggest dark history of his entire life. Yi-jin said:

“It was father’s request, so I couldn’t refuse.”

“What did father ask for?”
“The blessing of love that is you, life is beautiful.”
“Life is beautiful!”
“Life is beautiful!”

This is strange. There are only orchestra musicians on stage, but the singing won’t stop. And it’s not just one voice either. Two, three, no, five. Maybe even more. “Amazing! Wow, uncle, you’re so cool!” Min-young, who was extremely excited, made dolphin sounds. What is this…? Seo-woon belatedly turned around.

“My one and only you, our beloved us, our shared future.”

And he realized. Ah, I took the world too lightly. He just suddenly had that thought.

A middle-aged gentleman in a tuxedo he’d seen somewhere before was singing a hymn with moist eyes, meant only for Seo-woon and Yi-jin. Behind Yi-jin’s father, throughout the guest seating, choruses were sprouting up like moles. It wasn’t close enough to see faces clearly, but he could tell without looking. They were father’s classical singing club friends.

“Together until death.”
“Until death!”
“Until death!”
“Together even after death.”
“Even after death!”
“Even after death!”

The wedding ended decorated with a surprise congratulatory song prepared by Chairman Ahn Yi-sun and his club acquaintances. This was the identity of the secret Yi-jin couldn’t reveal. The surprise was a huge success. Seo-woon was literally surprised. Really fucking surprised.

There wasn’t even time to bask in the afterglow. As soon as the wedding ended, Seo-woon interrogated Yi-jin. After repeating the same question several times, he finally got confirmation that there would be no more surprises.

Right, then that’s fine. With two surprises, even an incoming heat cycle might fly away. Seo-woon headed to the airport with Yi-jin in relief. Chairman Ahn Yi-sun’s singing had been echoing in his head for a while, but Seo-woon tried hard to ignore it.

“Wow. This is my first time in a lounge.”
“If you like it after trying it, please feel free to use it in the future.”

The wedding was over, there were no watching eyes. True freedom had arrived. For Seo-woon, who had just finished his deadline a few days ago, there was nothing left to fear. The airport lounge he’d entered for the first time was fascinating, and he was very excited about his first-ever business class seat he’d board soon. The excitement that airports bring and the sense of liberation from finally escaping people’s gazes – there was nothing he disliked. Everything was exciting, including Yi-jin, with whom he was finally alone.

Moreover, it wasn’t business class but first class. Well, of course. There’s no way he’d take business class. Only then did Seo-woon truly feel the distance between himself and Yi-jin. He felt it even more from the sight of Yi-jin showing no emotion even in first class on the plane for their honeymoon, unlike his own excited state.

But why did he really marry me? Such a question occurred to him during the moment of takeoff, which he couldn’t get used to no matter how many times he experienced it.

As the altitude increased rapidly, both his ears naturally became stuffy. Seo-woon forced himself to swallow dry saliva, trying to adapt to the pressure.

Maybe because the seat was wide, Yi-jin, who was right next to him, seemed particularly far away. Nothing was familiar – not the spacious interior, nor his own position of practically lying down.

Seo-woon’s gaze, which had been awkwardly looking around, finally turned to Yi-jin. Having frequent overseas business trips, he seemed comfortable even on the plane. Yi-jin couldn’t wait any longer and was taking out a tablet PC. No wait, he had waited until the announcement, so he had been patient enough. Seo-woon spoke first.

“Are you busy?”
“Is there something you need?”
“Just bored. If you’re busy, never mind.”
“About 7 minutes is fine, so please go ahead.”
“Ah, 7 minutes. Wow, 7 minutes. That’s really long.”
“Will you speak quickly? I lost the entire morning today, so I don’t have much time.”

There were several irritating points, but he decided to let it go. First of all, Seo-woon was in a good mood and didn’t want to ruin the specialness of the situation. Seo-woon had just finished his wedding and was on a plane for his honeymoon. This level of annoyance was nothing. Seo-woon asked:

“Why did you want to get married, Yi-jin?”

He didn’t ask why he wanted to marry him specifically. That would be too obvious. Especially with someone who had no filter, any answer would probably just make Seo-woon embarrassed and ashamed. Of course, Seo-woon was mistaken.

“Because it’s something I can do.”
“…What? Put in the object and speak properly.”
“I’m sorry. My explanation was insufficient. I haven’t particularly thought about the reason. I thought I should naturally do it since it’s something I can do.”

Hmm, right. That could be. Marriage is a human right and privilege, so naturally… what the hell. Is that words or rice wine? Facing such legendary bullshit made his mind confused. Seo-woon barely held onto his reason.

“So, there’s no reason you wanted to get married. You did it because you had to. Something like that?”
“Half right, half wrong. The reason I thought I should get married wasn’t because of a sense of duty about marriage, but because it’s something I can do.”
“…I don’t understand what you’re saying, so explain in more detail. What? Something you can do?”
“Yes, that’s right. Marriage falls within the realm of what I can do, so it’s right that I should accomplish it. Since returning to the Korean branch, I couldn’t find a suitable person for a long time, but fortunately I met you, Seo-woon. Thanks to that, I was able to not exceed the deadline.”
“Ah, suitable person… ah… What’s this about a deadline? Is there an expiration date or something?”
“That’s a very literary expression. Interesting.”

What is he saying now? Seo-woon must be making the coldest expression in the world right now. While Seo-woon was distracted by the legendary bullshit, Yi-jin struck first.

“I’m going on a long business trip soon. I was worried about what to do about residence since I have to move between branches, but the situation worked out perfectly.”
“……”
“About 3 minutes left now. Don’t you have anything more to say?”

3 minutes is the time it takes for cup noodles to cook. Time to heat up jjajang and curry – discussing divorce in that time would be too hasty a decision. Right. Let’s be calm, Jung Seo-woon. You finished your deadline, you have plenty of time ahead. Think seriously about it during the honeymoon. Talk to each other and get to know each other better.

“Don’t you want to try divorce?”

But our mouth always betrays reason.

“According to what you said, Yi-jin, wouldn’t divorce also fall within the realm of what you can do?”
The only thing that can beat nonsense is nonsense. Even Seo-woon didn’t know what he was saying. At Seo-woon’s confident nonsense, Yi-jin’s face became serious.

“Well. I’ve never thought about divorce, so it’s difficult to say anything about it.”

“Wow, why do you discriminate against divorce? I didn’t think you were like that, but you’re quite narrow-minded.”

Woof woof, woof woof woof! Seo-woon barked. Even knowing it was nonsense, he couldn’t stop. He felt a bit self-loathing, but fortunately not too much.

“No. I didn’t discriminate. I’ll think about it quickly from now on.”

“I think the 3 minutes are up.”

“There are still about 1 minute and 40 seconds left.”

“…Yi-jin.”

“Yes, Seo-woon.”

“Are you serious?”

“…What do you mean…”

“You’re saying you’ll decide on a major life matter within 1 minute and 40 seconds. Even cup noodles need to cook for 3 minutes – this is too much. I like chewy noodles, but I still wait 3 minutes.”

You think only you can bark? I can bark too! The pleasure exceeded the self-loathing. Really, I didn’t think you were that kind of person… When Seo-woon clicked his tongue, an earthquake occurred in Yi-jin’s pupils. Phew, when he finished the nonsense with a sigh, Yi-jin put down the tablet PC he was holding.

“I’m sorry. I was short-sighted. If it’s okay with you, Seo-woon, I’d like to have a proper discussion after setting up a proper place. Would you allow that?”

“Sure, then.”

“Thank you for allowing it. Do you have any preferred format?”

“Format? What format… Ah, we don’t need meeting minutes or anything like that, so just talk. I’ll go without anything too.”

“Understood. How about 11 AM tomorrow morning?”

“Aren’t we having breakfast? At 11, it’ll be just when I’m getting full…”

Seo-woon answered seriously. “I see,” Yi-jin also nodded seriously.

“Then when would be convenient for you? I’ll adjust to your convenient time, Seo-woon.”

“Hmm. When would be good. How about 4 o’clock?”

“Good. Then I’ll see you then.”

“Call. Then I’ll get some sleep for a bit. I’m completely tired.”

“Understood. Sweet dreams.”

“You’re doing well at work too, Yi-jin. You need to make money.”

“Yes. I will.”

After passionately barking nonsense, fatigue suddenly rushed in. Whether first class is always like this or whether it’s because Seo-woon had been suffering since early dawn, the texture of the seat wrapping around his whole body was excessively comfortable. To be able to stretch both legs out like this on an airplane – it was touching.

So this is what money tastes like. It’s not just touching, it’s absolutely thrilling. I shouldn’t get too used to it though, I might get divorced… Unlike his cold reason, his honest body was sinking into comfort. With the blanket pulled up to his neck, sleep was pouring out. What is Yi-jin doing? Maybe preparing a divorce briefing.

Tap tap, tap tap tap, tap tap tap tap. He was thinking of Yi-jin in his sleep when the loud keyboard sounds disturbed Seo-woon. What keyboard sounds? When he lifted his heavy eyelids, he could see Yi-jin doing something on his laptop. Although he hadn’t seen Yi-jin often, it was a strangely familiar scene. Even at their unforgettable second meeting, Yi-jin had been with his laptop.

Come to think of it, didn’t he record then too? Let’s tell him not to record this time. First, let’s delete that one from back then… Seo-woon fell into deep sleep using the keyboard sounds as a lullaby. In his dream, someone removed hair that was tickling around Seo-woon’s eyes, but he couldn’t remember who it was. The careful hand that lingered on Seo-woon’s face even after removing the hair quickly flew away with just one turn from Seo-woon.

Thanks to this, Seo-woon missed the first-class in-flight meal he had been eagerly anticipating. Missing an in-flight meal was remarkable enough, but what if that meal was his first-ever first-class in-flight meal? No need to think deeply about it. It seemed like the divorce would have to be postponed until after the honeymoon. On the return flight, no matter what, he’d have to eat the in-flight meal first. Still, thanks to sleeping deeply, his condition was good. The world was indeed fair.

After quickly finishing immigration and coming outside, he could feel the exotic air different from Korea. Welcome to Hawaii! The two had come to the mecca of honeymoons. These two people, who had met a total of five times until today, would eat and sleep together for the remaining 6 nights and 8 days.

“Welcome, Executive Director. It’s been a long time. Did you have a comfortable flight?”

“Yes. It’s been exactly 7 months since we last met. Seo-woon, this is Executive Managing Director Park from the Hawaii branch.”

People from the Hawaii branch had come to meet them at the airport in advance. Naturally, they were people Seo-woon was seeing for the first time, but since Yi-jin added explanations, it wasn’t too uncomfortable.

“Hello, Seo-woon. I’ve heard a lot about you from Charles. It’s an honor to meet you like this.”

“I’m Jung Seo-woon. Thank you for welcoming me. Nice to meet you.”

Ha ha ha, who is Charles again? He probably didn’t know, but since he wasn’t that curious, he was exchanging greetings with appropriate laughter when Yi-jin whispered from beside him.

“Charles is my uncle’s English name.”

“Oh.”

“If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask. I’ll do my best to inform you.”

It’s not even Gi*ni, what’s with going that far… There wasn’t much emotion, but when he smiled appropriately to show he understood, Yi-jin stepped back with an inwardly proud face. Well, sure. He’d definitely answer questions well.

“What’s the time difference in Hawaii?”

“Hawaii is located to the right of the central North Pacific, so it’s 19 hours behind Korea.”

As if waiting for a chance to test his performance, an answer came back immediately. As expected, there seemed to be no problem with performance. Seo-woon finished the test with satisfaction.

“Wow, it’s completely summer.”

“That’s right. It’s actually similar to early August in Korea.”

It seemed like he’d gotten used to early autumn weather already since the heat wave ended not long ago. He was breathless from the midsummer heat that rushed in at once. He had only missed a meal but slept well and woke up, not even dragging his own suitcase, yet it was like that. He didn’t know if this should be called fortunate, but a Korean employee who looked younger than Executive Managing Director Park who came to meet them, and even younger than Yi-jin and Seo-woon, took on today’s porter duties. Seo-woon’s luggage was also in his hands. That person must be hotter. Seo-woon said while taking his luggage.

“Thank you. From here I’ll carry…”

“No, ma’am! I’ll do it. Please give it here.”

Who? Ma’am? He was dumbfounded by the unexpected attack. Regardless, the employee took Seo-woon’s suitcase back with what could be called desperate gestures. While thinking there was no need to go this far, he also understood on the other hand. It’s not just any executive director, but the chairman’s son, so it must be difficult and uncomfortable. Although they’ve been restraining media exposure recently, there probably isn’t a single adult who doesn’t know Yi-jin’s father.

He was the one who was kicked out of the chairman position overnight, completely ruined an entire affiliate, and became an unprecedented laughingstock in chaebol family history. Seo-woon had seen on the news the process of him rebuilding the company and reclaiming his position. While it was amazing that he rebuilt the company, he never thought the day would come when such a person would sing congratulatory songs at a wedding. He really didn’t know. Seo-woon’s gaze naturally turned to Yi-jin. Yi-jin was having a conversation with Executive Managing Director Park.

Yes, Executive Director. That’s right. Of course, you’re absolutely right. Just last quarter… He wasn’t trying to listen, but when the language environment changed, Korean particularly stuck in his ears. Even though he looked to be at least twelve years older, it was Executive Managing Director Park who was politely bowing his head, and it was Yi-jin who occasionally nodded with an expressionless face. It was an unfamiliar and uncomfortable sight. Probably any Korean would think so. Seo-woon was watching that scene from a little distance. Even though it wasn’t that far, it somehow felt like they were far apart.

“Do you have something to say?”
Perhaps sensing Seo-woon’s gaze, Yi-jin spoke first. Just like with Executive Director Park, his face remained expressionless. Seo-woon quietly stared at such a Yi-jin, then slowly shook his head.

“No. Nothing.”

“Then shall we head to the hotel now?”

“Let’s…”

“Here you are, Executive Managing Director.”

Before Seo-woon could even finish answering, Executive Director Park handed over car keys from inside his jacket. Seeing Yi-jin take the wheel himself, it seemed the company people wouldn’t be accompanying them. That was fortunate at least.

“Please get in, Seo-woon.”

“Ah, yes. Thank you.”

“If you need anything at all, please feel free to contact us anytime. We’ll be waiting.”

Executive Director Park personally opened the car door while saying this. If they had met normally in society, he would undoubtedly have been Seo-woon’s superior in both age and position, but now he was busy bowing his head repeatedly. From first-class airplane seats to the excessive attitudes of people – none of this would have been possible without Yi-jin.

Even the car right in front of him was like that. The car door opens upward…? It was fascinating and surprising. This was the first time seeing such a car up close. When Seo-woon didn’t get in the car and just stood there, Executive Director Park asked urgently.

“Seo-woon, is there perhaps some problem with the car…?”

Clack! Suddenly Yi-jin closed the car door. “Huh!” The youngest employee made a loud sound in surprise, and Executive Director Park’s face turned pale. Then he opened the car door again. This time Yi-jin personally opened the passenger door.

Once more, the car door rose upward. “Ooh.” When Seo-woon admired it, Yi-jin closed the car door again. Then opened it again. He repeated this about twice.

“Does the roof open too?”

“You mean the top? It opens.”

“Oh! Open it!”

“Please wait a moment.”

Vroom- it was like a plane taking off. Hawaiian sunshine poured into the wide-open roof. “Wow!” It was a sight that naturally drew admiration. “Let’s get in quickly!” An excited Seo-woon urged Yi-jin. Following Seo-woon, Yi-jin also hurriedly finished boarding.

“Jin, drive!”

Where on earth had his uncomfortable feelings gone? Had they gone to the Middle East? Having seen it somewhere before, Seo-woon quickly took out sunglasses and put them on, shouting excitedly.

“Have you fastened your seatbelt?”

At times like this, you just need to fasten it for him, Jin. It was funny to say that, so Seo-woon fastened the belt himself. Click- a cheerful sound echoed as the belt’s connection clicked into place. Soon after, Yi-jin started the engine.

The two drove along the endlessly stretching coastal road with the car roof wide open. To the side, giant waves formed endless surges, and ahead, the bright blue sky and gray asphalt road met to form a clear boundary. Sky and land, and sea. The perfect distinction with no compromise opened up the view naturally.

The sunshine touching their skin was hot, but since the day wasn’t humid, the wind was cool. The salty sea breeze tickled their hair, and the beautiful exotic scenery colorfully painted their vision. It felt like every sense was vividly alive and moving. Seo-woon spread both arms wide. He wanted to feel the air and scent of this moment with his whole body.

When he closed his eyes and stretched his arms, he could feel the sea nearby. The fishy salty smell that never became familiar no matter how much he breathed it in, and the sound of rippling waves gradually excited Seo-woon. The stone-like emotions rolling around in his chest couldn’t even compare.

He wanted to enjoy this sensation more freely. However, Seo-woon’s wish to stand on the passenger seat like a movie protagonist and feel the wind was never realized. The person next to him wouldn’t let him unfasten his seatbelt no matter what, so he had no choice but to do it while remaining seated.

The exotic air, completely different from Korea, embraced Seo-woon from all directions. Even though they were just driving on flat ground, his chest swelled as if he had climbed to a mountain peak. His heart also swelled like someone facing a new beginning. The small pebble that had been rummaging through Seo-woon’s chest at will was no longer felt.

“Seo-woon, it’s dangerous. Please lower your arms a bit more.”

Even with this beautiful scenery before them, Yi-jin couldn’t take his eyes off Seo-woon. While honestly gripping the steering wheel with both hands, he kept glancing at Seo-woon through the rearview mirror. He couldn’t relax his tension, not knowing when Seo-woon might unfasten his seatbelt and stand up.

That sight was so funny. Repeating the same words like a machine, yet unable to take both hands off the steering wheel – everything.

I got married. Only then did Seo-woon truly feel his marriage. Seo-woon had gained a husband. He had gained family.

* * *

There were no tasks to do, no set schedule. The two people’s honeymoon advocated for complete free travel. This was entirely according to Seo-woon’s wishes. In a situation where confirmation might not come through until the wedding day, he didn’t want to hastily plan an itinerary. It was a once-in-a-lifetime honeymoon that would be remembered forever. It had to be more enjoyable and exciting than any other trip.

To think I had such a romantic side – even Seo-woon found this unfamiliar about himself. Strictly speaking, it wasn’t because Seo-woon was romantic, but rather that he had built up resentment about not being able to have fun due to all the hardships, but Seo-woon wasn’t quite analytical enough to examine such things. He had relatively cool reason, but he also had impulsive duality that betrayed it.

Whatever the case, when expectations are high, disappointments are also great – Seo-woon had consciously tried to suppress his expectations. It seemed like things had gone wrong from the moment he entered the Incheon Airport lounge, but he had definitely made an effort. That effort was completely blown away on the coastal road surrounded by the North Pacific.

When they arrived at the hotel, Seo-woon’s excitement peaked. They had traveled in first class on a national airline, the car had doors that opened upward, and the hotel room was a suite with an ocean view.

This is crazy. This is insane! Seo-woon abandoned Yi-jin and the hotel staff and walked to the window. The sky and sea spread out before his eyes, so transparent and clean that he could forget there was glass there.

Wow shit, what should I do? I’m so excited. The room was so spacious that he couldn’t even hear the sound of the staff leaving. Now that they were finally alone together, the weak vigilance that remained flew away cleanly. Seo-woon shouted:

“It’s the ocean!”

“Yes. It’s the ocean. To be precise, it’s the North Pacific. The beach name is…”

Maybe because he’s an AI? He turns on by himself even though no one turned him on – what a mess. Seo-woon turned off the switch himself.

“Are we really staying here? Until we go back to Korea?”

“That’s right. If you don’t like the hotel, anytime…”

“I don’t like it. I don’t like having to go back to Korea. Wow, what should I do? It’s so good, really.”

Seo-woon was honest yet not honest. He was appropriately honest, just as much as needed. It was partly due to his not-so-young age, but his basic nature was like that. It could be because of his upbringing, or because of his family environment. Whatever the reason, even Seo-woon found this unfamiliar about himself. He was even amazed that he could express his emotions so freely.

Money really is the best. Show me the money! Long live capitalism! Thanks to this, Seo-woon attributed all of this to money’s hard work. In a way, it was a natural response. To fall into romantic sentiments like “it’s because of this person,” the two had only met five times. They were married now, so he was legally a husband… Well, being married also means you can get divorced, so it’s too early to feel secure. Besides, they hadn’t even registered their marriage. No wait. They had a wedding ceremony, so would this be considered a common-law marriage?
His stream of consciousness was coldly rational, but he was immediately too excited. Seo-woon couldn’t take his eyes off the scenery outside the window. He wanted to capture this spectacular view in photos, but the window was too wide to fit entirely in the lens. Seo-woon enthusiastically took photos while changing his position this way and that.

Click! Click! Click! The shutter sounds were loud in the quiet hotel room. He was already excited all by himself, and with the camera shooting sounds added, it couldn’t be more embarrassing.

“Seo-woon.”

He was startled when his name was called while he was feeling embarrassed alone. Yi-jin was right behind him – when had he approached? Ah, no. I was the one who came over. This was the result of enthusiastically stepping backwards to get a full shot.

“Do you have a moment?”

“Of course I do. What is it?”

Time was overflowing. For the remaining 6 nights and 8 days, Seo-woon would have time alone with the alpha in front of him. That fact felt awkward, so Seo-woon stood at a distance from Yi-jin as he answered. The distance between the two widened by exactly that much. Yi-jin said:

“How long would be good?”

“What? What duration?”

“Never mind. Let’s have you stay as long as you want before coming back. Since there’s a time difference with Korea, if you need anything, you can contact Executive Managing Director Park.”

“Huh? Really? Is that really okay?”

“Yes. It’s fine.”

“But… aren’t you busy, Yi-jin? If it’s too much trouble…”

What did I just hear? Bundles of bills were flying around in his head. Was this really possible? His rational brain cells died in droves from this unprecedented money-spending spree. I totally support this marriage! Someone shouted, trampling on the dead rational brain cells.

“I don’t mind. Do as you’re comfortable, Seo-woon.”

“Still… you don’t have to overdo it…”

“It’s not overdoing it. I’ll return to Korea first, so take your time coming back. Just let me know your return date in advance. I’ll have a driver waiting according to your flight.”

Of course. That’s just like you. What was I expecting? I’m not even angry. It’s just absurd. Crudely speaking, it’s ridiculous. To be able to talk such nonsense so thoughtfully – indeed, there’s no end to learning. Seo-woon learned one more thing like this.

“Ah, yes. I understand. I’ll think about it.”

“If you want to change hotels, you can do that.”

“Ah, yes.”

“How about trying a different car? Should I prepare the next car as a convertible too?”

“Yes, whatever.”

“Understood. I’ll contact Executive Managing Director Park.”

What to do, really. The AI performance is too good. “No. Don’t do that. I’ll think more and decide.” Seo-woon calmly reasoned with Yi-jin. He didn’t want to ruin the peaceful commute home for the managing director and the youngest employee.

“Just say the word and immediately…”

“It’s fine.”

“I’ll give you Executive Managing Director Park’s contact information. Whenever you want, Seo-woon…”

“I said it’s fine. Jini, stop. Stop. Calm down.”

He still didn’t understand how one could reach such conclusions, but since he listened well, it was fine. Seo-woon quickly moved to change the subject.

“Let’s unpack first.”

“Understood. When we’re done, let’s meet in the reception room.”

“Call. See you later.”

“I’ll see you shortly.”

The two scattered, each dragging their suitcases. Seo-woon headed to the bedroom, and Yi-jin headed to the study. Study? There’s a study in the suite room? Seo-woon stopped on his way to the bedroom, came back out, and followed Yi-jin. He couldn’t quite openly pry, so he just peeked from a distance.

The study was decorated like a small foreign antiquarian bookstore. The overall atmosphere was warm, with a large desk placed in the center of the room. He could see a chairman’s chair too. Books were also placed throughout the bookcases. He naturally thought they would all be foreign books, but there were Korean books mixed in. Why Korean books? He was curious. Curious, but Yi-jin was just diligently unpacking. From laptops to tablet PCs, three mobile phones quickly filled the desk. At this rate, he’d even do work.

“Wow, there’s a study?”

In the end, Seo-woon was the first to pretend to notice. Anyone could tell he was obviously acting, but fortunately the other party was Yi-jin. He wouldn’t know anyway.

“Would you like to look around?”

“Is that okay?”

“If you want to.”

He got permission readily. It wasn’t surprising since he had expected it. Come to think of it, Yi-jin was always favorable toward Seo-woon. His acceptance points were a bit unusual, but he had never heard negative words. That’s right. Really right. With this fresh realization, Yi-jin looked different. Seo-woon naturally headed to the bookshelf. And acted.

“There are Korean books?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Now our country is also quite famous… oh, this…”

He had thought it might be so, but they weren’t new books. They were even tattered. The other books were the same. They all clearly showed signs of human handling. Among them were books that looked like university textbooks. Could this be… Yi-jin calmly nodded.

“That’s right. They’re my books. All books I used to read during undergrad.”

“How did you bring all these? Weren’t they heavy?”

“They were definitely heavy. So I just put them in the study. I selected only the books I read frequently.”

“…Isn’t this a hotel?”

“That’s right.”

“But…?”

“I stayed in this room every time I came to the Hawaii branch. I’ve been coming since undergrad, so it’s been quite a while.”

Different. A different dimension. There was no need to ask why, nor was there anything more to be curious about. Ah, I see… That was the end of the conversation. Seo-woon returned to the bedroom alone, feeling a bit dazed. The large bed that had excited Seo-woon until just now, the antique bedroom interior – everything was the same, but somehow his heart felt calm.

He could see Seo-woon’s suitcase abandoned by itself, unable to even enter the bedroom. Unlike Seo-woon’s suitcase, which was packed full with flip-flops for the beach, swimsuits, pineapple tubes and the like, Yi-jin’s suitcase was extremely simple.

He could tell from the way he unpacked in the study to begin with. When they said to unpack, he was the first to take out electronic devices. At this rate, it was hard to tell if this was a honeymoon or an overseas business trip.

This was Seo-woon’s first time in Hawaii, and his first time riding first class on a national airline. This was also his first time at such a hotel, his first time staying in a suite room. When Seo-woon was uncharacteristically excited and taking photos of the hotel room, what had Yi-jin been thinking? And when he found the car with doors that went up and was amazed?

Wow, I must have looked really stupid. If he had talked about the in-flight meal on top of this, it would have been really embarrassing. Seo-woon quietly unpacked. When the suitcase was completely emptied, his mind also felt more organized.

“Are you finished unpacking?”

“Yes.”
When Seo-woon finished unpacking, Yi-jin was already out in the sitting room. More precisely, he was in the sitting room looking at a tablet PC. He didn’t know what he was doing, but anyone could tell from the atmosphere that he wasn’t playing around. Yi-jin spoke without taking his hands off the tablet PC.

“You must be tired, so would you like to rest a bit before going to eat?”

He hadn’t eaten the in-flight meal and had been hungry throughout the flight time. Actually, he wanted to fill his stomach right away. But when he said it like that, he didn’t really want to eat. He also looked busy. Anyway, Seo-woon obediently agreed to Yi-jin’s suggestion.

“Alright then.”

“How about 6:30? Is that okay?”

“Yes.”

“Then I’ll see you later. I’ll meet you in the sitting room again.”

When Yi-jin returned to the study, Seo-woon was left alone in the sitting room. Standing alone in the empty sitting room made him hungry again. Ah, I see. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to eat, but that he didn’t want to eat with that guy. With this feeling, whatever he ate would just make him uncomfortable.

Left alone, Seo-woon set out on a proper hotel room exploration with a joyful heart. He wandered around and looked at every corner of the room that he couldn’t see because Yi-jin was there. (He went into everything except the study.)

The variety was amazing – maybe welcome food differs by room grade. Seo-woon ate the welcome food and played mobile games until 6:30. He had started just to kill time, but ended up concentrating intensely. So much so that he didn’t even notice Yi-jin had arrived.

“Oh, you startled me. Were you waiting? You should have said something.”

“Not at all. You seemed to be concentrating, so I was waiting.”

So don’t be considerate about things like this. After beauty selfies, now mobile games – there’s a consistency somehow.

Seo-woon finished his mobile game and left the hotel with Yi-jin. He asked if they could go to a place he knew, so they did. Wherever it was, it would be expensive and good. Even if it didn’t taste good, it would be a feast for the eyes. Seo-woon accepted Yi-jin’s lead without complaint, thinking things like how it was good that he didn’t plan the travel itinerary. If he had searched the internet hard to find Hawaii restaurants, it would have just been ridiculous.

The sun was already setting. If they continued driving along this road, it seemed like they would be sucked right into the sunset. The magnificent and beautiful sight took his breath away. Even as the sun set, the wind remained warm, and since he’d been in air conditioning the whole time, it was actually just right.

There is no creation greater than nature. Just looking at this scenery made him think it was good to come to Hawaii. He wanted to share this emotion with someone, but it was uncertain whether the person sitting next to him thought the same way. For all he knew, even this might be common daily life for Yi-jin. Seo-woon quietly suppressed his feelings alone. Even faced with the beautiful sunset, he had to appreciate it only to himself.

“We’ll arrive soon.”

“Ah, yes.”

“I made a reservation for a seat with a good view of the sunset.”

“Oh…”

Seo-woon answered soullessly. The speed gradually decreased, and a building that looked like a restaurant came into view in the distance. When they got close to the restaurant, Yi-jin said:

“I hope you like it, Seo-woon.”

…Huh… He couldn’t find words to answer and looked at Yi-jin. Yi-jin was gripping the steering wheel with both hands and looking only ahead.

“Actually, this is my first time going there too, so I don’t know what the taste will be like.”

This was somewhat unexpected. He had naturally thought he would be taken to a place he frequented. “It’s fine. I’m sure it’ll be delicious.” This time when he answered with a bit more soul, Yi-jin responded seriously.

“Since this is our first meal together, I should have taken you to a place I was certain about, but I haven’t been to any restaurants, so I had to rely on recommendations. I’m sorry.”

“What does it matter? I’m hungry now, so everything will taste good. It’s fine.”

“Were you hungry?”

“…Well, just a bit? Why haven’t you been to restaurants, Yi-jin?”

He naturally deflected questions he didn’t want to answer and threw the question back. His ingrained social survival skills automatically defended Seo-woon, and then he suddenly thought: Ah, did that seem like I was prying too much?

But it was strange. If he came often enough to have his luggage brought to the hotel suite, why not restaurants? Fortunately, Yi-jin readily answered without any sign of displeasure.

“I didn’t particularly feel the necessity.”

“Necessity? What necessity?”

“The necessity of going all the way to a restaurant. Not only does it require travel, but it also takes time for the food to come out. It’s inefficient in many ways.”

…What did I just hear? Before suspicion could take root, the two arrived at the restaurant. Perhaps having received advance notice, someone who appeared to be the manager came out and warmly welcomed them.

The exterior reeked not only of ocean smell but also of money. Just looking at the surrounding scenery, you could already guess the price range, but once inside, it was even more beautifully decorated. No, does a chandelier need to be that big…? It was scary enough that food might not go down.

The manager with exotic eyes resembling the sea guided the two to their seats. Indeed, as Yi-jin had said, it was a seat where the sunset could be seen at a glance. “Wow!” Seo-woon unconsciously exclaimed. It was scenery that would make you willingly pay money even if the most tasteless food came out.

“Do you like it?”

“How could I not?”

“I’m glad you like it. 87% of Hawaii branch employees recommended this place.”

That sounds more like a survey than a recommendation. Somehow he felt sorry for Executive Director Park and the Hawaii branch employees. Seo-woon looked at Yi-jin and asked what he had been curious about.

“Then isn’t coming here today also inefficient?”

“No. That’s not the case. Today Seo-woon needs to eat.”

“What did you do all this time, Yi-jin?”

“You mean meals?”

“Yes.”

“I used room service.”

“…Didn’t you say you’d been coming to Hawaii since college?”

“That’s right. I had just started learning management then, so I didn’t have time. I think it was the busiest period of my life.”

Still, even so… Seo-woon’s follow-up was quickly buried by the appetizer that was promptly prepared. What kind of food was so pretty – it wasn’t an appetizer but looked like delicately crafted glasswork. He was hungry, but he also wanted to try it out of curiosity about what it would taste like. Seo-woon forgot what he was trying to say and quickly scooped up the appetizer.

“Hawaii is this beautiful.”

Yi-jin was looking out the window. Without even glancing at the picture-perfect beautiful appetizer, he was looking at Hawaii’s sunset sky that Seo-woon had been admiring alone. Seo-woon had just put the appetizer in his mouth. One of Seo-woon’s cheeks bulged out as he met eyes with Yi-jin. Yi-jin’s gaze, which had been looking out the window, slowly swept over Seo-woon.

Strange. He suddenly felt thirsty. Conveniently, ice water was prepared only at Seo-woon’s seat. Ice water – come to think of it, he had drunk ice water when he first met Yi-jin too. Cold water wasn’t enough, so he had specifically ordered it himself. Later, even ice water wasn’t enough, so he had taken out ice to eat.

“If it weren’t for you, Seo-woon, I would never have known for my entire life.”

He didn’t know why he suddenly remembered that time. He didn’t know what he should answer now either. Somehow it was difficult to meet his gaze directly, so Seo-woon looked down at the ice in his cup. He felt a bit strange.

“Thank you.”

…There’s a lot to be thankful for. Seo-woon replied quietly. “Is that so,” Yi-jin answered. It was the best dinner.

* * *

Was that why? On the way back to the hotel after dinner, Seo-woon suggested a night walk on the beach to Yi-jin. It was his own way of asking for a date. He acted nonchalant, but ridiculously, he was a bit nervous. Having come all the way on a honeymoon, what was there to be nervous about with just this much, but Seo-woon was too much of an adult for that.

Being an adult meant being able to appropriately escape from all situations where you could be rejected. Whatever it was, he no longer had the passion to face and fight something head-on, nor the courage to endure wounds that could hurt him even a little.

It was the same now. Even if he packaged it plausibly with fancy words, it was all excuses. He was just embarrassed. Since he had a history of being rejected before, he didn’t want to experience it twice in a row. Still, the reason he suggested the walk first was that if he got rejected now, it didn’t seem like it would feel that bad. In the end, it meant he looked at where he could lie down before stretching out his feet.

Even thinking about it again, the rejection last time was just absurd. After meeting once, he suddenly said let’s get married, so when Seo-woon said let’s meet and talk, he rejected Seo-woon saying he was too busy. That bastard. But then they met that day and slept together. Right. Absurd. It seemed like the most absurd one was probably Seo-woon himself.

Fortunately, this time Yi-jin accepted the date proposal. However, he seemed to have interpreted it in a slightly different way.

“Good. Light exercise after eating helps facilitate metabolism.”

“Ah, yes.”

“Regular exercise also helps blood circulation.”

“Well, that’s…”

“How long do you expect the walk to be?”

No, that’s enough. After eating so well, signs of malfunction were starting to show.

“Well. Wouldn’t it depend on my partner’s ability?”

“By partner’s ability, you mean…”

“If it’s fun, I’d want to stay longer.”

“……”

“If it’s not fun, well… I’d have to play mobile games. You could work, Yi-jin.”

A bit of conversation and the delicious dinner made the distance with Yi-jin ambiguous. With the regular sound of waves and exotic air added to this, the wariness toward others that he had set up by himself melted away limply.

Ah, did I act too friendly? When he glanced at Yi-jin, he was just getting out of the car but had a more serious face than ever. He thought this level of friendliness would be okay, but it seemed like he was big only where it mattered but narrow-minded inside. Well, fine. Then just big where it counts. Seo-woon tactfully changed direction on his own.

“I’m joking. If you’re busy, let’s just go upstairs. Can I have stuff from the hotel minibar?”

“You can have as much as you want. Are you already finding it boring?”

“Not completely, and it is a bit interesting. But what about what?”

Sometimes he wondered if such things existed, but seeing that it didn’t actually interfere with conversation made him reflect on himself anew. Maybe I’m the strangest one. It was confusing.

“Seo-woon,” Yi-jin stopped Seo-woon who was heading toward the hotel on his own.

“I’ve definitely never heard that I’m interesting before.”

He’s talking about himself. He understood immediately. From the atmosphere alone, it was like confession, but surprisingly, he wasn’t surprised at all. …Should I at least pretend to be surprised? Seo-woon hesitated for a moment.

“Haven’t, but…”

“But?”

“…We haven’t gone to the beach yet, so it’s invalid.”

“Oh?”

What is this? An evolution of AI? When Seo-woon arrogantly crossed his arms as if telling him to try more, Yi-jin’s face became even more serious. Creak, creak, somewhere there was a sound of parts turning. Of course, that was nonsense. Indeed, maybe I’m the strangest one. For the first time, Seo-woon found the alpha in front of him, who was working hard with his brain, cute.

“Let’s move to the beach and start properly.”

“Ooh.”

“However, since it’s an unfamiliar field for me, I think I’ll need a bit of time. Is about 30 minutes from now okay?”

“Wow, I didn’t think you were that kind of person, Yi-jin.”

Seo-woon suddenly raised his voice. Surprised, Yi-jin’s eyebrows trembled slightly. Seo-woon made the most menacing expression he could and scolded sternly.

“Why is a person so small-minded? You should call for like 300 minutes.”

“What do you mean by that…”

“What are you doing? Aren’t we taking a walk?”

Since his words and actions were different, it seemed like synchronization wasn’t working. Seo-woon took the lead and gestured to Yi-jin. Yi-jin, who had just been staring quietly at such Seo-woon, belatedly followed him. The nighttime North Pacific, brilliantly shining while embracing darkness, was waiting for the two of them.

Under thin summer sneakers that were meaningless on asphalt roads, soft sand particles compressed hard were stepped on. The surroundings were full of wave sounds. Splash, splash – every time waves rolled in, his satisfied heart swayed along with them.

The texture of sand overflowing onto his feet wasn’t unpleasant at all. He wanted to throw off his shoes right away and walk barefoot on the beach, but he decided to postpone it. They weren’t comfortable enough with each other yet. But they were married. What is this? The more he thought about it, the more absurd it was. Seo-woon unknowingly let out a hollow laugh.

“Are you having fun?”

What’s with him again? “No, not at all.” Seo-woon quickly refuted. Was it his imagination, or did Yi-jin’s eyebrows drop slightly?

“It’s difficult.”

“What is? Being fun?”

“Yes, that’s right. If it’s okay with you, would you teach me, Seo-woon? I’ll do as you teach me.”

He didn’t say anything particularly strange, but somehow it felt uncomfortable. It seemed like he was overflowing with consideration for Seo-woon, but also like the most important screw was missing.

Saying he’d do as taught – even thinking about it again, it wasn’t a bad answer to hear, but it wasn’t entirely good either. Seo-woon thought for a moment. He pondered whether to brush it off casually or chew on it seriously, then came up with an appropriately tempered answer.

“What’s there to teach? Just walk comfortably. You don’t have to force anything.”

“I’m not forcing it.”

“Then that’s fortunate. Don’t feel pressured and think of it as walking with a friend.”

“But you’re not a friend, are you, Seo-woon?”

“…That’s true.”

“Yes, that’s right. We’re not friends.”

Right. We’re not friends exactly… He had thought about it, but he didn’t voice it out loud. Rather, he felt a bit reassured by Yi-jin’s firm attitude. He was relieved thinking that he properly knew what kind of relationship they had, that at least he was aware of it – a simple sense of relief washed over him.

“We are spouses.”

Ridiculous. To think they were at a stage where they felt relieved by just this much. But they were married. He wondered what kind of relationship this was exactly, but one thing was certain – it wasn’t a bad feeling. Am I being too simple? Is it really okay to be like this? Instead of answering, Seo-woon casually kicked at the sand. With that light foot play, the beach sand repeatedly broke apart and scattered.

Whoosh. The constantly rolling wave edges filled the silence. Yi-jin, who had been quietly watching such Seo-woon, suddenly knelt down. Seo-woon didn’t have time to stop him.

“Don’t feel burdened either, Seo-woon.”
Large hands piled sand high in front of Seo-woon’s feet. The sandcastle that had been built recklessly high without any technique kept collapsing and being rebuilt on its own, even though Seo-woon’s feet had stopped moving.

“I take longer than others when doing something for the first time.”

He had heard similar words before. Yi-jin had said something similar to Seo-woon during their second meeting too. It was strange for someone who could be said to have everything to say such things. Having heard it twice, this time it sounded even stranger.

“Instead, I will accomplish anything that falls within what I can do, no matter what, so please don’t feel burdened and teach me comfortably.”

Behind Yi-jin’s back, the dark blue horizon where the boundary between sky and sea had disappeared was visible. Blue waves that were completely immersed in darkness, yet had never once lost their true nature, rolled toward Seo-woon. They rolled endlessly like eternity. Seo-woon blankly looked down at Yi-jin, and at the sea stretching behind him. Yi-jin was still kneeling on the sandy beach, looking almost like he was proposing.

Looking straight down into the unwavering eyes that looked up at Seo-woon, Seo-woon asked:

“Anything?”

“Yes, that’s right. Anything is fine. Please tell me what you want, Seo-woon. I’ll do whatever you want.”

Before he knew it, a proper sandcastle had been built under Seo-woon’s feet. A small but solidly formed little sandcastle stood upright, no longer collapsing.

“…What is that?”

“What do you mean?”

“Where does such a thing exist? We can just match each other one by one.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. That’s how it is.”

Seo-woon also lowered his posture following Yi-jin. As his view lowered, the sandcastle that had seemed endlessly small now looked bigger.

“…Is that okay?”

The large hands that had been holding a tablet PC throughout the flight had long since become covered in sand. Seo-woon also scooped up sand with his palms and added his touch to Yi-jin’s sandcastle.

“It’s okay.”

“I see.”

Come to think of it, he didn’t know how long it had been since he touched sand with his bare hands like this. During college, he had traveled around well using MT as an excuse, but after becoming a working adult, there weren’t as many opportunities as expected. Usually taking vacations when others were also playing, he came to avoid crowded places, and when he became a freelancer, he was madly devoted only to work until his income stabilized.

“Marriage is really fascinating.”

When Seo-woon joined in, the width of the sandcastle increased significantly. “What is?” Seo-woon asked while busily moving his hands. The texture of sand scattering between his fingers was interesting, so he kept expanding the sandcastle. Yi-jin patted the sandcastle following Seo-woon and spoke in a curious voice:

“It seems really amazing that we can match each other together.”

“Why? Oh, there’s a hole there. Don’t do it too hard. Relax your strength and pat gently.”

“Considering the quota given to individuals as members of a group, it would be more efficient for superior people to educate and train lacking people. Like this?”

What is he saying? As if to prove he’s a businessman, he’s talking about efficiency in the middle of making a sandcastle. No wait, if he were really someone who considered efficiency, he wouldn’t have married me, so maybe that’s not entirely it. Thanks to this, only Seo-woon became confused.

“What efficiency? Anyone listening would think we’re doing a merger.”

“Do you have a company that wants to merge?”

No, that can’t be. Usually there wouldn’t be. Seo-woon said while patting the sandcastle:

“I mean you, not me, Yi-jin. We were talking about marriage and suddenly you bring up efficiency. I thought you were talking about work.”

“I see. I’ll be careful.”

Even the response was endlessly businesslike. Hearing only this, he was no different from a subordinate rather than a husband. Thinking of Yi-jin’s family, it was incomprehensible why only Yi-jin was different.

“Wow, it got really fat. Right?”

“I see.”

“…Don’t you think we could make it bigger? I’m getting a bit greedy.”

Putting aside the questions about Yi-jin that were no longer new among the waves, the two made sandcastles for a long time. Making a sandcastle together definitely picked up speed. Enjoying sand play after a long time, Seo-woon had a pleasant time, forgetting that his legs were numb.

That was until a romantic proposal scene between some couple unfolded in real time right next to them. Only then, belatedly looking around, it was complete chaos. The expression “sacred place for honeymoons” wasn’t created for nothing – couples were everywhere.

He didn’t know if they were married or just lovers, but unlike them, everyone else would be in love. Of course they would be. Seo-woon and Yi-jin watched a lover’s proposal scene among loving people. Although the sound of waves was too loud to hear their words, the eyes full of love looking up at their lover while kneeling explained everything.

“…Yes!”

Finally, a tearful voice shouted “Yes” full of love. Clap clap clap! Passersby rejoiced as if it were their own affair and added congratulatory applause. Seo-woon also clapped his hands. When Seo-woon clapped, Yi-jin followed suit.

I wonder how we’ll turn out. Watching the lovers exchanging sweet lip kisses immersed in the afterglow of the proposal naturally brought such thoughts.

“Do you want to?”

“What?”

“I asked if you want to kiss.”

What is this bastard saying? He was so flustered that he was momentarily speechless. Yi-jin’s bullshit was too clear to say Seo-woon had misheard.

“If you want to kiss, please feel free to say so. I’m fine with it.”

“What bullsh-, I mean, what is this?”

“You were looking at the kissing couple.”

“So what?”

“I’m fine with it, so if you want to kiss, please feel free to tell me. We can do it too, so you don’t need to be envious.”

Seo-woon was furious. He was genuinely angry at being misunderstood like this by Yi-jin of all people. Of course, what made him angriest was something else.

“Why is it if I want to! Yi-jin might want to too!”

“But I wasn’t staring at the kissing couple.”

Whatever the case, it was completely unsuited to the whispers of lovers pledging love everywhere. The two people’s night walk ended like that. Though it got a bit off track at the end, it seemed like a not-so-bad date.

“What are you doing now?”

He seemed to think that way until Yi-jin headed to the study after returning to the hotel. Leaving behind a bewildered Seo-woon, Yi-jin spoke matter-of-factly with a clean expression:

“I’m going to catch up on work that’s piled up. As you know, losing the entire morning today pushed the schedule back.”
Stop saying you’ve already filed for marriage registration before actually filing it. That’s what he wanted to say, but he decided to be patient once. No, more precisely, he decided to watch and see. It was just an hour ago that Seo-woon had spouted the admirable words that marriage was something two people worked on together. Although they were married, Seo-woon didn’t know Yi-jin well, and Yi-jin didn’t know Seo-woon well either.

That’s why. Seo-woon judged the situation as rationally as possible. Whether Yi-jin was doing this because he really prioritized work over married life, or whether he was particularly busy right now – he’d have to watch a bit longer to know. Even though he knew this, he somehow felt his anger rising. He had gotten a massage and taken a bubble bath by himself and even played mobile games just to show him, but Yi-jin kept working the whole time. He really only worked. He worked like crazy.

What kind of honeymoon is this! He was getting heated up as much as he should, but his body, having tasted the luxury, honestly stretched out. Seo-woon was fully experiencing the effects of the massage more than anyone. The massage he received with Yi-jin’s money was really good. The first experience of using the minibar without thinking about the price was also thrilling, and the hotel was needlessly to say good. The dinner was delicious too. The night walk and building sandcastles were also enjoyable. Under his palm, smoothed by the massage, the texture of the sandcastle he had built with Yi-jin was still vivid.

Still, isn’t this going a bit too far? In Seo-woon’s chest as he lay sprawled on the bed, a forgotten stone was busily rolling around making noise. And for good reason – it was almost time to sleep, but Yi-jin was holed up in the study and couldn’t even be seen. Yi-jin didn’t care whether Seo-woon went to get a massage alone or took out beer from the minibar to drink. Seo-woon was probably the only husband who would come on a honeymoon and get massages alone and take solo bubble baths.

Are all chaebols originally like this? At this rate, even non-existent prejudices would be born. When he thought like this, he’d get endlessly frustrated, but when he remembered Yi-jin watching the sunset at the restaurant and personally helping to pile up sand, his heart would automatically become generous, and this kept repeating.

Ah, what is this really? After much deliberation, Seo-woon left the bedroom. He looked at the lit study and then sneakily headed to the minibar. Since thinking makes you hungry, Seo-woon gathered simple snacks and bottled beer from the minibar to give to Yi-jin.

There must be a reason why Yi-jin had no choice but to work even after coming on a honeymoon. No, there had to be. Even while thinking this, Seo-woon visited the study empty-handed. If he brought them and got rejected, it would be embarrassing, so for now he’d leave them here and bring them later depending on the mood.

When Seo-woon courageously knocked on Yi-jin’s study, Yi-jin was still working. Even now he looked twice as busy as others, but Yi-jin had chosen his undergraduate years as the busiest time of his life. Was he so busy he didn’t even have time to eat out? He couldn’t even imagine what kind of life could be like that.

“Yi-jin, are you busy?”

“Is there something wrong?”

Saying it like that makes it seem like something has to be wrong. Seo-woon, at a loss for words, mumbled:

“No, nothing’s wrong…”

“I see.”

“…Um, is there still a lot left?”

“Since I’ve been away from my desk, there’s a lot to handle.”

“…Ah.”

“You’re not sleeping yet? I thought you were sleeping.”

Is it just his imagination? Somehow it seemed like he was being driven away. His pride was hurt and it was annoying. It was, like that. With his hurt feelings, Seo-woon threw a stone at Yi-jin.

“I was just about to go to sleep anyway.”

“I see. You’ve had a hard day today. Sweet dreams.”

Hey you bastard. His relaxed, drowsy body barely prevented him from cursing out loud. Even if money can’t buy people’s hearts, seeing that it can buy generosity, money is indeed good.

This wasn’t Seo-woon’s original plan. Seo-woon had come to recommend rest to Yi-jin. Since he must be very busy, he wanted to have a light beer and get to know each other more.

Regardless, Yi-jin’s desk was in chaos all by itself. Following the laptop, tablet PC, and three mobile phones, now various bundles of papers had been added. Wow, it’s tiring just looking at it. Seo-woon looked at Yi-jin buried in piles of documents and stopped trying anything further. This guy was trying to leave his husband alone on their first night. What’s the point of saying anything to such a guy – it’s just a waste of energy.

“…You’re not planning to not sleep, are you?”

Still, seeing that he was worried because he was supposedly his husband, he thought affection was scary. This is why they say there’s no answer when you fall for an ugly guy. Well, if he’s ugly but you grow fond of him, there really is no answer.

“Ah.”

“Yes?”

“I’m sorry.”

“…Did I say something?”

Did I call you a bastard? He couldn’t ask that directly, so he asked ambiguously. “No. It’s my fault,” Yi-jin immediately apologized. Wow. He must have really done it. Seo-woon was flustered.

“The urgent stuff can be finished in 45 minutes. Is that okay?”

“No, well, that’s fortunate… I was just worried you wouldn’t sleep…”

“No. It’s my oversight. I’m sorry.”

Now that he was apologizing so readily again, he had nothing to say in various ways. He couldn’t be certain, but maybe there are people like this in the world? The apology was overflowing with such sincerity that he wanted to believe it.

Well, whatever. Tomorrow we’ll have the divorce briefing too, so let’s not hastily conclude anything. Seo-woon headed to the bedroom alone, leaving behind Yi-jin who kept apologizing. The more important the decision, the more it should be made after sufficient consideration.

The clean smell from the bedding, the soft texture gently wrapping around his whole body was spine-tinglingly good. Should I really stay a few more days? Seo-woon dozed off while pondering such thoughts.
“…Uh… what is this…?”

Have you woken up?

The surroundings were distracting, and my eyes naturally opened. In front, something large blurs my vision, and droplets keep splashing on the top of my foot sticking out from under the covers. It was Yi-jin. Even at a glance, it was clear he had rushed out after washing. It must already be 45 minutes. Having confirmed the identity of the troublemaker, Seo-woon burrowed back under the covers.

“…What are you doing there?”

Why are you there…? If Yi-jin, wearing only a bathrobe and still damp, hadn’t climbed onto me, I would have fallen back asleep just like that.

It’s cold. A drop of water fell on Seo-woon’s cheek, who was still half-asleep. It looks like they didn’t even dry their hair properly before leaving. What’s the big deal if you’re a little late by 45 minutes? What’s the rush? Seo-woon frowned slightly and sat up straight from lying on his side.

I locked eyes with Yi-jin, who was sitting on top of Seo-woon. There’s a shadow on Yi-jin’s face. The faint light from the study, filtering in from outside the bedroom, cast deep shadows under his sharp features.

It’s 45 minutes.

Oh, I see. So?

It’s time for bed now.

Oh, yes. Go to sleep.

…Huh? Just a moment. Seo-woon’s eyes widened, as if he had detected something. Yes, I understand. Yi-jin’s face got closer and closer.

“Seo-woon-ssi.”

Yes, yes?

May I take off your clothes?

This is driving me crazy. I’m wide awake now. I was sleeping, and then this bolt from the blue. Seo-woon blinked and looked up at Yi-jin. Through the gap in the open bathrobe, firm chest muscles are visible. The slight moisture makes it look even more tempting. Oh my god, he’s so handsome. Seo-woon’s subconscious spoke. He’s incredibly handsome. Sexy! Even though I was still half-asleep, my subconscious was as noisy as could be.

“…Absolutely.”

Oh well, here goes nothing. Seo-woon himself pulled back the covers. Let’s do what we need to do first and think about it later. It was the couple’s historic first nite together.

You were already dressed.

Meanwhile, Yi-jin is dripping water all over Seo-woon. Relying on the faint light from the reception room filtering in from outside, Seo-woon, who had been peeking at Yi-jin’s chest muscles, was startled and replied.

So, do you sleep completely naked, Yi-jin?

I can’t thank you enough. Seo-woon, uncharacteristically shy, blushed.

It’s not always the case, but generally, I prefer them completely naked.

Oh, of course. I hope you haven’t lost that feeling…

Mr. Seo-woon, why are you wearing everything?

Why am I picking a fight again? Having finished what he had to say, Yi-jin was now undoing Seo-woon’s pajama buttons one by one. When I’m alone, a stretched-out t-shirt is my pajamas, but since it’s our honeymoon, I brought pajamas that I actually put some thought into. If I had known it would be so cumbersome, I should have brought a t-shirt. So it’s easy to take off.

You’re going to take it off soon anyway. Didn’t Mr. Seo-woon say that?

That’s what you were talking about. That’s right, it was Seo-woon himself who said it, not someone else. There’s no way I could forget. Given the circumstances, it’s even more memorable. This is the conversation that took place during their first sexual encounter and second meeting. The logic he had hastily concocted out of embarrassment, having been the only one there without any clothes on, was utter nonsense.

I didn’t think you’d remember that. Perhaps because of that, this time Yi-jin is only wearing a gown over his bare skin. It’s an outfit that clearly has a purpose, anyone can see that. It looks even worse because my bare skin is wet. Um… it seems a bit embarrassing, doesn’t it? I wish I could finish what I’m doing quickly and get away, but the way Yi-jin’s hands are fumbling with the buttons is incredibly slow. Seo-woon, unable to overcome his embarrassment, started talking.

“Yes, there are a lot of buttons, aren’t there?”

Yes, there are many.

“…I bought the wrong one.”

Seo-woon muttered with sincerity. Yi-jin, in the middle of unbuttoning Seo-woon’s pajamas, stopped and carefully examined the state of the clothes.

The clothes themselves don’t seem to have any defects.

Oh. That’s a relief.

Then I’ll take the rest off.

Yes, please just take it off quickly. It’s even more embarrassing to just be stuck with Yi-jin, who’s half-naked, and not do anything.

Perhaps because he was moving around to check Seo-woon’s pajamas, Yi-jin’s bathrobe had come completely open. What I could see inside was… Swallowing hard, Seo-woon unconsciously swallowed dry saliva. If this grateful sight is truly disappointing, then I couldn’t be more grateful. No matter what, I have to say they’re really good at following instructions. The problem is that he only does what he’s told well. No, that’s not it. I’m also relieved that at least I can do what I’m told well.

“…You’re wearing underwear too.”

“…I suppose so, right?”

I didn’t wear it.

“…It seems that way.”

Thru the open robe, you can see the bulging muscles and the cracked thighs. I’m so grateful, and I feel like I shouldn’t just keep receiving like this… I can only feel embarrassed, thinking they really came prepared. Embarrassed and squirming, Seo-woon again opened his mouth.

So, did you finish that work well?

No. I couldn’t finish it.

“…Huh?”

“……”

Then why are we here… Oh!

Are you in pain?

Oh my goodness! I was surprised when his hand suddenly touched my waist. Seo-woon shook his head, saying he was okay.

No. It’s okay. Keep going.

As Seo-woon’s permission was granted, Yi-jin’s hand, which had been caressing his waist, slowly moved lower. No matter how I look at it, it’s ‘that’ kind of atmosphere, and I have no idea what’s going on.

“Um, Ms. Yi-jin?”

Yes, please speak.

I haven’t finished my work yet, is it okay to do this…?

“……”

“……”

“……”

If Seo-woon did anything, it was that he seemed to be trying to take off Yi-jin’s pajama pants, so I just instinctively lifted my butt. Did I just sound a little too friendly…? Seo-woon’s manners, honed through past experiences, really shone through. He was so surprised that his butt, which was still half-suspended in the air, felt not just natural, but almost still floating. Perhaps Yi-jin was even more surprised.

“…My back hurts.”

But I decided to pretend not to know. Otherwise, what’s he going to do? When Seo-woon awkwardly showed off his raised butt, Yi-jin quickly started on the rest of the work. Unlike Seo-woon’s top, which took some time to remove, his pants came off quickly.

Therefore, Seo-woon was naked. Suddenly finding myself naked and enjoying the air conditioning breeze after a good night’s sleep, I naturally start to feel a chill. I just wanted to experience the luxury of sleeping with the air conditioner on while covered in a blanket, but I can’t believe what’s happening.

Yeah, you’re right. Why did this happen all of a sudden? Did we agree to do it ourselves?

For newlyweds, sex is a perfectly natural act, but for Yi-jin and Seo-woon, it’s different. Even Yi-jin right now, on his honeymoon, has been working non-stop except for eating and taking a walk. Even as Seo-woon was falling asleep, Yi-jin was still working. Then, suddenly, it came to mind. The self from 45 minutes ago, who had gone to find the working person and pestered them, asking if they weren’t going to sleep.

“…You’re not going to stay up all nite, are you?”

The urgent part will be finished in 45 minutes. Are you okay?

No, well, that’s a relief then… I was just worried that Yi-jin wouldn’t go to sleep…

No, it’s not. It’s my fault. I’m sorry.

Oh, damn it. That’s it. The riddle has been solved. The culprit was in the last conversation the two had 45 minutes ago.

I did ask if he was going to bed first, but I swear that wasn’t what I meant. It’s a misunderstanding. It’s clearly a misunderstanding, but the weirdest one is that guy who came running here on time without even properly drying himself off after just one word. Seriously, that’s strange. There’s no other way to describe this than to say it’s strange.

That weird guy just took off his clothes. But why do I keep laughing? Then and now, it’s still a great body even after seeing it again. Humanity I didn’t have suddenly wells up. Okay, whatever. You can misunderstand things and make mistakes in life. Seo-woon decided to keep the truth of this incident, which perhaps only he knew, buried within himself.

So what if I look a little strange? That one’s weird too. A strange kid who came running without even properly drying himself after I said just one word asked.

“Seo-woon-ssi?”

“Uh, uh?”

Are you tired too?

“…Not at all.”

It’s not just a mental victory; it’s too late to explain anyway. Now, even if I say that wasn’t what I meant, it will only make me look even stranger. Seo-woon, who not only opened the covers himself but even lifted his own bottom. It seems better to just enjoy this situation cleanly.

Seo-woon glanced down at Yi-jin. Seo-woon is leaning halfway against the headboard, and Yi-jin is kneeling on the bed, so there’s no way Yi-jin’s face can be seen. What Seo-woon saw was another self of Yi-jin. I haven’t even done anything yet, and Yi-jin’s penis is already half-erect. Of course, I took off his clothes, but still.

What? I almost made a big mistake by not doing it. Trying to suppress my laughter, my cheeks are twitching uncontrollably. Seo-woon, a moist body wash scent wafts from Yi-jin, who has come closer. I’m excited. Not for emotional reasons, but out of primal anticipation. Yes, Seo-woon, who had become more generous than anyone else at that moment, replied with the utmost kindness.

“Can I wash it today?”

What? I thought I had misheard. But if that were the case, Yi-jin’s gaze would be fixed too intently on one spot.

The cold air conditioning breeze seeped between my bare legs, wearing nothing. It was cold. It’s cold on the outside but hot on the inside. Without even the slightest hint of shame, the gaze that looked down at Seo-woon’s lower body made her hips instinctively twitch. Seo-woon said, subtly drawing his legs closer together.

“What, what are you talking about?”

“Seo-woon-ssi’s humor…”

“Wait a minute!”

Seo-woon quickly cut off Yi-jin’s words. I’m not the type to back down in bed, but I wasn’t used to such explicit language like this.

“Do you dislike it?”

“No, it’s not that I don’t like it, but maybe next time.”

Are you serious? Of course I don’t hate it. Even so, it’s still too early. Thinking about it, I think we had a similar conversation last time too. Yi-jin asked if he could suck it, and Seo-woon said they’d do it next time. It wasn’t just Seo-woon who remembered that.

“When exactly is the next one? You answered the same way last time too.”

“…You’re right.”

“So, if you’re tired after all…”

“What have you been saying since earlier? I’m not tired at all.”

I’m tired, though. I didn’t eat the in-flight meal on the plane and slept straight through for five hours. Even after arriving in Hawaii, night walks and massages were my only physical activities. “I said I’m fine, so why are you making such a fuss?” Yi-jin suddenly questioned.

“But you were sleeping the whole time on the plane, weren’t you?”

“Yes, I did.”

“You also asked if we had already arrived. You also said you wanted to sleep more.”

I said that? That’s a bit hazy. But isn’t that something anyone would do? Let alone when you’re half-asleep. Seo-woon’s ambiguous response, neither denying nor affirming, made Yi-jin curious, and she asked again.

“So, were you okay?”

“What is it?”

He was tired the whole time on the plane, so he thought it would be too much for him to spend the first nite together.

“…What?!”

From now on, I’ll be too scared to take naps during the day. I just took a short nap, and it caused a huge misunderstanding.

And they don’t even want to kiss…

“When did I ever!”

You didn’t end up doing it on the beach, did you?

When Seo-woon expresses his frustration, Yi-jin becomes even more frustrated and says the same. So, in the end, it seems like Yi-jin was trying to be considerate of Seo-woon in his own way, but for some reason, he didn’t feel grateful at all.

At least you realize it’s a honeymoon. Again, that familiar simple sense of relief washes over me. They’re definitely not completely lacking in manners or social awareness, but they’re a bit lacking. It feels like too much. People are all or nothing.

“I appreciate you being considerate, but in the future, if something like this happens, please ask me directly.”

“Mr. Seo, do you prefer it that way?”

What about Seo-woon? What does that mean? They say other people aren’t like that?

Yi-jin nodded obediently. No way… I had forgotten for a moment. Yi-jin said with a somewhat proud expression.

They say it’s so annoying when your spouse initiates intimacy when you’re tired. I said that a spouse who doesn’t even notice their own physical condition is not fit to be a spouse.

“…that’s what they say on mom cafes?”

That’s right. Lately, I’ve been diligent about reviewing my sleep logs, so I can salmon right away. Ah, “salmon” is internet slang that refers to the act of reviewing posts you’ve missed.

Until now, the only salmon I knew was the kind you eat, but I’ve learned something new like this. It feels like Yi-jin’s internet skills are getting better and better lately. Is it just my imagination?

Now that all her questions had been answered, Yi-jin no longer brought up the same topic. Instead, I went back to square one.

So, when can I wash it?

That “pan, dan” sound, please…

You said it was okay to wash it next time, didn’t you?

Yi-jin wasn’t looking at Seo-woon’s face. He was looking down at Seo-woon’s lower body, just like Seo-woon had done. “Seo-woon-ssi.” Yi-jin gently grasped and spread Seo-woon’s folded legs, then politely called out to him. Even though they hadn’t had a real conversation in quite a while, just a few words here and there, Yi-jin’s penis remained erect. It seems to have gotten a little bigger. Seo-woon’s face flushed red.

I want to suck it.

“…Um, the sound, could you…”

“…it smells good.”

With his legs spread, Yi-jin got into position and entered, burying his lips in Seo-woon’s thigh. …Seo-woon-ssi. Once again, his name was called, and a breath scattered across his skin.

Sweet and…

“…Yeah…”

Delicious, the smell…

Yi-jin mumbled, rubbing his face against Seo-woon’s inner thigh. A kiss, then V’s lips touched the inside of his thigh. Kiss, kiss… The sound of lips brushing against delicate skin is vivid. I was asleep, and my clothes were suddenly pulled off. Now, without warning, kisses are being showered on the inside of my thigh.

Since there was no other foreplay, the stimulation felt on the inner thighs was even more pronounced. Yi-jin’s lips slowly moved down her thigh. If this keeps up, I’m really going to get my butt chapped. My legs keep getting weak. Seo-woon shouted urgently.

“Then, um, just the tongue…?”

Whoosh! Just as Yi-jin lifted her head, precum flowed from the inner wall. Fortunately, it wasn’t enough to leak out of the hole. It was a close call. I almost ended up in an embarrassing situation.

“Using your tongue is fine, but sucking is not allowed. That’s really for next time.”

“When is the next one?

“I’m going to Korea.”

We’ll be together for 6 nites and 8 days, so who knows when we’ll get intimate again. It’s not that I don’t like it, it’s just that I’m still a bit too embarrassed.

Ah!

And then it was licked. Chuup…, the soft touch of a tongue licking the entrance again caused a surge of vaginal fluid. The inner walls, having expelled lubrication several times, were now completely soaked. Fortunately, no pre-cum leaked out past the entrance, but if I touch inside now, it’ll be very wet.

Oh, here it is again. Again, the bottom was licked. Now, Yi-jin is carefully licking the wrinkles around the entrance with her tongue pointed. It’s itchy and scratchy. Without any direct stimulation, the constant licking around the entrance caused my legs to naturally close. Thanks to that, Yi-jin’s face got trapped between Seo-woon’s legs.

It must be uncomfortable. It must be uncomfortable. Even though I know I shouldn’t, I can’t stop my legs from getting weak. Unable to resist, Yi-jin lifted her head, which was getting in the way of licking below, and looked at Seo-woon with a disappointed expression. Somehow, it’s in a position that looks up at the moon with a strange sense of disappointment.

His always neat hair was now completely disheveled, pressed between Seo-woon’s thighs, and his tightly closed lips were moist. It must be because of Yi-jin’s saliva and the vaginal fluid that flowed from Seo-woon’s inner walls.

Oh, what should I do? What should I do…? Seo-woon was at a loss and fidgeted his legs. I couldn’t stay still because the lubrication kept coming out. Then, Yi-jin grabbed Seo-woon’s legs.

Could you please spread your legs a little wider?

His voice was polite, but Yi-jin was already spreading Seo-woon’s legs. My legs, spread wide open, feel foreign, like someone else’s body. Seo-woon couldn’t bring himself to look up properly. This pose was a bit embarrassing.

“It’s getting in the way of licking.”

“……”

“Or perhaps it would be good to change your posture altogether.”

“Let’s switch. Let’s switch.”

Anything would be better than this. I vaguely thought so. It was clearly a mistake on Seo-woon’s part. Yi-jin was a much stranger person than Seo-woon thought.

“This position is much more stable, as expected.”

“……”

“Isn’t that right?”

“That’s true. It is stable, though. It’s just a little too stable, that’s all. Thanks to you, I’m going to have to do something I never thought I’d do in my life.”

“Of course, I have sexual experience, but I haven’t done 69 very often. Because I didn’t want to show myself losing control and falling apart without restraint. It’s not that I don’t know what’s good, it’s that it’s so good I want to avoid it. Even if we’re lovers, I don’t want to show them that side of me.”

In front of him is Yi-jin’s erect penis, and behind his buttocks is Yi-jin’s face. They had sex up to the missionary position the first night, but 69 is on a whole different level. I can’t do it after all. It was the moment Seo-woon was about to surrender. Yi-jin’s tongue was faster.

“Ah…!”

“…….”

“Wait, st—! Uh, uh, uh…!”

This was cheating. A pointed tongue forced its way past the entrance and pushed deep into the inner walls. He had clearly said that sucking was not allowed…! Seo-woon’s waist collapsed abruptly.

Firmly supporting Seo-woon’s collapsing waist, Yi-jin used his other hand to stretch the entrance to its limit. The small hole, which had been leaking lubricant on its own for a while now, was pulled wide open. Slurp… schluck… A wet sound echoed every time Yi-jin’s tongue slid in and out of the hole.

“Ah, ngh, ah…!”

As the inner walls were intensely licked, moans burst out involuntarily. Seo-woon’s upper body collapsed completely. With his hips hiked up like a dog, Seo-woon didn’t know what to do as his backside was sucked. Unfamiliar sensations caused his pheromones to scatter repeatedly. Seo-woon whimpered, flailing his arms. He knew he should stop him, but he had no strength in his body. If it weren’t for Yi-jin supporting his waist right now, he might have just sprawled out flat.

“I said… don’t suck…!”

“Yes. I haven’t sucked.”

“You’re sucking, right now, ah!”

Ah-heuk…! Just as Yi-jin was inserting his tongue into the hole, he gave Seo-woon’s buttock a gentle bite. It was an intense sensation, incomparable to the damp, soft tongue. Ah, what do I…! Ah! Seo-woon shook his hips on his own. It was an ambiguous gesture, unclear whether he was asking for more or telling him to stop.

Seo-woon, you seem to exaggerate your pain more than you look.”

“I don’t— ah! Ah! Ah! St-stop! Ah!”

And then, he really sucked. Yi-jin deeply sucked the entrance, which had become slick with his own saliva and Seo-woon’s lubricant. Lightning struck through his entire body. His curved spine snapped straight, and he felt like he might suddenly burst into tears.

Sluuurp, sluuuurp… Yi-jin began to suck the lubricant away, applying a bit more pressure. It felt as if everything below his waist was melting away. As the heat rising from below merged with the obscene sounds, he could no longer speak properly. Seo-woon moaned frantically. He couldn’t hear a word Yi-jin was saying.

“This is what sucking is.”

“Ah-eu, ah!”

“What I did before… was licking.”

“Ah-heuu…! Ngh…!”

“Do you understand the difference?”

“Ngh, ngh…!”

He didn’t know what it was, but he just nodded first. He was too out of it to be sure, but he thought he heard the sound of laughter. …Seo-woon. A voice, lower than usual, called him softly. Ngh, ngh…! Seo-woon nodded frantically, making sounds that were somewhere between an answer and a moan.

Yi-jin’s hand, which had been firmly supporting his waist, carefully lowered him. Seo-woon was laid flat on the bed. There was no strength left in his body.

“Between licking and sucking, which one feels better?”

“…….”

Seo-woon.

He felt body heat right behind him. The hot heat and the cool scent of mint made his head spin. Thump, thump, thump. The body of an Omega, sensing the Alpha’s pheromones, instinctively released its own. The effect was perfect.

“…Ha….”

Yi-jin pressed his body tightly against him from behind. Nibbling on the rim of his ear, Yi-jin buried his face in Seo-woon’s hair and took a deep breath, inhaling the other’s pheromones. Mr. Seo-woon, you still haven’t answered. Because he whispered right next to his ear, Seo-woon had no choice but to leak more lubricant.

Seo-woon.

Lips that had moved down to his nape urged him softly. His contained pheromones kept leaking out.

“…Both….”

Seo-woon mumbled an answer.

“Both, are good….”

“…Is that so?”

“Ngh….”

“…Me too….”

Ngh…! The rest of the sentence was swallowed along with the finger pushing into the entrance. The thoroughly drenched hole made loud, squelching sounds. It was the sound of the contracting inner walls being forced open.

“Actually, that day… I looked it up.”

“…What, did you…!”

“Whether male Omegas have higher body temperatures, or if they produce more lubricant… I wondered….”

“…Ah…!”

“I looked it up, but….”

“Ngh, ngh….”

“…I couldn’t find that mentioned anywhere. It seems you are exceptionally hot and get wet easily, Mr. Seo-woon.

Squelch, squelch! The tone was flat, but things were chaotic below. In an instant, the fingers increased to three, rapidly entering and exiting Seo-woon’s inner walls. Seo-woon was lying on his side, his chest and back pressed against Yi-jin’s. While a firm chest supported his upper body from behind, the situation with his lower body was different. A large hand gripped Seo-woon’s pelvis, busily widening the inner walls.

Ah, it feels good. He couldn’t think of anything else. Seo-woon whimpered, trying to accept all the pleasure being given to him. He even lifted his top leg so the fingers could move in and out more easily. Noticing this, Yi-jin moved the hand gripping the pelvis and lifted one of Seo-woon’s legs.

He was anxious. He wanted him to just thrust in diagonally from behind like this. With a hazy face, Seo-woon turned his head to look at Yi-jin. Perhaps Yi-jin had been watching him all along, as their eyes met immediately. This time, Seo-woon urged Yi-jin.

“Hur, ry….”

“Should I go faster?”

“No, not the, fingers….”

Seo-woon reached back and fumbled for Yi-jin’s dick. He had never touched it before, but feeling the hardness of the dick standing erect on its own made Seo-woon impatient. Seo-woon tried to move out of Yi-jin’s embrace to align the entrance himself.

“You can’t. I haven’t put on the condom yet….”

Surprised by Seo-woon’s unexpected reaction, Yi-jin withdrew his fingers and pulled Seo-woon’s waist back down. He hadn’t even taken off the condom that was on his finger.

“You don’t have, STDs. I checked the, health certificate….”

“…….”

“Just put it in. Please?”

Anyway, if the cycles didn’t match, he wouldn’t get pregnant. Seo-woon released his pheromones solely for the sake of pleasure. He felt the strength in Yi-jin’s hand, which had been stopping him, gradually fade. The erect dick began to enter the inner walls little by little.

“Ha….”

Hot breaths burst out repeatedly from behind. He felt like he would be consumed by the scent of mint. Just as the thick glans forced the inner walls open and entered, the dick suddenly pulled out. Ah…! As the pleasant pressure vanished, Seo-woon’s waist twisted violently. The firm body that had been supporting his back was gone. Riiip, the sound of packaging tearing echoed from behind. Throwing away the condom that had been on his finger, Yi-jin—having barely managed to slide a condom over his member, which was slick with the Omega’s lubricant—immediately pressed back against Seo-woon.

Seo-woon.

The voice calling him from behind was hoarsely cracked. Yi-jin spoke while gripping Seo-woon’s pelvis with one hand.

“I’m going to do it hard.”

It wasn’t a suggestion, but a unilateral notification. Yet, he felt no resistance at all.

“Uh, uh. Do it hard. Just go for it.”

“…Ha….”

“Quickly, hur— ah, ah…!”

In fact, it was better. Thwack! The dick pushed in all at once. Since one leg was lifted, the dick entered at a diagonal angle from behind. Despite being so wet, the moment the dick entered, he momentarily lost his breath.

“Ah, eu…!”

“Does it, hurt?”

“Ngh, no, ugh, wait….”

If he said it hurt even a little, Yi-jin would likely pull out immediately. Yes, he was exactly that kind of guy. Seo-woon bit his lip and endured the pressure. Perhaps because of the position that allowed the dick to enter so deeply, it felt as if he were being split open, as if it were their first time. While struggling against the pressure, Seo-woon tried his best to take Yi-jin in.

Below the waist, which was stiff with tension, two thighs were trembling thinly. What had settled between them was a thick, hard piece of flesh; the hole, stretched to its limit as if telling him not to come in any further, tightened as if it would swallow the dick whole. It was completely different from the outward appearance of him obediently offering his waist. Yi-jin also noticed Seo-woon’s abnormal reaction to the excessive contraction of the inner walls.

Seo-woon, if it hurts….”

“No. It doesn’t. Don’t, pull out.”

“…I didn’t say I would pull out.”

“You can’t, pull out….”

“But….”

“Just make it not hurt….”

As expected, Seo-woon was indeed in pain.

“Hmm? Hurry….”

“…….”

“Make it not hurt….”

Even knowing this, Yi-jin couldn’t bring himself to pull out. Rather, it was the opposite. Yi-jin’s dick inevitably grew in volume inside the tight inner walls.

“Huh? Uh, uh…!”

“…Ha, ah….”

“Uh, eu, ah!”

Thwack! Unannounced thrusting began. As Seo-woon’s upper body was pushed forward by the strong force hitting from behind, Yi-jin wrapped his arms firmly around him. Once the posture stabilized, the speed of the thrusting increased. Thwack! Thwack! There was no time to feel the pain of the forced-open entrance. The dick continued to push deep inside Seo-woon. As it pecked at the tender insides diagonally from behind, the uncomfortable sensation from below gradually changed its form.

As expected. It was far more burdensome and difficult to expand the inner walls slowly without moving. Accepting Yi-jin, who was storming through his entire body, Seo-woon gradually forgot the pain. Pain? Had he even been in pain to begin with? Because Yi-jin was stabbing deep into the inner walls with determined force, strange sounds kept escaping Seo-woon’s mouth.

Seo-woon,

“Ngh, ngh…!”

“Does it, not hurt now….”

“Uh, uh. Not at all, not, not hurt… ah!”

“Ha… wait, just a moment… if you tighten this much….”

“I, I don’t know, what do I do, ngh, ah!”

Seo-woon, who had been moaning helplessly, suddenly grabbed Yi-jin’s forearm. It was because there was something he wanted to say to Yi-jin.

“Ki, ss….”

“…….”

“I want to, kiss…! Ngh!”

He wanted to lock lips. He wanted to lightly press their lips together, suck on the tongue, and exchange pheromones. Whether he knew of Seo-woon’s desperate heart or not, Yi-jin gave him an apology instead of a kiss.

“I’m, sorry.”

“Ah, ah!”

“I haven’t rinsed, my mouth… ha….”

“Ah, kiss, I want to kiss….”

“You, can’t….”

“Ah, whyyy…! Just do it, ah…!”

Hearing that he couldn’t was heartbreaking. Seo-woon writhed in sorrowful pleasure and continued to beg for a kiss, but Yi-jin refused to comply until the end.

The long-awaited kiss began only after both of them had ejaculated. Immediately after ejaculating, Yi-jin, who had abruptly left Seo-woon and walked out of the bedroom, returned and pressed his lips against him without warning, before Seo-woon could say a word.

The long-awaited kiss tasted like toothpaste.