By Zephyria 
After ordering coffee, he scanned the display case.
He picked up a bag of nuts and one chewy jelly. After a brief hesitation, he added a small chocolate bar as well.
Haon, returning to the car, handed over the coffee as soon as he got into the passenger seat.
“Here you go. A basic Americano.”
Cha Jeong-won took the cup and said a word.
“You?”
“I’m fine.”
Truthfully, in his eagerness to bring coffee to Cha Jeong-won, he hadn’t even thought about getting one for himself. But he acted as if it didn’t matter since he didn’t really need to drink anything anyway.
As the car started moving, Haon stayed quiet, as if deciding not to be a disturbance anymore.
Then, gradually, his body began to sink into the seat. Why was this seat so cozy, anyway?
“This car is really nice.”
He chattered on without even knowing the make of the car.
“It’s a good car because it’s cozy, right?”
He wasn’t even fully aware of what he was saying.
His mouth kept moving, but his eyelids grew heavy.
Fortunately, Cha Jeong-won didn’t seem to be struggling with driving due to the accident. On the contrary, Cha Jeong-won’s driving was so stable there was no swaying at all.
Because there was no swaying, drowsiness actually set in. It felt like his body, which had tossed and turned until dawn last night, was now sending a signal: ‘Now’s the time.’
Haon tried to look out the window, but his gaze kept dropping downward. Even when he tried to open his eyes wide, it didn’t work well. The thought that he shouldn’t fall asleep like this crossed his mind, but there was nothing he could do.
“Sunbae…….”
Haon called out unconsciously.
“What.”
“Nothing. Just.”
Just. Because you’re here.
Those words rose to the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed them back. Instead, he wiped his lips once and fidgeted with the jelly bag again. It seemed like doing something with his hands might chase away the sleep.
Yet, in the end, Haon’s head tilted ever so slightly toward the passenger headrest.
At first, he thought he was just closing his eyes for a moment. Just a few seconds, that’s all I need, he lied to himself. Those few seconds stretched out long.
Haon’s breathing became steady. His words stopped, and the jelly bag he was holding quietly fell downward.
Cha Jeong-won said nothing. He just glanced sideways for a very brief moment.
It was clear he hadn’t slept all night, and now Haon was sleeping soundly right in front of him, his lips slightly parted.
“You……. You really are a good sleeper.”
Remembering the moments Haon had slept beside him until now, the corners of Cha Jeong-won’s mouth lifted.
＊ ＊ ＊
Haon rubbed his eyes once and looked up at the sky.
The weekend morning air was pleasantly warm, just enough to feel good.
A cool breeze brushed against Haon’s cheek. Even though he had come out wearing only a thin outer layer, his shoulders weren’t stiff, and when he breathed in, the tip of his nose didn’t sting.
“Nice weather.”
Perfect for a date.
However, the place Haon was at now was in front of the Cheongun Museum of Art.
The ceiling of the Cheongun Museum of Art was a slightly tilted pentagon shape, and the exterior was finished with glass and stone. The building itself was practically a sculpture.
It was a place he used to frequent on school field trips when he was young, but after a major renovation, many parts had changed, making it feel new again.
Moreover, the fact that he was here for work also felt novel.
Today was his first meeting as a participating staff member.
Haon stood on the sidewalk in front of the museum building, stretched his neck once, and roughly rubbed the corners of his eyes with the back of his hand.
“I shouldn’t be like this…….”
“Seems like you’re sleepy no matter how much you sleep.”
At the voice coming from beside him, Haon awkwardly cleared his throat.
“I meant to just close my eyes for a moment, but I dozed off without realizing it.”
It was a moment that made his earlier claim of worrying about Cha Jeong-won seem utterly pointless.
“It’s because you drive so well, sunbae.”
“Thanks for the compliment that sounds like an excuse.”
Cha Jeong-won handed him water, and Haon accepted it with an embarrassed smile. He had been feeling thirsty inside.
“Don’t call me at night from now on.”
At the thunderbolt-like statement that came while he was drinking water, Haon hurriedly put the bottle down.
He ended up choking. Haon coughed a few times before finally managing to speak.
“Why? Why are you telling me not to call?”
“You can’t sleep at night.”
“You can’t?”
“You.”
Cha Jeong-won drew the line clearly once again.
No, but we both talked on the phone. Why are you only blaming me?
“When did I ever call you that much?”
Muttering that it was unfair, he took out his phone.
And out of habit, he opened his call log, then stopped, startled.
“What the. Am I possessed?”
Why were there so many entries with Cha Jeong-won’s name?
These were all traces of his calls with him.
It always started with the graduation project.
Talking about schedules, what materials were needed, and which tasks to assign Seo-jun as an assistant would lead to questions about whether he’d eaten. Then, questions about what he was doing after eating would follow.
“No, when did I make all these calls?”
As he muttered that it was strange, Cha Jeong-won didn’t accept it at all.
“It’s one thing if I’m there like earlier, but what about other days? It’ll be troublesome if you fall asleep anywhere.”
“What makes you think I’d just fall asleep anywhere…….”
Haon, who had been speaking, realized something strange and closed his mouth.
He had thought Cha Jeong-won was just nagging and tried to brush it off. But clearly, just now, he had said, ‘if I’m there.’
Haon swallowed a hollow laugh.
“You say things so casually that could be misunderstood if someone heard.”
He shouldn’t say any more now. The other students participating as staff were already watching them from a distance, keeping their space.
Just as Haon was racking his brain, trying to figure out how to change the subject of conversation, someone came running toward them from inside the museum.
“Oh.”
Haon recognized him first.
It was Cha Seo-jun.
The gazes of the surrounding kids shifted toward Cha Seo-jun.
His face still held a boyish quality, but his eyes held an unnecessary ease. Above all, today, the aura of an Alpha was spreading distinctly through the morning air.
Haon reflexively tried to move closer to Cha Jeong-won but barely managed to stop himself.
As soon as Cha Seo-jun got close, Haon asked first.
“Oh, Seo-jun-ah. What brings you here?”
Instead of answering, Cha Seo-jun looked alternately at Haon and Cha Jeong-won, then without the slightest hesitation, stood right next to Haon. The distance was so close their shoulders almost touched. It was as if he was staking his claim to the spot.
“I’m joining in too.”
“Joining in?”
“It’s my grandfather’s posthumous exhibition, isn’t it?”
He was right. Haon was momentarily at a loss for words.
Cha Seo-jun added playfully.
“Haon hyung is the needle, and I’m the thread.”
“Should I poke you with it right here?”
At Haon’s words, Cha Seo-jun grinned.
“Poke me as much as you want.”
He was so brazen…….
Haon glanced sideways.
Cha Jeong-won was standing still. He didn’t stop Seo-jun, nor did he seem flustered by it.
Instead, he looked at Cha Seo-jun with calm eyes. Though the gaze held a hint of tension that seemed a bit more than just looking at a cousin……
Then he glanced subtly at Haon. It was a look that seemed to say, ‘You choose.’
Haon shrugged his shoulders.
‘There’s nothing I can do here.’
He couldn’t very well send away Cha Seo-jun, who had run over happily to see him and his cousin.
So, he couldn’t reverse this awkward atmosphere even more.
Perhaps it was better this way, as it might divert people’s attention. As he turned his head, Haon inadvertently looked at Cha Jeong-won’s hand.
“Huh? When did you get hurt here?”
Seeing the wound on his wrist, which had been hidden by his coat, he asked in surprise.
The size of the bandage applied was quite large.
He hadn’t noticed it when he was turning his wrist earlier. Ah, was it because it was on the other side?
“It’s nothing.”
“I asked when you got hurt.”
Cha Jeong-won’s ‘nothing’ meant ‘don’t worry about it.’
“Yesterday…….”
“No, how did you get hurt?”
Haon naturally grabbed Cha Jeong-won’s wrist.
Cha Jeong-won tried not to show it, but Haon didn’t back down either.
Does this guy get hurt every time I’m not looking?
“Are you hurt anywhere else?”
Haon, pretending to check for other injuries, began fumbling over Cha Jeong-won.
Then Cha Seo-jun, who had suddenly become a deserted island, moved along with Haon.
Haon didn’t notice it, but Cha Jeong-won made eye contact with Cha Seo-jun.
Cha Seo-jun smiled at Cha Jeong-won as if to provoke him.
It was a reaction as if to say he would protect Haon.
Cha Jeong-won’s expression didn’t change much, but……
“I did get hurt here too.”
“Where, where?”
He raised his arm, guiding Haon into his embrace.
As Haon obediently followed the guidance, Cha Seo-jun’s smile stiffened, and Cha Jeong-won’s gaze relaxed leisurely.
Perhaps due to the subtle power struggle between the two Alphas, the others couldn’t even bring themselves to approach.
Just then, the glass door of the museum opened, and someone walked out.
The floral scent emanating from the hem of the beige coat spread on the wind.
It was Lee So-yul.
Lee So-yul walked over with a faint smile, then stopped when he saw the three of them huddled together.
“…….”
His expression stiffened very briefly, really briefly, then slowly changed to one of incomprehension.
“What…… are you doing now?”
No one could answer Lee So-yul’s question.
“Is it really hurt? I can’t see because this coat is long. Ah, take it off.”
Haon, struggling in that embrace, determined to check Cha Jeong-won’s injury.
“Look inside carefully. It’s there, so it is.”
“Oni hyung……. Look at me too.”
And there were only the two Alphas.
80 – NOT 80