FHO 19

The man gave a soft smile, claiming it was nothing special, as he gauged Haon’s reaction. Naturally, Haon nodded vigorously, signaling that he was open to any question.

“How did you save my number?”

The man continued the conversation while keeping his gaze fixed forward. Haon hesitated for a moment, then hurriedly fumbled through his pockets.

“I saved it as ‘Boss.’”

He pulled out his phone to show the saved name directly.

“…Boss?”

The man tilted his head toward the window and rested his chin on his hand. He seemed to mutter, I’m not a boss, but it was too quiet to hear clearly.

“I didn’t know what to save it as, so I just….”

He had actually saved it as ‘Rich Boss.’ Aside from Seong-gu hyung, almost everyone in Haon’s contact list was saved as either ‘Boss’ or ‘Manager.’ After some deliberation, he had simply saved the man’s number as ‘Boss’ as well. It was a common honorific used for people one didn’t know well.

He felt a bit embarrassed to call him ‘Handsome Boss,’ so he went with ‘Rich Boss.’ He chose something that the man wouldn’t find offensive even if he happened to see it. He just hadn’t expected to actually show it to him.

“Look.”

Haon confidently tapped the man’s number in his contacts. He figured that since ‘Rich’ was a positive word, the man wouldn’t dislike it. Haon thought he would be happy if someone perceived him as rich.

“Wow, you really did.”

However, the man didn’t seem to feel that way. As he glanced at the phone screen while still leaning on his hand, his expression wasn’t particularly bright. The corners of his smiling mouth seemed to droop slightly.

Maybe truly rich people don’t like being called that?

Haon swallowed hard, his pupils trembling slightly.

“Or… what should I save it as?”

He stood ready to write down whatever the man said, but the man only rubbed the corner of his mouth.

“I saved yours as Haon.”

As the man’s gaze flickered toward him and then quickly vanished, Haon’s awkwardness doubled. Even if he wanted to save the man’s number under his name, he couldn’t because he didn’t know it.

Is it… okay to ask for his name?

There was a reason Haon was hesitating. Most of the Alphas he had slept with in the past hadn’t cared to know his name, nor did they offer their own. Consequently, Haon had naturally stopped wondering about the names of the people he spent his heats with.

Of course, it hadn’t always been this way. A year and a half ago, when he was far more naive, Haon had believed he would form a deep relationship with the first man he spent a heat with.

And for good reason; that first man had treated Haon with immense tenderness in bed and showed genuine concern when Haon couldn’t eat. That Alpha, who worked as an office employee, had devoted his entire weekend to Haon and even took a day off on Monday to avoid leaving the motel room.

Haon had simply thought it was because the man enjoyed being with him. He believed that the constant touching, hugging, and whispers of let’s do it one more time were confessions of love.

That was why he wanted to know more about the man. Unaware that their connection would end once Monday night passed, the young Haon tried to learn more about him.

‘I’m Haon. Jeong Haon.’

After debating whether to ask for his age or his name first, he chose the latter. He introduced himself first and then asked the man for his name.

In truth, he already knew the name because he had seen a business card poking out of the man’s wallet when he ordered delivery food. Still, since he hadn’t heard it directly, he pretended not to know and asked.

‘Ah, I’m—.’

Then, Haon’s first man gave a name different from the one on the business card. A name completely different from his real one.

And then he left, leaving Haon with a deeply cynical outlook on life. He was the one who had set the wrong precedent for Haon.

“Haon.”

The man called him. His eyebrows were relaxed, and the corners of his mouth were curved upward. With a look as if he had conceded defeat, he let out a soft, airy laugh and tapped Haon’s phone.

“You didn’t hear me, did you?”

“Huh?”

What had he said? As Haon, who had been lost in thought, mumbled an apology, the man smiled and told him it was fine.

“It’s about the time you’d get sleepy. Especially since you worked so hard today.”

Thinking Haon had missed his words due to exhaustion, the man smiled generously and continued.

“Please save mine as my name, too.”

Now fully focused, Haon’s lips parted as he fidgeted with his phone. He wondered if the man had already told him his name and he had simply forgotten. He racked his brain, chewing over their previous conversations, hoping the name would surface.

“It’s Seo In-ho.”

The man, who had been waiting for Haon to ask, finally spoke first. A soft laugh, sounding like a sigh, echoed gently.

He told Haon that it didn’t matter if he used ‘In-ho,’ ‘Seo In-ho,’ or ‘In-ho hyung’—to save it however he felt comfortable. However, he said he hated ‘Boss.’

“I’m not that old.”

Realizing the man could have thought that, Haon waved his hand.

“I didn’t save it as Boss because you look old. It’s just… I’m used to that title—.”

He started to push his phone forward again to show the long list of ‘Bosses’ in his contacts, but then he paused. Suddenly, the phone stopped responding.

“Uh….”

Was the battery dead? Flustered, he pressed the power button firmly, waiting for the black screen to wake up. But the phone, which had shut down without warning, remained silent. He was sure there had been a decent amount of battery left.

“What model is this?”

The man asked, looking at Haon’s phone with curiosity. Since he had bought the cheapest one available at the phone store, Haon didn’t know the model name.

“It’s just a cheap one.”

He gave a vague answer and slid the dead phone into his pocket.

“I’ll save it again when I get home.”

Seo In-ho. He repeated the name in his head so he wouldn’t forget. Seo In-ho. Seo In-ho. Seo In-ho.

In-ho-ssi…?

While Haon was secretly practicing the awkward honorific, the car arrived inside the parking lot. The man hadn’t spoken further after telling Haon to get some sleep. Haon thought he was focusing on driving, but seeing him sit still even after unbuckling his seatbelt, it seemed he had been organizing his thoughts.

Unbuckling his own seatbelt, Haon waited tensely for him to speak. Before the silence became too uncomfortable, the man finished his deliberation and opened his mouth.

“Haon.”

His black pupils, contrasting with his light hair color, sparkled warmly under the car’s interior light. Haon nodded and responded with a “Yes.”

“Can’t you just keep staying here?”

He asked with a serious expression.

“I’m a safer person than you think, Haon.”

Haon agreed with that. As the man placed a hand over his chest and continued, he looked more harmless than anyone, just as he claimed. Except for the first day, Haon had never once considered him someone to be wary of. If anything, he felt he was the dangerous one.

“Haon.”

The man’s voice became even more cautious.

“You said you’re going back to your hometown in a year and a half anyway. Just stay until then.”

The man said he wouldn’t even take rent. In exchange, there was only one thing he wanted.

“Let me visit your house later. In a year and a half.”

His smiling face was full of sincerity as he mentioned wanting to visit the countryside. It didn’t sound like he was just saying it. The man truly wanted Haon to stay at his house. Haon could feel that desire clearly.

“Why….”

Haon stopped and cleared his throat. His throat suddenly felt ticklish, making his voice crack.

“Why are you helping me?”

It was still baffling that someone would go this far simply because they liked helping others. Even to the simple-minded Haon, the man’s actions didn’t quite add up. No matter how kind a person was, this was too much.

“I told you. I like helping people.”

But the man spoke as if that were truly the only reason. As if letting him live in a nice house for free and picking him up in a car in the middle of the night was truly for that reason alone.

“A lot of people usually stay at my place.”

He spoke in the softest tone possible, gauging Haon’s expression. Then, he sent a firm, promising look.

“And I only date people of the same dynamic.”

He told him to be at ease in that regard. As expected, there was sincerity in his words.

Haon had heard that some Dominant Alphas insisted on dating only those of the same dynamic. He just hadn’t known that this man was one of them.

Dazed, Haon slowly closed his mouth, chewing over the man’s words. An immediate answer didn’t come to mind.

He doesn’t date Omegas.

I see.