By Zephyria 
“He hasn’t come to the shop.”
Ho-yeong deliberately lowered his voice. Dropping the smile he usually wore, he glared at the shop entrance with a defiant posture.
Hyung-cheol, who had been finishing off some leftover kimchi fried rice, also watched the new customer with cold eyes.
“We’ll contact you when he arrives, so leave your number and go.”
When the customer standing at the entrance showed no sign of leaving, Hyung-cheol finally moved. He tore a piece of memo paper from the counter and handed it over with a ballpoint pen.
However, the man, standing with his head tilted slightly, didn’t even glance at the paper Hyung-cheol offered. His gaze, possessing an extraordinary height and appearance, was fixed on Ho-yeong. Or rather, on the storage room door that Ho-yeong was blocking.
Click.
A black shoe, fitting for a man who looked like a model, took a step into the shop. At this, both Hyung-cheol and Ho-yeong frowned menacingly at the same time.
“I told you Haon-hyung isn’t here. Go look somewhere else.”
The man, who had parked an expensive foreign car in front of the shop, abruptly asked for Haon as soon as he entered. Ignoring Ho-yeong’s question about who he was, he only asked, ‘Hasn’t Haon-ssi come to the shop?’
Ho-yeong’s guard rose as he took in the man’s unusual aura and his car. Hyung-cheol felt the same. Because Haon had arrived with a terrible bruise on his face, the man who had come all the way to the shop to find him seemed all the more suspicious.
Even without confirming, it was clear the man was an Alpha; he didn’t seem like someone Haon would typically know. Just looking at the sports car worth hundreds of millions and the clothes he wore, it was painfully obvious he was from a different class of people.
Furthermore, judging by the way he addressed Haon, it was certain they weren’t on close terms.
“Haon-ssi.”
In-ho, approaching the storage room, raised his calm voice. He walked straight ahead, ignoring the two grown men blocking his path.
“If you come any further, I’m calling the police!”
Ho-yeong shouted, spreading his arms to block the storage room. However, before he could even apply his strength, his shoulder was grabbed by In-ho, and he was knocked aside. It happened in an instant, leaving Hyung-cheol no time to intervene.
Click. Fortunately, the door opened from the inside before In-ho could rip the handle off. It was just as Hyung-cheol grabbed In-ho’s arm.
“I—In-ho-ssi!”
Haon, who came out upon hearing In-ho’s voice, looked dazed. Seeing In-ho’s arm held firmly by an angry Hyung-cheol, he rushed out, wondering what was happening.
“Why—no, he’s—he’s someone I know!”
Haon’s gaze was fixed on Hyung-cheol, who was gripping In-ho’s arm tightly, so he didn’t see Ho-yeong sprawled on the floor.
Quickly standing up, Ho-yeong pretended he hadn’t fallen and put his hands on his hips.
“Who do you know?”
Hyung-cheol asked Haon as he let go of In-ho. Looking at Haon’s reaction, the man didn’t seem like the one who had messed up his cheek. But one could never be sure.
“That is…”
Haon, checking In-ho’s arm, hesitated to answer. It was awkward to clearly explain what kind of relationship they had.
“Why did you leave without your phone?”
A new question pierced through Haon, who was diligently pondering his answer. In-ho, standing close in front of him, had a cold expression.
“I was worried. I couldn’t reach you, and you weren’t at home.”
“Ah, I… the contact…!”
Out of habit, Haon fumbled through his pockets, searching for a phone that couldn’t possibly be there. In-ho swallowed a sigh and handed over the phone Haon had left in the bathroom.
“You left it at home.”
Receiving the phone, Haon scratched his forehead with an embarrassed look.
“I’m sorry… I left in such a hurry that I didn’t have the presence of mind to contact you.”
Haon’s voice trailed off. He felt sorry for making In-ho come all the way to the shop just because of him. Moreover, In-ho looked very tired, which made him feel even more uneasy.
“Hey, Haon.”
Tae-hwi, who had quietly approached Haon’s side, intervened in the conversation. He was carefully scanning In-ho from a step away. He had clearly seen the expression on In-ho’s face as he scrutinized every inch of Haon’s complexion and limbs.
Seriously, Jeong Haon, he’s so clueless.
“Just go inside for now. Stop working for today.”
Tae-hwi personally untied Haon’s apron and pushed him toward the back. Unlike when he was cursing an imaginary Lamborghini inside the storage room, a smile now bloomed on his lips.
“We misunderstood something. There are so many strange people around these days.”
With a smile and a face where his worries had melted away, he personally guided the two toward the entrance.
Though dissatisfied, Hyung-cheol returned to the kitchen first. Since new customers had just entered the shop, he had to start working again.
“Haon-hyung.”
Ho-yeong, whose lingering unease hadn’t vanished, called out to Haon. Holding onto Haon’s sleeve, Ho-yeong had a very serious expression.
“Are you really okay?”
Ho-yeong’s gaze shifted to In-ho. Seeing In-ho, who was twice as large as Haon, his grip on the sleeve tightened.
“If it’s a dangerous situation, don’t go. My oldest sister is a detective.”
He spoke emphatically, as if warning In-ho. At that, In-ho, faintly knitting one eyebrow, wore a cryptic smile.
Haon, not seeing this, looked up at Ho-yeong and spoke bravely.
“Ho-yeong, I’m okay. Thanks for worrying. He’s not a dangerous person; he’s someone I know well.”
“How do you know him?”
Behind the solitary, serious Ho-yeong, a customer holding a menu pressed the call bell.
“Yes, one moment—!”
Tae-hwi shouted and went to take the order first. He told Ho-yeong to stop as well, but he didn’t listen. He still hadn’t let down his guard toward In-ho.
“Ho-yeong-ssi.”
In-ho, calling Ho-yeong in a friendly tone, gently wrapped an arm around Haon’s shoulder. Pulling Haon toward him and prying Ho-yeong’s hand off, he tilted his head slightly and looked up with his eyes.
“I apologize for pushing you earlier. I misunderstood as well.”
“I just lost my footing and fell. It wasn’t because of you.”
It seemed like there was no real difference, but Ho-yeong corrected him firmly. When a light response of “Ah, yes” came back, Ho-yeong’s expression soured further.
“Ho-yeong, I’ll see you next week then. I’ll head out first!”
Flustered by Ho-yeong’s sharp attitude, Haon hurriedly led In-ho out of the shop.
Behind them, Tae-hwi waved his hand vigorously, telling them to go safely. To get even a glimpse more of In-ho’s face, he had gone all the way to the entrance to see them off despite being busy.
“Look at this, look at this. We’ve got a reliable youngest member here.”
Tae-hwi approached Ho-yeong, who was cooling off alone, and ruffled the back of his hair. He found it admirable that Ho-yeong had closed the storage door to protect Haon.
“Is it really okay for Haon-hyung to follow him like that? What if he’s a dangerous person?”
“What’s the big deal? We can just report him.”
Hearing Tae-hwi’s answer, Ho-yeong became even more serious and dashed out the door to check In-ho’s license plate number. Tae-hwi simply smiled warmly, calmly soothing his heart, which had been startled by In-ho’s appearance.
The thought of hearing about Haon’s love life soon made his curiosity surge.
Ah, I hope next week comes quickly.
* * *
An awkward silence hung in the car on the way home. In-ho seemed focused only on driving, and Haon, keeping his gaze fixed forward, only swallowed dryly.
He wanted to apologize to In-ho again, but since In-ho had forbidden apologies as soon as he got in the car, he was maintaining the silence. He felt that if he opened his mouth, a habitual apology would slip out.
“How is your body feeling?”
In-ho asked without looking at Haon, slowly tapping the steering wheel. Since it was a weekend evening, traffic was a bit heavy.
“I’m okay.”
Thanks to the plush and warm car seats, he could sit quite comfortably. It was much better than a hard chair.
“Thank you for coming to pick me up.”
Since In-ho said nothing, Haon continued the conversation after much deliberation. Aside from apologies, the only thing he had to say to In-ho was a thank you.
Instead of answering, In-ho only shifted his eyes to look at Haon. His face, tinged with fatigue, was still facing forward. Haon likewise did not look to the side.
“You don’t remember yesterday, do you?”
A question followed, as if he already expected the answer. As expected, Haon nodded vaguely.
“Where did it cut off?”
“I remember exercising… and talking about my mom.”
Even those memories were faint, but he hadn’t forgotten that they had shared a conversation.
Haon slightly turned his head to check In-ho’s expression. It was difficult to read what he was thinking from just his profile.
“I don’t even know how I got back to my room.”
“I see…”
Did I make some kind of mistake? He anxiously touched the black mask he had taken off and placed on his lap, opening and closing his dry lips. He didn’t have the courage to ask about memories he didn’t possess.
“About your phone, Haon-ssi.”
In-ho, who had been waiting for Haon to continue the conversation, spoke up instead.
“I accidentally dropped it, and the screen is broken. I’m sorry.”
“Ah, no. It’s okay. It was cheap anyway.”
“The screen is completely shattered, so you won’t be able to use it anymore.”
I see. Haon hadn’t had the chance to check it thoroughly when he received the phone from In-ho. Recalling the phone tucked deep in his pocket, Haon waved his hand while clutching the mask.
“Please don’t worry about it. It’s really okay.”
“Haon-ssi, please.”
The car stopped at a red light. Staring at the red light, In-ho let go of the steering wheel and rubbed his forehead. A faint sigh was mixed into his low voice.
“Stop saying it’s okay.”