By Zephyria 
===
“…….”
Once we get closer… it won’t feel as daunting as it does now, right? We’ll have no choice but to see each other often from now on, and as we meet, we’ll get closer… and then I’ll know how to treat him and what feelings I should have…? Besides, not everything that’s rumored is true…. The more famous someone is, the more they suffer from rumors…. I shouldn’t let those things create a prejudice.
Facing an endless flood of thoughts, Eun-won shook his head as if to brush off the excessive information he had just seen regarding Cha Se-jin.
Deciding not to think about anything else and just go to sleep, Eun-won turned off all the lights and left only the small lamp beside the bed on the lowest setting. With the light dimmed, he felt like sleep would come quickly.
As he lay in bed, covered by the cozy duvet and closing his eyes, words that didn’t suit the silence flickered through his mind.
‘Since we’ve decided to get married, do you want to kiss?’
Having failed to clear his mind, Eun-won rolled over toward the lamp. Come to think of it, there were several things left to consider.
Where he wanted to live once they were married.
Where he wanted to go for the honeymoon.
…And whether it was okay to kiss Cha Se-jin since they had decided to get married.
As he recalled the things Cha Se-jin had told him to think about, the image of Cha Se-jin suddenly approaching and burying his face in the crook of his neck filled his mind. The feeling of him burying his nose and lips into that hollow where his shoulder met his neck, breathing him in without hesitation, was so vivid.
At the same time, he remembered how the strength drained from his entire body as the scent of vanilla in a deep forest spread strongly.
Honestly, whenever he thought of that pheromone scent, he would just space out, thinking only of that. The scent was so, truly so good. It was overwhelming, incomparable to any other scent he had ever smelled in his life.
…How can someone actually smell like that….
As he continued to think about it, it felt as if the scent was actually filling the room. Hugging the duvet, Eun-won pressed his lips firmly against it.
“…….”
After thinking of Cha Se-jin for a long while, Eun-won was startled by a vibration and checked the phone on the side table. The name ‘Husband’ was flashing on the screen. Before it could vibrate again, Eun-won quickly sat up and answered the call.
“Hello….”
-Yeah, Darling. What are you doing?
“…I was lying down to go to sleep early….”
-Already? Ah, I guess you’d be tired. You had a proposal, you cried, you did a lot.
“…….”
Perhaps it was because he had been thinking about Cha Se-jin’s pheromone scent for so long before hearing his voice… he felt a bit shy. He felt it would be better if they were speaking face-to-face, but hearing only the voice made it feel more intense.
-I told my parents properly that we’re getting married. Things will move quickly starting tomorrow.
“…Yes….”
Feeling a tickle in his ears, Eun-won became even more awkward and shy, fidgeting with the duvet with the hand not holding the phone.
-Are you lying down? I can hear the duvet.
“…Ah…. I’m not lying down, I’m sitting.”
-Lie down then.
“…What?”
-Hurry.
Flustered by the sudden request, Eun-won glanced around before slowly lowering himself and resting his face on the pillow. It was an absurd request, but since it wasn’t a difficult task he couldn’t do, he simply followed along. He was also curious why he was suddenly telling him to lie down.
-Are you lying down?
“…Yes….”
-Look at the empty space beside you.
He couldn’t understand what he meant at all, but Eun-won lightly pressed down on the duvet bulging in front of his face and looked at the empty spot next to where he lay.
“…I see it.”
-That’s my spot now.
“…….”
…He must be crazy…. Really… he’s truly crazy. His face flushed deep red at words that far exceeded the realm of imagination, and Eun-won quickly pulled the duvet up to cover his eyes.
-Ah, my Darling won’t be able to sleep early now.
“…….”
-Go to sleep. Stop thinking about me.
The call ended with a low chuckle. Eun-won, feeling the phone hot to the touch, shoved it haphazardly under the duvet and buried his face deep into the duvet, which was bunched up like milk foam.
Unable to break down the wall of the duvet, Eun-won remained trapped inside, unable to fall asleep for a long time. Because he felt as if Cha Se-jin would actually be in that empty spot if he lowered the duvet. And….
Because that low, echoing laughter wouldn’t leave his ears for a long time.
* * *
Although he checked the message saying the morning class was canceled, Eun-won decided to leave the house at his usual time rather than idling. It was hard to explain exactly why, but he felt that going to school would put his mind more at ease.
When he finished getting ready and went downstairs, the Madam, hearing the noise, came out of the dining room and led Eun-won.
“You should at least eat some fruit before you go. Otherwise, your stomach will suffer.”
Forced to sit at the table, Eun-won picked up a small piece of melon and put it in his mouth. It was very sweet and delicious, but it didn’t go down easily.
“I got a call from Sewon’s secretary’s office a moment ago, Eun-won. The Madam wants to arrange a meeting. So we’ve decided to meet today at lunch. There’s no point in dragging things like this out.”
“…Yes….”
“I’ll speak well for you. I’ll tell her to make sure she cherishes our Eun-won. Of course, even if I don’t say anything, everyone will love our Eun-won because he’s so pretty and kind.”
“…….”
“It’s such a shame for us. Even if you’re getting married, I wanted to keep you by my side for a few more years, feed you, and get closer to you.”
The Madam’s kind voice felt stuck in his throat. Taking a sip of juice to ease the stifling feeling, Eun-won met the eyes of the Madam, who was looking at him with a truly regretful expression.
For a moment, the gaze she had when she ignored him and treated him coldly overlapped before scattering. Eun-won shook his head, trying not to think about it, and quickly put another piece of melon in his mouth.
He wanted to believe that people can be like that when they are sensitive or cornered, and that it was just a happening. Otherwise, he felt he would continue to feel this same sense of dissonance every time he saw the Madam.
“I think she’ll want to set a wedding date too…. I think it might be okay to set it a bit early. With this kind of marriage, the longer you have to think about it, the worse it gets. It’ll be better for you to just get it over with while you’ve made up your mind.”
These words didn’t match her previous statement about being sad that they couldn’t be together longer. Feeling a bitterness spread in his mouth, Eun-won put down his fork and made a sound of agreement toward the Madam.
“Yes…. That’s okay.”
“Right. I’ll meet the Madam today and tell you this evening what we talked about.”
“…Yes. Um, thank you for the food.”
“Is that all you’re eating?”
“I’m sorry…. I don’t have much time….”
“No need to be sorry. Make sure to eat something at school. Got it? Don’t worry about the credit card bill; buy everything you want and eat everything you want. Okay? The more Eun-won spends, the happier your father and I become.”
“Yes, I will…. I’m leaving now….”
As Eun-won left the house after saying goodbye, a bright voice—one he hadn’t heard in a few days—echoed behind him, telling him to have a good day. Suppressing his wavering heart, Eun-won got into the car. The pain in his heart, which felt like something sharp was poking him, began to calm down gradually as the car left the house.
[Ji-woon: Where are you? School?]
[Ji-woon: Where are you where are you where are you? Did you arrive?]
[Ji-woon: Are you okay??]
Just before arriving at school, Eun-won quickly replied to the barrage of messages from Yoon Ji-woon.
[I’m getting out now. Where are you?]
[Ji-woon: I’m at the Management Deli Place. Come here.]
[Okay, I’ll be there soon.]
Eun-won stopped the driver from going inside the campus, got out in front of the school, and hurried his pace. Although the campus was quite large, it was a distance he could cover with a brisk walk to the Management Building.
After entering the Management Building, Eun-won headed straight for Deli’s Place. Amidst the bustling crowd, he saw Yoon Ji-woon waving his hand.
“Your face actually looks a bit better?”
“Huh?”
“You acted like you were literally dying for a few days, but today you actually look okay. Did the issue you had get resolved?”
“Ah…. Yeah, I resolved it yesterday. Sorry, I acted too strange for a few days. That won’t happen anymore.”
“Forget it. Why apologize? It’s not like you took it out on me; you were just fucking struggling on your own.”
The moment Yoon Ji-woon sucked up the last of his drink, the vibration bell on the table rang. Thinking something else had been ordered, Eun-won started to stand up, but Yoon Ji-woon snatched the bell, strode over to the pickup desk, and returned with a tray piled high with food.
“Is someone else coming?”
“No? Just the two of us are eating.”
On the tray were a misugaru smoothie for Eun-won, honey butter balls, a fruit cup, cream castella, and a pizza burrito.