By Zephyria 
===
After finishing the main steak, a sweet and refreshing dessert was served. Cha Se-jin watched Eun-won, who let out a small gasp of admiration at the beautifully presented dessert.
He had certainly eaten, but he couldn’t quite remember how he’d eaten the steak. It was fair to say that his only memory was of observing Eun-won as he carefully moved his cutlery to slice the steak, putting small pieces into his mouth and eating quietly.
It had been a fairly pleasant time, teasing him while asking curious questions, but from the moment Eun-won’s pheromones filled the room, no other thoughts remained—he was simply seized by the urge to act completely reckless.
In truth, the process of an Alpha and an omega coming to want the same thing was incredibly simple. Just becoming conscious of each other’s pheromones was enough to send an instinctive attraction skyrocketing.
And then, if they liked the scent of those pheromones and found the other’s appearance attractive? After that, a simple lock of eyes was all it took. It didn’t take long to realize they wanted the same thing.
But that wasn’t possible with Eun-won. For one, it wouldn’t be good to cause a scene before the wedding, and unlike those jaded types who knew exactly what was wanted the moment their eyes met, Eun-won was a child who knew nothing even after their eyes had met over a hundred times. There had been no progress whatsoever.
“Is it good?”
“Yes, it’s delicious. Aren’t you eating, Director?”
“You eat, Darling. I don’t like sweet things.”
At Cha Se-jin’s words, Eun-won recalled something he had seen the previous night. Remembering that he had heard somewhere that Cha Se-jin hated sweets so much that just smelling them made him feel like his brain was melting, he couldn’t bring himself to offer any more. Eun-won used his fork to cut a piece from the edge of the white chocolate vanilla mousse Cha Se-jin had placed in front of him and put it in his mouth. It was so soft and sweet that he couldn’t stop admiring it with every bite.
“Is it that good?”
“Yes…”
“Isn’t it too sweet?”
“It is sweet.”
“I get a headache when I eat sweet things.”
Eun-won, watching Cha Se-jin drink coffee that looked bitter even to the eye, took a sip of his pale-colored tea. He liked how the warmth and freshness cleared the sweetness from his mouth.
Watching Eun-won intently, Cha Se-jin suddenly wondered how much Eun-won actually knew. No matter how young he looked, he was twenty, an adult, and in a situation where he was about to get married; he figured there was no way he truly knew nothing.
“Darling.”
“Yes?”
“My room is right above here. Do you want to spend the night there today?”
If he threw it out this explicitly, there would surely be a reaction. Either his cheeks would turn red again, or he would make a disgusted face as if asking why he would say such a thing.
“Uh… I have to go to school tomorrow, and I need to go home too.”
Contrary to Cha Se-jin’s expectations, Eun-won’s reaction was very plain. Cha Se-jin let out a hollow laugh and shook his head. He had asked if he wanted to sleep with him, but the answer he got sounded like he was declining a staycation. He didn’t look embarrassed, nor did he look offended.
“I’ll drop you off in the morning. What’s the point of going home early? You’ll just be tired. You’re not still lying around saying you’re sick, are you? You should be completely energized by now.”
“Still… staying out suddenly is a bit… I’m sorry…”
“Fine, then. Come back and hang out with Ji-woon next time. I’ll even reserve the buffet for you.”
“…Can I really come with Ji-woon?”
See, damn it. He really did think it was a staycation. Losing his will to fight at Eun-won’s confirming response, Cha Se-jin nodded vaguely.
“Yeah… a staycation sounds fucking great, right.”
Looking at Eun-won, who was smiling because he was genuinely happy, Cha Se-jin—despite having lost his will to fight—felt strangely annoyed. He leaned his chin on his hand in a slouching manner and stared at Eun-won.
“I thought you said he was just a friend.”
“Yes… he is just a friend.”
“Then why are you so happy about it?”
“Ah… Ji-woon has done a lot for me, but I haven’t done anything for him. He likes eating delicious food, so I thought he’d like it if we came together…”
Lost for words at the sincere answer, Cha Se-jin gave up on being stubborn and straightened his posture. It seemed today was a day he was destined to lose.
Having started dinner quite early and finished all the courses leisurely, it was still evening by the time they left. As they descended in the elevator, Cha Se-jin glanced down at Eun-won, who was standing a bit away from him.
He wanted to keep him longer, thinking that if he sent him home now, he’d likely just be abused by that psychopathic couple, but there wasn’t much to do. Having never done anything that could be called ‘dating,’ he didn’t really know what normal people did on dates, nor could he think of what would be good to do with a twenty-year-old.
He tried to recall things his younger sibling, who was around Eun-won’s age, liked, but he didn’t think Eun-won would like those things.
“……”
It would be perfect to just go to the room and have sex, but that was impossible from the start. His explicit suggestion had been shattered by being treated as a staycation, and even if it weren’t, he had no desire to sleep with a child who knew nothing, having to teach him every single step. What he wanted was a fast and easy relationship where two experienced people got exactly what they wanted and ended it cleanly, not something that required effort and sacrifice.
Unable to think of anything else to do, he was about to ask if he wanted to go to the hotel cafe for some famous shaved ice when Eun-won’s phone rang. Before he answered, Eun-won looked up at him, and Cha Se-jin nodded for him to take the call comfortably before stepping out of the elevator, watching Eun-won’s back as he answered.
“Yes… Uh, I’ll be home soon… Yes… I will… Yes…”
It sounded like a call from home, but the atmosphere wasn’t that of a typical conversation with family. Seeing Eun-won take the call with such tension, Cha Se-jin recalled the video he had seen.
“Home?”
“Ah, yes…”
“What did they say? Told you to come back?”
“Today… they said they met your mother, Director. Uh, it seems they talked a lot. So they wanted to tell me about it…”
“Then they won’t be acting out today.”
“…Pardon?”
“Nothing. I’ll take you home.”
There were still many things he wanted to ask and many reactions he wanted to see, but he figured it was best to let him go for today. The fact that they had met his mother meant they had discussed the marriage, and since they would have been desperate for Eun-won’s marriage, they would be in a very good mood today. At the very least, they wouldn’t be acting out like before.
After putting Eun-won in the passenger seat, Cha Se-jin walked around the car and got into the driver’s seat. Eun-won’s tension and awkwardness seemed to have eased compared to before, but Cha Se-jin didn’t like how he was still clutching his black backpack tightly.
When Cha Se-jin reached over and moved the bag to the back seat, a surprised Eun-won looked back once and then looked at Cha Se-jin. Without a word, Cha Se-jin reached out his hand—the one not holding the steering wheel.
“Don’t you need something to hold onto?”
Honestly, it was a forced move. Cha Se-jin knew that. It was partly to tease him, and partly a prank because he liked the scent of the pheromones that leaked out when Eun-won was flustered. Looking at Eun-won staring down at his hand that had suddenly appeared, heat rushed to the tips of his fingers.
“How can you even think about marriage when you can’t even hold a hand…”
Just as he was about to withdraw his hand with a smile, something warm covered it. Although Eun-won often did things he didn’t expect, this was truly unexpected. Even though he knew it had to be Eun-won’s hand holding his, he turned his head toward the passenger seat to see if it was real.
“……”
“……”
He saw Eun-won’s two hands holding his. No, rather than ‘holding,’ ‘covering’ was a more fitting word. With his hand resting on Eun-won’s lap, Cha Se-jin felt Eun-won’s body temperature, which seemed to be getting hotter.
“Why all of a sudden? I thought you hated it?”
“…It smells good…”
“Smells good? Ah…”
It seemed to be because of the pheromones he had let slip while acting a bit loose. Grinning as he realized the reason, Cha Se-jin gathered his pheromones and opened the passenger window slightly. The outside breeze quickly broke through the barrier, touching Eun-won’s hazy mind.
“Uh…! I-I’m sorry.”
Seeing his own hands covering Cha Se-jin’s hand as if trapping it, Eun-won quickly pulled his fingers away and curled them. Finding it funny and cute that he even apologized, Cha Se-jin laughed and reached up to ruffle Eun-won’s hair.
“I’ll go to your school tomorrow when you’re finished.”
“Tomorrow, we might gather after class because of an assignment…”
“You’re not sure yet?”
“Yes… I think I’ll know tomorrow.”
“Then tell me tomorrow. Whether you’re meeting or not, and if you are, where you’re meeting and what time it ends.”
“Yes, I’ll contact you tomorrow.”
The distance from the hotel to the house wasn’t very far, so by the time they had exchanged a few more words, they had already arrived at Eun-won’s home.