By Zephyria 
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“…….”
Startled by Cha Se-jin’s sudden action, Eun-won had been frozen, unable to do anything, but he soon snapped back to his senses and raised his hand. Only then did Cha Se-jin, who had been rubbing the candy against Eun-won’s tongue until that moment, pull his hand away. Eun-won quickly removed the candy from his mouth. A strawberry scent and taste vibrated within his mouth, which had become sweet.
“I gave you a gift, so I’ll go now. See you tomorrow.”
“…….”
“And as for that celebration, I really hope there’s a day when I can return the favor.”
With a smirk, Cha Se-jin picked up the bag of items on the floor and left the convenience store. Swallowing the strawberry-flavored saliva pooling in his mouth, Eun-won turned his gaze toward the glass wall of the store. Through the window, he saw Cha Se-jin roughly toss the items into his car trunk and drive away.
“…….”
Only after being left alone did the strength drain from his body. Slumping into a chair, Eun-won let out a long sigh. He couldn’t fathom what on earth had happened during such a short span of time.
…He’s truly a strange person.
No, “strange” wasn’t enough. He felt like a combination of a type of pervert he’d never seen before and a new kind of nuisance.
Shaking his head, Eun-won unconsciously put the candy he was holding back into his mouth. The moment the faded strawberry scent and taste filled his mouth again, Eun-won was startled and quickly pulled the candy out. He then threw the melted candy into the trash can beneath the counter.
Get it together, get it together. Why did I eat that again….
Even though there was no candy in his mouth, he felt as if he could still feel the candy rubbing against his tongue. He felt a strange sensation, as if the hard candy were slowly rubbing, causing saliva to pool, and the more it did, the more the sweet and tart strawberry flavor spread throughout his mouth.
Seriously, get it together…. Why do I keep thinking about it? It’s not like it’s a good memory.
Tapping his cheeks with both hands, Eun-won took a deep breath. Within the air he inhaled, there seeped a heavy yet deep scent left behind by Cha Se-jin—something that seemed pungent yet strangely cozy. It was a scent entirely different from the sweet smell of candy. It felt like a scent that could never come from a twenty-year-old like himself.
Then again, he had never met an adult who smelled so good. Not all Alpha Pheromones were pleasant. He had met quite a few people while working various part-time jobs, but he had never smelled a scent that made his mind drift and focus so intensely.
Feeling that the scent was somehow pleasant, Eun-won breathed in to smell it again, but he was startled by his own action and quickly shook his head. He tapped his cheeks with both hands again, picked up his phone, and left a message for the CEO.
That expensive liquor had sold, that half of the stocked wine had been sold, that one person had paid an absurd amount of money, and….
“Ah….”
He should have reported it before the man said he’d come again… but he didn’t.
Since today was his last day of work, it wouldn’t matter if he wasn’t here tomorrow, but the thought of the CEO experiencing this strange ordeal tomorrow made him sigh involuntarily. Eun-won quickly sent a follow-up message to the CEO.
[CEO, a nuisance customer has appeared who comes in around 10 o’clock.]
[Please be careful, too.]
[Oh, and for the time being, I think it would be better to keep the candies under the counter when selling them.]
* * *
“Welcome, Eun-won!”
When he arrived at his father’s house in Baekdam-dong in the car that had been waiting in front of the convenience store, the madam approached him with a warm greeting and gripped both of his hands. Her smiling face was so bright and sparkling that Eun-won stared for a moment before bowing his head in greeting.
“I… look forward to your kindness from now on….”
“Yes, I look forward to it too. Let’s really get along well. We’re family now. I’ll make sure there’s nothing to make your heart ache, so don’t worry about anything anymore. Just attend school comfortably and do everything you want to do, and live while enjoying yourself, Eun-won.”
The touch of her hand as she held and patted him was warm. Eun-won responded with a slight smile and looked up at his father standing beside the madam.
“Welcome. If you have any difficulties in the future, just tell us. You have us now. You don’t have to suffer anymore.”
“…Yes…. Thank you….”
“Don’t mention it. It’s late today, so go in and rest. Honey, could you show Eun-won his room? I have some remaining work to handle.”
Smiling at the father’s words, the madam quickly patted Eun-won’s back and led him up the stairs.
“I thought about letting you use the annex by yourself, but I figured being alone in such a big house might be scary at first, so I’ve prepared a room on the second floor for now. And just in case, I’m telling you, it’s not the room Yun-han used. I tore down the other annex Yun-han used because it was too painful to look at.”
“…It must have been… very hard for you.”
“Yes, it was very hard. And it will be hard for the rest of my life. Still, I don’t cry every day anymore. Oh dear, I didn’t bring this up to talk about such things… sorry, the conversation got too heavy, didn’t it?”
“No…. It’s okay.”
“How can you be so gentle and kind?”
The madam, Yeo Hee-jin, who had been patting Eun-won’s back, opened the closed door. Eun-won hesitated, surprised by the sight that unfolded inside.
The room was larger than his entire previous house combined. Inside that vast room, a large bed, a desk, and all sorts of furniture were placed. It was the first time in his life he had seen such a large room. It was so big and nice that it felt more like a house than a room.
“I tried to decorate it in my own way, thinking something clean yet cozy would be good. What do you think? Do you like it?”
The warm-colored duvet and the soft rug on the floor made the room look incredibly cozy. Eun-won stepped inside, looked around the room, and answered Yeo Hee-jin’s question.
“Yes, I like it. Thank you for your consideration…. I didn’t know you would go this far.”
“Don’t mention it. It’s only natural since my son is coming to live at home. There’s a bathroom inside the room, and there’s another one at the end of the second floor if you step out. They’re all your bathrooms, so use them comfortably. And let me know if there’s anything you need.”
“Yes…. I will.”
The madam laughed out loud, finding Eun-won’s obedient answers cute, and opened a dresser to take out neatly folded loungewear and place it on the bed.
“I didn’t know your taste in clothes, so I just prepared a few neutral pieces for now. How is your time tomorrow after school? Let’s go buy some clothes together, Eun-won.”
“Ah…. Tomorrow is fine. It’ll be around 4 o’clock after my afternoon classes; is that okay for you?”
“Yes, just in case, I’ve cleared my entire schedule for tomorrow. Then we’ll go shopping together tomorrow, and when we come back, the three of us as a family will have a delicious dinner.”
“Yes….”
“You’re tired, right? Get some deep rest now. Sleep well and have sweet dreams, Eun-won. Thanks to you, I think we’ll have very sweet dreams too. Rest up.”
After patting him several times, Yeo Hee-jin left. Eun-won watched the door close and looked around. Since it was his first time using such a large room, he momentarily couldn’t think of what to do. Eun-won stood still for a while, waking up his mind that had gone blank.
Walking toward the bed, Eun-won touched the soft-textured t-shirt and pants lying on top. Honestly, he hadn’t expected her to prepare even things like this, and his heart stirred gently.
He had been so tense all day thinking about entering this house that he felt extremely exhausted now that the tension had released. Eun-won carefully went to the bathroom in the room and opened the door. The bathroom had the same soft and pleasant scent as the room.
“…Wow….”
Looking at the interior, which was so spacious and nice that it didn’t feel like a home bathroom, Eun-won checked the bathtub and shower booth and then quickly went back to the bed to grab clothes to change into.
Just in case, he opened the top of the drawer and found freshly laundered new underwear neatly folded and organized. Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Eun-won closed the drawer and took out the underwear he had brought in his bag. He knew intellectually that he had to get used to such things, but it was still awkward—the idea of another person’s touch invading a domain he had always handled himself.
After entering the bathroom and setting down the clothes to change into, Eun-won finally stripped and stepped into the shower booth. He looked at the sparkling new faucet, without a single water stain, and when he turned it on, warm water poured over his head.
The remnants of tension that had lingered in his body melted away in the water. Closing his eyes, Eun-won tried to gratefully accept the warmth that covered his entire body, though it still felt unfamiliar.
After washing and drying himself, Eun-won applied the toner and lotion prepared on one side of the long marble vanity and dried his hair. Though they were a bit large, he put on the clothes that felt incredibly soft and nice against his skin and sat on the edge of the bed, realizing once again where he was.
It wasn’t a narrow room that always smelled damp from humidity. There was no loud sound of water flowing down the walls whenever the upstairs neighbor turned on the tap, and the room didn’t ring with the noise of drunks screaming and kicking the walls outside.
“…….”
Touching the duvet, which was as soft as the clothes he was wearing, Eun-won carefully climbed into bed. The bed was very wide and comfortable. The bedding also carried the same wonderful scent as the room. It was a cozy and fresh scent, as if it had dried fluffily while absorbing all the sky pouring down under the sunlight. Unaccustomed to the bed, the strength in his body slowly drained away.