NOT 112

‘I’m actually the Omega Amulet your mother sent.’

He imagined Haon making that confession.

How would he feel at that moment? And how would he react?

Would the disgust he felt then be directed straight at Haon?

Before he could sink too deep into that thought, Cha Jeong-won wanted to end the conversation with Cha Aeri.

“If it’s about the Omega Amulet, I’ve heard enough to be sick of it. You can stop now.”

To his own surprise, he felt no particular emotion.

It had been like this since he provoked his mother stolen contentby [[Read on Read BL Novels]class="wm" style="opacity:0;font-size:1px;user-select:all;">stolen content]talking about marriage, but right now, Cha Jeong-won didn’t feel particularly powerless or displeased.

His mind had been completely elsewhere from the start.

As Cha Jeong-won stopped focusing on the conversation and just looked towards the exhibition hall, Cha Aeri lightly waved her hand as if she had no intention of holding him back.

“Come home with that child sometime. Your grandmother is waiting too.”

The lingering effect of the words ‘that child’ felt strangely heavy.

Instead of answering, Cha Jeong-won took a short breath.

At that small but definite change in expression, Cha Aeri’s demeanor softened considerably.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen that look on your face.”

Cha Jeong-won bit his lip hard.

“I remember the first time I attached a talisman to you. You were happy then, saying you’d made a friend…”

That was the first and last time.

Even so, as accidents kept happening, no one approached Cha Jeong-won’s side anymore.

“Even if you keep doing that, things won’t turn out the way you want, Mother.”

“You’re being unusually talkative.”

Cha Aeri cut him off.

And then she smiled faintly, as if finding him cute.

“I understand your meaning well.”

That meaning was probably the opposite of what Cha Jeong-won wanted.

Cha Aeri turned away without hesitation. The sound of her heels echoing on the floor made him feel the passage of time.

Amidst it all, Cha Jeong-won also turned around.

Haon was waiting.

The exhibition hall was packed with people, the voices of strangers overlapping thinly.

Cha Jeong-won quickly scanned the interior. He looked for places where Haon might be.

Among people, Haon always stood out first. Even if he wasn’t smiling, even if he was standing quietly.

But strangely, he wasn’t easy to unauthorized visit our sitecopyspot today. Cha Jeong-won took another step and turned his head.

Just then, someone approached from the side and spoke.

“Excuse me. Are you perhaps a staff member?”

Cha Jeong-won reflexively turned his gaze.

It was an unfamiliar visitor. In his hand, a pamphlet was crumpled, folded, and his eyes alternated between the artwork and Cha Jeong-won.

“No.”

“Ah, I see. Sorry.”

He bowed in apology and was about to step back when he turned around again.

Perhaps he still had something to say.

“If you came alone, would you like to walk around with me?”

On the man’s face, looking directly at Cha Jeong-won, tension and anticipation were mixed.

“Sorry.”

It was a refusal that didn’t even give a moment’s pause.

The man looked disappointed, unable to properly compose his expression, but he didn’t move away either.

He seemed reluctant to back off like this.

“Sorry, but could you think about it one more time?”

A faint scent of pheromones wafted from the man.

Just before those pheromones could gently envelop Cha Jeong-won.

Someone appeared and stood beside Cha Jeong-won. As if that wasn’t enough, he lightly tugged on his tie.

“Got you.”

Even with Haon, whom he had been looking for, appearing right in front of him, Cha Jeong-won couldn’t react immediately.

As he just stood still, Haon gave his tie another slight tug.

When Cha Jeong-won obediently lowered his head, his hair flowed down.

Haon gently stroked Cha Jeong-won’s hair with his other hand. His hand was drenched in pheromones.

“Who goes around leaking handsomeness like this.”

Cha Jeong-won closed his eyes and inhaled Haon’s pheromones. The unease from meeting his mother and the sinking feeling from the man not backing off were gradually improving.

Meanwhile, Haon turned his head towards the man hesitantly standing there.

“I’m with someone.”

Not just with someone. The meaning of ‘lover’ was clearly conveyed.

The man apologized as if he had been rude and disappeared.

Then Haon looked back at Cha Jeong-won.

“I thought it only blocked misfortune, but there’s this too.”

Cha Jeong-won’s half-lowered eyelashes rose, revealing his pupils.

“Popularity. I mean, popularity. I don’t think people approached this much at school. Why is it like this outside?”

Haon muttered, tilting his head.

Now that he said it, it was true. At school, he had seen countless people who wanted to get close to Cha Jeong-won, but none had approached as actively with some sort of sexual interest like just now.

‘Ah, well, it wasn’t completely nonexistent.’

Lee So-yul, who was the same age and year as Cha Jeong-won, came to mind.

“It’s because of you.”

At the sudden words shifting the blame onto him, Haon’s eyes widened.

What was this about?

“It’s all your fault.”

“What… Okay.”

Feeling wronged and about to say it wasn’t, Haon just accepted it.

It wasn’t like anything would go wrong by admitting it.

“But you should know this too. I had my own circumstances.”

The absurd things that had happened to him since meeting Cha Jeong-won already flashed through his mind like distant past events.

Climbing stairs like eating meals due to elevator breakdowns, constantly spilling coffee, even cold showers. Constantly bumping into things everywhere was a common occurrence.

“Stay right by my side from now on.”

Haon neatly straightened Cha Jeong-won’s tie again.

“If I fall away, will bad things keep happening to you too?”

At the lightly thrown question, Haon’s hand paused.

Since he had been worried first about what might happen to Cha Jeong-won if they were separated, he hadn’t really considered his own situation much.

“Hmm… I only thought about you, sunbae, so I’m not sure.”

It was true that after getting along with Cha Jeong-won, there seemed to be no more incidents of cold showers or spilling coffee.

Being able to work at the cafe without any major mistakes was probably thanks to Cha Jeong-won too, wasn’t it?

“Is that us being fate?”

Haon had answered meaning he didn’t know, but Cha Jeong-won linked it to fate.

“Sunbae really likes me a lot.”

That’s why he’d say that. Haon linked arms with Cha Jeong-won and stood on tiptoe.

“I like you too, sunbae.”

Feeling good about the word ‘fate,’ he returned the sentiment.

Having completely forgotten about the exhibition hall while deeply immersed in conversation with Cha Jeong-won, Haon couldn’t ask what conversation he had with his mother.

“Shall we go over there?”

He picked up a pamphlet and pointed in one direction.

Haon moved first and Cha Jeong-won followed him.

＊ ＊ ＊

Haon’s expression remained bright after seeing the exhibition.

Even though the sun had already set and it was getting dark, he still seemed excited, as if something was thrilling.

Unlike Haon, Cha Jeong-won became less talkative.

He responded well to Haon’s words, but occasionally drifted into thought.

Eventually, Haon cautiously broached the subject while watching Cha Jeong-won’s expression.

“Was I being inconsiderate, keeping you for too long?”

He wondered if it was because Cha Jeong-won was a busy person.

But Cha Jeong-won glanced at Haon briefly before looking straight ahead.

His fingers holding the steering wheel twitched.

“I’m going to take out the box under the bed soon.”

“Ah…”

It was that box Haon had taken out and checked several times. The box that summoned Cha Jeong-won’s accidents, with the suspicious talisman gradually peeling off.

“That’s for the retrospective, right? Have you thought about how to use it?”

Cha Jeong-won nodded lightly.

“Nothing complicated. I’m just thinking of opening the box.”

“Opening it?”

Haon’s question was filled with complex emotions.

“With the talismans attached, it probably won’t open well, will it?”

“I’ll remove them.”

“Ah…”

Cha Jeong-won said it as if it were easy, but Haon really didn’t like the idea.

Could he say he wished he wouldn’t open it?

But if he didn’t open it, even he wouldn’t be able to see what was inside.

With his mind complicated this way and that, Haon naturally fell silent too.

Meanwhile, the moving car stopped somewhere.

Realizing the engine had turned off, Haon looked up and, seeing it wasn’t home, gave a puzzled look.

Cha Jeong-won got out first, then came around to Haon’s side and opened the door for him.

“Get out.”

“Where is this?”

Haon got out of the car with a bewildered expression.

Cha Jeong-won took Haon’s hand and walked towards the hood. Then he gave a slight push, making Haon lean against the hood.

Haon looked at him with a puzzled expression, but Cha Jeong-won silently took his place beside him.

“What on earth are you…”

Soon, Haon closed his mouth as he saw the shower of cherry blossom petals falling behind Cha Jeong-won.