By Zephyria 
“Wha-what. Aren’t you driving?”
“The light is red.”
As he said, the straight-ahead signal was red.
“Still, look ahead.”
“Yes, yes. Are you using the things I delivered well?”
Ah, right.
“Seriously, what on earth did you send?”
“Why. I bought everything meticulously according to your taste, Sunbae. Think of it as a dowry.”
“You’re crazy.”
“Even if I were taking a concubine, I should have brought the essentials; I was too complacent. Please accept them.”
“Even if you say that, I’m not taking them.”
“Sunbae, accept them for the sake of the global environment.”
“Sigh….”
It was a mistake to think I could win an argument with this guy. Jeong-min gave up and sank back into the seat.
“Did you eat?”
“You keep sending three meals a day. Aren’t you getting reports on that anyway?”
“Ah, I’ve been caught.”
At this point, it just makes him laugh. Both himself, who pretends not to know while knowing everything, and Kim Ju-hwan, who pretends not to know everything.
He suddenly thought that if they could just stay like this… it might actually be enjoyable. That a day might come when he could truly smile. Perhaps that was why his lips wouldn’t open easily. He had to say something….
“Kim Ju-hwan.”
“Hmm, I get scared when Sunbae calls my name so seriously.”
“…Can I get the drug a bit more frequently?”
At those words, Kim Ju-hwan suddenly slammed on the brakes. Because of the sudden stop, the car behind them honked loudly. Thinking this wasn’t the place for this, Kim Ju-hwan clicked his tongue and started the car again.
Jeong-min was so startled he tried to say something, but seeing Kim Ju-hwan gripping the steering wheel tightly, he couldn’t utter a word. Jeong-min also knew. He knew he had made a mistake just now.
He knew it would turn out like this.
“…I’m not angry, Sunbae. So you don’t have to walk on eggshells like that.”
He said that, but the tension remained in his hands.
“Why would I walk on your eggshells?”
“That’s true. Are you the type to walk on my eggshells? Um… let’s go to Sunbae’s house today.”
“Then whose house were you planning to go to?”
“You’re stating the obvious.”
Kim Ju-hwan spoke again with a sly smile. However, as if to prove it was a fake smile, his face slowly hardened again.
“Fine, let’s go to my house. I should see the things you bought and put in there.”
Jeong-min nodded, and the two said nothing until they arrived home.
✽✽✽
As soon as they arrived home, Kim Ju-hwan meticulously checked every single thing he had ordered. Even though Jeong-min told him several times that the people he sent confirmed everything was fine and the installation was perfect, he took off his jacket, rolled up his sleeves, and inspected each item individually.
Seeing that, Jeong-min thought the people under him must have a hard time, but at the same time, he wondered if that was why the company continued to grow.
Eventually, only after brewing and drinking two cups of coffee did Kim Ju-hwan’s inspection(?) come to an end.
“So, what did you mean by what you said earlier?”
Jeong-min hadn’t expected him to get straight to the point the moment he finished the last sip. Jeong-min set the cup down on the table.
“Just… I don’t think I can let time drift by like this forever. I thought it would be good to reach a conclusion so that I could make a decision too.”
“Wasn’t your only conclusion to become an Omega, Sunbae? For there to be another conclusion… does that mean you’re giving up on becoming an Omega?”
“That’s….”
Lying to Kim Ju-hwan was useless anyway. He wouldn’t overlook a clumsy excuse.
“That’s not it. My conclusion is always the same.”
“Then how can there be two conclusions? Don’t tell me it’s a decision between becoming an Omega quickly or slowly? If you become an Omega quickly, you’ll go to Yu Shin-woo, and if it’s slow, you’ll break up with him or something?”
Since when? No, for a very long time, Kim Ju-hwan had seen through his every move. It was the same now. No matter how he talked in circles or built thick walls, the other man quickly grasped the most important core and rendered everything useless.
“That’s not it, Sunbae.”
He crossed the table and sat opposite Jeong-min.
“What did Yu Shin-woo say?”
“What?”
“Whenever you lose your reason and talk nonsense like this, that bastard is always involved.”
“Hey, to your Sunbae—”
“He’s a Sunbae to you, but he stopped being a Sunbae to me a while ago.”
“Let’s talk about this later.”
As Jeong-min tried to stand up, Kim Ju-hwan grabbed his wrist.
“I heard Yu Shin-woo asked if you were still taking the drug. It must be related to that.”
Ah… Shin-woo hyung, he asked knowing full well. His heart fluttered.
“Did Yu Shin-woo tell you to become an Omega quickly? Did he ask when you’d become an Omega and tell you to take more of the drug quickly?”
“Hyung didn’t say that.”
“Fuck! Then what did he say?!”
Kim Ju-hwan stood up abruptly in anger. As soon as his eyes met Jeong-min’s, he forcibly suppressed and managed the surging rage.
“I’m sorry. I wasn’t angry at you, Sunbae.”
Even while saying that, he did not let go of Jeong-min’s arm.
“Right… I know. First… calm down. Sit. Let’s talk while sitting.”
As Jeong-min calmly sat in the chair, Kim Ju-hwan sat back at the table.
“That’s not where you sit. Sit over there on the sofa.”
“It’s fine. I want to talk while looking at your face.”
Actually, he wished he would let go of his hand… but seeing no sign of that happening, Jeong-min gave up.
“First, since it seems like you’re misunderstanding, I’m telling you that Hyung… didn’t say anything to me. He just asked if I was continuing the drug administration, that’s all.”
“Then why do you suddenly want to use more of the drug?”
“Because Hyung seems to be struggling so much… I wanted to be of help.”
“Aren’t you two dating?”
Dating…? Ah, right. We are dating. That’s right. Jeong-min laughed inwardly. Until now, he thought he was the only one with a one-sided love, but thinking about it, they were dating.
“Then I don’t understand why only you are the one making sacrifices, Sunbae.”
“Sacrifice? Don’t use such a grandiose word. This is just my greed.”
“That is a sacrifice, Sunbae. Don’t deny it. Right now, you’re holding onto your own lifeline and changing your trait for Yu Shin-woo. But what is Yu Shin-woo doing? Let me ask you just one thing. While talking about your drug administration… did Yu Shin-woo ever tell you to stop?”
“Huh?”
“Did he ever tell you to stop? That it makes no sense to change your trait because of him. That you are an Alpha! That it’s right to live as an Alpha. So, stop. Did he ever say that?”
Jeong-min couldn’t say anything. He just kept his mouth shut. Even if he said he had, Kim Ju-hwan wouldn’t believe him, and saying he hadn’t made him feel too sorrowful to speak.
Why? He had never felt self-pity. He was the one who had shamelessly thrown away and abandoned the person he should have cherished most. So how could he feel pity? That was a luxury. It was something he shouldn’t do.
When Jeong-min remained silent, Kim Ju-hwan looked up. He felt like dropping a bomb on the floor above right now. He was so angry he wanted to barge in and snap his neck, but right now, hugging the wounded person in front of him was more important than his own anger.
“You say there’s no change in your body? It’s already too broken. Of course it is. It’s strange that it’s not broken after pouring in drugs that change traits and DNA like that. The fact that you’re holding on now is because you’re pulling from your future lifespan, and it’s only possible because you were healthy until now. So, you cannot increase the drug administration any further. So don’t have any foolish thoughts, Sunbae.”
Actually, today, Kim Ju-hwan had planned to persuade Jeong-min to reduce the drug. But he was one step too late. In this case, there was no other way than to secretly weaken the drug’s ingredients, as he had told Jeong-min’s researcher.
No, no. Rather than that, he thought he should… change the drug. To something that looks and is colored the same but is good for the body. Why hadn’t he thought of this? It was obvious that Jeong-min would be furious if he found out later, but it didn’t matter. It was better than you being in pain and eating away at your lifespan, and better than you becoming an Omega and going to Yu Shin-woo.
If only he could continue to be with him like this and gradually take over his side. Whether it’s 10 years or 20 years, he must live, and he would do anything to make that happen.
“Right, I understand. I know my own life is precious too. There are many things I want to do. So I won’t overdo it.”
Jeong-min nodded. Just then, the doorbell rang, and Jeong-min looked up. Then, Kim Ju-hwan let go of Jeong-min’s hand and stood up.
“Ah, looks like they’re here.”
“What? Don’t tell me you bought something else?”
“Yes.”
“What?”
“A bed.”
“What?!”
“Because Sunbae’s bed is uncomfortable.”
“No, it’s not uncomfortable! Why do you do things your own way!”
Before he could even finish speaking, Kim Ju-hwan had already finished talking to the management office and let the people in. Soon, as the door opened, a crowd of people entered, disassembled the existing bed, and began assembling a new one.
As it neared completion, Jeong-min became speechless. The previous bed was a Queen, but the new bed was a Large King size. It was the same size as the bed in Kim Ju-hwan’s house, but the brand was the top-tier version of the same brand as Jeong-min’s original bed. Once the bed was finished, new sheets and blankets arrived, and people even visited to arrange them, sweeping through the place.
Kim Ju-hwan was looking at the bed with a satisfied face. Jeong-min, now giving up and thinking ‘just do whatever you want,’ brewed more coffee and scanned the house. Perhaps because the new things had all found their places as if they had always been there, there wasn’t a hint of awkwardness. Even Kim Ju-hwan, standing in front of the bedroom, looked natural, as if he had always been in that spot.