By Zephyria 
─ Yes, then I will look into it and contact you.
“Yes, thank you. Goodbye.”
Jeong-min hung up the phone and placed it on the table. After watching the people passing by on the street through the glass wall, he soon focused back on his laptop.
A month had passed since his body recovered and he met Yu Shin-woo at the detention center. It had been a more hectic time than ever, dealing with the tasks he had postponed until now.
Every day was a mix of bitterness, sadness, and sometimes bursts of rage as he realized how much of his own life he had thrown away while being crazed by love and people, but he was enduring it well.
If there was any silver lining, it was that his lingering feelings for Yu Shin-woo had completely vanished. No, it wasn’t just that they vanished. The person who had occupied his thoughts all day to a disgusting degree was now, like a lie, perceived as a being lower than an insect. To make him sever the heart he had clung to so tenaciously in one blow—in a way, he was a truly remarkable person.
“Ah.”
Not long after he had set the phone down, it vibrated. Now that he had started taking care of himself again, people around him were seeking him out as if they had been waiting. It was a welcome thing. A moment ago, there was a call from a real estate agent, and now it was a call from his eldest sister-in-law.
“Yes, sister-in-law. Hello.”
─ Brother-in-law~ have you been doing well?
She was still a sweet and warm person. A reliable supporter and helper who had trusted and waited for him even after he had left the hospital so irresponsibly.
Although his eldest brother was said to be doing well as a manager, Jeong-min believed that a greater synergy was created because such a sister-in-law was by his side. Of course, he would never be able to tell the two of them.
“We just saw each other at the family home the day before yesterday.”
─ That may be true, but… I was so happy that day when you mentioned you wanted to return to work….
As soon as he received a diagnosis the day before yesterday that the tremors in his hands had completely disappeared, Jeong-min had gone to his family home and mentioned his plan to return to his original position. Naturally, the family atmosphere was welcoming.
In particular, his eldest sister-in-law, the hospital director, had told Jeong-min to return to her hospital as if she had been waiting for it. She had given the grateful word that his position would be ready for him whenever he returned, but since he had been away for several years, Jeong-min felt it would be a nuisance to the hospital and asked for a little more time to think.
─ Have you thought about it?
That was why she had waited two days and called. For her, it must have been a time of immense patience.
“Yes, since I have no intention of opening my own practice, I should go where I am called.”
─ Really?!
“Yes, but… as you know, sister-in-law, I’ve rested for a while. My hands and mind must have stiffened a lot, so I don’t think I can return immediately. Would it be okay if I gained a bit more experience first?”
Jeong-min was staring at the laptop monitor. He was in the middle of filling out an application.
─ Of course. Absolutely.
“Yes, I have some things I want to consult with you about, so I’ll visit you soon.”
─ Yes, I’ll be waiting.
After the call with his sister-in-law ended, Jeong-min looked at a man who had already come and sat opposite him. Despite Jeong-min not saying a word, the man had brought drinks and snacks tailored to Jeong-min’s taste and had waited without making a single sound until the call ended. He had really improved a lot. Was this the joy of taming? He could never have imagined this with the old Kim Ju-hwan.
“I know I’m handsome. Stop staring.”
No, he’s still the same.
“What about your work?”
4 PM. It was too early for the president of a company to leave work.
“I finished and came. Don’t worry.”
“Right.”
As Jeong-min focused on the laptop again, the man slid over what he had bought, as if asking for praise. Jeong-min grabbed the drink and gave a short thank you. At that, Kim Ju-hwan cleared his throat a couple of times as if hiding his joy and looked at Jeong-min.
“What are you writing so diligently?”
“I’m doing the thing you told me about.”
Jeong-min turned the monitor to show it to Kim Ju-hwan. Perhaps because the sunlight reflecting off the screen made it hard to see, Ju-hwan pulled his chair closer to Jeong-min. At a distance where their shoulders were almost touching, he looked at the monitor and nodded.
On the monitor, a ‘Kenya Volunteer Application’ was open. To be precise, it was an application for medical volunteering.
Jeong-min had been agonizing over how to begin his return to work. Since his confidence had been severely shaken, he felt a sudden surge of fear at the thought of whether he could properly care for patients if he returned immediately. As if sensing Jeong-min’s complex emotions, Kim Ju-hwan had informed him that a company sponsored by Cal Front was looking for medical staff to volunteer.
Jeong-min had pondered it for several days. He had never been a volunteer before. He had always wanted to go at some point, but he had kept putting it off, thinking it would be better to go when he had more leeway and had matured as a doctor.
However, seeing the poor environment of a village in Kenya—and above all, the persecution of trait individuals, particularly the severity of STDs among Omegas—he felt that he had to help them.
Becoming a trait specialist is difficult even in developed countries due to stringent conditions and screening; it would likely be even harder in that country. Once he thought of it that way, he actually felt more at ease and felt an urgency to go. After carefully researching various details, he was now writing the final application.
“So, you’ve decided to go.”
“Yeah, I’m going to learn while I’m there. The other medical staff going are all famous people, so I think it’ll be a great learning experience.”
“Yes, it will certainly be a great driving force for you, Sunbae.”
Though Kim Ju-hwan spoke as if cheering him on, his voice sounded strangely subdued.
“What’s wrong?”
At Jeong-min’s question, Kim Ju-hwan’s eyes wavered for a brief moment. He seemed flustered, as if his inner thoughts had been caught.
“Do you think I’ve only known you for a day or two? You look like something is bothering you.”
“…Sigh.”
Kim Ju-hwan brushed his hair back. He looked troubled. Even so, he was truly handsome. Jeong-min felt the surrounding gazes shift toward Kim Ju-hwan for a moment. A few people seemed to recognize who he was and took photos, but he didn’t seem to care at all.
“I wanted to let you go maturely…”
“What are you talking about?”
“I thought that since Sunbae seems to have an older-man fetish, I should work hard to satisfy that. That’s what I had been thinking.”
Jeong-min was speechless at Kim Ju-hwan’s sudden remark.
“But I guess that’s not going to work. I’m a lost cause.”
“You being a lost cause isn’t exactly a new development…”
“Ah, it’s disappointing when you put it like that.”
“So, what exactly is bothering you?”
Jeong-min leaned forward slightly and looked up at Kim Ju-hwan as he asked.
“Don’t look at me like that. It makes me want to kiss you right here.”
Even so, that was going too far. Jeong-min quickly sat up straight.
“Did you see the dates on this?”
Kim Ju-hwan tapped the monitor.
“The volunteer period? Of course I saw it. It’s three months, right? Did I get it wrong?”
“No. You know it all too well. Three months.”
“Right, three months.”
What on earth was the problem with those three months? As Jeong-min pondered, a thought suddenly flashed through his mind, and he wanted to hit himself. Even as he hoped it wasn’t the answer, the fact that it felt like the right answer made his skin crawl. Jeong-min looked at Kim Ju-hwan.
“Ah, don’t tell me… because you won’t see me for three months?”
“…”
That was the answer.
“Ugh, I’m getting goosebumps.”
“I’m feeling it more than you are.”
Kim Ju-hwan sighed and pressed his hand to his forehead. Even to himself, it felt absurd. Was he really such a narrow-minded guy? No, when it came to Jeong-min, it was true. He thought his heart couldn’t get any narrower, but it seemed there was still room for him to be pathetic.
“No wonder you didn’t ask a single thing after you first brought this up. I guess you didn’t know at first either.”
“Yes, I just saw the official announcement… and I thought it would be about a week or a month. Seeing your reaction, I had a feeling you’d apply, so I looked closer… and only then did I realize it was three months.”
“Haha, you must have regretted it immensely.”
“Yes. Still… I thought I should let you go for your own sake… but this is harder than I thought,” Kim Ju-hwan muttered to himself.
“You’re just a big baby.”
Jeong-min stroked Kim Ju-hwan’s hair.
“But that’s your charm. Don’t try to throw it away. Being rude and having a foul personality are also parts of who you are. As long as you don’t harm others, it’s fine.”
“I can’t tell if that’s an insult or a compliment.”
“It’s both.”
“Stop before I kiss you.”
He really must want to kiss me badly. Thinking this, Jeong-min pulled his hand away. Indeed, they hadn’t mixed bodies or engaged in sexual acts since then. Kim Ju-hwan was expressing his feelings fervently in his own way, but no definitive conversation had taken place between them yet. Kim Ju-hwan was simply waiting.
“Please provide a lot of support. The situation there is much worse than I thought.”
“I already intend to. We’re planning to build a hospital, a research institute, and even dormitories for the doctors. There are no hotels nearby.”
To ensure Jeong-min wouldn’t be uncomfortable for three months, Kim Ju-hwan had already been sending people to build at least some prefabricated structures since a few days ago.
“Wow, thanks to you, I’ll be staying comfortably.”
“Please come back in good health.”
“I will.”
Jeong-min pressed the send button and closed the laptop. It was a new beginning.