By Zephyria 
“Wow, this is delicious!”
Jin Seon-yu, sitting across the table, let out continuous exclamations. He ate the food with a hearty appetite, without letting his mouth rest for a moment. Since he had mentioned he hadn’t eaten since lunch on the day he painted, anything would taste delicious.
Butler Do came out with plates, diligently refilling the empty dishes. Jin Seon-yu remained focused solely on eating. Seo Yi-kyung merely moved his chopsticks slightly while watching the scene. It was a late lunch after returning from the art supply store.
“Ha, I feel like I can finally breathe now!”
“I will prepare dessert for you.”
At Butler Do’s words, color began to return to Jin Seon-yu’s face. Seo Yi-kyung watched Jin Seon-yu wipe his hands and spoke slowly.
“That person… you weren’t trying to kidnap me, were you?”
Only the two of them were at the table. Jin Seon-yu, who had been craning his neck to see when Butler Do would return, turned his head.
“I got caught.”
Licking his lips, Jin Seon-yu added, “Actually… they’re people sent by my second Hyung.”
“….”
Seo Yi-kyung had a look in his eyes as if pondering what to say. Soon, he chose his words and murmured cautiously.
“Maybe it’s because he was worried about you?”
Jin Seon-yu looked as though he had been wandering the streets for several days without returning home. Though he hadn’t said so, he was wearing the same clothes as the last time they met.
“…Still, it can’t be helped.”
Jin Seon-yu spoke with difficulty, his gaze shifting backward. Butler Do approached and placed pancakes in front of the two. Syrup was poured generously, overflowing onto the plate. Atop them, an appetizing cherry boasted a glossy sheen.
Jin Seon-yu picked up a fork, lifted a small piece of pancake, and put it in his mouth.
“Mmm, can I have one more?”
After tasting it, Jin Seon-yu held up one index finger to Butler Do. Of course. Butler Do nodded readily and turned around.
“You were surprised because I suddenly lunged at you earlier, right? I’m sorry.”
Jin Seon-yu scratched his cheek. Even as he did, he cut a piece of pancake with his fork and ate it. It seemed as though he were trying to eat his fill before heading back out. This was evident from the way he kept stuffing his mouth even though he was full.
“I wanted to tell you, but the situation was just…”
Jin Seon-yu trailed off. The scenes from the original novel, where people belittled Jin Seon-yu, flickered before Seo Yi-kyung’s eyes. That he had unilaterally liked and followed Ham Gyu-ho.
In ‘Omega’s World,’ it was common for spouses to be decided for them. Above all, the will of the parties getting married was often completely ignored.
“Looks delicious.”
“More are prepared, so please eat plenty.”
“Yes.”
Looking at the plates that had increased to two, Jin Seon-yu’s round eyes softened.
He was so different from the image of Jin Seon-yu he had imagined while reading the original novel. He smiled with childlike innocence.
* * *
Late at night, Han Seung-jae entered the house and headed straight for the second floor. He walked decisively along the long hallway of the innermost bedroom.
When he opened the door, the room was dark. However, his gaze lingered on the terrace where the curtains were fluttering. The door was slightly open.
Han Seung-jae stepped out onto the terrace. Seo Yi-kyung, who had been looking out while leaning his hand on the railing, turned his head.
“You’re here?”
He actually had something to say. Seo Yi-kyung slowly rolled the words he had intended to say while waiting for Han Seung-jae over his tongue. Just as he opened his mouth to say the words he had rehearsed several times…
Han Seung-jae’s upper body lowered quickly. He grabbed Seo Yi-kyung’s ankle. Seo Yi-kyung flinched. Large fingers that swept over his ankle dug under his pajamas.
Han Seung-jae pushed up the pajamas Seo Yi-kyung was wearing and looked down at his knee.
“Wh-what are you doing?”
Under the dim amber lighting cast from the garden, Han Seung-jae examined Seo Yi-kyung’s knee, then rolled the pajamas up further to look at his thigh. No matter how he looked, there were no signs of injury or scratches.
Only after finishing the check on the other leg did Han Seung-jae stand up and take off his suit jacket.
Stunned by Han Seung-jae’s sudden behavior, Seo Yi-kyung simply swallowed hard with a bewildered expression.
Jin Seon-yu was currently in the house. Seo Yi-kyung had encouraged him to wash up and had even provided a room for him to rest. He didn’t think Han Seung-jae would be completely unaware of that fact. That’s why he intended to tell him directly when Han Seung-jae arrived.
However, seeing Han Seung-jae’s sharp atmosphere, his mouth felt glued shut and wouldn’t open easily.
Han Seung-jae, with the suit jacket draped over his arm, turned around. Seo Yi-kyung hesitantly reached out and grabbed his collar. Despite the very slight tug, Han Seung-jae stopped and turned his head back.
“….”
Seo Yi-kyung let go of the suit he had held with his fingertips. Looking down at him, Han Seung-jae asked.
“Did you go to the art supply store?”
Han Seung-jae’s voice resonated lowly. Seo Yi-kyung could quickly guess why he was acting this way. The scuffle between the men in suits that had occurred in front of the store. He must have heard about the series of events.
Seo Yi-kyung hadn’t expected him to ask so immediately, as he wasn’t a man with much free time.
“Yes.”
He was likely asking just to confirm a fact he already knew.
“If you grab me, you should speak.”
Han Seung-jae curled his fingers and pulled down his tie. Even so, as Seo Yi-kyung stood there lukewarmly, hesitating, Han Seung-jae turned and sat at the table as if setting the stage for him.
Seo Yi-kyung slowly turned his toes. Then, looking at the seated Han Seung-jae, he murmured.
“At home…”
“Yes.”
“A friend is here.”
Han Seung-jae’s gaze, which had been reacting briefly until a moment ago, now felt stinging. Seo Yi-kyung forced himself to maintain eye contact while curling his fingers. It was a fact he already knew anyway. Therefore, he had to say it with his own mouth.
“I didn’t hear anything about that.”
“!”
Seo Yi-kyung’s lips trembled. He might not have been informed because it was late now, but it was something he would find out by tomorrow.
“I wanted him to stay here for just a few days.”
“For several days?”
Seo Yi-kyung felt the inside of his mouth burning. Han Seung-jae narrowed his eyes. Without needing to look deeply, his displeasure was evident.
“He has nowhere to go. He, he said he was sleeping on a park bench…”
During the day, it was quite hot because of the sun, but at night, a cold chill lingered. Moreover, Jin Seon-yu was a dominant Omega. Sleeping on the street with such a body was truly perilous. Even after hearing that, Seo Yi-kyung couldn’t just ignore him and send him away.
“Seon-yu is an Omega. It would be dangerous if something happened while sleeping in a place like that.”
He thought that if Han Seung-jae’s mood soured over this and his interest in him decreased, that wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing.
But, as expected, was it not allowed?
To persuade Han Seung-jae, he needed a more detailed and profound reason. Watching Seo Yi-kyung’s eyes dart around, Han Seung-jae stood up.
“Is a week enough?”
At the unexpected words, Seo Yi-kyung couldn’t answer immediately and stared at Han Seung-jae’s back as he turned away.
“Fifteen days.”
He hadn’t had a precise conversation with Jin Seon-yu yet. Since he would first need Han Seung-jae’s permission, he intended to check his intentions first. However, he knew better than anyone that Han Seung-jae did not like retracting his words.
Because of that, he tried to secure a generous amount of time. It would be fine if he stayed for fifteen days but left early, but if he said a week and then the period increased, he wouldn’t even be able to bring it up again.
Han Seung-jae looked back once more. His face looked excessively cold, and staring into his eyes for too long made one’s heart grow chilly.
“Three days.”
“A-Alright. I’ll let him stay for just a week.”
Waving his white hand, Seo Yi-kyung hurriedly changed his words. Han Seung-jae seemed to stare at him blankly for a moment, then his cold lips parted.
“Is that all you have to say?”
“Yes.”
“….”
A strange silence fell between the two. Was Han Seung-jae waiting for something else? However, Seo Yi-kyung couldn’t read his thoughts.
Han Seung-jae turned around. Seo Yi-kyung sighed in relief and looked out at the garden.
Since I’ve bought a week’s time for now, it would be best to talk with Seon-yu tomorrow. Still, I didn’t expect him to accept it so easily.
Should I consider this a blessing in disguise?
* * *
“Is this your studio?”
Jin Seon-yu’s voice was bright as he entered the painting studio after lunch. He had changed into new clothes provided by Butler Do. Wearing long pants and a short-sleeved shirt, Jin Seon-yu looked around the studio and first examined the tools.
“The tip of this one is ruined?”
Jin Seon-yu picked up a brush. Seo Yi-kyung, who had been looking at a canvas with blue paint, startled and stepped forward.
The work table was neatly organized as before, but the tools were not. The brushes and paints, with footprints left here and there, held the traces of the conflict he had with Han Seung-jae.
“Hmm.”
Jin Seon-yu stroked his chin, then bent his upper body low.
“…?”
Seo Yi-kyung, who had placed the brush back where it belonged, looked down. His mouth fell open.
This was because Jin Seon-yu had lifted a canvas that had been hidden tightly under the work table with both hands. It was the painting of a mountain ridge full of earthworms from his first attempt.