By Zephyria Yu-jin cautiously looked at Winston. The man, with an expression that said he was dying of curiosity, was staring intently at him. Yu-jin opened his mouth, but the words didn’t come out easily. The sweet scent that he kept feeling was also confusing his mind.
Yu-jin swallowed hard and moved back while sitting. Winston looked at him with a bewildered face, his arms outstretched in the air, but he didn’t try to grab him. Instead, Yu-jin took a deep breath and exhaled, then inhaled again, at Winston, who lowered his hands and quietly closed his mouth.
It was painful even to put the words the men had said into his mouth. But he had to say it. They had promised to be honest with each other.
“Winnie.”
Yu-jin barely opened his mouth, took another deep breath, and finally spoke.
“Tell me honestly, Winnie.”
Winston looked at him as if asking what he was curious about. Yu-jin looked at Winston with trembling eyes and finally asked.
“Did you sleep with someone other than me?”
Winston didn’t react immediately. He blinked once with a blank face, and then finally contorted his face and opened his mouth.
“What? What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“Just say yes or no. Did you sleep with someone?”
Yu-jin pressed him with a hardened face. Ha, a dumbfounded sigh burst from Winston’s mouth.
“Who the hell did you hear that from? How can you listen to such nonsense and doubt me? Yu-jin, don’t you trust me?”
Winston’s reaction was more like he was dumbfounded than angry. As if he was hearing such ridiculous things for the first time in his life. But Yu-jin was desperate.
“Just tell me yes or no!”
His face, which was urging him again in a shrill voice, was pale and trembling with fear. Only then did Winston sigh and answer in a voice lower than usual.
“Who else would I sleep with besides you?”
There couldn’t be a more unfair thing in the world than this. What kind of idiot was spouting such nonsense that he was being suspected like this?
But none of that mattered. What made Winston even more anxious was the fact that his precious lover had cried. Just when he was thinking about finding the guys who had said such bullshit and pulling out their tongues, Yu-jin asked again in a trembling voice.
“Then, what about Evelyn?”
Winston paused for a moment. Yu-jin didn’t stop and continued to push him as if he was cornering him.
“You’re engaged to Evelyn, aren’t you? They said you’re going to get married, is that a lie too?”
He desperately hoped that Winston would show the same reaction this time. He wished he would sigh in disbelief, or rather get angry and ask how he could say such ridiculous things.
But unlike before, Winston couldn’t answer and just looked at Yu-jin with a bewildered expression.
Seeing that expression, Yu-jin’s strength drained from his entire body.
“It’s true.”
His voice flowed out as if he was muttering blankly.
“I was just someone to play with. And I didn’t even know…”
“No, Yu-jin! What are you talking about?”
Winston hurriedly blocked Yu-jin and raised his voice.
“I was just dumbfounded. Marriage with Evelyn? Who’s saying such nonsense?”
“You’re engaged, aren’t you!”
“That has nothing to do with me!”
He insisted on his innocence again, but it didn’t work easily this time. Yu-jin’s face was already full of distrust. Winston let out a painful groan from deep in his throat and ruffled his hair wildly.
“My parents just decided that on their own. It’s not like we’re officially engaged, they just said whatever they wanted with the kids. If I was going to marry Evelyn, would I have introduced you as my lover? Would Evelyn have just let that happen!”Of course, Yu-jin had considered that too. But they were different from ordinary lovers. Hadn’t his friends said it too? That Winston wouldn’t marry just anyone.
“Maybe it’s a political marriage…”
“That’s something out of a novel!”
As Yu-jin muttered weakly, Winston immediately retorted.
“Think about it, even if you marry for mutual benefit, would you just stand by and watch your spouse cheat on you? Even if you don’t have feelings for them, wouldn’t it still bother you? Your pride would be shattered, right? Yu-jin, no spouse in the world would just let that happen, no matter how they got married!”
Like my mother did.
Winston wanted to use Mrs. Campbell as proof for Yu-jin, but he barely managed to restrain himself. She was still his mother, after all. He didn’t want to damage the pride she was desperately trying to protect.
A wavering look was clearly visible on Yu-jin’s face. Seeing his expression twisted with a mixture of wanting to believe Winston and wanting to deny it, Winston couldn’t help but let out a sigh.
“Yu-jin, I’m serious. You’re the only one for me.”
He was practically begging now. There was no other way.
“I’ve only ever loved you. I’m not officially engaged to Evelyn, it’s just something that’s been discussed between our families. And that was almost 10 years ago. More than anything, I have no feelings for Evelyn. I only love you, why would I marry someone else?”
He confessed with all his heart, but Yu-jin remained unmoved.
“You’re going to marry Evelyn.”
“No, I’m not!”
Winston almost shouted. Barely suppressing his voice, he pleaded instead.
“What do I have to do to make you believe me? I haven’t lied, not even once. I don’t know what you heard, but it’s all lies. Tell me, what do I have to do to make you believe me? I’ll do anything, please believe me.”
If Yu-jin would just believe in his innocence, he thought he could tear open his chest and take out his heart. Seeing him just silently staring at him, Winston felt a deep despair for the first time in his life. What more could he possibly say? He just wanted to cry.
“…Your, friends.”
Yu-jin slowly spoke. Winston paused and looked at him as he stammered on.
“You’re not going to marry just anyone, they said. You’re going to marry someone who’s suitable for your family…”
“What do those guys know, the important thing is my heart.”
Winston quickly continued.
“I’m going to marry you. I’m going to have children with you, and you’re the only person I’ll ever love in my life. I swear to God, I mean it.”
In his haste, he got off the bed and even knelt down. If Yu-jin told him to jump into the ocean right now and catch a shark with his bare hands, he would gladly do it. Winston was more sincere than ever.
He waited anxiously for Yu-jin’s reaction, and as he blinked blankly, he slowly covered his mouth with his hand. Seeing his long, slender fingers trembling noticeably, Winston panicked and tried to get up, but Yu-jin opened his mouth.
“…Really?”
He asked in a voice that trembled as much as his fingers.
“Really, you’ll marry me? …And only love me?”
“Of course, Yu-jin. Ah!”
Winston, who had hastily affirmed, then closed his eyes and clutched his head with a sigh. Startled by his unexpected reaction, Yu-jin turned pale, and he grimaced and muttered to himself.
“I was going to propose with a ring.”
Yu-jin’s eyes widened even further.
“A… ring?”
And a proposal?
Hearing the unexpected words one after another, he couldn’t think straight. As Yu-jin mechanically repeated what Winston had said, he nodded, seemingly giving up, as he regretted that his plan had gone awry.
“Yeah. I had a plan and everything… It’s completely ruined, because of those damn bastards.”
On top of that, Yu-jin was crying, he was kneeling on the floor, and he had ruined the carefully prepared proposal. He should have just shot those guys with a gun.
It’s not too late now.
“Winnie, where are you going?”
Yu-jin shouted belatedly as Winston suddenly got up and rushed towards the door.
Winston, who had just grabbed the doorknob, turned his head and said.
“Wait a minute, I have something to do.”
“Something to do?”
Yu-jin asked urgently. He was going to leave him alone in this situation? He had just proposed? Winston replied to the flustered Yu-jin.
“I’ll be right back, just a minute.”
“Winnie!”
Yu-jin called out to him again. Forced to stop again, Winston was asked by Yu-jin, who swallowed hard.
“Are you, busier than me right now?”
Suddenly, silence fell. As they watched each other without a word for a moment, Winston opened his mouth.
“…Huh?”