#156

Side Story Episode 7

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“Ah, stop overreacting and just sit and wait~!”

Shin Ho-jae ignored Yuk Du-min’s words and lifted the orange curtain of the pojangmacha. The bustling night street came into view. The street lined with pojangmachas was filled with people happily intoxicated. The air seemed to carry a light scent of alcohol and steamed mussels.

Ho-jae walked down the alley with anxious steps. He buried his face in the hat he had brought and sniffed to make sure there wasn’t any unpleasant smell.

Since he didn’t smell anything even after sniffing several times, it seemed fine. He was glad he had packed a hat he didn’t use often.

The window of a closed hardware store caught his eye. Shin Ho-jae stood pressed against the glass, checking several times to see if his face looked too unsightly.

He felt inexplicably excited. This was the first time Jung-hyun was coming all the way to Suwon to meet him. Although they were already acquainted, it was also the first time they were meeting in front of Du-min and Min-chul since their relationship had been newly redefined.

He hoped Du-min and Min-chul wouldn’t say anything strange just to be funny. Should he have gone back and warned them? No, no. If he did that, he might miss the moment his hyung arrived.

It would have been nice to wait quietly inside the pojangmacha and see Jung-hyun lift the curtain and enter, but rather than constantly glancing at the curtain anxiously, he felt it was better to just come out and wait on the street.

After pacing the same spot for a long time, he finally saw the black sedan he had been waiting for slow down with its hazard lights blinking.

Ho-jae felt his expression soften immediately as he approached the car with light steps. Soon, with a click, the rear door opened. The first things he saw were a small crown of hair and long legs. Jung-hyun stepped out of the car wearing the suit he had worn that morning.

“Hyung.”

“What’s this? Why are you outside?”

“Just because.”

Jung-hyun’s eyes widened slightly, as if surprised to see him. With a slight smile, Ho-jae handed over the hat he was holding.

“What is this?”

“In case people recognize you. Please wear it.”

“You want me to wear a ball cap with a suit?”

“It’ll just look cool.”

“Forget it. Who would recognize me? I’m not that famous.”

Jung-hyun chuckled and handed the ball cap back to Shin Ho-jae. Shin Ho-jae scratched the back of his neck and put it on himself instead.

Unlike the walk out, the walk back to the pojangmacha was far too short. They only shared ordinary conversation—where they went for the first round and what they ate, whether he had drunk much, what he had for lunch—and before they knew it, they were in front of the pojangmacha. As they lifted the curtain and stepped inside, Du-min immediately welcomed Jung-hyun with a bright smile.

“Wow! CEO!”

“It’s been a while. Have you been well?”

“Of course! I’ve heard a lot about Ho-jae-Ho-jae… I’m glad to see you look healthy…”

Seeing his face seemed to trigger old memories for Du-min, as the corners of his eyes turned red. Wiping his eyes with a tissue handed to him by Min-chul, Du-min looked up again with a bright face.

“Du-min and Min-chul, you’re both exactly the same.”

“Well, as for us… You’re the same… wait, no, that’s not right.”

Du-min’s gaze shifted toward Jung-hyun’s lower abdomen. Since he was wearing a suit jacket, the bump probably wasn’t apparent at all. Along with Min-chul, he tilted his head, wondering, “Didn’t you say it’s been five months?”

“My, are you all celebrities? You’re all so handsome.”

Seeing an extra person, the pojangmacha ajumma brought a new glass and a small plate. Unlike the three in casual clothes, Jung-hyun stood out in his suit, and she stared intently at his face.

“Looks like you came to buy your younger brothers drinks. Huh? I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere…?”

“Ajumma! We’re going to have udon. Your udon is legendary.”

Du-min quickly cut her off.

“Four bowls of udon. I’ll give you generous portions.”

The ajumma gave Ho-jae a thumbs-up, noting that they all looked like they had a healthy appetite given their size, and stepped away. The table, which had been momentarily quiet during the ajumma’s appearance, became lively again.

“No, really, you’re five months along? It doesn’t show at all! So that’s why no one on TV mentioned your pregnancy…”

“I didn’t hide it on purpose, but it worked out well. It was already annoying enough that they reported so detailedly how I’m an Omega, as if they knew from somewhere.”

“I really can’t tell at all.”

“It’s because I’m wearing the jacket. If you touch it, it’s a bit noticeable. Want to feel?”

“Oh. Is that okay?”

“…Hyung.”

Shin Ho-jae, who had been listening quietly, couldn’t hold back and interrupted. Jung-hyun countered with a smile.

“Why? It’s not just anyone, it’s Du-min.”

“Right. I’m going to be Ho-ppang’s godfather!”

“…….”

Shin Ho-jae pulled his ball cap down low in dissatisfaction and stepped back.

Jung-hyun gave Du-min a subtle signal, and Du-min made a fuss, saying, “I’m nervous! What do I do!” as he carefully placed his hand on Jung-hyun’s stomach.

“Oh… oh!”

“You can tell, right?”

“Yes… wow. It feels strange. It’s firmer than I thought?!”

“That’s enough.”

No matter if it was Yuk Du-min, it was unpleasant to see another man touching Jung-hyun’s stomach without hesitation. Just as he succeeded in forcing him away, the ordered udon arrived.

Inside the plastic bowls, clear-broth udon topped with a bit of crown daisy, minced meat, and a sprinkle of red pepper powder boasted its appearance amidst clouds of steam. Jung-hyun reached for the nearby cutlery holder. However, Ho-jae was faster.

Shin Ho-jae meticulously checked the hygiene of the wooden chopsticks, picked the cleanest pair, and split them neatly. After handing them to Jung-hyun, he wiped a plastic spoon with a tissue and handed that over as well.

Du-min and Min-chul, who witnessed this firsthand, exchanged glances.

“Shin Ho-jae is unfamiliar.”

“You really are dating…”

“Is that so? Ho-jae has always been good at taking care of people.”

Jung-hyun, who naturally accepted the cutlery from Shin Ho-jae and sipped the broth, looked up and asked. The response was one of sheer disbelief.

“What? Shin Ho-jae?”

“If we’re talking about Ho Jae-shin, he’s a guy who’s spent his whole life only taking care of himself, CEO.”

“Stop talking nonsense and eat since it’s served.”

“See? He does this immediately when things are unfavorable for him.”

“It’s delicious. Du-min, you should try some quickly.”

“Even the CEO…”

Du-min looked betrayed. Jung-hyun ignored him and put some udon noodles in his mouth. He kept eating, seemingly enjoying it. Seeing him eat heartily, even though he usually didn’t eat much this late, made Ho-jae feel good.

“Is it to your taste?”

“Yes. It’s delicious.”

“You didn’t skip dinner, did you?”

“I ate.”

“What did you have?”

“Hmm… a sandwich?”

Ho-jae looked at him with a dissatisfied expression for a moment. Jung-hyun avoided his eyes and laughed softly, like someone who had committed a crime.

“Next time, I’ll make some for you at the hotel too. I think I can do it quickly if I can just get udon noodles.”

Du-min, who had been burying his nose in the bowl slurping udon, looked up at those words.

“Hotel? CEO, are you staying at a hotel right now?”

“Yes. For now. Since it’s come up, I should ask. Ho-jae, do you prefer an apartment, or the place where I used to live?”

“What?”

Ho-jae blinked at the sudden change of topic.

“An apartment is better for maintenance, but I heard the house I used to live in hasn’t been rented out yet.”

“…Are you looking for a house?”

“Staying at a hotel continuously is a bit uncomfortable.”

“Ah…”

“Then it would be in the Seoul area?”

Du-min chimed in, as it seemed to be a topic of interest.

“Yes. Since the company is over there.”

“Our jeonse contract ends next year, so we’re also contemplating.”

Listening to the conversation naturally shift to housing, Ho-jae slowly stopped using his chopsticks.

It was because he was slightly shocked by the news that Jung-hyun was looking for a house. Not only because he hadn’t known, but more so because of the specific connotation the word ‘house’ carried.

Staying at a hotel gave the feeling that this trip to Korea was merely ‘temporary.’ That’s why Ho-jae had thought that once the management rights issue was resolved, he would return to his home in the US.

However, saying he was seriously looking for a house gave the impression that he intended to stay in Korea for a long time.

Looking down at the udon bowl where the contents had barely decreased, he could see a feeling of disappointment reflected in his own face in the clear broth. It was useless to try and convince himself that Jung-hyun must have had his reasons.

Unlike others, they had become a family without a single proper date or a typical dating process, but he had never felt dissatisfied with that. He believed that since they had far more days to spend together in the future, they could slowly do the things they had missed.

In the autumn, Ho-ppang would be born, and Shin Ho-jae’s first NHL season would begin. Then, he wouldn’t even be able to dream of this kind of leisure.

Because of that, Shin Ho-jae felt a great deal of regret as his off-season dwindled day by day. That was why he hadn’t gone to his house in Suwon and had stayed at the hotel with him the entire time.

“Everyone’s freaking out asking where you are, can I tell them, CEO?”

“I told you not to post photos in real-time on Insta.”

“No! Our group chat. Ah, these impatient bastards. Park Hyeong-hun is calling. Uh-huh, we’re at the pocha street right now. You’re really coming? Yeah. The CEO is here too.”

It was in the middle of Du-min’s phone call. Shin Ho-jae set his chopsticks down with a clatter and poured soju heavily into a water cup. The eyes of everyone at the table gathered on Shin Ho-jae.

Ho-jae lifted the water cup and gulped down the contents.

“What’s with the sudden move?”

“If you’re going to drink, you should at least toast. Why drink alone so coldly?”

“Whew…”

Shin Ho-jae closed his eyes and exhaled a hot breath. He had already drunk quite a bit during the first and second rounds. Adding a full cup of alcohol on top of that was no different from throwing dry firewood into a hearth that was about to go out.