By Zephyria Seo Jeong-won’s expression gradually twisted at the slowly delivered words. He was understanding, yet upset. Everyone said Hyung’s feelings were one-sided.
“So, I don’t really understand why you hate Tae-hee. Honestly, you know it in your head, too.”
“……”
“Tae-hee might have been the biggest reason Hyung made that choice, but he only asked to end the relationship, not to die……”
Realizing his expression might have been too direct, Song Hae-seop sighed deeply and mumbled an apology. He figured Seo Jeong-won probably hadn’t fully recovered emotionally yet, and what he just said was too much.
“Tae-hee hiding his relationship with Hyung… and making that proposal to you, yeah, you might feel betrayed.”
“……”
“But it’s natural for you to have felt good feelings towards Tae-hee. I get excited just thinking about him without even seeing him. Seeing him makes me even more excited. Honestly, who wouldn’t feel that way looking at his face? The feelings you felt aren’t disgusting, but perfectly natural. So, don’t blame yourself for that, either.”
Song Hae-seop gently stroked Seo Jeong-won’s sunken cheek.
“It’s true that the two of you getting married might be something you feel sorry about towards Hyung, and it would have been something only human trash would do if Hyung had woken up… but like Tae-hee said, he’s already gone from this world. So, in my opinion, you’re kind of overdoing it. It’s not that wrong.”
His hand, which had been awkwardly hovering in the air, landed on Seo Jeong-won’s shoulder. He patted him gently, awkwardly offering comfort, saying that everything he was saying was just his opinion, so he shouldn’t take it too hard. Seo Jeong-won pondered his words.
“Of course, Tae-hee was too rude with his words. I understand that’s why you’re acting like this. But right now… like I said before, we need to worry about you, who recklessly ran away without a plan.”
“Ah.”
“What are you planning to do? You must have some kind of plan, even if it’s rough. I’ll help you with whatever I can, okay? We need to think and judge rationally right now. Otherwise, everything will be a mess, you know? Should I lend you some money?”
At the pointed remark, Seo Jeong-won rubbed his eyes roughly. His gloomy expression instantly turned determined. He shook his head quite firmly. He clenched his fist tightly, moved his lips, and then opened his mouth.
“I don’t want to borrow money. Instead, I think I need to go to Seonam. To the house, not the flower shop. And… I know this sounds pathetic, but I don’t have a plan. I just ran away, me.”
“Wait, you just ran away? No, I’m not trying to say anything. No plan is still a plan. But really… are you going to go to the house? What if you get caught there?”
“…Still, I need to go there to sell something and get money to live on. I need to get clothes, too.”
“I guess you need to bring something to wear or sell. Okay, then first… let’s go at night, not now. Tonight or tomorrow night. For now, you should rest while sorting out your thoughts. It would be more comfortable to take you to a hotel, but it’s too expensive. You don’t have nearly enough money for that. And… Tae-hee would probably find out quickly.”
To put it simply, Seo Jeong-won had only focused on vaguely running away. Song Hae-seop’s mind was in turmoil. Would he be able to escape Seoul safely? Honestly, it was realistically impossible. But that’s what made the situation so interesting, and his eyes, which had been searching the air, sparkled with light. He rattled on as if he had been waiting for this situation. He even seemed a little excited.
“I’ve helped Omegas who were running away from debt a few times, but this is the first time I’m helping someone run away while pregnant like you. This is a scene that comes up often in melodramas! It doesn’t feel real.”
Seo Jeong-won smiled faintly at the voice full of excitement, despite his serious situation. Then, he suddenly remembered the conversation he had with him before. The voice that had been planning for children after his marriage with Kwon Tae-hee, thinking of buying flowers from his flower shop because it would be good for the children’s emotional well-being. Was helping him really nothing to Song Hae-seop?
“Hyung… are you really okay? Back then, you said you wanted to get married.”
“Well, I did back then. But what can I do? It was all my fault that I got dumped. I’m a defective product, so there’s nothing I can do. But I’m glad I saved the cafe.”
“……”
“I have a decent cafe, so now I’m going to date and get married. I’m going to meet an Alpha who likes me. So, you don’t have to feel sorry for me. I would have been serious, but it ended before I could get serious, so I got over it quickly. I’m actually excited to get a little revenge by helping you?”
Seo Jeong-won smiled at the gentle reply. It was a relief. At least a small portion of the guilt that had been weighing him down was lifted.
“I feel like I’m hearing a lot of good things from you today. And I also realized that I just… jumped out without thinking.”
“I’m glad if it helped. This is the first time I’ve talked about this, too.”
“……”
“But, I really need to go to work now. I’ll be back, so just relax. Sleep, or watch a movie that might help you escape.”
Seo Jeong-won wondered if that would really help with an actual escape. Would there be anything he could actually follow? It seemed to have helped when he took the taxi earlier, though.
“But even if you don’t watch that, I think your time will melt away.”
“……”
“Think carefully about what you really want. And… try to make a plan in between. Is there anywhere you can run away to?”
“I don’t, but I’ll think about it. There might be one place… or maybe not? But my regular checkup is next week… I can’t go to the hospital, can I?”
Seo Jeong-won asked, suddenly remembering his schedule. If he went, there would be a record of the checkup, and Kwon Tae-hee would somehow find out. It was the most immediate, realistic concern.
“Ah, I’ll take care of that. A Hyung I used to be close to when I was working knows a lot of people in that area. It’s illegal, though.”
Song Hae-seop winked. He felt proud that he could help him, even if it was through a shady route. If he hadn’t come to him, it wouldn’t have taken Kwon Tae-hee half a day to find out even if he went to a clinic in the countryside.
“It’ll cost some money, but it’s not a difficult task.”
“……”
“You can go to the hospital. And of course, you can check if the baby is growing well. But I really need to go now, so I’m going to get dressed and come out. If I’m any later, our part-timer will shoot lasers with her eyes.”
He brought two fingers to his eyes and moved quickly. He quickly got dressed and headed to the front door, putting on his socks. He put on his coat and took something from the basket on the shelf next to the shoe rack and put it in his pocket.
“Make yourself comfortable, comfortable. You’re not going anywhere, right? Don’t go out.”
“I won’t. Hyung, you really… you won’t contact Executive Director, will you?”
“Ah, of course, of course. Of course not. Rest.”
He had a vague feeling that he wouldn’t be there when he came back, but he felt relieved after hearing Seo Jeong-won’s definite answer. Song Hae-seop stopped putting on his shoes and turned his head to stare at Seo Jeong-won.
He wanted to say something helpful. But only those who have eaten meat know how to eat it, and only those who have comforted know how to comfort, so it wasn’t easy. He had been careful with every word when he was pretending with Kwon Tae-hee…, but after ending the relationship, he felt like he didn’t need to do that anymore, so he felt sorry for saying things too strongly. But it was a family story.
“Hyung?”
“Let’s eat something delicious tonight.”
“Yes. Have a good day.”
“It feels better than I thought to be seen off. I’ll be back.”
Song Hae-seop’s footsteps quickly faded away as he waved his hand until the door closed. Seo Jeong-won had never imagined that he would be alone in Song Hae-seop’s house without the owner, so he felt strange.
¸.•¨•¸.•¨•¸.•¨•¸
Seo Jeong-won fell into a deep sleep, so much so that it was embarrassing to think that he wouldn’t be able to rest properly in an unfamiliar place. So much so that he didn’t even hear Song Hae-seop come home. Then, he was startled and sat up when his eyes suddenly brightened.
“…Ah, ah. When, when did you get here? What time is it now…”
Song Hae-seop laughed at Seo Jeong-won’s flustered stammering. His gaze landed on Seo Jeong-won’s cheeks, which were like freshly steamed buns in the middle of winter. He looked even younger because his face was swollen overall, probably because he had eaten and gone straight to sleep. Moreover, according to the habits unique to pregnant Omegas, he had pulled Kwon Tae-hee’s cardigan up to his nose. Even though he wanted to escape, he was instinctively inhaling the Alpha’s Pheromone.
“I was surprised because it was so dark and I thought no one was here. Sorry for waking you up like this. I couldn’t see anything, so I could only think about turning on the light.”
“No, I was going to get up. I was just going to close my eyes… I guess I fell asleep.”
The two awkwardly faced each other, only exchanging awkward smiles. Song Hae-seop stayed in place for a moment before saying he needed to change his clothes and went into the room. Seo Jeong-won rubbed his eyes and shook his head slightly, as if trying to clear his blurry vision and mind.
“Ha.”
He was embarrassed. He couldn’t shake the feeling that he had been too comfortable as an uninvited guest. He was scolding himself to be a little more alert when Song Hae-seop came out after changing his clothes.
“I was thinking about it while I was working, and I think it would be better to go today.”
“To Seonam?”
“Yeah, Tae-hee’s executive secretary knows my car’s number, so I brought a rental car? How about we take that and check out the atmosphere first?”
“Then… I’ll just wash my face and come out. I’m not fully awake yet. I’ll be right back.”