By Zephyria Seo Jeong-won was steeped in gloom, and Song Hae-seop comforted him by saying that he was the more abnormal one. He added that the world was full of abnormal people, so there was no need to blame himself so much. Seo Jeong-won’s voice, as if in response, echoed pathetically, but it was so mumbled that he couldn’t understand what he was saying.
“Let’s eat first. A full stomach will allow for more rational judgment.”
“Yes…”
Seo Jeong-won picked up the water glass he had put down. He swallowed a few gulps, soothing his sorrowful breath, and glanced at Song Hae-seop as if gauging his reaction.
“What?”
“…Just. I’m anxious.”
“Why are you anxious? Are you worried I’ll contact Tae-hee? Like I’m going to say, ‘Jeong-won is here, come and get him’?”
“More than that… I was wondering if Hyung felt betrayed. He should be angry, but it seems like he’s trying to help me… I don’t know if it’s genuine, to be honest. I’m sorry.”
Song Hae-seop tilted his head at the emotion he had never even considered until he heard it. Isn’t that something you can only feel between close friends? It’s hard to describe his relationship with Seo Jeong-won as close. Besides, he was cast aside by Kwon Tae-hee for being defective, so if he felt anger, shouldn’t he feel it towards him? Towards Kwon Tae-hee, rather than Seo Jeong-won. If he felt that way with Seo Jeong-won in front of him, that would be pathetic and foolish.
“Hmm. Well, I guess it could seem that way to Jeong-won. It could be suspicious. But I won’t contact Tae-hee. You can trust me on that.”
Song Hae-seop nodded and ordered two bowls of rice soup using a delivery app. Then, he looked at Seo Jeong-won playfully, his eyes gleaming.
“But, I have nothing to do with that person anymore. You know that, right? Of course, I was a little annoyed, but I’m not angry.”
“…”
“So, you don’t have to be so conscious of me. It’s really okay. It’s just a little… regrettable. It was a good opportunity. My life could have changed.”
Seo Jeong-won nodded at Song Hae-seop’s glib words. He replied that it was a relief, but the guilt didn’t lessen, and he still felt uncomfortable. As if seeing through his feelings, he patted him on the shoulder.
“Right now, such self-reproach won’t help Jeong-won, and it seems like it would be better to make a plan for what to do in the future. Do you have any money?”
“Ah, I do. I brought it with me. This…”
Song Hae-seop accepted the envelope that was carefully handed to him and immediately checked inside. There were quite a few 50,000 won bills, but it was obvious that this wouldn’t last for more than a few days. He could let him stay here for a day or two, but he couldn’t stay here forever. Then he would have to find a place to hide, but the only safe place for a pregnant Omega to stay is a luxury hotel.
But even booking a standard room seemed woefully inadequate with this money. And Seo Jeong-won didn’t seem to know that yet.
“What about your bank account? How much is in your account? Credit card? Can you get a cash advance?”
Song Hae-seop, pulling up Seo Jeong-won’s emotionally disheveled cheeks, pointed out the immediate practical problems. Feeling sorry and sad can wait until after you’ve made a plan.
“My bank account… is in Seonam, at home. It’s not much, but I’ve saved some money.”
“Anything you can liquidate? Something you can sell for money.”
At Song Hae-seop’s question, Seo Jeong-won quietly fell into thought. He pondered whether there was anything in his house that could be used like cash. But no matter how much he searched his memory, there was nothing among his belongings that could be sold for money.
“I have some textbooks, but…”
“Anything else? Something small and shiny?”
“Shiny… thing?”
It sounded like he was talking about jewelry, but he didn’t have anything like that. Seo Jeong-won, picturing the simple display case with only skincare products in his head, suddenly remembered the accessories that Kwon Tae-hee had left behind.
“It’s not… mine, though.”
“Then? Whose is it?”
“When Executive Director came to my house, he left behind a watch and that… the things you put on your shirt, and a tie pin. Not just one, but several.”
Song Hae-seop’s face lit up at the words “several.” He, too, had been watching the accessories he wore as much as Kwon Tae-hee’s face. He seemed like he wouldn’t be interested in that kind of thing at all, but he had a variety of styles, from subtly flashy to neat. The things that sparkled at the end of his sleeves went so well with his neat hands that he often stared in admiration.
“Maybe the watch can’t be sold anywhere except to someone who receives stolen goods. Even if it is sold, it’s dangerous.”
“…”
“But cufflinks and tie pins might be possible, and you’re saying there are several of them? Is that right?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Song Hae-seop gently stroked Seo Jeong-won’s hair, who couldn’t meet his eyes. He was proud that he had even thought of that much. He didn’t know how much he could get for them, but if he took them and sold them, Seo Jeong-won would have enough to live on for a while.
“But even if you’re selling something that’s in Jeong-won’s house, it’s still stealing. Are you still going to do it?”
“…Will he report it?”
“Well, if he finds out where those items were sold, he might. So… we’ll have to sell them well so that he finds out as late as possible, right?”
Seo Jeong-won nodded at the added words. He thanked him as a habit. In this situation, Song Hae-seop was the only person he could trust.
“Ah, I think they picked it up.”
“…”
“Are you hungry? You have to eat well when you’re pregnant, and take pheromone showers often.”
“Ah.”
Song Hae-seop nodded, inhaling the Pheromone emanating from Seo Jeong-won. Today, as on other days, he was soaked in Kwon Tae-hee’s scent, but it wasn’t a Pheromone full of sexual implications, but a soft Pheromone solely for the Omega and the fetus.
“I received a lot yesterday. My morning sickness got worse, so I used a separate bedroom for a while, but yesterday… we were together. But I haven’t done that since the funeral. I didn’t think I should.”
“I’m not saying anything. It doesn’t matter what you do, not to me.”
Song Hae-seop replied lightly. He thought the food being delivered would arrive soon, so he cleared away the cup Seo Jeong-won had drunk from and roughly tidied up the messy table. After placing the side dishes he had bought, spoons, and chopsticks side by side, the doorbell rang.
“Come over here and sit down.”
“Yes.”
Seo Jeong-won was about to say that he would do it, but he realized that Song Hae-seop would be uncomfortable, so he sat down, awkwardly raising his body. Song Hae-seop, who came in with a paper shopping bag, took out the food inside with an excited face.
“This place is really delicious. The broth is clean, too. They make the best bean sprout rice soup in our neighborhood.”
“It looks delicious. It really looks delicious. I’ll enjoy it, Hyung.”
“I’ll take your thanks after you’ve eaten it all. It might not taste good to you. It’s my favorite restaurant, though.”
Song Hae-seop deliberately acted exaggeratedly, as if trying to lift the drooping atmosphere. His voice tone was unusually high. Seo Jeong-won couldn’t pretend not to notice his efforts and cried a little. Just enough to slightly stain the tissue with tears. Then, he emptied the bean sprout rice soup in front of him. He was hungry, so he had a good appetite. He was so glad that his morning sickness had subsided.
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After the meal, Seo Jeong-won got up to help, but Song Hae-seop made a fuss, saying he was more uncomfortable. He sat down, awkwardly raising his body, at the words that staying still was helping.
“Do you want some tea? Coffee is a bit… right? Rooibos tea? I have that.”
“Anything is fine.”
“Okay, just a moment.”
He rinsed the containers clean and organized them, then brewed a tea bag in a mug filled with warm water and brought it back.
“Drink slowly. It’s hot.”
“Thank you.”
“Did you fill your stomach a little? Do you think you won’t cry anymore?”
At the playful question, Seo Jeong-won’s face turned red for a moment.
“…I’m sorry. I think I keep making Hyung uncomfortable.”
At the self-reproaching voice, Song Hae-seop waved his hand, saying no. He comforted Seo Jeong-won, saying that pregnant Omegas have severe mood swings due to hormonal influences.
“The rice soup was delicious. The broth was clean, just like Hyung said.”
His stomach was churning with tension and anxiety, but it went down well while he was eating. Seo Jeong-won swallowed hard and fiddled with the mug in front of him. He could instinctively tell that the story that was about to begin would be heavy.
“Then, let’s start by sorting out the relationship between you and Tae-hee. Actually, this kind of conversation should be between the parties involved, but seeing as how you’ve come this far, it means you have no intention of doing that. Um… let me start by telling you how the two of you look in my eyes…”
“…”
“So, this is just my opinion. You don’t have to take it badly. Just take it as a reference? I think that’s all you need to do.”
At the carefully ringing voice, Seo Jeong-won slowly raised his gaze and met his eyes. He nodded at the expression of awkwardly curving his lips into a smile, and soon Song Hae-seop’s mouth opened.
“I heard that Jeong-won’s Hyung… demanded emotions at that time? Of course, it’s natural for emotions to arise between Alphas and Omegas, and Tae-hee is an attractive Alpha, so it’s natural to have feelings. It’s perfectly possible. But the problem is that you forced him to like you because I liked you.”
“…”
“The two of you mutually agreed not to be emotional, right? That’s in the contract, too. Jeong-won’s Hyung agreed to that, so he received money and his life became more affluent. Just like me a few months ago.”
The content was rough because he was speaking with as little emotion as possible. But there was no room to refine it further here. Song Hae-seop braced himself, telling himself that the feeling of guilt was momentary, and continued to speak until the end.
“It was a relationship that started with money in the first place, and I’m sorry that the result of the method you chose was like that because he didn’t listen to me… but I don’t think Tae-hee is at fault in that matter, I don’t.”
“…”
“But if I had to pick a fault… it would be that he tried to cut off the relationship so abruptly?”