By Zephyria 
Lee-eum kept his mouth shut like a clam, and Choi Won-joon took out a cigarette and put it in his mouth. Then he lit it and held it out to Lee-eum. “Want one?” Lee-eum shook his head and fidgeted with his hands for no reason.
“What’s the story? Why are you hesitating? You’re making me nervous.”
Contrary to his words, his posture was nonchalant. Lee-eum looked around the motel and then at Choi Won-joon. It must be his first time in a place like this, but he doesn’t seem bothered. The old motel smelled musty, and the cloth sofa and curtains, whose last wash was anyone’s guess, and the colorful wallpaper were covered in traces of unknown origins.
“Did you see my friend yesterday…?”
“Yeah, I saw her. She was pretty. Is she really just a friend? You weren’t dating back in the day or anything?”
Lee-eum readily answered Won-joon’s joking question.
“We dated briefly in our third year of high school….”
Choi Won-joon frowned fiercely with a cigarette in his mouth, and Lee-eum belatedly realized he had said something unnecessary. They were dating in name only; they never even held hands, and they were both so focused on studying that they ended up going back to being friends after only a month.
“Yoo Seol-ah says that what happened to me yesterday could happen again.”
Won-joon nodded with a cigarette in his mouth.
“Okay, good.”
Lee-eum frowned.
“I haven’t even told you what it is yet.”
“Whatever it is. You came to me because you need my help. Or else, would your pride have let you? You wouldn’t have cared if I died here or not.”
Why does he have to go that far…? He was so angry yesterday, but he was actually going to contact Director Lee to get him released. He was going to tell him honestly, but he stopped, feeling like he was just making excuses. A sly smile spread across Won-joon’s face.
“So, what kind of help does our Detective Kim need?”
Lee-eum moved his lips. He needs to ask if he can shower him with pheromone every night while they live together, but he can’t bring himself to say it. How coldly he had rejected Choi Won-joon when he asked for help with his insomnia. Even he thought it was shameless.
Lee-eum got up from his seat, went to the refrigerator, took out water, and quenched his thirst. When he returned to his seat, Choi Won-joon was leaning his arm on the sofa, legs crossed, grinning.
“How long are you going to make me wait?”
“You already know….”
“I want to hear it from your mouth.”
“……”
“Tell me you want me. Then I’ll agree without complaint.”
Lee-eum bit his lip and struggled. Ah, should he just leave? But what if it gets worse? Yoo Seol-ah wouldn’t have made up something that wasn’t true. His distress was written all over his face, and Choi Won-joon waited with composure.
Lee-eum lowered his head and mumbled in a barely audible voice.
“I need Choi Won-joon…. Please help me….”
It’s quiet. Why isn’t he saying anything? When he raised his head, he saw Choi Won-joon biting his lip to hold back a laugh. Ugh, how annoying. Choi Won-joon stubbed out the cigarette in his hand in the ashtray and readily agreed.
“Okay. This body will help. What do I need to do? Should I lay you down right now and fuck you?”
Lee-eum couldn’t help but grab the cushion next to him and throw it, and Won-joon skillfully dodged it and grinned mischievously. I must have been out of my mind for a moment. This is definitely not it. He jumped up from his seat and headed towards the exit, but Choi Won-joon quickly came and snatched his arm. As soon as his body turned, Choi Won-joon was right in front of him.
“Get away from me.”
“Don’t get angry. The last part was a joke.”
Then he subtly pulled him into an embrace. Instead of the pheromone that had captivated Lee-eum yesterday, the scent of peppermint mixed with cigarette smoke wafted around him. Choi Won-joon rubbed his cheek against Lee-eum’s neck, and when he pushed him away at the ticklish, goosebump-inducing sensation, he readily stepped back.
“I just put my pheromone on you.”
Surprised, he looked up, and Won-joon cupped Lee-eum’s cheeks.
“How is it? Not a big deal, is it?”
“……”
His hand now moved to Lee-eum’s ear.
“Should I go to your house starting today?”
“……”
“Should I not go?”
Lee-eum slyly averted his gaze and mumbled almost inaudibly. “Come….” He has no choice now. Let’s get through this crisis safely somehow. Let’s not think about anything else. Let’s just think of this man as a machine necessary for life. Like a refrigerator or a TV.
❖ ❖ ❖
Chairman Choi was puzzled to see Choi Won-joon, who had rarely visited home, smiling constantly as if something good had happened. When he asked his wife, she said she didn’t know, which only increased his curiosity. Then, at dinner, Won-joon dropped a bombshell, and the atmosphere suddenly turned cold.
“What did you just say!”
Chairman Choi roared, and Choi Tae-seung and Choi Ji-seung couldn’t hide their embarrassment either. On the contrary, Choi Won-joon, the person in question, was calm.
“I’m telling you in advance because I know you’ll be digging into my affairs anyway. Don’t try to find out more, and don’t interfere. I’ve made myself clear.”
Chairman Choi slammed the spoon he was holding down on the table.
“You’re going to go into that detective’s house and live with him? Are you crazy? Did you take drugs? I thought you were just playing around and would quit, but what is this ridiculous behavior!”
Madam Lee grabbed Chairman Choi’s arm from the side and tried to stop him.
“Honey, stop it. Joon will get indigestion.”
“You heard him too. That bastard, that. He must be crazy. Otherwise, how could he be with a Beta, and the son of the guy who put his own father in jail! Ha, I’ve lived my life in vain. I raised my son wrong, completely wrong.”
“He seemed like a nice person….”
Chairman Choi flared up at Madam Lee’s mutter.
“Did you meet him?”
Won-joon took a sip of water and remained silent. He already knew that his mother had met Kim Yi-eum. According to the museum staff, the atmosphere was quite good, and his mother had given Kim Yi-eum something as a gift. But Kim Yi-eum had made no mention of it at all.
“I called him to the museum and exchanged a few words. That’s all.”
“What did you say when you met him? Did you give him a stern warning? Did you tell him not to meet Won-joon?”
Madam Lee rolled her eyes and avoided Chairman Choi’s gaze. Chairman Choi was furious at his wife’s actions.
“Don’t tell me you like him? You’re not condoning Won-joon’s behavior, are you?”
Madam Lee didn’t answer and kindly handed Chairman Choi a spoon.
“Stop getting angry and eat. Director Park will worry again if your blood pressure goes up.”
“Is food important now? I can’t allow it. Never, until dirt goes into my eyes.”
Madam Lee elegantly raised her hand and called a working employee, gave them an empty bowl, and told them to bring some soil from the flowerpot. Soon after, the employee brought the soil, and Madam Lee casually placed it next to him.
“Eat before you sprinkle it.”
Tae-seung and Ji-seung tried to ignore their father for fear that they would be caught in the crossfire, and Chairman Choi, with a flustered expression, jumped up from his seat, unable to contain his anger.
“You really!”
“Sit down, honey.”
When Madam Lee’s voice gained strength, Chairman Choi cleared his throat and sat down slowly. He glared at Won-joon and picked up his spoon, and Won-joon, unconcerned, said that the braised short ribs were delicious and asked Madam Lee to pack some for him to take with him.
The outwardly peaceful meal ended, and while Won-joon went outside to smoke, his two Hyung approached.
“Wow, I feel like I have indigestion. If I had known it would be like this, I wouldn’t have come.”
“Me too. I was worried that Mom would throw dirt at Dad.”
“Hyung, did you know? Grandfather (Maternal) was very opposed to their marriage. It was the same back then. He said, ‘Not until dirt goes into my eyes!’ and Mom took soil from a flowerpot in the house and threw it right at him!”
“Was that real?”
“Yeah, it’s a true story. I heard it directly from Grandmother (Maternal) when she was alive. And then Grandfather (Maternal) was bedridden with anger.”
The two brothers shuddered and then went to Choi Won-joon, who was quietly standing by, and put him in a headlock. “It’s all your fault, you bastard.” Won-joon slipped out like a loach and got angry, telling them not to stick to him because it was hot.
“Do you really like him? You don’t, do you? You’re just doing it for fun?”
“Yeah. You should just live promiscuously. You’ve been doing so well so far.”
“Hyung, don’t interfere. One saboteur, Father, is enough.”
“Won-joon. Our cute youngest. Please, can’t you change your mind?”
“That’s right. This isn’t something to take lightly. You saw that family’s Noona and Hyung, too. I still get palpitations and my hands shake when I think about that day. Why are people so violent? Barbarians.”
“Their father is even more of a joke. We couldn’t even meet the final boss.”
Tae-seung and Ji-seung tried to persuade Won-joon in any way they could. At first, they thought it was a joke, but they were very worried when he said he was going to live with him. However, Choi Won-joon wouldn’t listen and left after threatening them not to interfere in the future.
Left alone, Tae-seung and Ji-seung could only sigh deeply.
“Why did our angelic Won-joon become like that….”