By Zephyria 
#Side Story 2-3
Lee-eum opened his eyes immediately at the sound of the alarm, reached out to turn it off, and looked at Choi Won-joon beside him. He was lying on his side, hugging me, with his face pressed into the pillow, but he still looked handsome. His jawline was appropriately angular and masculine, his nose was straight, and his lips were smooth. The media often talked about his good looks, and while I never understood it before, lately I was starting to get it a little.
I stared with my mouth hanging open like a fool, then snapped out of it and lowered my gaze. In the process, the arm draped over my torso looked uncomfortable. I debated whether to straighten up and push his shoulder, but gave up and tried to leave the bed. He somehow sensed it, wrapped his arm around my waist, and pulled me back.
“Just 30 more minutes…”
His sleepy voice was also pleasant to hear.
“I’m going to wash up and go exercise.”
“You run around catching criminals every day, why do you need to go running first thing in the morning…”
He grumbled without even properly opening his eyes, but absolutely refused to let go. Lee-eum gave up, smiled, and rolled back into Choi Won-joon’s embrace. Then he planted a kiss on the top of my head and hugged me tighter.
“I can’t breathe.”
“I can’t breathe too because I like you so much.”
Lee-eum struggled and barely managed to push him away. I really was suffocating. It wasn’t that he had gained weight, but he was naturally tall and his bone structure was exceptional, so even an average adult man would feel intimidated next to Choi Won-joon. Of course, when he clung to me with that big frame and acted cute, it was pretty adorable.
Then, he made a disgusted face at the fact that he found Choi Won-joon cute. According to Nam-soo, if he starts looking cute, the game is over. But come to think of it, Choi Won-joon started looking cute quite a while ago. He probably knew it himself, which is why he kept channeling Young-shik at every opportunity.
“What are you thinking about so hard?”
Can he see even with his eyes closed?
“I was thinking about what to do this weekend.”
“Let’s go on a date.”
“Hiking?”
“I hate snakes. They’re scary.”
“Fishing?”
“Feels like I’m dating a man in his 50s.”
“Then what, barefoot walking?”
“Just let me choose.”
“You chose last time, President.”
“Don’t you know about respecting elders?”
“You only bring up age at times like this.”
“How about the movies? There was a movie you wanted to see, Darling. It opens on the 20th, you said.”
Lee-eum, who had been counting dates in his head, shook off Choi Won-joon’s arm and sat bolt upright. Only then did Choi Won-joon open his eyes and look at me. His eyes were full of affection, but Lee-eum’s face was on the verge of turning pale.
“What? Did I do something wrong?”
“We’re in big trouble!”
“Huh?”
“This Saturday is your father’s 70th birthday, isn’t it!”
Choi Won-joon went ‘Ah,’ and answered nonchalantly. The fact that he asked if it was this week showed he hadn’t been paying any attention at all. I think they said they were having a party at home too. Madam Lee, Choi Won-joon’s mother, had even sent an invitation herself, but since Chairman Choi still didn’t approve of me, I was planning to just send a gift and not go.
“Don’t worry about it, let’s go on our date. There’ll be so many people, they won’t even notice if one person is missing.”
How can you say that, you human? If one of three sons is missing, how could they not notice? I wanted to grab him by the collar and tell him to get a grip, but since I was also a neglectful son, I wondered if I had the right to criticize Choi Won-joon. Family affairs were mostly led by my Hyung and Noona anyway.
Choi Won-joon, lying on his side, stretched out his arm and fiddled with Lee-eum’s hair.
“Do you want to go together that day?”
Lee-eum immediately shook his head. All of Choi Won-joon’s family and relatives would be gathered, and it felt burdensome.
“I want to go with you.”
“……”
“If it’s really uncomfortable, we can go and move separately.”
“……”
“Oh, Lee Joo-hwan is coming. You know?”
Lee-eum’s eyes sparkled. There was a recent worker suicide incident in downtown Seoul, and the person involved was Lee Joo-hwan, the President of Hojin Group. Despite requests for witness interviews related to the case, he hadn’t responded, and every time we went to see him, he wasn’t there. It was frustrating not being able to meet him even when trying, so hearing he’d be at the 70th birthday party was too tempting to resist. As Lee-eum hesitated, Choi Won-joon grinned.
“Let’s go. I’ll introduce you.”
“If I go for that reason, my intentions will be obvious…”
“So what. Just don’t talk about work.”
He knew Choi Won-joon was wary because Lee Joo-hwan was a young Alpha. Actually, even if he wasn’t an Alpha, Choi Won-joon was wary of everyone. Friends, work colleagues, even Team Leader Oh, and the owner of the regular soup restaurant he frequented.
After much deliberation, Lee-eum made a decision. He felt sorry to Choi Won-joon’s parents for not going with pure intentions, but there was no other choice. He’d deliver the gift as inconspicuously as possible, meet only Lee Joo-hwan, and come back. That’s what he thought.
\*
“You should make a bust and send it too. Like Choi Won-joon did.”
At Kim Mid-eum’s words, Lee-eum frowned. In a few days, it would be the 70th birthday of Choi Seung-gil, Choi Won-joon’s father. He had no idea what gift to get, so he called his Noona and Hyung, but Kim Mid-eum suggested making an identical bust. She said parents live for the joy of bragging about their children in their old age, so they’d be happy to hear their son made it. And while we’re at it, engrave his achievements on the bottom too.
The hideous bust that Choi Won-joon had gifted for Lee-eum’s father’s 70th birthday was actually prominently displayed right in the middle of the main house’s living room. He heard his father still firmly believed it was a gift from his children and wiped it with a dry cloth every morning, treasuring it dearly.
Kim Malk-eum, chewing on the dried squid that came as a side dish, chimed in.
“Don’t go, just send a gift. It’s not proper to show your face at family events before marriage anyway. It gets awkward for the relatives if you break up.”
Kim Mid-eum, who was listening, snorted.
“Break up? Choi Won-joon?”
Kim Malk-eum thought for a moment and nodded.
“Well, that’s true.”
Kim Malk-eum put his arm around Lee-eum’s shoulder and pinched his cheek. What are we going to do with our poor youngest? He hasn’t even dated much and already got his nose pierced properly. Even though he said that, neither his Noona nor Hyung seemed displeased. And for good reason, because Choi Won-joon, while he might not show it to others, treated Lee-eum’s family meticulously. He spoke politely and was so amiable that even Hyung and Noona were happier than when they were with their blunt younger brother. Sometimes it was hard to tell who was the younger sibling.
“Or gift a gold bar. Since he’s a chaebol, he’d probably be satisfied with that much.”
Lee-eum looked at his Hyung with an incredulous expression. When he argued how could a gold bar be possible with his salary, Kim Mid-eum shook his head side to side. She said she didn’t know how he managed in society being so inflexible.
“If you’re going to marry into a chaebol family, you have to do that much. If you don’t have the money, should I lend it to you?”
Kim Malk-eum clicked his tongue with a pitiful look.
“After losing everything in stocks.”
“Why are you like this. I recovered everything with the stocks he recommended. Not only is he good at business tactics, but his investment insight is also amazing. Sometimes the things he does are a bit scary, but he’s really smart. The side dishes Yunji’s mom prepares have changed lately.”
“Shut up. A gift is about the heart. It’s enough if you can show your heart within appropriate limits.”
Lee-eum perked up and leaned closer to his Noona.
“For example?”
“Health supplements or premium liquor? Wouldn’t something like that work?”
Kim Mid-eum picked a fight, saying that was too obvious, and Kim Malk-eum rebuked her, telling her not to interfere when she didn’t know anything. He called them for help, but they were just bickering with completely unhelpful comments.
“By the way, does Choi Won-joon’s family know about your secondary gender?”
At Mid-eum’s question, Lee-eum couldn’t answer anything. Choi Won-joon’s family knew him as a Beta, and the reason he hadn’t revealed it was because he hadn’t considered marriage anyway. But if, just if, it really came to marriage, wouldn’t he have to reveal it?
Thinking about that made his mood sink. Unlike knowing from the start that he was a Beta, being an Omega who couldn’t properly fulfill that role would surely make a difference. Just like Lee-eum’s parents, wouldn’t they also want to see grandchildren from their child?
Seeing his troubled expression, Kim Malk-eum ruffled the back of Lee-eum’s head.
“Don’t think too deeply.”
Lee-eum forced a smile and gulped down his beer. Meanwhile, Malk-eum kicked Mid-eum’s shin under the table and glared. It was a reprimand for bringing up unnecessary topics and troubling his younger brother’s mind. Rubbing his kicked shin, Kim Mid-eum belatedly tried to smooth things over.
“Yeah. These days people live well even without kids. Raising kids costs a lot of money too. That’s why I only had Yunji. And imagine having a kid that looks like Choi Won-joon. Would that be good?”
A brief silence fell for a moment. Kim Malk-eum made a strange expression, and Lee-eum frowned. Even if he alone thought of him as a crazy pervert in his heart, it felt really unpleasant when someone else said it. When he took his side, saying he wasn’t as weird as Hyung thought, Kim Mid-eum shook her head side to side.
“Before, you shuddered in disgust, but I guess you like him now, huh?”
Kim Mid-eum teased, but Lee-eum pretended not to hear. He knew if he reacted, she’d tease him more and use it against him forever. Still, his mind remained complicated with worries about the 70th birthday party and thoughts about his secondary gender.