By Zephyria 
Kwon Rae-i smiled slyly and carefully hid the syringe in his pocket. Seeing his mischievous smile, Tae-hwon didn’t have the energy to stop him. He knew what Kwon Rae-i was thinking when he said those words.
Time was running out, and the regret was immense.
Their future was endlessly uncertain, with no promises at all. Even if they stayed together like this, there would be overwhelmingly more things they couldn’t achieve than things they could.
“Tell me if there’s anything you regret.” “If I tell you, will you make it all happen, Tae-hwon?” What had Kwon Rae-i said back then?
“There are many things. Going out with you, eating delicious food, watching movies, playing games. Well…” He had poured out his desires like a volcano that had been waiting to erupt. Or perhaps he had even cut down his hopes and wishes, only mentioning the things that were somewhat feasible.
Everything was that difficult for Kwon Rae-i. Even uttering a single word like this must have been the result of careful consideration or thorough calculation.
‘I can’t help it.’
Tae-hwon let out a lukewarm sigh and replied.
“Alright. But only if we don’t stray too far from here.”
“Haha, of course. Let’s eat nearby. What kind of menu would you like? What do you want to eat, Tae-hwon?”
Kwon Rae-i’s expression brightened with joy as soon as he got permission. He was so happy. His bright smile made him look like a boy. He finally looked his age.
‘To think that Kwon Rae-i is the same person who smashed the moon jar in President Hwang’s office just a while ago…’
He was a guy who could smile so purely. Tae-hwon felt strangely melancholic and pondered internally before blurting out whatever menu came to mind.
“Meat.”
“Meat, huh? Sounds good.”
There would be steakhouses everywhere. They could just go into any suitable restaurant, eat, and leave. Even though it was early, there would be places open.
The elevator stopped in the basement, and Kwon Rae-i went into what looked like a small office in front of the parking lot. A low-level member was sitting there, chatting and giggling on the phone, but he was startled when he saw Kwon Rae-i and Woo Tae-hwon approaching and hurriedly hung up.
“The keys.”
Kwon Rae-i only said one word, but about five keys for different types of vehicles were handed over. A Mercedes, a Sonata, a Maserati, a Grandeur, a Range Rover. They were all different. Kwon Rae-i chose the Maserati key and remotely opened the car door.
Beep. A bright blue car responded from a corner of the parking lot. It was a very flashy vehicle with a noticeable shine even from a distance.
“Let’s go.”
“…Okay.”
Was this how the Jeun Faction usually operated?
They even provided such expensive cars as standby vehicles?
Tae-hwon was a bit suspicious, but Kwon Rae-i seemed nonchalant and composed. He opened the passenger door for Tae-hwon to get in easily, and even carefully fastened his seatbelt once he was inside. He seemed to be careful not to press on the wound on his shoulder.
Kwon Rae-i, having gotten into the driver’s seat, adjusted the seat to a comfortable position and whispered as he fastened his seatbelt.
“Ah, I’m starting to get nervous.”
His voice seemed even louder in the small car. It echoed around and entered his ears.
“Doesn’t it feel like we’re going on a date right now?”
“We’re just going out for a meal.”
“That’s a date. You don’t know much, Tae-hwon.”
“Is that so…”
Kwon Rae-i started the engine and glanced at Tae-hwon’s face. He seemed to be gauging his reaction before driving the wedge in.
“It’s a date.”
“Okay.”
“This. We’re going on a date right now.”
“Alright, let’s go.”
“Da-te.”
“Ha…”
Tae-hwon awkwardly averted his gaze. There wasn’t much to see outside the heavily tinted car window, but he pretended to look around. Kwon Rae-i stepped on the accelerator and drove the car out of the Jeun building, and the bright light opened up their view.
There weren’t many cars on the road. In the car speeding along the empty asphalt, Tae-hwon murmured absentmindedly.
“How do you even go on a date?”
“You don’t know?”
“I wouldn’t know.”
“Does that mean you’ve never even been in a relationship until you were twenty?”
Kwon Rae-i asked, increasing the car’s speed. The needle on the dashboard was rising rapidly. Tae-hwon muttered candidly.
“Well, yeah. Not now, anyway.”
What was the point of hiding it now? He had already confessed that he was a virgin.
Tae-hwon frowned, keeping his gaze fixed outside. One eyebrow arched up in displeasure.
“Then again, who knows? If my memories come back, I might have a glamorous dating history. I might have had three, four, or even octopus legs in the past ten years.”
“Hahaha! That’s true. But that means I’m your first now, right?”
“…”
“Ah, this is a problem. I need to focus on driving, but I’m dying to jump you and kiss you right now.”
“Drive. Just drive.”
“Tsk, should I not have suggested coming out? What’s the point of food? Sucking you dry is my meal.”
“No, what? You were the one who wanted to eat… This is a date, right?”
“That’s true, but you’re being bad, Tae-hwon.”
“What?”
“You’re making my heart flutter too much. It’s about to burst.”
“…”
What kind of conversation was this?
Tae-hwon, dumbfounded, finally turned his gaze from the window to look at Kwon Rae-i. Even as he glared at him with bewildered eyes, Kwon Rae-i just chuckled as he turned the steering wheel.
“If you look at me like that, I’ll get even more nervous.”
“Liar. You don’t look nervous at all. You’re shameless.”
“I’m serious. Do you want to hear my heartbeat?”
“There’s no need to go that far.”
“You doubted me.”
“That’s just something I said.”
“Just?”
“Just. You keep making me feel embarrassed.”
“You’re really cute, Tae-hwon.”
“Oh, come on…”
“Oh, you’re embarrassed again. Are you shy?”
“Stop it and drive, just drive. Where are we?”
Tae-hwon awkwardly changed the subject. They were just exchanging pointless words without substance, and he felt a strange itch on the back of his neck. His sitting posture felt a bit stiff, and the seatbelt felt like it was constricting his torso. Everything felt bothersome and uncomfortable.
As he rolled his eyes and looked ahead, he saw that the car had already left the main road and entered a neat street. The street lined with buildings was spacious and clean. Large tiles were laid out, and well-maintained trees lined the streets.
Kwon Rae-i seemed to know this area well, heading straight for a building without even turning on the navigation. The building with its clean ivory exterior was very tall and large. And in front of the entrance, a man in a suit and coat was politely helping with valet parking.
“We’re here.”
Kwon Rae-i stopped the car and unfastened his seatbelt. His hasty movements seemed a bit impatient.
He reached out and leaned in, lowering his upper body. Tae-hwon thought he was just unfastening his seatbelt for him since he was injured, but the approaching movement was more blatant.
‘Huh?’
Kwon Rae-i openly kissed Tae-hwon, pressing their lips together briefly. Even though the car windows were heavily tinted, he wondered if he was crazy.
Tae-hwon, with wide eyes, grabbed his shoulder and pushed him away forcefully.
Kwon Rae-i surprisingly let go easily and burst out laughing.
“Haha.”
What the hell?
What the hell…?
“Don’t be angry. I’m sorry.”
He unfastened Tae-hwon’s seatbelt and got out of the car. He handed the keys to the valet parking attendant and then came around to the passenger seat where Tae-hwon was sitting and opened the door. Tae-hwon was still frozen like a stone, staring straight ahead. Something was wrong. Or rather, he felt strange.
They had kissed countless times at home, regardless of the time or place, and besides, that kiss wasn’t even that intimate. He wasn’t in a position to be embarrassed by a slight brush of lips now, so why was he reacting so dramatically?
Tae-hwon rubbed his lips with the back of his hand and got out of the car. Kwon Rae-i naturally offered his arm, escorting Tae-hwon.
“Hold on. You’re injured.”
“…Okay.”
This was just support. Right. It was just support, and it was natural. It wouldn’t look strange, would it?
He felt completely disoriented. They hadn’t done anything special, just driven to a restaurant to eat.
‘By the way, where is this?’
It didn’t look like an ordinary restaurant, no matter how he looked at it. Tae-hwon turned his head to find the sign on the building. The main entrance had a large revolving door, and the floor was covered with a well-maintained carpet. But strangely, there was no sign on the building anywhere he looked.
Instead, the identity of the place was elegantly written in English cursive script inside the lobby.
‘…Hotel?’