By Zephyria 
While brewing coffee at the cafe, I kept scanning my surroundings. Four days had passed since Joo Min-hyeok broke down my door to visit. Despite his words about seeing me again, there was no sign of him. Then again, the position of Emperor isn’t one where he can just leave the palace whenever he pleases, so it must be difficult for him to find the time. Just as I was starting to feel a bit more relaxed and settled… my head throbbed at the thought of that slick face of his.
“My head hurts.”
“Your head hurts? Do you have a headache?”
Was I talking too loud? Hearing a customer’s voice, I quickly stood up and went to take the order. However, it wasn’t just any customer; it was Jin-sang standing before me.
“Oh, you’re here?”
“How does your head hurt…?”
Standing in front of the menu, Jin-sang was observing me with a very cautious expression, as if walking on eggshells. Why is he acting so timid all of a sudden? Where did all that momentum to devour me go?
“Just a tension headache. What would you like?”
“One iced caffe mocha, please.”
“Okay. One iced caffe mocha. Please insert your card. I’ll call your number.”
I took the order with practiced ease and signaled the end of the transaction, telling him as usual that I would call his number. However, after handing over his card, Jin-sang continued to stand there, hesitating.
“Do you need anything else?”
“No, it’s not that. I should have come to apologize immediately, but you weren’t here every time I visited.”
An apology… Ah, perhaps he’s worried about the incident with his grandmother? Since meeting Joo Min-hyeok, my health had been poor—perhaps due to stress—so I had been going home early to rest outside of the busy hours. He must have come to the cafe while I was gone.
“I’ve been feeling unwell for a few days, like I had a cold, so I went home early. It was nothing, so it’s okay.”
“A cold? Could it be because you were too bothered by what my grandmother said?”
“No. Not at all, so please really don’t worry about it.”
What is this? Was he always this timid? When did he go from charging at me with fire in his eyes to feeling this sorry? Perhaps because I’ve experienced so many “spicy” situations until now, the things Jin-sang’s grandmother said felt like mere cuteness.
Right. Cuteness, exactly. It’s really nothing. Being hit, being betrayed, being deceived and used. Joo Min-hyeok broke my door and stormed in, then left without a single word of apology, so it’s not something for someone who wasn’t even involved to apologize for. Though she was a bit rude.
“It’s really okay, so don’t worry. Some elderly people just speak harshly sometimes.”
“No. Regardless of that, my grandmother was too much. Saying your fate is harsh… and she didn’t hesitate to ask personal questions.”
“Personal questions? About my high school and college?”
“Yes… There could be circumstances, but she judged a person based on those things.”
I suppose that’s because educational background is the most common way to provide a fragmentary proof of a person’s life. Though you can’t determine a person’s character based on that alone.
“It’s okay. It’s all true. It’s not something I particularly need to hide, nor is it something to be criticized for.”
After answering, I turned around and began making the coffee. As I cut the conversation short and started brewing, Jin-sang hesitated before returning to his seat. While making the coffee, I stole a glance at him sitting near the counter.
Right. From his perspective, it could be quite bothersome. It’s understandable that he’d feel embarrassed since his grandmother openly told a stranger that their fate was harsh and that they shouldn’t associate with just any Omega. He might be a bit fierce, but he seems like a good kid. I’d rather deal with a personality like that; he’s transparent and doesn’t hide anything.
On the other hand, Joo Min-hyeok is the type who appears gentle, smiles a lot, and pretends to accommodate everyone on the surface, while it’s impossible to tell what he’s thinking inside. Should I call it insidious? This kid’s inner thoughts are sparklingly transparent. I thought as much from the moment he started growling at me openly.
He can’t manage his expressions at all and can’t hide his emotions. It would have been better if Joo Min-hyeok were like that. Tsk. This is why the growth process is so important. Just what kind of jungle-like environment did Joo Min-hyeok grow up in to become like that? A person who uses even his own spouse…
“Iced caffe mocha is ready!”
At the announcement that the drink was ready, Jin-sang hurried over to me. His flustered appearance looked a bit dim-witted and pitiful, so I decided to put his mind at ease. He isn’t the one involved, and there’s no need for him to feel guilt just because he’s family.
“Honestly, hearing that your fate is harsh isn’t a pleasant thing, but it’s not exactly wrong, so it’s really okay.”
“…What?”
My fate really is harsh. Among people my age, there are probably very few who could beat me in a contest of misfortune.
“Um, and as for school, I did homeschooling all the way through high school and college. Good teachers and professors came to my house. So there was no need to go. The detailed circumstances are, literally, too personal, so I don’t have to talk about them, right?”
I’m a proud high school graduate, for that matter. As for the college course… I ran away while doing it, so I couldn’t finish. I’m a bit sad about that too. Getting divorced, losing a child, and not finishing my studies. Sigh, my fate really is harsh. Can that grandmother see things?
“I see. Still, I apologize once more. My grandmother isn’t a bad person, but she has high expectations for me, so she’s a bit excessive.”
“It’s okay. Anyway, drink your coffee quickly before the ice melts.”
“Ah, yes. Um, Boss.”
Holding the glass with condensation on it, Jin-sang hesitated before speaking with an awkward expression.
“If it’s okay with you, could I call you ‘Hyung’? It’s been a long time since I’ve met someone my age on the island.”
Hyung? With his ears turning red, Jin-sang scratched the back of his head, unable to meet my eyes. I’m actually four years older than him, so we aren’t exactly the same age… I looked at him with surprised eyes at the unexpected proposal. He looked so embarrassed he didn’t know what to do. If I refuse here, he’ll probably never come back to the cafe.
Being called Hyung isn’t a bad thing, and the kid seems decent, so maybe I can say okay with the mindset of making a friend? Come to think of it, when was the last time I made a friend? Friends… I didn’t have any? I really didn’t have a single one. Until I met Hyun-wook, my life was empty.
“Shall we? Hyung sounds good. It’s also been a long time since I’ve made a friend around my age.”
I accepted his proposal with a fairly bright smile. Jin-sang stood frozen, staring at me blankly, before breaking into a bright smile with flushed cheeks. Ah, I can’t call him Jin-sang anymore. His name was Jin-su, right? Yes, Jin-su. Seeing Jin-su smile at me didn’t feel bad. How long has it been since someone other than family smiled at me like that?
The only person who liked me and smiled at me for no reason was Hee-sung, but this feels a bit different. I wonder if Hee-sung is doing well? Seeing Jin-su drink the caffe mocha in one gulp with a simple smile reminded me of Han Hee-sung.
∗ ∗ ∗
The aftereffects of meeting Hae-joo affected Min-hyeok as well. He had faced Hae-joo’s face in person for the first time in several years. In the flesh. It was on a completely different level from seeing him in memories or looking at reported photos. He felt his breath and body heat, and heard his voice.
Feeling the body heat of the person he had kept in his heart for so long stirred unspeakable emotions. Did he break the door for nothing? He thought Hae-joo was avoiding him because there was no answer when he rang the doorbell, and he had confirmed he was inside. Since their last parting hadn’t been good, it occurred to him belatedly that he had approached too aggressively.
“…Between the Brigadier General’s resentment and seeing a reincarnated younger brother, I was even more out of it.”
Uncharacteristically muttering to himself, Min-hyeok thought of Seo-joo, who had thrown kicks and punches at him. The overall atmosphere was similar to Hae-joo’s. It was a resemblance that couldn’t be explained unless they shared blood. It seemed there are truly things in the world that cannot be explained scientifically.
“Your Majesty, it is time to go inside.”
“Ah, right.”
Min-hyeok had come to the pediatric ward of the Seoul University Hospital today. It was a periodic schedule that Min-hyeok considered more important than any other task. Children are the future and hope of the nation, so he could not afford to lose a single child to illness.
Not a single child…? Cannot lose a single child? Min-hyeok stopped in his tracks as if pricked by his own thought. Isn’t this too contradictory? The moment that thought occurred, Min-hyeok couldn’t help but feel flustered.
‘Hae-joo is still suffering from the aftereffects. Due to the long-term use of contraceptives and pheromone abnormalities caused by the miscarriage, his body is ruined and he is mentally devastated.’
Hae-joo was still suffering from the aftereffects. Five years had passed, but Hae-joo was still suffering from the wounds of the past. The child Hae-joo miscarried wasn’t just Hae-joo’s child. It was also Min-hyeok’s child, which Min-hyeok had planted and Hae-joo had carried.
It wasn’t that he didn’t know that at the time. He was deeply distressed and shocked, and he didn’t know what to do. But it was true that back then, he was more worried about the blood-covered Hae-joo before his eyes than the child who was never born.
That was why Min-hyeok couldn’t bring himself to grieve deeply for the departed child. He admits that too. He had expected that Hae-joo’s health might be poor after the miscarriage. However, he had not imagined that the small existence would continue to leave scars on his heart until now.