Chapter 46

Yi-seon flipped his phone facedown and flopped onto the bed. With his move approaching, his desk and drawers were neatly organized. In one corner of the room, bulky bags and packed moving boxes caught his eye.

Can I haul all that by myself in a taxi…? Should I call a truck through Strawberry Market or something…? After mulling it over for a moment, he closed his eyes.

Now that his thoughts had settled, he could finally mull over what Mugyeol had said. Putting aside conditions and terms this time around, another practical reality demanded attention.

“So we just pick a date, draw a star on the calendar, and fuck?”

…So we really are.

…We’re actually doing it.

Sleeping with Mugyeol seemed to have become an established certainty. Since an Alpha and an Omega were getting married, physical union was a given. Strangely, though, Yi-seon still had trouble imagining it with Mugyeol. He simply couldn’t picture Mugyeol going through with it.

Hadn’t Mugyeol always insisted that even if an Omega was an Omega, he hated men—that guys all reeked? Because Mugyeol had always shuddered with such disgust, Yi-seon had even vaguely imagined that if they ever had a child together, it would be through artificial insemination rather than physical intercourse.

Even during the recent pheromone explosion, Mugyeol had slashed his own palm with broken glass just to keep himself from jumping Yi-seon. The attending physician had clicked his tongue in disbelief, saying he had never seen such a fiercely stubborn Alpha.

Just what on earth was a guy like that planning to do?

Even granting that they had managed to kiss, actually sleeping together might prove a different story altogether.

Thinking he ought to get some Viagra just in case, Yi-seon braced himself. Wasn’t there a chance that seeing his naked body, Mugyeol wouldn’t be able to overcome his revulsion even with the impulses of a rut?

He needed to prepare himself mentally so he wouldn’t be hurt if Mugyeol rejected him, and if they ended up doing it with the help of medication, he had to figure out what to do.

If an Alpha who had lost control got rough with him, it would be dangerous, so what about tying Mugyeol down with handcuffs or ropes before they started?

Should he secretly stash something like a tranquilizer gun just in case? Mugyeol might suddenly lunge at him in some bizarre way. He was filthy strong, so Yi-seon might end up getting taken without even being able to put up a fight. And he hated pain.

But was this even possible in the first place?

Yi-seon fumbled around his waist before letting his hand drop. He couldn’t bring himself to check down below. Perhaps because his first heat had hit him like an accident, he had yet to experience a proper, full-blown heat, making it hard to picture.

When the next heat comes…

When that time comes, will my body just handle it on its own…?

Will Yeon Mugyeol figure it out on his own…?

“…It’ll work itself out somehow.”

Let’s just leave it to the former top of the class. He’s good at everything, so he’ll manage this just fine too, right?

I’ll just marry Yeon Mugyeol and sleep with him. What use are feelings like affection?

He’s the kind of guy who says conditions are more certain than feelings. Just what was I expecting?

Yi-seon buried his face deep into his pillow. He felt on the verge of tears but forced them back. He wanted to brush it off as casually as Yeon Mugyeol did. Crying now would feel like conceding that his heart had been utterly crushed, and he refused to do that. His pride was wounded.

❖ ❖ ❖

The first year his age began with a two, Yi-seon found himself extraordinarily busy.

First, on January 1, he had fought with Mugyeol, was immediately swept up in a pheromone explosion and hospitalized, graduated from high school, and received an absurd proposal. After that, he went through the formal meeting between families, became a groom-to-be, moved out of his parents’ house into a tiny rooftop room, and found a part-time job at a cafe.

All of this had unfolded in roughly a single month.

Ever since their fight in the car, they had been in a cold war. Because Mugyeol was the type to kick up a fuss once a day whenever they crossed paths, Yi-seon had no desire to apologize first.

Today was late January, finally the day Hankuk University announced its admissions. Sitting at a table in the cafe where he worked, Yi-seon lifted his phone with a thumping heart. After entering his examinee number and personal information, he waited a moment…

“Accepted!”

The welcome phrase congratulating him on his acceptance popped up on the screen. Though it was an expected result, his heart still fluttered all the same. While clearing the table with a joyful heart, Mugyeol’s face crossed his mind. Mugyeol had told him to let him know immediately once he got accepted.

While standing there vacantly, debating whether or not to text Yeon Mugyeol, his phone began to ring.

Mega Lunatic

Mega Lunatic

Mega Lunatic

It was Yeon Mugyeol. It was astonishing enough to make him wonder if the guy had heard his inner thoughts. Yi-seon feigned composure, keeping his voice as calm and casual as possible.

“Yeah. Long time no see.”

— “What are you up to?”

“Working. At a cafe.”

Despite the out-of-the-blue news that he was working part-time, Mugyeol didn’t sound particularly surprised. After a brief, quiet “Really?”, he suddenly asked if he could come over.

— “Can I go there?”

“Of course. But why?”

Even if he came, Yi-seon wouldn’t be able to hang out because he was working, so Mugyeol would just be bored. Yi-seon had only asked out of genuine curiosity. The reply that came over the line was tight with irritation.

— “…Do I need a specific reason every single time I want to see— Haah, forget it. Grandfather told me to give you something. Just take it.”

“Ah. Sure. Come on over. I’ll buy you some cake.”

— “Got it.”

With that brisk acknowledgement, Mugyeol hung up abruptly. Clicking his tongue, Yi-seon immediately called him right back, “Hey. You need to know the address before you come. It’s ‘Coffee Yeon’ near Hankuk University. Put it in your GPS.”

— “Got it.”

Just in case, Yi-seon texted him the address after hanging up and finished tidying the area. Since Mugyeol had called first, he had wondered if it was an offer to reconcile or something of the sort. Turns out he had only called out of obligation for an errand from his grandfather. Still, a friend was a friend, and hearing his voice after so long felt nice.

Having wrapped up the call with Mugyeol, Yi-seon walked over to the cafe owner who had been waiting for him.

The owner asked, “Did you get in? Did you pass?”

“Yes!”

As he slipped behind the counter and washed his hands, the owner patted him on the back.

“Look at me, hiring a Hankuk University student as my part-timer!”

“Haha…”

Yi-seon chuckled sheepishly, drying his hands on a towel. Beside him, as Yi-seon heated a large knife with a blowtorch and began slicing the cake, the owner asked a question, “By the way, Yi-seon, why work at a cafe instead of tutoring? Great for me, of course, but I was just curious.”

“Well, the truth is, I did try tutoring at first.”

Yi-seon calmly recounted what had happened about two weeks prior.

Initially, Yi-seon had planned on tutoring as well. Even before his acceptance to Hankuk University was official, a friend’s mother who knew his personality and academic record had kindly introduced him to a grateful opportunity.

But the moment he held his first session with an eighth-grade boy, he realized.

Ah… Perhaps this path isn’t for me…?

The student’s slurred greeting—mumbling “H’llo” with bizarrely crushed pronunciation—and chattering earnestly by himself at a kid with dead fish eyes were tolerable. He had also patiently endured the boy fiddling with erasers and noisily dropping all sorts of items under the desk throughout the entire lesson.

But no matter how many times he explained, the kid’s total inability to understand was something he truly couldn’t wrap his head around.

Unless someone was a downright moron, how could they fail to retain something repeated over ten times? Unless they had entirely closed their ears.

So during their fourth lesson, Yi-seon had asked in all seriousness, “You sure you don’t know this, do you? Are you pretending you can’t solve it on purpose? …Why?”

A reasonable suspicion had arisen that the kid was playing dumb deliberately to mess with him.

At that, the student threw a violent fit, claiming he was being looked down on. With eyes blazing red as if suffering the ultimate injustice, he clung to his parents and screamed that he couldn’t study with this teacher anymore. In the end, the kid even burst into tears, looking as though he had been possessed by something terrifying.

And so, he had gotten fired.

“Though I think getting fired was for the best. If I’d kept going, the cost of treating stress-induced hair loss would’ve exceeded what I earned from tutoring.”

The cafe owner had been laughing out loud for a while now. Yi-seon wasn’t quite sure what was so hilarious, but the owner, catching his breath between chuckles, patted Yi-seon’s shoulder.

“Let’s work hard here, Yi-seon. Sure, we get difficult customers occasionally, but they’re one-offs, so you just have to ride those moments out.”

“True.”

“No need to worry about hair loss.”

“That’s a relief.”

Just as Yi-seon placed the sliced cake into the refrigerator and turned around, a sleek, beautifully contoured sports car pulled into a parking spot on the street in front of the cafe.

The January sky was exceptionally clear. Beneath the crisp, brilliant winter light, a familiar man stepped out of the vehicle.

Apparently planning to go straight from the car into the cafe, he had not bothered with a coat. A simple T-shirt and jeans emphasized his long legs and broad shoulders, giving him an effortless presence even while he stood perfectly still.

After locking the car, the man raised his head. Pitch-black eyes showed through strands of hair stirring in the breeze, and his expressionless face looked almost as cold as the winter air around him.

Standing beside him, the owner muttered in an awestruck voice, “Oh goodness, what do we do? Must be our customer. He’s insanely handsome. Look how tall he is. Is he a model? A celebrity? He looks like an idol. He’s coming this way. He’s opening the door. What do we do? Greet him, Yi-seon. Greet him loudly!”

“Welcome…”

Yi-seon gave an awkward greeting as Mugyeol opened the door and stepped inside. Mugyeol swept a slow glance around the cafe before heading straight toward him. Seeing him again after so long—and, for once, almost as if he were a stranger—Yi-seon was startled by how handsome Mugyeol actually was.

Mugyeol’s previously impassive face had already softened into a playful smirk. He looked so unmistakably pleased to see Yi-seon that it was almost embarrassing.

“Ryu Two.”

Yi-seon raised a hand in greeting toward the approaching Mugyeol. “You made it? Boss, he’s my friend. My closest friend.”

“What? Ah, welcome…”

Mugyeol stopped at the counter, gave the owner a slight nod, then leaned toward Yi-seon. He threaded his fingers through Yi-seon’s raised hand and squeezed.

“You been well?”

“I’ve been fine. You?”

“Doing great.”

Glancing self-consciously at the owner, Yi-seon gently slipped his hand free.

Mugyeol let go more easily than expected, then idly toyed with the tip of Yi-seon’s index finger where it rested on the counter while he studied the menu screen.

Mugyeol kept nudging at his hand as casually as if he were playing with an eraser, so Yi-seon hooked his thumb against Mugyeol’s and turned it into a thumb war. When Yi-seon won and flashed a triumphant grin, Mugyeol kept his eyes on the menu, but one corner of his mouth curled upward.

This was the first time Yi-seon had seen Mugyeol since their argument in the car. His anger had cooled with time, and with university about to start, they needed to make up sooner or later.

Mugyeol ordered an iced Americano and two slices of cake. Then, before turning away, he said shamelessly, “By the way, why am I just a friend?”

“Wow… We have one little fight and we’re not even friends anymore? You’re unbelievable.”

“Not just a friend. I’m your darling.”

“…”

“What? You’re the one who said it. ‘Yes, darling.’”

Mugyeol leaned in until their faces were only inches apart, stroked Yi-seon’s cheek once, then turned and walked away as though he had said nothing unusual. Yi-seon watched him take a seat by the window in full view of the counter, his mouth opening and closing soundlessly. His already fair face had gone almost bloodless.

Darling?

He says something like that at the cafe where I work?

And what am I supposed to do after he just walks off like that?

Yi-seon slowly turned toward the owner and found a similarly stunned expression waiting for him. The man blinked as though still trying to process what he had just heard, then managed an awkward smile when their eyes met.

“Young people these days sure have cute pet names…”

Yi-seon launched into a flustered, rambling explanation. “Ah… It’s not a pet name, he’s just messing around… It’s not entirely a lie either… strictly speaking, we are in that kind of relationship, but… still.”

After Mugyeol dropped a bomb like that and simply walked away, Yi-seon had no choice but to explain.

Yi-seon tried to explain, “I’m an Omega and he’s an Alpha, so we agreed to get married for now. Our families are close, so it’s like a betrothal or something… And me calling him darling wasn’t because I actually call him that. We got into an argument last time, and I said it sarcastically because I was mad. I never go around calling him darling, darling… haah… absolutely never.”