Chapter 4

How could he not have fallen in love with him?

“We study together, eat together, play together every day, and we both like Su-ah noona, so we’re completely in sync. You know, right? You’re the only one I have.”

The young Yeon Mugyeol who had always told him, you’re the only one I have.

There had been a time when Yi-seon believed he was the center of Yeon Mugyeol’s world. But the bond that had once been everything to both children had worn thin with time and distance.

“I’m home,” Yi-seon announced in a low voice as he opened the front door of the apartment. He took off his shoes, set them neatly aside, and stepped into a living room unusually full of warmth and life.

“You’re early?”

“They said the whole study cafe had to be disinfected.”

Apparently, a rat had scampered through the study cafe and thrown the entire place into chaos, sending Yi-seon home much earlier than usual.

“Just wash your hands and come out. Let’s eat.”

“Okay.”

After dropping his bag in his room, Yi-seon stepped back into the living room and nearly collided with Ryu Yi-jeong. Having just showered, Yi-jeong’s hair was damp.

“You’re back, our little baby?”

Ryu Yi-jeong strode over and ruffled Yi-seon’s hair as naturally as breathing. Unlike Yi-seon, Yi-jeong had small, cute features, and strangers rarely guessed they were brothers at first glance.

“When did you get in?”

“Earlier this afternoon. I had some business in Seoul, so I dropped by while I was in town.”

His brother caught him firmly and hauled him over to the dining table.

“Thank you for the meal.”

His parents lifted their chopsticks first, and Yi-seon began eating as well.

Ryu Yi-jeong attended a prestigious medical school outside Seoul and lived alone in a studio apartment. Anxious about how their son was managing, their mother would travel down every so often to tidy his place and stock his fridge.

Things had been different when Yi-seon lived separated from the family down in Jeju with his maternal aunt. Back then, his parents visited Jeju only three or four times a year, yet Yi-seon had never resented them. He had simply been grateful they looked after him at all.

Somewhere along the way, Yi-seon had begun thinking of his family as benefactors. There were times when a nagging sense of indebtedness—a feeling that he ought to repay them for everything—made his chest tighten with urgency. But those emotions remained his alone to carry. He carried that debt alone, along with the loneliness of feeling like a dull black pebble wedged among gleaming glass marbles.

“Yi-jeong, do you have any free time this summer? Your father and I were thinking of going to Guam or somewhere similar.”

“Summer? I’m not sure… Yi-seon, does Guam sound good to you?” Ryu Yi-jeong looked straight at Yi-seon.

The conversation, which until then had seemed to belong to everyone but him, suddenly turned his way. Yi-seon paused as though considering it, then gave the answer he had prepared in advance.

“I think I’ll just stay home and study. I’ll be preparing for college entrance exams soon anyway.”

“At home? By yourself?”

“Yeah.”

“Hmm… It’s been so long since we had a family trip. Let’s go together.”

“…”

“We haven’t been able to go on a family vacation since back then. Hyung really wants to go with you, Yi-seon-ah…”

“…Okay.”

Yi-seon reluctantly gave in. When his brother coaxed him with that gentle, pleading look, he had no choice but to nod. He understood, at least partly, why his brother kept pressing the issue, which made refusing even harder.

After that, conversation bounced around the table—Guam’s famous sights, local food, and everything they might do there. Listening to the chatter drifting across the dining table, Yi-seon’s pace with his spoon and chopsticks gradually slowed.

Guam…

Yi-seon did not like the ocean or the shore, but he could not avoid them forever. Even while living on Jeju Island, he had resided inland and rarely had reason to see the sea, so perhaps it was finally time to face that fear directly.

“Ah, right. Yi-seon, you don’t have any plans this weekend, do you?”

“No. Why?”

“We have a dinner engagement. We’re heading over to Chairman Yeon’s residence, so make sure to get ready ahead of time.”

“Understood.”

Yi-seon sighed inwardly. This time, he felt like he would get indigestion for an entirely different reason.

❖ ❖ ❖

Yi-seon stared blankly at his reflection in the mirror.

An awkward-looking boy stared back, his hair neatly parted and swept aside. In a crisply ironed white shirt and cotton trousers, he looked far too prim—and deeply uncomfortable.

“Yi-seon-ah, are you all ready?”

“Yeah! Coming!”

At his mother’s call, Yi-seon hurried out of the dressing room.

It had been ages since he last visited Chairman Yeon’s estate—which was also Yeon Mugyeol’s home. It was his first visit since fifth grade, and tension coiled in his stomach. The thought of seeing Chairman Yeon again—and the colossal crystal chandelier that had intimidated him as a child—made his throat grow dry.

As Yi-seon gazed vacantly out the car window, his mother asked, “Have you gotten close with Mugyeol again?”

“No. Right now, we’re just acquaintances who know each other, nothing more.”

“Why? You two were so close in the past. You used to giggle all day, absolutely thrilled whenever you saw each other.”

“That was when we were little kids. We still say hello, though.”

“Try to get along well. Tell him to come over to our house often, like before.”

“Yeah.” Though he agreed aloud, Yi-seon already knew his relationship with Mugyeol had fundamentally changed.

He had abandoned all expectations ever since the moment Mugyeol had mistakenly remembered his name as Yi-jeong.

Soon arriving at Mugyeol’s residence, the family climbed the stone steps and stepped into the garden. At the far edge of the affluent district, the massive estate remained as immaculate as a drama set, exactly as Yi-seon remembered it.

Walking along the stone path winding through the lawn, Yi-seon looked around. Bright sunlight lay over manicured grass that stretched like a plush carpet, while lush trees stirred in the breeze.

Was that tree always that size?

In one corner of the garden stood the tree he and Mugyeol used to climb and hang from, and he was surprised to see it was smaller than he remembered. Apparently, the tree had only seemed enormous because they had been so small.

Stepping into the back garden, they saw the family seated at a colossal table adorned with fresh flowers.

“Hello. Have you been waiting long?”

“We just sat down ourselves. Welcome, please come in.”

Mugyeol’s father and grandfather—both tall and broad like Mugyeol—sat with his stepmother and half-brothers, every back straight and formal.

Amidst the crowd exchanging pleasant greetings, Yi-seon’s eyes met Mugyeol’s. Standing behind Chairman Yeon with his hands clasped at his back, Mugyeol swept Yi-seon from head to toe and broke into a broad, silent sneer. The message was obvious: Yi-seon’s prim hair and dressed-up appearance looked ridiculous.

Yet Yi-seon’s impression was much the same. Gone was the Yeon Mugyeol who carelessly dragged his slippers around school. Perhaps on his grandfather’s orders, Mugyeol had removed every piercing and slicked his hair neatly back, leaving him impeccably polished.

The simple white shirt and trousers were tailored precisely to Mugyeol’s build, making him look as though he had stepped out of a luxury fashion spread. The trousers in particular fell in a clean line from his flat waist down his long legs.

His jet-black eyes were as striking as his tall, solid build. There was something unusually sharp about his gaze that made it difficult to look away. Yi-seon wondered if this was the kind of intimidating presence his desk partner, the Omega Park Juhyeon, had spoken about.

When we were kids, he had a middle part and wore a bowtie.

He was unmistakably different from the young Mugyeol who looked like a little prince taking the stage at a school talent show whenever there was a family gathering. He was different from the Mugyeol Yi-seon saw at school too. Stripped of his usual playfulness, he carried an almost aristocratic air.

Honestly… it was comical.

Yeon Mugyeol and nobility?

Then the unfamiliar, polished Mugyeol became himself again right before Yi-seon’s eyes.

What.

Catching Yi-seon staring, Mugyeol silently mouthed the word as a challenge. His cocky expression, complete with one brow arched crookedly, remained identical to usual.

Yi-seon mouthed back, Why?, and took his seat at the table. Once Mugyeol settled into the chair beside Chairman Yeon, the polite chatter commenced.

Chairman Yeon, whom he had not seen in a long time, gazed intently at Yi-seon with a face touched by amusement. He looked both fascinated and pleased to see the tiny boy he remembered return so grown.

Yi-seon did not shy away from that gaze, meeting it directly.

I’ve certainly never seen a grandfather that handsome before.

Deep wrinkles etched around Chairman Yeon’s eyes whenever he smiled, yet despite having passed his sixtieth birthday, his gaze remained piercing and vivid. The steel in his gaze hinted at the ruthless life he had once led, while his low voice and unwavering posture radiated stubborn authority.

His features bore the undeniable traces of what must have been brilliant good looks in his youth. Mugyeol had clearly inherited that striking height and presence from his grandfather.

Even smiling like a benevolent elder, Chairman Yeon radiated enough authority that Yi-seon instinctively folded both hands in his lap.

Chairman Yeon asked, “Has our Yi-seon been doing well all this time?”

“Yes, Grandfather. Have you been well?”

“Of course. I’ve been well. Yi-jeong comes by regularly to pay his respects, but this little one didn’t show his face once, so I was curious. Was life in Jeju that comfortable?”

“Yes. It was very pleasant.”

“You must have seen enough of the ocean to be sick of it.”

“The area where I lived wasn’t near the coast. Instead, I saw the forest every day, which brought a lot of peace to my mind.” Yi-seon beamed after delivering the answer like a Taoist hermit returning from years in the mountains.

Faced with that radiant demeanor, Mugyeol’s grandfather, Yeon Taeguk, also nodded with a satisfied smile.

“I heard you manifested as an Omega this time?”

“Yes. They said my diagnosis came a bit late.”

“Well, considering Mugyeol manifested before even entering elementary school, it is certainly late.”

One had manifested far too early, and the other awkwardly late. Neither manifestation had followed the usual timetable.

“Recessive, was it?”

“Yes. I was told that because I’m an extreme recessive, I’m practically closer to a Beta than an Omega.”

“What a pity. If not for that, we could have had you take a compatibility test with Mugyeol.”

Yi-seon’s eyes widened in surprise. Mugyeol, silent until then, twisted his face into a severe scowl of distaste.

Yeon Mugyeol’s grandfather, Yeon Taeguk, and Ryu Yi-seon’s maternal grandfather, Ryu Sanho, had been childhood friends. While Yeon Taeguk rose from the lowest ranks of an underworld syndicate to build a fortune in construction and finance, Ryu Sanho grew a modest clinic into a mid-sized hospital foundation.

Both having succeeded in their respective domains, they had promised to unite their families through the marriage of their children. But while Yeon Taeguk’s son was an Alpha, all of Ryu Sanho’s children were Betas, so the promise went unfulfilled.

The compatibility test Chairman Yeon mentioned was a procedure to determine the physiological affinity between an Alpha and an Omega. Higher compatibility was believed to increase the chance of dominant offspring, which was why families carrying extreme-dominant traits often sought similarly dominant partners.

In short, compatibility was a subject that should never have come up between him and Mugyeol.

Mugyeol, who had been listening silently, cut in decisively, “Grandfather.”

“Hmm?”

“I’m going to marry a female Omega.”

“I’ve heard that plenty of times. Do as you wish.”

Chairman Yeon gently stroked Mugyeol’s back. The look and touch radiated deep trust and affection.

Even the seating arrangement made the household hierarchy obvious. Chairman Yeon occupied the head seat, flanked on either side by Mugyeol and Mugyeol’s father, but Mugyeol was positioned visibly closer to the chairman.

“And even if he were a girl, absolutely not. With Ryu Yi-seon of all people?”

Fucking gross, Mugyeol mouthed silently, staring straight into Yi-seon’s eyes.

“Besides, Ryu Yi-seon is an extreme recessive, so without even looking, our compatibility would be the absolute worst.”

“He’s right. I think so too, Grandfather. Even if Mugyeol were a female Alpha, it would be a bit… We’ve been friends since we were little, after all,” Yi-seon chimed in immediately.

At least on this subject, their minds were perfectly aligned.

Still, Yi-seon felt a little aggrieved. It was Grandfather who had brought up compatibility in the first place, so why did he have to be treated like this by Mugyeol?

To say he hadn’t thought of Yeon Mugyeol at all when diagnosed as an Omega would honestly be a lie. After all, the moment he transferred back, saw Yeon Mugyeol again, and exchanged that first greeting, his old feelings had stirred.

But it had never been a possibility to begin with. Feelings were only feelings. He had no intention of dragging a childhood crush into the present and begging Mugyeol to return it.

He needed only to let time run its course and graduate.

Screeech, scrape. Hearing an odd noise from across the table during the meal, Yi-seon glanced up. Yeon Mugyeol was sawing roughly through his meat. A boy whose table manners were normally impeccable was hacking at the meat as though he meant to split the porcelain plate, clearly irritated by something.

A cluster of grilled cherry tomatoes sat untouched in one corner of Mugyeol’s plate.

Yi-seon asked, “You still don’t eat grilled tomatoes?”

Yi-seon let out a light smirk. Still sawing his meat, Mugyeol raised his head without a word.