Chapter 37: The Art of Getting Close

“Let’s eat together, Jeong-won. We’re doing all this just to make a living anyway, right?”

“I really hate eating alone. It’s lonely, you know? Hm? Hm? You must be hungry. Did you eat anything? I doubt you even had time to.”

Song Hae-seop chattered away as if he knew everything.

He tapped his toes up and down while humming a cheerful melody.

“You know, Jeong-won… about Kwon Tae-hee.”

“Yes.”

Uncharacteristically, he glanced around before lowering his voice.

“Isn’t his sex style a bit too much? He clings so annoyingly, leaves all these marks with his mouth—it’s hard to even go about my day normally.”

At the slanderous tone of his words, Seo Jeong-won instinctively raised his hand and touched the scarf wrapped around his neck.

“He gets me so worked up that I’m exhausted even before we get to the main act. It’s embarrassing, shameful, and… it even makes me feel humiliated. Sometimes, I find it overwhelming. What about you, Jeong-won? It drives me crazy.”

“…What?”

“Does this kind of talk make you uncomfortable? Should I stop?”

Hae-seop scratched his cheek with an awkward smile. Jeong-won, face flushing red in an instant, gave a small nod.

Without realizing it, he looked away, lowered his head, and bit his lip.

“Do you have a cold?”

“It’s a bit chilly here, isn’t it? Tae-hee said he can’t stand the heat. When I first came here, I had a really hard time too. My cold wouldn’t go away. I heard from the old man that the temperature stays constant year-round. So even in the middle of winter, it’s like this.”

“Cough…”

When Jeong-won coughed, Hae-seop hurriedly covered his mouth and nose.

Muttering “virus,” he waved his hand through the air.

“It’s going to get colder now. I’m worried. Take care of your health, Jeong-won. But your skin… it’s really this soft pink color. Amazing. How can skin look like that? Maybe that’s why Tae-hee’s interested in you—because you’re so pretty.”

Hae-seop reached out and gently touched Jeong-won’s soft skin. He subtly traced every poorly hidden mark, skillfully hiding the rage boiling inside him.

Jeong-won was impressed by how Hae-seop treated him.

He was generous and sociable.

Unlike Jeong-won, who was shy and reserved, Hae-seop had a friendly personality that made people feel at ease.

Even though Jeong-won must have seemed like a thorn in his side, he didn’t show it.

He kept talking to him without a hint of discomfort and let awkward, stammered replies slide by with ease.

“Do you have any siblings, Jeong-won? I’m an only child, so I’ve always been jealous of kids with brothers or sisters.”

“I… I have an older brother.”

“That’s nice. I used to pray all the time for an older brother to fall from the sky. How’s your relationship? Good? What’s the age gap?”

“He’s six years older. We used to be close, but now… just…”

As Jeong-won trailed off, Hae-seop frowned, as if he were even more upset.

As if patting his shoulder, he reached across and tapped the air.

“Did you two fight? Or did you just grow apart?”

“…It just happened.”

“That must be hard. But in the end, all you’ve got is family. Don’t worry, things will get better soon. But if you were my younger brother, I don’t think I’d ever fight with you. You’re not only handsome—you’re also pretty. I’d be so thrilled just to have a younger sibling that I’d beg you to hang out with me every day.”

Jeong-won thought of Seo Gyuwon, whose face resembled his own.

That resemblance stirred something in his heart.

The kind and affectionate behavior of someone who looked so much like his brother made it hard for him to think clearly.

“Really, the only ones who stay with you in the end are family. That’s why I want to have lots of kids. My goal is three, but four or five would be fine too.”

“Ah…”

“I also want siblings, so let’s be close. I’m one year older than you, Jeong-won. So just treat me like your older brother. Feel comfortable, okay?”

“…Okay.”

Seeing Jeong-won nod with reddened eyes, Hae-seop realized that his weakness was his brother.

Even if they weren’t close anymore, it must still be a precious relationship.

Maybe because he’s young, his emotions were easy to read, and Hae-seop chuckled inwardly at that.

“So pretty.”

Hae-seop muttered to himself as he looked at Jeong-won.

He really was pretty—even Hae-seop had to admit that.

Though he logically understood that Jeong-won was just another object, not unlike himself, he still felt uneasy about Tae-hee’s intense interest in him.

It felt like Jeong-won would steal his place.

He had a bad feeling that Jeong-won would become an obstacle in his future.

He wanted to separate him from Kwon Tae-hee as soon as possible.

That’s why he planned to stir up Jeong-won’s feelings of pity.

It would be good if Jeong-won saw his brother through him.

Even better if that made him feel guilty.

Kind people can’t hide their emotions. If guilt weighed heavily on him, he’d hold out for a bit, then run away.

“Are you in college, Jeong-won?”

“No, I’m not. I didn’t go to college. I work at a flower shop. In Seonam.”

Hae-seop’s eyes widened in surprise. His smooth lips parted—

Just then, Kim Jae-shik brought over pasta.

“I thought I heard voices—so you two were together.”

He placed a pasta plate in front of Hae-seop and asked Jeong-won what he’d like to eat.

“Ah, I—”

“Sir, give Jeong-won the same thing as me. We decided to eat together.”

“Shall I prepare pasta for you as well? Please feel free to let me know. The executive director had instructed me to make sure you eat, so I’ve been waiting.”

His tone was soft and gentle. Jeong-won hesitated before finally saying he’d eat the pasta.

“The executive director asked us to serve warm, gentle food. Will pasta be okay?”

“Yes, I think that’ll be fine. Thank you.”

“Please wait just a moment. I’ll bring it right away.”

Reading the situation sharply, Kim Jae-shik left the dining room and returned to the kitchen. Hae-seop spoke again.

“Seonam isn’t that far from here, is it? I run a small café. A tiny one. Did Tae-hee help set up your flower shop too? My café was his idea. I don’t even know how to use the coffee machine. My part-timers do everything. So I’ve got loads of free time. Can I visit your flower shop sometime?”

“Yes, of course. You can come.”

“Give me the address. And your number too!”

Hae-seop held out his phone.

Jeong-won carefully took it, typed in his contact and address, then returned it.

“That’s close. I’m free most weekdays, so I’ll stop by often. Sounds fun.”

He twirled pasta onto his fork and popped it into his mouth as he continued.

“Let’s get along, okay? No reason for us to be on bad terms. It’s not like you really like Tae-hee. You don’t, right?”

“There’s no reason we can’t be close, right? Who else would I talk to about this kind of stuff? Honestly, I’m under a confidentiality clause, so I can’t talk to anyone about this. But I feel like I can talk to you, Jeong-won. Because we’re in the same situation.”

The words same situation gave him a strange feeling, but no better way to phrase it came to mind.

To be honest, he even thought, Isn’t he in a better position than me?

Song Hae-seop slowly ate his pasta while chatting non-stop.

Seo Jeong-won simply listened quietly, nodding or giving short responses whenever a sentence ended in a question.

“But Jeong-won…”

“Yes?”

“You’re really a Beta, right? I heard you were a Beta back then, but it’s still kind of hard to believe. I’d believe it if someone told me you were an Omega.”

“I am a Beta. Actually, I’ve never even met an Omega in my life… Hae-seop, you’re the first.”

Seo Jeong-won felt embarrassed calling Song Hae-seop by name out loud for the first time.

His face felt hot.

Apparently, Song Hae-seop felt the same—his face turned bright red too.

“I just got goosebumps. Look.”

Song Hae-seop stretched out his arm.

His pale skin was covered in goosebumps.

Then, he suddenly burst into laughter, as if the whole situation was ridiculous.

“Wow… How about just calling me ‘hyung’? This is making me feel really weird right now.”

“I-If that’s okay, then… sure. Thank you.”

“By the way, Jeong-won, you’re seriously cute. Can I speak casually with you too?”

“Yes, go ahead. Just speak comfortably.”

As they chatted and giggled, Seo Jeong-won’s plate of pasta was finally placed in front of him.

He bowed slightly toward Kim Jae-sik and then swallowed as he stared at the delicious-smelling food.

It felt like he was eating real food for the first time in days.

During Kwon Tae-hee’s rut, he had eaten something, but nothing stood out in his memory.

All he remembered was gulping down lukewarm leftovers as if drinking something tasteless.

“What kind of food do you like, Jeong-won?”

“I think I eat pretty much everything without being picky.”

The way he slowly brought small bites of pasta to his mouth and chewed made him look just like a tiny herbivore.

Watching him, Song Hae-seop chuckled a little.

Cute, innocent, and seems to trust people easily.

The perfect type to get scammed.

If someone really tried, they could probably take his liver and gallbladder too.