LM 119

“Wow.”

It was none other than Park Hae-jeong who showed up like that. He had heard about Kwon Yumon meeting an Alpha, but seeing it with his own eyes was quite shocking. Kwon Siyul couldn’t even think of closing his gaping mouth and trudged down the hill.

“Oh.”

A familiar figure was visible at the end of the slope. Kwon Siyul narrowed his eyes, then widened them like a full moon. It turned out to be Woo Hyunse.

He said he would wait for him.

Woo Hyunse was leaning against the car body, but when he saw Kwon Siyul, he straightened his upper body. He also spread his arms wide open. Kwon Siyul gradually increased his pace and ran as fast as he could. He ran down the slope as if he was rolling down and threw himself into Woo Hyunse’s arms, hugging his waist tightly. His voice, calling out “Hyung!” was filled with joy.

“I didn’t know Hyung would come himself.”

“Because I missed you.”

Woo Hyunse’s pronunciation was muffled because he was sweeping up the other man’s bangs and pecking his fair forehead with his lips. Even that was good. Kwon  Siyul’s lips curved into a bright smile.

Becoming a spectacle for passersby, Kwon Siyul suddenly snapped to his senses, clearing his throat and extricating himself from Woo Hyunse’s embrace. He took a half-step back, his eyes sparkling like they held embedded stars in them as he looked up.

“Hyung, I think I won the bet.”

Kwon Yuwon’s heat wouldn’t end in a single night, especially with Park Hae-jeong adding fuel to the fire. Even if the method was underhanded, victory was victory.

“So, let’s live together now.”

Even without the bet, Kwon Siyul had always intended to live with Woo Hyunse someday. He didn’t want to be apart any longer. He thought he needed time to persuade Kwon Yuwon, but after seeing him today, it seemed no further effort would be necessary.

As if smiles were contagious, the corners of Woo Hyunse’s lips turned up like Kwon Siyul’s. Arcing like a crescent moon, he then burst into a clear, hearty laugh, sweeping Kwon Siyul into his arms. The sensation of his feet leaving the ground made Kwon Siyul frantically clutch at Woo Hyunse’s neck. He struggled, telling him to put him down, worried about what others would think, but Woo Hyunse was as unyielding as ever.

“Let’s go today. We can get your things later. You only need to bring yourself anyway. I have everything.”

As if he had already prepared everything in advance, Woo Hyunse was decisive. Kwon Siyul hadn’t realized he would be this happy about living together. Kwon Siyul gazed at his flushed face, eventually mirroring his smile. Strike while the iron is hot. Today was day one.

As Kwon Siyul predicted, Kwon Yuwon retreated after his heat. It wasn’t an admission of defeat. He insisted that unforeseen circumstances required an extension of the bet, but after Kwon Siyul scolded him, he finally waved the white flag.

“If you’re really struggling, I’ll help you find a place. I’ve saved up money, so I can contribute to the deposit.”

Unable to shake the feeling that he was abandoning Kwon Yuwon, Kwon Siyul wanted to help as much as possible . But Kwon Yuwon scoffed and turned him down.

“What would I do with your pocket change? Save it for your snacks. I have a place to stay.”

“Where?”

Kwon Yuwon was silent for a moment. Kwon Siyul could deduce the answer from the silence.

“Park Hae-jeong…ssi?”

He hesitated over the title, eventually settling on “ssi.” Kwon Yuwon whispered a small “Yeah” that only Kwon Siyul could hear.

“Kwon Siyul.”

“Yeah.”

“If Woo Hyunse gives you any trouble, come straight to me. No matter what, you’re my only brother.”

Even though they were from the same orphanage, their bond was stronger than that of blood brothers. To Kwon Siyul, Kwon Yuwon was not only a brother but also family. His throat tightened, and he couldn’t answer immediately. He cleared his throat unnecessarily before speaking a beat later.

“You too. If anything happens, contact me anytime. Even if nothing happens, contact me. And don’t disappear again.”

Bringing up the past made Kwon Yuwon shout from the other end of the line, “I won’t do it again!” With Park Hae-jeong sticking close, he probably wouldn’t cause as much trouble, Kwon Siyul thought. He was feeling relieved as he hung up.

What he had at the moment was true independence. Kwon Siyul had experienced independence while living apart from Kwon Yuwon, but he hadn’t considered it complete self-reliance. Now, he was finally standing on his own two feet.

He took his phone and left the bedroom. Woo Hyunse, who had been sitting on the living room sofa looking at his tablet, looked up. As Kwon Siyul approached, he naturally opened his arms. Kwon Siyul nestled into his embrace.

“Did your call go well?”

“Yes.”

Leaning his head against his chest, he looked at Woo Hyunse’s tablet. Documents, news, and other windows were scattered haphazardly. It wasn’t a field he was interested in, so he looked up at Woo Hyunse. At his firm jaw, ears, and cheeks, as if drawn with bold strokes of a thick brush.

Then, suddenly, the thought that Woo Hyunse already knew about Kwon Yuwon and Park Hae-jeong’s relationship flashed through his mind. Just the fact that he had deliberately sent Park Hae-jeong, whom he had supposedly sent on a business trip, to the inn, was proof that he had a soft side. But at the same time, Woo Hyunse was ruthless.  Didn’t he make the comment about tormenting Park Hae-jeong from the moment Kwon Siyul brought up the bet?

“Hyung, you knew about everything, didn’t you?”

He asked, narrowing his eyes. Woo Hyunse must have noticed his suspicious gaze, but he feigned ignorance, asking innocently, “Knew about what?” Only after Kwon Siyul directly mentioned Kwon Yuwon and Park Hae-jeong’s names did he smile playfully.

“More or less.”

Just as he thought. Kwon Siyul straightened up. Woo Hyunse grabbed Kwon Siyul, who was trying to escape, and sat him on his lap. He rested his chin on his soft crown, preventing him from running away.

“How did you know? Did that ahjussi tell you?”

“Not really. Park Hae-jeong didn’t seem to want to come back after going to Kwon Yuwon.”

“Huh? Just from that?”

“Yeah.”

Woo Hyunse put down the tablet and wrapped his arms around Kwon Siyul’s waist. He buried his nose in the nape of his neck, exposed by his loose clothing, and inhaled deeply. The faint scent of wisteria wafted up.

How could he concentrate on work when he smelled this? He leisurely slipped his hand inside Kwon Siyul’s shirt. He gently stroked his soft skin, savoring the scent.

He didn’t know about his personal life, but Park Hae-jeong was meticulous when it came to work. Once he finished a task, he rarely looked back. But he was clinging to Kwon Yuwon’s affairs even though they were clearly over. The reason was so obvious that he didn’t even ask why.

I told you to protect him, not to sleep with him.

Even when he teased him like that, Park Hae-jeong didn’t even make up any excuses, true to his taciturn nature. Anyway, thanks to him, he got rid of a troublesome person, so he had no intention of criticizing him.

“Oh, it’s Jeju Island.”

As he was about to slip his hand into his pants, Kwon Siyul, who was watching TV, looked up. Woo Hyunse also turned his gaze forward. The deep blue sea surged on the large screen. It was the blue sea that he hadn’t even gotten a glimpse of when he went on a trip with Kwon Siyul.

At that time, he didn’t even get the chance to see the outside, let alone the sea, because of the snowstorm. He didn’t regret the time he spent in the villa, but seeing Kwon Siyul staring blankly at the scenery on TV, he was bothered that he hadn’t been able to go on a proper trip.

Besides.

“…”

He couldn’t even enjoy himself comfortably in Jeju Island. He wondered how Kwon Siyul felt when he came to the villa, knowing full well about his engagement.

“Shall we go on a trip?”

Changing his mind, he took his hand off his pants and hugged Kwon Siyul. Kwon Siyul, who was still nestled in his arms and couldn’t take his eyes off the screen, finally turned around.

“Let’s go abroad this time, not Jeju Island.”

“I’ve never been abroad before.”

His words made his heart ache. He had never felt this way about anyone before, so it was even more unfamiliar. Woo Hyunse hugged Kwon Siyul and calmed his restless heart by inhaling his scent deeply.

“Let’s get your passport first.”

He resolved to make only good memories this time. As if knowing Woo Hyunse’s heart, Kwon Siyul nodded and smiled brightly.

°❀•°❀°•❀°

Kwon Siyul took out a photo from his pocket and sighed. No matter how he looked at it, he looked ugly. If he had known this would happen, he would have searched for a place that took good photos. He was in a hurry to get a passport photo, so he went into any photo studio he saw, but he didn’t know it was a place that didn’t do retouching.

He wanted to ask them to fix at least his baby hairs, but he couldn’t bring himself to say it because the elderly man with white hair put his hand to his ear and said, “What?

“Oh dear, I forgot to bring my hearing aid today. So, what did you say?”

“…It’s nothing.”

“The photo turned out well, didn’t it?”

He smiled contentedly, so how could he honestly say it didn’t turn out well? Kwon Siyul reluctantly nodded his head.

He applied for a passport and came home, but even after looking at it again, he could only feel that he looked ugly. His hair, which he had tried to comb, was puffed up like a bird’s nest because of static electricity, and his eyes were dull. His lips were also protruding like a goldfish, making his already dazed expression look like he was about to drop his head and fall asleep.

Still, it was a photo that would go on his passport, so should he have taken another one somewhere else? He had already applied, so he couldn’t cancel it.

He had to quickly destroy the rest of the photos before Woo Hyunse saw them. He was about to get up to throw them in the trash when he heard the sound of the keypad being pressed in the living room.