CH 31

If Choi Sung-hoon sends another person to commute me to work, I expected it to be the lunch box gangster-like brother, but it was a different gangster-like brother. He was like a robot, greeting me and driving without making eye contact.



I felt helpless all day at the thought of not being able to meet Choi Sung-hoon. When I stopped by the cafe to wait for the gangster-like brother to pick me up after work, Ho-in asked why I had such a bad expression and if I was sick.



I’ve become so selfish these days. I couldn’t smile as I walked around, and my expression was so bad that people were worried about me…



“I am perfectly healthy. Rather, I’m worried about Ho-in ssi. It seems you are getting thinner.”



“I am perfectly healthy as well… He is late today. He was usually here before you left work.”



“Are you talking about Choi Sung-hoon ssi? He went on a business trip and someone else decided to pick me up. He will return next week.”



“…Really?”



Ho-in’s expression brightened noticeably. He smiled and brewed a cup of citron tea. This cup of citron tea was my first meal of the day.  I don’t have an appetite, but only citron tea was palatable.



“Excuse me, Seo-yu ssi, then tomorrow… Can you make time for me?”



“Ah… “



If I refuse Ho-in’s request again, I will no longer be a human being.



“Yes, of course. Where shall we meet?”



Ho-in was surprised at first when I readily accepted, but his face gradually transformed into joy.



I felt a little strange watching the change



If this person hadn’t been Omega, I would have thought he liked me.



Ho-in made me feel embarrassed at first by asking to meet at 9 a.m., but it was eventually changed to 4 p.m. I couldn’t do housework because I was spending every weekend day with Choi Sung-hoon, so I decided to do some cleanup tomorrow.



– …So, you’re going home after dinner and watching a movie.



When I mentioned it during our regular phone call, Choi Sung-hoon’s response was very cool.



“Should I say it will be a movie all night? There is an event with three consecutive movies at night, so I’m going to watch it. I think I will come home on Sunday.”



– Staying up all night is bad for your health.



“I can doze off while watching a movie. And I don’t sleep a lot, so it’s okay.”



– You don’t sleep a lot…



Choi Sung-hoon reacted as if he had heard the snowstorm was warm. I felt a little embarrassed.



I have actually prescribed sleeping pills for insomnia and fell asleep while taking them.



Strangely, I’m sleeping a lot these days.



I fell asleep while on the phone with Choi Sung-hoon a few days ago. I dozed off while explaining that two new employees had joined the company and that the former new employees were training them.



My phone was in my hand when I woke up, and the talk time had been 5 hours and 3 minutes. He probably didn’t pay attention to my breathing for hours, and Choi Sung-hoon seemed to have dozed off as well. When I mentioned that we must have fallen asleep together on our way to work in the morning, Choi Sung-hoon softly smiled and said, “The sound of your breath was very steady.” I was so embarrassed that I wanted to slam the car door open.



I immediately posted a screenshot of the call time and a sleeping face emoticon on SNS, saying [I’m embarrassed] that he was listening to the sound of my breathing. I was overjoyed when Sung-hyun commented.



Sung-hyun was cold to them, but to me, he was always jealous of his brother always kind to me, which felt good because it made me feel special every time.



There were numerous other responses, but I don’t want to remember them all. Except when I’m posting, I don’t open my SNS. I was terrified because even people I had passed by once were on my friend list. I didn’t delete the photos because I needed to upload them, but I didn’t log in other than to upload photos.



– It seems that the dominant Omega is very interested in Seo-yu ssi.



Why was Choi Sung-hoon doesn’t like Ho-in for so long? My suspicion was that He was jealous…



“Because I’m his first omega friend… the same goes with me. If I refuse to see him today and tomorrow, he may end our friendship.”



– …What time are you going to wake up tomorrow?



“I’m thinking about cleaning up, so I’ll get up around eight.”



– It would be hard to clean that house… Do you want me to call someone to clean up for you?



I was about to say that I was fine with the seemingly indifferent kind words, but then I stopped.



“Did you make fun of me because my house was a mess?”



– Oh, did you notice?



Choi Sung-hoon laughed lowly. It was absurd, but then we were laughing.  When this person pulls pranks like this, it tickles my heart and makes me laugh.



I rolled the bed over and discussed where and how to clean it. The bathroom would be lacquered, spoiled food in the refrigerator would be thrown away, the closet would be organized, and spring clothes would be brought out, among other things. Choi Sung-hoon listened intently to every detail of my story. He responded and teased me a lot more than before.



After hanging up, I stared at the screen of my phone and fell asleep for a long time, wondering how such a person and I could be intertwined.



* * *



I woke up to the sound of the alarm and started stretching when I heard the sound of the bell.



Who would come this morning?



I went out in pajamas because I thought it was the owner’s grandfather.



“Seo-yu ssi.”



Surprisingly, Choi Sung-hoon was standing in front of me. He was dressed in a black suit, as usual, but his hair was down.



As soon as I saw him, I slammed the door. I dashed to the bathroom, checked my face, and quickly changed out of my pajama top with a stretched neck into a knit tee. Then I turned to face the man who was standing quietly outside the door.



As I carefully opened the door, Choi Sung-hoon, who was looking at his phone slowly, tilted his head.



“Good morning.”



“Uh… What happened? You were going on a business trip… You said you’d come next week…”



“I came by because I had some free time. I have another appointment in the afternoon.”



Choi Sung-hoon spoke as if he were on a business trip in a Korean province. It was definitely Dubai, according to what I’ve heard.



I sat on the sofa next to Choi Seong-hoon, who seemed bigger today, after hurriedly making two cups of coffee.



“It’s nice to see your face like this.”



I was just thinking about that, so I thought I said it.



Surprisingly, Choi Seong-hoon was the one who spoke. He had a warm look in his eyes as he looked at me. My heart was racing, and I couldn’t make eye contact with him. However, I didn’t turn my gaze away because I thought it would be a waste not to look at him.



“You must be exhausted to come in the early morning… You should have stayed in the hotel and rested. How did you end up here?”



“I think I’ll be more tired if I don’t see Seo-yu ssi.”



“There is also a video call… ”



“I also wanted to help with the cleaning. Because I know you won’t be able to do it on your own.”



“I know you’re just making fun of me…”



I laughed even though I was being teased.



“I’m not going to do any cleaning today. What kind of cleaning is cleaning with someone who flew in from Dubai to see me?”



I rested my face on his shoulder, carefully pulling the coffee away from him so it didn’t spill. Choi Sung-hoon smiled contentedly.



“Are you wearing pajamas?”



“Ah… Yes… this is my brother’s. I have been wearing it for over 10 years.”



I couldn’t change my pants because I was in a hurry. It was navy fleece pajama pants, but I shouldn’t show my back to Choi Sung-hoon because the hips are stretched.



“Do you want to wear pajamas as well, Choi Sung-hoon ssi?”



“No. I’m going to take it off anyway.”



Why would you take it off…?



I wondered, but as I notice Choi Sung-hoon’s thick and long fingers slowly unbuttoning the button of his suit, my confusion disappeared.



Choi Sung-hoon placed his vest on the sofa’s armrest and unbuttoned his shirt sleeve. His attention remained fixed on me. I clutched my coffee cup like it was a lifeline.



Someone who just returned from a business trip and wants to have sex?



I drank my coffee, wondering if it was my dream.



“Ah, it’s hot.”



Cough, cough.



I coughed as my tongue throbbed. Choi Sung-hoon looked at me as he was doing unbuttoning his shirt.



“Excuse me, Chae Sung-hung ssi.”



“…”



“Breakfast! We have to eat it! Choi Seong-hung ssi, did you have breakfast? I mean, I haven’t eaten it yet.”



“…Did you burn your tongue?”



His long and thick fingers reached for my lips. He opened my lips and looked at my tongue as if he expected it. The coffee burn had most likely turned pink. Choi Sung-hoon, who was still watching, frowned.



“Where is the ointment?”



“Ah, even if I don’t apply ointment, I’ll be fine in 5 minutes.”



“… ”



Choi Sung-hoon stared at me with frightening eyes. I went to the TV cabinet and opened the drawer quietly. Choi Sung-hoon, who followed, discovered the ointment in the messy medicine box.



He washed his hands and approached me as I sat still in front of the drawers. Then he squeezed the white ointment as little as baby bird feed on his long and thick fingers, and I opened my lips. I wondered if the cold ointment was followed by a warm finger.



After carefully spreading the ointment, he grabbed my chin and kissed me. It was a tickling kiss that only touched my lips.



“Be careful. You may have suffered serious burns.”



“Yes…”



My heart melted at his series of actions. It makes me want to get a bigger burn…



I took a deep breath and smiled.



“I’m hungry. Choi Sung-hoon ssi didn’t have breakfast, did he?”



“I didn’t eat.”



“You must be tired, so take a seat in that massage chair over there for a moment. I’ll prepare something delicious for you.”



I got up first and pulled Choi Sung-hoon’s arm (this was possible because he got up on his own) and sat him on the massage chair.



“Sir, please sit here. This was very good. It will make you feel relaxed.”



“Who gave you this present?”



I really enjoy it when Choi Sung-hoon plays this kind of prank with his eyes that look cold because he doesn’t have double eyelids.



“Yes, the extremely dominant Alpha I met recently gave it to me.”



“You had a lover.”



“He is not my lover. He’s a very nice person.”



I spoke happily and turned on the massage chair.



Choi Sung-hoon, who I had expected to respond, fell silent. I was flustered. The spring-like atmosphere appears to have vanished in an instant, replaced by a midwinter blizzard.



Was he caught off guard by the massage chair’s superior performance? If he asks for it, I won’t give it to him, but I will tell him to come here whenever he needs a massage.



“I am not your lover.”



The cold voice startled me, and I shuddered to my shoulders. Choi Sung-hoon raised one eyebrow and looked at me, but his eyes seemed to be asking for an explanation.



Why was he suddenly angry? Of course, I’d like you to be my lover, but what if you aren’t…



“Why aren’t we lovers?”



“Sir, if I had a lover, it would be you…” 



I said and smiled bashfully, and then his cold expression softened a little.



Choi Sung-hoon stroked my neck while telling me not to make him misunderstand.



I wondered what kind of misunderstanding I had made. After Choi Sung-hoon leaves, I’ll have to rethink it.



“Then wait a moment. I’ll make you something delicious.”



“Why is Seo-yu ssi cooking? I’m going to ask them to bring your meal now… ”



“Excuse me, sir. As the homeowner, I want to treat you something. Please wait a little bit.”



As Choi Sung-hoon was about to take out his phone, I blocked him by putting my index finger to his lips and then releasing it. Choi Sung-hoon gave a brief smile and said he was looking forward to it.



Kinda wondering what should I cook, I made my way to the kitchen.



But when I looked inside the refrigerator, I was disappointed. There were only a few side dishes left, but everything had gone bad except for the kimchi, and the only thing left was ramen. As I looked at the various types of ramen bags, I sighed.



Ha… I felt like I was going to cry because I couldn’t even make a fried egg for someone who asked me to take a picture and send it to him while he was on a business trip.



I want to feed him the most delicious food in the world. Perhaps I should go out and buy it right now.



“Seo-yu ssi, do you have any ramen? I have been wanting to eat ramen for a long time.”



“Ramen? I only have the instant one…”



“There are times when instants ramen was more delicious because I can’t eat when I went abroad.”



“All right. Then I’ll make ramen for you.”



In the living room, Choi Sung-hoon’s voice was like a savior. He wants to eat ramen as if he can see I’m in a bad situation. It was totally fate. This is why I can’t seem to make up my mind about anything.



I took three bags of ramen to Choi Seong-hoon, who was sitting on the massage chair.



“O ramen, S ramen, and J ramen. Which one should I cook?”



“…Is this the only ramen?”



“There are five.”



“Then everything,” he replied. He was so cool that he made my heart race again.



The ramen was boiling in a large pot. It looked delicious because it had been a while. The smell wasn’t overbearing at all and it was refreshing. The quantity seems a bit large, but five would not be enough to keep his massive figure.



There was no rice in this house, so we couldn’t even eat rice; there was no rice cake, no cheese, no eggs… Oh, there was one thing.



I rummaged through the cupboard and asked,



“Cho Sung-hoon ssi, if you like spicy food, would you like to add cyanide?”



“…I’d be happy to die with you, but I’ll decline today.”



“Yes? …Ah.”



I blinked at the sudden answer and soon realized my mistake.



“Cheongyang pepper… Cheongyang pepper…”



“Don’t put it in. It’s not good for your stomach if you eat it for breakfast.”



“Yes…”



Should I eat all of this and die?



“Don’t think about dying by eating all of it.”



Choi Sung-hoon spoke as if he had read my mind. The voice was filled with laughter.



I cooked ramen in embarrassment.



***



“Hmm…”



Choi Sung-hoon grabbed my waist and pulled me towards him as I was about to run away from exhaustion.



I was confused by the interaction that had developed since the morning.



After I finished eating to my stomach’s content without feeling nauseous… Our gazes locked as we brushed our teeth.



Standing next to Choi Sung-hoon, who was wearing only a white t-shirt and had veins on his arms, it was impossible not to feel anything of him as a young and healthy Omega.



I kissed him first, and  Choi Sung-hoon wrapped his arms around my waist.



At one point, I was laid on the bed in the room…



And…



What time is it now…?



“Choi Sung-hoon ssi…”



My voice was hoarse, like water parsley that had been soaked in rain.



“I have to go… I have an appointment…”



“I know.”



Choi Sung-hoon answered by kissing my eyelids, bridge of the nose, and lips.



“Before that, I will take you there. I have to go in the afternoon anyway.”



“Now… What time is it now… ?”



He extended his arm and showed me his phone’s screen.



Surprisingly, it was 10 a.m.



I thought it had been a long time…



“You still have plenty of time.”



“Ugh… !”



Choi Sung-hoon resumed moving his waist, which had stopped.



I was soon lost again under his large body.



* * *



Disaster hit not long after we were having a good time.



Choi Sung-hoon’s phone started receiving calls one after the other. Choi Sung-hoon, who had initially ignored them, finally answered the phone with a frown on the fifth call.



His face became serious while talking on the phone, and he said after hanging up



“It wasn’t Korean time.”



“…Yes?”



“It was based on Dubai time. There’s a five-hour difference. It’s 6 o’clock in Korean time.”



“…”



“I need to contact the captain. Seo-yu ssi, please contact that Omega as well.”



When Choi Sung-hoon left, I remained silent for a few moments before frantically searching for my cell phone. My back, legs, and holes were all sore, but there was no time to worry about it.



My cell phone was under the bed.



Maybe its got legs, why was it here… Oh, I’m fucked.



I had 12 missed calls from Ho-in. When I called, he answered even before the phone rang once.



– Seo-yu ssi! Is everything okay? Are you sick? What’s going on? I can’t even contact you…



“Ho-in ssi, I’m sorry… You’re not still waiting, are you?”



– I’m back now. Did something happen?



“I am… that is… “



– Your throat wasn’t in a good condition. A cold?



My voice was completely gone in the meantime. t wasn’t unreasonable to think it was a cold.



Cough.



I coughed in time. Swallowing Choi Seong-hoon’s stuff was too much…



– If you’re sick, take a break, Seo-yu ssi. If I knew your house, I would at least visit you…



“I’m really sorry. I’ll buy a meal later. I’ll also treat you to watch movies. I’m really sorry.”



– Don’t think about it and rest. You have to get better on the weekend.



Ho-in’s voice was full of worries until the end, so it broke my conscience.



Choi Sung-hoon entered the room after hanging up the phone, pulling his hair out in shame and guilt.



“Seo-yu ssi, I’m sorry. How did your appointment go?”



“I’m going to treat him to a meal later. How about yours, Choi Sung-hoon ssi?”



“…You said that if you refused one more time, you would lose your friendship. He didn’t cut it off.”



“Yes, I told you. He is a good person.”



Choi Sung-hoon approached me with cold eyes.



Did things go wrong?



It was difficult to ask because of his scary expression.



Choi Sung-hoon apologized once more, kissed me, and rolled me into the blanket.



With only my face exposed, I was able to watch Choi Sung-hoon’s dressing process. It felt even more raunchy as that fibrous clothes were layered on top of his hard, large muscles, making me feel even more embarrassed.



* * * 



Over the weekend, I went shopping and purchased a small angel-shaped doll. Throughout the weekend, I worried about whether this would cover up or not, but Ho-in was pretty happy with it.



“You purposefully bought it for me… I think I’ll always want you to be late for an appointment if you’re always like this.”



I was relieved to say that I was not offended by what he said as a joke.



“I guess your cold is all better now. What a relief. I was very worried.”



“Ah… It was not a cold.”



“Then…?”



“Actually, Choi Sung-hoon came over on Saturday. The extremely dominant Alpha.”



The hand that was stroking the little angel doll stopped as I spoke.



“I thought he was going on a business trip… You said he was coming back this week.”



“I thought the same thing, but he showed up in the morning. I had some time before my appointment, so we watched a movie… Choi Sung-hoon’s phone was set to Dubai time. We didn’t know, and the day flew by just like that.”



“…The time setting will change automatically.”



“That’s right. I was wondering if his phone had broken. I’m really sorry. It won’t happen again.”



I sincerely apologized once more. Ho-in made a stern expression as if he was upset.



He sighed, tapped the table, and opened his mouth as he pressed his fingers to his forehead.



“Do you really need to tell me the truth? I would understand if you said you were sick…”



He was right. It was a comfortable way to convince. However, when I arrived at the cafe and saw Ho-in’s pale face, I made the decision to tell the truth.



“I think Ho-in was too worried.”



“… ”



“I understand how emotionally draining such worries can be. Worried about a person who is in pain… I couldn’t lie like that because I knew it would make things worse for you. I sincerely apologize.”



“… ”



Ho-in, who was listening quietly, blinked.



He didn’t say anything for a long time, and it wasn’t until the cafe staff snooped around the table that he muttered in low voices.



“… It makes me impossible…to do it.”



“Yes?”



“No, nothing.”



And, despite barely closing his eyes and raising the corners of his mouth, his expression was neither crying nor smiling.