FF Chapter 29

Ji Yeonwoo answered resolutely, which was unusual for him. Seeing this, Choi Muhyeok slowly raised himself.

“I absolutely need to know why there’s a photo of an omega taken against a backdrop of snow in the book of yours, Muhyeok, who said he hated eyes, and who that person is.”

The tables had turned in an instant.

Thus, Ji Yeonwoo, now sitting up, spoke with an air of significant determination, fixing his gaze.

“Why do you keep asking about an ex-lover?”

Hearing Choi Muhyeok’s voice, which seemed somewhat troubled, Ji Yeonwoo’s face tightened with anxiety.

“It doesn’t matter. But… even if it’s true, I believe you’ll at least tell a white lie out of goodwill.”

Watching Choi Muhyeok’s changing expression, Ji Yeonwoo took a small breath.

“Not that unrelated of a face.”

Ji Yeonwoo, who had been about to say something, pressed his lips tightly, casting a glance with a hint of resentment.

“Isn’t it obvious? Even if it wasn’t carried through to the end, it’s really bad to answer that the person in that photo is my ex-lover right after we had an intimate moment. You know that, right?”

“Are you really trying to make me the bad guy here?”

Choi Muhyeok laughed, seeming incredulous. It seemed he was genuinely curious, as Ji Yeonwoo kept staring at him without breaking his gaze.

Choi Muhyeok continued, sounding somewhat flustered.

“Did you never think it was strange after seeing the photo?”

Ji Yeonwoo, who had been tense, suddenly stiffened.

“Strange… how?”

“For example, that they look quite similar, or that the placement of moles is similar, something like that.”

Ji Yeonwoo blinked a few times, lost in thought, and soon grasped the meaning.

Finally realizing he had picked up on it, a bittersweet smile appeared on Choi Muhyeok’s face.

“If you had figured out that your lover was jealous after seeing the photo, I think my mother would have appreciated that.”

“Uh, your mother?”

That was an unexpected answer. Ji Yeonwoo asked again, as if he still couldn’t believe it.

“No way. She looked really young!”

“She liked being told she looked young. In reality, she was incredibly youthful.”

“…Really?”

“I’ve heard quite a few people say I resemble my mother. So I was a bit surprised to see Ji Yeonwoo, who seemed jealous. I thought you would have noticed.”

“I… never imagined she would be your mother.”

As he continued speaking with a calm expression, Choi Muhyeok carefully stroked Ji Yeonwoo’s cheek, which had frozen in surprise.

“If she were alive, I often thought she would have maintained a good relationship with you. The environment she grew up in was a bit difficult, but she had a bright personality and shared a lot of traits with you.”

While a shadow fell over Choi Muhyeok’s face, it didn’t linger long. He soon returned to his usual self.

Ji Yeonwoo, who had been gazing at Choi Muhyeok with a dazed expression, cautiously opened his mouth.

“But why…?”

“Because she didn’t fit in with the family in many ways. She just gave birth to a dominant alpha but was never recognized for her upbringing or anything else.”

“Ah…”

“In the end, I couldn’t protect my mother even with the traits of a dominant alpha.”

“……”

“I still can’t quite fathom the feelings of having to leave everything behind. But she loved watching the snow so much, so I think it was a bit better that she left that way.”

Ji Yeonwoo remained in a daze, unable to add anything. It was certainly a sad thing for the traces of a blood relative to vanish, but considering how much time it must have taken to speak about it so calmly, no words of comfort came to mind.

“Well, that’s all in the past.”

Seeing Ji Yeonwoo’s eyes naturally droop, Choi Muhyeok changed the subject. Having gently removed the now-loose bathrobe and placed it under the bed, Choi Muhyeok lay down on the bed beside Ji Yeonwoo, who was gazing at him.

“It’s getting late; I think we should sleep.”

Choi Muhyeok reached out to turn off the lights and settled his head under his arm. He wrapped one arm around Ji Yeonwoo’s waist and pulled him close.

“Close your eyes. If you’re still not feeling well after this weekend, let’s go to the hospital together.”

“Yes.”

Ji Yeonwoo answered, leaning a bit more comfortably against his arm, his voice lazy. He thought all the conversation would have kept him awake, but the warmth of Choi Muhyeok’s body quickly lulled him into a dreamy state.

Feeling the steady breath tickling the back of his neck, Ji Yeonwoo repeatedly opened and closed his eyes lazily, his long eyelashes finally falling shut as if entranced.

݁˖ ❀ ⋆｡˚

Ji Yeonwoo jolted awake. Bright light filtered through the drawn curtains. Morning had arrived before he knew it. Perhaps due to the effects of last night, his entire body felt stiff. The mild fever hadn’t subsided yet, and this time he had a headache on top of it.

“…Huh?”

As he shifted his sore body, Ji Yeonwoo suddenly realized the space beside him was empty.

“…Managing Director?”

Once he turned around and recognized he was alone in bed, he jumped up. Perhaps due to the sudden change in posture, dizziness hit him instantly. Pausing, Ji Yeonwoo let out a small groan, squinting as he pressed his palm to his temple.

Even in that moment, Ji Yeonwoo looked around the room, but there was no sign of him anywhere. Could he be in the living room? Dressed only in drawers with a bathrobe thrown over, Ji Yeonwoo tied the belt around his waist as he opened the bedroom door.

There was no one in the living room, but the sound of water pouring could be heard from the bathroom. Realizing that Choi Muhyeok was in the shower, the tension that had spread across his face slowly faded.

His stomach growled. Now that he thought about it, he couldn’t remember eating anything since lunch the day before.

“Could I have been feeling dizzy from hunger?”

Muttering quietly to himself, Ji Yeonwoo chuckled at the thought of having a day like this. His stomach was growling, so he considered making something to eat while Choi Muhyeok was in the shower, and as he took a step toward the kitchen—

— Beep beep beep.

The sudden sound of the house’s passcode being entered startled Ji Yeonwoo. His eyes widened in surprise. It wasn’t the sound of someone playing around—it was the sound of someone entering the code accurately, knowing it well.

But he had said he lived alone. Who could be coming in? And if they knew the passcode, it meant they were close…

While Ji Yeonwoo hesitated in confusion, the door unlocked with a beep, and opened. Shocked, Ji Yeonwoo quickly turned toward the entrance.

“Hyung, why aren’t you answering your phone…?”

A man opened the door and walked inside without hesitation. It wasn’t until he saw Ji Yeonwoo standing frozen in the middle of the living room that he stopped.

“Oh, I didn’t know there was a guest.”

The man’s gaze moved toward the bathroom, where the sound of running water continued.

The sight of Choi Muhyeok showering and Ji Yeonwoo in just a bathrobe, possibly with nothing underneath, was enough to spark the imagination.

“Your outfit is… unusual, to say the least.”

His gaze shifted back to Ji Yeonwoo, his eyes suddenly sharpening. Ji Yeonwoo hesitated and took a step back.

The man was as tall and well-built as Choi Muhyeok. Moreover, he was just as handsome, though his build was slimmer and gave off a more agile impression.

He stood at a distance, looking Ji Yeonwoo up and down with an inscrutable expression. Unsettled by the suspicious look, Ji Yeonwoo clutched his bathrobe tighter and frowned.

“Sorry if I startled you. I’ve never seen anyone else in Hyung’s house before.”

“How did you get in?”

Ji Yeonwoo was wary of him. He tried to figure out who could be close enough to enter so freely. His speech and appearance were too different from Choi Muhyeok to be family, and even if he were a secretary, his behavior didn’t seem professional.

“Well, this is awkward.”

The man’s expression twisted slightly, clearly displeased at being treated as an intruder, but it quickly passed.

Scratching the back of his head, he smirked as if finding the situation amusing.

“I’m not a stranger.”

Then, as if trying to ease Ji Yeonwoo’s tension, he extended his hand from a distance.

“I’m Choi Minhyuk. Muhyeok is my older brother.”

“Your brother…?”

Ji Yeonwoo couldn’t believe it. They did resemble each other, but he wasn’t sure if they were really brothers. Aside from a slight resemblance, their physiques and overall aura were completely different.

While Choi Muhyeok had a heavy, imposing presence, his younger brother, Choi Minhyuk, seemed much lighter.

His appearance reflected that too. He was wearing a suit, but the buttons were undone down to his collarbone, giving him a scruffy, delinquent look.

It was the kind of look that gangsters or shady characters often had.

But from the way he spoke, he seemed to really be the brother, so Ji Yeonwoo studied him with a cautious, thoughtful expression. Choi Minhyuk, still awkwardly holding out his hand, continued speaking.

“I told you my name, so isn’t it only fair that you tell me yours?”

His pointed remark caught Ji Yeonwoo off guard. He realized the man had a point. Whether or not he was really the brother, it seemed that he was closely tied to Choi Muhyeok, so it would be rude to continue acting hostile.

“Ah, I’m Ji Yeonwoo.”

Finally, Ji Yeonwoo released his grip on the bathrobe and shook Choi Minhyuk’s hand.

“Ji Yeonwoo? It’s a fitting name. How old are you?”

Hearing his name, Choi Minhyuk smiled and firmly grasped Ji Yeonwoo’s hand, which was lightly touching his. Startled, Ji Yeonwoo quickly pulled his hand back and stepped away again.

“I only asked because I figured Hyung wouldn’t tell me. If it bothered you, I apologize.”

Sensing Ji Yeonwoo’s wariness, Choi Minhyuk raised both hands in a gesture of peace, though he still looked intrigued.

“Let me ask something else. This is a bit obvious, but… what’s your relationship with my Hyung?”

The question was getting more and more intrusive, and Ji Yeonwoo was starting to get irritated. Was he being taken lightly just because he had stayed quiet?

“Don’t you think that’s a rather rude question?”

Surprisingly, Ji Yeonwoo snapped back sharply, showing a side of himself that didn’t match his gentle appearance. Choi Minhyuk finally seemed a little taken aback.

“I know. But it’s an important issue for me.”

“Important?”

“Well, I was curious if you’re the person my Hyung is paying attention to.”

As he asked the question and looked Ji Yeonwoo over, Choi Minhyuk suddenly frowned.

“I guess I don’t really need an answer. I think I’ve got it figured out.”

Choi Minhyuk hastily finished his sentence, frowning as he rubbed the tip of his nose with his finger.

“How much has this guy poured into it? He’s drenched in pheromones, completely covered.”

Covered in pheromones? Ji Yeonwoo couldn’t hide his confusion at those words. It made sense, considering he had been with Choi Muhyeok for a while, so it wasn’t surprising that his pheromones had rubbed off on him. But from Choi Minhyuk’s reaction, it seemed like more than just lingering pheromones.

“To mark someone this much and still not get a reaction? That means he’s not an omega. So, he’s putting all this effort into a beta? Has my Hyung’s taste changed?”

Choi Minhyuk muttered to himself, rubbing his lower lip with his index finger, his eyes locked onto Ji Yeonwoo’s, who appeared visibly shaken.

“Anyway, it looks like everything’s settled.”

“……”

“This might sound like a needless question, but you do know what my Hyung does for a living, right?”

Unlike his previous brash questions, this one was cautious, as if he were confirming something important. Ji Yeonwoo hesitated, feeling an increasing sense of unease.

“Sunwoo Trading Company Managing Director… I think?”

“…Excuse me?”

Choi Minhyuk raised his voice, as if he couldn’t believe what he just heard.

“Well, that’s not wrong, but… oh, come on.”

Choi Minhyuk, who had been stammering like a malfunctioning robot, finally let out a low sigh. Ji Yeonwoo felt it was best to keep quiet at that point.

Is there another side to Choi Muhyeok that I don’t know about?

The way Choi Minhyuk spoke about Choi Muhyeok made him seem like a completely different person from the one Ji Yeonwoo knew. The man standing before him, claiming to be Choi Muhyeok’s brother, with his gangster-like demeanor, his remarks about a change in preferences, and his probing questions about what Choi Muhyeok did for a living, felt anything but ordinary.

Ji Yeonwoo had no idea what was really going on. Was he still dreaming?

Just when he’d started to feel more comfortable after learning the identity of the person in the study photo, it now felt like an even bigger mystery had landed in his lap.

At that moment, the sound of running water from the bathroom stopped. Ji Yeonwoo’s anxious eyes darted between Choi Minhyuk and the now-quiet bathroom.

The sound of the bathroom door opening could be heard.

Both Ji Yeonwoo and Choi Minhyuk turned their gazes toward the bathroom.

Choi Muhyeok, fresh out of the shower, stepped out wearing nothing but a towel around his waist. He was drying his wet hair with a towel as he walked into the living room, but when he saw Choi Minhyuk standing with Ji Yeonwoo, his expression darkened.

“What’s going on?”

The deep, rough tone of his voice sent a wave of tension across Choi Minhyuk’s face. The rude and insolent demeanor he’d shown to Ji Yeonwoo had vanished.

“What are you doing here?”

Choi Muhyeok’s eyes narrowed as he realized that Choi Minhyuk had entered the living room without even being invited in. His gaze naturally shifted to Ji Yeonwoo. Contrary to his expectations that Yeonwoo would be feeling refreshed after a good night’s sleep in his arms, Ji Yeonwoo’s face was clouded with anxiety.

“You little punk.”

Choi Muhyeok quickly stepped forward, causing Choi Minhyuk to flinch and step back.

“Hey, bro, it’s not like that….”

Choi Muhyeok walked straight between the two, shielding Ji Yeonwoo behind him.

“What nonsense have you been spouting?”

He knew without anyone telling him that his younger brother had said something inappropriate to Ji Yeonwoo. After all, he was well aware of Choi Minhyuk’s personality.

Choi Minhyuk was the type who didn’t know how to watch his words. His lack of social awareness was one thing, but being the only child of their stepmother, he had been spoiled, which left him immature. Even though he wasn’t a bad person, his careless words often caused problems.

Since he knew his brother well, Choi Muhyeok couldn’t help but feel worried about Ji Yeonwoo. He had likely said something, but there was no way to know exactly what had come out of his mouth in front of Yeonwoo.

“I didn’t say anything bad. Really. I just asked for his name and age, and mentioned that he seemed to have a lot of your pheromones on him. I mean, as your brother, don’t you think it’s natural to be curious when someone’s standing in your house wearing just a robe?”

“And how many times do I have to tell you to at least ring the doorbell when you come over?”

“Well, you could change the passcode if it bothers you. How am I supposed to….”

Before Choi Minhyuk could finish his excuse, Choi Muhyeok’s face darkened with anger. Realizing he’d gone too far, Choi Minhyuk quickly backed down.

“Sorry. If I knew you were with someone, I wouldn’t have barged in like this.”

Choi Minhyuk mumbled his apology as he fidgeted with the documents he was holding, casting glances toward Ji Yeonwoo over Choi Muhyeok’s broad shoulders.

Sensing his gaze, Ji Yeonwoo instinctively stepped closer to Choi Muhyeok, pressing against his firm back. Feeling Ji Yeonwoo’s hand on his back, Choi Muhyeok frowned.

“What do you want?”

His tone made it clear that unless this was important, he was ready to kick his brother out right away. Choi Minhyuk hurriedly waved the envelope he was holding.

“It’s about what you asked me to look into earlier. I found it.”

Choi Muhyeok’s eyes narrowed as he glanced at the envelope. Without needing much explanation, he knew exactly what it contained.

His eyes flashed dangerously. If it was about the investigation he had asked Minhyuk to conduct on Lee Hyunjun, this wasn’t a conversation to have in front of Ji Yeonwoo.

Clicking his tongue in irritation, Choi Muhyeok turned to face Ji Yeonwoo.

“Yeonwoo.”

“Yes?”

“Sorry, but I need to go to the study to handle some work. I’ve sent your clothes for cleaning, so for now, go to the dressing room and change into mine.”

Ji Yeonwoo sighed quietly at the thought of being left alone.

“It’s something I can’t delay… Let’s talk more after I’m done.”

Ji Yeonwoo, who seemed like he had something to say, reluctantly nodded instead of speaking. Choi Muhyeok, who had been holding onto Ji Yeonwoo’s shoulders, gently stroked his soft cheek before turning to Choi Minhyuk.

“You, come in.”

Choi Muhyeok picked up the shirt and pants he had set aside to change into and headed into the study. The gentle man who had just been with Ji Yeonwoo was gone, replaced by a cold demeanor.

Watching this hot-and-cold shift in Choi Muhyeok, Choi Minhyuk alternated his gaze between Ji Yeonwoo and the study, pursing his lips into a small circle.