PIA 24

A strange and sweet atmosphere flowed between the two. Other guests at the adjacent table had to make an effort not to give obvious glances.

The atmosphere was disrupted by the rumbling sound coming from Ji-an’s stomach. He had run out of patience after starving for several days. Jeong Hee-seo’s expression did not change in response to the sound of the stomach rumbling.

“Let’s eat first.”

As he headed to the car with Jeong Hee-seo leading the way, Ji-an looked around nervously. It seemed like Manager Jang was watching from somewhere. He didn’t want his grandmother to know about his visit to Jeong Hee-seo. That included revealing the identity of the baby inside his stomach.

“Get in.”

Jeong Hee-seo opened the car door and nudged Ji-an in. Ji-an felt embarrassed when Jeong Hee-seo gently covered his head to prevent him from bumping. As he got into the spacious car, Jeong Hee-seo immediately folded his long legs and sat down next to Ji-an. Jeong Hee-seo’s pheromone, which was floating around in the car, became thicker and was wafted into the tip of Ji-an’s nose.

Ji-an rubbed his face to hide his flushed face.

‘Let’s look at Jeong Hee-seo as if he were an enemy. Jeong Hee-seo is a villain. Jeong Hee-seo…’’

Jeong Hee-seo waved his hand and the driver gently started the car.

“What do you want to eat?”

Jeong Hee-seo asked in a friendly tone, as if he had known Ji-an for a very long time. Ji-an was the only one who felt awkward. He definitely had no hesitation when talking on the phone at night… Of course. It was because he felt nothing at the time.

Ji-an barely managed to answer, feeling as if his intestines were about to surge up his throat.

“Anything.”

Feeling awkward, he looked out the window, and saw Jeong Hee-seo’s face reflected on it. Ji-an noticed that he was looking at him, so he put his hands in the front pocket of his hoodie. It was because Ji-an’s fingers couldn’t stop twitching.

“Did you take the medicine?”

“Yes, this morning.”

“Pheromones?”

“It’s bearable.”

“You didn’t wear perfume today.”

“… I forgot. Do my pheromones come out a lot? I guess that’s a bit…”

The medicine prescribed by the hospital was designed to control pheromones in general, so it also had the effect of reducing the excessive release of Ji-an’s pheromones. After witnessing Woo-seok’s disgust in the morning, Ji-an quickly took the medicine, but by lunchtime, the effects were wearing off.

He should have eaten at the cafe… but he forgot. Despite his efforts to be cautious about his overpowering pheromones, adapting to the sudden change in his condition was not easy.

“No. Like I said, your pheromones is fine. It’s just unpleasant because you smell like another Alpha.”

“Ah… The friend who saved me for a night is an Alpha. He’s also dominant…”

Ji-an flinched when he heard that he smelled like Woo-seok. As he seemed to become more talkative due to the awkwardness, he began to babble about Woo-seok, but Jeong Hee-seo raised his hand and stopped him.

“I’m not really curious about that story.”

“… Okay.”

Haa… I’m overly self-conscious. Ji-an felt like he was going insane.

Was it because he was saved like a cat rescued from a tree? Or was it because he saw a ridiculously handsome guy doing a model walk under the sunlight? His heart continued to throb irregularly. Just looking at Jeong Hee-seo’s hands moving gently made his blood beat violently.

Damn… He’s so handsome… Ji-an felt an urge to smash the window with his fist.

Ji-an had previously considered Jeong Hee-seo as a villain who would be blackened, thus he only saw him from the surface―it’s like saying he saw him as watermelon, green with stripes. They say you shouldn’t be sure about human affairs, and indeed, Ji-an never thought he would look at Jeong Hee-seo with such eyes.

“…Shall we eat fresh pollack stew?”

Ji-an suggested a menu to avoid the awkwardness and handle the situation straight. Jeong Hee-seo glanced at Ji-an once and then nodded without any objection. Their eyes locked when Jeong Hee-seo asked if he had a favorite restaurant.

Ji-an was taken aback as he stared at the shining bridge of his nose and the hair flowing from his smooth forehead.

“Uh, I don’t know of any good places. What should I do…”

Jeong Hee-seo raised his handsome eyebrows. He rounded his lips and said, “Hmm,” and seeing such a facial expression from that handsome face surprised him.

“I don’t know any place that someone your age would like. Why don’t you try searching?”

“My cell phone is turned off right now… What do people my age like?”

“You know that better. Haven’t you charged your phone? Use this.”

Jeong Hee-seo took the tablet from his seat pocket, unlocked it, and handed it to Ji-an. Ji-an noticed Jeong Hee-seo’s fine fingernails and long fingers as he nodded and took it.

He pretended not to notice and searched for a restaurant using the search bar. He entered the menu into the green square box, but strangely, with the white background and black text, none of the information registered with him.

Ji-an narrowed his eyes and scrolled through video reviews. Hearing the sound and seeing a stranger’s face filling the screen somewhat cleared his mind.

∞

Ji-an had no idea why he had chosen fresh pollack stew. It just suddenly came to his mind. Ji-an remembered his mother telling him that she craved peaches while pregnant with his older brother. Perhaps he thought of this food without any context because he was also pregnant.

But he got tired of choosing a restaurant. The car was aimlessly driving on the road, and there were too many advertisements in the search results. After eliminating one after another, he felt like he might lose his appetite altogether.

“If you can’t decide, let’s go to a place I know.”

Jeong Hee-seo’s hand suddenly came into view and took the tablet from Ji-an. After casually skimming through what Ji-an had searched, he gave instructions to the driver.

“You should have said so earlier.”

Ji-an pouted and was secretly grateful for his decisive action.

The restaurant that Jeong Hee-seo took Ji-an to was more like a home than a restaurant.

The car entered a quiet neighborhood lined with Hanoks and stopped in a parking lot surrounded by low walls. Jeong Hee-seo opened the door on his own as soon as the engine turned off, quickly got out, and then briskly opened Ji-an’s door.

Jeong Hee-seo entered the unfamiliar gate as if he were entering his own house. Ji-an followed him at a slow pace, thinking that there was a place like this in Seoul.

“It’s been a while since you visited. General Manager.”

A woman wearing a hanbok quietly walked out and greeted them.

“Are there a total of two people in your group?”

“No allergies, right?”

Jeong Hee-seo abruptly turned around and asked Ji-an. It felt like a flashback to the first time they ate hamburgers and he had impolitely asked him questions. Ji-an nodded reflexively.

His cheeks flushed with embarrassment as he realized he had been overly startled. The atmosphere of the restaurant was completely different from the burger joint where he had treated him, making him feel somewhat overwhelmed.

Jeong Hee-seo led Ji-an inside without saying anything other than that he wanted to eat fresh pollack stew.

The warm-toned room was filled with a low wooden table and cushions. Every single detail, from the lighting to the flower vases, created a sophisticated atmosphere that suited the traditional Korean house.

Jeong Hee-seo took off his jacket, hung it up, and went inside to sit down. Ji-an hesitated before taking a seat across from Jeong Hee-seo. The table was deeply embedded underneath, mimicking a low-sitting, indoor dining structure.

Ji-an absentmindedly stretched his legs comfortably but accidentally touched Jeong Hee-seo’s foot, causing him to flinch again like a startled baby animal.

“Please have some tea while you wait, I will prepare the meal right away.”

After the employee left, Jeong Hee-seo opened the teapot and poured tea for Ji-an. Perhaps because of Jeong Hee-seo’s pheromones, the nausea had long since disappeared, and he could smell the fragrant tea.

Jeong Hee-seo, who had been silently observing Ji-an as he drank his tea, finally spoke.

“Should we talk after eating or before eating?”

“If you have anything to ask, please ask now. But what does before and after have to do with anything?”

“Many people around me can’t eat if there’s something to talk about before eating. If you ask me to talk after lunch… The employees couldn’t eat.”

Ji-an narrowed his eyes. Are they really doing this because they don’t know…? When I saw him shrug his shoulders with an innocent expression, it seemed like he was sincere.

“Are you kicked out of the house?”

“Something similar.”

“It’s not likely that you would contemplate so much just for getting kicked out at your age. I guess your grandmother is a bit extreme.”

Straightforward. This time, too, Jeong Hee-seo delivered a direct hit. He was a person who had a knack for hitting the nail on the head. Ji-an took a sip of the tea and nodded.

“It’s more than what you imagine.”

Before Ji-an could finish his response, Jeong Hee-seo put down his teacup loudly.

“We. Should we correct the title first? Every time you call me ‘you’, I feel like I’m getting younger.”

“… What should I call you? Mr. Jeong Hee-seo… Then what about the General Manager?”

“Do you work for my company?”

“Me? Since when?”

Jeong Hee-seo raised his hand and rubbed his forehead. It seemed like his four neat fingers were pointing at Ji-an and calling him an idiot.