PIA 35

When their eyes met, Jeong Hee-seo smiled softly.

“What will you do if your grandmother hits you? … Does she play golf by any chance?”

Did Kang Boon-nam own a golf club as a weapon? Ji-an vaguely remembered seeing it in a drama. If he were to be hit with a golf club, it would likely result in at least a fracture…

He remembered being hit by his brother in the past, so he knew the pain well. Ji-an suppressed the feeling of being struck at the back of his head and forcibly raised the corners of his mouth.

“Don’t worry, Hyung-nim. I will enter by rolling forward and shouting, ‘This is JM Jeong Hee-seo’s baby.’”

As he spread his arms wide and performed a perfect landing motion, Jeong Hee-seo’s eyes widened momentarily, then quickly averted his gaze.

“You can laugh as much as you want…”

In the world he originally lived in, his friend Woo-seok often said that Ji-an’s greed for comedy was a sign of his upbringing without love. He’d say that Ji-an kept making jokes because he needed attention. That statement wasn’t wrong.

Ji-an looked at Jeong Hee-seo with round eyes, like a mischievous puppy examining its owner’s reaction.

“Ha… seriously.”

Jeong Hee-seo covered his mouth with his fist, saying that he could not stop him, and laughed helplessly. Even though he tried to cough to cover it up, he couldn’t stop laughing. It was a strange feeling. Jeong Hee-seo dry wiped his face as if to wipe away his laughter.

Ji-an was visibly relieved when Jeong Hee-seo looked back at him with smiling eyes. He’s a grown man… but Jeong Hee-seo thought that the reason he kept feeling like Ji-an’s behavior made him seem childlike was because of his big eyes.

“Are you going to act like this in front of your grandmother? I’m being serious. Don’t let anyone touch your body carelessly. Say that Jeong Hee-seo hyung will come after you.”

“No problem. I will definitely use that line.”

When Jeong Hee-seo gently patted Ji-an’s head as if to encourage him to cheer up, Ji-an’s pheromones rose in response. Anyone who has felt it will know. It was as sweet as if a large flower basket had been crushed whole. Jeong Hee-seo frowned.

“Do you even know what you’re doing…”

“What? What do I know?”

“I heard you are recessive.”

Jeong Hee-seo had clearly heard about Ji-an’s recessiveness from Ji-an himself and seen it written on the documents presented by his secretary. That, plus confirmation from Dr. Kim Han-seok at the hospital.

“Why do you try to manipulate people like this?”

Jeong Hee-seo’s well-shaped brows arched slightly as he looked down. Even that seemed picturesque, stealing Ji-an’s gaze entirely. The way Ji-an followed along with whatever he said, matching his every gaze, stirred and stimulated something deep within Jeong Hee-seo.

Unconsciously, Jeong Hee-seo himself wasn’t aware that he too kept matching gazes with Ji-an.

“You are such a weird guy. Do you know that?”

The hand that had been patting Ji-an’s head came down. The fingertips delicately tapped his white cheek, which was like a rice cake. The change in color as if dipped in flower water also caught Jeong Hee-seo’s attention.

Ji-an, who was looking at Jeong Hee-seo’s face, could hardly breathe under his gaze. When those eyes that had been meticulously dissecting his face finally reached his lips, it felt like a sneeze might burst forth.

“Seo Ji-an.”

“…”

Just being called by his name rendered him motionless as if he were caught in a spider’s web. Was it because of the pheromones that enveloped his body entirely? Ji-an could only stare wide-eyed as Jeong Hee-seo approached him slowly.

Fragrant breath brushed past his cheek and caressed the tip of his nose. Ji-an’s face turned red due to the breathing he had been holding earlier. He trembled as he tightly grasped Jeong Hee-seo’s chest.

“Wa… wait! Isn’t that my mom?”

Ji-an pushed Jeong Hee-seo away with all his might, ignoring the pounding sound of his heart in his ears. He almost stumbled as he moved his body, which was squeezed between Jeong Hee-seo and the street lamp, to one side.

Had their lips touched? Or hadn’t they?

Ji-an turned to face Jeong Hee-seo, who had an unusually shaken expression. Ji-an bowed his head hurriedly, anxiously stating he had seen his mother.

“I think my mom came out the front door! I’ll go in, Hyung-nim. Please drive carefully. Thank you for the meal today… and for feeding me and putting me to bed all this time…”

“Enough. I got it.”

“Thank you, Hyung-nim.”

“…Yeah. Take care. Call me if anything happens.”

Jeong Hee-seo stopped Ji-an from repeatedly bowing in embarrassment. Even Ji-an himself thought the excuse was weak, and there was no way the quick-witted Jeong Hee-seo wouldn’t have noticed. What a mother. Ji-an belatedly turned away from him, his face burning with embarrassment.

As he left Jeong Hee-seo behind and headed towards the gate, he felt Jeong Hee-seo’s burning gaze on his back. The time between ringing the bell and the door opening seemed like an eternity.

Ji-an became extremely embarrassed since the door was not open and his obvious lie had been exposed.

Ji-an felt sorry as he recalled the unusual and sweet atmosphere. But he’d be returning to his world in a year… he couldn’t just go along with the atmosphere and respond casually.

As the heavy door closed and a thick barrier formed between him and Jeong Hee-seo, Ji-an slipped down onto the cold doorstep, pressing down on his throbbing heart.

Ah, maybe he should have just done it.

The lips that had briefly touched left behind a very nice scent.

Ji-an shook his head, trying to clear his mind of the worries, but all his attention was focused on the man outside the house. Ji-an peeked through the gap in the door, making sure he wasn’t noticed.

Jeong Hee-seo, who was looking down at something on his cell phone, got into the car and drove out of the alley. He didn’t even look back at Ji-an’s house once. His driving was so flawless that the car moved out without interruption, like water streaming.

“Young Master, you’re here?”

Ji-an, who had been sitting by the door for a long time after Jeong Hee-seo’s car had completely disappeared from sight, jumped out in surprise when he heard the call.

“Ah, Butler Ahn. Have you not slept?”

“Not yet. It’s still early, isn’t it? Both Madams are waiting inside. Have you had your meal?”

“Yes. Yes, I have… eaten.”

Nodding at the confirmation of the meal, Butler Ahn urged Ji-an to come in. Guided by him up the stairs, Ji-an glanced back once more. It was highly unlikely that Jeong Hee-seo would be there, but a strange sense of disappointment tugged at Ji-an’s head.

Meanwhile, Jeong Hee-seo parked his car on the side of the street after leaving Ji-an’s house as if running away. The entire car was filled with Ji-an’s pheromones.

‘Drive safely, and remember to ventilate…’

Even though Ji-an was joking, Jeong Hee-seo had no intention of rolling down the window to let out Ji-an’s pheromones.

The unpleasant frustration he was feeling right now, this unfamiliar sensation that even gave him a headache, was definitely not something that could be resolved through ventilation.  Jeong Hee-seo leaned against the door frame, delved deeply into his thoughts.

It felt like something that had been in his hand had slipped away like sand flowing through his fingers. A sense of emptiness mixed with discomfort surged within him.

Half of his mind was filled with the absurdity of what he was trying to do with the kid, and half of it was the thought that he had already done everything so what was the big deal?

And it was strange to see himself getting irritated over such trivial concerns.

Has he ever experienced such feelings before?

Jeong Hee-seo, who was lost in thought, suddenly noticed the bag of cookies Ji-an had given him.

“…”

Jeong Hee-seo, who was rubbing his temples, quickly grabbed up the paper bag. He opened the bag and saw a sticker with a cliché remark such as ‘Good job, today too.’

“What’s this.”

Next to the sweet snacks, there was a crisp business card and a note with an embarrassing courtship message written on it. Jeong Hee-seo frowned and crumpled it and held it up. Thus, the message for Ji-an was crumpled up and discarded without being read by anyone.

“He’s doing this on purpose. Seo Ji-an.”

The cookies tainted by the pathetic alpha’s emotions turned into trash along with the notes in Jeong Hee-seo’s hand.

∞

They say that fortune favors the bold. Ji-an became more tense as he walked the yard and got closer to the entrance. Should he have just brought Jeong Hee-seo along? Was he being too stubborn for nothing? No matter what, he would never get used to being beaten.

His grandmother’s hand must be rather fiery. Furthermore, there was now a life in his stomach that he decided to protect.

“Ji-an is here?”

“Mom.”

“I told your grandmother that you were coming, and she has been waiting for you since lunch.”

Yoon Ok-hee spoke as she had come out to the entrance and scrutinized Ji-an’s face meticulously as soon as she met his gaze. She was wearing a cardigan and looked like she was about to run out the front door.  Ji-an inwardly corrected his thoughts, feeling relieved that she hadn’t seen Jeong Hee-seo and quickly ushered her back inside.

“Mom. Does Grandma play golf?”

“…Why are you suddenly asking that? Grandma used to play until ten years ago.”

“Ah… so she does have golf clubs.”