MM 122

Success.

As soon as Yu-young stepped out of Do-won’s bedroom, he made a beeline for the kitchen. His waist, hips, and certain other areas throbbed with a dull ache as he walked, but at the same time, he felt light enough to float. It was a refreshing sensation he hadn’t experienced in a long while.

‘What’s this? Why do I feel so good?’

Come to think of it, despite barely getting any sleep and enduring so much last night, his mind was crystal clear. As he soaked the seaweed and took out the meat, the answer dawned on him. The unstable pheromone issue that had caused him trouble time and again had completely disappeared.

It felt as though a surge of invigorating energy was rising from deep within him, spreading through his entire body. If he exaggerated a little, it was almost like he had returned to his teenage years, running across the school field with his friends before his pheromones had even manifested.

So Choi Do-won was the cure all along.

Smiling to himself, Yu-young busied his hands with cooking. It was only 5:30 AM, which meant there was plenty of time to make seaweed soup. He set a pot of ingredients on the stove and then took out the meat to grill. As the meat sizzled deliciously, he also retrieved the side dishes—savory pancakes and japchae—that he had asked the housekeeper to prepare in advance, warming them up over low heat.

Lately, he had been too busy with work and too preoccupied with his thoughts to prepare a proper meal, but today, he was doing his best.

He took a spoonful of the bubbling seaweed soup and tasted it. The rich, savory flavor brought a satisfied smile to his face.

“Ah… perfect. This is just—”

“Is it really that good?”

“Ahh! You scared me! You’re already done washing up?”

Startled by the sudden voice behind him, Yu-young spun around. Do-won, smelling of fresh body wash, had approached without a sound. Without hesitation, he slipped an arm around Yu-young’s waist and rubbed his chin against the top of his head.

Yu-young’s heart gave a wild jolt. Was this some kind of illness? The mere scent of Do-won, lingering from the night before, was enough to make his chest tremble all over again.

“You should’ve stayed in bed a little longer and pretended not to notice,” Yu-young grumbled, trying to hide his pounding heart.

But Do-won only let out a low, amused chuckle, as if even Yu-young’s complaints were adorable.

“How could I? You were working so hard all by yourself.”

“It’s not a big deal. You do this kind of thing every day.”

“Still, I put you through a lot last night. I wanted to be the one cooking for you.”

The matter-of-fact way Do-won referenced last night made Yu-young’s ears burn. Feeling embarrassed to be the only one flustered, he tried twisting out of Do-won’s arms. But Do-won, as if he had expected it, chuckled and reached out again.

“This part looks like it’s about to burst.”

His fingers brushed over Yu-young’s earlobe, which was undoubtedly red-hot. His voice, soft and teasing, sent another wave of heat through Yu-young.

“Ah, stop that!” Yu-young flailed in an attempt to escape. But just as he was about to slip away, his eyes suddenly widened.

“Wait, this—!”

With trembling fingers, he traced Do-won’s neck. There, just above his collarbone, were a couple of unmistakable marks—marks that Yu-young himself had left behind the night before.

He hadn’t meant to leave them. It was just that, as their passion deepened, he had been completely out of his mind. At first, he had bitten his own lips to endure it, but eventually, as Do-won’s weight pressed down on him, he had clung to him desperately, sinking his teeth into whatever he could reach. Tears streaming down his face, lost in a pleasure so intense it bordered on pain, he had bit down without even realizing it.

“Oh… oh no. What do we do? These are… these are obviously those kinds of marks…”

Flustered, Yu-young fidgeted anxiously. Meanwhile, Do-won remained completely unfazed, his expression calm and unhurried.

“It’s fine. It’s not like we did anything wrong. Honestly, I like them because you left them.”

“But still… it’s embarrassing! People are going to notice and start asking questions…”

“If you’re really that concerned, I’ll just slap on a pain relief patch or something before heading to work.”

As if to reassure him, Do-won pulled Yu-young back into his embrace, pressing soft kisses onto the crown of his head. Enveloped in Do-won’s warmth, Yu-young found himself wondering if this was all just a dream.

At work, Do-won was a perfectionist, a man who measured everything with precision and kept others at a distance. And yet, instead of getting upset about the marks, he was actually happy about them. The realization made Yu-young’s heart race even harder, almost to the point of dizziness.

“Don’t worry so much. Sit down. From now on, I’ll set the table.”

“Ah! No way. You sit down. I’ll finish up.”

In the end, neither of them won the argument over who would set the table—they ended up preparing breakfast together. Soon, the table was neatly arranged with the delicious dishes Yu-young had prepared.

After finishing the setup, Yu-young took out a cake he had secretly stashed in the fridge. Since it was just the two of them and Do-won wasn’t particularly fond of sweets, he had chosen a small one. Still, it was a special cake from a well-known bakery that was said to be exceptionally delicious.

Lighting the candles in front of Do-won felt a little embarrassing, but Yu-young did it anyway. He briefly considered that preparing all this in the morning might seem a bit over-the-top, but he still wanted to do it. After all, once they got to work, Do-won would be showered with congratulations from colleagues. Yu-young wanted to be the first person to celebrate his birthday.

Beyond the flickering candlelight, Do-won smiled handsomely.

“Thank you for this. For going out of your way like this.”

“Thank me for what? I actually wanted to do something even bigger… but I’ve been all over the place lately.”

“Birthdays come around every year, but you’ve made this one special. That’s more than enough to be grateful for.”

Yu-young gave a sheepish laugh at Do-won’s words. Then, straightening his back, he gestured toward the cake.

“Oh, Team Leader! You have to make a wish before blowing out the candles!”

“…A wish?”

“Yes. It’s your one and only chance this year, so make it count.”

Yu-young said it playfully, and Do-won tilted his head ever so slightly. His gaze, twinkling behind the candlelight, carried a hint of mischief.

“Alright. But shouldn’t you sing the birthday song first?”

“S-Sing?”

“Of course. Let’s hear Assistant Han’s rendition of the birthday song.”

It felt like he had been caught in another trap. No matter how much Yu-young scrunched up his face in protest, Do-won was now openly enjoying himself, eagerly waiting for him to start singing.

At this rate, the candles would melt completely, and the precious cake would be ruined. With his face burning red, Yu-young hesitated, mouthing words silently for a moment, before finally opening his mouth.

“Ahem… H-Happy birthday to you…”

His awkward solo performance filled the space between them. He wasn’t a bad singer, but doing it alone, especially in front of Do-won, who was grinning mischievously, made it feel like he was performing at a children’s talent show.

But as he had said himself—birthdays only came once a year. As embarrassed as he was, stopping halfway would be worse than not singing at all. So, despite everything, Yu-young pushed through and finished the song.

“Happy birthday, dear Team Leader… Happy birthday to you.”

Do-won’s smile widened as his eyes curved into a soft crescent.

“At last, I get to hear Assistant Han tell me he loves me.”

“…What?”

“You didn’t say it back during the workshop, and I was a little disappointed.”

“What are you—oh.”

Yu-young, momentarily confused, suddenly realized what Do-won was talking about. During a communication workshop, there had been an exercise where colleagues were encouraged to say “I love you” to each other. Embarrassed, Yu-young had never managed to get the words out.

It was ridiculous that Do-won still remembered that, but at the same time, it was so unexpectedly endearing that Yu-young couldn’t help but chuckle.

“I can’t believe you’re still holding on to that.”

“I really wanted to hear it.”

Yu-young, in the middle of picking up his spoon, suddenly paused. The workshop memory brought back another—one from that evening, during a truth game at a barbecue party.

That night, Do-won had admitted that he had someone in his heart. At the time, Yu-young had convinced himself it couldn’t possibly be him, feeling a deep sense of longing and heartache as they stood together by the sea.

But in the end, that special person had been him all along.

His heart swelled with emotion. Maybe they had taken the long way around, but what mattered was the destination. In the end, he had found his way to Do-won. That was enough. That was everything.

“Let’s eat.”

“Yes, let’s.”

Do-won was the first to take a spoonful of the seaweed soup.

“Hmm,” he murmured before breaking into a wide smile. “This is really good. The best seaweed soup I’ve ever had.”

“You say that every time.”

“And every time, I mean it.”

Seeing Do-won’s genuinely happy expression, Yu-young felt a surge of warmth and pride. He hadn’t done this expecting gratitude, but seeing Do-won’s reaction made him want to do even more for him in the future.

“Eat plenty.”

“It’s so good, I might end up having two bowls even if you try to stop me.”

At that, Yu-young burst into laughter. He couldn’t stop smiling. It was just an ordinary morning, just the two of them having breakfast together, yet happiness kept bubbling up inside him.

And Do-won really did eat well. He was always composed and refined, but there was also something heartwarming about the way he enjoyed his food.

Now that he thought about it, he had never noticed this before—whether at company meals, team dinners, or even meals shared with their parents. This expression, the one Do-won only made when eating food Yu-young had prepared, was something special. Now that he had finally realized what it was, his heart fluttered even more.

“Um… Team Leader. I actually have a gift for you.”

Yu-young swallowed his bite of rice and spoke slowly.

“I thought you already gave me everything yesterday. What could be better than Assistant Han himself?”

“Haha… Well, aside from me, there’s something else. I’ll give it to you after we finish eating, before we head to work.”

Do-won laughed as he made his playful remark, and Yu-young chuckled awkwardly in response. Preparing breakfast had been easy, but thinking about handing over his gift made him nervous.

Though, judging by Do-won’s current attitude, he would probably love anything Yu-young gave him. Still, Yu-young had chosen this gift with the hope that it would truly make Do-won happy.

And because of that, as he continued eating, his heart pounded with anticipation.