DFLT 32

As they reached the hotel entrance, an employee in a luxurious uniform approached and opened the door. Having never received such treatment before, Yeonoh awkwardly scrambled out of the car and bowed his head deeply to the employee, thanking him. In response, the employee bowed even deeper. At a loss for what to do in the face of such overwhelming politeness, Yeonoh looked as if he was about to bow even lower, when Seo Heonyoung himself grabbed the nape of his neck and pulled him along.

“What on earth are you doing over there?”

“Well, I was just so grateful….”

Once inside the elevator, Seo Heonyoung released his collar and let out a small growl.

“Don’t embarrass me and act properly.”

If I annoy you so much, you shouldn’t have brought me here in the first place. Seo Heonyoung had never been an easy person to be around, but never had I felt so intimidated and uncomfortable as I had recently. Why did he bring me all this way when he clearly found me so disagreeable that he sharpened his words at every single thing I said, and why wasn’t he letting go of the hand that held my clothes?

Just as a strange sense of defiance began to sprout, the elevator doors opened, having reached a high floor of the hotel. The place they arrived at was the hotel’s sky lounge, and people in suits were scattered everywhere. A sign at the entrance of the lounge read, ‘Korea University Business School Alumni Association.’

Realizing he had come to an incredible place, Yeonoh swallowed a silent gasp of awe.

“Oh, Seo Heonyoung!”

The people who had been gathered in small groups, holding tall champagne flutes and conversing, all turned to look in our direction at once. Yeonoh heard Heonyoung’s sigh, quiet enough for only him to hear.

“What a surprise! I thought you wouldn’t be coming, but here you are, showing your face.”

The man offered a cheerful greeting and then casually looked Yeonoh over behind Seo Heonyoung.

“Who’s this? Your plus one?”

“No, my secretary. Because of my schedule.”

“Ah, you must be busy, even on the weekend?”

So his plan was to just show his face for a bit and then leave. I could see through Seo Heonyoung’s meaning that I was to read the room and create a pretext for us to get out of here.

“Still, I had to see you guys before I go. I saw your father was appointed as a minister. Please pass on my congratulations.”

Seo Heonyoung said, patting an alumnus on the shoulder. Chaebols, political families… they call it an alumni association, but it’s no different from a social gathering of all sorts of famous people. It was a world so different from my own that it didn’t even feel real.

“Thanks. Oh, right, I heard you’re getting engaged soon? Heard the news. Congratulations.”

At the continued congratulations, Yeonoh naturally lowered his gaze and hid his expression.

“Yeah, thanks. That’s how it turned out.”

“Sehyun has been chasing after you since you were kids. It’s strange, the way people’s fates are intertwined.”

I’d heard the folklore that the fingers of lovers who share the same destiny are connected by a red thread. It was said that the thread connecting such lovers does not break even after enduring harsh trials and tribulations. Yeonoh felt as if he himself had become a pair of scissors. An obstacle that, no matter how sharp the blades I brandished, would ultimately be nothing more than a passing trial and tribulation for the two who were destined to be together. Yeonoh swallowed the sigh that almost burst out.

“Oh, Heonyoung, you came all this way. It’s good to see you after so long.”

“You should keep in touch more often, you punk.”

Even though he wasn’t doing anything to stand out, a crowd had gathered around Seo Heonyoung in no time. Heonyoung kept the conversation going with talk of business and recent updates that were difficult even for Yeonoh to understand. He lightly ignored any questions about Yeonoh’s existence. He seemed extremely skilled at treating him as if he weren’t even there.

If he was going to treat me like thin air, what on earth was the reason for bringing me here, even going so far as to dress me up? He could have made up any number of excuses to leave in the middle. In fact, he must have left his house with that plan in mind and then ran into me on the way.

The longer I endured by Seo Heonyoung’s side, the more I felt like I was flailing, wearing clothes that didn’t fit. It felt like I was being wrapped tightly in cloth, and my airway was about to be blocked.

“Heard you’re getting engaged to Ms. Sehyun, but you brought someone else as your plus one? Who is it?”

This time, a man, said to be the scion of a construction company owner’s family, asked, pointing at Yeonoh as if he were a fish in a tank. It seemed he had heard a very amusing piece of gossip, that the person whose engagement was a public rumor had brought a mere secretary, not his lover, as his ‘plus one.’ Even if he knew it was a displeasing question, the man didn’t seem to possess a generous enough character to care about that fact. But it was the nth time this question had been asked, so I was now quite used to being treated like I was invisible.

Heonyoung, who had been staring intently at Yeonoh, finally parted his lips, his expression still impassive.

“I don’t know either.”

As expected, I shouldn’t have held any expectation that this time would be different.

“What kind of nonsense is that? You brought him here.”

While they were bickering over the inscrutable words, another alumnus appeared and added the explanation that Yeonoh was a secretary.

Leaning his back against the wall, Heonyoung assumed a relaxed pose with his arms crossed and looked Yeonoh up and down. It was embarrassing to just stand there and receive his gaze.

“If that answer were clear, I wouldn’t have brought you all the way here.”

“……”

“You’re strangely annoying, you are.”

Seo Heonyoung’s logic made no sense at all. But Yeonoh had no way of knowing the answer, nor did he particularly want to. When it came to matters related to Seo Heonyoung, his head could usually understand, but his heart would crumple in pain. He would rather choose to shut his mouth and turn his head away.

Seo Heonyoung’s eyes, which had been traveling from the crown of Yeonoh’s head down to the tip of his shoes, suddenly stopped on something else. When I turned my head to find the end of his gaze, I saw a famous lawyer who had even been on TV. I think he worked as an expert in corporate mergers and acquisitions.

“Wait here.”

Seo Heonyoung walked towards the man, and the two began to talk. Their conversation seemed to be dragging on; Yeonoh had already finished two glasses of sparkling water, yet both of them still had quite serious expressions. Even though the lounge was full of people, Yeonoh wandered alone within it.

In the end, as the conversation showed no signs of ending, he took the opportunity to go to the restroom. As he came out after washing his hands, a man was standing in the walkway, leaning against the wall and looking down at Yeonoh.

“The restroom isn’t for single use. You can go in.”

He was staring so hard it felt like he was boring a hole through my face, making it awkward to just walk past. I had no idea why he was looking at me like that, so after racking my brain, that was the first thing I said. At that, the man burst out laughing.

“You’ve been alone since a while ago, and no matter how I look at it, you don’t seem to be an alumnus. Did you come with your lover?”

“What? My lover? No? That’s not it?”

There was absolutely no way that could be true. Seo Heonyoung’s lover. I denied it with deliberate exaggeration. If the wrong words got around, it could be disastrous for both Seo Heonyoung and myself.

“You kept drinking sparkling water and had several plates of food too. You must like crackers.”

The man offered a subtle smile. I was hungry, and the crackers topped with mashed avocado and tomato were delicious, so I had been eating them as soon as they came out. To think he had been watching me the whole time. Since when was he watching? Getting slight goosebumps, Yeonoh rubbed both of his arms.

“Ah, I’m not a bad person. This is who I am.”

Noticing Yeonoh’s wariness, the man handed him a business card. His name was Heo Geonseung, and his title was CEO of an IT solutions company.

“I run a start-up. The business is going well, and I’m pretty established now, so my parents have been nagging me to find a suitable Omega and get married, which has been a big worry for me.”

“……”

“I think that worry just disappeared.”

So, is he saying that the Omega who made that worry disappear is me. Why did his worry… just up and disappear on its own? Listening to this sudden declaration from a man I just met, filled with misunderstanding, Yeonoh’s mind went blank.

“What are you doing after this?”

“What? Ah, I have a prior engagement.”

Of course, I had no such thing, but there was no reason to honestly admit I had no plans, was there? Moreover, I had no intention of exchanging any more words with this man who so casually cut people off.

“Ah, really? That’s a shame. Could I possibly have your number?”

He’s a company CEO, but he seems a bit clueless. The man, observing Yeonoh’s lukewarm reaction as he tried to figure out how to politely refuse, spoke cautiously.

“…You are an Omega, right?”

“He’s a Beta.”

Before Yeonoh could even open his mouth, a reply dripping with irritability came from behind him. Startled, Yeonoh, who turned around following the sound, was horrified. Seo Heonyoung was right there.

“Oh, Seo Heonyoung. Long time no see.”

Geonseung, spotting Heonyoung, greeted him cheerfully. But as if he hadn’t even heard the man’s greeting, Seo Heonyoung, with one hand stuck in his pocket, approached with a less than pleased expression.

“Ah, so you weren’t an Omega. Your looks are just so my type. Haha.”

With no one laughing along, Geonseung’s awkward laughter evaporated into the void. At that moment, Seo Heonyoung patted his shoulder as if to console him.

“I heard you won the child custody lawsuit. You get to raise Jiyu now, I hear.”

“Oh, uh. You’re quick with the news.”

Ah, so he’s divorced. He looked to be around the same age as Heonyoung, so I hadn’t expected him to be married and have a child. Yeonoh, who had no interest in Geonseung to begin with, simply nodded perfunctorily, but Geonseung needlessly checked his reaction. As if a shadow was being cast before him, Seo Heonyoung’s back subtly blocked Yeonoh from view.