DHG Ch 20

“Hello.”

“I bought them for you to eat alone, so why did you bring them out here? They’ll all be snatched away.”

And yet, he proceeded to snatch one himself.

Taking a large bite of the hotbar, Jang Seungyung, as if it were the most natural thing to do, placed his hand on Heewoo’s forehead. It was one of the awkward things the man did every time they met since accompanying him to the hospital.

Heewoo held his breath, waiting for the man to move away. However, even after checking his temperature, the man didn’t increase the close distance between them.

“Why do you always dress like a beggar? Is it a uniform?”

Jang Seungyung’s piercing gaze moved up and down, assessing the worn-out sweatshirt, practically the size of a sack, and the faded black jeans.

“Why aren’t you wearing the new clothes you bought? The little thug bought them for you, right?”

Since becoming aware of his own desires, Jang Seungyung had conducted a sort of preliminary investigation through Madam Won. Among the various things she had mentioned was seeing Kwon Heewoo returning from the general hospital.

‘He was actually wearing decent clothes for once. It was a sight for sore eyes, I tell you. I asked, and he said Mingeon bought them for him.’

That unnecessarily perceptive little guy.

Those clothes were the ones Jang Seungyung had bought. He could guess why that little thug, Pyo Mingeon, had hidden the truth, but it was a pointless thing to do.

It felt childish to reveal now that he was the one who bought the clothes. Jang Seungyung, feeling petty, grabbed Heewoo’s collar.

“It’s worn out, tattered, all stretched out. You can see right through it.”

Heewoo’s lips tightened.

It wasn’t because of the cheap, flirtatious remark mixed with the man’s usual exaggerated speech. He was used to pretending not to hear those kinds of comments.

He was flustered for a different reason. It was unlikely, but the open collar allowed the man’s pheromones to seep in, giving him the illusion that they were rubbing against his sensitive skin.

The man had been releasing his pheromones for a while.

Following the temperature check, it was the second awkward thing the man did every time they met.

It was also the reason why the omega escorts who had recently been buying juice from him had been giving him strange looks. There were advantages, such as not having to ask Mingeon for pheromone showers and feeling physically better, but… he wasn’t happy about it.

He recalled the words of the alpha specialist. He had said that if he consistently received pheromone showers from an alpha, his pheromone glands would eventually normalize. His heat cycle might even return.

He didn’t want that.

“So it stretches out more.”

He said, taking two steps back from the unmoving man. It was unlikely his pheromones would normalize after just a few showers, but his knees kept wanting to buckle. He was also conscious of being alone with the man in an enclosed space.

“I’ll get back to work. Have a good day.”

He felt the need to go check the warehouse supplies earlier than usual. Heewoo carefully covered the remaining hotbars and put on his jumper.

But as always, Jang Seungyung disregarded Heewoo’s farewell. As Heewoo opened the back door, the man strode towards him.

“Outside? You’re going outside?”

“…Yes.”

“You’re going outside?”

Why did he dislike it so much?

For some reason, Jang Seungyung looked noticeably displeased, yet he followed Heewoo out the back door.

It was an alley that felt both external and internal. Although a cool breeze blew, the narrow passage between the two buildings was enclosed due to the illegal storage sheds Kim Jinhwan had built at either end. A sky bridge connecting the main building and the debtor’s quarters passed overhead.

“Hah, what a shitty wind,” Jang Seungyung grumbled. Particularly sensitive to the cold, he shoved his hands into his suit trouser pockets and suddenly realized the path looked familiar. It was the same path he had taken in September to deal with the twins.

Heewoo also recalled the same day. He had been terribly afraid of the president after that incident, but he didn’t feel the same way now.

Unlike then, their destination was the food storage room. When Heewoo turned on the light, a mountain of supplies was revealed. There was another large entrance on the opposite side where cars could enter and exit. Usually, suppliers delivered goods through there.

Heewoo compared the list left by the supplier with the purchased items. Jang Seungyung, who still hadn’t taken his hands out of his pockets, soon opened his mouth in disbelief.

“Are you seriously saying you move all this by yourself? There are plenty of strong guys around.”

Kwon Heewoo, wearing gloves, was pulling a cart. Jang Seungyung looked at the pile of vegetables, still smelling of earth, the crates of fresh produce stacked on one side, and the large sauce containers.

There were many large men working at this place. This wasn’t work for someone with such thin arms. He recalled the lightness he felt when he held Kwon Heewoo while he was unconscious. And the thinness of his wrist, which felt loose in his hand.

“It’s my job.”

Heewoo said, sitting down in front of a nearby box full of fresh winter radishes. This was still better than working in the alcohol storage.

“Leave it. You’ll break your arm.”

Jang Seungyung, who had unconsciously approached him, stopped. Kwon Heewoo moved with surprising efficiency. Straight and efficient. His posture, from his waist to his forearms, was perfect.

“He won’t break it.”

Jang Seungyung, raising a long eyebrow, turned back with an indifferent expression. Then he started stacking the heavier-looking boxes all at once.

“Just leave it.”

“Yes, yes, I’ll leave it here.”

Jang Seungyung, pulling the cart with his foot, loaded four boxes of carrots at once. Heewoo suppressed his fluttering heart. He had thought he’d become hardened after experiencing so much, but this man constantly kept him on edge.

As the saying goes, even a temple dog can recite poetry after three years. Having worked in a high-end restaurant and now a hostess bar, Heewoo had developed some knowledge of expensive clothing. Despite the dust and debris clinging to the presumably expensive tailored suit, the president didn’t seem to care as he helped him.

“It’s really okay, sir. I’ll do it myself.”

“Yes, yes, I’m okay too.”

At the unexpected polite response, Heewoo gave up on dissuading him.

…It’s probably because he’s so unpredictable that I’m surprised. He gave up thinking about it.

The two of them went back and forth between the kitchen and the storage room with the goods. At first, Jang Seungyung strode briskly through the narrow path, but at some point, he started walking slowly.

The man was matching Heewoo’s pace.

Realizing this, Heewoo felt a strange flutter in his chest and tightened his grip on the cart. The cart, with its half-broken handle, rattled loudly, scraping the floor. Jang Seungyung’s pace quickened slightly.

The task, which usually took over an hour, was finished in less than half the time.

Heewoo turned around, carrying the last box of matsutake mushrooms that had fallen behind a protruding part of the wall. At that moment, Jang Seungyung, who had closed the storage room door, approached him closely. He was startled by the proximity, close enough to instantly smell the man’s scent.

“Wait a minute.”

The man stopped Heewoo and reached towards his neck. He couldn’t react quickly, confined in the narrow alley and holding the box emitting the strong aroma of matsutake.

Two arms, still strong after carrying boxes weighing tens of kilos multiple times, held him in place. He felt suffocated by the large figure so close to him.

The man, backlit by the dim light, leaned closer to Heewoo. His high nose brushed against Heewoo’s stray hair and then his cold earlobe. His breath, carrying the scent of aftershave along with his pheromones, touched his skin.

“Why-.”

A question escaped his lips, his head pressed against the wall in apprehension. Heewoo immediately closed his mouth, but Jang Seungyung pondered the short question.

“Hmm, checking if you’re messing around with that little thug again?”

His voice resonated too closely, as he was still very near. Heewoo, unable to even breathe properly, thought the man’s words were a lie.

In the dim alley, where the sun set early in November, the dark voice sounded similar to the past. Like when he had used him as an excuse while dealing with the twins in the other storage room.

Tension surged in his neck. At that moment, a familiar weight fell upon his goosebump-covered skin.

Ah.

Heewoo’s lips parted in a small “o.”

He could tell even without looking, having worn it close to his body for years. It was his mother’s keepsake, the one Jang Seungyung had taken.

He got his necklace back.

“…….”

The platinum necklace wasn’t cold at all. It was warm. As if it had been held in that large hand until just a moment ago.

“What? It’s too dark to see properly.”

The man grumbled as he took his time fastening the necklace. His hands brushed against his earlobe again as he pulled away. Jang Seungyung, taking the box of matsutake from Heewoo, who still stood frozen, walked ahead.

Heewoo leaned against the cement wall, dazed.

He fiddled with his mother’s keepsake, returned after two months. It seemed to have been repaired, as the delicate chain was smooth without any snags. The silver pendant was also intact.

When he returned to the kitchen, as if in a trance, Jang Seungyung was already gone.