HWAMB — Chapter 20

I lingered outside for thirty minutes, unable to go in or leave, fidgeting restlessly.

The strangest part was that Hyun-woo, normally so prickly, had let someone else touch him without resistance.

‘What if it’s something like kidnapping? Or blackmail…?’

The son of a wealthy family, a healthy dominant alpha…

When he was younger, gentler, there had been times people tried to take advantage of him. I’d been there, grabbing his hand and dragging him home.

Habits die hard.

Even in broad daylight, even though he was bigger now, I couldn’t feel at ease.

I glared at the glass workshop.

It looked like a normal shop from the outside.

Lost in these tangled thoughts, I finally sighed and shook my head. Maybe I was imagining too much.

Whether it was some older man flirting with him or some sinister scheme, I hated both ideas—but the first seemed far more likely.

By the fortieth minute, I couldn’t take it anymore. I strode straight into the shop Hyun-woo had entered.

Creak—the sliding door opened smoothly. The interior was neither too big nor too cramped, cozy and well-kept.

The soundproofing was excellent, the air filled with soft classical music.

The walls were patched with wooden planks, giving a rustic feel, and golden sunlight filtered through the windows, scattering into floating dust motes that looked like stars.

I followed the corner slowly.

The furniture was all wooden too, not light wood but thick, heavy pieces that gave a sense of weight.

Glass crafts displayed around the shop refracted the light into strange colors. The atmosphere felt almost enchanting.

And there was Hyun-woo, sitting at a solid wooden table, completely absorbed in something.

The unfamiliar man sat beside him, watching with a gentle smile as Hyun-woo struggled.

Before I even thought, my feet carried me toward them.

Hearing my footsteps, Hyun-woo lifted his head. Our eyes met.

His eyes, polished black like pebbles, wavered slightly with surprise.

“…Kang Eun-jae?”

The look on his face was like he’d been caught doing something he shouldn’t. His brows furrowed faintly.

I dropped my bag heavily on the seat across from him without a word.

“Why are you here…? Didn’t you go home?”

“And what about you? What are you doing here instead of going home?”

Hyun-woo immediately clamped his mouth shut.

See? I knew it was suspicious.

No matter how much I glared, the fact remained—they were sitting far too close together. Hyun-woo had never behaved that way with anyone else.

I turned my dissatisfied gaze on the man sitting beside him.

Hey, I don’t care how handsome or accomplished you are, but minors are off limits.

I grumbled inwardly as I tried to choose my words carefully. The man, catching my stare, tilted his head at first as if puzzled, then soon gave me a bright, friendly smile.

The perfection of that smile caught me off guard. It was the kind of smile that instantly put people at ease, that made anyone think, “What a nice guy.”

“Hello.”

They say people judge others first by appearance, and I understood why. His polite speech and gentle voice carried a clear, persuasive pull. His easy, eye-crinkling smile was so striking I found myself staring before I hastily shook my head to regain composure.

I offered only the barest polite greeting in return, then sat across from Hyun-woo with a frown, shooting him a glare.

“I’ve heard a lot about you. Seems our Hyun-woo owes you quite a lot.”

The words “our Hyun-woo” made something twist in my gut, though I pretended not to notice.

Maybe his appearance was fine, but to me, his behavior screamed shameless villain.

Like a squirrel bristling its tail in alarm, I glared at the man before turning to Hyun-woo.

“…What are you secretly making here?”

My probing question, thick with suspicion, made Hyun-woo try to hide what he was holding, only to give up.

It looked like a small pebble, but unlike a stone, it was clear, pretty glass.

Hyun-woo’s eyes darted nervously. As if embarrassed to be caught, he turned his gaze elsewhere and muttered shamelessly,

“Not making anything.”

“The hell you aren’t. You’re clearly making something.”

“…And I wasn’t hiding.”

“Word is you’ve been skipping out on home, and on me, wandering off lately.”

At my voice, tinged with hurt, Hyun-woo’s cheeks flushed faintly red.

And then I realized it.

Oh. That’s what this feeling was—I was hurt by Hyun-woo.

No matter what, we had always gone home together.

Maybe it was childish, but sometimes I felt like that time with him was mine alone.

‘It’s not like I’m some kid starving for love…’

Yes, our parents had passed away early, and it was rare to see my brother, but he still loved me. And Hyun-woo was there too.

On top of that, people like Hyun-woo’s parents had always been kind to me.

Which made all these feelings I’d been harboring toward Hyun-woo feel petty and immature.

Just then, a door opened and a stranger stepped out, wearing the glass workshop’s apron. He seemed to be the owner.

He approached me cautiously.

“Excuse me… How did you come in?”

“Ah… I’m with this friend here. I just came to look around a little…”

“Sorry, we’re reservation-only. We can only admit those who’ve booked.”

Reservation-only? I’d never heard of such a system outside restaurants.

The man glanced at me, looking troubled, then quickly shifted his eyes toward the man beside Hyun-woo, as if waiting for his cue.

I bowed slightly, ready to apologize and leave quietly. But then the man beside Hyun-woo smiled gently and said simply,

“It’s fine.”

At those two words, the shop owner’s face lit up. He offered me a soft cushion to sit on and told me to relax, bowing deeply to the man before retreating quickly.

Huh?

That was odd.

The look of unease in the owner’s eyes just moments ago was still fresh in my mind.

And yet, with just a single “It’s fine” from this man, everything was instantly resolved?

Baffled, I looked between the two of them. Hyun-woo shut his eyes tight and let out a heavy sigh.

“What the hell is…”

As if sensing I needed an explanation, the man at the center of this mystery finally spoke.

“Sorry for the late introduction. I’m Hyun-woo’s brother, Shim Hyun-seo.”

“…What?”

Who? His brother?

I blinked several times. The words echoed in my ears, too unbelievable to accept.

“You’re Kang Eun-jae, right? Now that I think of it, though our families interacted plenty, this is actually our first time meeting face-to-face.”

His smooth, warm smile was disarming. His features looked stern, but when he smiled, it melted away like rich coffee softening with cream.

“Brother?”

“…Yeah.”

“R-really? You mean biological brother?”

“Of course, dumbass. What, you think he’s a fake brother?”

Hyun-woo’s scowling reply made it seem like he almost wished his brother were fake.

I quickly apologized to Hyun-seo, but he didn’t seem to mind.

Hyun-woo had once mentioned having an older brother with a big age gap, but it had been so long ago, and his uncles had never spoken of him, so I’d forgotten.

Apparently, the workshop had been opened by Hyun-seo as a hobby.

Hyun-woo had only come along to learn a bit of glass crafting from him.

So it had all been one big misunderstanding.

If there’d been a mouse hole, I’d have hidden in it.

‘He doesn’t look like Hyun-woo at all…’

Surprisingly, the resemblance wasn’t there. At most, I thought I caught a faint trace of his uncles’ features in him.

I’d never seen Hyun-seo because he’d studied abroad since a young age, rarely coming home. Even when he did, I’d never had a reason to meet him.

“You should’ve just told me… And here I was, not knowing…”

“Then who the hell did you think he was?”

“Well, obviously…”

Hyun-woo referred to his brother as “this guy,” and I nearly blurted “a shameless creep hitting on a minor” before stopping myself.

I lowered my voice and confessed quietly to Hyun-woo,

“…I thought he was some shameless guy hitting on someone way too young…”

“You…! What the hell…”

I’d softened the words as much as I could, but Hyun-woo looked speechless.

No doubt this would become teasing material for years to come, but honestly, it wasn’t entirely my fault. If I hadn’t realized the truth quickly, I might have said something unforgivable to his brother.

A wave of unfairness washed over me.

If Hyun-woo had just said, “I’m going somewhere with my brother,” or even vaguely, “I’ve got family stuff,” none of this would’ve happened.

Embarrassed, I snapped at Hyun-woo instead.

“See? Who told you to act all suspicious! If you were me, you’d have misunderstood too!”

“You’ve got some nerve, acting all high and mighty.”

Hyun-woo pressed a finger against my nose, and I tugged his cheek in retaliation.

That’s when I noticed the round piece of glass Hyun-woo had been working on. I glanced at it and asked,

“So… what were you making?”

“…An acorn.”

“An acorn? Why an acorn?”

“There’s a reason.”

“But it’s way too round to be an acorn. If you finish it, it’s just gonna look like a fat little—ow!”

“Shut it. I can make it.”

“Our Hyun-woo’s not exactly blessed with dexterous hands, you know.”

With a quiet laugh, Hyun-seo dropped that blunt fact, making Hyun-woo puff up angrily and refocus on the glass.

I rubbed the sore spot where I’d been flicked and glared at him.

Looking closer, I realized the messy glass shapes scattered on the table were all his creations.

With nothing better to do, I sat beside him to keep him company, chattering away while he struggled.

I didn’t know who he was working so hard to make them for, but I kept sneaking glances at him, committing to memory the rare sight of Hyun-woo completely absorbed in something.

* * *

Before long, it had grown dusky outside, and Hyun-woo was still hard at work with the glass. The acorn he made by pouring hot molten glass into a firm mold turned out surprisingly convincing.

He still didn’t seem satisfied, but if he kept at it, we’d be spending the whole night here. So I showered him with praise as I looked at the acorn he had made.

And honestly, it really did look nice.

“Do you like it?”

At his doubtful tone, I nodded and gave the most genuine reaction I could.

“It’s perfectly fine. I’m not exactly blessed with an artistic sense, but to me it looks pretty.”

“Yeah? Then that’s good enough.”

Muttering that it was about time to wrap up anyway, Hyun-woo glanced at the clock.