PIA 11

“So, let’s meet at a different place next time. I have an appointment today because of my grandmother, so I can’t change it.”

―Grandma? Did she set you up to blind date?

“…”

Wow, he was so quick to notice. Ji-an took his phone off his ear for a moment and stared at the screen. So what if I go to blind date? What does that have to do with anything, Ji-an wondered.

“Yeah. My grandmother is trying so hard to get me married quickly. I kept refusing, but now I’m at my limit.”

Perhaps it wouldn’t be a bad idea if rumors about Ji-an marrying someone else reached the ears of the Jeong siblings.

―Even if you say that, it’s not the 80s, and what’s with the setup at your age? Why meet someone you don’t like?”

“Well… I don’t dislike them?”

―…

“Isn’t it you who has prejudices about blind dates, Hyung?”

Ji-an smiled awkwardly as there was no answer from Jeong Han-joo.

“It’s good to pursue a natural relationship like you do, Hyung. But for someone in my situation, it’s not the right approach.”

―What is a situation like yours?

“Don’t pretend you don’t know. My grandmother’s rumors are widespread in this circle. I need to get married quickly and have a plum and round Alpha grandson so that my grandmother can rest in peace. I am still the only grandson left, so I have to be filial.”

Unfortunately, grandmother’s influence wasn’t enough to penetrate into the JM Group, so Ji-an knew that his family background did not impress the Jeong siblings. If Ji-an were a dominant Omega, he would have received a marriage arrangement, but unfortunately, he was just a recessive Omega.

This means that if Seo Ji-hyuk had not gone missing, a beautiful alliance between prestigious families could have been established. In any case, there was no smooth course for Seo Ji-an. Seo Ji-an was destined to be an antagonist supporting character in this world.

Ji-an couldn’t help but chuckle when he thought of that.

―Why are you talking like it was about someone else? You weren’t like that before.

“It’s not about someone else; it’s entirely about me. And if you think of it as matchmaking set up by an adult, it’s not that bad. The conditions are good, and there are no flaws or hidden mines…”

Although his face might be a hidden mine, since Ji-an had no intention of actually meeting anyone, it didn’t matter. Jeong Han-joo didn’t need to know all that.

―I don’t know. You’re acting strange. I wanted to talk about your visit to our company that day, but anyway, today’s not a good time?

“Yeah. Sorry.”

After several exchanges, Ji-an could finally hang up the phone after making a promise he couldn’t keep to Jeong Han-joo.

I’m tired…

His sleep was completely disrupted. There was still plenty of time till the meeting appointment that his grandma had scheduled for him. Ji-an let out a long sigh and stood up. He transferred the appointment location, along with the phone number, to his phone before crumpling the memo paper.

Ji-an went into the dressing room and stood with his hands on his hips. Since he probably couldn’t eat anything at the arranged meeting place, he decided to dress up, have an early dinner alone, and then head to the meeting place at the right time.

“I’m sure there are clothes that he could see from a hundred meters away and made him run away in embarrassment.”

Ji-an’s eyes sparkled as he walked slowly through a dressing room filled with clothes.

∞

Exactly two hours later, Ji-an found himself regretting his actions from behind the menu.

When Jeong Han-joo’s call came, why couldn’t he predict this situation despite thinking of it as ‘dramatic coercion’? He wanted to bite his tongue at his own carelessness.

He never thought the brothers would swoop in one after the other.

The cafe where Ji-an agreed to meet the square-shaped Alpha was in Hanseong Hotel, which was enormous in size. The main body of the hotel was separated into two buildings: the East Building and the West Building.

There was a huge restaurant area in the center, and it was connected to a shopping mall complex and underground subway. It was the largest hotel in Seoul, equipped with everything including an observatory and a Michelin restaurant on the top floor.

So the chances of Ji-an running across Jeong Hee-seo at the restaurant where he was now were low.

To be precise, he was sitting at the table near the window and was about to stuff sushi into his mouth, while Jeong Hee-seo was about to have a meal facing the chef at the bar table.

Jeong Hee-seo turned to Ji-an’s direction and extended his hands toward him.

Ji-an gritted his teeth.

It was almost like interference from the universe. Ji-an fumbled with his bag in frustration. After eating, he took out the perfume bottle he had brought to spray it on.

‘It may be a nuisance to others, but… This is not my will.’

If he was destined to meet, he had to cover up that devilish pheromones or something. Ji-an tried to discreetly apply the perfume bottle to his skin in a secluded corner.

“Hello.”

…Though he didn’t manage to spray it. Ji-an looked up at the man who gently held his wrist. Before he knew it, the perfume bottle had been covered with a handkerchief.

“Hello… nice to see you here again.”

Jeong Hee-seo sat across from Ji-an with one eyebrow raised. He sat there without any hesitation, even though he hadn’t been invited. Even if Ji-an told him that someone would come, he wouldn’t believe it, and since his food was already served, Ji-an could only nod and bow his head.

“Why are you trying to spray perfume when you have food in front of you?”

“Uh… just because.”

Ji-an glanced around. He made eye contact with the person who had been glancing at Jeong Hee-seo from the next table. A sense of defeat washed over him. If he was exuding some kind of devilish Omega pheromones in a place like this, it would make him feel so embarrassed that he wanted to jump off a cliff.

“Sir, I will help you set up the meal.”

“Please give me something like what this person is eating.”

“All right.”

A staff member approached, took Jeong Hee-seo’s order, and then left. Unlike the nervous Ji-an, the atmosphere was calm. Ji-an reached for his glass, feeling his throat somewhat thirsty. Jeong Hee-seo quickly picked up a water bottle and poured him a drink.

“What brought you to the hotel?”

“I came to meet a man.”

Jeong Hee-seo raised his eyebrow and looked at Ji-an as he poured the water. It was an unusual expression. Perhaps because of his gaze, Ji-an felt a bit uneasy.

“Did your date not join you for a meal?”

“No, it’s not time yet. We’ll meet after eating.”

“It looks like you wouldn’t eat together?”

“We’re going to drink together, that’s why.”

“In those clothes? You’re really serious about this date.”

“What’s wrong with my clothes?”

“I thought you were wearing them to get dumped. Either that or you wore them to rush things. But talking about it, the latter seems more likely.”

Why are the Jeong brothers so quick to notice? Ji-an stopped responding and picked up a piece of tuna sushi with his chopsticks, putting it in his mouth. It tasted strange. It was a 5-star hotel, there shouldn’t be a fishy taste like this.

To swallow the remaining tuna in his mouth, he had to drink a whole cup of water. After rinsing, he felt even more uneasy. Was it because he was nervous? If he had known this, he would have rather eaten at home with his grandmother.

Ji-an looked at the plate with regret. The desire to put something in his mouth completely disappeared.

“I said we’d eat from a menu of my choosing the third time we met, but I guess we’ll have to postpone it for the fourth time.”

“…When we first met, didn’t we eat anything?”

Ji-an responded as he kept counting the number of times they met. Since there was no meal scene in the drama, he was quite certain that it happened before he came here. The reason he mentioned the bad first meeting was because he wanted to see the laid-back Jeong Hee-seo get embarrassed.

“That day… Well, I counted that as eating.”

“…”

That? Ji-an looked at Jeong Hee-seo with eyes that said he really didn’t know. Was he talking about the alcohol that has been laced with aphrodisiacs? When he thought that, Ji-an’s heart began to beat rapidly.

Ji-an thought maybe he was sitting in front of him to dig up that.

“Your meal has been served.”

A staff member approached and placed Jeong Hee-seo’s portion of the meal on the table. Jeong Hee-seo raised the chopsticks with his long fingers and asked Ji-an.

“Why don’t you eat?”

“…Ah, yes. I should eat.”

Ji-an quietly watched him pick up a piece of sushi with a reddish meat and dipped it in soy sauce before putting it in his mouth. Ji-an could see Jeong Hee-seo’s lips parting and tuna flesh brushing his crimson tongue as if in slow motion. It wasn’t difficult for him to imagine the taste since he had just tasted it.

Suddenly, Ji-an’s stomach churned. Ji-an quickly covered his mouth and jumped up from his seat.

“Ex, excuse me for a moment.”

Ji-an ran frantically and headed to the bathroom. I almost bumped into an employee while running quickly through a narrow passage lined with black marble.

He flung open the bathroom door, opened the toilet lid, and put his head down. His stomach was churning intensely, but there was nothing coming out.

“…Ugh.”

Ji-an staggered out of the restroom, leaning against the sink as he came out. He washed his face with cold water and dried his hands. Due to his hasty movements, his stomach was now throbbing in pain. A white thread on his shirt had also snapped. Ji-an tore off a piece of paper towel, wiped his face, and had a strange thought.

‘Could it be?’

No, it couldn’t be. The discomfort intensified, and the water on Ji-an’s face began to carry a pungent smell. His vision became blurry, and he stumbled. This time, it seemed like someone was pushing his gut out forcibly. Ji-an tried to cover his mouth again as his stomach churned, but then the door opened and Jeong Hee-seo walked in.

“Are you okay?”

Ughh, huck. Ji-an gasped heavily and looked back at Jeong Hee-seo. A strong musk scent emanated from him as he approached.

“Seo Ji-an. Are you okay?”

Jeong Hee-seo held Ji-an’s pale chin in his hands.