PIA 17

“Then you can marry me, Seo Ji-an. Our relationship is fast and certain. Isn’t it?”

No, are you a wall? Ji-an was speechless. He was confused as to whether he had been speaking in a language from some faraway country that could not be interpreted.

“Have you really been listening to me properly until now?”

“What’s the problem? Do you dislike something simple? Do you want me to follow your grandmother’s style? Shall we send out a fortune telling letter, set an appointment date, and start from the engagement?”

Ji-an pushed him away with a sense of injustice and argued with him, but Jeong Hee-seo still just smiled slyly.

“Anyway, whether it’s an arranged marriage or not, I have to get married. Coincidentally, I’m curious about you. And your pheromones suit my taste the best. But now that a baby is on the way, do I have a reason to refuse you? It’s the most appealing option among the choices.”

“…”

“Your mother’s business, well… It’s a bit regrettable, but it’s easily coverable in my position. If you want, I can even help it grow. Is there a better offer for you than this?”

Ji-an made a tired expression. It was a serious misjudgment to think that Jeong Hee-seo had developed some kind of affection for me. It’s fast, certain, and convenient. It felt like getting slapped in the face three times in a row.

“Your tastes are really too calculated, but that doesn’t suit my tastes.”

As Ji-an took two more steps backward, Jeong Hee-seo muttered discontentedly with raised eyebrows.

“Just so you know, running away is not my taste.”

Jeong Hee-seo’s expression seems to recall him running away like crazy last night. Saying that the chasing is not his taste.

“Fuck you.”

“Here?”

When Ji-an raised his finger, Jeong Hee-seo waited and then put his hand on his waist.

“Seriously, are you crazy?”

Ji-an turned away from Jeong Hee-seo and headed towards the parking lot. After claiming that running away wasn’t his preference, he didn’t chase after him. Ji-an touched his neck, which felt somewhat cold, and walked away from Jeong Hee-seo and got into the car.

∞

“Han-joo? What are you doing in the hallway?”

Seo Ji-hyuk, who visited his lover’s house for the weekend, asked curiously. Jeong Han-joo was standing in the hallway, looking at his cell phone.

There was no reason to make a call outside when there was no one at home… As Seo Ji-hyuk turned his gaze, he froze at the sight of Ji-an’s half-opened door.

“Oh? Ji-hyuk. Did you see Ji-an when you came in? He’s not in a good state lately, but he doesn’t want to talk to me… It seemed like something was going on a little while ago, but he got annoyed with me, so I…”

Jeong Han-joo spoke while tapping on his cell phone without even looking at Seo Ji-hyuk.

“Han-joo. Look at me. Is it because you’re worried?”

“Uh? Yeah… Because the kid’s complexion doesn’t look well. You should have seen it too.”

A name that Seo Ji-hyuk knew was floating on the screen of the cell phone that was receiving a signal.

“Why are you calling the General Manager?”

“No matter how much I think about it, I feel like something is going on with my older brother.”

“Seo Ji-an-ssi and General Manager Jeong Hee-seo?”

Jeong Han-joo nodded and looked nervously at the screen, then became irritated by the repeated calls that were cut off without an answer.

Seo Ji-hyuk stood still and looked at Jeong Han-joo. Although he couldn’t show it to him, Seo Ji-hyuk was also very annoyed by this situation.

It was true that in the early days of their relationship, when Jeong Han-joo told him that he had a younger brother named Ji-an whom he adored, he didn’t think it was a big deal. If he had known that he was a creep moving in next door to his lover, he would have been very wary from the beginning.

‘Hello. I’ve been close to Han-joo hyung since I was a child, like a younger brother. Your name is… Seo Ji-hyuk? It’s fascinating. Your name is really similar to mine. Is that why you are so pretty? Is Han-joo hyung treating you well? Good to see you.’ 

Ji-hyuk was able to find out after exchanging a few words of greeting. That Seo Ji-an was no ordinary guy.

Moreover, there was a strange feeling of discomfort. Every time he met Seo Ji-an, an indescribable unpleasant feeling crept up on him. He couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

Seo Ji-hyuk brought the groceries he had bought to cook with Jeong Han-joo into the apartment and hesitated before speaking again.

“Ji-an-ssi is not a child… How old is he? I don’t think it’s something you should care about…”

“Wait a moment. The kid was distraught and ran out, I’m really worried because I can’t reach him. Let me check if he got into a traffic accident or something.”

“Don’t do that… Let’s go in and make lunch. I’m hungry, Han-joo. Yeah?”

“Oh, Ji-hyuk, wait a minute…”

Seo Ji-hyuk was subtly releasing pheromones in an attempt to entice his lover, but Jeong Han-joo didn’t even bat an eye. Seo Ji-hyuk’s face scrunched.

Although Seo Ji-an was someone to be wary of, it wasn’t to this extent. However, since a few days ago when Seo Ji-an came to the JM headquarters and talked ambiguously about something, Jeong Han-joo had been acting strangely, as if he were possessed by something.

“…”

Jeong Han-joo was now unable to contact Seo Ji-an, so he attempted to contact the General Manager’s secretaries. Seo Ji-hyuk was quietly staring at Jeong Han-joo while biting his fingernails.

On the same day, in the late afternoon.

Ji-an was in conflict, holding his phone under a large building.

“This… I never thought it would be like this.”

After receiving a marriage proposal from the relatively rich Jeong Hee-seo that didn’t even look like a marriage proposal, he recklessly got into the car. The driver, who seemed to be used to Ji-an’s actions, drove off without asking for the destination, heading towards the Han River.

Ji-an, who had been wandering aimlessly for a while, was just gazing at his phone when he came across the name of his friend Woo-seok. With a feeling of catching at straws, Ji-an asked the driver to take him to Woo-seok. To his surprise, the driver knew Woo-seok’s address.

After arriving, Ji-an stayed idly for ten minutes under the place.

Ji-an circled around the building once, observing the same appearance, and entered a narrow alley. He confirmed that the store where he and Woo-seok often visited was unmistakably there. Even the owner of the regular store was the same. Ji-an also found Woo-seok’s company name on the indoor guideboard hanging in the building.

Ji-an went into the cafe he often visited with Woo-seok, bought two drinks, and came out. Ji-an headed to a small park bench nearby and sent a message.

[The usual place. Come down. Let’s have a cup of coffee.]

At first glance, the environment surrounding Woo-seok was astonishingly similar to the original world. Woo-seok was a minor character in the drama created by his older brother. Not a villain or an accomplice of the villain, merely a character described as Seo Ji-an’s casual friend.

Just finding his friend’s name on the phone felt like an adventure. Since Ji-an couldn’t know how different Woo-seok’s appearance would be from what he knew in the drama’s setting, he wanted to test it out.

And after a while, Ji-an was amazed at the sight of his friend actually appearing in front of him.

“Wow. You’re really here.”

“Then should I really come or not?”

Despite Ji-an setting up a test by holding the fishing rod himself, when Woo-seok actually appeared and even responded with a familiar tone, Ji-an found it hard to maintain his composure. He was so happy that tears welled up in his eyes for a moment.

Woo-seok accepted his share of iced Americano, drank half of it in one gulp, and sat next to Ji-an. Even the gesture of pulling up his pants before sitting down was exactly the same as the Woo-seok Ji-an knew.

“Woo-seok.”

“Why are you calling me so affectionately? It’s creepy.”

“I need to leave this country for a while, and I need your help.”

“…”

“I need you to get me an ID so I can hide for 10 months in a foreign country without anyone knowing.”

Not asking what the main point was, even when Ji-an bluntly stated it, was typical of Woo-seok.

In fact, as soon as Ji-an saw his name in the contacts, he felt like he had found a solution. If Woo-seok was as he knew him, he could not only provide an ID but also help Ji-an escape and live abroad.

He quickly finished his drink and even chewed on the ice before leaning against the bench, seemingly lost in thought. Then, he turned to Ji-an with a sniffle.

“Hey. But what’s up with your pheromones?”

“Huh?”

Caught off guard by the unexpected question, Ji-an hurriedly cleared his throat. Come to think of it, it was past the time to take the medicine. He didn’t grab anything when he hastily left the officetel after receiving his mom’s call.

“Cough, well.”

Woo-seok tilted his head and sniffed near Ji-an’s shoulder as if contemplating for a while.

“Why are you like this? The crazy dog Ji-an is emitting such a scent.”

“Oh, stop talking nonsense. Get your head out of my way.”

Ji-an exaggeratedly pushed Woo-seok away. He remembered the voice talking about the perks of possession, such as being a devilish Omega or something. He feared that his crazed Omega pheromones might cause unreasonable effects. This reminded him of Jeong Hee-seo’s sparkling eyes, which made him sick.

Pushing the laughing Woo-seok away with his foot, Ji-an said,

“Seriously. Help me out a bit. We’ve been through a lot, right?”

“A lot? Indeed. A whole lot.”

Woo-seok grinned, revealing his sharp teeth.

“My father has been busy with politics lately… What if I help you run away and go into hiding in a foreign country, then we get caught?”