PIA 29

As soon as Yoon Ok-hee left, supported by the employee who came with her, and the front door closed, Seo Ji-hyuk let out a sound full of dissatisfaction. Everything related to Seo Ji-an was utterly unpleasant for him.

“Why did she come to you to find him?”

Jeong Han-joo remained silent and went back to the kitchen to focus on the noodles he was cooking. That made Seo Ji-hyuk even angrier.

“And why is that woman your mother?”

“…Ji-hyuk.”

Seo Ji-hyuk angrily took off the apron he was wearing, threw it away, and went to sit on the sofa. The atmosphere was completely ruined. It wasn’t the right mood for eating noodles or anything else.

Jeong Han-joo turned off the induction cooker and sat across from Seo Ji-hyuk.

“I told you. I have known Ji-an since he was a child. I’ve seen him since he was in high school. I even said he’s like a younger brother.”

“… Are you sure you really think of him as your younger brother?”

“If it’s not my younger brother, then what is it? What do you want to say?”

“You want me to say that with my own mouth?”

Jeong Han-joo became upset when he saw Seo Ji-hyuk’s expression as if he had cheated on him. Han-joo attempted to swallow the lump that had risen to his throat and stared at him, but Seo Ji-hyuk fought back without giving up an inch.

“…”

“…”

In the suffocating atmosphere, Jeong Han-joo sighed and repeatedly brushed his hair.

Han-joo knew very well what his lover was talking about. However, the reason he couldn’t just laugh it off easily, apologize, comfort him, and brush it off as if nothing had happened was because something had changed within him.

“Ji-hyuk, we…”

Just as Jeong Han-joo hesitated to say something, his phone on the table rang loudly.

Despite the tense atmosphere, the call was something that couldn’t be ignored. Jeong Han-joo raised one hand and gestured for Seo Ji-hyuk to wait, and answered the phone.

“Hello. Yes, grandma.”

Seo Ji-hyuk’s gaze quietly followed Jeong Han-joo as he entered the room and closed the door.

∞

“We’re here. Wake up, Seo Ji-an.”

Jeong Hee-seo woke Ji-an up as they entered the driveway toward the hotel’s main entrance. Ji-an was surprised by the shake of his shoulder and took out a hat from his bag and puts it on. Jeong Hee-seo frowned at that sight.

“If someone sees, they might think I’m sponsoring a celebrity.”

“Who would mistake me for a celebrity? Don’t worry.”

Ji-an rummaged through his bag, took out sunglasses, and confidently put them on. After he put on the sunglasses and tucked his black hat, half of his face disappeared, and he even wore a black mask. Now, only his white ears were visible.

Jeong Hee-seo, who had touched his shoulder to wake him up, gently pinched his white ear and playfully bit his hand.

“You may be misunderstood enough. When you get off, make sure there’s no camera. Our company’s stock will drop if I’m caught.”

Ji-an laughed heartily while adjusting his bag. Inside the bag was the new maternity notebook he had received from the checkup, as well as a black-and-white picture of a baby the size of a bean. His gaze stayed on it for a moment and then dropped.

“I need to find a house quickly.”

Jeong Hee-seo muttered as he got out of the car.

“It’s because hyung-nim is too picky.”

“How do you know I’m picky?”

“Was it Secretary Yoon? I heard you talking about it the other day. The conditions were so scary…”

Jeong Hee-seo laughed at the mention of Secretary Yoon.

“I don’t think you would know about real estate even a little.”

“Why wouldn’t I know? If you’re above the river, it’s Gangbuk; if you’re below, it’s Gangnam. It’s that simple.”

Jeong Hee-seo shook his head as he handed his car keys to the hotel staff who approached him.

While Ji-an was joking, he was looking around as if he was worried about Jeong Hee-seo’s words. It would be a disaster if there was a real camera, he couldn’t afford to cause a scandal while still indebted to him.

Jeong Hee-seo tapped Ji-an on the shoulder and pushed him into the hotel.

“Let’s go in, idol group A.”

“Don’t tease me.”

Even though he responded dismissively, Ji-an was still walking and dancing. Jeong Hee-seo narrowed his eyes because Ji-an looked quite cute while making a heart with his fingers and swaying his waist.

“Isn’t that a girl group dance?”

“Hyung-nim, do you even know about these things? Then how about this?

He said he shouldn’t be noticed, but he kept making jokes, and even from a hundred meters away, they stood out. Jeong Hee-seo couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief.

Not that it wasn’t, but because Jeong Hee-seo could feel the employees’ eyes in the lobby slowly turning in their direction. The fact that he was living here had already become the focus of the employees’ attention, so how could they have missed it when he passed through the lobby with someone he was staying with? It suddenly dawned on him whyJi-an had been so reluctant to go out.

Just when Jeong Hee-seo was contemplating downsizing the housing conditions and moving out quickly, someone approached and called Ji-an.

“Seo Ji-an!”

Ji-an flinched and stopped in surprise as his name was called so loudly that it rang around the hotel lobby.

It was Jeong Han-joo.

When Ji-an, who had been joking and laughing just moments before, suddenly stopped, Jeong Hee-seo stepped forward, blocking his younger brother. Even though he didn’t know the exact reason, he could clearly feel Ji-an’s fear.

“… Why is Hyung with him? Why did you two come to a hotel? Is grandmother calling you too?”

“You have a lot of questions. Jeong Han-joo. And what this talk about grandma.”

Jeong Han-joo frowned as if he had nothing to talk about with his older brother. He spoke to Ji-an, who was hiding behind Jeong Hee-seo.

“Ji-an, do you know that your mother is looking for you? Have you been living with my brother all this time? If something bad happens, you should have come to me, why… ”

Jeong Han-joo must have been frustrated, so he took a step closer to Ji-an, who was hiding behind Jeong Hee-seo. Jeong Hee-seo reflexively grabbed his shoulder and blocked him, and of course Jeong Han-joo exploded.

“What are you doing, hyung? Back off.”

“Be quiet. Ji-an gets scared because you act like an angry bull.”

“Hyung, take your hands off me. It feels unpleasant. You need to apply omega pheromone in moderation. Seo Ji-an, you seem to have changed a bit in the time I haven’t seen you.”

Jeong Han-joo shook off Jeong Hee-seo’s hand on his shoulder, as if he was disgusted. Ji-an’s face flushed as he realized he’d been dousing Jeong Hee-seo with pheromones.

“N-no, it’s not like that! It’s not the kind of relationship you think.”

He randomly shouted out an excuse, but this time, Jeong Hee-seo snorted and looked down at Ji-an.

“If you act so defensively, it’s a bit hurtful.”

“No, hyung-nim. That’s not what I mean… ”

Jeong Han-joo, who was already uncomfortable with the two persons making eye contact and talking, was extremely upset by Jeong Hee-seo’s teasing while staring at Ji-an and smiling.

“What is the relationship between you two? Seo Ji-an, explain it. Was what you said that day true? That you slept with my brother?”

Ji-an’s face turned pale at the blatant revelation. Jeong Hee-seo, who was covering Ji-an, frowned.

“Be careful with your words, Jeong Han-joo. There are a lot of people listening here.”

“Careful with my words? What nonsense, it’s all obvious. You two are showing it all with your bodies, now!”

“Han-joo hyung… Please, whatever you want to say to me.”

As Jeong Hee-seo embraced Ji-an and turned around, Jeong Han-joo’s voice became louder. He behaved like a child whose toy had been taken away.

“How can the so called General Manager go in and out of the family’s hotel with a young kid? Does our sister know about this?”

“Where and what did I do with Ji-an-”

Jeong Hee-seo held Ji-an’s shoulder and continued speaking.

“I don’t think it would be more vulgar than what you are doing here with your mouth.”

“H-hyung-nim. I think Han-joo hyung is misunderstanding something, but saying things like that would only deepen the misunderstanding… ”

Ji-an was about to go out to comfort Jeong Han-joo, but Jeong Hee-seo put strength on his arm and prevented him from leaving.

“What misunderstanding? It’s exactly as it appears. Your imagination seems a bit lacking.”

Jeong Han-joo’s face went from red to blue.

Ji-an wanted to dig a hole and disappear. He thought this what a makjang drama was. How could every scene be so embarrassing?

When Ji-an glanced up, Jeong Hee-seo’s eyes seemed to be about to go crazy slightly. After all, he was the villain who went on the most destructive rampage in the final scene, so the built-in personality could not have disappeared altogether. Ji-an didn’t know how to overcome this situation or what to do in embarrassment.

Unexpectedly, a solution appeared from outside.

“This… Can someone explain what’s going on?”

Now, wasn’t there a saying about defeating your enemy with their own enemy? The small voice that suddenly appeared was powerful enough to instantly extinguish the fire surrounding the two Jeong brothers.

Ji-an looked back with the Jeong brothers and his eyes widened. Ji-an took off his sunglasses without realizing it to confirm the identity of the voice.

Click-clack, the sound of heels echoing in the lobby couldn’t have been louder.

An elderly woman, wearing a white cardigan adorned with tassels and pearls, slowly approached the three people. Behind her stood about a dozen secretaries dressed in dark suits.

JM’s Chairman, Myeong Hyun-sook, slowly opened her mouth.

“Hee-seo, Han-joo. Shouldn’t you answer your grandmother’s questions?”

Ji-an felt dizzy to the point that his vision began to be flashing white. Does this mean that the karma of being in the room for ten days comes back in this way? All at once like this?