PIA 32

He arbitrarily misunderstood Ji-an’s complexity within the limits of his imagination. And Ji-an decided to leave the misunderstanding as it was. After all, it was something that couldn’t be explained.

“Yes. It’s scary. Even if I’m… pretending to be strong.”

“If all you want is to safely give birth to the baby, it’s natural that your parents or grandmother wouldn’t be easily convinced. But eventually, it’s a problem they have to accept.”

“…”

“So take it easy on yourself and go for it. It’s your life, you don’t have to get permission. Show it. At least, that’s how I’ve lived.”

“If I do, I’ll probably get beaten up…”

Jeong Hee-seo drank his third drink. Does this guy need alcohol to talk a lot? Ji-an slowly narrowed his eyes.

“I decided to help you, right? Since I have a responsibility. So, make use of it. Instead of feeling sorry, think about how to make good use of it.”

“How do I use it?”

“For example. When you go to confess at home, you can use me as a shield.”

“Ugh…”

Ji-an covered his eyes with both fists.

“What am I going to say? That this Alpha is the baby’s father, and we’re living together as a trial?”

“… Well, you can call me a support provider. At least you don’t have to worry about child support. How fortunate.”

Jeong Hee-seo shrugged his shoulders and muttered.

“Mom, your son has become so naughty. He got into an accident, but it happened with a rich conglomerate heir.”

Ji-an burst out laughing at the unexpected joke.

“What, are you drunk, hyung-nim?”

“No way.”

Ji-an poured all the remaining carbonated water into his mouth and sighed.

“You’re really like the final boss.”

“Final boss?”

“There is such a thing. …Your perspective is really clear and strong, and I envy you. I’m just constantly worrying about trivial things. Yet, you’re kind to me and always smile…”

It was unfair to be both good-looking and have a good personality. He was unable to say the remaining words and swallowed them. Ji-an really thought Jeong Hee-seo was cool. If he said it out loud, he might lose control of his emotions, forget his position, and be swayed.

“Hmm.”

Perhaps because Ji-an’s words were so unfamiliar, Jeong Hee-seo suddenly fell silent. He covered his mouth and gazed into the distance with a thoughtful expression.

Thanks to this, silence fell around the table. Not being able to have a drink due to pregnancy at times like made him very unhappy. Ji-an hurriedly got up and retrieved the cloth bag he had thrown away carelessly.

The baby notebook he received from the hospital included a black-and-white photograph with the baby’s age recorded on it. The column for writing down the baby’s nickname was still empty.

He decided to give birth. Jeong Hee-seo promised to protect him. He determined that the baby would be the reason for staying here for a year. Let’s focus. Ji-an calmed down as he looked at the baby notebook.

Ji-an had to choose a nickname for the baby and the baby needed to be fed many delicious things. There was a lot of work to do ahead. Ji-an took out his original phone, placed it on the charger, and began to think about what he would say when he came home to be accepted.

Jeong Hee-seo was staring at Ji-an’s round back as he crouched down. The pumpkin-colored liquid inside the glass in his hand swirled and formed circles.

Jeong Hee-seo’s gaze was a bit complex. Although he was naturally inclined to give straightforward and clear answers to everything, he couldn’t come up with an answer to Ji-an’s question just now.

He smiled a lot…?

Funny enough, the question that was going through Jeong Hee-seo’s head was so simple.

∞

The next morning.

“Is it really okay for me to follow you?”

“Yeah.”

Ji-an asked as he chased after Jeong Hee-seo in the dressing room, who was putting on a watch and selecting a tie. Jeong Hee-seo looked in the mirror and answered indifferently.

“Really? While you’re working… Isn’t that too lacking in common sense?”

“Ji-an. I told you not to look for common sense. You don’t have any common sense in the first place.”

That was true, though.

Tch. Ji-an pouted his lips. He was caught off guard as Jeong Hee-seo suddenly turned around and faced him. Ji-an’s heart was surprised when he caught Jeong Hee-seo’s gaze, who lowered his head without warning.

“I heard you haven’t made an appointment with your mother yet.”

“Yes. I was planning to call her today.”

“And you said you’re scared to be alone here.”

“… That’s right.”

Even though Madam Myeong Hyun-sook had said she would keep her word, it felt like she would show up the moment Jeong Hee-seo left the room. Moreover, the discomfort increased after hearing that Jeong Hee-young, his older sister, was the hotel’ CEO.

“Then why are you talking so much?”

“Ah.”

Jeong Hee-seo pinched Ji-an’s nose lightly.

“I’m going to work outside today, so you can follow me. I’ll just check on things in the morning and let’s have some meat in the afternoon.”

“Oh oh? Really? I want to eat Korean beef. Flower sirloin.”

Ji-an’s cheeks puffed up with joy. Oh, merciful Highness. Jeong Hee-seo chuckled as Ji-an gathered his hands in excitement and his eyes sparkled. Jeong Hee-seo then hastily touched his jaw. He had been doing that since last night; he wondered if he had hit his chin somewhere.

A handsome man shined no matter what he did, and even that appearance looked like a scene from an advertisement. Although it seemed like he had been drinking quite a bit of alcohol without any snacks until late at night, how could he look so clean? His skin glowed, and the bridge of his nose was sharp enough to cut you. And his lips…

“What’s wrong?”

As Ji-an absentmindedly stared at him, Jeong Hee-seo tilted his head and asked.

“Because you’re handsome, hyung-nim.”

“…Just get dressed.”

Why was he dissatisfied again? Jeong Hee-seo might know that his eyebrow goes up when he’s displeased. Ji-an was just being honest when he asked. Ji-an smiled and pulled away from him.

Since it was an external appointment, there was no need to worry about a dress code. Anyway, the only things in the closet were everyday clothes bought and filled by Jeong Hee-seo’s secretaries. Ji-an chose the neatest of them all, dressed in a mint-colored sweater and dazzling ivory cotton pants.

In the tote bag, he packed pheromone perfume just in case and a phone. There were two phones—one was his original one fully charged, and the other was given by Jeong Hee-seo.

“Are you all dressed?”

“Yes. How is it? Actually, I don’t have much clothes to wear. No, it definitely doesn’t mean that I don’t have enough clothes, so don’t misunderstand.”

“It’s childlike and nice.”

Childlike… Ji-an narrowed his eyes and looked at Jeong Hee-seo.

“It means it looks bright and cute. Not that you look like a child.”

Ji-an felt embarrassed for no reason and touched the end of his eyebrow.

It was troublesome when he kept saying things like this.

It was too much stimulation for someone who specialized in unrequited love. The truth was that unrequited love meant gazing at the wonderful person as if they were a tree you couldn’t climb. But now the tree kept bending over. It was tempting him to climb on it. Moreover, it was a tree that he should never have climbed.

Ji-an was unfamiliar with these kinds of situations and struggled to adapt. His heart was restless. He quickly turned his body and headed towards the entrance.

“Let’s go quickly. Aren’t you going to be late?”

Jeong Hee-seo’s eyebrows rose again as Ji-an responded sullenly and turned away. Ji-an was smiling so much a moment ago that Jeong Hee-seo couldn’t figure out why his mood suddenly dropped. Jeong Hee-seo, who was looking at Ji-an blankly, slowly followed him and muttered.

“There’s no need to be in such a hurry.”

“Wow, is it because you have a high rank that you can do whatever you want?”

Jeong Hee-seo laughed again at the teasing remark. This time, he didn’t actually cover his mouth.

“That’s right. I can do whatever I want. Most of the time, it works.”

“How does it feel to live like that? You’ve never had anything not going your way, right?”

“Hmm… ”

Jeong Hee-seo put his arm around Ji-an’s shoulder and tilted his head.

“Never.”

To be precise, Jeong Hee-seo didn’t know the sensation of things not going his way.

It was a bit ambiguous, and nothing seemed to be certain, yet he had a feeling that constantly made his chest feel tight…

Until then, Jeong Hee-seo didn’t know that the uncomfortable feeling he was experiencing could be described as ‘things not going his way.’

The external meeting that Hee-seo Jeong said was a ‘company meeting’ turned out to be an interview shoot when they arrived at the promised location.

It was content for YouTube, where they interviewed young business executives in a talk show format, targeting readers of an economic magazine. It seemed to have a concept of approaching in a friendly manner. They had set up filming equipment in a spacious cafe with a separate area for group gatherings.

Ji-an was looking around with an interested expression on his face since he had never seen such detailed images of Jeong Hee-seo, who was only a villain and a supporting character in the drama.

“The filming is scheduled for about an hour, so it’ll be over soon.”

After exchanging nods with the production team, Jeong Hee-seo wrapped his arm around Ji-an’s shoulder and spoke. As Jeong Hee-seo led him to a sunny window seat, Secretary Yoon approached with a tray filled with bread, cakes, and drinks. This was the menu that Jeong Hee-seo had fleetingly asked Ji-an about earlier.

“Is this too little?”

“Yes? No. This is more than enough.”

When Jeong Hee-seo showed displeasure while looking through the tray placed on the table, Secretary Yoon’s face hardened. Although Ji-an internally agreed with the opinion that it looked small, he waved his hand in a hurry and dissuaded him saying it was fine.

“I don’t eat that much.”

“…”

“Why do you look at me like that? It’s true.”

“Okay, let’s say that’s true. Have fun while eating this.”

“Yes. Please make a lot of money.”

As Ji-an spoke with a raised hand salute, Jeong Hee-seo smiled and turned around. After Jeong Hee-seo entered the space blocked by the glass wall, the door was closed and filming began right away.