PIA 81

“Nice to meet you.”

“Ah… Yes, nice to meet you too. Please come in.”

After spending a busy morning conducting small interviews and finishing up surveying the house structure, the interior designer that  Jeong Hee-seo had mentioned arrived with his team. Ji-an, who had been bustling all morning opening the door for the newly hired staff coming in and out, opened the door in a daze and was startled.

He couldn’t even see the face, let alone get a first impression, because a huge bouquet of flowers was pushed right in front of his nose. Ji-an hesitantly accepted the bouquet from him and responded to the handshake.

“The flowers are from  Mr. Jeong Hee-seo. He told me to bring them on my way here.”

The man whose face was finally revealed wiped his steamy glasses with a handkerchief, looking troubled. Only then did Ji-an manage an awkward smile as he assessed the situation. The man was anAlpha. Not dominant, but with decent pheromones and physique.

Holding the bouquet of roses with such a strong scent that it stung his nose, he didn’t have a chance to properly sense the man’s pheromones. Feeling  Jeong Hee-seo’s cute intentions clearly, Ji-an couldn’t help but smile weakly.

So, he wants the best person for the job but doesn’t want me to catch his pheromones, huh? Somehow, Ji-an’s ears warmed at the thought.

“Well, where shall we start our discussion?”

The man who had spread out his belongings on the table rubbed his hands in front of the massive castle-like mansion and its small Omega owner. It was an undeniably interesting project.

Clients who don’t worry about cost-effectiveness are usually generous and open-handed. Even more so if what the client wants to buy is a gift. The thought of a nice vacation after successfully completing this project excited him.

“Please enjoy some cool juice while you two talk.”

A servant set down drinks on the table cluttered with thick sample books covered in fabric swatches, design drafts, photo albums, and booklets. Ji-an also smiled leisurely as he offered a drink to the designer.

The joy of the work ahead outweighed any worries about how much there was to do. That was undeniable.

After finishing the basic discussion, Ji-an excused himself to avoid interfering with the designer’s inspiration from the space. He had some homework from  Jeong Hee-seo that needed to be dealt with first.

After taking a deep breath, he called his mother, Yoon Ok-hee.

“Oh, son. What’s the matter?”

“Mom.”

As if to prove that this world’s ‘Seo Ji-an’ had lived recklessly, she didn’t question the overnight stay or wonder about his whereabouts. The previous worry was indeed due to Kang Boon-nam.

“Ji-an?”

When Ji-an was momentarily choked up and couldn’t continue speaking, Yoon Ok-hee quickly asked again.

“Oh, I couldn’t hear for a moment. Mom, I’ve decided to stay with Hee-seo hyung from now on. For now… until the baby is born.”

“Until it’s born?”

“Yes. They say Alpha pheromones are necessary… I’ll give you the address, so please send my clothes.”

“…”

Yoon Ok-hee was silent for a moment before continuing. Her voice trembled as if she had difficulty bringing it up.

“Ji-an, I’m not sure. Is this really okay for you? You might just be swayed by pheromones. Why don’t you think about it a bit more? It’s an important decision in your life, and if you rush into it, both you and that person might get hurt.”

“…”

“I know that these days many people say they live together before marriage, but it bothers me that you say you’ll live together until the baby is born. Son.”

Undoubtedly, the person who suffered the most from her husband’s child born out of wedlock was Yoon Ok-hee. Ji-an understood her concern, so he waited without hastily answering.

“And if it doesn’t feel right, it’s better to break it off before developing shallow feelings. Ji-an. He’s someone who can’t give you certainty even though you’re having a child.”

“No, Mom, that’s not it.”

Fearing someone might overhear, he moved to a seat by the window, avoiding the passing servants.

“Hyung treats me really well, Mom. If there’s a person in this world with absolutely no problems, it would be him. The problem is…”

“Ji-an.”

“The problem is with me, Mom.”

“What problem could you possibly have? If anyone says anything about your traits anywhere, bring them all to me. I’ll scold them. If they say anything about that in that house, I absolutely won’t give you to them.”

Yoon Ok-hee, who seemed as delicate as a small bird in this world, spoke with force and anger in her voice. Ji-an found her strong voice both familiar and heart-wrenchingly nostalgic, causing him to smile with a pained expression.

“Ji-an. You can make your decision thinking only about your happiness, putting the baby aside.”

“Yes.”

“You know, right? Mom will support you no matter what. You’re not lacking in anything. Don’t let anyone look down on you.”

“That’s already too much, and that’s the problem.”

Yoon Ok-hee seemed not to trust Ji-an. It must be too easy for her to imagine Ji-an’s unhappiness.

In this matter, Ji-an was being sufficiently selfish right now. In a world with a clear expiration date, he was the one just receiving the love given by him. He was also deceiving him, aiming the hammer of farewell at the back of his head without giving any warning or truth.

Ji-an sat on the sofa, watching people busily refining the living space. Filling and carefully examining the things they would eat, drink, and use after he returned from work.

All of those were the foundation for their peaceful future. Extremely ordinary, but just a dream for him.

After all this dreamlike time passes, will he be the only one to fall bleeding? Probably not. Nevertheless, it was too sweet. Ji-an smiled bitterly, thinking that the poisoned cup was too sweet to stop drinking.

“Mom, don’t worry too much.”

“How can I not worry? What if something terrible happens to you?”

How could he reject him when he’s so sweet?

“Even if something happens, it’s not like I’ll die, right?”

Ji-an countered Yoon Ok-hee’s worry with a joke and looked at the clock. It was almost time for  Jeong Hee-seo to arrive.

* * *

The fact that no problems arose when he was away for a day approached  Jeong Hee-seo with two sentiments: slight relief and slight disappointment. The company ran just as smoothly without him as it had the previous week.

The only things piled up in his email were unremarkable approval documents. A visitor to the office gently scratched at  Jeong Hee-seo’s insides as he checked the contents with a dispassionate face.

“Did you think JM would fall apart just because you were gone for a day? I can see the disappointment in your eyes.”

When  Jeong Hee-seo didn’t respond, she sighed long and buried herself in the sofa.

“I understand that feeling. My younger siblings all disappoint me too. I’m so lonely, Hee-seo.”

“Siblings?”

 Jeong Hee-seo finally turned his eyes.

Jeong Hee-young, who had thrown off even her shoes and was lying lengthwise on the sofa, tilted her head back and looked at Jeong Hee-seo. Even upside down, my younger brother is so handsome… she mumbled, making him frown. He was about to crumple his face in irritation, thinking she had been drinking since noon, but her words piqued his interest, so he stayed quiet and listened.

“I went with Han-joo to pick out wedding gifts… and when I asked him to buy something for his older sister too, he flatly refused. I wasn’t asking for much, just a pair of earrings. His gaze couldn’t have been colder.”

“Han-joo is doing what?”

“Is money the issue? I can buy it with my own money. The problem is the heart, isn’t it? That guy, he’s so in love with his boyfriend, that conscienceless bastard. Grandmother is paying for it anyway. Would it kill him to order a gift for me too while he’s at it? I took time out of my busy schedule to set him up with that wedding planner, who’s so famous she’s booked until the year after next. What’s the point of all that effort? It makes me feel like this is all an older sister means to a younger brother…”

The lengthy chatter gave him a headache. Jeong Hee-seo held his forehead and waited for  Jeong Hee-young to finish before asking.

“Jeong Han-joo is getting married?”

Jeong Hee-young sat up abruptly. Her eyes sparkled with interest.

“You didn’t know?”

How could he have known? He hadn’t been interested. When Han-joo introduced his pregnant Omega to the family, Hee-seo had an inkling but didn’t expect it to happen so quickly. Considering Han-joo’s long-term dating habits, he never imagined a wedding so soon.

And the thought that marriage could happen so easily pricked Jeong Hee-seo’s heart.

“Is marriage this easy?”

“What’s difficult about it?”

 Jeong Hee-young chided as if he was talking nonsense.

“Marriage is easy in our family, at least. This is my third time, why are you so serious? Don’t you know our grandmother is actually a very open-minded person?”

“I remember her saying that if you get divorced again, she’ll take everything from you, even your underwear, Noona.”

Under Myeong Hyun-sook, who had met her husband through a love marriage and built a business empire from scratch, the family’s atmosphere promoted freedom in love, marriage, and even divorce—Jeong Hee-young was living proof of that.

But knowing something and feeling it are different. The fact that  Jeong Han-joo’s marriage particularly stung his heart was probably because of unresolved issues with Ji-an. Jeong Hee-seo felt a slight sense of defeat towards his younger brother.

What’s so easy about it? In retrospect, he had made mistakes from the start. It was no wonder Ji-an didn’t trust him. Jeong Hee-seo frowned deeply.

Thinking back, it was foolish to simply suggest marriage… It was absurd now to think about it. Barging into Ji-an’s house after noticing the pregnancy and blurting it out, grabbing the child who had knelt before his Grandmother and suggesting marriage because there were no other options.

Saying there was no one as suitable and convenient as him…

Ugh.  Jeong Hee-seo roughly rubbed his jaw.

“…”

“What are you going to give?”

“…”

“Hee-seo?”

“Ah! What?”

Having responded somewhat irritably due to being lost in thought,  Jeong Hee-young drooped her identical eyebrows and pouted.

“Han-joo’s wedding gift! I asked what you’re going to give him.”

Ha. Is that the issue right now?  Jeong Hee-seo rubbed his throbbing forehead and said halfheartedly.

“Well, shares?”

“Ugh, you’re so unaffectionate.”

“He’ll like it the most.”

Even the rather sentimental Jeong Hee-young couldn’t argue with that. Nodding in agreement, she threw another question at the brooding  Jeong Hee-seo.

“Where do you think we should hold the engagement party?”

“Do whatever you want.”

“Should we do it at the same place as the company anniversary party? Am I lacking creativity?”

Reminded of a memory that automatically came to mind at the mention of that party,  Jeong Hee-seo sighed, feeling as if a stone were pressing on his chest. Understanding that his deep sigh was because of her, Jeong Hee-young started humming a tune.