PIA 97
by Sorai“I don’t know what you mean…”
Seo Ji-hyuk, who had been lost in thought for a moment, started with a denial.
He was fully aware that it wasn’t a wise choice to deny right away, especially while showing obvious signs of tension, but his mind had gone blank. He needed to buy some time somehow.
The problem was, he had no idea how much Jeong Hee-seo had seen or how much he knew. But the most crucial issue was that he didn’t know how much Jeong Hee-seo was leaning toward Seo Ji-an’s side. Therefore, he couldn’t gauge what kind of answer Jeong Hee-seo wanted to hear.
Sensing Seo Ji-hyuk’s hesitation, Jeong Hee-seo spoke up first.
“Are you worried about how much I know and how much I’ve seen?”
“…”
“It would be better for both of us if you speak assuming I know everything. That way, we avoid wasting each other’s time. I have no patience for roundabout ways of talking that hide the main point.”
Seo Ji-hyuk considered how he appeared to Jeong Hee-seo but quickly realized there was no point. Trying to fumble through this situation in front of someone who was staring at him without any change in expression would only result in greater loss.
Just as Jeong Hee-seo’s patience seemed to be wearing thin, Seo Ji-hyuk spoke cautiously.
“As you saw, Seo Ji-an and I are not on good terms. I don’t know how long you’ve met Ji-an, but…”
“…”
“Ji-an… he’s not the kind of person you think he is.”
When Ji-an’s name left Seo Ji-hyuk’s mouth, Jeong Hee-seo’s expression remained calm. This gave Ji-hyuk a small amount of courage and impulse.
“Since I’ll be family with you once I marry Han-joo… I’ll tell you this. Seo Ji-an was very jealous of me. He resented me and caused a lot of trouble. He has a nature that covets what belongs to others. He desired Han-joo greatly.”
“…”
Jeong Hee-seo, who had been listening silently, furrowed his brows slightly and scratched his eyebrow.
“Is that why you met today?”
“…The reason we met today was to invite him to my engagement party.”
“Didn’t you just say you’re not on good terms with him?”
“Ah, well, that’s…”
“Wasn’t the purpose of gathering loved ones on the most special day to share the news? Why would you invite a rival on such a day?”
“Rival? It’s not like that. Han-joo didn’t even spare a glance at Seo Ji-an!”
Seo Ji-hyuk was so agitated by the word ‘rival’ that he failed to notice Jeong Hee-seo’s odd pause in breathing when he mentioned the word.
“Seo Ji-an was just… just a pathetic nuisance. I invited him because I thought he should understand his place.”
“…I see. Understanding one’s place, huh.”
Jeong Hee-seo repeated the phrase ‘understanding one’s place’ around in his mouth several times.
“Alright. If that’s how you felt about Ji-an, then since it’s your own perception, there’s no need for a third party like me to defend or correct it. After all, I make my own judgments while observing you, Mr. Seo Ji-hyuk—am I saying your name right?”
“…Yes.”
“People’s thoughts don’t change just because someone else says so. What difference does it make to talk at length? Right?”
“Uh… Yes, that’s right.”
Jeong Hee-seo continued with an expressionless face.
“That’s why you should keep your thoughts to yourself, you know? No one’s interested in personal assessments of others. You have to take responsibility the moment you utter those words.”
From the moment Jeong Hee-seo started speaking, Seo Ji-hyuk had a feeling something was wrong. But the unexpectedly sharp retort left him at a loss for words.
Was their relationship this deep, more than he had judged? He strongly felt he had made a mistake.
“Whatever my baby does, I’m on his side. The responsibility for saying such things in front of me becomes yours, Mr. Seo Ji-hyuk.”
Jeong Hee-seo stood up from his seat and moved to the side of the table.
“But did you say ‘understanding one’s place’…?”
Forced to look up at him, Seo Ji-hyuk felt dizzy from the subtle Alpha pheromones emanating from Jeong Hee-seo.
With an expression that seemed to say there was nothing more to discuss, Jeong Hee-seo looked down at him, causing Seo Ji-hyuk’s lips to go dry for some reason. Staring into Seo Ji-hyuk’s wavering eyes, he muttered,
“Ah, maybe it’s because I didn’t tell you beforehand that I’m on his side…”
It was almost a mumble to himself. He added in a lowered voice with a faint smile:
“Then you should be careful from now on. About making hasty judgments about others and spreading them around.”
“W-wait…!”
Seo Ji-hyuk called out, his face flushed, as Jeong Hee-seo turned to leave.
“Weren’t you the one who asked me to explain what happened first, General Manager?”
Seo Ji-hyuk felt wronged. Seo Ji-an and Jeong Hee-seo had only known each other for a few months at most, yet because of a few words he didn’t like hearing, Jeong Hee-seo was responding so rudely to someone who was soon to become family.
Before he knew it, Seo Ji-hyuk had raised his voice despite Jeong Hee-seo being older than him. In that moment of sudden courage, Seo Ji-hyuk felt justified—after all, they were about to become family.
“Ah, that.”
Jeong Hee-seo chuckled and reached for Ji-an’s glass of red watermelon ade on the table.
The moment he saw the drink swirling in the clear glass, Seo Ji-hyuk reflexively raised his arm to cover his face.
“That was about asking about your rude behavior.”
“…”
He whispered as he set the watermelon ade down in front of Seo Ji-hyuk.
“Why? Did you think I was going to do the same to you?”
Seo Ji-hyuk’s face burned with embarrassment behind the arm he had raised to shield himself. He knew Jung Hee-seo wouldn’t throw the drink at him, yet he couldn’t lower his arm easily.
The fact that he had been startled by Hee-seo’s presence, and that Hee-seo hadn’t lashed out, was a blow to Seo Ji-hyuk’s pride—especially since such a powerful Alpha stood as Seo Jian’s solid ally.
“Sh1t.”
Cursing under his breath, Seo Ji-hyuk slowly raised his head, only to find the spot where Jung Hee-seo had been standing now empty. His clenched fists trembled as he glared toward the window.
Fury and frustration welled up inside him at the thought that the Alpha who had just berated him would now be by Jian’s side. Tears of resentment filled his eyes.
* * *
Ji-an and Woo-seok sat facing each other by the window in a café where cheerful music played.
Unaware that Jeong Hee-seo had met with Ji-hyuk, Ji-an was leisurely eating shaved ice with Woo-seok. Since the cake incident, Ji-an had been craving tangy fruits often.
“Ugh!”
Woo-seok, having eaten the shaved ice too quickly, pounded his forehead with his fist as his head throbbing with brain freeze. Ji-an paused eating his mango and mumbled:
“Was I too harsh?”
“Ah, my head. Hey! Don’t worry about it. He’s the one who keeps taking out his frustrations on the wrong people over something that’s already over. You’ve already apologized and drawn a clear line, right? What more can a person do?”
“What’s this?”
Ji-an’s eyes widened as he looked at Woo-seok, who was unexpectedly taking his side. Woo-seok clicked his tongue at the brown stain on Ji-an’s t-shirt.
It was just melted ice water so it wasn’t too bad, but if there had been more coffee, it would have been twice as messy.
“Even if he’s only a half-brother… Now that I know there’s a blood connection, I see he resembles you a lot.”
“Ugh.”
Ji-an made a face of disgust and pulled out Jeong Hee-seo’s handkerchief, which he treasured, and sniffed it. He was using it like an aromatherapy patch that helps calm the mind and body when needed.
Woo-seok, who had initially freaked out when he first saw the handkerchief, now seemed used to it and didn’t even glance at it.
“But his personality seems off. It’s like he’s a bit twisted… My mom used to say it’s best to avoid people with such a warped mindset.”
“I’m not so easy-going either. I can be twisted too.”
“Oh, I know. It’s possible. You could be.”
Woo-seok nodded vigorously with strong affirmative gestures, making Ji-an giggle. Just as his heart, which had felt heavy and uneasy despite wiping off the water on his face, was starting to feel a bit lighter—
A voice whispered:
—He’s right. It’s better to keep your distance.
Jian, who had been laughing, suddenly froze, startling Woo-seok, who turned around to see what had caused her change in expression. Seeing Ji-an’s expression turn serious, he thought someone must have appeared behind him.
“What? Why?”
“…It’s nothing. I thought I saw a bug.”
As Jian lowered his gaze to the shaved ice, the whispering voice continued.
—Don’t forget that Seo Ji-hyuk is a reflection of your brother
“……”
—Seo Ji-hyuk doesn’t just dislike you—he envies your very existence. You know better than anyone how your brother treated you. He truly hates you. It’s not just dislike; it’s loathing.
Jian had a spoonful of shaved ice poised in the air but couldn’t bring herself to eat it. No matter who it was, it wasn’t pleasant to hear that someone disliked or hated you. Even though he knew all this, it felt suffocating, like a stone was stuck in his throat.
—That guy’s twisted nature…
“I want to live here now.”
Even though Woo-seok was right in front of him, Ji-an couldn’t hold back for a moment. He didn’t want to hear that guy’s warnings.
“I’m going to live here. Are you listening?”
The voice seemed to fade as it tried to respond.
—……
Thinking he heard a faint acknowledgment just before the sound disappeared entirely, Ji-an lifted his head in disappointment.
Woo-seok was staring at him with a bewildered expression. Before Jian could come up with an excuse, he spoke.
“You gave up on your preparations to go abroad a long time ago. Are you losing the motivation?”
“Ah… right.”
“Forget about it and just focus on dating.”
Couple’s hell, single’s paradise. Woo-seok muttered while pretending to pray, holding the spoon respectfully with both hands. Ji-an swept his gaze around the store as if sightseeing. Even though he strained his ears, he could no longer hear any unusual voices besides the noise and music in the store.
Frustration welled up inside him.
This was the first time since they were connected in the dream. Having waited anxiously to express his clear intentions, the disconnection made Jian even more frustrated. Was there really no way for him to approach and talk to the voice first?
Ji-an hypothesized that the incident where the voice had asked if he wanted to stay here had become the catalyst for him to see the voice through the “dream” channel.
He had desperately tried to talk to him, falling asleep thinking of him night after night, hoping to reconnect, but there had been no sign of it.
Stress is the worst, he sighed involuntarily. Ji-an rubbed his lower abdomen, stuffed his mouth full of sweet mango, and covered his nose with Jeong Hee-seo’s handkerchief. It was a somewhat conscious action.