TSG 126

Starting lightly.

“I heard you got a boyfriend.”

Choi Han-byeol set the stage for Shin Tae-oh to talk about his partner. He gave him the freedom to either grill some cheesy, over-the-top sentiment or set the mood ablaze with fiery passion—whatever he pleased.

“Yeah.”

But Shin Tae-oh just sat with his arms crossed, doing nothing with the opportunity given. Seeing this, Ha Jin-seong’s eyes narrowed. He wondered why the guy who would usually talk for days about Se-hyun was acting this way.

“Is that all?”

Choi Han-byeol, also finding it strange, urged Shin Tae-oh to say more.

“Talking about it will just attract flies.”

“Flies?”

Even with Han-byeol’s expression that seemed to ask ‘Are you referring to me?’, Shin Tae-oh didn’t spoke again.

“You… really not going to talk?”

“It’s too precious.”

There was no need to ask who or what he meant by ‘precious’.

Choi Han-byeol looked at Shin Tae-oh intently, then turned to Ha Jin-seong as if seeking agreement.

“Is this person that good?”

Ha Jin-seong relaxed his narrowed eyes. Choi Han-byeol seemed determined to ask Ha Jin-seong if he couldn’t get answers from Shin Tae-oh.

“Why are you asking me…”

Ha Jin-seong clicked his tongue, finding himself in the position of having to explain instead of Shin Tae-oh, when he had sat back down hoping to hear about Se-hyun. While he was glad the topic had shifted from his brother, it wasn’t exactly a welcome subject either.

“Yeah, he’s a good person.”

Suddenly, for some reason, Ha Jin-seong changed his mind and blurted out.

“Really?”

Choi Han-byeol showed great curiosity as Ha Jin-seong seemed about to elaborate. And Shin Tae-oh…

“That’s enough. Stop prying into my partner’s business.”

He wouldn’t allow it.

“Why? Are you bothered even when I’m about to talk about my friend?”

Ha Jin-seong, finding Shin Tae-oh’s reaction amusing, provoked him with a newly regained composure. As the tension rose again, this time Han-byeol didn’t intervene, just watching the two.

“Our Se-hyun is…”

Ha Jin-seong began, clearly intending for Shin Tae-oh to hear. The simple-minded Shin Tae-oh’s eyebrows were already twitching at the word ‘our’.

“He has a great appearance and personality. He’s unexpectedly thoughtful in certain areas, and keeps you on your toes with unexpected responses.”

As Ha Jin-seong continued to talk about Se-hyun, Shin Tae-oh’s expression grew increasingly sour. Although all the words about Se-hyun were positive, Shin Tae-oh looked like he wanted to shut Ha Jin-seong’s mouth immediately.

“He’s an attractive person at first sight, but becomes even more charming the more you see him.”

Anyone watching might think Ha Jin-seong was bragging about his own partner, not Shin Tae-oh’s.

Thanks to this, Yoo Jin-hyun, who was about to join them late as a friend of all despite not being a college classmate, ended up hearing praise for Se-hyun. Yoo Jin-hyun approached, stopped nearby, and made a strange expression.

“What are you guys doing?”

Yoo Jin-hyun looked back and forth between Ha Jin-seong and Shin Tae-oh, finally turning to Choi Han-byeol.

“Did you stir this up?”

Choi Han-byeol reacted with an innocent face, claiming no guilt. Then he beckoned Yoo Jin-hyun closer and whispered in his ear.

“Let’s watch.”

At this response suggesting there was a reason for all this, Yoo Jin-hyun forcibly closed his mouth despite looking like he had a lot to say. He might need to calm the situation if things got out of hand.

With Choi Han-byeol and now Yoo Jin-hyun, Shin Tae-oh and Ha Jin-seong engaged in an intense battle of wills under the watchful eyes of two spectators. With Se-hyun between them, the fight was bound to flare up. It was like having an unquenchable spark.

“Stop talking about Se-hyun.”

Shin Tae-oh tried to stop Ha Jin-seong first.

“If anyone asks about me elsewhere, just tell them that.”

“Is this because of Kim Yi-jun?”

Ha Jin-seong immediately understood and snorted. He knew that Kim Yi-jun from Janghan Bank had taken a liking to Shin Tae-oh, and he hadn’t bothered to mention that Shin Tae-oh was already taken. Apparently, Yi-jun had even expressed interest openly.

“You should’ve just given him a chance. Yi-jun is a good guy…”

“If you’re going to spout that kind of nonsense, stay away from Se-hyun.”

Shin Tae-oh, who already disliked Ha Jin-seong for being a thorn in his side, didn’t miss this opportunity.

“You should take care of your own family. Why are you concerning yourself with someone else’s partner?”

“I can’t help but be concerned.”

As Shin Tae-oh muttered dismissively, an agitated Ha Jin-seong revealed his true feelings.

“You want me to just let it go when I was so focused on Se-hyun that I didn’t even notice my stupid brother causing trouble? I absolutely can’t do that.”

It was as if Ha Jin-seong had easily become agitated even though Shin Tae-oh hadn’t said much. Yet he didn’t take back his words.

“That’s why I won’t stay away from Se-hyun. I need to repay my debt, even if just as a friend.”

“What about me?”

Shin Tae-oh tapped his head with his index finger. At this subtle pressure asking if there was nothing to repay to him, Ha Jin-seong openly turned his head away, ignoring him.

“I’ll keep an eye on you to make sure you’re treating them right.”

“Wow… keeping an eye on me now?”

The implication was clear—if Shin Tae-oh ever broke up with Se-hyun, H Jin-seong was ready to swoop in. But Choi Han-byeol interpreted it differently.

“It means he’ll be wishing for your happiness from the sidelines.”

“And if he sees you struggling, he’ll be ready to step in and help out.”

As Yoo Jin-hyun added his comment, Ha Jin-seong glared at both of them.

“Shut up.”

“Well, that’s your concept, isn’t it?”

When you think of Ha Jin-seong, it would be a mix of tsundere and undying loyalty.

Yoo Jin-hyun, realizing that the atmosphere had become quite pleasant since Choi Han-byeol told him to watch, muttered comfortably.

“I can handle my own happiness, thanks.”

The only one who remained consistently dissatisfied from start to finish was Shin Tae-oh.

“I’ll make sure Se-hyun is happy. We’ve already grown quite close.”

“You’re already dating, and you’ve grown even closer? What does this mean?”

Choi Han-byeol latched onto the end of his words like a fish biting a large bait. Yoo Jin-hyun, sensing there was more to this, picked up on it.

“What else could it mean when an Alpha’s feelings deepen?”

It was so obvious.

“Looks like you’re close to imprinting.”

Yoo Jin-hyun and Choi Han-byeol, who had deduced Shin Tae-oh’s feelings with a single word, suddenly huddled together as if plotting something.

“Let me meet that Se-hyun once. I’m curious.”

“Should we? We could even ask when they’re getting married while we’re at it.”

“Marriage?”

“They have to get married after imprinting, right?”

To Yoo Jin-hyun’s question implying it was obvious, Choi Han-byeol tilted his head with a look that said, “Is that so?”

And Shin Tae-oh…

“Just because you imprint doesn’t mean you have to get married.”

“…Look in a mirror before you say that.”

“Your mouth is about to split from smiling.”

Seeing Shin Tae-oh’s mouth corners rising at the mention of marriage, the two clicked their tongues. Ha Jin-seong blatantly took a picture of Shin Tae-oh’s face and pushed his phone towards him to see.

“If you’re going to love only one person for the rest of your life anyway, you might as well get married.”

When Choi Han-byeol subtly added to the atmosphere, Shin Tae-oh waved his hands saying it wasn’t like that, but his expression betrayed him.

“I could do the wedding photography.”

Even Yoo Jin-hyun, who had said he doesn’t photograph people, chimed in, causing Shin Tae-oh to stand up as if he couldn’t take it anymore.

“We’re not rushing into any decisions like that.”

He was trying to avoid this conversation by going somewhere else. However, like Ha Jin-seong earlier, Shin Tae-oh couldn’t move.

The reason was…

– Hello?

Because Ha Jin-seong had called Se-hyun.

Although mixed with mechanical sounds, Shin Tae-oh immediately recognized it as the voice of the man he loved and quickly moved his large body towards the phone.

“Have you seen your Alpha’s picture?”

Ha Jin-seong looked at Shin Tae-oh with disdain before speaking to Se-hyun.

– Yes. My Alpha seems to be having fun meeting his friends.

Hearing Se-hyun’s gentle response, it seemed Ha Jin-seong had sent the picture he took of Shin Tae-oh earlier to Se-hyun.

“He says he wants to marry you. But he also says it’s not something to decide hastily…”

– Ah, he’s happy at the thought of marrying me?

Se-hyun hummed, dragging out the moment. Because of this, everyone eagerly awaited Se-hyun’s next words. Shin Tae-oh was the most anxious among them.

– Well, I guess he’ll have to propose, then.

At this response, which was as good as permission for marriage, Shin Tae-oh grabbed the phone.

“I love you too.”

– Mm. I love you, Tae-oh.

“You know who I love most in the world, right?”

– For Tae-oh, it’s obviously me.

Thanks to Shin Tae-oh not turning off the speaker, their conversation was clearly audible to everyone. Now, even other alumni who weren’t at the table were slowly gathering around.

“Hearing your voice makes me want to see your face. I want to see my handsome lover.”

Ha Jin-seong’s description of Se-hyun was now being repeated by Shin Tae-oh.

“He really has changed, hasn’t he?”

While Yoo Jin-hyun and Ha Jin-seong were used to this situation and weren’t surprised, Choi Han-byeol, seeing it for the first time, found the changed Shin Tae-oh unfamiliar.

“Should we get married next week? If Se-hyun wants, I can do it right away. Thursday? Or Friday?”

As Shin Tae-oh suggested setting a date, striking while the iron was hot, Se-hyun fell silent, perhaps thinking it over. Time passed even more slowly than before. Now, not just Shin Tae-oh, but everyone was waiting for Se-hyun’s answer.

– We have a 3-day business trip scheduled for next week, sir.

Despite Choi Han-byeol’s desperate look practically screaming for someone to explain what was happening, neither Yoo Jin-hyun nor Ha Jin-seong could respond—they were too busy laughing.