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“…Yes?”

Yu-young turned his head. With a slight tilt of his head, Do-won was staring at Yu-young’s face, slowly scanning his face and the hand holding the earphones.

“Are you going to listen to music?”

“Yes. But…?”

Yu-young, with a dazed expression, stared at his face, then blinked as he looked at the palm of his hand that was extended toward him. From the gesture, it seemed like Do-won wanted something, but Yu-young couldn’t figure out what it was. It couldn’t be a report in this situation, nor could it be asking to hold hands in a place full of people. And there’s no way… he’s asking to listen to music together, right?

Do-won leaned forward toward Yu-young with his upper body. He whispered softly, just loud enough for Yu-young’s ears alone.

“Let me listen too.”

Yu-young’s face immediately heated up as their eyes met when Do-won tilted his head slightly, asking for the earphones. His eyes and the smile hanging at the corner of his mouth were too charming. Without realizing it, Yu-young extended one earphone to him, still dazed.

“Thank you.”

Do-won spoke quietly as he placed the earphone in Yu-young’s ear. Trying to calm his racing heart, Yu-young turned on the playlist. Although he had intended to casually listen to something on his own, the thought of listening together made him nervous about what to choose. Just then, Do-won added.

“Play what you usually listen to. Don’t worry.”

His voice was low, quiet enough only for Yu-young’s ears. Listening to his soft voice, Yu-young tried to hide his trembling fingertips. With his face flushed, he played the classical music he usually listened to when he needed to calm his mind.

Soon, a graceful piano piece began to play. The delicate melody that seemed to gently touch the heart poured into him like sunlight.

For some reason, his heart felt a pang at the beautiful melody. “Consolation.” True to its name, the music seemed to wrap around his heart like a comforting embrace. Even though he usually listened to this music during meditation or while taking a bath, listening to it with Do-won felt completely different.

The music reverberated at a comfortable volume, the sunlight reflecting through the window, the slowly passing scenery, and the person sitting next to him, making his heart race.

“It’s a nice list,” Do-won said lazily.

“Do you listen to this often?”

“Yes. When I’m meditating… or taking a bath.”

“It’s nice.”

Do-won leaned in closer to Yu-young’s ear again.

“Let’s listen to it together more often, from now on.”

The soft hairs on Yu-young’s ear seemed to stand up. Whether Do-won was aware of how his words were coloring Yu-young’s ear in red or not, he pulled back and stared out the window nonchalantly.

With his words that were so easy to misunderstand, Yu-young secretly glared at him as he looked out the window.

The melody that had slowed down began to build again. However, it wasn’t the mesmerizing sound of the piano that shook his heart the most—it was the very presence of the man sitting beside him.

“…Hah.”

Once he had come to terms with the confusion he felt, every moment with him became both a sweet and painful torment for Yu-young.

He had never thought he’d fall for someone. He couldn’t understand the inefficiency of harboring such emotions.

But being in love alone was more overwhelming than he expected, and sweeter too. The overwhelming part was because once he acknowledged his feelings, they grew uncontrollably, and the sweetness came from being able to see the person he liked every day, both day and night.

At times, the distance that couldn’t be closed between them caused a bit of pain, but mostly, it was good. Do-won always treated him kindly. Though, from his perspective, it was all part of the contract under the title of husband as specified in their agreement.

‘I don’t know…’

Yu-young tried to stop the thoughts that were flowing through his mind and closed his eyes. There was no point in suffering alone. Right now, he was at a workshop, he needed to collect himself and not let his foolish feelings lead to mistakes.

‘I’ll just sleep.’

Feeling the pheromones gently wrapping around him, Yu-young let his eyes close without resistance. There were no other omegas on the bus, and knowing that Do-won, who was skilled at controlling pheromones, wouldn’t make a mistake, he probably just wanted him to rest.

Despite his kindness, which seemed to appear without fail in moments like this, Yu-young both resented and appreciated it. Quickly, he fell asleep.

…

“Alright, everyone, wake up! Looks like you were all really tired. I’ll let you down slowly!”

Ju-yeon’s voice through the speaker woke Yu-young from his deep sleep. He had slept so soundly that it was almost shocking to wake up and realize they had already arrived.

“Haah…”

As he stretched and yawned, Yu-young suddenly realized that the comfortable support he’d been leaning on during the trip was Do-won’s shoulder. The moment he became aware of it, any lingering sleep vanished completely.

No wonder the bus seat had felt so comfortable, he thought. But that couldn’t be right. Surprised, Yu-young quickly lifted his head, and Do-won’s voice reached his ear.

“Did you sleep well?”

“…Yes, yes. I must’ve been heavy? Sorry about that.”

“I wasn’t heavy. It’s fine.”

Do-won smiled lightly and looked around. When he saw that most people had already gotten off, he reached out and gently patted Yu-young’s flattened hair. The brief touch made Yu-young clear his throat and awkwardly adjust his hair.

“Let’s get off.”

“Ah… yes.”

The first group to get off was already staring in one direction, marveling at the view. The sight of the ocean always made Yu-young’s heart flutter.

“Wow! It’s like a painting!”

“It’s amazing. I’ve been stuck in the office for so long.”

The sound of waves crashing on the white sand filled his ears. The waves crashing under the bright sunlight were so refreshing. Everyone was smiling, wearing sunglasses, and cheering. Some were already taking pictures with their phones.

A smile naturally spread across Yu-young’s face. He was about to say, “The ocean’s really beautiful, right?” to Do-won, but before he could, Ju-yeon and Yoon-seok eagerly followed him.

“Yu-young, isn’t the ocean beautiful?”

“Yeah, Team Leader, let’s take a picture!”

Just as Yu-young and Do-won were naturally separated by the crowd, they were soon scattered by people talking to them.

As he took a picture with Ju-yeon and Yoon-seok in front of the ocean, Yu-young glanced at Do-won. As more people from the planning team approached and spoke to him, the distance between him and Do-won grew.

‘Ugh, why am I acting like this? Let me just forget everything and enjoy.’

Thinking that made him feel a little better. Come to think of it, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d been to the ocean. Before entering the restaurant, Yu-young laughed freely and took pictures with Ju-yeon and Yoon-seok in front of the ocean.

“Now, everyone gathered like this, it really is a great day. Let’s all eat a lot and enjoy!”

“Eat a lot!”

Seated in a long row at the pre-set table, the group began eating, while the manager’s polite voice echoed in the background. As they ate the conch shells meat served as appetizers, Ju-yeon muttered under his breath.

“Ah, to have such a view and not be able to drink beer…”

“Hold off. You can drink a lot at dinner.”

As Ju-yeon mentioned, the side of the table next to them was made entirely of glass, offering an unobstructed view of the ocean. The group enjoyed their meal, savoring the sashimi and abalone rice while taking in the beautiful scenery.

‘This really tastes amazing…’

Yu-young’s eyes widened as he stuffed both cheeks full, clearly impressed. The stone pot rice with various seafood was exceptional. Since this wasn’t something he could eat often, he decided to eat plenty, but his eyes, like magnets, kept searching for Do-won.

‘…He’s over there.’

Do-won was sitting next to the team leader from Team 1, eating his meal. Even from a distance, his tall, upright posture at the low table stood out. The employees sitting in front of him occasionally glanced his way and whispered, and Yu-young could tell exactly what they were talking about without even needing to eavesdrop.

‘Ugh… Forget it.’

Determined to shake off the thoughts, Yu-young turned his attention back to his food and started eating more enthusiastically. A spoonful of the sweet and sour soup made his mind feel clear and refreshed.

“Wow… This is really delicious, right?”

“Yeah, I don’t even know how long it’s been since I’ve been to the ocean and had something like this.”

As he continued eating and chatting with Ju-yeon and Yoon-seok, Yu-young was distracted when Ju-yeon looked to the side, then lowered his head and whispered.

“By the way, why does the team leader keep looking over here?”

“…What?”

“He’s been looking over here every now and then. Is he looking for something?”

Surprised by this, Yu-young looked up. However, the glance that had briefly been directed his way had already shifted back to the team members sitting in front of him.

Do-won was calmly eating his meal, occasionally smiling softly, maintaining a composed demeanor. His faint smile, though subtle, was enough to stir those around him. Watching him, Yu-young’s heart, which had been cooled by the refreshing soup, began to warm up again.

“Ah, I don’t know. Ha…”

“What?”

“Never mind. I meant we should eat quickly. Ah, not being able to drink beer is such a shame, right?”

Having unintentionally blurted out his inner thoughts, Yu-young awkwardly smiled at Ju-yeon, who still seemed confused, and quickly changed the subject. Throughout the meal, while talking to Ju-yeon and Yoon-seok, Yu-young couldn’t help but feel a little anxious about how he would manage to get through this two-day workshop.