JADE 43

Ignoring the unrequited love interest I was trying to get out of my sight, who had suddenly appeared like a possessed doll in a place that required a flight of over ten hours, was impossible unless one had an extraordinary amount of composure.

And Jin Sejun’s vessel was small…

‘The competition is coming up, so why is he taking a vacation and making a fuss? This is the person who used to go to the academy even on Sundays.’

Then again, the one focusing on the competition was the director’s palm dance class, not the kids Kwon Joowan was teaching… Still, he was the vice director and had monitored diligently every day, so why was he here?

The desire for Eun Garam to ask about all those things coexisted with the desire for them to stop talking.

“Since two handsome young men came, you two can go around together.”

“Right, eat together and take pictures. And take pictures for us too.”

“Let the two of them have fun, why are you trying to make them do things again? Haha!”

It was the easygoing banter of the elderly people who had come as a travel club. I wanted to avoid revealing that we already knew each other, so I acted as distant as possible, and Kwon Joowan also pretended not to know Jin Sejun.

It was what I had intended, but my mood worsened.

When Kwon Joowan and I were walking side by side due to the pressure from the elderly, Eun Garam would, at some point, abandon his mother and position himself between the two of us. It seemed like he was trying to act as a bonding agent between an alpha and a beta who were awkward after just meeting.

“Mr. Sejun said he came on a journey to find himself. How about you, Mr. Joowan?”

“Find himself…?”

When Kwon Joowan turned to look, Jin Sejun just wanted to return to Korea immediately. Self-discovery, my ass. It was just something I had said vaguely because they kept prying, and seeing it flow seriously toward Kwon Joowan was quite difficult to bear.

“That’s what he said. How about you, Mr. Joowan?”

“Then I’m on a journey to find others.”

“Others?”

“I’m trying to think about other people rather than myself.”

“Ah~. That’s interesting. Ahahaha, it’s quirky but cool. I’m on a filial piety trip with my mom.”

At Eun Garam’s voice, which sounded like jade beads rolling, Jin Sejun replied, pretending to joke.

“Your mom is over there by herself. I think it’s become an unfilial trip.”

“Eung, unfilial? You have to let her have fun by herself sometimes.”

Wow… His natural aegyo is no joke. Jin Sejun, forgetting that he himself had very occasionally pulled something similar on Kwon Joowan, was purely impressed. Then he naturally drifted away from the two of them and went straight to the tour leader. A matter that needed to be resolved urgently had come to mind.

“Tour leader, by any chance…”

“Yes?”

“I can pay extra, but would it be difficult to get a separate room?”

“Uh…”

The tour leader’s expression became very slightly peculiar. What was he thinking? Was he thinking that since Eun Garam was openly sticking to the two of them, I wanted to enjoy some alone time with Kwon Joowan, away from him during the trip?

Hadn’t Kwon Joowan also always regarded Jin Sejun as an alpha full of wicked intentions (it wasn’t completely wrong, but the fact that those wicked intentions were all directed at Kwon Joowan was a crucial difference)? It could be seen as the original sin of being an alpha.

‘Ah, no. Being an alpha is fucking great.’

Self-hatred? There was no room for that crap in his life. He felt like he had done it a few times already, but when he had the mental fortitude to refuse, he intended to reject it with all his might.

Jin Sejun felt a cold sweat forming in his palms and whispered.

“Actually, the person who joined locally and I know each other a little through work, so it’s too awkward.”

“Ah… I can check for you, but it’ll be difficult since it’s the absolute peak season.”

“I understand… Thank you.”

When he suddenly looked around, all the package tour members who had been chatting among themselves were quietly looking at Jin Sejun. Wondering what was going on, he moved a little away from the tour leader, and one of the elderly men who often spoke to him said loud enough for everyone to hear.

“Even if things were a bit off in Korea, you can become friends by traveling and sharing a room!”

“Of course. That’s the beauty of travel.”

“If you met here by chance, isn’t that a truly precious connection?”

Precious connection, my ass. I feel like I’ve met an enemy on a single-log bridge. And did everyone hear me when I thought I was speaking quietly? Well, the tour leader hadn’t lowered his voice, and the package tour people were really interested in other people’s business. Even the honeymooning couple, who usually stuck to themselves, were looking this way with intrigued expressions.

As he was composing his face, which was about to turn grim, even Kwon Joowan added a word.

“I’ll be quiet, so let’s share the room.”

“…”

A surge of irritation and anger flared up in an instant, but I couldn’t find a clear reason for it. If I lost my temper at Kwon Joowan in this situation, I would look like an alpha in heat keeping an alpha-like beta in check, so Jin Sejun feigned composure and nodded.

After the day’s schedule was over, standing in the hotel lobby while the tour leader checked in, he kept sighing. The schedule itself was tiring, but with the addition of Kwon Joowan, the mental and physical fatigue was immense.

As expected, there were no spare rooms for Jin Sejun to escape to. He had even looked into other accommodations on his own, but it seemed the “absolute peak season” wasn’t just an empty phrase.

To be honest, he had even considered picking someone up on the street and crashing with them, but that kind of free-spirited act was only possible if you had a knack for it. And how many people get dismembered and killed in horror movies after doing something they normally wouldn’t, carried away by the excitement of being on a trip?

Thanks to the stress brought on by Kwon Joowan, he had ordered a couple more glasses of wine for himself at dinner, in addition to the complimentary drinks that came with the meal. He drank one more just because he was pissed at Kwon Joowan, who had the gall to try and stop him.

Almost in a dazed state, he got the key card and got on the elevator, when he saw Kwon Joowan, who had been over there, smile at Eun Garam and then come this way.

‘Close button, close button… there isn’t one.’

Are they trying to kill Koreans by making their insides explode? As Jin Sejun resigned himself and moved his body to the corner, Kwon Joowan leisurely entered.

The already small elevator felt suffocating with two big suitcases and two large men inside.

“There are a lot of old buildings in Europe, you know. They said this one also had an elevator installed in an existing building, so that’s why it’s so small. It has an authentic feel, but it’s not very convenient.”

Jin Sejun, who had maintained a faint smile until the elevator doors were open, made a face like he had tasted shit as soon as the doors slowly closed. Of course, he didn’t answer Kwon Joowan’s words.

“The key card is with you, Mr. Sejun…”

“There’s only one, so I have nothing to give you.”

“Yes…”

He even managed to greet the other package tour members who had taken another elevator and gotten off on the same floor with a good-natured act, but he felt like he was going to die as he entered the room. Jin Sejun upheld the minimum courtesy of holding the door open until Kwon Joowan came in, and then collapsed face down on the nearest bed as if he were falling.

“You look tired.”

“…”

“May I wash up first?”

It seemed the habit of associating everything with lewd things, joking and fantasizing about them, hadn’t completely disappeared. Jin Sejun suppressed the urge to reply with nonsense and just turned his head to look at Kwon Joowan. He too was looking down at Jin Sejun, so a strange silence was maintained for a moment.

Putting aside all the secondary circumstances, to come to a hotel with Kwon Joowan. No matter how he thought about it, it was an unbelievable coincidence.

Jin Sejun forced his drowsy, closing eyes wide open and retorted lightly.

“Not running away today?”

“…You finally answered me.”

“The competition is just around the corner, and the vice director is taking a carefree sightseeing trip?”

“Why did you quit without saying anything?”

“Didn’t you follow me?”

“Why did you suddenly disappear?”

“…”

Wow~. He’s the one who dumped me, but he’s being quite obsessive~.

The suspicious coincidence of him joining the same package tour late still bothered him, but he was too tired to argue with Kwon Joowan here, and there was no reason to.

Besides, for some reason, he found it awkward to go against Kwon Joowan when he spoke in that impolite mix of formal and informal speech from before. It must be thanks to having internalized the Confucian order of seniority.

Jin Sejun shot a middle finger straight at the suddenly serious Kwon Joowan and then bolted upright and headed for the bathroom. On his way, he even delivered a solid shoulder check, but since both of their bodies were as firm as rocks, he just felt like he had crashed into a car and entered the bathroom.

“Haa…”

The gaze he met in the mirror was pathetic. As he was undressing, the thought that Kwon Joowan might suddenly burst in made him unable to relax. Though it was unlikely, it would be the other way around if anything.

This is why I wanted a separate room…

He was annoyed with the meddlesome package tour people who didn’t know the situation, he was pissed at Eun Garam who was on a “filial piety trip” but was subtly hitting on people, and he was angry at the tour leader who had clearly misunderstood his intentions regarding the room change just because Jin Sejun was a handsome alpha.

But he hated himself the most for not being able to let those things go lightly.

What did he want to do? Both Jin Sejun himself and Kwon Joowan. It might be better for them to get a joint psychiatric evaluation.

After a quick shower, Jin Sejun realized he hadn’t brought a change of clothes.

‘Stupid bastard.’

Should I just sleep here? That was a ridiculous thought since Kwon Joowan hadn’t washed up yet. It was too much of a hassle to put his discarded clothes back on, so he put on a bathrobe and went out, only to find Kwon Joowan still standing in the exact spot where he had shoulder-checked him.

Kwon Joowan, who had been somewhat dazed, turned to look this way the moment Jin Sejun opened the door. It was a familiar experience to have his gaze fixed on his chest, but it had never been so conscious of it as this time. Feeling like an innocent omega, Jin Sejun clutched the front of his robe, but a second later, feeling disgusted, he stuck both hands in his pockets and trudged to the bed.

He didn’t want to care anymore whether Kwon Joowan washed up or not. He hadn’t dried his hair, but the moment he lay down, his whole body felt like it was shutting down, so he couldn’t lift a single finger.

Drifting into a deep slumber, Jin Sejun was plagued by an endless stream of dreams. Because his consciousness was so aware of the situation, even his dreams pushed Kwon Joowan onto him, making it impossible to get a good night’s sleep.

‘I should dry my hair before sleeping…’

Kwon Joowan’s touch ran through his hair. The feeling was better than he expected, so Jin Sejun unconsciously rubbed his head like a cat asking for affection.

‘Are you very cold?’

It was too much trouble to answer, so he scrunched up his face and shook his head. Soon, a fluffy blanket was draped over Jin Sejun, and he could feel dry bath towels and the like being piled on top. The moderate weight pressing down on him seemed to calm him a little, but a chill still lingered.

‘Cold…’

Just as he was whining, a firm arm pulled Jin Sejun into an embrace, blanket and all. The fingertips that lightly touched the nape of his neck were hot.

He woke up in surprise for a moment, but the reality he thought he had woken up to was also a dream. Because there was no reason for that timid and incomprehensible Kwon Joowan to pounce on a sleeping Jin Sejun. And it wasn’t so much pouncing as it was just holding him.

Seriously, what’s wrong with me… To be so conscious of the person who should be in the next bed.

It was a relief that he hadn’t said some weird sleep-talk from having a dirty dream, because if he had, he would have wanted to open the hotel room window and jump out.