JADE 54

‘But… haven’t I never properly confessed either?’

At the thought that suddenly occurred to him, Jin Sejun sat up straight and stared at the tips of Kwon Joowan’s fingers.

Before, confession or not, it was just when he had felt some interest that Kwon Joowan went and drew a strict line all on his own. And this time, when his rut hit and he clung to Kwon Joowan, he was probably talking like trash trying to seduce him out of desperation.

‘It’s not like I got on my knees and proposed you live with me forever, so why are you playing hard to get? I just said let’s enjoy one night.’

It felt a bit… wrong, but it was also awkward to make the excuse that he was really desperate back then and strange words just came out.

Anyway, if he gets rejected again, it’s really three strikes and he’s out. Still, isn’t there a world of difference between trying and getting shot down, and not trying because you’re scared? Who knows, if he pushed properly, he might accept just from being overwhelmed by the momentum.

Above all, after acting all kinds of peculiar, in the end, Kwon Joowan was also an alpha who had been engaged to an omega. So, isn’t that why he pushed away Jin Sejun the alpha but got halfway involved with Jin Sejun the omega (he decided to call himself that for convenience)?

It seemed like there was a chance. And it was because of his broken physical constitution.

Had he asked himself why he was obsessed with Kwon Joowan? It might be because while Kwon Joowan was a subtly cowardly bastard, Jin Sejun was also the same to a certain extent. If Kwon Joowan had been a truly cool guy in both body and mind (honestly, there are many times when he’s just cool, maybe because of the rose-tinted glasses), he would have been more interested in a partner who was a bit inferior to himself, so he probably wouldn’t have paid him any mind.

If I get rejected a third time, let’s really leave him alone cleanly. If I was born an alpha, let’s at least make one awesome confession and then get rejected!

So then… when would be a good time to do it? What should I say in the confession? It shouldn’t be over the top like a proposal. For now, should I show a lot of interest?

There was really no other fickle pot like this one. What was the reason for escaping to Spain in the first place? Wasn’t it because he was sick of being tormented by Kwon Joowan’s hot-and-cold behavior?

But it seemed that even that bullshit was something he could overlook generously if it was ‘his man’ doing it. It was rather endearing, even.

“Mr. Sejun, we’ve been taking a chartered bus this whole time, so should we try taking public transportation and walking a bit this time? We can stop by and pick up our luggage on the way to the airport since it’s on our route.”

Thanks to being armed with his characteristic goldfish memory, pushover-like nature, and self-centeredness, Jin Sejun’s mood was getting better and better. So he nodded magnanimously to whatever Kwon Joowan said.

“Sounds good.”

“I was wondering how you’d feel since you don’t like walking, but what’s gotten into you…”

“It’s just, the weather is nice and it’s a trip.”

“Do you like art museums?”

“I think anywhere would be nice.”

Did Eun Garam say he liked art museums? It seemed Jin Sejun could now like anything, too. From the moment he realized it was all because of Kwon Joowan, it felt a little cheesy.

“Actually, I booked a museum yesterday because I thought it would be nice to go if we had time before our departure. We can look at the exhibition, then check out the shopping street, and if we have time, it would be nice to see the royal palace too.”

“Sounds good.”

It was clear that the object of his excitement right now was not the trip itself. Kwon Joowan, who was unaware of Jin Sejun’s change of heart, also agreed obediently and then, as if pleased, showed a slight smile.

His mood had been good since the morning, and it stayed good the whole time, whether he was being jostled by crowds or standing in long lines. After going through a somewhat tedious procedure to enter the art museum, it was filled with artworks that exuded the power and wealth of its golden age. There were many paintings he had seen somewhere before…

“El Greco means ‘The Greek.’ He was actually from Greece, and he’s the artist whose cathedral murals we saw when we went to Toledo. He’s from an earlier generation than Velázquez…”

“How do you know so much? Did you go to art school?”

“I studied before we came because I wanted to explain it to you.”

“Before we came? We didn’t even come together.”

“Um, not before coming to Spain, but…”

It sounds like a play on words. Somehow, this attitude of Kwon Joowan’s felt familiar. He also recalled how Kwon Joowan would vaguely trail off whenever Jin Sejun would tackle him with something like ‘But you’re a beta’ every time he explained things without hesitation, saying he had played a sport with many alphas.

“…Is it not a coincidence?”

As Jin Sejun stared as if he could see right through to his soul, Kwon Joowan, who had been holding his ground, pretended to be swept away by the crowd and pulled Jin Sejun to the next section.

“Tell me. Don’t tell me you really followed me, did you? No, I think I saw someone who vaguely resembled you. But I thought it was just my paranoia.”

“……”

“Is it true you left Korea a few days late? You’re good at solving things with your money.”

Since Kwon Joowan remained silent until the end, Jin Sejun couldn’t be sure. Logically, it seemed like Jin Sejun, who was questioning such things right now, was the crazier one.

The art museum was very large, and Kwon Joowan continued to act like a guide, explaining the works and artists who had left a significant mark on art history. Seeing his shameless face, devoid of any sign of embarrassment, it seemed that he hadn’t lied, but rather pretended not to hear because of Jin Sejun suddenly acting like a lunatic.

In any case, the art museum date was good because Kwon Joowan’s form was more picturesque than the paintings themselves. Although it was crowded, since they were both very tall, their view wasn’t significantly obstructed, and they finished viewing the exhibition smoothly.

Whether Kwon Joowan had always had a discerning eye for art, or if he had simply become interested while studying for this occasion, he seemed quite regretful.

“A place this big can’t be seen in one day, so it’s a shame we have to cut it short in the middle.”

“Should we stay for another week or so?”

“Should we?”

Was it too much of a delusion to think that the sparkling eyes looking back at him seemed sincere? Jin Sejun, who had almost nodded, immediately shrugged his shoulders. Of course not.

The shopping street lined with stores was also crowded. Jin Sejun examined a familiar flamenco dancer figurine at a souvenir shop from all angles before putting it down.

“Do you want it?”

“Ah, no. My brother and sister-in-law went to Spain and they bought me this. At first, I was like, ‘Why would you give me something like this?’ but I guess I’ve grown fond of it.”

He couldn’t bring himself to say it was because it had been his only friend for a while. Kwon Joowan carefully looked at the porcelain doll wearing a red dress with white polka dots, then snatched it up.

“Are you buying it?”

“Yes.”

“We’ll have a couple’s item.”

Only silence returned to his casually tossed words. He was quite good at avoiding every question he really wanted an answer to today, which was deflating, but it seemed his mood would still be good all day.

A piece of tasting candy they were handing out at a turrón shop had almost completely dissolved in his mouth. They had finished browsing from the commonplace souvenir shops to a store selling cosmetics made from olives, and even the food court of a department store. By then, Kwon Joowan’s hands were full of snacks to hand out at the academy, but Jin Sejun was still empty-handed.

“Your suitcase was empty, Mr. Sejun. Aren’t you buying any souvenirs?”

“So you’re telling me you went through someone else’s suitcase just like that.”

“It was an emergency, so let me off the hook.”

“Yeah…”

He’s not even embarrassed anymore. Jin Sejun looked at the large bag in Kwon Joowan’s hand and thought for a moment.

“It’s a bit embarrassing to say this…”

“Is there anything left to be embarrassed about between us?”

He seemed to be trying to avoid such words earlier, but now he says it so casually. He’s so willful. But it was also true that there was nothing left to be embarrassed about in front of Kwon Joowan.

“I got pickpocketed in Toledo, so I don’t have any money. All the pocket money my sister-in-law gave me was stolen.”

Still, he didn’t seem to have expected such an answer. Jin Sejun averted his gaze from Kwon Joowan’s parted lips and added.

“I’m telling you in advance, NFC doesn’t work on my phone. I came on this trip without a single thought in my head.”

“Ah… So that’s why you looked to be in a worse mood. I thought you had become an alcoholic, Mr. Sejun.”

That was because he couldn’t stand the sight of Kwon Joowan and Eun Garam, but he just nodded meekly.

“I’ll buy you whatever you want, so let’s go look.”

“…I’ll pay you back when we get to Korea. No, wait, I can transfer it through my phone.”

“Well, you can think about that later.”

Before leaving the department store, he bought a gift for his second-oldest brother’s family, then felt like adding something for his sister-in-law, so they stopped by a drugstore. Throughout the entire gift-shopping process, Kwon Joowan agonized over the choices more seriously than Jin Sejun, making it confusing who was doing this for whom.

Since Kwon Joowan was footing the bill anyway, he had some right to choose the gifts as well. And it was nice to see him acting like a supportive partner.

Jin Sejun, lost in idle thoughts, was heading to the checkout counter when he suddenly stopped. The sight of a massive perfume section reminded him of the orange blossom perfume he had heard about in Seville.

There were samples and scent strips, but there were too many items to spray randomly, so he flagged down a passing employee and got a few recommendations. The employee, who was being quite friendly and helpful, had just rolled up his own shirt, sprayed perfume on his wrist, and held out his arm for him to smell it.

At that moment, Kwon Joowan, his expression hardened, grabbed his arm and said something quickly in Spanish. The employee’s eyes widened, and he mumbled apologies as he backed away. The only thing Jin Sejun understood was the English at the end, so he had no idea what had happened.

“What did you say?”

“…I just don’t think it’s right to hit on foreigners in a place like this.”

“Was that flirting? That employee was an alpha.”

“Because he’s an alpha…”

Jin Sejun asserted that he was an alpha, but since Kwon Joowan thought Jin Sejun was an omega, the conversation was slightly mismatched. The employee probably wasn’t hitting on Jin Sejun just because he thought he was an omega, either.

Hmm. So… It seemed Kwon Joowan had pulled the same stunt he did when he scolded Coach Hong for looking for alphas at the academy, but this time in the faraway land of Spain. He had wondered if it was appropriate to have someone smell his own skin scent but had thought it was just a light expression of interest due to cultural differences. However, seeing that Kwon Joowan had even gotten an apology, it seemed it was indeed over the top here too.

“You act like a village elder only when it comes to pheromones, Mr. Sejun, but otherwise, you’re so clueless.”

Isn’t he the village elder himself? How many times has he been scolded so far? If you like someone, you can flirt a little. Why go and chase them off?

Should I take this opportunity to meet an alpha who likes alphas? His heart was much more open now (actually, it was because he had been rejected so many times), so he thought he could be with an alpha. It wasn’t like he had never experienced foreign culture (though it was only for about a year), and now he was the new Jin Sejun who could stop looking down on alpha-alpha couples!

Besides, Kwon Joowan also turned out to be an alpha.

He used to think an alpha being attracted to an alpha was a perversion, but it seems sexual orientation isn’t that rigid after all. Though that just meant he had updated his status to the triple crown winner of unattractiveness, rejected by omegas, betas, and alphas alike.

While Jin Sejun was feeling slightly gloomy, Kwon Joowan was giving him ridiculous admonitions, like telling him to keep his wits about him.

“Ah, why are you scolding me again? I told you I didn’t know. I should just test the scents.”

For some reason, he kept feeling shy, so he had no choice but to change the subject.