JADE 8

‘He uploads masturbation videos on the internet…? And he wanted to tell me that?’

Regardless of Jin Sejun’s confusion, Kwon Joowan blushed and fidgeted with his coffee cup.

“But it turns out I can make some pocket money from it. When I file my taxes later, I can probably write off the money I spent on the gym or cosmetic procedures as expenses, right?”

What? What’s this talk about taxes? I said he had a lot of secrets, but now he’s being too honest again. I didn’t know he could be this lacking in moderation.

He was dumbfounded, but his mouth chattered on, separate from his brain.

“…You’re like a celebrity.”

He decided to keep the thought, A secret this huge would have been fine to keep to yourself, to himself for now.

Jin Sejun shrugged at Kwon Joowan, who was staring at him blankly. As an alpha who had been through… or rather, had watched, a lot of ups and downs, the confession of a beta man’s deviation shouldn’t have been anything to be surprised about.

“I watch those things too when other people upload them. You’re not going to give me the link, are you?”

Though he had gone a few steps too far in pretending not to be flustered. For a moment, his mind was in a whirl, starting from why he was telling him this, to whether Kwon Joowan’s account was among the ones he had watched so far.

Well, it’s not like he would have had any reason to specifically look for a beta’s sex account. He had watched videos uploaded by sub-gender and beta couples once or twice out of curiosity and then stopped.

Until now, betas had been beings beyond his fence. It wasn’t that they were unknown, but rather that he had no interest.

“You’re not surprised, Mr. Sejun.”

“If you said it to surprise me, I want to be even less surprised.”

A sound like a sigh mixed with a laugh escaped Kwon Joowan’s lips. Jin Sejun, afraid of revealing his agitation, fixed his gaze on a strangely shaped flower pot and said.

“Were you lying because you wanted to see me get surprised?”

“No, it’s not a lie.”

“I see… Why did you want to tell me that, of all things?”

“…I don’t know.”

The moment he tried to glance at Kwon Joowan, he realized he was right next to him. The table was small, but Kwon Joowan, who had clearly been sitting a distance away, was now unnaturally close, leaning in.

Jin Sejun was so startled he could have jumped out of his seat, but at the same time, his whole body froze. While he couldn’t show any particular reaction, they could even feel each other’s breath. Then, suddenly, the movement of him coming closer stopped.

Soon, a light touch landed on his face and then disappeared. Kwon Joowan pulled back and showed him a speck of something, either a flower stamen or a dry leaf.

“This was on your cheek, Mr. Sejun. I guess it’s because there are so many plants.”

“I see…”

Somehow, both of their voices were weak. Jin Sejun tried to relax his tense body and gulped down his cold coffee. Kwon Joowan also drank the rest of his coffee with a listless attitude.

Normally, Jin Sejun would have jokingly asked about the frequency of masturbation or others’ reactions, but after being enveloped in a strange tension, he became less talkative.

It was the same on the way back to Kwon Joowan’s neighborhood. The lane that had been congested earlier was still the same, so they were stuck on the road for quite a while. But the only thing Jin Sejun said was, “There’s a lot of traffic.”

“I’m… a bit weird, aren’t I?”

This was what Kwon Joowan said as soon as he unbuckled his seatbelt with a click when they were almost at his destination.

“Pardon?”

Jin Sejun showed a dazed reaction before quickly composing his expression and asking back.

“What is? The, video?”

“Yes.”

“No, other people live like that too.”

“Then you too, Mr. Sejun…?”

“No, I don’t. But I’ve seen a lot of people like you, Mr. Joowan, so it’s not weird. You’re doing it alone and filming it alone to upload, who’s to say anything.”

“When I talk with you, Mr. Sejun, I feel strange.”

“I hope that’s in a good way.”

“…See you later.”

Is it a good way? Tell me!

Kwon Joowan, who closed the car door with a peculiar expression, stood on the roadside for a long time until Jin Sejun drove off. Jin Sejun looked in the rearview mirror, and when he was out of sight, he yelled.

“A kiss! A kiss?”

At the cafe earlier, wasn’t he trying to kiss me? Or not? Was he about to, but then stopped?

No, was he really just trying to take something off my face and it wasn’t an excuse? But people don’t usually get that tantalizingly close and act so serious just to do something like that, do they?

If they had made eye contact for just a little longer in that state, Jin Sejun, whose pheromones were more lavish than others’, might have slowly melted away.

To have pheromones as another indicator that clearly showed he was aroused, besides his penis, was a somewhat annoying aspect for a sub-gender person trying to live as a civilized being.

Of course, this was also something he had never thought about before experiencing his pheromone problem. An alpha’s pheromones? It was bad manners to exude them in a very public setting, but at a bar or in a private setting, the trend of it being uncool not to show them off hadn’t completely disappeared.

The current Jin Sejun, no matter how much of an alpha he was, had pheromones no different from an omega’s. It was nothing new, but Jin Sejun had no confidence in his pheromones and would be overly conscious of them. That was the case even when he wasn’t in front of someone he wanted to get along with.

That’s why the time he spent with Kwon Joowan, a beta, was precious and comforting.

‘Ah, I hate being the first one to fall.’

Because it feels like I’m at a disadvantage. Well, this was also just a desire to have a little fun.

The palms of his hands were damp with cold sweat and kept slipping from the steering wheel. It was a short distance, but he had no memory of how he got home. His feet felt like they were floating as if he were drunk without a single drop of alcohol, and his whole body swayed.

How could he be like this just because their faces got close?

No, it was just that the seemingly cautious and sensible beta, Kwon Joowan, had made a bombshell statement, and he was just shocked by it.

‘For his looks, he’s a bit of a… space cadet?’

Even so, it wasn’t bad. Jin Sejun wasn’t attracted to guys who acted like they knew more than him, and he was the type of person who thought a little bit of beautiful foolishness was the greatest virtue in an omega. Now that he couldn’t date omegas, he could just lump it in as his ideal type.

If the reason he kept feeling like he was younger was because of this aspect, then it was understandable.

A beta who is weak-willed but surprisingly uninhibited in sexual matters. Usually, this type of person often has an affection deficit. That was the updated image of Kwon Joowan as of today.

He wanted to ask someone if their relationship could develop further, if Kwon Joowan was also interested in Jin Sejun, and if these actions really meant something.

But Jin Sejun was in the position of giving advice that was close to nagging, pretending to be experienced despite not having had a proper relationship himself. He didn’t want to discuss such matters with his brother or sister-in-law either.

Lately, before going to bed, he had been texting with Kwon Joowan, so the time he spent watching ‘Beta’s’ videos had decreased a lot. But perhaps Kwon Joowan also felt that they had parted on a strange note, as there were no silly messages from him, unlike usual.

Jin Sejun didn’t watch ‘Beta’s’ videos or send a message to Kwon Joowan. Instead, he went to the apartment fitness center for the first time in a while and did every exercise he could.

Then, exhausted to the point where he couldn’t think, he washed up and immediately passed out.

Mr. Joowan: I have work, and I’ve caught a cold, so I don’t think I can eat with you for a few days.
Mr. Joowan: (Photo)

Kwon Joowan’s message came at an unusual time, unlike usual. They sometimes ate lunch and sometimes dinner, so it wasn’t strange for him to send something like this long after lunchtime.

But Jin Sejun’s feelings as he saw it were a little different from before.

Me: A lot of people around me have been catching colds lately. Eat well and sleep well to get better quickly.
Mr. Joowan: You too, Mr. Sejun.
Mr. Joowan: (Emoticon)

The emoticon was, uncharacteristically, cute. Jin Sejun glared at his phone and then prepared for his next consultation.

After that, for a few days, there was no contact from Kwon Joowan at all. Isn’t a cold worse on the second day than the first? He was worried and thought about visiting him, but unfortunately, Kwon Joowan’s chart only had his address listed down to the neighborhood.

‘Right, I know you’re sensitive about personal information, but…’

After another day or two passed, he gradually started to wonder if this was a ploy to distance himself and ghost him.

To make such a brave choice when he clearly knows they live in the same neighborhood? If Jin Sejun put his mind to it, he could quit his job, search every gym in this area, and find Kwon Joowan.

Isn’t it a rule that no one can beat a person who has a lot of time and is persistent, and also has a lot of money?

Mr. Joowan: (Photo)
Mr. Joowan: Wow, this cold is really nasty. You meet a lot of people, Mr. Sejun, so make sure to wear a mask.

‘Hmm?’

Receiving a message like this just before he was about to curse him out made him feel a little better again. He must have been really sick. It was nice to see Kwon Joowan, who wasn’t a very proactive person, chattering on for a change.

“Hahaha…”

What was the point of being swayed by a single beta’s message, his condition was not good…

A few days later, he even got a call from Kwon Joowan.

“Mr. Joowan? How are you feeling?”

—I don’t have to lose weight anymore.

“Wow, congratulations.”

—Do you have time? I’ll buy you something delicious. Let’s have a drink in your neighborhood, Mr. Sejun.

It was already 10 PM.

Jin Sejun didn’t have any particular hobbies to keep him occupied until dawn, and after hearing Kwon Joowan’s masturbation account declaration, even the sex accounts he used to watch felt awkward.

Thanks to that, he had been continuing a wonderful life of exercising and then sleeping these days. Thinking about talking to Kwon Joowan about these small changes that he couldn’t tell anyone about, and the resulting good sleep, already made his heart pound.

“Where to? What time should I be there?”

—You always came to pick me up, so I’ll come pick you up today.

“Okay.”

Kwon Joowan had many secrets, but Jin Sejun didn’t. As soon as he sent his apartment complex address, he changed his clothes with a loud clatter.

He was short on time, so his outfit was more casual than usual, but he was dressed up enough not to feel inferior anywhere. A little after he had even styled his hair, he got a call from Kwon Joowan.

—Are you ready?

“Yes, I’ll be right down.”

—I’ve parked my car in front of the main entrance.

‘He came by car.’

He thought he had vaguely heard that he drove a van for work. Kwon Joowan had said it was an academy van, but he still didn’t know what subject he actually taught. He could only guess that it was Taekwondo and he was just pretending it wasn’t.

Jin Sejun was suddenly overcome by a strange feeling, a strange certainty. It felt like Kwon Joowan hadn’t called before he arrived, but had called after he had already arrived…

To appear like magic without even saying when he would arrive. He had mentioned which apartment he lived in many times in passing. Unlike Kwon Joowan, Jin Sejun had never been vague when talking about himself.

He went downstairs, unnecessarily nervous, and in the distance, a large sedan flashed its headlights. Even in the darkness, Jin Sejun instantly identified the car model and its price, and opened the passenger door.

“Have you been waiting long?”

“I haven’t been waiting long. It’s good to see you, Mr. Sejun.”

“…”

It felt strange to be getting into the passenger seat when he was used to condescendingly giving Kwon Joowan a ride. Moreover, the car of Kwon Joowan, whom he had always thought of as younger, was a much more expensive model than his own, exceeding his expectations, which made him feel even stranger.

“I thought you would have come in a van.”

“It has the academy name on it. If that’s your preference, I’ll come pick you up in that next time.”

“Haha…”

Since some time ago, Jin Sejun had come to think of Kwon Joowan as something like a former physical education student who had failed to become a national athlete but had succeeded in a local business. So he had always been proud that he knew more about society, work, and many other things, that he was better.

‘Or am I wrong…’

As he stood there awkwardly, Kwon Joowan’s arm reached across his torso and fastened his seatbelt. It was a move that Jin Sejun had only ever thought about making.

A scent that was both familiar and awkward wafted from Kwon Joowan.

“Do you dress up like this even when you’re in your own neighborhood?”

Perhaps noticing that Jin Sejun had stiffened slightly, Kwon Joowan tried to lighten the mood, unlike himself.

Right, where is there a man who looks like this and doesn’t act his worth? Jin Sejun was also one of the sub-gender people who had rushed at Kwon Joowan, saying it was okay even if he was a beta.

Jin Sejun tried his best to ignore the omega pheromones that clung to the tip of his nose and smiled fiercely.

“I was lying down to sleep, but I rushed out to see you.”