PAO 13

‘I’m a little obsessed with Han Seowon.’

‘Yeah, you seem to be.’

‘Don’t make it obvious to Seowon. He doesn’t know I’ve lost my mind to this extent.’

‘Really? He doesn’t know?’

‘Yeah. You maintain a certain distance from Seowon. I’m always watching.’

Junghoo once again lowered his head to Minsung’s neck.

Minsung was about to say something, thinking, ‘Am I, an omega too, supposed to be monitored by this guy for Seowon?’ when he spotted Seowon, who had come back inside, stop in his tracks, surprised to see him and Junghoo. Minsung wanted to say it wasn’t what it looked like.

‘Hey.’

At Junghoo’s low voice, his face still buried in his neck, Minsung froze stiff.

‘Go home. On your way, call Seowon. Tell him I leaned on you because I had a headache. Then…’

Junghoo gave Minsung a beautiful smile. It seemed like he did. Since his head was tilted up, he couldn’t see Junghoo, so all he saw was one corner of his mouth that caught his eye.

‘I’ll leave you alone.’

He was smiling, but he was warning him not to harbor any other kind of affection for Seowon in the slightest.

Minsung sighed as he recalled the earlier incident. He had met Seowon’s handsome alpha friend, and he had been threatened not to fall for Seowon.

“Seowon, that guy is a little weird.”

*

Standing at the crosswalk, the two of them were in a tussle in front of the flashing green light. A tense tug-of-war ensued between Seowon, who wanted to go straight home, and Junghoo, who had his arm around Seowon’s shoulders, insisting they go in a different direction.

“Let’s stop by the convenience store. We’re short on alcohol.”

“What alcohol? After being that drunk.”

Seowon lightly smacked Junghoo on the head. He’d been out of it at the chicken place, and now he was clamoring for more alcohol, as if one drink called for another. Junghoo leaned against Seowon as if he didn’t mind being hit again.

“I want to drink more today.”

“Is today the only day you can drink?”

“But I still want to drink. Huh? Seowon.”

“Do whatever you want. You’re the one who’ll be rolling around tomorrow, holding your splitting head.”

“Thanks. Let’s go.”

“You’re heavy.”

“I’ll just lean on you for a bit.”

Junghoo closed his eyes and leaned against Seowon’s body. Even with the cool breeze, they were stuck together so closely that his body was getting hot, so he wedged a hand between himself and Junghoo and pushed his head away.

“Stop leaning on me so much.”

Seowon ended up grabbing Junghoo’s shoulders and sitting him down on a plastic chair in front of the convenience store.

“Wait here.”

Junghoo’s languid smile followed Seowon as he entered the convenience store, intending to buy the alcohol alone.

“Our Seowon has so many friends.”

There are those who cling to him, asking to drink, and there are many in his contact list.

“It would be nice to wipe them all out at once…”

He wished he were the only one left in Seowon’s phone, but that was probably a distant dream. He was watching Seowon with his chin propped in his hand, but Seowon didn’t even glance back once, as if unaware of his gaze.

After the beer, Seowon also picked up two bags of snacks and placed them on the counter before taking out his wallet. The part-time employee ringing up the items kept stealing glances at Seowon’s face.

“Just scan the barcode.”

Why does he keep looking at someone else’s face? Junghoo lowered the hand that had been propping up his chin and got up from his seat. There were already enough people with a crush on Seowon; he couldn’t let one more be added.

As he opened the door, a bell jingled, and the part-timer, who had glanced over without thinking, was startled to see Junghoo. Noticing the part-timer’s reaction and realizing who had come in, Seowon grumbled sullenly.

“I’m done buying, why did you come in?”

“You’re not done. You have to buy this too.”

With his hand still on Seowon’s shoulder, he leaned his upper body forward and extended his arm. As he placed it on the counter, the part-timer who was waiting to ring him up hesitated, then quickly pretended nothing was wrong and scanned the barcode.

“Would you like a bag?”

“Yes, please ring it up together.”

While the part-timer was ringing up the bag fee, Seowon, realizing what Junghoo had put on the counter, frowned.

“What is this?”

“What?”

“Why are you buying this?”

“You want me to say it here?”

Junghoo leaned in close to Seowon and said with a smile.

“Why else would I buy condoms?”

In the suggestive atmosphere that hinted at who he would use them with, the part-timer blushed and picked up his phone. The transaction was over, so he was about to do something else, but he didn’t move far from the counter.

“Sorry, but I’d like to cancel this.”

When Seowon held out the box of condoms, the part-timer came back in a fluster, then quickly asked for the card. As Seowon obediently handed over the card and canceled the payment, the part-timer looked back and forth between Junghoo and Seowon. His puzzled expression, as if thinking, ‘I thought I knew what was going on between them, but maybe not?’ was plain to see.

At her expression, Junghoo clicked his tongue, trying to suppress his annoyance. It was an impulsive act to tell her not to covet Seowon, but the very person who was supposed to play along hadn’t.

Junghoo muttered in dissatisfaction.

“Why did you cancel it?”

“This isn’t your size.”

At Seowon’s indifferent reply, both Junghoo and the part-timer froze.

“No matter how much you stretch it, your thing will get cut off.”

Neither Junghoo nor the part-timer opened their mouths.

*

As soon as he got home, Seowon washed up and came out to the living room. As he was taking a big gulp of beer, Junghoo walked over. Seowon clicked his tongue at his staggering walk.

Junghoo’s face didn’t look good, so maybe Taeha hyung wasn’t just worrying for nothing. If his headache hadn’t subsided yet, should he call Taeha hyung?

“Can you keep drinking?”

“I’m fine.”

“Your face doesn’t look fine at all.”

“I took medicine.”

Since Junghoo said so, Seowon had nothing more to say. He didn’t know if he was really fine because the medicine was working. Junghoo plopped down next to Seowon, but instead of drinking beer, he tilted his head back.

“If you’re tired, go to bed.”

Fearing he might sleep on the sofa like yesterday, Seowon slapped Junghoo’s thigh.

“Seowon.”

As Junghoo, who had his eyes closed, swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. As Seowon was silently watching it, Junghoo spoke.

“When you canceled the condoms earlier, my heart fluttered a little.”

“You get fluttery over the weirdest things.”

“You spoke as if you knew my size. That’s why my heart was pounding, you know? Of course, I want to do it with you, but…”

This is why I can never tell him I’m an omega.

“What bullshit. Such bullshit.”

“Seowon, want to do it with me?”

“Get lost.”

Seowon drank his beer and turned his head completely to the opposite side from Junghoo. He turned on the television as if it wasn’t even worth a response.

“Why? Are you perhaps afraid of being on the bottom? Then do you want to be on top?”

“…”

He knew he was a crazy bastard, but that last one was really a big one. As if hit in the head by a blind punch, Seowon stared at Junghoo with a blank expression.

Seowon mulled over Junghoo’s words, wondering if they were really directed at him, and even tried muttering them out loud for no reason.

“I’ll… be on… top…”

He couldn’t bring himself to finish the sentence. Seowon bit his lip and turned his head away. It was an attempt at avoidance, wanting to ignore him completely, but Junghoo, who hadn’t taken his eyes off Seowon the whole time, wouldn’t let him.

“I don’t mind.”

Junghoo shrugged. He showed a generosity that seemed as if he would give up anything if his partner wanted it. Seowon stalled for a moment by drinking his beer, then said with a sigh.

“Do you want to do that?”

“With you, I like everything. Is there a rule that the alpha has to be on top?”

That’s a stereotype, Junghoo muttered. It’s ridiculous to even bring that up between a beta and an alpha, and,

“You talk a good game while just waiting for me to present.”

At Seowon’s words, spoken with a click of his tongue, Junghoo shook his head.

“Seowon, my wanting you to present is so that you meet the minimum requirements. I just like you for you.”

What is this now…

Seowon stared at him with dumbfounded eyes.

“I’m fine with it, but I set a bottom line because I thought you, Seowon, might not like it.”

And that’s being an omega?

His head was spinning. He didn’t know if it was because he was drunk or because Junghoo’s words were so absurd, but Junghoo, as if a thought had occurred to him, nodded to himself.

“No, it might really be better for you to do it. Your slightly smaller one would be better than me hurting you by putting mine in.”

At the sight of him talking while tapping his own front, Seowon grabbed whatever was nearby and threw it indiscriminately. From the bag that had held the beer to the unopened snacks and his phone, they all flew without mercy.

“How do you know mine is smaller? Have you seen it? Huh? Have you seen it?”

Junghoo caught some of the items and dodged others appropriately, trying to calm Seowon’s agitation.

“Seowon, just throw the snacks.”

“Cut it out. Just cut it out.”

Seowon’s face was stern, as if he really hated it. He debated how much of Junghoo’s playful words he should take seriously, then decided to just push it all away.

“I have no intention of sleeping with you. So stop making moves on me and just go to sleep.”

“Why?”

Junghoo looked at him as if he didn’t understand. At that innocent gaze that seemed to know nothing, Seowon’s mouth fell open, and Junghoo shook his head.

“Is it because you still don’t trust me?”

“…”

As the playful conversation they’d been having until just now died down, an awkward silence filled its place. Until now, Junghoo had consistently wanted him, and Seowon had always brushed it off casually, but now that he was suddenly bringing it up seriously, he felt a suffocating pressure.