Ch 18

When Jungwoon stepped out for a moment, Haneul looked over. Ji-an, who had not refused any of the drinks offered, was slumped over the table. Though he tried not to think too much of it, his instincts sounded loud warnings.

Haneul carefully took Ji-an’s phone from his pocket, unlocked it using Ji-an’s fingerprint, and glanced at Ji-an’s face, eyes tightly closed. He first checked the call log and laughed dryly upon seeing a saved contact labeled [Ajusshi] with a number he knew by heart. He also found that person in the chat list.

The conversation they had earlier in the day—could it even be called a conversation? Several messages from Ideun had gone unanswered by Ji-an. Browsing through the messages, Haneul found one that Ji-an had sent to Ideun first: just a single dot.

Swallowing the saliva pooling in his mouth, Haneul sent a single dot from Ji-an’s phone in reply. Then, after glancing at the bar entrance where Jungwoon had stepped out to take a call, he looked at Ji-an’s face again. Less than five seconds had passed, but the phone buzzed with a reply.

“Where are you?”

A text had been sent, but Ideun had replied on the messaging app. Haneul’s eyes grew dark as he looked at Ji-an. Ideun still hadn’t checked his message thanking him for the ride, but he responded instantly to Ji-an. How could he not be suspicious?

Haneul waved down a passing server and ordered a cold glass of iced water. As soon as the water arrived, he gulped it down, trying to cool his simmering emotions. All day, Haneul had paced in his room, checking his phone constantly, waiting for Ideun to read his message. He hadn’t eaten properly and felt only more suffocated with every passing hour.

Ideun was his destined partner. He could still vividly recall Ideun’s warm embrace, the strength of his arms, the solid frame, and the deep, rich woodsy scent.

“Are you okay?”

Thinking of Ideun’s deep voice, which had once looked down at him with concern, sent shivers through Haneul’s body. He never imagined that the person his parents had insisted he meet since he was twenty would be this man. But they had met, as if by fate… Could it really not be? He hadn’t said no, only that he thought Haneul was young.

And Ji-an had always been there. Even their fated first meeting happened because of Ji-an. Haneul had left to look for Ji-an, who’d slipped away from a drinking party without a word, and that’s when he’d stumbled into Ideun’s arms.

Another night came to mind when Haneul had begged Ideun to come pick him up after working late. Following Ji-an out for ice cream, he saw the two of them on the street together. Lost in his happiness at seeing Ideun, who had even bought ice cream for his friends, Haneul had missed the little details.

Did Ideun hold Ji-an’s wrist back then?

Ideun had handed him a bag of ice cream and left with Ji-an. Why hadn’t he felt uneasy then?

Although Ideun rarely responded immediately to his messages and seldom initiated contact, Haneul trusted his grandmother and parents’ assurances that the engagement would proceed. After their meeting during the holidays, his family anticipated a wedding either by spring or fall, depending on Ideun’s schedule.

And then Christmas Eve. Ideun’s excuse was that he already had plans with someone else, so Haneul had to let go of the hope of spending the evening with him. Haneul had reserved a hotel restaurant and even a room just in case… Yet, he hadn’t doubted Ideun. His startup was well-known now, practically a household name. Of course, he’d be busy and meeting lots of people.

So, instead, he chose to dine with Ideun’s grandmother. Haneul didn’t know all the details, but he knew Ideun’s parents had died in an accIdeunt when he was young, leaving his grandmother to raise him. Ideun had studied in Korea through elementary school before going overseas for secondary school, eventually returning to Korea after college. He co-founded his startup with Taemin while in graduate school.

This was the extent of what Haneul knew about Ideun’s background. Since Ideun’s parents were no longer around, Haneul thought it was only proper to meet and earn the approval of his grandmother. Her wealth was not from a large business, but rather from a traditional Korean restaurant she had started after losing her husband during hard times. She was a savvy investor, buying lands whose values had skyrocketed and investing in businesses that always flourished.

She was known as the wealthiest cash holder in Gangnam, and many businesspeople owed her their success.

Ideun and Ji-an dined alone there?

Haneul couldn’t take his eyes off Ji-an’s peaceful face. His suspicions alone weren’t enough—perhaps he was overthinking.

“Oh, it’s so cold. When should we go? My boyfriend’s coming to pick me up. You’re calling a driver, right? What about Ji-an? He’s really out for the count. Do you know where he lives?”

Haneul wiped his expression clean, smiling brightly as Jungwoon returned after his call.

“Ji-an’s place? I…”

Before he could say he knew, Ji-an’s phone rang. It was not a message this time, but a call. The caller ID displayed [Ajusshi].

“Who is it?”

“Well… it’s Ji-an’s phone. I was just checking if anyone could pick him up since he’s out cold. Here, you take it.”

“Hey, you can answer…”

Haneul quickly handed the phone to Jungwoon, who hesitated, not sure what to do with it, until Haneul gestured for him to answer.

“Hurry. If they’re calling at this hour, they must be close. Neither of us knows where Ji-an lives, right?”

Grumbling, Jungwoon finally answered, and Haneul leaned in close to him.

“Hello, this is Seo Ji-an’s phone.”

― Who is this?

Haneul clenched his fist as he heard Ideun’s voice.

“I’m a friend of Ji-an’s… And who might you be?”

― Why is a friend answering Ji-an’s phone?

“He fell asleep while we were drinking… But who are you?”

Finally, Jungwoon pulled the phone away to check the caller ID. “Ajusshi? Really?”

Ignoring Jungwoon’s muttered complaint, Haneul urged him to keep talking.

― Where are you?

“I can’t tell you Ji-an’s whereabouts without knowing who you are.”

Jungwoon’s attempt to confirm the caller’s Ideuntity made Haneul bite down hard. That wasn’t the point right now.

Ideun was a man of few words. He spoke only when necessary and sighed with a short silence if Haneul joked or asked tough questions, as if considering his response.

Now, after a brief sigh, his low voice came through.

― …Guardian.

Haneul’s heart shattered.

“What are you talking about? What guardian all of a sudden…?”

Jungwoon pulled his phone away a little, muttering again and asking Haneul what to do. Haneul whispered to just give the location.

“It’ll take about 30 minutes,” the voice on the other end said.

Haneul shifted his leaning body back into his chair. After Jungwoon ended the call with a promise to wait, Haneul took Ji-an’s phone from him and placed it on the table.

“Good timing. There’s someone coming to pick him up. Where’s your driver?”

“If I call, he’ll be here in five minutes.”

Haneul glanced between his empty beer glass and the glass of ice water, debating whether to drink more to get drunk or the water to sober up. In 30 minutes, he’d see Ideun—the Ideun who was coming not to pick him up, but Ji-an. What kind of face would Ideun make? What would he say to him?

“So, why don’t you call your boyfriend?”

“He’s busy. I’m the perfect supportive partner, you know. It’d be rude to ask someone tired from work to come pick me up.”

Haneul opted for the ice water.

He sipped the cold water slowly, making small talk with Jungwoon until Jungwoon’s girlfriend arrived, prompting him to stand.

“I’m tired, so I’ll head out first. His ‘guardian’ should be here soon. I’ll leave him to you.”

“Alright, take care.”

Leaving Ji-an with Jungwoon and his girlfriend, Haneul stepped into the convenience store next to the bar, bought a drink, and stood by the window.

Twenty-nine minutes.

Ideun had said 30 minutes, and his timing was precise. Haneul watched the car pull up on the street in front of the bar, sipping his drink. Annoyingly, Ideun looked good as always—tall, fit, and handsome.

The car, hazard lights on and engine still running, was where Ideun stepped out and headed straight into the bar.

One, two, three, four.

Without realizing it, Haneul began counting.

Fifty, fifty-one, fifty-two. The count, ticking in rhythm, kept climbing.

When he reached ninety, he hadn’t blinked.

“…”

One hundred twenty-eight.

Someone finally exited the bar, and his count stopped.

Ideun had entered alone, but he emerged with company. The man, holding someone in his arms, was followed by two others who paused for a brief chat before parting ways.

Ideun carefully seated the limp person in the passenger seat, buckled them in, closed the door, got into the driver’s seat, and the car that had been parked on the street soon disappeared.

“Ha. Haha… Hahaha…”

A laugh burst from Haneul’s mouth. This was too absurd. Really, of all people—Seo Ji-an? A beta, not even an omega?

“Get in front of the bar right now.”

After laughing for a while, Haneul tossed his half-drunk beverage into the trash and called his waiting driver. All his earlier unease and anxiety vanished, and he hummed a cheerful tune as he stood in the cold wind, waiting.

* * *

Ideun looked down at the soundly sleeping Ji-an.

Ji-an had ignored all his calls, yet had answered one from HR; then, drunk, had mumbled, “It’s you,” with a faint smile when their eyes met before falling back to sleep. In the end, Ideun had to carry him out, but he couldn’t resist kissing the top of Ji-an’s head when the small, weightless figure nestled fully into his chest.

Ji-an hadn’t woken up once on the way back from the bar and still seemed unlikely to wake.

“Seo Ji-an.”

He tried calling the unfamiliar name.

“It’s snowing for the first time…”

By the time they reached Ji-an’s place, a light layer of snow had started to settle on the car. Even with the heater on, he couldn’t just leave Ji-an sleeping in the uncomfortable car, but he hesitated, sitting in silence as the time crept past midnight into early morning.

Finally, knowing he couldn’t keep the night from slipping by, Ideun decided to carry Ji-an inside rather than wake him. But in front of Ji-an’s firmly locked door, he had no choice.

“Just give me the passcode and go back to sleep.”

Ji-an, drunk and half-asleep, seemed more annoyed at being woken than surprised to find himself in Ideun’s arms. When Ideun repeated the question, Ji-an muttered a reply and buried his face into Ideun’s chest, making Ideun’s jaw clench.

The six digits Ji-an provided were precise, and Ideun entered the small apartment, but he hesitated to take off his shoes and step inside.

The tiny room was fully illuminated, and though Bobo the cat rushed to flop over at his feet, Ideun didn’t notice it.

This was someone’s home, yet… how could it… be so empty?

A narrow, well-worn single fridge, the apartment’s one basic appliance, stood beside the small sink. By the window was a mattress with a navy blanket, bare of a frame, next to a low table with a laptop and lamp on it.

The curtainless window and an old wardrobe against one wall completed the space. The bare sink and the absence of even a television left only one new-looking set of items: those for Bobo.

There was a transparent backpack carrier he’d seen before, a cat bed, food bowls, a water fountain, and toys scattered on the floor.

Slowly, Ideun slipped off his shoes, removed Ji-an’s, and placed them on the warm, heated floor, feeling neither like laughing nor crying.