Ch 71

A similar design, but the watch he intended to buy was definitely the one inside the glass case. Even so, he had come wearing the clothes Ahjussi had bought for him today… The unspoken message was clear: You don’t look like someone who can afford that. You must have mistaken it for something else. Isn’t this budget line more in your range?

“How long has it been since you bought a watch? And now you’re getting another one?”

“Just because I ate yesterday, does that mean I have to starve today? Besides, I’ve been feeling a bit down lately, so I need some retail therapy.”

“What do you have to be down about?”

“From here to here.”

“Excuse me for a moment.”

Standing in front of the display case, Ji-an could hear everything happening around him, but he couldn’t move. It was a weekday, in the middle of the day. The sound of familiar voices made it hard to breathe. Worse yet, the items that had just been offered to him were now being swiftly removed from view.

And those items weren’t placed near him but were instead displayed before a group of people seated at an exclusive table inside.

There was no sign that they would even consider taking out the watch he wanted. Even the ones they had suggested to him were now being carried away by another employee for a different customer. Meanwhile, the staff member standing before him maintained a practiced, polite smile.

“You’re getting another white one?”

“Oh, right? Then… should I go for black? Don’t you have anything you want to buy?”

“Not today. I spent too much over the holidays…”

Ji-an silently watched Haneul trying on watches while making idle conversation, and Jeongwoon sipping coffee, casually scrolling through his phone beside him.

The watch would suit Ideun perfectly—he really wanted to buy it. He didn’t want to avoid the situation just because he had run into people he didn’t want to see. His fingers, which had been hanging limply by his side, slowly curled into a fist as he turned his head.

“Get me a different staff member.”

“Pardon?”

“I want to speak with someone else.”

He had no intention of talking to someone who looked down on him. If his self-worth was still shattered—if his self-esteem and sense of self had been in ruins—he wouldn’t even have been able to say these words. He would have just lowered his head and run away. Or, more likely, he wouldn’t have even set foot in a luxury store like this in the first place.

But he didn’t want to live like that anymore.

“Let’s take a look at these first, and then we can…”

“Call the store manager.”

Raising his voice slightly, he spoke more clearly, drawing the attention of a passing employee. “Excuse me, sir, is there a problem?” the new employee asked.

He didn’t want to create a scene or draw this much attention. But as expected, in a store that wasn’t too crowded, all eyes turned toward them.

“Huh? Seo Ji-an?”

“……”

Even when Jeongwoon called his name, Ji-an didn’t look at him and simply repeated, “Call the store manager.”

“What the h**l, Seo Ji-an. You… What are you doing here?”

How was it that he kept running into them? At one time, he had considered Haneul his closest friend—the only person who had ever treated him kindly. But looking back now, he wasn’t sure if that kindness had ever been genuine.

Sure, this was all happening inside a novel. But for Ji-an, this was his real life. He had tried to stay within certain boundaries, to live correctly. But in a situation as tangled as this, the novel’s plot no longer mattered. It didn’t matter what happened to the original protagonists or how the story was supposed to unfold—those were just the words of an author.

For him, this was reality.

There was no reason to hold back for the sake of a fictional storyline.

No matter what, Ideun was by his side now. And in his belly, there was a little snake.

Just as that little snake had protected him, now it was his turn to protect it.

He couldn’t keep avoiding Haneul just because their relationship was awkward. Since he had chosen to be with Ideun, this was something he would have to face sooner or later. Haneul had met Ideun last winter, but Ji-an and Ideun’s relationship had begun four years ago.

Even in terms of who had met whom first, he had met Ideun first. Whether good or bad, he had spent far more time with him. More importantly, just as much as he desperately wanted Ideun, Ideun also wanted him.

Ideun was convinced he had committed an unforgivable sin and was terrified that Ji-an would leave him. He had stolen Ji-an’s heart long ago, but in return, Ji-an had only pushed him away, rejected him, and thrown hurtful words at him. And then, on top of it all, he had suddenly disappeared. It was no wonder Ideun was anxious.

So today, Ji-an wanted to give him a gift and confess his feelings honestly.

But instead, the store clerk had dismissed him, questioning whether he could afford anything.

And now Haneul was standing here, poking at his nerves.

“Hey, you—”

Ji-an took a sharp breath and found himself face-to-face with Haneul, who had closed the distance, glaring at him as if he wanted to devour him whole.

“We sure run into each other a lot these days.”

He spared Haneul only a brief glance before turning his attention to Jeongwoon.

“Oh, weren’t you supposed to be out of town? I heard you suddenly quit your job and moved away.”

“That’s how it turned out.”

And to think… the person who had strongly suggested he quit and disappear quietly was none other than Haneul.

But apparently, that wasn’t the version of the story that had spread.

“Seo Ji-an, we need to talk. We still have unfinished business, don’t we?”

“Maybe next time. I don’t have time today.”

When Haneul grabbed his shoulder to turn him around, Ji-an calmly removed his hand.

Just then, a man in a different uniform from the other staff members approached. But instead of acknowledging Ji-an, he immediately bowed toward Haneul.

“When did you arrive? Would you like us to prepare a drink for you?”

The bitterness in Ji-an’s mouth grew.

This was nothing new. He had always been treated this way. He was used to it.

Would it really matter if he didn’t get that specific watch? Maybe he could just buy something else.

But did he really want to buy Ideun’s gift while feeling like this?

“That’s something you should figure out yourself. Do I have to spell everything out for you? It’s not like I’m moving seats or anything. Did you come to look at watches too? Then let’s talk while we browse. The people here are discreet, so no matter what we say, it won’t get out.”

Ji-an squeezed his eyes shut and opened them again at Haneul’s curt remark to the manager and the way he grabbed his wrist without permission.

“Or maybe you don’t want to talk because you feel guilty. About what you did? Shouldn’t others know too? Know exactly what kind of person you are? Perfect timing. Jeongwoon is here too. Let’s make it clear who’s at fault. Just a few days ago, you were trembling in front of me, saying you’d do as I said, but behind my back… Ha. Seriously. If nothing else, you shouldn’t have done this to me.”

Dragged along by Haneul’s grip, Ji-an sat down the moment he found a seat, his gaze avoiding the others around them. As Haneul immediately launched into his accusations, Jeongwoon hesitated before awkwardly sitting at the corner of the table, as if he was merely there to listen.

“Shouldn’t we talk about this separately? Let’s just look at watches—”

“Talk separately? This b**t**d schemed behind my back and stole my fiancé. I begged him, crying, to stop, but he was so blinded by money that he did this. I mean, seriously, Seo Ji-an. What kind of money do you have to wear clothes like that and frequent this place? And wow… I really didn’t see you like this. You always pretended to be a hardworking, good person despite your circumstances. But what? You were a rut partner for money? Not just once or twice, but throughout college? And you? A beta? You’re an omega. A recessive one, at that. So worthless you can’t even function properly. That’s why you were too ashamed to admit it to us and pretended to be a beta, huh? But behind our backs, you sold yourself to wealthy people? Does your ‘hyung’ know how filthy you’ve been? You think you can hide it forever? The moment it’s exposed, you’re done for.”

Ji-an took a deep breath, exhaled, and wrapped his arms around his lower abdomen. Even though he knew the little snake couldn’t hear any of this, he found himself instinctively taking a defensive posture.

Haneul’s voice was low, almost a whisper, but his words came out quickly and sharply, his intention clear. Ji-an let out a slow sigh.

The one who told him about his past as a rut partner… it had to be Secretary Baek. Thinking back to the times when Secretary Baek and Haneul had been together, Ji-an laughed bitterly.

The way Jeongwoon was staring at him now, his mouth slightly open in shock, said it all.

Yeah. That’s what I was afraid of. That’s why I ran.

Not because I was ashamed, but because I was afraid my past would drag Ahjussi down too.

“Yeah, I had a rut partner throughout college. And yeah, I took money. I’m a recessive omega, and I can’t even function properly. But Ahjussi knows all of it. Grandma too.”

Ji-an clicked his tongue quietly as he once again faced Haneul, who had clearly planned to use this information to shake him.

“What?”

“I threw everything away and left, just like you wanted. Noh Haneul, you know that. I quit my job and disappeared that very afternoon. I hid so I wouldn’t get caught… but things turned out like this anyway. And I’m bonded now. With Ahjussi. And Ahjussi says he can’t live without me. But I can’t live without him either. Just like your feelings are important to you, my feelings are important to me too.”

“You son of a b**ch, you’re worse than trash—”

The moment Haneul shot up from his seat, Ji-an found himself drenched in orange juice. He let out a short breath and wiped his eyes with his hand.

“Hey! Noh Haneul!”

Jeongwoon, startled, quickly handed Ji-an a handkerchief. Ji-an took it and slowly wiped his hands and face.

“Bonded? Do you think bonding happens just because you want it to? You’re just spouting nonsense without even proving if it’s real or not. Maybe for now, hyung is temporarily swayed by you, but he’ll regret it soon enough. And then he’ll spend the rest of his life hating you. You’ll cling to him because of money, but he’ll despise you and avoid you at all costs. And marriage? Do you think you can get married alone? Do you know what kind of person his grandmother is? She’d never accept someone like you—someone who’s been passed around like trash—”

“Noh Haneul, what the h**l? Why are you saying this to Ji-an?”

Jeongwoon’s voice cut in. Ji-an, who had paused while wiping himself off, silently observed as he intervened.

“Ji-an was drunk that time, and the one who came to pick him up with a single phone call was Choi Ideun. And the one who went shopping with him the other day? That was Ideun too. You kept talking about an engagement or whatever, so I assumed it was true, but at the department store, even Ideun himself said you two just had a family connection and nothing more.”

Ji-an, who had been drying his hair and clothes with the items brought over by the staff, stopped at Jeongwoon’s words and simply watched.

“Hey! Kim Jeongwoon. Are you seriously believing what Seo Ji-an says? That b**t**d is worse than a gold digger! He’s acting like he’s in some grand romance, but it’s all in his head! He plays innocent, acts sweet, but look at him. You know what they say about quiet cats getting up on the stove first.”

Haneul’s whole body trembled as he shouted, his finger jabbing in Ji-an’s direction. But Ji-an had no intention of sitting here and listening to any more of it. He stood up.

There was no point in talking. No matter what he said, Haneul wouldn’t hear it as anything but an excuse. His rage wouldn’t subside, and he’d keep throwing accusations.

Shopping today was impossible. He had hurried here because there were only two of those watches available in the country. The other one was in a store that would take three to four hours to reach by car. That was out of the question. He had no choice but to give up on this watch.

Grandma had given him plenty of money, but Ji-an had planned to buy Ideun’s watch within his own budget. And this watch fit perfectly within that budget. It was the ideal gift to give alongside his answer to Ideun’s proposal.

He could go for a more affordable line or adjust his budget and look for another watch. But wasting time here, engaging in this pointless battle of wills, was not an option.

There was no need to fix a relationship that had already shattered. This was the end of his ties with Noh Haneul.

And if that also meant cutting ties with people like Jeongwoon or Min-seok, whom he’d considered friends to some extent, then so be it.