TRIPLE 18

Siyeon paused for a moment, then sat down between the two men as if nothing were wrong. Unintentionally, he had ended up having a meal in a triangular formation. Just as if that was how it was meant to be from the start.

‘Why did they lay out so much food?’

Setting aside the slightly awkward atmosphere, he looked at the dining table, which was already piled high with food.

“How is it? I told the housekeeper earlier to specifically prepare the things you like.”

So that’s why they were grilling him with questions about what food he liked while showing him around the house… was it? Siyeon nodded, his mind occupied by the spectacular feast.

“Yes, it’s delici… I like it.”

Warm steam rose in a thin wisp from the rice bowl that had just had its lid removed. Glossy white rice was dotted with lentil beans; he only knew they were lentils because Chae Yoonoh had explained it to him. He went on about how beans are good for health, or how it’s better for blood sugar to mix grains into white rice instead of eating just plain rice. He gave those kinds of explanations, but honestly, none of it entered his ears. He didn’t really care about the rice. What Siyeon was eyeing was the thick galbi (braised short ribs) next to it.

‘Is that beef galbi?’

No, there was no way that wasn’t beef galbi. Even before he touched it with his chopsticks, the scent of soy sauce and garlic heavily stimulated the tip of his nose. The oiliness wasn’t greasy; it was just right.

And there was also a plate of perfectly grilled fish. The skin looked thin and crispy, and the glossy white flesh looked so moist it seemed like it would crumble at the touch of his chopsticks. Various side dishes were neatly arranged on small plates.

“I put mugwort in the soybean paste stew.”

“That’s unexpected. You don’t seem like the type to eat things like that at all.”

“Why? What do you think I live on? Dew?”

Well, he looked like he would drink wine rather than soju. Siyeon turned his eyes away from Chae Yoonoh, who was crinkling his eyes, and looked toward the soybean paste stew sitting in the pot. It looked incredibly hot and savory. He had never eaten mugwort soybean paste stew before, but since it smelled good, he felt it would probably taste good too.

Siyeon stared blankly at the table for a moment. Funnily enough, even though the two men in front of him looked like the type to skip meals and just gulp down coffee or shakes due to being busy, the spread was so lavish it felt like the table would buckle.

‘These guys who used to only sip whiskey all day—what’s gotten into them?’

In the book, they were guys who lived on Evian and whiskey on the rocks—guys he thought lived on nothing—so he had given up on expecting a decent meal, but he realized they were eating quite well behind the scenes. Just as he thought that maybe there were some perks to this being different from the original, a sudden, sharp hunger surged.

Come to think of it, he hadn’t eaten anything proper last night. The day before was the same. Because he had been sick for days, he had only been spoon-feeding himself bland porridge. As Siyeon swallowed his saliva, the corners of Chae Yoonoh’s mouth lifted slightly. Beom Yisu also lowered his gaze without a word before inviting him to eat first.

“Please, go ahead. Mr. Hong Siyeon.”

“Eat up, dear. Our housekeeper’s cooking is quite good.”

Watching the couple suggest he start eating, Siyeon picked up his water glass, pretending to be nonchalant. Then, Chae Yoonoh pulled Siyeon’s side plate toward him and placed a piece of galbi on it.

“Ah, thank you.”

The moment Siyeon was about to lift his chopsticks, Beom Yisu nudged the pot slightly. The soybean paste stew moved closer to Siyeon.

“Oh….”

Do I have to choose whether to eat the galbi first or the stew first again? A bit fatigued, Siyeon avoided the choice and scooped up some rice first. As he put it in his mouth, the sweetness of the rice spread slowly, and he chewed on the lentils Chae Yoonoh had praised, which added a nutty fragrance. It was a spoonful that wasn’t anything special, but his eyes snapped open.

‘Let’s just eat and think later.’

Siyeon immediately picked up the galbi. The flesh fell away softly at the mere touch of his chopsticks. The more he chewed, the juices of the sweet and salty seasoning slowly spread through his mouth.

‘…This is insane.’

Insane beef galbi. He wanted to chew it forever, but it was already gone. With his hunger sharpened, Siyeon immediately scooped a spoonful of soybean paste stew and placed it on top of his rice. As the savory broth slid down his throat, his insides felt instantly refreshed.

“Ha… it’s hot.”

The zucchini was cooked until translucent, and the tofu was firm enough that its edges didn’t crumble. It had a slightly spicy taste, with a thin layer of red chili oil floating on the surface.

In the meantime, Chae Yoonoh kept filling Siyeon’s side plate. Namul, fried tofu, fish fillets. The way he took care of him was so natural that it was slightly burdensome. Conversely, Beom Yisu didn’t say much. However, he could feel that the attention was focused on him.

Only after his stomach was full did Siyeon feel embarrassed by the fact that he had eaten so well in this situation.

“Ck, hmm.”

Siyeon drank the green tea that was filled to the brim in his cup. The cool taste cleared his palate. And when he lifted his head, he met both men’s gazes simultaneously. It seemed the couple had finished their meal quite a while ago.

“…About that contract matter I mentioned earlier.”

Siyeon put down his spoon and pushed his phone into the center of the table. The screen of Siyeon’s phone, placed on the dining table, glowed softly. Clauses flowed long across the black background.

“Dear. Eating aside, you want to talk about the contract already?”

As Chae Yoonoh asked with a laugh, Siyeon answered immediately.

“Because this is the most important thing. And I’ve finished eating.”

He had devoured two bowls of rice as if he were starving. Beom Yisu pulled the phone Siyeon had pushed forward toward himself without a word. His finger scrolled down slowly.

“You mentioned there were additional clauses.”

“Just three. I’ll tell you what they are, so please have your side organize them into a document and send it to me later.”

Siyeon immediately brought up the first item.

“First. Medical procedures for drug administration or pregnancy… including heat inducers. All are prohibited without prior consent.”

Chae Yoonoh’s eyes flickered for a brief moment. Beom Yisu asked without lifting his head.

“Is this because of what happened at the hospital?”

“Yes.”

“We will specify the consent procedure.”

After the brief confirmation, Beom Yisu nodded. Thinking it was a relief that it was accepted so easily, Siyeon immediately attached the second condition.

“Second. Please have your side take over the Chief Kang debt. That person is prohibited from contacting me directly. If he approaches me for any reason, let’s treat that as a breach of contract.”

This time, Beom Yisu’s finger stopped. Resting briefly on the screen, Beom Yisu nodded quietly.

“I was planning to deal with that matter regardless. I will share the details once it’s completed.”

Fortunately, he accepted the Chief Kang matter easily as well. Just as he was thinking it was going smoother than he had feared, Beom Yisu added a condition.

“In return, we will take responsibility for Mr. Hong Siyeon’s whereabouts and safety during the entire contract period, including the pregnancy preparation period. The rules will also be stricter.”

“…For example?”

“Location sharing. Compliance with adjustment times. Reporting external contacts in advance. In particular, any moment you leave the mansion without the accompaniment of us, the couple, will be considered a breach of contract by Mr. Hong Siyeon. There will be penalties for that.”

Is surveillance and protection just a paper’s thickness apart? Since he had no alternatives at the moment, it couldn’t be helped. Siyeon, who gave a silent consent, inhaled the breath he had been holding for a moment.

“Lastly. I would like there to be no unnecessary physical contact. If a child is the goal anyway.”

Siyeon continued. At that, Chae Yoonoh laughed as if it were hard to accept.

“Where is the scope of ‘unnecessary’?”

“Holding hands is fine.”

“What? Then what about kissing or hugging?”

“Why would such things be necessary to conceive a child?”

He didn’t know how it worked between men to conceive a child. But it was certain that such skinship wouldn’t result in a child. If he had to endure it anyway, he thought it would be better to set a scope and duration and prepare himself mentally. But Siyeon’s ambitious plan was rejected in one fell swoop.

“I don’t think I can accommodate that.”

Of course, since he didn’t intend to accept his words immediately, Siyeon asked back, gauging their reactions.

“…Is there a specific reason?”

“Didn’t you say you didn’t want to give birth to a stranger’s child? I remember that being Mr. Hong Siyeon’s proposal.”

What is that…? Ah.

‘I don’t want to blindly give birth to a stranger’s baby just because I have debt. We’re strangers who met for the first time today.’

‘Aaah, this is really difficult. I haven’t even… had a relationship before….’

In an instant, the stunt he had pulled flashed through his mind.

“Since we decided to start as pheromone partners, let’s follow a step-by-step procedure.”

He knew that the “pheromones” Beom Yisu was talking about were the unique scents emitted from the bodies of those with secondary gender traits. Since he had smelled Chae Yoonoh’s scent before, he remembered it clearly. But unfortunately, that was the extent of Siyeon’s knowledge.

“That… what exactly do I have to do as a partner?”

As Siyeon asked cautiously, Beom Yisu gave him a look as if to ask why he was asking such a thing. It wasn’t very obvious, but seeing Chae Yoonoh also wearing a puzzled expression, it seemed that the part Siyeon was curious about belonged to basic knowledge among those with traits. Fortunately, Beom Yisu composed his flickering gaze and continued his explanation.

“Once you form a pheromone partnership, it is common to spend each other’s heat cycles together. For the purpose of resolving ruts or heats, that is.”