TWENTY 2

How did he learn to say that doing nice things together is even better? Was it something he said instinctively? Jiseo had figured Youngwon would love a surprise outing, but he never expected him to be this thrilled.

While Jiseo was caught up in these trivial musings, Youngwon, wearing an adorable expression, suddenly stuck out his pinky finger.

“If you promise to marry me, I’ll—um, become a cool adult. And since Hyung is an alpha, I’ll… I don’t know if I’ll end up as an omega, but it doesn’t matter! It’d be even better if we’re opposites, but I like Hyung anyway.”

“Look at you saying things like that. Your speaking skills really seem to have improved lately.”

“If Hyung marries me, I’m going to study even harder with my teacher at kindergarten.”

“…”

“I’ll make a cooler promise to Hyung. Let’s live happily ever after, Youngwon and Youngwon-ly.”

“Well, look at you. Getting creative with your own name.”

Instead of answering, Jiseo gently ruffled Youngwon’s hair, touching his nose with a thoroughly bewildered expression on his face. What was he supposed to say to this… It was a bit much to call a marriage proposal, but he certainly hadn’t expected to receive something like this.

He wanted to brush it off naturally with a joke, but he couldn’t.

Jiseo realized that the pair of eyes staring intently at him kept demanding a clear answer. What was he supposed to do in a situation like this?

“Hyung…”

The way Youngwon’s body began to sway back and forth looked just like a child pleading for something.

Ah, isn’t this a sign that he’s about to throw a tantrum? It felt like a sight he had seen somewhere before, so Jiseo found himself nodding along and replying without thinking.

“Alright, alright. Let’s get married when you grow up and are big like Hyung. But in exchange, you have to study hard and eat lots of food so you grow super tall.”

“…”

“Go to bed early, wake up early… and later, when you’re all grown up—”

‘I’m all grown up right now!’

Behind Jiseo’s gradually fading voice, Youngwon let out a loud shout, as if finally bursting open a long-held ache deep inside his chest. His foot, brimming with fluttering excitement, slammed against the mattress over and over again without him even realizing it.

Before long, Youngwon snapped his eyes open. What greeted him was not a fifteen-year-old Jiseo, but a pitch-dark bedroom.

Ah, no way… Even though he knew it couldn’t be real, his quick hands instinctively groped around for his phone.

December 31st.

Finally… the very last day of the year had arrived, and tomorrow was the long-awaited start of the new year. Confirming this, Youngwon slid his feet off the edge of the bed.

Since he had no schedule, he could have just slept in all day, but Youngwon couldn’t possibly close his eyes again.

How could he? The day he had anticipated for so long was less than a single day away now—there was no way he could fall asleep. What a historic day it was! He couldn’t afford to rest easy. His hands, stained with tension and anticipation, trembled with excitement.

Just one full day left. Now with Hyung, the one he had waited for so long…

“Since the first digit has changed, you know it’s time to keep your promise, right?”

“…”

“You already had your graduation ceremony in December, too. And since Hyung sent you a gift, you know that’s proof it wasn’t a lie. You know that in our world, a diploma is basically the same as getting a certification license, right?”

“…”

“I let you sleep until now because Hyung said he was tired.”

A bold, articulate argument came crashing down uninvited on Jiseo bright and early in the morning.

Despite the loud voice, the owner of the sleep-addled face glanced briefly at the person sitting on the edge of the bed before slipping right back into slumber.

“Alright… just two more hours of sleep…”

“Did you drink a lot yesterday? Should I go out and buy some hangover soup?”

“Hyung will do it later… It’ll just get cold and need to be reheated anyway, so leave it for later. If your stomach hurts a lot, grab the sports drink from the fridge and wait just a little bit.”

Judging by his excited face, Youngwon must have exercised the utmost patience he could muster. Unfortunately, however, a sleep-intoxicated Jiseo wasn’t easily shaken.

He only thought to himself that his premonition from last night hadn’t been wrong after all. He knew that from Youngwon’s perspective, this was the most urgent thing in the world. But that didn’t mean he was going to forcefully fight off sleep just to sustain a conversation with Youngwon right then and there.

Judging by the rustling movements, Jiseo had zero doubt that Youngwon had listened to what he said.

Just sleep first… and put the kid back to sleep, too…

Even though Youngwon hadn’t pushed it aggressively, Jiseo could feel the presence of someone easily giving up and flopping down right behind his back.

Moments later, Jiseo blindly reached out, pulled the pillow from beneath his own head, and handed it to Youngwon. A faint smile crept across his face even in his sleep as he felt the pillow taken away without a moment’s hesitation.

He must have genuinely been tired from staying out late for the first time. Understandable, given how he had probably spent hours talking non-stop about how he was an adult now.

For Youngwon, who had just turned twenty, it might have truly been the wildest, most exhilarating night of intoxication in more ways than one.

Youngwon

Don’t go straight home after the after-party. Stay behind for a bit.

After the year-end awards ceremony concluded, the after-party that started late at night heated up without a chance to cool down. It felt like they hadn’t even enjoyed it for long, yet it was already well past 3:00 AM.

There were various reasons for the unending joy: successfully wrapping up the year, welcoming a happy new year, and the fact that it was a special awards ceremony where even veterans who had never won an award before finally got to share in the accolades across the board.

Among them, Jiseo, who had grasped the glory of the Top Excellence Award, especially couldn’t refuse the pouring glasses of alcohol and had to accept every single one.

He accepted them, but he didn’t drink every drop. He smoothly sidestepped most of them and naturally melted into the mellow drinking party without a hitch.

That was probably why he was able to encounter the message that arrived in the wee hours of the morning while almost completely sober.

Shouldn’t it be at least 2 hours later? What is this? Are you nearby?

Did you come out today? Are you drinking outside?

With who? Friends?

The fact that the new year had broken past 12:00 meant that Youngwon, who had sent him the message, was now old enough to roam around at this hour without issue.

While he surely knew that an after-party would take place after the awards ceremony, he wouldn’t have known the exact location.

It seemed that news of where they were eating and holding their dinner gathering was already spreading in real time across the internet.

At an age when people are exceptionally tech-savvy, Youngwon had infinite ways to find out where they were.

Youngwon

I’m outside. I have something to say, so don’t go home yet. Okay?

Let’s hear what you have to say at home. Go to Hyung’s place after you’re done playing.

Youngwon

If we talk at home, will you fall asleep right away and listen to me, or will you stay awake and listen?

I’ll listen after I get some sleep. I don’t know when I’ll be able to head back because Hyung is way too tired right now. Okay?

Faced with ongoing messages telling him to stay at the after-party venue without a clear reason, Jiseo gently expressed his refusal.

After eating delicious food and rambling on about funny episodes during filming, time slipped away mercilessly. It had been so fun that the laughter never stopped.

However, fun and physical stamina were two entirely different things. It was possible to push through all-night shoots or grueling schedules with sheer mental tenacity. But he didn’t want to exhaust that kind of stamina just for partying.

Sleep and rest were a bit more important than having fun. Besides, apart from occasions like this, he had almost never stayed out drinking until dawn.

Youngwon

If you’re sleepy, okay then. Go sleep when it’s over. I’m going to stay out later than Hyung.

Judging by the fact that he was coming in late, Youngwon seemed entirely set on cutting loose like an unbridled foal.

Well, how short a day must feel to him. It was his very first day experiencing a new kind of fun after having been restrained for so long.

Having debuted right when he should have been enjoying his youth to the fullest, Jiseo didn’t have many memories of truly playing around, but Youngwon seemed to be enjoying himself better than expected.

It was a good thing. Since he had scheduled commitments coming up, he had felt a bit guilty about not being able to take proper care of him. It was a relief that Youngwon was having fun on his own.

Youngwon had been the one to initiate contact first, but Jiseo just read the final incoming message with his eyes so Youngwon could play in peace.

He was tired, but when people much older than him were enjoying themselves tirelessly, the youngest one couldn’t very well drop out first.

Since he had received the most affection throughout the course of filming, he had to pay it all back in kind.

Fortunately, someone’s bravado about drinking until morning met with opposition from several others, and the dinner gathering wrapped up without getting too late.