TWENTY 9

Even though he had already blurted it out, Youngwon couldn’t easily bring himself to say it, just moving his lips back and forth.

“So…”

“…”

“Well, because I was young. Since it was like that back then. I was a minor, so if I said I sincerely liked an adult like Hyung, the relationship would be a bit awkward. Not because it would be a problem for me, but because it could become a problem for Hyung.”

“…”

“It’s not like that now, so I can be confident. That’s another reason I held back. Since I could talk about it after just a little bit of time anyway.”

He liked Jiseo so much that he hadn’t accidentally let slip even by mistake that Jiseo was his ideal type. He didn’t want any tags attached to him that would make things difficult.

“Promises are there to be kept.”

“I’ll keep it. 10 years from now.”

“No…”

At the crisp, unyielding, and unwavering response, a sigh filled with frustration burst through Youngwon’s teeth.

In all his life, he had rarely thought of Jiseo as being stubborn. Thinking about it now, it seemed to be because Jiseo had always accommodated him. If he were someone who clashed on every little thing and was hard to compromise with, they would have locked horns with each other long ago on the path toward keeping that promise.

If things had been like that, what kind of conversations would they have exchanged? They might have pinned down an exact, precise date for the promise.

He hadn’t interfered deeply in Jiseo’s life during all that time. Even so, he had never once said with his own mouth that it would be fine for Jiseo to meet someone else during the time until he became an adult.

It was a relief that he hadn’t heard any rumors about Jiseo meeting anyone during all this time, at any rate.

He had never once imagined someone standing next to Jiseo. Nor had he ever pictured a scenario where Jiseo came to like someone else.

For the very first time, just picturing Jiseo in his mind and simply watching him made him hate everything. He didn’t even want to contemplate any such scenario. Unfairness welled up inside him already, even though nothing had happened yet.

“Then how am I supposed to live for a full 10 years?”

“You can date, travel a lot, try out things you want to do, and enjoy whatever there is to enjoy.”

“Hyung, you keep forgetting that I’m a celebrity, don’t you?”

“…”

“Dating is only possible when I’ve completely put aside my feelings for Hyung.”

“…”

“So Hyung is basically saying this: stop liking Hyung, don’t keep the promise, and in the end…”

“You can just date around and then come back to Hyung. Exactly when you turn thirty, just like now. You can even drop the news to reporters starting January 1st. At that time.”

“If you’re going to say that…!”

Feeling like words were completely useless, Youngwon raised his voice without realizing it, closed his eyes, and lay straight back onto the sofa.

Rather than needing time to think, he wanted to momentarily calm the emotions boiling up inside him. His voice had grown loud as if he were annoyed, but the unfairness that had already blossomed took precedence over mere annoyance.

Yes, it was unfair. It wasn’t something that could simply be brushed off as a childhood promise. Emotions couldn’t just be treated as a joke.

To make a hundred concessions, he couldn’t claim there was zero forcefulness involved. It might look like a tantrum, too. After all, he was forcing marriage onto someone who didn’t love him back.

Looking at it from the outside, it was indeed forced, but that didn’t mean he was actually indulging in some absurd stubbornness. He was simply asking for a promise to be kept. Besides, Jiseo was rejecting him not because he hated him.

To have his age—of all things—turn out to be the problem…

“Fine. I suppose that could happen.”

Turning onto his side with his back to the sofa backrest to marshal his surging emotions, Youngwon muttered as if talking to himself.

It seemed he hadn’t managed to think like a mature adult for a moment there.

The exact second Youngwon turned back around facing the ceiling to sit back up, a warm touch slipped underneath his neck. Immediately following, a fluffy cushion comfortably supported his head.

“Take a nap like this. You said you barely slept. You usually tend to flush when you get worked up, but right now you look like you’re about to burst.”

“…”

“A little bit… you also kind of still look drunk…”

He didn’t know why Jiseo kept trying to put him to sleep, but in Jiseo’s eyes, his condition seemed pretty bad.

His face was flushed with heat anyway, so he had been meaning to let it cool down for a moment.

Whether it was thanks to having reached a conclusion inside his head or not, his mind grew considerably more at ease, and he felt it wasn’t necessary to exhaust himself trying to persuade Jiseo. Perhaps because he had poured out too much energy, a slight fatigue washed over him, and above all, he had made a resolution.

If his relationship with Jiseo turned out the way he wanted, the person receiving the most attention from him would undoubtedly be himself.

Other things aside, he needed to listen to the words of the person giving him willing affection no matter the situation. Especially if he was going to become someone’s spouse, that was doubly true. He shouldn’t ignore the worry directed toward him.

Watching Youngwon obediently close his eyes, Jiseo suddenly wrapped his hand gently around Youngwon’s arm.

It seemed he should probably send him home for today. The mumbling lips showed no sign of calming down anytime soon.

A large hand pulled Youngwon, who had just closed his eyes, up to a standing position.

“You’d better think about it for a few more days before coming back.”

“…You want me to go home?”

“Come back when the alcohol has fully worn off and you’re in your right mind.”

“…”

“Hurry up.”

“Then I’ll wash up cleanly and come back, so wait just a little bit.”

“…”

“I’ll tidy up and come back again. I’ll come right back tomorrow.”

“No. Go and rethink it for a whole week.”

Whether he heard that last part properly or not, Youngwon hurried out through the front entrance, shouting, “I’ll sweat out all the alcohol smell and come back seriously! I was serious even just now!” A muttered “I can’t with this guy” slowly bloomed over Jiseo’s lips.

At any rate, he felt a sense of relief that it had been temporarily settled, but it wouldn’t last long. He would probably be back soon to resume their unfinished fight. Since he had drawn the line, Youngwon would surely fill out every bit of that time.

“Hyung, where are you?”

Because they had known each other for a long time, the guess he had believed in with absolute certainty matched up without a single error.

Right as the designated time passed, Youngwon was already sitting on the sofa in Jiseo’s living room early in the morning with extra vitality added to his face.

With a short sigh, Jiseo immediately got up from his seat and headed toward the living room where Youngwon was.

“Why did you wake up so early? The sun isn’t even up yet, and it’s cold.”

“I guess my eyes just popped open because I wanted to tell you quickly.”

“Tell me what?”

Seeing a face overflowing with fresh energy, it seemed he couldn’t put it off any longer. Sitting down next to Youngwon once again, Jiseo prepared himself for yet another round of bickering.

“I finally understand Hyung’s fear.”

“Huh?”

“Yeah, exactly. It makes sense that a baby could feel scary. Your life is changing, and your entire existence is transforming, after all.”

“…”

“Smell my scent one more time. Is it because you’re just not very keen on this kind of thing?”

Moving right up close beside Jiseo, Youngwon actively pushed his upper body half-up and brought his arm close to the other person’s nose.

For secondary gender individuals, there were times once a month when this pheromone would be emitted unusually excessively, trapping their bodies in a striking surge of arousal. In a way, it was like an instinct experienced by those with secondary genders.

In the past, it used to be dangerous in terms of instinctive urges taking over, but nowadays, medications were extremely good. Not only could it be suppressed with pills, but if you didn’t want it to interfere with your daily life, there was also a quick-fix method via injections. Or alternatively… there was the method of mingling bodies with someone of a different secondary gender to let it release naturally.

Most individuals with opposing secondary genders naturally tended to respond to each other’s pheromones.

Just like having ideal types and differing tastes, the scents preferred by individuals varied. Of course, since instincts couldn’t be ruled, interest would naturally drift toward a pheromone of a different secondary gender once it appeared.

Had he been a beta, it would have been different, but since his secondary gender had transformed into an omega, Jiseo should have been affected at least a little bit.

Yet Youngwon felt a tiny bit worried. No matter how much instinctive interest there might be, he feared Jiseo might feel an equally instinctive sense of aversion instead.

“Hmm, it’s a nice scent. It smells like pear, just a tiny bit denser than before.”

“Is it a scent you like?”

“The scent is nice, but well, that’s about it.”

“Really? As long as you like it, that’s fine.”

Youngwon felt reassured primarily by the fact that his pheromone didn’t feel bad to Jiseo. Even though he could control it, his relief made it drift out even denser than just a moment ago.