Before heading to the café, Yigyeom stopped by an ATM and transferred a million won to Goo Daebom. Though it hadn’t been long since his salary came in and he made the transfer, he felt a bit anxious. Yet, he thought there was no need to be scared since he wasn’t borrowing more money but paying back. This newfound courage was also thanks to Kwon Taejung.
After the transfer completed, Goo Daebom called shortly afterward. Yigyeom took a deep breath and stepped into an alley next to the ATM building to answer the call.
“Hello?”
-You’re depositing money quite regularly these days? Working hard, I see.
“Yes.”
-What’s up? It’s good for me if you repay quickly. Anyway, you still meeting Kwon Taejung these days?
“Since he works in my area, I have no choice but to meet.”
There was laughter from Goo Daebom on the other end. Unsmiling, Yigyeom just looked down for no apparent reason.
– Oh, right. Right. He works there, right? Oh, Yigyeom. Isn’t life funny? He is the type of person who doesn’t even glance at Omegas. And now he’s hung up on Beta, fuck.”
“It’s not like that.”
– Hey, who do you take me for, an idiot? Saying Kwon Taejung is head over heels for someone in the redevelopment area? He’s not like that. Yigyeom’s talents are something, too. Seems like there’s no law that people shouldn’t die. Seeing how Kwon Taejung keeps going after you even at death’s door.”
Listening to Goo Daebom made him feel like he was being a scoundrel, using the money from the affluent Alpha to pay off debts. Yigyeom clenched his lips and chose not to retort to Goo Daebom’s words.
– How far do you think you’ll go with Kwon Taejung? When you were young and your looks were evenly matched, you could’ve been taken advantage of and sold yourself. But now, even if he’s head over heels for your face, how long will that last? Will Taejung marry you, live together?
“……”
– Sell yourself while you can. Pay off your debts. Think of it as your last chance in life.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“……”
– Keep depositing regularly. I’ll drop by soon, so be ready to make coffee.”
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He’d gathered a bit more courage than before to take the call, but the result remained the same. Goo Daebom laughed, and Yigyeom didn’t. If it were just about money, it would have been fine, but the moment Kwon Taejung’s name was mentioned, the courage and pride Yigyeom had mustered vanished. And facing reality made him upset.
It was a different kind of pain from feeling upset occasionally due to having a lot of debt despite working hard and not seeing it decrease. He thought nothing was scarier than debt, but now, Kwon Taejung seemed the most terrifying.
“Even if he’s head over heels for your face, how long will that last?”
Of course, Goo Daebom’s words didn’t erase everything Kwon Taejung had shown or conveyed to him. Though it wasn’t a long time, during that period, Kwon Taejung had clearly shown and shared something with him. And besides, it was a relationship predetermined to last only three months, so there was no reason to be sad about such words. It wasn’t something he didn’t know.
“……”
The three months had already broken, and there was just a little over two months until the demolition. Yigyeom found it amusing to think of those two months as “just.”
He felt it was a waste of time. It saddened him that the time to be together every day was decreasing. He had never felt upset about such things before, so he didn’t know how to handle it at times like this.
Yigyeom, who had been standing and pondering for no reason, sighed softly and proceeded down the alley. He wiped the corners of his eyes with the back of his hand, where tears easily gathered.
The sunset hues that fell with every step were beautiful. Walking into that scenery, Yigyeom wished for the remaining two months to pass very slowly. And at the same time, he hoped the day would end soon and Kwon Taejung would arrive.
He realized that the thought was utterly incompatible. He let out a small laugh, then wiped his eyes with the back of his hand again. Perhaps, today he would have to endure feeling upset until he saw Kwon Taejung’s face.
After dinner with the family, Kwon Taejung chatted with Kwon Yu-jeong and Kwon Ki-jeong about this and that before leaving home a little past nine. The traffic wasn’t heavy, so he arrived a bit early, parked the car, and, as usual, was about to enter the café when he noticed Yigyeom sitting by the window, conversing with two people.
Without seeing what Yigyeom was looking at, Kwon Taejung, who stood on the unseen side, looked at the faces of the man and woman seated across from Yigyeom. He didn’t know who they were, but it didn’t seem like they were just customers asking Yigyeom something.
Around the time a worrying thought crossed his mind that they might be from the broadcasting station, the two stood up. Yigyeom went out to see them off. Kwon Taejung waited until they were completely away from the café before entering.
“Welcome… Oh, Chief.”
Yigyeom, who was cleaning the espresso machine at the counter, smiled when he saw Kwon Taejung. Approaching with a cheerful greeting, Kwon Taejung leaned on the counter, folded his arms, and looked at Yigyeom as if he was about to order.
“Who were those people you were talking to just now?”
“Oh… They’re from the broadcasting station. They called about the follow-up program related to the redevelopment area, but I missed the call, so they came here thinking something might have happened.”
“Oh, I see.”
“Yes. Since I don’t remember seeing the missed call… I asked when they had called… It was then… during the heat cycle.”
Seeing Yigyeom’s voice diminish, Kwon Taejung laughed, then glanced around the cafe after all the customers had left and whispered to Yigyeom.
“Oh, when you were busy with your morning wood.”
“Th-that’s a bit…”
With a flushed face, Yigyeom quickly scanned the surroundings. Of course, even with no one around, it didn’t change the embarrassment I’d already felt, but it was still a relief that no one else had heard.
“Should I phrase it differently? Like when you ask for it urgently? Or when you secretly enjoy yourself while sleeping? They wouldn’t even imagine. How beautiful my baby is when he enjoys himself.”
Yigyeom, truly surprised, quickly approached and covered Kwon Taejung’s mouth with his hand. Kwon Taejung, whose lips made a smacking sound against Yigyeom’s hand, leaned his face against Yigyeom’s hand. Eventually, Yigyeom gently touched his handsome face.
“So, are you going to appear on the show?”
“I never planned to. It’s not good to be known for such things, and the loan shark guy won’t stay quiet if it goes on air… He strongly advised against it… But after hearing about it today, I’m starting to think about it.”
“What did he say?”
Kwon Taejung, who sighed softly at Yigyeom’s change of heart from having no intention to appear to contemplating it, narrowed his eyes.
“Maybe if my face gets more recognition… The loan shark said he wouldn’t do anything if my face gets more exposure… And there might be people willing to help with fundraising or personal donations, which could help with paying off the debt.”
“Oh…”
Suddenly feeling a surge of clarity, Kwon Taejung straightened up towards Yigyeom. Now, he remembered what he was supposed to do in the redevelopment area. To prevent Yigyeom from appearing on the broadcast and quietly exit the area without attracting anyone’s attention for smooth evacuation.
“So, have you decided to go out?”
“It’s not like that. I just said I’d think about it.”
Feeling relieved that there was still a chance to prevent Yigyeom’s appearance, Kwon Taejung nodded lightly. Even if Yigyeom responded positively to appearing, I would do everything in my power to prevent it.
That follow-up broadcast should never be produced. Whatever decision Yigyeom made, it would likely lead to the same outcome, but still, he hoped to become ‘less’ of a bad guy to Yigyeom.
“Okay, let’s think about it together. If we toss out that bundled-up trash, it’ll be fine, right? I’ll throw it out.”
“Thank you…”
Yigyeom, who habitually expressed gratitude every time, smiled cutely at Kwon Taejung’s gesture of clearing away two large garbage bags. Placing them roughly near the trash disposal spot, Kwon Taejung took out a cigarette, hesitated, then just threw it on the ground without lighting it. It wasn’t frustration that could be relieved by a cigarette.
The feelings at the time, when he intentionally met Yigyeom and spent time by giving him a hundred thousand won per hour to prevent him from appearing on the broadcast, were not very well remembered. It wasn’t even that long ago, barely a month, but it felt so distant and different from now.
Though approached for a public purpose, meeting Yigyeom had turned into a personal matter at some point. From the tickle of the nose to the captivating pheromones and the captivating smile, everything had become Kwon Taejung’s personal realm.
Real life rearing it’s ugly head…
Are we about to enter the conflict/drama part? I hope Taejung won’t make our Yigyeom sad…
🔜 in a few chapters!
I need to prepare my heart😥
💕💕