PO 21

Woojeong entered the building called Yoon Gallery, and Lee Doyoung muttered quietly, “Isn’t he a crazy bastard?”

He sneered that a person must be lacking somewhere if he used a building built on such expensive land for this purpose.

“What’s this now?”

The cafe on the first floor, where they had felt there were too many flowers and flowerpots, had a sign that said “Flowers, Coffee.” Woojeong’s gaze was caught for a moment by the pretty flowerpots of modest size, and then he moved his steps to follow Lee Doyoung who passed by indifferently.

“Welcome. You’re the guest of the representative, right?”

The employees of the cafe greeted them kindly as they entered. Woojeong returned their greeting in Lee Doyoung’s place who only gave a slight nod and passed by.

When they went past the space where the fragrance of coffee spread gently and went up to the upper floor, a space with a completely different atmosphere appeared. Woojeong’s eyes, which had followed Lee Doyoung silently from the house to here, sparkled with curiosity.

In the spacious workshop, a wooden workbench with many drawers occupied the center. Tools like lines, a soldering iron, and a press machine were arranged on top of the workbench, and the table by the wall was cluttered with metal fragments and piled-up materials.

At the window, there was a sign that said “Yoon Workshop.” The letters that looked handwritten on an iron plate welded roughly on purpose revealed the free atmosphere of the workshop.

“You’re here? Come up, this way.”

Yoon Hyunjun suddenly appeared from the stairs and waved to the two of them. Next to him, Yoon Ijun stuck his head out and quickly disappeared. Woojeong wanted to look around the workshop a little more, but he followed Lee Doyoung upstairs.

“This is the first time for both of you here, right?”

Saying it had been a long time, Yoon Hyunjun greeted Woojeong warmly and stretched out his arm to introduce his space.

“This is my studio.”

His studio had a high ceiling and an open form without walls. On one side of the wall, large and small canvases leaned in disorder, and on the floor, paint marks spread out as if they were decorations.

The paintings hanging on the wall also drew attention. There were works that depicted flowers, and there were also abstract paintings and portraits mixed in, which gave a colorful impression.

“That side is the exhibition room for the accessories made in the workshop, and this side is my office.” He used the wide space of the gallery for various purposes without setting strict divisions. That part was similar to the Snow Reflection Residence where Han Jaegang stayed.

Yoon Hyunjun said he sometimes gathered people here and held parties. He said today he had only called a few close people, but the third floor was full of people gathered in small groups.

“But why didn’t you come with Jaegang?”

“He said he would be late, and he told me to go first.”

“Really? Then do you want to greet my friends first?”

“Okay. But Woojeong has trouble meeting people. Do you want to rest here for a while?”

Woojeong understood that Lee Doyoung meant not to follow him, and he answered that he would do that. Woojeong stayed alone in a space where there were no people, and he moved his steps to a corner and looked at the paintings hanging on the wall.

He couldn’t know exactly what meaning the paintings contained, but the colors were brilliant, so it wasn’t boring to look at them. Next to Woojeong who raised his head and looked up at a large painting, Yoon Ijun approached and stopped.

“My older brother painted them all.”

“I didn’t know your brother paints. I thought he was a businessman.”

“This gallery is my brother’s business in a way. But I think my brother can’t make a living from painting, and he seems to have at least a little talent in business.”

“Why? The paintings are good. This painting is very unique. It has dimensionality, so it is like a sculpture.”

Even when Woojeong praised the painting, Yoon Ijun reacted indifferently. Yoon Ijun, who replied that if he graduated from Korea University of Fine Arts, he should be able to paint at this level, stood with his arms folded.

“There are those kinds of people. They have talent in several fields, so whatever they do, they do it above a certain level. My brother is like that.”

“Did your brother also do the workshop downstairs?”

“In the past, my brother ran it, but these days, the manager takes care of it. Those kinds of things, the price is at a scam level. But because the fools gathered here each buy one, the business works.”

Yoon Ijun covered his mouth and spoke playfully, “If it were me, I wouldn’t buy this with that money.” Woojeong chuckled, and Yoon Ijun who laughed with him suddenly continued as he remembered something.

“Right. You said you were interested in that field, right? So some time ago I sent you a message on Talk, but you didn’t read it? I couldn’t reach you.”

“Oh. I see. Sorry.”

At first, after his phone disappeared, he felt a little empty, but after a few days, he often forgot about it. He thought no one would look for him anyway, but when Yoon Ijun said unexpectedly that he had tried to contact him, Woojeong quickly apologized.

Were there others who had contacted him too? Someone’s face came to his mind naturally, and it made Woojeong’s heart heavy.

“My phone doesn’t work now. I don’t think I can be contacted for the time being.”

“Really? Then contact me later. Let’s meet once.”

Yoon Ijun didn’t ask why the phone didn’t work. For Woojeong, it was a fortunate thing. After chatting for a while, Yoon Ijun said he would go see someone for a moment and left.

He spent so many days alone, coming to an uncomfortable place, suddenly made him tired. Woojeong pressed down on his eyelids with his palm. His head hurt because of the bright lights and loud music.

Even in that situation, Woojeong habitually checked Lee Doyoung who was among the people. Because it was a place with alcohol, he worried in case he would drink too much again, but fortunately he was still smiling with a sober face.

“Hi. I haven’t seen you before?”

As Woojeong was just turning his head, a tall man suddenly stuck his head in front of his eyes. The man whose hair was long enough to cover his nape held a glass of alcohol in his hand.

“Why are you alone here? It’s boring.”

From the unfamiliar pheromones, Woojeong realized that he was an alpha. Woojeong felt an instinctive caution toward a man who openly released pheromones in a place like this. The man squinted his eyes in a greasy smile and approached Woojeong.

“Your eyes are really pretty. The color of your pupils is unusual too. Do you want to have a drink with me?”

“No. I’m fine.”

“Don’t be like that….”

“I’m sorry.”

Woojeong avoided the man who persistently offered him alcohol even after being rejected, and he moved away. He had no particular place to go, but as he walked aimlessly, he soon came to the front of the stairs.

The man still stood in the same place and watched Woojeong. Woojeong hesitated for a moment and then went down the stairs.

It might have been trivial interest, but because the man’s gaze felt sticky, Woojeong didn’t want to stay there long.

The second floor felt like a completely different world. Just by getting a little distance from the music that felt like it would explode his ears and the bright lights, he felt far more able to breathe.

Woojeong kept looking back because he was anxious that the man might follow him down, but fortunately there was no sign of anyone coming near the stairs.

Woojeong bent his waist, put his hands on his knees, and caught his breath. Because he had skipped meals all day or because he lacked sleep, his body had no strength.

He desperately wanted to shut himself in somewhere and rest alone for a while, but he only let out a weak sigh.

“It’s dark, what are you doing there? You didn’t avoid me and come here, right? Because you’re acting like this, it looks like I became a bad person.”

Woojeong jumped up. That man from earlier was walking down the stairs quickly.

The man spoke with a gentle tone, but he gave off a grim atmosphere. Woojeong stepped back to avoid him who approached in a swaggering way. He pretended to be calm, but he felt an ominous sensation, and he grew restless.

“I just want to talk for a bit, so why do you make that face? What’s your name?”

Woojeong continued stepping back to avoid the man who advanced threateningly. Lee Doyoung’s words who told him to stay quiet and go home lingered in his ears.

If he caused trouble in a place like this, Lee Doyoung wouldn’t forgive him. Whatever the circumstances were, he had to avoid being talked about by others.

Even though there were so many people in the building, the second floor where the lights were off was quiet. He had no phone so he couldn’t call anyone, but there was no one he could think to call anyway.

The man seemed amused by Woojeong’s frightened reaction, and he started to approach slowly while releasing his pheromones.

Woojeong retreated step by step, and he reached the front of the stairs that went down to the first floor. Now there was no place to retreat further.

“How old are you? Ah. This is driving me crazy. The scent is so good, I feel like I’ll go insane. You’re an omega, right?”

“……”

“What are you going to do if he’s?”

Someone said in a low voice. Even though it was the presence of the person he had longed for so much, Woojeong couldn’t turn to look.

Even without seeing the face, he I’ll recognized who the person coming up was. A different kind of bewilderment than before shook Woojeong.

Han Jaegang who came up to the second floor lightly pushed Woojeong’s back and made him step away from the stairs. Then he walked toward the man.

“What are you going to do about it?”

“Oh? Ah. Jaegang. It’s been a while. Ah… are you two acquainted? I saw an unfamiliar face, so I was just about to greet.?”

“In a place like this?”

Han Jaegang looked around and replied indifferently. The workshop on this floor was dark and secluded. Even if something happened here, there was a high chance the people in the noisy third floor wouldn’t notice.

As soon as Han Jaegang appeared, the man’s attitude changed drastically. He started to give excuses no one asked for, as if he had never had any interest in Woojeong from the beginning.

“No, I did greet him up there earlier. I was just coming down to smoke a cigarette, and by chance he was here. Since I saw him again, I was glad, so I exchanged a few words, that’s all. Right?”

The man smiled awkwardly and seemed to seek agreement, but Woojeong turned his gaze. He didn’t want to go along with someone who made excuses however he could. Han Jaegang, who had been watching the two silently, opened his mouth.

“So you’re saying you asked someone you met for the first time whether he’s an omega?”

“Oh? That, I just without much thought…”

The man couldn’t hide his flustered look. Even though the two spoke informally to each other, there was a clear difference in strength felt between them.

Han Jaegang, who ended up standing between the man and Woojeong, had a cold face as if he was angry.

“Isn’t that impolite?”

Han Jaegang cut off the man’s hesitant words, and he let out a laugh. When he smiled, he looked colder than when his expression was neutral, and he stepped closer to the man.

“Put away your pheromones first.”

“…Ah, yes.”

The man nodded. When he retracted his pheromones, the unpleasant scent that floated in the air disappeared. With his brows drawn together, Han Jaegang didn’t hide his displeasure. For Woojeong, who had only seen his polite and kind side, it was an unfamiliar look.

“Why is everything so messed up? At least keep basic manners.”

Han Jaegang tugged at the hem of the man’s jacket. It looked like an action that fixed his clothes, but with that small force the man was dragged, and he coughed. He was flustered and tried to get back to his place.

“Apologize first.”

The man made a blank face as if he didn’t understand what he was saying. But when Han Jaegang looked at him with a cold gaze, he gave a sheepish laugh.

“I… I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.”

“You should apologize to the person who should receive it.”

Han Jaegang slowly turned his head toward Woojeong to direct the man’s eyes. When the man followed his gaze and met Woojeong’s eyes, he frowned, but soon he let out a long sigh as he repress his anger.

“…I’m sorry. I acted rude even though we just met.”

The man didn’t look at Woojeong properly and gave a half-hearted apology. Woojeong was about to say it was fine, but he closed his lips. He felt that saying so would waste the consideration of the one who cared for him.

Han Jaegang who had been quietly watching the two broke the momentary silence. He put his hand on the man’s shoulder and tapped it lightly as if encouraging a junior.

“Why is your attitude like that? Are you offended?”

“No, that’s not it. I… I’m really sorry. If I made you uncomfortable, forgive me.”

When Woojeong slightly bowed his head to accept the apology, the man turned his face aside with a grimace, avoiding Han Jaegang’s eyes.

“At the next meeting can I see you with proper manners?”

“Of course.”

Ignoring the man’s reaction, Han Jaegang asked calmly as if it had just come to mind.

“It’s very late now, so how about you go? You have a meeting with our team next week. Even if your company starts preparing now, it’ll be tight.”

Han Jaegang’s blunt dismissal stunned the man for a moment, but he nodded with an awkward smile.

“…Yes, I should. I was about to leave anyway.”

“Alright. Give my regards to your father.”

The man forced a smile, exchanged farewell with Han Jaegang, and quickly went down the stairs and disappeared from their sight. From far away they heard him spit curses, but Han Jaegang looked like he didn’t care.

The space where tension had filled when Woojeong was alone with the man now was awkwardly silent. While Woojeong hesitated about how to say thanks, Han Jaegang first broke the silence.

“Did you forget? I told you that hat it’s human nature to covet good things when they see them.”

Han Jaegang asked Woojeong with the same cold face he had shown when dealing with the man. Woojeong had heard him say that, but he still didn’t understand what it meant. Because he couldn’t feel what good thing he had, or who on earth coveted it.

What concerned him more now was Han Jaegang’s condition. Woojeong quietly studied his complexion. To see someone who had always looked strong and solid collapse was shocking. That day, the sight of him remained vivid together with the beat of his heart that Woojeong had felt on his palm.

When they met again after a long time, fortunately Han Jaegang looked healthy. It seemed his face had lost some flesh, but it made his features stand out more. When Woojeong’s gaze traced the lines of his face and met his eyes, he quickly turned his head away.

“To see someone like that sticking to you makes me feel filthy. You should’ve cursed at him. Tell him to immediately get away.”

Woojeong had thought and agonized countless times. Even if it had been too sudden and even if both had not been in their right mind because of pheromones, the fact that he kissed and touched bodies with his brother’s date didn’t change. In that moment, Woojeong didn’t push away Han Jaegang who held onto him. The fact that he might have consented to some extent made Woojeong blame himself and shut himself in his room for a long time.

“Why does your face look like that? Were you sick?”

“……”

“What about your phone? I couldn’t reach you.”

“I’m sorry. My phone broke, so I can’t be contacted for the time being.”