RACA 76

After sleeping well for the first time in a long while, Eunsol opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. It looked unfamiliar compared to the one he had been seeing for the past few months, but maybe that was just his imagination.

“Ah…!”

Then he suddenly remembered where he had fallen asleep and quickly sat up. The gray-toned room felt different from the place he had been living in.

The biggest difference was the bed. It was at least twice the size of his own. If his bed was a super single, then this one was a king-size. It meant it was made for a tall, broad-shouldered alpha.

“Haa.”

Eunsol rubbed his cheeks with both palms as he realized that it hadn’t been a dream and that he had actually slept with Jaebeom.

He was fully awake now, but he started to feel embarrassment. It was because he remembered the conversation they had before falling asleep.

“But where did he go? And what time is it?”

After rubbing his face a few more times, he looked around for his phone. Since he wasn’t used to this bed, it took him a bit to find it, but he finally pulled it out from under the pillow.

It was just past nine o’clock.

“He already left for work… He should’ve woken me up.”

Even though they hadn’t gone to bed that late, he had slept like a rock. As he realized that, he felt a little disappointed.

“How could I not notice him moving around?”

It made sense that he didn’t feel anything when Jaebeom got out of bed carefully, but he must have washed up and changed clothes too. Eunsol couldn’t believe he hadn’t noticed any of that and had just slept soundly.

He sighed and then noticed a notification at the top of the screen. When he saw it was a new message, he immediately tapped it, and of course, it was from Jaebeom.

You were sleeping well, so I didn’t wake you. When you get up, have breakfast first, and then contact me after. I’d appreciate it.

The message had been sent less than ten minutes ago. That showed just how thorough he was, he always replied immediately so no one would have to wait.

“… he even set it to silent.”

Eunsol checked his phone settings and saw it was on silent mode. Jaebeom must have changed it himself, worried that the vibration might wake him.

While rubbing his ear, Eunsol suddenly noticed something else missing.

“Oh, did the cat go to the vet?”

The cat that usually stayed by his side wasn’t there. Jaebeom had probably stopped it from coming in last night, but the reason he didn’t see it now was likely because it had been taken to the hospital.

As soon as he got out of bed, Eunsol opened the door. As expected, there was no sign of the cat in the hallway either. The house felt unusually quiet, probably because no one was around.

Feeling a bit lonely, he dragged his feet toward the kitchen and found Bulgom and the cat beside him.

“Oh? I thought you went to the vet?”

“You’re awake, sir! I was waiting to serve you breakfast before we left.”

“I could’ve eaten by myself.”

“No, sir. I’ll prepare it right away!”

Eunsol knew there was no point refusing, so he sat obediently at the table. The moment he did, the cat trotted over and rubbed against his leg. As he stroked its head, he remembered the tangled fur from last night and checked it again.

“Oh no, it’s even worse now. Jongjong, what did you do overnight?”

“It’s been grooming itself a lot because of the heat lately.”

“Ah…”

Come to think of it, he had heard it was a long-haired breed. Eunsol nodded and tried to untangle the fur with his fingers, but it was too matted to fix by hand.

“Please leave it be. Have your meal. I’ll take it to the hospital right after.”

“Where to?”

“A veterinary clinic about twenty minutes away by car.”

“Is that where you usually take it?”

When Bulgom nodded, Eunsol thought for a moment. He didn’t really have anything to do today, so maybe it would be fine to go along.

“Would you like to come with me, sir?”

Bulgom asked first, which caught him off guard.

“Oh? Can I?”

When Eunsol asked in surprise, Bulgom answered as if it were obvious.

“The CEO asked if you were feeling alright and told me to accompany you.”

“Ah…”

Realizing Jaebeom had thought about him, Eunsol’s eyes turned toward the phone on the table. After hesitating a moment, he picked it up and opened the message app.

He hadn’t replied yet, so the screen still showed only Jaebeom’s last message. Eunsol typed quickly.

[I just woke up, about to have breakfast. Then I’m planning to take Jongjong to the vet…]

He stopped there for a moment. He had wanted to ask if Jaebeom had told Bulgom that he could come along, but maybe that sounded unnecessary.

It would be better to say something else.

I’m taking Jongjong to the vet. If there’s anything you want for dinner, tell me. I’ll cook something nice tonight. 12:25 PM

Since he was going out anyway, it wouldn’t hurt to stop by the supermarket on the way back. Even after putting his phone down, Eunsol couldn’t take his eyes off the screen.

Jaebeom didn’t reply immediately. He must have been busy. Eunsol stared at the screen until it went dark. Even while eating the breakfast Bulgom had prepared, he kept looking at the phone several times.

The reply came just as Eunsol was finishing his preparations to go out and watching Bulgom push the cat into the carrier.

Stir-fried octopus? 12:49 PM

Only three short words appeared on the screen, and Eunsol rolled his eyes. He had just eaten breakfast, yet even from those few words, his mouth watered.

It was clearly a menu chosen for him, who still couldn’t resist spicy food.

I told you to pick what you want to eat. 12:49 PM

But knowing that Jaebeom had picked it with him in mind, Eunsol typed a follow-up message.

‘That actor really tries to match me in everything.’

He grumbled and then suddenly remembered what Jaebeom had said last night by the trumpet vine wall. That he’d noticed him from the very beginning and couldn’t forget.

“It’s so greasy.”

Of course, only a born actor could say something that corny without flinching.

“Huh? Are you feeling unwell, sir?”

Bulgom, who had just lifted the carrier, turned to him in alarm. He had seen Eunsol eat well earlier and wondered if he’d done something wrong.

“No, no, I was, um… watching a mukbang. The food looked greasy. They were showing grilled pork intestines…”

Eunsol couldn’t bring himself to show the screen and hurried to explain.

“Ah, right. When it’s this hot, heavy food doesn’t sit well.”

Fortunately, since Eunsol had his phone in hand, Bulgom didn’t suspect anything. Eunsol sighed in relief and quietly walked toward the entrance.

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The clinic was closer than he expected. The building was large and the spacious parking lot made it clear the place had been chosen with care.

“Shall we go?”

“Yes.”

Bulgom got out first with the carrier in hand. Eunsol followed, closing the car door behind him.

Not far from them, inside a black sedan parked nearby, a pair of eyes watched their movements.

“T-that, that, over there, t-that’s m-my s-son.”

The man pointing with his grimy finger through the passenger-side window was Lee Daebak.

“Oh yeah? He’s definitely pretty, it must be the dominant genes.”

An alpha who looked to be in his mid-thirties whistled from the back seat.

The alpha kept his gaze on Eunsol until his figure completely disappeared from sight, then gave an order.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes, sir.”

The driver started the engine and bowed his head. The alpha, still frowning, rubbed his chin with one hand.

“He looks even better than I expected.”

As the hospital sign passed by outside the window, his eyes glinted and a meaningful smile formed on his lips.

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They had said the rainy season was over, but somehow it was raining even harder.

“Wow… it’s really pouring.”

Eunsol stared out the window with his mouth slightly open. Under the thick gray clouds, rain was falling so hard it looked like the sky itself had split.

Today was the day of his regular checkup, but the downpour made him hesitate to go out.

“Maybe we should just stay home today.”

“Yeah, probably.”

He rubbed his belly and looked outside again. The large river right outside the window was barely visible through the curtain of rain.

He knew staying home was the right choice, but he couldn’t help feeling disappointed. Today was supposed to be the day they heard the twins’ heartbeats.

Now that he was four months along, his belly had clearly begun to show. He couldn’t feel them moving yet, but he could sense that two lives were inside him.

He had wanted to hear their heartbeats today.

“The weather’s supposed to clear tomorrow, so let’s go then.”

If Jaebeom was coming along, there was no reason for Eunsol to say no. He nodded and told him to be careful driving to work in the rain, but the answer that came back was unexpected.

“I’m not going to work today.”

“What?”

He was sure Jaebeom had mentioned an important meeting. When he looked up in surprise, Jaebeom only gave him a look that said, What’s wrong with that?

“With this kind of rain, they won’t want to go out either. I’ll just use it as an excuse to take the day off.”

He had a point. No one would want to go out in rain that heavy, like water spilling from a hole in the sky. When Jaebeom noticed Eunsol’s change of heart, he slipped an arm around him.

“Mmm…”

Eunsol hadn’t answered yet, but Jaebeom could tell he was already giving in. His hand slipped under Eunsol’s shirt, gently stroking his belly.

The ticklish yet pleasant touch made Eunsol smile. He could already guess where that hand was heading.

“What are you doing in the middle of the day?”

“This weather’s perfect for it.”

“What’s perfect about it?”

“For something secret.”

He really never knew when to stop. Even as he rolled his eyes, Eunsol could feel himself starting to give in.

Bzzz. Bzzzz.

Then, the phone on the table started to vibrate.