AOA 94

Baek Mugyeong took a deep breath and answered.

“Yes.”

“Haa… fine.”

Jeong Minchae, who had just yelled, quickly calmed down. It was hard to tell whether he was indifferent or just too drained.

“If you stay in Korea, this will keep happening. Just like I warned you.”

“Well… I mean, like I said earlier, we could just have sex. Not like, spontaneously, but set a date first and all.”

Baek Mugyeong’s expression twisted. His reason had snapped the moment he heard those words earlier.

It had taken quite a while for him to admit that he was attracted to Jeong Minchae. It wasn’t just lust, so he had tried to push those feelings away.

Especially today, Jeong Minchae looked unusually radiant, and that only made him more determined. He thought a brief conversation wouldn’t mean much, but just a few words were enough to sway him.

And now, again, it was happening. Jeong Minchae wasn’t trying to provoke him. He was making what sounded like a reasonable offer. But something hot and uncontrollable welled up inside Baek Mugyeong.

“Do you even understand what you’re suggesting?”

“Sex partner… um, that’s what I meant. But if you don’t want to, that’s fine.”

Baek Mugyeong found himself wondering what exactly was in that small head of his. Most of the time he was cautious, trying not to stand out. But then he’d suddenly blurt out things like this.

He hadn’t batted an eye when he told Baek Jinseok that divorce was the best option. And now, although he glanced nervously after saying ‘sex partner,’ he still added that it was optional. His voice trembled, he was forcing himself to be brave, but his gaze was challenging, like he was daring him to try it.

Baek Mugyeong thought he looked like a smug cat and clicked his tongue inwardly. Now that he thought about it, this wasn’t the first time Jeong Minchae had pulled him in like this.

Even now, he should have told him to stop talking nonsense and just prepare to leave for Italy. But he didn’t want to.

All his senses were focused on the person in front of him. Stubborn, unaware of the danger he was in, foolishly brave, glowing, and smelling nice.

…

So this was it.

He had to admit it. He had fallen for Jeong Minchae. But the distrust still sat heavy in one corner of his chest, stopping him from giving himself fully.

He didn’t dwell on it for long.

“Let’s do it that way.”

“…?”

Jeong Minchae, who had been staring him down defiantly, looked surprised. He hadn’t expected it to go this far.

Again, he looked like a startled cat that had glitched out. Baek Mugyeong had to stifle a laugh.

Even if he had fallen for him, he didn’t like being this easily swayed. Especially the term ‘sex partner’, he didn’t care for that.

“‘Sex partner’ sounds unpleasant. How about we just live like a married couple?”

“…What?”

“I said we should live like a married couple. We’re already married, after all.”

They had entered into this marriage for strategic reasons. There was no need to call each other something as transactional as sex partners. Jeong Minchae finally seemed to understand and slowly nodded.

“Right, we… are married.”

“You can still say no.”

“No, I’ll do it. Since we’re already a couple, acting like one won’t be a problem.”

He looked a little dazed but tried to sound confident.

“We’ll still have separate rooms.”

“That’s what I want too.”

“Let’s have sex every Friday night. If needed, we can adjust the schedule.”

“Friday… okay. That works.”

Baek Mugyeong wanted to tell him that he shouldn’t agree so easily. This could be seen as a deal. Even if their needs matched perfectly, he should have started with bigger demands.

Just like how Jeong Suchan had asked him to put pressure on someone, there should be something, money, items, information, anything.

“Is there nothing else you want?”

“Not really… no.”

As expected, Jeong Minchae was careless. He didn’t seem to understand the importance of keeping a debt, even if he couldn’t think of what he wanted now.

“Jeong Minchae.”

“Yes?”

“This is a transaction. You need to ask something from me.”

“It doesn’t feel like a transaction.”

“It is.”

“Then… when we divorce later, give me a lot of alimony.”

Jeong Minchae spoke with a serious expression. He looked determined, though his flushed cheeks betrayed his embarrassment.

Watching his honest reaction, Baek Mugyeong finally understood what it meant to find someone ‘cute.’ And that once you’re smitten, there’s no turning back.

He was also reminded, once again, that Jeong Minchae genuinely wanted a divorce.

“You realize that to receive a lot of alimony, I’d have to be the at-fault party? And for a pretty serious reason, too.”

“…Huh?”

Jeong Minchae’s eyes widened in panic. Clearly, he hadn’t thought that far. It was the same when he asked Baek Mugyeong to stop Jeong Suchan. The request was simple, but fulfilling it required a lot of conditions.

Honestly, becoming the at-fault party wasn’t a big deal. Thanks to his regression, he had made plenty of money. Giving alimony wouldn’t be difficult. He ridiculed himself for saying pointless things just to see how Jeong Minchae would react.

“I’ll take care of that. Anything else?”

“Give me the pills.”

It took Baek Mugyeong a beat to realize what he meant. He had completely forgotten about the birth control.

That was a clear mistake. Considering they’d conceived a child from just one time in his past life, he had been too careless.

Baek Mugyeong found the pills he always kept with him just in case. Jeong Minchae swallowed them without water.

They had always agreed about children, even before marriage. Jeong Minchae would rather get divorced than become the wife of DS Motors’ heir. And thankfully, he didn’t want kids.

“Anything else?”

“No.”

Still seated, Jeong Minchae shook his head. He looked so cute doing it that Baek Mugyeong felt ashamed.

He never would have imagined that things that used to mean nothing to him would start changing like this. He felt like an idiot around Jeong Minchae.

Rationally, he still thought he should send him far away. The old doubts whispered that he’d be betrayed again.

But desire had won out. He already knew that the more he suppressed it, the worse the backlash became. With time, his unstable emotions would settle down.

That’s what he believed.

“Do you want to rest more? There’s only one bedroom, so I can get you another room.”

“No, I want to go home.”

“I’ll drive you.”

“I can drive myself.”

“In that condition? I’ll call the hotel’s limousine service. Get dressed.”

“Then I’ll just take a taxi. It’s fine.”

Baek Mugyeong picked up his phone and called for the limousine. Jeong Minchae muttered a weak protest, sighed, and started getting dressed. Before long, they got a message saying the car was ready.

While Jeong Minchae put on his jacket and socks, he headed for the door. Baek Mugyeong followed him.

“Something wrong?”

Jeong Minchae looked back at him just as he was about to exit. His expression said, Why are you coming with me?

“I’m escorting you. Like a proper husband.”

“…?”

“We’re not a couple on bad terms, right?”

Jeong Minchae gave him a baffled look, but Baek Mugyeong answered calmly. He had rarely acted in a calculated way to get a reaction out of others. Especially not in personal relationships.

But for some reason, he wanted to tease Jeong Minchae. He knew it was childish, but he couldn’t stop himself.

“I mean, it’s just…”

“Do you not want me to?”

“Do what you want.”

Jeong Minchae started to back down, his lips twitching. But Baek Mugyeong wanted to know what he had been about to say.

“What were you going to say?”

“…I don’t want to say it anymore.”

That answer caught him off guard. His expression said he would never say it now. Stubborn and sullen, not a face you often saw on him.

“Got it.”

Baek Mugyeong smiled. Jeong Minchae’s look of confusion made him even more pleased.

“Let’s go.”

Baek Mugyeong decided he really would just do as he pleased.

*

Friends are precious. Especially the kind you can share secrets and rant about someone with.

In that sense, Choi Jaeha was a very precious, cool, fiery, and diligent friend.

“Wow, I wish I’d seen it in person.”

It was Monday. School had ended early, and I met Jaeha at a cafe before heading to cram school.

The moment we ordered coffee, he started bombarding me with questions about what had happened yesterday at the Cheongam Art Museum.

I gave an unfiltered account of everything I’d seen.

Though honestly, all that happened was some guy suddenly showed up and punched Baek Yeongseop, which triggered an alpha hazard and forced everyone to flee. He had said something kind of ominous, but given Baek Yeongseop’s reputation, it wasn’t even surprising.