PO 22

Whenever Lee Doyoung brought Han Jaegang up in a conversation, Woojeong felt as if something pricked inside his chest and he felt uncomfortable.

It was fortunate that his phone had gone missing. He could use that as an excuse for why he didn’t receive his call. Han Jaegang would regret the mistake from that day as well, so maybe he would want to treat everything until now as if it had never happened.

“Thank you for helping. Hyung has been waiting for Executive Director to come. Please hurry and go up.”

Woojeong barely managed to speak in a calm voice. Han Jaegang, who had been looking at him with a blank face, tilted his head slightly to the side and said.

“Who said that I came to see Lee Doyoung-ssi?”

Han Jaegang flicked open the buttons of his jacket. He pulled his vest as if he felt stifled, and his unique scent wafted from him. When Woojeong stepped back, Han Jaegang reached out his hand and seized his wrist.

“I’m asking why you didn’t answer the phone?”

“Let go of my hand.”

His low voice sounded as if he was interrogating Woojeong. Han Jaegang’s eyes were so persistent that it was hard to face them. His grip on his wrist started feeling a little painful.

At that moment, they heard footsteps from the stairs above, and Yoon Hyunjun’s voice came.

“Who’s there? … Han Jaegang?”

Woojeong panicked and tried urgently to pull out the wrist that was caught. He didn’t want to show this to someone else and cause a needless misunderstanding. But even though Yoon Hyunjun appeared, Han Jaegang held Woojeong’s hand without the slightest agitation.

“When did you come? Why aren’t you coming up right away, what are you…” Yoon Hyunjun, who had been stepping down the stairs, stopped. He looked down with a startled face at the two people standing in the dark space.

“Is Jaegang-ssi there?”

At that moment, even Lee Doyoung’s voice came. Woojeong’s complexion turned pale.

“Oh, did I see wrong? Maybe it’s not Jaegang. Let’s just go up and wait?”

“I’ll take a look. He said he was almost here.”

Feeling the strange atmosphere, Yoon Hyunjun blocked Lee Doyoung’s way. If Lee Doyoung passed him and stepped down just one more flight, he would see this scene right away.

If he showed him this now, he didn’t know what kind of trouble would happen. Woojeong, flustered, grabbed Han Jaegang’s hand and tried hard to tear it off. But Han Jaegang didn’t budge.

“Let go, please.”

When he pleaded with teary eyes, Han Jaegang finally let his hand drop. Woojeong ran straight to the dark corner of the workshop. He looked around and crouched behind a large storage cabinet. As soon as he hid his body, he heard Lee Doyoung’s voice.

“It is Jaegang-ssi. What are you doing there, Jaegang-ssi?”

“……”

“Come up quickly. Everyone keeps asking when Jaegang-ssi is coming.”

“Uh… yeah. Why aren’t you coming up?”

Woojeong trembled with fear that maybe Lee Doyoung would find him. Afraid that his breathing might be heard, Woojeong covered his mouth. He wanted Han Jaegang to go to their side quickly, but Han Jaegang didn’t look like he intended to move.

“I’ll smoke a cigarette outside and then come up.”

“Smoke it after you come up. It looks like someone else is smoking too?”

“No, what crazy person smokes inside. It’s non-smoking here.”

“Jaegang-ssi. Quickly.”

Even though Lee Doyoung urged him to come up quickly, Han Jaegang didn’t move from his place. Only Yoon Hyunjun bustled for no reason, busy talking to Lee Doyoung. Woojeong closed his eyes and buried his face in his arms.

“I have a call to make. I’ll come up right after.”

“Really? Then call and come. Doyoung-ssi. Did you look at the accessories our workshop made?”

“No, not yet.”

“My, then let’s go right away. Our workshop products are amazing. I’ll give you a fine one as a gift, so let’s go right away.”

Even after the footsteps of the two people above grew distant, Woojeong couldn’t move from the spot. Music that had paused for a while started again, and people cheered. Even though the surroundings were noisy, Woojeong’s hearing focused only on one person.

Step by step, the sound of shoes hitting the solid floor came closer and then stopped. When Woojeong slowly opened his eyes, he saw in front of him a pair of classic dress shoes kept spotless without a speck of dust.

“What are you doing here? What did you do so wrong?” Woojeong couldn’t raise his head. His mind became impossibly tangled at Han Jaegang’s words asking. It felt as if everything was his fault, but he didn’t know what exactly was wrong, so he didn’t know what he should do, and that left him at a loss.

“……”

Han Jaegang quietly looked down at the round back of his head. Woojeong must have been shaken, because even though Lee Doyoung had gone away, Woojeong couldn’t lift his head. He had pleaded desperately for Han Jaegang to let his hand go, but now he just sat there limp and drained.

Pheromones slowly seeped out of his small body. Woojeong, who couldn’t control his pheromones at will, didn’t even notice that a scent was rising from him. It might have been without incident until now, but it was a scent that would surely draw Alphas’ attention more and more with time.

Han Jaegang embraced Woojeong’s shoulder and lifted him up when he flinched at his touch. He looked like he might cry at any moment, and no one could tell what on earth he was thinking. He disliked the way messy hair covered Woojeong’s face. He lifted his hand and brushed Woojeong’s hair aside, and eyes as big as those of a frightened cat appeared.

“It doesn’t look like you did anything wrong enough to be this scared.”

Han Jaegang’s breathing slowed after he inhaled Woojeong’s pheromones. The pheromones made his frantic heartbeat turn unhurried. Han Jaegang brought his hand to Woojeong’s face. Woojeong tried to turn his head and avoid that touch, but the storage cabinet behind blocked him, and there was nowhere else to retreat.

The feel of the pale cheek that his fingertips touched was soft and warm. Like dropping dye into a glass full of water, Woojeong’s white skin turned red where Han Jaegang’s hand brushed. His hazel busily looked around as he searched for a chance to run away. When Han Jaegang rubbed the corner of his his eye to draw his attention, Woojeong raised his head. Only then could he see his face fully.

“…Let go, let go of me.”

Woojeong groped at the back of his hand that cupped his cheek. He gripped two or three fingers tightly and tried to pull them away, but Han Jaegang didn’t twitch.

Woojeong, startled, had completely lost his composure. So if he had wanted to escape this place, he should have hidden his pheromones with all his strength, but he was helplessly letting them out.

“Why are you doing this… why…?”

Han Jaegang’s gaze moved along Woojeong’s slightly downturned eyes and well-shaped nose bridge, then stopped at his lips. A scab had formed on the lips that looked especially red because of his pale skin.

“You got hurt again.”

He had never once endured someone else carelessly touching what belonged to him. Whenever he saw a new wound on Woojeong’s face, Han Jaegang felt irritation rise as if a flaw had been scratched into his own possession. He had let it go once or twice, but he couldn’t just keep kindly putting medicine on his wounds forever.

Han Jaegang seized Woojeong’s wrist that was trying to push him away and shoved him against the wall. When he pressed in with his weight and stuck their bodies together, Woojeong’s startled eyes grew even wider. The sweet hurried breaths tickled pleasantly the tip of his nose.

Woojeong’s voiceless struggle trapped between the wall and Han Jaegang was useless. Instead, the way he bit his lips and his rushed breath as he sensed danger provoked and tempted him. Woojeong bound by force looked on the verge of panic. But he couldn’t scream or resist fiercely. It was probably because he felt that he must not let someone else see him like this. That someone was likely Lee Doyoung.

“Earlier, why did you hide?”

“……”

Even if Lee Woojeong was someone who helped his heart health, Han Jaegang’s behavior now was excessive. He himself had never thought that he would face directly such a powerless and fragile being. If the only goal was to have Woojeong, then it would have been enough to propose compensation for sex or to create an unavoidable reason that forced him to agree.

But strangely, he didn’t want to handle Woojeong in such a way. He wanted to keep watching a little longer this innocent face that didn’t know anything and was flustered as it got swept into him.

“Were you scared? That your brother would catch us together?” When he subtly touched the psychology that always worried about Lee Doyoung, Woojeong silently lowered his gaze. Han Jaegang lowered his voice like he was confessing a secret and asked.

“Did you avoid my call on purpose?”

Woojeong, who had forced his gaze away until then, finally looked properly at Han Jaegang and shook his head. A trace of grievance flickered in his frightened eyes.

“No?”

“My phone broke…”

Just as his lips moved to say something, footsteps came from the stairs. Woojeong, startled, pushed with all his strength at Han Jaegang’s shoulder like last time and hurriedly fled. After running out, he seemed not to know where to go, and after hesitating briefly between the stairs, he ran up to the third floor.

His footsteps ran without looking back even once, and they were so urgent and cold enough to feel heartless. Han Jaegang took out a cigarette pack from his pocket and looked up at the empty staircase. The words that he couldn’t answer because his phone broke made him laugh hollowly. Did that mean he had been neglected that much? Even the thought of smoking disappeared with the unpleasant feeling.

Lee Woojeong and Lee Doyoung didn’t share a drop of blood. They had grown up together from childhood because of their parents’ remarriage, but they o be called close brothers.

“Woojeong-ah. Are you tired? Your face doesn’t look good?”

Lee Doyoung was unusually attentive to his younger brother today. He called Woojeong to his side, introduced him to people, and urged him to eat food.

Woojeong didn’t look like he wanted to eat, but he obediently put into his mouth the food that Lee Doyoung ordered him to eat, and he mechanically nodded when asked if it was good.

To other people, that appearance might have looked like the two were affectionate brothers, but Han Jaegang felt as if he was witnessing directly that a clear hierarchy was acting between them. The side that grasped control of the relationship naturally gave off the air of controlling the other.

“Why don’t you eat more? You like this.”

“Uh, I’ll eat.”

Whatever the content was, Lee Doyoung placed his younger brother in the palm of his hand and handled him as he pleased, and Lee Woojeong followed his words meekly without a single act of resistance. Compared to the Yoon brothers, who were older apart in age yet always busy bickering, it was a rather unnatural sight.

“I should have just let him rest at home?”

Lee Doyoung murmured as he patted Woojeong’s back. It was loud enough for everyone around to hear.

“You looked unwell and depressed lately, so hyung brought you here on purpose to change your mood, but seeing you struggle makes me feel bad.”

“Were you sick?”

Yoon Ijun, who was about to put into his mouth a canapé with salmon and cheese on a small piece of baguette, asked Woojeong. Woojeong only mumbled, “Just a little.”

“So that’s why you didn’t answer the phone?”

“Ijun-ssi, you tried to contact our Woojeong?”

Han Jaegang also gained some interest in the conversation when he heard that Lee Woojeong had been sick. He took a sip of cold water instead of the alcohol spread across the table and listened.

“Woojeong has always been weak since childhood, so when he gets sick, he gets seriously ill. This time too he suffered badly from the flu. He had a fever, and I felt so sorry for him.”

“You’re being very, excessively kind as a brother.”

When Lee Doyoung embraced Woojeong’s shoulder and let him go, Yoon Ijun frowned, he looked displeased. Yoon Ijun wasn’t easygoing like his older brother. He had clear likes and dislikes about people, and since he didn’t like Lee Doyoung much, he sometimes didn’t bother to hide it.

“We’re brothers. Just the two of us, so of course I have to take care of him. Ah, right. Jaegang-ssi, you have an older sister too, right?”

Lee Doyoung smoothly handled Yoon Ijun’s words and naturally drew Han Jaegang, who had been silent, into the conversation.

“Yes.”

“They say your sister lives far away?”

“Something like that.”

“Actually, I really like Jaegang-ssi’s sister’s work. I happened to see it once, and the painting was so impressive that I became a fan from then. I’d love to meet her someday if I get the chance.”

Han Jaegang smiled faintly. He could vaguely guess why Lee Doyoung was unusually kind to Woojeong today. He must have picked up somewhere about him and Han Jaehee. The way he doted on his brother and then brought up his own sister was a very natural flow. He seemed to have a reliable source, because Lee Doyoung knew more about him than expected. For him, it wasn’t a bad thing. Lee Doyoung was careful with his words and actions to keep him pleased, and because of that their relationship continued without trouble.

“…I’ll go to the bathroom.”

“Hey. I’ll go too.”

Woojeong, who had been sitting quietly all along, excused himself and hurriedly left his seat. Yoon Ijun, who had been bored with the party mood, followed him.

“Jaegang-ssi. Did you look at the accessories here?”

“No, not yet.”

“Let’s go look together.”

Lee Doyoung was waiting for them to be alone, hegrabbed his arm and urged him to go together. Han Jaegang let himself be pulled along.

One side of the gallery had an exhibition hall for Yoon’s Workshop accessories. To Han Jaegang’s eyes, they didn’t look much different from ready-made products sold on the market, but Yoon Hyunjun called them “one-of-a-kind works in the world” and sold them at considerable prices.

“They look more luxurious than I thought.”

Lee Doyoung, staring at the showcase, took out a men’s bracelet, put it on his own arm, and praised it as having a unique design. Han Jaegang turned his head indifferently and swept his eyes over the showcase, then took out a brooch.

“Something flashy like this suits you better than something plain like that.”

Han Jaegang opened the clasp of the brooch and fastened it directly to Lee Doyoung’s jacket collar. When he nodded to mean it looked good on him, Lee Doyoung’s face brightened.

“Thank you.”

“It’s nothing, Representative Yoon.”

Han Jaegang called Yoon Hyunjun, who was talking with someone nearby. When Yoon Hyunjun saw the two men standing in front of the showcase, he came over quickly with a bright smile. When Han Jaegang took out his wallet, Lee Doyoung slipped away saying he would go to the restroom. Han Jaegang pulled out a card and handed it to Yoon Hyunjun.

“Pay for it.”

“What is it? What did you pick?”

“A brooch.”

“There are countless kinds of brooches. Which one was it?”

“I don’t remember.”

“Then should I just charge as I please?”

“Do as you like.”

“Times are tough these days, thank you. Customer. You don’t need anything else?”

Han Jaegang, who had been looking at one spot in the showcase, picked up an item. It was the bracelet that Lee Doyoung had picked earlier and then put down.

It was a design where two slender chains and a gemstone were entwined in a unique form and finished with a red leather strap. On the wrist of an ordinary man it might feel a bit thin, but for the person Han Jaegang was thinking of right now, it would suit him properly.

“Wrap this too.”

“Are you buying it?”

“Is it not for sale?”

“No. No, of course it is for sale.”

Woojeong, who had run out with a pale face, still hadn’t come back. With no other means of communication, the fact that his cellphone was broken was also quite inconvenient for Han Jaegang. He needed a stable way to draw Woojeong outside.

“Here.”

As Yoon Hyunjun handed him the small shopping bag, Han Jaegang spoke.

“……Let me ask you for one favor.”

“What favor?”

If something had happened to Lee Woojeong, and because of that he couldn’t be called to the Snow Reflection Residence like before, then another excuse was needed. The workshop of Yoon Gallery could be a good pretext to naturally draw Woojeong outside.