RACA 103

Eunsol remained silent for a while after hearing what Jaebeom told him. Then, another thought suddenly crossed his mind.

“Uh, then does that mean we can’t go back there again?”

“It means it’s impossible, right?”

Grandma hadn’t clearly explained what the situation was back then, but Eunsol could more or less figure out what had happened.

“I see.”

Eunsol fidgeted with his fingers and looked at Jaebeom from the corner of his eye. But he couldn’t bring himself to meet Jaebeom’s eyes and continued avoiding his gaze.

It was obvious he had something to say, but Jaebeom once again chose to wait for Eunsol to speak first. But to reassure his Omega who might be anxious, he gently patted his back.

“I’m sorry. I dragged you into this too, Jaebeom-ssi.”

After a while, Eunsol lowered his eyes and said quietly. Jaebeom immediately shook his head.

“No, if anything, I should be the one to apologize.”

“Why you, Jaebeom-ssi?”

“Don’t you remember? The reason you ended up like that was because the paper I threw blocked your view.”

“That’s…!”

Eunsol was about to deny it when the scene from that day flashed through his mind. Sheets of white paper filled his vision. Between them, he had caught glimpses of Jaebeom’s face, people shouting, and then the impact that followed right after.

“That was just an accident.”

“Exactly. So you don’t need to apologize to me either.”

Eunsol understood why Jaebeom said that. He was right. It was just an unfortunate event that couldn’t have been avoided.

It was something fate had brought about, and Grandma had chosen the best option she could at the time.

“Like I said earlier, I think our ending up here was destiny too.”

“Then all the years you spent building your career as an actor would go to waste.”

Even as he said that, Eunsol’s heart grew heavy, and he looked at Jaebeom with a gloomy expression. Then he noticed that Jaebeom actually looked relieved.

“I’ve told you before, acting isn’t something I absolutely need to do again. Will you be disappointed if I say that?”

This time, Eunsol shook his head.

“Never. I don’t care what you do, Jaebeom-ssi.”

“Thanks for saying that.”

Watching Jaebeom smile, Eunsol swallowed the lingering regret.

‘It’s a shame, but what can I do? If that’s how he feels.’

At the same time, he thought it was better this way, to have Jaebeom by his side purely as his Alpha rather than as actor Pyo Jaebeom.

From the start, Eunsol had liked Jaebeom for who he was, not for his profession as an actor or as a former gangster.

“But your acting career is one thing, and your family’s another.”

He himself only had Grandma, and she had done all this for his sake. But what about Jaebeom’s family, who had lost him so suddenly?

“Like I told you before, it’s fine. They’ll probably just accept it.”

“What do you mean…?”

“You know Daehan Group, right?”

“Of course.”

There were few people in the country who didn’t know that company. It had started as a food business and later expanded into media and entertainment. For anyone in show business, it was impossible not to know it.

From broadcasting to film, music, performances, and exhibitions, they covered everything.

“My grandfather is the head of that group.”

“…What?”

Eunsol’s mouth fell open. Jaebeom quietly closed it for him and added,

“Of course, I’m not in line to inherit the company. My mother was the youngest in that family. My parents both died when I was three, during a cruise trip.”

“Oh…”

Eunsol didn’t know what to say. He worried that he might’ve made Jaebeom recall something painful. But as if reading his thoughts, Jaebeom gently stroked the back of his hand.

“It was a long time ago, and I was too young to remember much anyway. So you don’t need to look like that.”

Realizing he had made a sad face, Eunsol quickly relaxed his expression. Jaebeom smiled in amusement at the sight.

“After that, I lived with my grandfather, but he was always so busy that we barely spent time together.”

“What about your parents’ siblings?”

“My mother was fifteen years younger than her oldest brother.”

“Oh…”

“Because of that, everyone was already grown up, with children of their own, so there was no one who could take care of me. They didn’t exactly welcome the idea either.”

“You must’ve felt lonely.”

Eunsol spoke without thinking and quickly pursed his lips, realizing it might’ve been a mistake. But then he heard a soft laugh.

“Yeah, I did. Since there was no one to look after me, the only thing I did every day was watch TV.”

“Is that why you became an actor?”

“No. One day, I happened to visit a broadcasting station, and during a drama shoot, the child actor suddenly had to undergo an appendectomy. The role became vacant, so they asked me to fill in at the last minute.”

“Oh…”

That was something Eunsol already knew. It was how Jaebeom had first stepped into acting, and that made it memorable.

At the time, sixteen-year-old Jaebeom had shown a maturity beyond his age, and afterward, he appeared in all kinds of works.

“It was fun.Working with different people, and acting as someone who wasn’t me.”

“See? That’s why I said you should keep being an actor.”

“But that’s as far as it went. Once filming ended, I always felt empty.”

Jaebeom’s face looked so lonely when he said that that Eunsol couldn’t bring himself to ask anything. He just looked at him quietly. Eventually, he couldn’t help it and reached out, caressing his cheek. Jaebeom closed his eyes at the touch, and that made Eunsol keep stroking him a few more times.

“That world was just an illusion. It wasn’t the real me. The family, friends, lovers in it, they were all people who disappeared as soon as filming was over.”

“That’s true, but…”

Even so, there had been many people around Jaebeom who cared for him. His agency staff, colleagues, production crew, and even fans.

“I think it’s because there was no one who really stayed by my side. Then, by chance, I met you.”

“Ha…”

Eunsol quickly pulled his hand away, embarrassed that the conversation had suddenly shifted to him again. Lately, it seemed like Jaebeom had some strange habit of turning every topic into something about him.

“That time, I smelled something sweet from you, so I thought you were an Omega.”

“I was a Beta.”

“Yeah. Later I found out it was because you spilled a drink. But you know what’s strange? The scent I smelled back then is the same as your pheromones now.”

“Really?”

Eunsol wrinkled his nose. But since they were in a hospital room, his pheromones were subtle, buried under the smell of disinfectant.

“Yeah. So I like to think your grandma worked hard to bring us together.”

“You’re connecting it like that?”

He stared at him, dumbfounded, but seeing Jaebeom’s bright grin, all his resistance drained away.

“I wasn’t going to say this because it’s a bit embarrassing.”

“What now?”

Eunsol urged him to continue, used to Jaebeom’s unpredictable way of talking.

“Actually, the reason I got interested in acting was partly because of your grandma.”

“…My grandma?”

“You didn’t know? She used to be a famous actress. She appeared in quite a few dramas, and not just in small roles either.”

“My grandma did?”

Eunsol blinked at him, but Jaebeom didn’t look like he was joking.

“You really didn’t know? Well, it was a long time ago. I only found out because my grandfather liked to watch old dramas.”

So Jaebeom became an actor because of his grandma. At that point, Eunsol felt the responsibility not to keep his own secret either. He tightened his grip on Jaebeom’s hand.

“I was the same.”

“Huh?”

“I became an actor because I watched all the shows you were in.”

For an instant, Eunsol saw something flash in Jaebeom’s eyes. Before he could figure out what it was, he found himself suddenly pulled into Jaebeom’s arms.

“Jae, Jaebeom-ssi?”

He felt Jaebeom’s pheromones surrounding him. Jaebeom didn’t say anything for a while, just held him there.

From the way his pheromones swayed, Eunsol could tell how moved he was. There was joy, and excitement, and a small trace of arousal.

He even looked happier than he ever did around the twins, which left Eunsol confused, until Jaebeom finally lifted his head.

“I’ve realized something lately.”

“What now?”

Eunsol also had a feeling about this. Whenever that Alpha started a sentence like that, it was better to brace himself. There was no telling what nonsense might come next.

Sure enough, what came out of Jaebeom’s mouth left Eunsol speechless.

“I think I might have a knack for being a househusband.”

“What?”

“So, Eunsol-ah, do you want to start acting again?”

What? Where did that even come from?