RACA 88

As expected, the yacht was perfectly prepared for the event. On the table in the middle of the ㄷ-shaped sofa lay a white tablecloth, and on top of it were gold balloons and roses in pink and white, arranged in abundance.

Of course, even that couldn’t compare to the pure white cake, the two glasses filled with champagne, and the softly glowing lights.

“Huh…”

After reading the words ‘Will you Marry Me?’ written on the banner hanging from the ceiling, Eunsol let out an astonished sigh.

“What’s wrong? You don’t like it?”

Jaebeom, who was holding Eunsol’s shoulder and waiting to hear what impression he’d give, tilted his head. An alpha who knew too much was dangerous, especially if he was an actor who had filmed many scenes creating romantic atmospheres in all kinds of ways.

“Whose idea was this?”

“Why? You don’t like it?”

This wasn’t about personal taste. It was simply that he felt his hands and feet curl up from embarrassment. Eunsol couldn’t bring himself to say it honestly, and he lowered his head.

He hadn’t looked for long, but the light on the table seemed to cling to his eyelids like an afterimage. His mouth was dry, probably because of embarrassment.

“They said this is how a proposal is supposed to be.”

“Who said that?”

“Bulgom, Chairman Jang, and the filming staff.”

“You asked people with no sense of reality for help.”

Eunsol shook his head. Even if the filming staff could be excused, from what he’d seen of Bulgom and Chairman Jang, it was easy to believe they’d come up with such a showy event. But since he couldn’t ignore the effort someone had put in, Eunsol managed his feelings with an awkward smile.

“Thank you. I never even imagined something like this.”

“You don’t look moved. You look reluctant.”

But Jaebeom, quick to notice, looked at him suspiciously as if he already knew what Eunsol was thinking inside.

“That’s not it. It’s just that my hands and feet feel like they’re about to curl up.”

Eunsol shrugged as he spoke. At this point, a little honesty wouldn’t hurt. Jaebeom raised his eyebrows, but since he had no intention of keeping his pregnant spouse standing, he obediently walked toward the sofa.

Because Jaebeom sat him right in the middle of the sofa, Eunsol felt a little awkward again, but this time too, he quietly followed.

The moment they both sat down, the yacht started moving. Gentle music played, and a cool breeze flowed by.

The subtle pheromones of his alpha lingered at the tip of his nose.

“This is nice too.”

“You like it?”

Since Jaebeom had been asking about his mood since earlier, Eunsol finally sincerely nodded this time. As long as it wasn’t the kind of atmosphere meant for a full-blown proposal, spending time like this wasn’t bad.

“It’s my first time on a yacht.”

“Really? Then I’ll give you this.”

“Why are you giving me something again? Don’t tell me this yacht is yours, Jaebeom-ssi?”

Eunsol asked as he looked around the yacht again. He didn’t know much about these things, but he had already noticed at the dock earlier that this yacht was quite large compared to others.

On top of that, the expensive-looking furniture and refined atmosphere inside hinted that the price must be considerable.

He remembered hearing once that a celebrity said one yacht cost as much as an apartment, so this one must at least be around that level.

“Chairman Jang gave it to me. So don’t feel pressured.”

Jaebeom casually said, as if it was nothing. Then he brushed Eunsol’s hair that was fluttering in the wind.

But the person hearing it couldn’t take it lightly.

“Wait, so you’re saying it was a gift. How can you just give away something you received as a gift?”

“Chairman Jang probably wouldn’t care.”

“How could he not care?”

Eunsol turned his head with a look of disbelief. Then Jaebeom kissed his lips his as if he’d been waiting for that reaction.

He was really meticulous, leaving no opening at all. Jaebeom brushed off Eunsol’s reproachful gaze with a smile, kissed him once more, and said,

“Yeah. He’d probably like it even more.”

Eunsol was about to argue and ask why he thought that way, but he remembered the times in the past when Jaebeom had used birthdays as an excuse to bring huge bundles of gifts, and he closed his mouth.

What Jaebeom meant was probably not a gift for him, but a gift for the children in his belly.

“I’ll decline politely because I can’t afford to handle it.”

It did feel like the more reasonable answer, but Eunsol felt bitter and refused quickly. His excuse was sincere too. He had heard that yachts were not only expensive, but also costly to maintain.

“Alright then. I’ll take care of the maintenance, so you can ride it whenever you want.”

He might have intended to say that from the start. Eunsol glared at Jaebeom, who spoke so simply, and then turned his gaze away again.

It had come suddenly, but the scenery outside the yacht was quite beautiful. He even wondered if such a place could exist in the middle of the city.

“Where is this going?”

As he watched the warm afternoon sunlight, he started to feel drowsy, so Eunsol shifted his attention elsewhere to stay awake.

“I said we’d go around along the Han River. If you want, we can go to the sea. Should we go that way?”

“No. It’s fine. This is enough.”

At the suggestion that made it sound like Jaebeom might immediately turn the yacht, Eunsol quickly shook his head. Then he quietly leaned his head on Jaebeom’s shoulder.

When he inhaled the pheromones from his alpha, his body relaxed completely.

“If you’re tired, go in and sleep.”

“Where?”

He was lowering his drowsy eyelids when he heard a soft voice. Eunsol asked while keeping his eyes closed.

“In the cabin. There’s a bed.”

When Jaebeom said he could carry him there if he wanted, Eunsol laughed without meaning to.

“It’s fine. I’ll stay like this for a bit. If I sleep too soundly, won’t I miss the proposal?”

“You can do it after you wake up.”

“What if I open my eyes tomorrow morning?”

“Then we can do it then.”

Eunsol laughed as Jaebeom casually answered like it was nothing.

“It’s fine. I’ll close my eyes for a short moment and wake up. After that, make sure you do it.”

After preparing everything with such care, he couldn’t keep making him wait.

“Alright then.”

Jaebeom answered gently and brought his lips once more to Eunsol’s forehead. The short nap was sweet, and the proposal that followed was a bit embarrassing. But when he accepted the ring from him while the sun was setting in the background and soft music was playing, Eunsol felt his nose sting and his eyes fill with tears.

“You’ll stay with me forever, right?”

“Yes, I will.”

He was still too shy to say anything like a confession. But he could nod to the promise of staying together.

•••

Time passed quickly, and a month and a half had gone by. During that time, all Eunsol did was eat well, sleep well, and sometimes prepare things for the wedding when Jaebeom or Chairman Jang asked.

The two had wanted to hold the ceremony within three weeks somehow, but because it was the hottest season and overlapped with the rainy period, they decided to schedule it for early September.

In the meantime, the topic of a honeymoon also came up. Since it would be difficult to travel far while pregnant, they agreed to spend a week in Jeju first and go abroad later after the twins were born.

And so, the day of the wedding finally arrived. Eunsol waited in the waiting room, passing the time by tapping on his phone.

“Eunsol-ah, are you feeling okay? You’re not tired, right?”

He lifted his head at the gentle call. Jaebeom came into the waiting room with an apologetic look.

“Yes, I’m fine. But why did you come here?”

Unlike Eunsol, who had nothing in particular to do, Jaebeom had been busy greeting the people who had come to meet him. Since he was a businessman, it was only natural. So Eunsol thought he’d only see him once the ceremony began, and it was surprising that he came in already.

“Why else? I came because I wanted to be with you.”

Hearing that he was being put first made him relax without meaning to. While they talked quietly together, the ceremony began before they realized it.

Because Eunsol was pregnant, every part of the process was handled swiftly, and thanks to that, the wedding ended in only twenty minutes.

They even showed up at the reception only briefly before slipping out, using their flight time as an excuse. They really did board a flight to Jeju soon after, so it wasn’t a lie.

So, within just about an hour, the two arrived at the airport where the summer breeze was blowing.

“Wait here for a bit. I’ll go buy something.”

Eunsol, who got into the car waiting for them and sat in the passenger seat, was exhausted. Since there were still thirty minutes left until they reached the hotel, Jaebeom stopped at a nearby convenience store for his tired spouse and got out.

The cool air from the air conditioner blew, and the sky was clear and bright. Because of that, Eunsol’s eyelids grew very heavy.

Just before he fell asleep, the driver’s side door opened. The presence of someone sitting next to him felt strangely unfamiliar, but he couldn’t open his eyes.

The car carrying the sleeping Eunsol drove off.