Bad Relationship

Like flowing with water or drifting with the wind, Jaehyuk couldn’t help but be surprised by Yongwoo’s rare attitude—someone who usually just went with the flow, being swept along by things without strong opinions of his own.

Additionally, he realized that those words had really stuck with Yongwoo.

“You hold grudges more than I thought, Seo Yongwoo?”

“That really hurt me.”

“You should know how pathetic you were to that degree.”

“And you should know how scary you were to that degree.”

At Yongwoo’s first sincere response, Jaehyuk looked genuinely dumbfounded.

“…Me?”

“You’ve always been someone difficult and scary to me. You were always in the superior position.”

Jaehyuk couldn’t deny this observation.

It was true that from the moment they first met until now, he had always been in the superior position.

But this wasn’t just with Yongwoo.

In relationships with his parents, siblings, friends, and lovers, he was always in the leading position, so whether meeting someone, breaking up, or making decisions about anything that happened in those relationships, it was always him who made the decisions.

Everyone seemed to accept this as natural, and he too had lived thinking this was simply the way things were.

“Did that upset you?”

“A little. But I understood that our relationship was like that from the beginning, so it couldn’t be helped. That’s why I’m saying don’t do it anymore. Because I’m not only your former fiancé but also an old friend. You might get dumped again.”

At these last words that came after things had been going well, Jaehyuk replied indifferently, as if there was no need to worry.

“Don’t worry. He’s definitely not someone who would be treated like you were.”

“How intense is he?”

“You’ll see when you meet him.”

“Well, I suppose he’d have to be at that level to live with you…”

Cutting off his words there, Yongwoo asked again with some concern.

“Are you really going to marry him?”

At this unexpected question, Jaehyuk stared at Yongwoo.

His gaze seemed to say: we just came from announcing the marriage and were just talking about it, do I need to repeat myself? In response, Yongwoo asked again.

“Because of me?”

That hit the mark. But Jaehyuk deliberately didn’t show it in his expression.

“Both hyung and you are being too self-conscious. It was Grandfather who insisted on a quick marriage, and if I’m going to marry anyway, I just wanted someone interesting. And as it happens, the guy I met today meets that condition, so I’m trying to get it done quickly. It’s a waste of time to be dragged around here and there for matchmaking.”

“Wasn’t he F-rank?”

“He’s D now.”

“Still, that doesn’t match your conditions.”

“No one is equal to me in terms of conditions anyway.”

There might be two S-rank omegas, but even they aren’t comparable to Jaehyuk. No matter how you look at it, it’s a losing deal for Jaehyuk.

In that sense, choosing an F-rank omega, which is said to be harder to find than an S-rank, was very like Jaehyuk.

Whether it was a friend, lover, or even a fiancé, they needed to provide at least one merit to him; if it couldn’t be power or money, it should at least be amusing—that was Jaehyuk’s usual belief.

In that sense, Junghyun was the most suitable marriage partner for Jaehyuk’s ideal. At least until now, there were very few people Jaehyuk had described as “interesting.”

“If that’s the case, that’s good… But still, if by any chance you’re entering an unwanted marriage because of us, I’d like you to stop now. Rumors are temporary anyway, and I don’t mind.”

Though he said that, Yongwoo had dark circles under his eyes and had noticeably lost weight since they last met.

His rough skin showed he’d been suffering a lot. From both sides.

Looking at his pitiful face, Jaehyuk reached out and caressed the area around Yongwoo’s eyes.

“Is this the face of someone who doesn’t mind?”

At the touch that pressed exactly below his eyes, Yongwoo seemed to realize something and smiled awkwardly, making an unconvincing excuse.

“This is… just because I haven’t been sleeping well lately… Eating has been difficult too…”

“Finish your work quickly and get some rest. The early stages of pregnancy must be tough.”

At the gentle voice and touch, Yongwoo smiled awkwardly.

“You’re being kind now, how unfair.”

“I’m concerned about my nephew. If you were even half as tough as that guy, I wouldn’t have to worry like this…”

With a sigh, Jaehyuk ruffled Yongwoo’s well-groomed hair.

He’s too gentle. Both him and his brother. I understand their position as illegitimate children makes it unavoidable, but there are people who aren’t like that…

At the term Jaehyuk had unconsciously used, Yongwoo blinked.

“…That guy?”

“Dammit… the guy I’m going to marry.”

Imagining what hybrid would result if Yongwoo and that guy were mixed, Jaehyuk opened the terrace door and nodded for Yongwoo to go in. As Yongwoo entered, he asked:

“He really has a strong personality, huh?”

“It’s not so much that he’s strong as that he doesn’t listen to others.”

As Jaehyuk naturally followed Yongwoo inside, Yongwoo asked again.

“More than you?”

At Yongwoo’s somewhat teasing tone that seemed to say “surely not,” Jaehyuk gave an irritated look, and Yongwoo quickly raised both hands.

“Just kidding. Is he the type that’s hard to communicate with?”

“No, he communicates well. He’s perceptive and clever to the point where I think there are few people who communicate as well as he does. But he doesn’t listen.”

As Jaehyuk gritted his teeth in frustration, Yongwoo tilted his head.

“What does that mean?”

“It’s better for you to never understand. It’s not good for your mental health. Jeonghoo and Jeongmin are both mild-mannered, so why is that guy so…”

Suddenly, a memory flashed through Jaehyuk’s mind, and he stopped walking.

Since meeting Junghyun, something had been nagging at him, and now he remembered.

It was that kid.

When Jaehyuk hesitated after starting to walk, Yongwoo looked up at him as if asking what was wrong, and Jaehyuk sighed.

It wasn’t the first time they’d met two weeks ago.

They had met once more before. About 15 years ago.

“What? Did you remember something important?”

“…Not work… but I did remember something.”

“What?”

“…It was him.”

“Huh?”

“You’ll remember too. You were there.”

“Remember what?”

“The kid we saw at Jeonghoo’s house when we were in 10th grade.”

“Kid?”

“‘I didn’t have an affair, so why are you giving me a hard time? If you want to complain, go complain to your father who had the affair.'”

Though it was exactly 15 years ago, the sentence had been so memorable that Jaehyuk remembered it perfectly. Upon hearing it, Yongwoo also exclaimed in recognition.

“Ah!”

“You remember, right?”

“How could I not.”

Being in a similar position, Yongwoo couldn’t forget it, as he had repeated those words to himself whenever he clashed with his legitimate brothers.

“But why that child?”

“That kid is the one I met for marriage today.”

When Jaehyuk said that the bold child who had made Jeonghoo unable to show his face for a while was the one he was going to marry, Yongwoo raised his voice in surprise.

“He was an omega?”

This question momentarily confused Jaehyuk too, but he soon answered with certainty.

“That’s right. It’s him. That ‘who the hell is this guy’ expression is exactly the same.”

Honestly, it had been too long to remember the face clearly, but he remembered that expression precisely.

It wasn’t an expression of anger or retaliation with teary eyes from unjust treatment, but a genuinely bewildered look that said, ‘Who the hell is this guy?’ It had been so impressive that he remembered it.

He thought he had laughed at that time. And in response to that laughter, the child had looked at him with a face that said, ‘And who the hell is this guy?’

Given the child’s speech and behavior, as well as the fact that he was wearing athletic clothes and carrying what looked like sports equipment on his back, everyone had assumed he was an alpha, which is why Jaehyuk hadn’t predicted it was him. But it was indeed him.

Because there couldn’t be another person like that in this world.

“It seems like real fate between you two.”

While Yongwoo defined this coincidence as fate, Jaehyuk wasn’t yet convinced about that.

It didn’t matter which it was, but honestly, he couldn’t fully trust Junghyun.

Fifteen years had passed, and the twelve-year-old had grown into a twenty-seven-year-old, so it was possible that he wasn’t recognizable. But Jaehyuk had been nineteen then, and his build hadn’t changed much, so Junghyun might have recognized him.

No, it would be more difficult not to recognize him.

Especially as an omega.

This wasn’t baseless confidence. That’s what a dominant alpha is to an omega.

Even for a recessive omega who is somewhat free from hormones, it’s the same. The imprinting effect of a dominant alpha is stronger than one might think. Especially during the teenage years when hormones run wild.

“I want to see him soon. I’m curious how he grew up.”

“You’ll see him soon enough.”

Since they were going to be family anyway, there was no choice, Jaehyuk said, quickening his pace. More time had passed than he’d realized, so as he hurried his steps, Yongwoo, walking beside him, asked hesitantly as if something was bothering him.

“By the way, did you talk to Jeonghoo?”

“Lee Jeonghoo?”

“Yes.”

“What do I need to talk to him about?”

When Jaehyuk countered by asking why Jeonghoo would be involved in his marriage matters, even though they still had contact through various gatherings and communities, Yongwoo exhaled as if he had expected this response.

“If you’re going to marry your friend’s sibling, you should usually tell that friend first.”

“What difference does it make who hears it from whom?”

At this typical Jaehyuk-like answer, Yongwoo smiled bitterly once again, as if this was exactly what he had expected. It was a response typical of someone who had lived his entire life just making announcements when he needed something.

“Jeonghoo’s going to feel strange about it. If you’re going to proceed with the marriage, call him and talk to him before telling your other friends.”

“It’s a waste of time since he probably already knows since it’s his sibling’s matter.”

At Jaehyuk’s cold response, so typical of him, Yongwoo smiled bitterly and turned to walk away first. Instinctively, Jaehyuk reached out to Yongwoo’s waist but caught himself and lowered his hand. Then, with an indifferent expression, he opened the door and entered the corridor, heading toward the reception room.

The sun had already completely set, and a cool wind was blowing.

The seasons were gradually changing.