“...”
Caught completely off guard by Cha Sejin's sudden behavior, Eunwon froze. A moment later, he finally came to his senses and lifted a hand. Only then did Sejin stop rubbing the candy across Eunwon's tongue and pull it away.
Eunwon hurriedly took the lollipop out of his mouth. The inside of his mouth had grown warm and sweet, filled with the taste and fragrance of strawberries.
“I gave you a present, so I should get going now. See you tomorrow.”
“...”
“And I really hope I get the chance to return those congratulations someday.”
Grinning, Sejin picked up the bags of purchases from the floor and walked out of the convenience store.
Swallowing the strawberry-flavored saliva that had pooled in his mouth, Eunwon turned toward the glass storefront. Outside, he watched Sejin carelessly toss the bags into the trunk of his car before climbing in and driving away.
“...”
Only after he was gone did all the strength drain from Eunwon's body.
He collapsed into his chair and let out a long breath.
What on earth had just happened?
The whole thing had lasted only a few minutes, yet he couldn't make sense of any of it.
...He's seriously insane.
No—that wasn't enough to describe him.
He was a completely new species of pervert. A brand-new kind of nightmare customer.
Somehow, he managed to be both at once.
Shaking his head, Eunwon absentmindedly lifted the lollipop still clutched in his hand and put it back into his mouth.
The faded strawberry flavor immediately bloomed across his tongue again.
His eyes widened.
Startled, he yanked it back out and threw the half-melted candy into the trash can beneath the counter.
Get it together. Seriously. Why would you put it back in your mouth...?
Even without the candy there, his tongue kept imagining the sensation.
The hard candy slowly brushing over it...
Saliva gathering in his mouth...
The sweeter and more tart strawberry flavor spreading across his tongue with every slow stroke...
The feeling lingered so vividly that it made him strangely uneasy.
Seriously, snap out of it... Why do you keep thinking about it? It's not like it was a good memory.
Eunwon smacked both cheeks with his palms and took a deep breath.
As he inhaled, the scent Sejin had left behind seeped into his lungs—a heavy, deep fragrance that seemed fierce yet somehow strangely comforting.
It was nothing like the sugary smell of the candy.
It wasn't a scent someone his own age could ever have.
Then again, he'd never met an adult who smelled like that, either.
Not every Alpha's pheromones smelled good.
He'd met countless people through his part-time jobs, but never once had he encountered a scent that seized his mind so completely... one that drew all of his attention to it.
Without realizing it, he took another breath, wanting to smell it again.
The instant he noticed what he was doing, his eyes flew open.
He hurriedly shook his head, slapped both cheeks again, then picked up his phone and sent the store owner a message.
He reported that the expensive whiskey had sold.
That more than half the wine they'd had on display was gone.
That a single customer had spent an absurd amount of money.
And then—
“Ah...”
“I should've reported him before he said he'd be back tomorrow...”
He wouldn't be working tomorrow anyway. Today was his final shift.
But imagining the store owner having to deal with that bizarre customer tomorrow made him sigh.
Eunwon quickly typed another message.
[Boss, there's a nightmare customer who's started coming in a little after 10:00.]
[Please be careful, too.]
[Oh—and I think it'd be better to keep the lollipops under the counter for a while.]
***
“Welcome home, Eunwon!”
When the car waiting outside the convenience store brought him to his father's home in Baekdam, Madam Seo hurried over with a radiant smile and clasped both of his hands.
Her face shone so brightly that Eunwon found himself staring for a moment before lowering his head in greeting.
“From now on... I hope you'll take good care of me...”
“I will. And I hope you'll take good care of me, too. Let's really live together as a family from now on. We are family now, aren't we? I'll make sure you never have to suffer again. So don't worry about anything anymore. Just enjoy school, do everything you've always wanted to do, and live the life you deserve, Eunwon.”
Her hands were warm as they gently patted his.
Eunwon answered with a small smile before looking toward the man standing beside her.
“I'm glad you're here,” Chairman Seo said. “If anything becomes difficult from now on, tell us. You have us now. You don't have to struggle anymore.”
“...Yes... Thank you...”
“There's nothing to thank us for. It's late, so you should go get some rest. Honey, would you show Eunwon his room? I still have a few things I need to finish.”
Madam Seo smiled at her husband's words and immediately guided Eunwon upstairs with a gentle hand against his back.
“I actually thought about letting you have one of the guesthouses all to yourself. But I figured spending your first night alone in such a large place might be frightening, so I prepared a room for you on the second floor instead. And just in case you're wondering—it isn't Yunhan's room. We demolished the guesthouse where he used to stay. It was too painful to even look at.”
“...It must have been... very hard.”
“It was. Very hard. And I think it always will be. But... I don't cry every single day anymore. Oh dear... I wasn't trying to make the conversation so heavy. I'm sorry.”
“No... It's okay.”
“You're such a gentle, sweet child.”
Patting his back affectionately, Madam Seo—Yeo Heejin—opened the bedroom door.
Eunwon stopped in the doorway.
The room was larger than the entire place he'd lived in before.
A huge bed, a desk, and beautifully arranged furniture filled the spacious room.
It was the largest bedroom he'd ever seen.
It was so expansive and luxurious that it felt less like a bedroom and more like a small home of its own.
“I wanted it to feel clean but cozy, so I decorated it the best I could. What do you think? Do you like it?”
The warm-colored bedding and the soft rug covering the floor made the room feel wonderfully inviting.
Eunwon stepped inside and slowly looked around before answering.
“Yes... I really like it. Thank you for putting so much thought into it... I never imagined you'd do all this for me.”
“What are you thanking me for? My son is finally coming home. Of course I'd do this. There's a bathroom connected to your room, and another one at the end of the second floor. They're both yours, so use whichever you like. And if you ever need anything, just tell me.”
“Yes... I will.”
Madam Seo laughed softly, apparently finding his obedient answer adorable.
She opened a dresser drawer, took out several neatly folded sets of loungewear, and laid them on the bed.
“I wasn't sure what your style was, so I only picked out a few simple outfits for now. How's your schedule tomorrow after school? Why don't we go shopping together, Eunwon?”
“Ah... Tomorrow works for me. My afternoon classes finish around four. Would that be okay?”
“Perfect. I cleared my schedule just in case. We'll go shopping together, then come home and the three of us will have a nice dinner.”
“Yes...”
“You're tired, aren't you? Get plenty of rest. Sleep well, and have sweet dreams, Eunwon. Thanks to you, I think we'll finally have sweet dreams, too. Good night.”
After patting him affectionately several more times, Yeo Heejin left the room.
Eunwon watched the door close behind her before looking around once more.
He'd never had a room this large before.
For a moment, he genuinely had no idea what he was supposed to do.
Standing silently in the middle of the room, he waited for his blank mind to begin working again.
He walked over to the bed and gently touched the soft T-shirt and pants laid out on top of it.
He honestly hadn't expected them to prepare something like this for him.
The realization stirred something quiet inside his chest.
He'd spent the entire day tense about moving into this house, and now that the tension had finally begun to fade, exhaustion settled over him all at once.
He cautiously walked into the attached bathroom and opened the door.
The same gentle, comforting fragrance that filled the bedroom lingered there as well.
“...Wow.”
The bathroom was so spacious and elegant that it hardly felt like part of someone's home.
After looking over the bathtub and separate shower, he hurried back to the bed to gather the clothes he'd change into.
Just in case, he opened the top drawer.
Inside were neatly folded, freshly laundered new underwear.
A little embarrassed, he quietly closed the drawer and took his own underwear out of his backpack instead.
He understood that he'd eventually have to get used to things like this.
But not yet.
He still wasn't comfortable with someone else's hands entering parts of his life he'd always managed entirely on his own.
Returning to the bathroom, he set his clothes aside before finally undressing and stepping into the shower.
The spotless new fixtures gleamed under the lights.
The moment he turned on the water, warm streams poured down over his head.
The last remnants of tension he'd carried all day seemed to dissolve and run away with the water.
Closing his eyes, Eunwon tried to welcome the unfamiliar warmth enveloping his body.
***
After showering, Eunwon dried himself, applied the toner and lotion waiting beside the long marble vanity, and blow-dried his hair.
The clothes were a little large, but they were unbelievably soft against his skin.
When he finally sat on the edge of the bed, he found himself looking around once more, as if he needed to confirm where he was.
This wasn't the tiny room he'd lived in before, damp with constant humidity and carrying the smell of mildew.
There were no loud sounds of water rushing through the walls whenever the upstairs neighbors turned on a faucet.
No drunken shouting outside.
No violent kicks against the walls that made the whole room shake.
“...”
Running a hand across the comforter, which was as soft as the clothes he wore, Eunwon carefully slipped beneath the covers.
The bed was spacious.
Comfortable.
The bedding carried the same wonderful fragrance as the room itself.
It smelled fresh, clean, and comforting—like linens dried beneath brilliant sunlight until they'd absorbed the warmth of the entire sky.
The unfamiliar softness slowly coaxed the tension from his body until, little by little, he finally relaxed.