“I can’t stand jaded people who already know everything there is to know.”
“...I still have university....”
“Then go. Getting married won’t change anything. You do what you want, and I’ll do what I want.”
The more Eunwon tried to emphasize all the disadvantages of marrying him, the more pleased Cha Sejin seemed to become. At a loss, Eunwon merely parted and closed his lips before lowering his head with a quiet sigh.
“...Then could you please give me a little more time?”
“There’s nothing to gain by dragging this out.”
“Even just one week... please....”
Looking at the frightened kid trembling in front of him, Sejin could not quite bring himself to tell Eunwon to stop wasting his time. Nor did he see any need to add that whether Eunwon thought about it for a week, a month, or not at all, the result would be exactly the same.
“If this marriage falls through, your side is the one that loses. Sure, we’ll have something to regret too. But do you really think it’ll compare to the damage Baum takes?”
“....”
“And sweetheart. Look at me.”
Sejin’s voice, which had sounded almost like a warning, softened. At the coaxing tone, Eunwon lifted his head and met the eyes of Cha Sejin, who somehow no longer felt entirely unfamiliar.
“I’m still better than some other bastard, aren’t I?”
“....”
“Imagine sitting here like this with a bastard you’d never seen before in your life. Do you think you’d even be able to open your mouth? Aren’t you glad it’s me?”
Honestly... he was not wrong. Eunwon had been shocked at first to find the nightmare customer from the convenience store waiting for him, but he knew there was a fundamental difference between dealing with someone he had met twice, however briefly, and facing a complete stranger. He could not deny what Sejin said.
“Looks like you and I both hit the jackpot in the arranged-marriage looks lottery, so cooperate a little.”
“....”
“I’ll give you a week. Next Monday, same time, same place.”
“...Thank you for giving me more time....”
“Call me tomorrow if you finish thinking sooner. Your phone.”
When Sejin held out his hand over the table, Eunwon stared at it briefly before quickly taking out his phone and placing it in Sejin’s palm. Sejin smiled because Eunwon was surprisingly cute when he obediently did as he was told, then entered his number into the phone.
The wallpaper was a photo of a drink with a lid shaped like a cartoon character’s face. It made Eunwon look exactly like the kid he was. Judging by the convenience-store beverage display in the background, he had probably taken the picture during work because he thought it was cute.
“Call me when you’re bored too.”
“All right....”
“You’ll really call when you’re bored?”
“...No....”
Sejin laughed in disbelief and gestured toward the strawberry cake and mango cake on the table.
“Do you want to eat them here, take them with you, or should I just throw them away?”
“...I’ll take them with me....”
The moment Eunwon answered, Sejin pressed the call button. He asked the employee who hurried into the café to package them.
“You think all you have to do is avoid me somehow, don’t you?”
“....”
“You avoid me, and there’s no middle ground after that. You drop straight into the worst possible outcome. Right now, it’s marriage. But if marrying me falls through, what comes next is a sale.”
“...A sale?”
“Yeah. You’ll be sold off.”
Eunwon had never heard anything like that before. Not once. He could not even grasp how horrific it was.
Sold off...? How can someone sell a person...?
“Things have been pretty noisy around Baum lately.”
The trouble surrounding Baum that Sejin referred to was entirely different from what Eunwon knew. But because Eunwon knew only the story Yeo Heejin had fabricated, the remark could not help but place even more pressure on him.
“Anyway, I’ll see you next week.”
“...All right....”
Sejin pushed back his chair and stood. As Eunwon quietly rose after him, Sejin loosely released his pheromones. The heavy scent of woody vanilla spread through the air, and Eunwon’s ears immediately flushed red.
Seeing Eunwon stare at him in alarm made Sejin want to say fuck the week, frighten him into answering right here, and reduce him to sniffling tears.
Should I just corner him now? Push him until he can’t stand not answering me?
The impulse rose for a moment, but Sejin decided to let him leave today. He thought it would be better to make Eunwon cry somewhere more enclosed than this.
“Let’s go.”
“...All right....”
The sight of Eunwon following obediently behind him was incredibly arousing. In truth, Sejin had been hard since Eunwon drank that white frappe earlier. No—if he was being completely honest, the faint pull in his lower abdomen had begun the moment he saw Eunwon walk in to meet him, neatly dressed like a sheltered young heir.
Yes, the face. Sejin knew it was all because of that face. That was why, if he had to get married anyway, he wanted to marry Eunwon. He could not hand over a face found nowhere else, one that would make anyone lose their fucking mind, to some other bastard.
The best and most beautiful things had always belonged to him. Not once had he failed to obtain something he wanted. Sometimes, things appeared before him before he had even realized he wanted them. It made no difference whether they were objects or people.
He had watched countless people struggle desperately to catch his eye, yet he had never felt anything beyond a certain point. He had never found anyone lovable, never liked someone so much it drove him insane, never been too nervous to meet someone’s eyes. To Cha Sejin, people were merely a source of fleeting pleasure—nothing more and nothing less. Naturally, he had never wanted to possess anyone either.
Yet his feelings toward the young, small kid trailing weakly behind him were a little different. Had anyone else behaved the way Eunwon did, Sejin would already have cursed them out and stormed away. He despised anything slow, vague, or frustrating.
But he did not mind Eunwon’s slow reactions, his uncertainty, or even the frustrating length of time he took to think. In fact, Sejin had not felt bored for even a moment. It was unprecedented.
More than that, seeing every trace of the kid’s shock written openly across his face made Sejin choose his words with a little more care. He had even entertained the remarkably considerate thought that he should feed Eunwon something sweet to ease his nerves. Had his mother seen him, she surely would have stroked his cheek and praised him for being so good.
“Careful.”
Perhaps his legs had gone weak, because Eunwon stumbled while descending the stairs. Sejin quickly caught him by the arm and lowered his gaze to the clear, unguarded face looking up at him.
He really was... so fucking beautiful that Sejin was momentarily left speechless.
“Want me to hold your hand?”
“...What? Oh, no. I can walk down by myself....”
“I didn’t say I was going to carry you. Why are you so startled?”
The hand gripping Eunwon’s arm slowly slid downward. Eunwon flinched when the warmth touched the back of his hand. Sejin must have felt his surprise, but the warmth did not retreat. Instead, it covered the back of Eunwon’s hand and pressed between each of his fingers.
“I-I’m fine....”
“If you fall down these stairs, I’ll be in the news again. Want to hear the headline? ‘Cha Sejin Escalates to Assault—Has He Given Up on Being Human?’”
Eunwon had been trying to pull his hand free, but the strength soon drained from it. Perhaps he realized that struggling would only exhaust him, or perhaps he no longer had the energy. Either way, he gave up and continued walking quietly with his hand trapped in Sejin’s.
Sejin looked down at him with a bright smile. The more he saw of Eunwon, the more entertaining sides he discovered. He had already suspected as much when Eunwon had remained obediently still with an expression that said What is happening...? even after Sejin shoved the lollipop into his mouth like a cock.
Only when they reached the car waiting for Eunwon in front of the gallery did Sejin release his hand. Once it was free, Eunwon immediately covered it with his other hand as though hiding it. The gesture was so small and helpless that it was almost cute.
“Get home safely.”
“...I’ll be going first.... Please have a safe trip too....”
“Yeah.”
Eunwon bowed his head and climbed into the car. Sejin watched until the car left the gallery grounds, then got into the vehicle waiting behind it.
“Take me home.”
Leaning back comfortably, Sejin looked out the window and spoke to the secretary seated in the front passenger seat.
“Woojae.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
“Find out what they told him at home to make him come here shaking like that.”
“Yes. I’ll look into it immediately. I know someone who works in that house.”
“Good.”
Thinking of Eunwon’s face, which had looked ready to cry at the slightest touch, Sejin closed his eyes as though tired. Eunwon’s clear, exhausted-looking face remained suspended in the darkness behind his eyelids for a long time afterward.
***
After getting out of the car, Eunwon watched Chauffeur Oh retrieve the cake box from the front passenger seat. There had only been two slices of cake on the table earlier, but the box the chauffeur removed was much larger than he had expected.
“Eunwon, you’re back? That was faster than I expected. So, how was the meeting?”
The moment Eunwon entered the house, Madam Seo hurried over and bombarded him with questions. Perhaps his mere attendance at the meeting had improved the situation somewhat, because she looked far better than she had before he left. Seeing her expression made Eunwon feel relieved despite everything.