Iwon kept asking why Seonwoo had been with Eun Hyeonchae and what they had talked about, but Seonwoo himself was just as confused.
There wasn't much he could tell him.
Pressed for time, Iwon couldn't continue the conversation and had to head back downstairs.
Now with one more reason to leave, Seonwoo walked out of the banquet hall without a second thought.
When he briefly checked the club group chat, it had been flooded with messages all day.
More specifically, every single one of them was about Eun Hyeonchae.
* * *
It was a good thing he'd changed his mind and gone home instead of heading to Liberty.
Iwon, whom he'd expected to stay out until late, showed up at his apartment before midnight.
The moment Seonwoo opened the door, he was met with an annoyed glare.
"Why weren't you answering your phone?"
"...I fell asleep for a bit. Come in."
Iwon stepped inside as naturally as if it were his own home, carelessly tossing his jacket onto the floor in the entryway.
Seeing him stumble, Seonwoo quickly moved over to steady him by the arm. The familiar body leaned against him automatically, carrying the smell of alcohol along with a strong wave of Alpha pheromones.
His instincts immediately reacted with hostility toward another Alpha's pheromones, making every hair on his body stand on end.
Suppressing the reaction through force of habit, Seonwoo guided Iwon to the sofa.
"The party's over already?"
"I just stepped out... I have to go back."
His flushed face and relaxed expression made it obvious he was fairly drunk.
The stronger-than-usual pheromones put Seonwoo on edge.
Is it just because he's drunk... or is it...?
"How much did you drink? Was it a lot?"
"No. Not really."
Yeah, right.
Seonwoo leaned closer to Iwon's neck to gauge the strength of his pheromones.
Relieved that they weren't intense enough to become a problem, he asked,
"What about Heejun? You made sure he got home first, right?"
"That's none of your concern."
Slightly bloodshot eyes fixed on Seonwoo.
After staring at him for a long moment, Iwon let out a deep sigh and pushed himself upright from where he'd been half-lying down.
"...Nam Seonwoo. Don't you have something to tell me?"
"About what?"
"You never answered me earlier. How do you know Eun Hyeonchae?"
The sharp question made Seonwoo raise an eyebrow.
No matter how many times Iwon asked, his answer wouldn't change.
Shrugging casually, he replied,
"It's nothing. I met him because he couldn't find the banquet hall, so we came in together."
"That's it?"
"Of course that's it. More importantly, why are you interrogating me like this? How do you know him?"
Studying Seonwoo's face as though searching for something, Iwon finally muttered,
"Simjin."
"What?"
"He's from Simjin."
At the answer, Seonwoo frowned.
He knew Simjin well enough.
It was a conglomerate on the same scale as Myeonghyeon, though unlike Myeonghyeon, it mainly handled the darker side of business.
But what did that have to do with anything?
"What does Eun Hyeonchae have to do with the Simjin Group... Ah."
The realization finally hit him.
As Seonwoo let out a quiet exclamation, Iwon slammed his fist onto the sofa in frustration.
"He's Eun Uyeon's younger brother. That gangster bastard."
Hearing the name that had come up so often lately, Seonwoo finally understood why Iwon had reacted so strongly.
If he's Eun Uyeon's brother... then it makes sense.
Choi Iwon had an aunt who had severed ties with the Myeonghyeon family.
Eun Uyeon was her second daughter, making her Iwon's cousin.
Which meant Eun Hyeonchae was also Iwon's cousin.
The relationship was much closer than Seonwoo had expected.
"I've never even heard Eun Uyeon had a younger brother."
"Because nobody talked about him. There was no reason to bring up some low-class gang."
The harshness of Iwon's reaction made Seonwoo glance at him.
There was a reason Iwon hated Eun Uyeon so much.
Within Myeonghyeon, the only person who could realistically compete with Iwon for management succession was Choi Iri, who was two years older.
Originally, however, there hadn't even been a comparison.
Everyone had considered Choi Iwon the unquestionable heir.
Then last year, for reasons nobody knew, Choi Iri began working together with Eun Uyeon.
Building experience steadily, successfully leading one project after another, Choi Iri had gradually established a reputation.
Not long ago, she had even secured a business deal with Simjin—a company Myeonghyeon had long had an uneasy relationship with—causing considerable discussion within the group.
There was no need to mention how much Chairman Choi hoped this would reconnect him with the daughter he'd once cut ties with.
Still only a university student and unable to step into the public spotlight, Iwon watched Choi Iri strengthen her position little by little, and it was making him increasingly anxious.
In Seonwoo's opinion, however, it was unlikely that Chairman Choi's affection would change so easily.
But because he understood Iwon's fears better than anyone, all he did was silently tighten his grip around the hand he was holding.
"What the hell is that bastard's real reason for joining Schuphur?"
Unable to contain himself, Iwon cursed under his breath.
Knowing perfectly well why "that bastard" had joined, Seonwoo hid his awkward feelings and answered lightly,
"I doubt he joined because of some grand scheme."
"Choi Iri could've sent him through Eun Uyeon. No... I'm sure that's exactly what happened."
Hearing the certainty in Iwon's voice, Seonwoo merely smiled.
When Iwon said he wanted another drink, Seonwoo stood up and headed into the kitchen.
But the refrigerator and shelves were completely empty—not a single can of beer remained.
The Beta he'd brought home the previous week had been such a heavy drinker that he'd emptied every bottle in the apartment, and Seonwoo had completely forgotten to restock.
Half asleep already, Iwon yawned lazily.
"There was a lot of alcohol here last time. Did you really drink it all already?"
Picking up his cigarettes from the entryway, Seonwoo looked back at him.
He'll probably fall asleep soon anyway...
"Wait here. I'll go buy some."
"Mhm. Thanks, Seonwoo. Our Seonwoo..."
Only after wrestling the clingy, drunken Iwon into bed and pulling the blanket over him did Seonwoo pull his cap low over his face and head outside.
Past midnight, the neighborhood was quiet.
Instead of the convenience store right outside his apartment, he walked toward the university district about fifteen minutes away while calling Hyeongjun.
After several rings, an extremely drunken voice answered.
"—Oh? It's Nam Seonwoo! The traitor who ran away all by himself!"
"Yeah. Still drinking?"
"—In the middle of it, man. If you come now, I'll forgive you, so hurry up."
"Is... Hee..."
He stopped himself before asking whether Heejun was there.
Instead, he asked for the name of the place.
"—Huh? You're actually coming? Hey! Nam Seonwoo's coming! ...Uh, we're at Half Lounge. Go past the park, then turn at the intersection..."
Listening to Hyeongjun's directions, Seonwoo lit a cigarette.
The moment he stepped into Half Lounge, where the after-party was being held, he immediately understood why Iwon had come home so drunk.
Among the chaotic tables covered with empty bottles and food, Hyeonchae sat alone, staring only at the entrance.
The instant he spotted Seonwoo, he shot to his feet.
Pretending not to notice Hyeonchae's face lighting up, Seonwoo scanned the room.
Ah.
There he is.
Heejun.
It looked as though all the people who'd dropped out had been gathered at one table.
Every single one of them was nodding off.
As Seonwoo walked over, a thoroughly drunk Hyeongjun spotted him and shouted,
"Seonwooo!!"
"You're not sending them home?"
"Anyone who woke up already left. Those ones won't wake up. Can't exactly throw them in a taxi like that, so we're letting them sleep for now."
"Can you last until then? You need to stay sober."
"Don't worry. Jinhyeong and Eunjae barely drank. And hey? Somebody has to keep the atmosphere alive. Right now I'm the only one entertaining all these kids. Instead of worrying about me, this is elder abuse. And that bastard Choi Iwon just disappeared without saying anything..."
"I stopped him from coming back. He looked exhausted today."
"Really? Well, I guess he did get caught between the seniors and the freshmen... Then you can take his place! Hahaha! You're dead, Nam Seonwoo. Since you're late, you're buying chocolate milk. And when you get back, there's already a punishment pitcher waiting for you."
"...Fine. Just don't make anything too disgusting."
After sending Hyeongjun back to the others, Seonwoo walked over to the group of casualties and hauled the sleeping Heejun off the wall as effortlessly as if pulling up a radish.
A phone, apparently belonging to Heejun, was ringing on the empty seat.
"Hello? Yes, this is Heejun's phone. ...He's fine. We're almost done here. If you give me the address, I'll... Ah, really? Thank you. Yes. We'll meet in front of the convenience store at the intersection."
"Mmh... Hyung...?"
As Seonwoo supported him with one arm, Heejun apparently mistook him for Iwon and mumbled before leaning into his chest.
Coaxing him gently, Seonwoo led him outside.
Large footsteps quietly followed beside him.
"...Hello."
"Yeah. Hi."
The moment Seonwoo returned the greeting, Hyeonchae immediately fell silent again.
Chuckling softly, Seonwoo found himself once again admiring that absurdly beautiful, angelic face.
Only after noticing Hyeonchae looking at him suspiciously did he casually avert his gaze as though nothing had happened.
After settling the sleepy Heejun onto a bench outside the convenience store where they were meeting his driver, Seonwoo turned toward Hyeonchae, who had followed them all the way there.
"What do you want to drink?"
"Anything."
"Alright. I'll grab whatever. Watch him for a minute."
Inside the convenience store, Seonwoo cleared the shelves of chocolate milk and hangover remedies before adding three cans of Pocari.
"Here."
He opened one of the cans and handed it to Hyeonchae.
Then he sat beside Heejun and tried waking him up so he'd at least drink something first.
But Heejun only burrowed closer against him without showing any sign of waking.
In the end, Seonwoo let Heejun rest against one shoulder while opening his own drink.
Watching him silently, Hyeonchae suddenly asked,
"Do you always take care of juniors like this?"
Crushing the empty can and tossing it into the trash, Seonwoo answered,
"No. I'm taking care of him because he's my friend's boyfriend."
"You don't have to."
"There's no reason not to, is there?"
At the casual reply, Hyeonchae lowered his eyes and merely toyed with the can in his hands.
Watching him, Seonwoo asked something he'd been wondering ever since earlier.
"Why are you still here? I didn't think you'd stay for the after-party."
"...They said it only counts if you stay for the after-party."
"Pfft..."
That's kind of cute.
Swallowing the words before they escaped, Seonwoo glanced at Hyeonchae's serious face.
Attending the after-party wasn't actually a requirement.
Everyone had only been saying that to encourage more people to stay.
Plenty of club members had gone home already, so Hyeonchae must have known it was only a joke.
Finding himself in a better mood than expected, Seonwoo teased him.
"You weren't waiting for someone, were you?"
For the first time, a troubled look crossed Hyeonchae's usually expressionless face.
Watching the subtle changes in someone whose expressions barely shifted was unexpectedly entertaining.
Still smiling without realizing it, Seonwoo waited for an answer.
The can Hyeonchae had been clutching tightly crumpled in his tense grip.
Without even looking at the drink spilling over his fingers, he quietly asked,
"What if I was?"
"Well... I guess you're happy now that you've seen the person you were waiting for."
Before Hyeonchae could respond, his pink lips trembling as though words had abandoned him, Seonwoo noticed a car turning into the alley in the distance.
He stood up.