“Yes.”
“…”
“Hello?”
There was no response from the other end.
What is this?
“Mother?”
-“Oppa…”
It was Jaeyoung.
Hearing his younger sister’s voice for the first time in so long instantly jolted Jae-kyung fully awake. He sprang to his feet.
“Jaeyoung. It’s you, isn’t it? Jaeyoung?”
-“Yeah, it’s me. It’s Jaeyoung.”
“Oh my God. Are you healthy? Are you doing well? How are you feeling?”
-“I’m doing well… sniff… I’m healthy…”
His younger sister’s voice was trembling.
Jae-kyung soon realized that she was crying and became flustered.
“Why… why are you crying? What’s wrong? Are you sick? What about Mother?”
-“Oppa… I heard you got married because of me. Because of me… You entered an arranged marriage because of me, didn’t you?”
“Jaeyoung. What are you talking about?”
-“I heard it from Mom. Well, technically, Mom just said that you married someone you loved and that you’re happy. But I’m not stupid, and I’m not that oblivious either…”
Her voice broke.
-“And if you got married a year ago, that means it was right around the time I received that injection NI had invested in researching… It all lines up. You were forced to get married because of me, weren’t you? Right?”
“Jaeyoung. No. That’s not true. Absolutely not.”
-“Why are you doing this? Why would you give up your life for me? You’ve always been like this, Oppa. Because of me, because of our useless father, because of our weak mother, you’ve always been the one to suffer.”
“Don’t say that. I didn’t give up my life because of you. I did what I had to do, and besides, I don’t regret my marriage. Didn’t Mom tell you? I had dinner with him today, and I’m home resting now. If you want, I’ll even put him on the phone. Believe me.”
He wasn’t there.
Even if he had been, he wouldn’t have taken the call, and Jae-kyung had no intention of handing the phone over to him.
But he had lied because he didn’t want his younger sister to be hurt by any of this.
He selfishly wished that if someone had to be hurt, it would only be him.
-“Oppa. Are you really okay?”
“I told you I am. I’ll go to Canada with him soon. I’ll show you then.”
-“He’s a good person…?”
“Yeah. He’s a really good person. He’s handsome and kind.”
-“Really…?”
“Yeah…”
-“…Oppa, I’m really sorry. I’m sorry I’m an Alpha. I’m sorry I’m sick… You should have been the Alpha, Oppa. I’m really sorry…”
No one had probably explained anything to her. Yet she seemed to have pieced together roughly what had happened.
Jae-kyung couldn’t bear to burden his already sick younger sister with guilt as well, so he kept smiling and telling her that he was fine, that he was happy.
Throughout the lie, his eyes remained fixed on the flowers Han Tae-seok had supposedly sent him that day.
I think I can be happy at least until those flowers wither.
He barely managed to calm Jaeyoung down and continued talking with her until she finally fell asleep.
When he heard her breathing become slow and even, he ended the call.
Just then, the front door opened with the sound of a keycard, and he came inside.
Han Tae-seok also stopped taking off his shoes when he saw Jae-kyung standing in the living room.
Jae-kyung swallowed hard.
I need to turn around.
So greet him.
Thank him for the flowers. Ask him if he had a good day…
It had been a month since they had spoken, so he was scared and nervous, but he wanted to try to keep the conversation going.
I should at least say hello.
Just as he gathered his courage and was about to turn around, Han Tae-seok took off his shoes and strode up to the second floor.
Jae-kyung was startled and hurried after him.
“Um, excuse me…”
At the sound of Jae-kyung’s voice, Han Tae-seok stopped halfway up the stairs.
“Ah, um… the flowers. Thank you. I received the cake, too. If you don’t mind… Ah, is it too late to…”
-“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“What?”
Han Tae-seok turned his head slightly and looked at Jae-kyung.
“The flowers? The cake?”
At those two words, Jae-kyung felt the warmth drain from his entire body.
Ah.
I see.
So that’s what it was.
Of course.
When Jae-kyung said nothing, Han Tae-seok simply continued upstairs.
Jae-kyung looked back toward the living room.
The room that had been filled with beautiful color only moments ago seemed to turn a dull, muddy gray again, as though even the flowers had been stained by it.
Why did I get so excited over something like that…?
I should have just taken it at face value and left it at that.
If I had, it wouldn’t hurt this much…
**********
“Manager, I’m sorry. I think I’m going to have to quit.”
The day after Secretary Oh came by, Jae-kyung arrived earlier than his evening shift and told the manager that he had to quit because of some family circumstances.
The words wouldn’t come out.
Fortunately, he had practiced the sentence several times at home, so he managed to get it out in one piece. Still, his chest felt tight, and he felt sorry for the manager, who could only stare at him in a daze.
He never imagined he would have to quit so suddenly.
-“Wait, Jae-kyung. Did I do something wrong?”
“No. You’ve been so good to me. But… something came up at home, and I don’t have a choice. I’m sorry.”
No matter how many times the manager asked him why, there was nothing Jae-kyung could honestly tell him.
The only thing he could be truthful about was how sorry he felt.
So Jae-kyung kept bowing his head in apology, and the manager patted him on the shoulder.
-“Don’t be like that. I’ve only known what kind of person you are for the two months we’ve worked together. You must have a genuine reason. I’m just really disappointed… I wanted to work with you longer. I wanted to treat you even better, but I’m sorry I couldn’t.”
“No, Manager. You really have been so good to me.”
He was the first person Jae-kyung had met after leaving that house following five years there.
He had even brought a slight fear of interacting with people out of that house with him. He had been afraid, but thanks to this manager, he had been able to overcome it. Enjoying the story? Read on at NovelPing.
There were plenty of employers who treated their workers badly, and plenty of strange people out there. Considering all that, Jae-kyung had truly been lucky.
“Thank you.”
That was all Jae-kyung could say.
He couldn’t quit the convenience store immediately. They needed to find someone for the night shift, and he had to train the replacement.
Fortunately, they found a new part-timer quickly. After spending a week handing over his duties, Jae-kyung finally left the convenience store.
On his last day, the manager packed several of Jae-kyung’s favorite lunch boxes for him.
-“I can’t afford to buy you anything fancy, but I can at least do this.”
With that, he filled a large bag to the brim.
Jae-kyung brought it home, heated one up in the microwave, and ate it for dinner.
Every time he ate the manager’s food, he always thought about how delicious it was.
But today, it tasted strangely bittersweet.
Jae-kyung wiped away his tears with his sleeve.
**********
A month had passed since Jae-kyung quit the convenience store.
During that time, he had learned how to enjoy having free time. He read books, watched movies, went to concerts, and saw musicals and films. As he indulged in all those cultural activities, the evidence of his newfound hobbies gradually filled his room.
“Hmm…”
Jae-kyung looked around the room.
No matter how carefully he looked, there was no more space to store anything, and the stacks seemed ready to topple over at any moment.
“I suppose…”
He decided it was time to move somewhere a little bigger.
He had no intention of getting rid of anything he had bought. These weren’t things meant to be looked at once and forgotten; they were the sort of things he wanted to revisit and savor several times.
The next day, Jae-kyung began looking for a new place.
This time, he focused on two-bedroom villas. He wanted to use one room as a bedroom and the other as a study.
Fortunately, he found a newly built villa in Gangbuk-gu that he liked and spent some time considering it. The landlord said he could either rent it on a jeonse deposit or purchase it outright. After some deliberation, Jae-kyung chose jeonse, in case he suddenly felt like leaving again someday.
From that day on, he threw himself into packing, moving, and unpacking. Then, before he knew it, another month had passed.
The exhausting ordeal was finally over. He had even joked that he wouldn’t move again for at least a year.
Before he knew it, summer had arrived.
“Damn…”
Jae-kyung tossed and turned before laboriously getting out of bed.
His body felt strangely limp.
This wasn’t the lingering fatigue from moving. It was unmistakably the onset of a heat cycle.
He had been careless about taking his suppressants for a while, and his instincts had immediately seized control of his body.
What a terrifying little thing.
Judging by his symptoms, it seemed too late to take a suppressant now. Jae-kyung lay back down and pulled the blanket over himself.
It can’t be helped.
I’ll just endure it for a day or two.
With that thought, he let his pheromones flow freely.
The heat rising through his body was both familiar and strange. It started as a burning sensation in his chest, then slowly descended, tickling his skin. After a few hours, a sudden gush of slick escaped him from behind. Writhing against the maddening itch, Jaekyung inserted his fingers, desperate to somehow endure the ordeal.
A sound echoed in his mind. He tried to focus on it, but though it seemed to be someone's voice, he couldn't remember whose. As far as Jaekyung knew, no one he knew had a voice like that. No one in this world would call his name, "Park Jaekyung ," with such tenderness. If such a person existed, he wouldn't be spending his heat alone like this, relying on his own fingers; he would be held in that person's arms.
"Damn it..."
He wondered if he was finally losing his mind. Clenching his fist in despair, Jaekyung knuckles turned white as he recalled that imaginary, unknown voice. Fortunately, no tears fell.