In one corner of the office, where everything was dark except for the faint light filtering in from outside, Yoon Haegang tossed the phone in his hand onto the desk and leaned deeply back into his chair.
The blue glow spilling from the monitor gave his face an even colder air. Three documents were open on the screen.
A family relations certificate, an adoption report, and a court decision. The owner of those documents was Noh Seojin. And yet Yoon Haegang’s gaze was not on the monitor, but on the phone screen he had carelessly set down moments ago.
In his mind, he was recalling Noh Seojin’s face from the video call at the daycare.
Cheeks flushed red with fever, unfocused eyes gone hazy, glossy lips shining with saliva.
He had looked as though Yoon Haegang could bite into sweet-and-tart fruit flesh and swallow it at any moment.
And with a face like that, he had bristled all over trying to protect his child.
“Acting cute.”
A quiet laugh slipped from his lips.
Yoon Haegang’s gaze returned to the monitor. More precisely, to Seojin’s photograph on the screen. His eyes deepened as he looked at the neat, composed image.
‘He’s raising someone who doesn’t share a single drop of his blood?’
Just how much could he possibly cherish and love someone like that?
Since childhood, Yoon Haegang had never received affection even from the father who shared his blood. Instead, all he had known was violence that threatened his survival.
Perhaps that was why the paternal affection Noh Seojin displayed felt so foreign and strangely fascinating to him.
Remembering the unexpectedly bold side that occasionally surfaced despite how timidly Seojin usually watched his mood, the corners of Yoon Haegang’s mouth curled upward.
What had led him to adopt the child in the first place?
And would he continue devoting himself to her without changing?
If that affection were directed toward him instead, what kind of face would Noh Seojin show?
A peculiar curiosity settled into Yoon Haegang’s blue-tinted eyes.
Thought followed thought.
How should he act toward Noh Seojin from now on?
And if he wanted to find out whether Seojin was hiding any more secrets, what would be the best way to do it?
Yoon Haegang stared persistently at Seojin on the monitor as though the man himself were sitting right in front of him.
* * *
The fever and body aches brought on by his late manifestation subsided after two days.
After one more day passed, he was able to control his pheromones to some extent as well.
‘It really was lucky that Seyoung was here.’
Was this what people called a blessing in disguise?
When he had first let Shin Seyoung move into the house, Seojin had been anxious because everything seemed to keep heading in directions he did not want. He had never imagined Seyoung would end up helping him like this.
True to being a dominant omega, Shin Seyoung had carefully taught Seojin how to control his pheromones over the past few days, and had also willingly taken over caring for Euni.
If Seyoung had not been there, Seojin would probably have spent the entire time panicking by himself and failed to properly look after Euni.
“Should we eat out today?”
Wanting to express his gratitude, Seojin looked between Euni and Shin Seyoung as he made the suggestion.
“Dad, really? Yay!”
Euni, thrilled that she was finally getting to spend time with her dad again and would also get to eat something delicious outside, bounced excitedly around the living room.
“Seyoung, you pick what we eat. You’ve had a hard time because of me these past few days, so it’s my treat.”
“Hyung, no. Why would you say that? I’m the one who gets to live comfortably thanks to you. This much is something I should obviously do.”
Shin Seyoung waved his hands in embarrassment, then lowered himself to Euni’s eye level and gently asked the little girl, whose cheeks had turned pink with excitement.
“Euni, what do you want to eat?”
“Mmm… Euni wants pizza!”
Euni threw both hands into the air as she shouted.
Seojin nodded at her sparkling, expectant eyes. Even so, wanting to properly repay Shin Seyoung as well, he offered another idea.
“Then let’s go to an Italian restaurant where we can have pizza and other dishes too. I heard their steak is really good.”
In truth, Seojin had already picked out several possible places before even suggesting that the three of them go out to eat.
The one he was talking about was a fairly expensive restaurant.
Shin Seyoung, who knew the area inside and out because he had been looking into all kinds of part-time jobs, immediately looked horrified and tried to stop him.
“Hyung, you really don’t have to go that far.”
“Wow… steak! Yay! Euni likes steak!”
But Euni innocently clapped her hands in delight, and in the end, the three of them decided on the Italian restaurant.
“Then should we go right now?”
Before Shin Seyoung could object again, Seojin drove the decision home and hurried away under the excuse of getting Euni ready to go out.
Not long afterward, the three of them arrived at a restaurant filled with soft lighting, gentle classical music, and elegant decor.
“Seyoung, what are you doing? Come on.”
When Shin Seyoung hesitated at the entrance and stopped walking, Seojin warmly took his hand.
With his other hand, he playfully swung the hand he was holding with Euni as they went inside.
“Welcome. Do you have a reservation?”
A waiter approached and greeted them politely.
“No. We don’t have a reservation, but would it be possible to sit by the window? I’d like the child to be able to look at the scenery while she eats.”
The waiter readily nodded at Seojin’s request as he looked down at Euni.
“Of course. We happen to have a table by the window with a very nice view. I’ll show you this way.”
The table they were guided to really did get plenty of sunlight and offered an unobstructed view outside.
After thanking the waiter, Seojin ordered generously: the pizza Euni wanted, steak for Shin Seyoung, fresh salad, pasta, and drinks.
“Your food is ready.”
Soon, beautifully plated dishes were set down in front of them one after another.
“Seyoung, go ahead and eat.”
“Yes, hyung. Thank you for the meal.”
Shin Seyoung smiled shyly at Seojin’s attentive care and picked up his fork.
But Seojin himself was too busy cutting pizza onto Euni’s plate and putting a straw into her drink so she could sip it easily to even get a proper bite of salad into his own mouth.
Shin Seyoung quietly watched him for a moment, then cut all the steak in front of him into bite-sized pieces and transferred some onto Seojin’s plate.
“Hyung, eat while you’re doing all that too.”
“Ah, yeah. Thanks. I’ll enjoy it.”
Seojin, who had been wiping Euni’s mouth with a napkin, answered with a bright smile.
The two continued taking care of each other as they ate, with the sound of Euni humming children’s songs in the background.
“Hyung, I’m just going to use the restroom for a moment.”
Once most of the plates had been cleared, Shin Seyoung excused himself and stood up.
He intended to go before dessert came out.
As he walked down the hallway leading further into the restaurant, he turned a corner and noticed the person coming from the opposite direction too late.
“Ah…!”
A large shadow suddenly appeared right in front of him, and Shin Seyoung cried out in surprise.
Fortunately, the other person swiftly turned his body, avoiding a collision.
“I’m sorry.”
Shin Seyoung soothed his startled chest, apologized, and tried to keep walking.
“Excuse me.”
Before he could even take a full step, however, a deep, cool voice stopped him.
Shin Seyoung turned around with a look that said, ‘What is it?’
A man stood there in a perfectly tailored suit, unmistakably giving off the impression of an alpha at first glance.
He looked down at Shin Seyoung with a serious gaze, as though assessing him.
Before Shin Seyoung could ask why he had called out to him, the man spoke first.
“Are you the person who left work early from JS Gallery because you weren’t feeling well?”
At the same time, unaware of what was happening in the hallway, Seojin took the phone he had kept in his pocket while the waiter cleared the dishes.
He wanted to use the spare moment to send Manager Kim a message in advance.
[Me: Manager Kim, thanks to you worrying about me, I’m completely over my cold now. I think I’ll be able to come to work tomorrow.]
Seojin’s fingers paused after he wrote that much.
He was not messaging Manager Kim simply to give him an update.
As soon as they met, he planned to tell him that he wanted to quit.
Biting his lip, Seojin hesitated over whether to write anything more, then touched the keypad again.
[Me: If I come in tomorrow, would it be possible to see you right away? There’s something I need to tell you. 1:34 PM]
After another brief hesitation, Seojin pressed send.
The new message appeared in the chat window, with the number 1 beside it.
The number disappeared almost immediately.
Then Manager Kim’s characteristically dramatic but affectionate reply arrived.
[Manager Kim: Oh my, Seojin! I was actually wondering whether I should contact you or leave you alone!!!! I’m so glad you’re all better~~~~ Of course, of course! I’m planning to be at the office all day, so let’s meet tomorrow~~~^^ 1:34 PM]
Feeling a little guilty, Seojin carefully sent a proper message saying he would see him tomorrow, then quietly slipped his phone back into his pocket.