People probably thought this was his own café.
Even while feeling overwhelmed, Yeonwoo couldn’t help but laugh bitterly to himself.
Well… technically, it was his café—sort of. The building belonged to Chahyun’s father’s company, and since Baek Chahyun worked there, no one could say a word when he acted like he owned the place.
Yeonwoo noticed the part-timer and Chahyun’s chauffeur standing nearby, both looking helpless and unsure of what to do.
He glanced at the time as he approached Chahyun. It was just past 4 p.m.—not even close to the end of the workday.
He’s already here, lounging around like he’s got nothing better to do. Wearing a suit and still managing to look like a delinquent—impressive.
“Boss!”
“Minhyuk.”
The part-timer greeted him just as Chahyun, who had been tapping the table lazily with his fingertips, turned his head toward Yeonwoo.
Even with the café staff and his own chauffeur nearby, Chahyun flicked his finger toward Yeonwoo like he was summoning a subordinate. A silent “Come here.”
When he acted like this, it was hard to believe Yeonwoo was the older one.
“What.”
Yeonwoo walked up and asked curtly.
“Why didn’t you answer your phone?”
“I didn’t see it.”
“That’s your excuse?”
Chahyun shot back coldly.
“I’m serious.”
“Where were you?”
“I had something to take care of.”
“What kind of something?”
“…I’ll tell you later.”
Yeonwoo glanced at the part-timer watching them from the side and lowered his voice.
“Sit down.”
But Chahyun clearly wasn’t ready to let it go. He nodded at the chair across from him.
“Not right now—”
“I said sit. Don’t make me repeat myself.”
Chahyun raised one eyebrow, irritated.
Yeonwoo stared at him for a moment before reluctantly sitting down. He was already used to being spoken to like this by Chahyun.
If they kept going back and forth like this in public, it would only draw more attention. That wouldn’t help anyone.
It was easier to play the role of the poor café owner getting pushed around by the powerful heir of the Huiseong Group.
“If I call, you pick up. Why’d you ignore me?”
“I didn’t ignore you.”
“Then where the hell were you?”
“I was out…”
What excuse could he use? He couldn’t just say, I was meeting your mother.
…Or could he? Maybe now was the time to ask. Is it true you're getting married next year? Maybe your mom's wrong?
“It’s best not to mention today’s meeting to Chahyun.”
But once he brought it up, everything—everything they’d built—would shatter. Their relationship. Their carefully balanced routine. All of it.
He was scared to say a word.
“So what were you doing outside? Don’t tell me you met that Alpha bastard who’s been sniffing around you. What was his name again? Kim Junho?”
“…Han Jungho. And I told you—we only talk for dessert supply. I didn’t even see him today.”
“Then why were you so slow to answer, huh? Sounds shady.”
As Yeonwoo struggled to come up with a better excuse, he suddenly remembered a food cart he’d passed earlier.
“…I went to eat tteokbokki.”
He lowered his voice, pretending to be embarrassed.
“Tteokbokki?”
“There’s a place near the intersection. I’ve wanted to try it for a while.”
“So you ran out in the middle of work for that?”
Tteokbokki? That was the best he could come up with? Even he thought it sounded weak. He should’ve made up something more believable.
Still, he nodded.
“Yeah. It reminded me of the tteokbokki we used to have in front of school.”
“……”
“I had some tempura and fish cakes too, and I didn’t even notice your call.”
Thankfully, Chahyun’s expression softened a little.
“Then why didn’t you say something? I could’ve sent someone to get it for you.”
Easy for him to say.
The whole tteokbokki thing was a lie to begin with—and even if it wasn’t, Yeonwoo couldn’t exactly order around Chahyun’s assistant. And anyway, Chahyun technically wasn’t high-ranking enough to even have an assistant, but he used one anyway thanks to his parents’ influence.
“You’re off work already?”
“Yeah. Let’s go home.”
“Okay. You go on ahead. I just need five minutes to close up here.”
“I’ll wait in my car.”
“Alright.”
Chahyun’s work schedule was completely up to him. He could leave whenever he wanted—because he was the youngest son of the Huiseong Group chairman.
Once Chahyun left for the parking lot, Yeonwoo told the part-timer something had come up and asked him to close the café.
“But, boss… seriously, what’s with that guy? Why’s he always going off on you?”
“He wants me to raise the café rent.”
Yeonwoo replied without much interest.
“No way. What’s he, a gangster? Telling people to come and go like that…”
“Yeah, well.”
“People with money are the worst.”
The part-timer gave Yeonwoo a sympathetic look.
Chahyun had a natural way of ordering people around, so it wasn’t surprising others assumed he and Yeonwoo had a clear hierarchy.
And honestly, that pissed Yeonwoo off sometimes. But it wasn’t all bad. That kind of power imbalance helped them keep their relationship secret all this time.
****
“You planning to keep throwing your weight around at the café? Just because you helped set it up doesn’t mean you can boss me around.”
Yeonwoo grumbled as he got into Chahyun’s car in the parking lot.
Chahyun leaned back, resting his arms on the steering wheel.
“When did I throw my weight around?”
“Showing up unannounced and sitting there like you own the place? That’s exactly what that is. It’s not even the end of the workday. The staff were terrified.”
He was a tall Alpha, and even just sitting there with that sharp expression on his face, hunched over in a chair too small for him—it was enough to make him look like a gangster.
Yeonwoo kept that last part to himself.
“What, Hong Yeonwoo? You seriously forgot?”
“Forgot what?”
“You had physical therapy this afternoon. I cleared my schedule so I could go with you.”
Yeonwoo, who had been buckling his seatbelt, froze.
Oh. Right.
He quickly checked the date—it really was his appointment day.
He’d fractured his right ankle doing a labor job back in college. He was young, so it healed quickly, but he went back to work before it was fully recovered, and it left lasting damage.
Once Chahyun found out, he’d been furious—and signed Yeonwoo up for rehab sessions himself.
These days, it didn’t interfere with his daily life too much. He could even exercise a little. But if he overexerted himself, the ankle would start to ache. Sometimes it got bad enough that he’d limp.
Rest usually helped, but he had to be careful not to push too far.
“Where’s your head at lately.”
Chahyun frowned and gave Yeonwoo a side glance full of disapproval.
“I’ve been fine lately…”
“The doctor said not to skip sessions.”
“I know.”
“You ‘know’—but you forgot the damn appointment?”
That word—kid—grated on Yeonwoo’s nerves. Even if Chahyun usually just called him “Yeonwoo” or “you,” calling him a kid was just too much.
“Can you stop talking to me like that? I used to go by myself all the time, you know.”
“Oh yeah? When was that?”
“Last month.”
“Last month you missed it once because something came up. And before that, I always went with you.”
“….”
Okay, he wasn’t wrong.
Chahyun had been more committed to Yeonwoo’s recovery than Yeonwoo himself. Even years later, he never missed an appointment.
And seeing that kind of care—it made Yeonwoo hesitate. Maybe Chahyun’s mother had lied. Maybe she was trying to tear them apart.
Yeonwoo felt his anger start to soften. He wondered how to even bring up the topic of marriage.
“I’ll call the clinic tomorrow.”
“Too late. I already rescheduled it for next week, dumbass.”
“…Thanks.”
Chahyun leaned his arm on the window and smirked.
“What, tteokbokki cravings hit so hard you forgot you had a hospital appointment?”
“It happens.”
“What, are you pregnant?”
“What the hell.”
“I mean, I didn’t even cum inside that often, and now you’re carrying my kid?”
Chahyun burst out laughing at his own joke, clearly amused.
“Can you not say shit like that?”
Yeonwoo punched him in the shoulder—hard. Then, worried he’d hit too hard, he gently rubbed the spot.
Chahyun just snorted like it tickled. The only thing hurt was Yeonwoo’s own knuckles.
“What? It’s just us in here.”
With that lecherous grin, he turned his attention back to the road. So smug. So irritating.
The mood had completely gone back to normal.
It was hard to believe that just a few hours ago, Yeonwoo had sat across from Chahyun’s mother… that she’d told him Chahyun was getting married.
It all felt like a dream.