If You Want Me - Episode 126

<Extra Chapter>

*Side Story*

It was a dreamlike time. 

Hawaii was a much more charming place than he had thought. From the blue sea he just wanted to fall into to the sky high above, everything was refreshing and beautiful. It also felt more dreamlike because it was the first time he had come to a far-off place with Do-gyeom.

When they were pheromone partners, there were many times he had gone abroad with Do-gyeom, but it was different from then. Back then, they went because of partner work, so Seo-won had to stay cooped up in the hotel room waiting for Do-gyeom who might come at any time. But now, Do-gyeom had come solely for time with Seo-won. It was the first time they spent the whole day together going around nice places.

Seo-won and Do-gyeom were given time to enjoy a full-fledged tour and date starting the day after holding the ceremony. 

Right now, they were sitting on a mat spread out on Waikiki Beach, eating snacks. The snack was fresh pineapple juice made by hollowing out the inside of a pineapple into a circle and grinding the yellow flesh. It came with a straw and a parasol-shaped decoration, but for some reason it looked so romantic.

Seo-won sat with his legs stretched out and sipped the sweet drink. The fresh fruit juice was so sweet and refreshing that it was hard to believe no sugar was added. It felt like endorphins were surging.

As he was drinking with the corners of his mouth raised freshly, Do-gyeom, who was holding Do-ha in his arms, asked,

“Seo-won, is it delicious?”

“Yes, it’s really refreshing and sweet like sugar was added. Do you want to try it too?”

Seo-won took his lips off the straw as if he had been waiting and held out the pineapple juice to Do-gyeom. Then Do-gyeom looked at the pineapple juice in front of him and smiled awkwardly.

“I don’t really like sweet things though.”

Even as he spoke as if he wasn’t inclined, he tilted his head and put the straw in his mouth.

At the sight of Do-gyeom half-lowering his eyes and parting his red lips, Seo-won unknowingly bit his lower lip.

It was just sharing fruit juice, but why did the lips naturally biting the straw Seo-won had been biting until just now look so lustful? He wasn’t even sex-deprived, but he didn’t know why he was aroused by Do-gyeom’s ordinary appearance.

As Seo-won swallowed and looked at him, Do-gyeom, who had been drinking a few sips while moving his Adam’s apple, quickly took his lips off.

“It’s too sweet.”

“Hmm… You dislike things that are too sweet.”

At Do-gyeom’s words, Seo-won quickly came to his senses and naturally criticized him.

Honestly, he wanted to at least kiss his lips, but this was Waikiki Beach where many people were walking around. Although he thought skinship might be a bit more open in the US, his ingrained mind was Korean, so kissing outdoors felt embarrassing.

He didn’t want to become a rude foreign tourist, so let’s restrain himself. Hadn’t Do-gyeom’s face been shown in the media these days and become somewhat known?

His face wasn’t known like a celebrity, but as Do-gyeom was promoted to CEO, he had more occasions to be in the media. People wouldn’t all remember Do-gyeom after seeing him once or twice, but Do-gyeom was also handsome enough to rival celebrities, so he might be remembered. In Seo-won’s eyes, Do-gyeom was more handsome than anyone else, so he firmly believed he would be remembered more.

As he thought that and tried to erase the lewd thoughts, suddenly Do-ha, who had been held in Do-gyeom’s arms, wriggled.

“Ung ung.”

Do-ha grabbed Seo-won’s collar with his small, chubby hand like a bracken.

Is he uncomfortable? As Seo-won looked down at Do-ha, wondering why, Do-ha slurped his small mouth and made a sound.

“Daddy, me too…”

“You want to drink the juice too?”

“Uh-huh.”

When Seo-won asked, Do-ha slowly nodded his head. Whether it was because it was hot or because he was embarrassed, his chubby cheeks turned red, which was incomparably lovely.

Seo-won tended to be weak when Do-ha asked for something. Until before giving birth, Seo-won didn’t think he disliked children, but he had never thought he particularly liked them either. But it changed after giving birth to Do-ha. 

Every time he saw Do-ha, it felt like his heart was overflowing. Because it was his child, he wanted to give him anything he asked for. He felt like he wanted to pluck the stars from the sky and give them to him.

So when Do-ha asked like this, he wanted to give it to him, but Do-gyeom blocked it every time. The reasons were mostly that babies shouldn’t eat food with chemical additives or that he should eat good food.

Seo-won was about to give the juice to Do-ha, but remembering that, he asked Do-gyeom for permission.

“Can I give it to Do-ha? I think it should be fine since it’s fresh fruit juice, but…”

“One sip is okay. I’ll make sure he brushes his teeth well.”

Unusually, Do-gyeom showed a generous reaction and allowed it. Even though he had said it’s best not to let him get used to stimulating flavors. Is it okay because this is fresh fruit juice, not artificial sweetener?

He wanted to ask what the standard was, but Do-ha, who understood the permission, was urging him to hurry up with sparkling eyes. If he delayed, it seemed like those big eyes would fill with tears.

Does he want it that much? Seo-won laughed and put the straw in Do-ha’s mouth. Do-ha sucked the straw hard with his small mouth, then widened his eyes.

“Is it delicious?”

“Uh-huh! It’s yummy!”

When Seo-won asked, Do-ha took his mouth off the straw and nodded his head hard. He nodded so vigorously that his black hair covering his forehead fluttered.

Cute. As Seo-won lowered his head, kissed Do-ha’s cheek, and pulled away, Do-ha laughed, “Hehe.”

He was about to tell him to drink some more juice, but Do-gyeom, who had been watching, opened his mouth sullenly.

“Seo-won, what about me?”

“What? What about you?”

“Aren’t you going to give me a kiss?”

Do-gyeom raised the hand not holding Do-ha and lightly tapped his cheek with his index finger. It was a gesture telling him to put his lips there quickly.

A kiss all of a sudden? Could it be… he’s doing that because he’s jealous of Do-ha?

He should think it’s ridiculous, but maybe because it was a burning newlywed phase, he only found it cute. Moreover, Seo-won also felt the urge to kiss him, so he was more drawn to it.

He didn’t want to be a rude tourist, but people would understand a light kiss, not a deep kiss… It’s only for a short moment.

As Seo-won rationalized to himself and tilted his head to kiss Do-gyeom’s cheek, 

“Oh, Seo-won?”

“…?”

An unfamiliar yet familiar voice was heard from somewhere.

Seo-won stopped trying to kiss Do-gyeom and turned to the direction of the voice. Soon, an unfamiliar yet familiar face caught his eye.

“…Sunbae?”

That face was definitely Yuncheol, the senior he was close with when he was attending Korea University. Yuncheol was a senior in the same department and club whom Seo-won spent almost a semester with. They took the same classes and became particularly close while working on group projects. He was a senior who would whine that he wished Seo-won would come to drinking gatherings with him too… After he suddenly said he was going to study abroad, they sporadically kept in touch but naturally lost contact.

When holding the ceremony this time, Seo-won had briefly thought it would be nice if Yuncheol also came as a guest, but he didn’t know his contact information anymore, so he had regretfully passed on it… He never dreamed they would meet like this.

Seo-won stood up from his seat, happy to see Yuncheol but also asked with a surprised face,

“Sunbae, how are you here?”

“Hey, that’s what I want to ask. How have you been?”

“I’ve been well, but…”

“Seeing your complexion, it seems so.”

Yuncheol smiled brightly and reached out his hand, firmly pressing Seo-won’s cheeks with both hands. As his cheeks were pressed, his lips naturally protruded.

As Yuncheol giggled, saying he looked like a carp, a chilling gaze was suddenly felt. As Yuncheol slightly rolled his eyes, the man holding the child next to Seo-won was looking at Yuncheol with a murderous gaze. It was a gaze that felt so vicious, one would believe he had killed someone.

Yuncheol slyly lowered his hand, conscious of Do-gyeom.

“But… Who is the person next to you? He doesn’t seem to be… your friend.”

“Ah.”

At Yuncheol’s question, Seo-won glanced to the side. Do-gyeom was standing next to him, looking at Yuncheol with a very wary face.

With that gaze, it probably wouldn’t look like a friend. Moreover, Do-gyeom always emanated an extraordinary aura at a glance.

Looking at such Do-gyeom, Seo-won answered in a slightly embarrassed voice.

“He’s my husband…”

“What?! Husband? You got married?”

“Yes…”

Seo-won awkwardly nodded his head.

Why was it so embarrassing to reveal the fact that he was married? It seemed to be because he was still a newlywed, and also because Yuncheol in front of him showed a greatly surprised reaction.

As Seo-won lowered his head with his ears turning red, Yuncheol reacted as if it was hard for him to calm his surprised emotions, blinking his eyes.

“Wow… I didn’t know you would get married so quickly. Is this what they mean by a quiet cat climbing the kitchen range first?”

“What does that even mean…?”

“So what does he do? Introduce him to me.”

Seo-won widened his eyes like someone who heard an absurd remark, but Yuncheol naturally moved on.

At that, Seo-won let out a somewhat hollow laugh. Although Yuncheol sometimes made nonsensical jokes, he had a cunning side that made it impossible to hate him.

“He’s the CEO of S Department Store. And hyung, this person is a senior I was close with at Korea University.”

Since it seemed the conversation would be long, Seo-won introduced the two, alternately looking at them.

Then Yuncheol greatly marveled at the position of CEO of S Department Store, but hastily reached out his right hand to Do-gyeom for a handshake.

“Whoa, S Department Store…! Ah, I’m Choi Yuncheol. Nice to meet you.”

“…”

Despite reaching out his hand, Do-gyeom showed no reaction at all. 

Although Do-gyeom was holding Do-ha in his arms, he could sufficiently hold the child with one hand. It was just holding hands for a moment, so it didn’t make sense that he couldn’t even shake hands because of Do-ha.

As Seo-won tried to give a look to Do-gyeom, he noticed his gaze toward Yuncheol had turned cold.

Could it be he’s deliberately not responding? Did Yuncheol offend him? Thinking about it, there was nothing particularly troubling.

Anyway, for whatever reason, if he acts like this, won’t it make both Seo-won and Yuncheol awkward? As Seo-won was about to urgently mediate between the two, saying, ‘I guess his hands are full,’ Do-gyeom shifted Do-ha to one hand and spoke in a firm voice.

“I’m Seo Do-gyeom.”

Do-gyeom shook Yuncheol’s hand as he introduced himself. Thick veins clearly protruded on the back of Do-gyeom’s gripping hand.

Yuncheol slightly frowned as if the gripped hand hurt. Even after ending the handshake, he had a face as if his hand was numb, and barely raising the corners of his mouth, he spoke to Do-gyeom.

“We have a connection. I also have a connection with S Department Store.”

“…Is that so.”

Do-gyeom answered indifferently to the words about a connection.

However, Seo-won was curious about what Yuncheol was saying now. What does it mean to have a connection with S Department Store?

“Yuncheol sunbae, what does that mean?”

“Ah, did I not tell you then? When I was in college, Korea University suddenly called me and said S Department Store liked me. They said they would support me, so I ended up going to study abroad.”