Chapter 11 Part 1

I had a dream. It was a precious time from when I was very young, with my whole family. My mother, younger than she is now, Haein, who followed right behind me, and… my kind father. We played at an amusement park.

I also had a father. He was someone who loved his family more than anyone and was devoted to his home. That’s why I never thought he would leave.

‘Go back? But I’m your wife. I’m your Omega.’

‘But I can’t live like this anymore.’

‘Then don’t go back. We’ve been living just fine on our own until now.’

‘Honey. I can’t live like this. I can’t live under others my whole life.’

‘I’m sorry, but my father said he would only take the children.’

Haein hid behind our mother, and Lee Jun glared at his father. He didn’t understand why his father was abandoning their mother and only taking them, when they were supposed to live together forever. If that was the case, they shouldn’t have lived together in the first place, or rather, he shouldn’t have treated them so kindly.

‘Did you forget that you said you’d love me forever?’

‘My love for you won’t change. Just think of it as our bodies being separated.’

His father never chose his mother in the end. That became an unforgettable shock for Lee Jun.

Due to the betrayal by his father, Lee Jun couldn’t trust others. When people are in love, they act as if they’ll give up everything, but you never know when they might turn away. He wasn’t shaken by the rumors that his father had married another woman because he hadn’t expected anything at all.

As what happened to his mother repeated itself, Lee Jun became certain.

There’s no Alpha who would choose him forever.

“What happened during that time?”

As Lee Jun woke from his dream, he opened his eyes and came face to face with Chaeheon. Perhaps due to the vivid dream he had just moments ago, his father’s face superimposed itself over Chaeheon’s, then vanished.

He certainly didn’t act like his father, yet…

‘If those words aren’t enough, should I say I’ll love you forever?’

The words he had casually tossed out as a joke never left his mind.

“Is it okay to keep looking at me like that?”

At Chaeheon’s meaningful words, Lee Jun frowned, then quickly realized the sun was setting. As soon as he saw the sunset behind Chaeheon, Haein came to mind. He had an appointment, but he’d fallen asleep.

Lee Jun hurriedly unbuckled his seatbelt and grabbed the car door. There was no time to ask Chaeheon why he hadn’t woken him.

“Senior.”

At the sound of his name, Lee Jun turned to Chaeheon and held his breath. Chaeheon’s face was expressionless, but his eyes held many emotions. His hair was gently swaying, so it seemed the window had been left open. Otherwise, the Alpha’s pheromones wouldn’t have spread so strongly.

“I’ll contact you.”

At those words, which were as good as a farewell, Lee Jun couldn’t say anything.

– See you today.

Lee Jun stared quietly at the screen, which only contained two words. It was a familiar number, but could Chaeheon still have his number? Since they only met according to their class schedule, they hadn’t really exchanged messages, so he hadn’t expected Chaeheon to still have his contact information.

‘Why is he like this?’

As Lee Jun stared at his phone for a long time, a shadow fell beside him.

“What are you doing?”

“Nothing.”

Lee Jun replied as he put his phone in his pocket. Perhaps feeling guilty about being distracted at work, he gripped the mop tightly.

“I didn’t tell you to clean.”

Park Geon-u, the owner of the Pasta Restaurant, moved to stand in front of Lee Jun. Leaning against the bar, Park Geon-u crossed his arms and looked down at Lee Jun.

“That’s strange.”

“What is?”

“The way you were staring at your phone just now, and how energetic you seem compared to usual… Did you cut back on work lately?”

Park Geon-u knew that Lee Jun did freelance work in addition to his part-time job at the Pasta Restaurant. So, at the question of whether he had reduced his workload, Lee Jun pretended not to hear and focused on cleaning, pushing and pulling the mop. He hadn’t cut back on work, but Park Geon-u’s gaze persistently lingered. Lee Jun finally had no choice but to speak.

“I’m taking on the same amount of work.”

Lee Jun pushed and pulled the mop again. He even said, “I’m still attending school,” but Park Geon-u gazed at him as if that wasn’t the answer he wanted. Just say it? Lee Jun pulled the mop toward him, feeling Park Geon-u’s persistent stare. He didn’t really have anything to say.

“Just now, I received a text from a junior, and I took a short nap yesterday. That’s why I’m less tired today, that’s all.”

He tried to speak as dryly as possible, but seeing Park Geon-u’s eyebrow twitch, it was clear he was going to harp on it.

“A junior?”

As Lee Jun remained silent, Park Geon-u tilted his head and asked again.

“Don’t you usually go around alone?”

Park Geon-u muttered things like, “I thought you said you weren’t making friends at school,” and Lee Jun had nothing to say in response. He had said exactly that when he returned to school.

“So you don’t make friends, but you make juniors?”

“It’s not like that.”

“Or is a junior constantly clinging to you?”

“We just eat together during our free periods.”

Lee Jun brought up the most innocuous thing he could about Chaeheon. He couldn’t talk about having dated him before or what happened at the club. “It’s nothing much,” he said, but Park Geon-u didn’t seem to have any intention of stopping.

“To me, it looks like something…”

“I’m going to go wipe those tables.”

As Lee Jun picked up the mop, Park Geon-u subtly reached out and grabbed the end of it. Lee Jun looked at him, wondering why, and Park Geon-u tried to take the mop, saying, “I’ll put it away. Give it to me.” Lee Jun didn’t understand why Park Geon-u was trying to take it when he had just cleaned the floor, so he gripped it tighter and resisted.

“I’ll put it away myself.”

“Alright. I’ll let you put it away, so tell me.”

“What do you keep wanting me to say?”

“You don’t want to tell me?”

“Boss.”

Lee Jun tugged hard on the mop, indicating he wanted Park Geon-u to stop teasing him, and Park Geon-u, not wanting a tug-of-war, immediately released his grip. At that moment, the balance of power shifted, and the mop was yanked towards Lee Jun. Lee Jun felt the wet cloth brush against his leg and lowered his head.

“Oh…”

He hadn’t changed into his uniform yet, and the mop water was staining the jeans he’d worn that morning.

“Sorry. Your pants got dirty because of me.”