Chapter 29

Chapter 28.

Chaeheon drank alcohol instead of answering. One glass to wash away Yu-han’s trashy words, and another when he felt curses rising, he downed the strong liquor.

Han Jeong-min subtly inserted himself between Chaeheon and Jeong Yu-han. Blocking Chaeheon’s gaze, Han Jeong-min politely spoke to Jeong Yu-han, wishing for the meeting to end quickly.

“So, what about the child? Are they telling you to bring him home?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you going to bring him?”

“I’ll only bring the child. My old man at home is fuming.”

“Oppa, what about me? I’m confident I won’t be picky. Can’t you buy me two bags?”

“Then, will you bear my son?”

While Jeong Yu-han exchanged low-quality jokes with the woman, Han Jeong-min spoke only loud enough for Chaeheon to hear.

“This meeting is ruined today.”

The other men, having nothing more to gain beyond acquaintance, gradually increased the amount of alcohol they were drinking.

“Aren’t you leaving early today?”

Han Jeong-min overtly pointed to the door. If the conversation was going to be like this, he wished Chaeheon would just leave early like last time.

But Chaeheon, for some reason, just picked up his phone but didn’t get up. He turned on the screen and searched for a familiar name.

In the meantime, Jeong Yu-han, as if asking for his annoying feelings to be understood, grumbled.

“If I had known she was pregnant, I would have told her to abort it… Why did that bitch disappear?”

Chaeheon resisted the urge to shake his head. A strong thought came to him that perhaps the woman disappeared precisely because she knew he would tell her to abort. He wondered if such an irresponsible man could manage a company well later on.

“You.”

As Chaeheon spoke, letting his voice drift before dialing a familiar number, Han Jeong-min pointed to himself.

“Do you think the same?”

“With him?”

Han Jeong-min looked at Jeong Yu-han and fell into thought for a moment. Jeong Yu-han kept doing things Chaeheon disliked. While his tendency to act more recklessly, perhaps out of an inferiority complex towards Chaeheon, was unappealing, the story about the woman who bore his child was worth considering.

“A woman who bore Jeong Yu-han’s child doesn’t give a good impression.”

Han Jeong-min slowly spun the glass he held only by the rim.

“Getting entangled in marriage with someone only permitted for dating… it gets complicated. And bearing my child without a word, too.”

Even though Jeong Yu-han was being dramatic, Han Jeong-min’s tone suggested he didn’t entirely disagree with him. With Han Jeong-min’s remark that it wasn’t about the child itself, Chaeheon imagined Lee Jun bearing his child.

He came back, having given birth to my child alone due to circumstances he couldn’t tell me. What would be the first feeling if I saw Lee Jun, holding that child?

“I… I think I’d like it.”

It wouldn’t matter if the child resembled me or Lee Jun. No, in fact, resembling both equally would be good.

He’s already refusing to fly into my arms, so how wonderful would it be? If I could live my life with the intention of repaying all the suffering he went through, struggling alone and finally giving birth to the child, that would be truly excellent.

“You’d like it? Do you, by any chance, have someone you like?”

As Han Jeong-min looked on with surprised eyes, Chaeheon merely smiled briefly and swallowed his answer. Since that was as good as an affirmation, Han Jeong-min let out an exclamation of admiration and shook his head repeatedly.

“It’s amazing that you like someone.”

“It’s not ‘like.’”

“What?”

To Han Jeong-min’s question, which implied he should have answered “no” if it wasn’t someone he liked, Chaeheon articulated his feelings precisely.

“It’s someone I love.”

Someone I want to be with forever.

“Since you put it that way, I really want to see them. Show them to me once you’re settled. It looks like you’re even thinking of marriage.”

With even Han Jeong-min speaking with an excited face, Chaeheon smiled faintly then asked back.

“Couldn’t she have just intended to raise the baby well on her own?”

Meaning, isn’t that why she didn’t appear before Jeong Yu-han? Chaeheon said this, and Han Jeong-min, seemingly finding it plausible, swept his hair back and said.

“Rather than truly giving birth to raise the child herself, isn’t it more like a power struggle? To make that bastard Jeong Yu-han desperate.”

Chaeheon couldn’t agree with Han Jeong-min’s speculation.

“To only take the child… that woman is truly pitiful. She must have liked him, after all.”

At Han Jeong-min’s click of the tongue, Chaeheon empathized for the first time. Jeong Yu-han as the father of a child…

“Hello.”

“Lee Jun, Senior.”

As Lee Jun entered the Pasta Restaurant, a staff member who was already there greeted him. Lee Jun smiled faintly and ruffled the hair of the shorter person, who then squirmed and hugged Lee Jun’s waist once.

“Long time no see.”

“It’s only been a week, but why does it feel like such a long time?”

Kim Min-cheol grumbled, leaving his ruffled hair as it was. They used to work together, but since Lee Jun started university, they only saw each other on weekends, so it indeed felt like a long time.

“I’m going in to change and then I’ll come out.”

Lee Jun acknowledged him appropriately and entered the staff room. Originally, the Pasta Restaurant had been created by renovating a two-story house; on the outside, it looked like a home, but inside, it was a pasta shop.

“Senior, take your time.”

“Alright.”

Lee Jun took out the clothes on their hanger and first hung his own outer coat on the hanger. As he changed, he looked at his face reflected in the mirror.

‘I have to take the clothes.’

Chaeheon’s words kept lingering in his mind. He could just ignore them, but his inability to do so was probably the problem with his personality. Even when he tried to shake them off, the pair of eyes that kept coming to mind made Lee Jun needlessly ruffle his hair.

‘Lee Jun, Senior.’

At Chaeheon’s voice, waiting for him on his way to school, there were times Lee Jun felt the burden on his shoulders lighten a little. His kindness made him excited, and he enjoyed their time together so much that he didn’t need to think about anything else.

But yesterday, he had put distance between himself and Chaeheon again. He tried to think of it as just returning to how things were before they started getting close. However… Chaeheon’s presence, already deeply etched into him, did not easily fade.

“Haa.”

Lee Jun, sighing to force his breathing open, crossed his arms into an X and took off his shirt. Having changed into his uniform, Lee Jun first surveyed the hall. Two staff members were moving a marble-topped table, holding it on both sides.

“Is there a group reservation today?”

“Yes.”

It was rare to move tables in a Pasta Restaurant that only had six tables. This usually happened when accommodating a group of customers or for a staff dinner. As Lee Jun picked up a chair in each hand and placed them around the moved table, Kim Min-cheol nodded.

“How many people?”

“Seven people.”

Lee Jun turned his head to move the remaining chairs and saw the last chair in Kim Min-cheol’s hand.

“All done.”

“Then I’ll organize the ingredients.”

He said this, thinking that the kitchen was the busiest place before customers arrived, and he wanted to help.

“Senior, come out when it’s time for serving later.”

Lee Jun waved his hand casually and went in. He helped the older female staff member working in the kitchen, starting with the seafood, which required the most handling.

“Hmm? Lee Jun, do you use the same fabric softener as Hae Sol?”

The older female staff member, who had been moving diligently, tilted her head, then buried her nose in Lee Jun’s shoulder and asked.

“Ah…”

Lee Jun also raised his arm and sniffed, and it certainly seemed to smell strongly.

‘Baby scent.’

Chaeheon had also smelled the baby scent from him.

“I must have put in baby detergent.”

“Really? But it suits you well.”

As the older female staff member went back to work, Lee Jun picked up a knife to continue preparing the squid, then paused.

“What am I doing?”

It was exasperating how every single thought drifted to Chaeheon. Lee Jun shook his head as if to clear his thoughts, then forced himself to move his hands diligently, until he heard a noisy commotion from the hall. The reserved group of customers must have arrived.

“Older staff member, I’ll go out and check.”

“Okay. Thanks.”

Lee Jun wiped his wet hands with a towel and came out of the kitchen. Picking up a notebook to take orders, he spoke to Kim Min-cheol, who had just finished handing out menus and pouring water.

“I’ll take the orders.”

“Yes.”

As Lee Jun rounded the counter and entered the hall, which was visible at a glance, he was just readjusting his grip on a menu when his eyes met those of a man at the group table, and he almost dropped the menu he was holding.

Chaeheon paused at the familiar scent he felt from the moment he entered the restaurant.

‘This is…’

It was the scent of Lee Jun’s pheromones mixed with fabric softener. Others wouldn’t recognize it as pheromones, but Chaeheon did.

He wondered why he was sensing this scent here, so Chaeheon turned his head and spotted Lee Jun. Chaeheon’s eyes, which had subtly widened in surprise, returned to their normal size, and he then stared intently at Lee Jun.

It was as if he was asking, “Why are you here?” It was Lee Jun who first broke their intertwined gaze.

‘What day is it today?’