* * *
The evening before his business trip, Wookyung stood in his walk-in closet with a serious look on his face.
An open suitcase lay wide on the floor.
“Well, it is a business trip, so I should start with the suits…”
That’s what he said, but for some reason, his eyes kept drifting toward the more comfortable clothes.
T-shirts and knits that would be easy to move around in.
Or jackets, pants, and accessories that might look nice on a date with Saheon.
“Ugh, come on! This isn’t a vacation.”
Get it together. Shaking his head, he started pulling a few dress shirts off their hangers.
Then he selected two of his regular suits and folded them neatly.
Next came the underwear.
He opened the drawer and stared at the neatly arranged monochrome drawers, and suddenly a thought occurred to him.
‘Wait, what about the hotel? If it’s just the two of us, we don’t really need separate rooms, do we? I mean…’
I mean, he is dating Saheon now, and when going on overseas business trips, it’s not unusual for guys to room together.
Which means he might end up… showing his body unexpectedly.
That would lead to awareness, then maybe touching, and then…
“N-nope, no.”
Why did that particular memory flash into his mind—of him kissing Saheon and climbing into bed?
His neck and cheeks burned, and he didn’t even know why!
Flustered, Wookyung flailed his hands and awkwardly shifted his attention to his socks.
He picked out the nicer ones among the monochrome bunch and then reached for the underwear again—
Bzzzt. Bzzz. Bzzzzzt.
“Ah!”
The loud vibration startled him into a small scream.
He dropped what he was holding without even noticing.
His face turned even redder the moment he saw the screen.
Of all times, why now—just as he was thinking about those moments?
“Uh… yes, ahem, yes, I answered.”
He coughed mid-sentence in his flustered state.
Feeling guilty for no reason, Wookyung’s eyes darted around.
That’s when he spotted the underwear he dropped on the floor, quickly scooped it up, and tossed it into the suitcase.
No one was watching, but he still reacted like someone caught in the act.
Embarrassed, he rubbed the back of his neck with his palm—and heard Saheon’s voice through the phone.
“―Got all your packing done?”
Why that topic again? Wookyung glanced back at his suitcase.
The shirts, jackets, and pants were neatly packed, but the tossed-in underwear clearly stood out.
“…Yeah.”
He figured if he just hid it from view, it might feel less awkward, so he grabbed a pair of pants and stuffed the underwear underneath.
Talking to Saheon while doing this just made him more self-conscious.
“―Perfect. Then I’ll come pick you up now.”
“…What?”
Did he just hear that right?
“―Our flight’s at 10 tomorrow, so we have to head out early. I figured we might as well leave together.”
On the surface, it sounded reasonable.
But think about it for even a second, and it’s clearly nonsense.
The airport wasn’t even that far—why go through the trouble of staying together the night before?
“You could just pick me up on the way.”
It was a perfectly logical point.
But Saheon let out a soft chuckle, tinged with a sigh.
He sounded… oddly sheepish.
Wookyung let out a small scoff, but that vanished as soon as he heard the next words:
“―I just want to sleep next to you.”
A blatant tease. Wookyung’s face flushed instantly.
He tried fanning himself with his hand, but it was no use.
The full-length mirror in the closet reflected a tomato-red version of himself.
“What kind of thing is that to say?!”
How could he say that so casually?
What was he even thinking?!
Grumbling, Wookyung switched his phone to speaker mode.
Meanwhile, his hands resumed packing at a much faster pace than before.
But suddenly, the line went silent.
It took him a moment to realize.
He glanced at the screen—the call was still connected.
“Saheon?”
He called out in confusion.
“―You done packing?”
Same question as before, but somehow it felt different this time.
A sudden hunch struck Wookyung, and he stood up abruptly.
He walked out of the closet and toward the window facing the parking lot.
Opening the window, he looked down.
The lot was lit by streetlights, so it was easy to spot a tall, well-built Alpha standing there with a phone in his hand—looking right up at him.
Was this a movie or something?
The guy was drawing every passerby’s attention.
“When did you even get here?”
He asked, annoyed.
“―Just now?”
Doesn’t seem like it.
Wookyung narrowed his eyes and glared, not that Saheon could see it.
“What if I’d said no?”
“―Then… I’d have no choice.”
Huh. That was too easy.
Wookyung turned back, suspicious.
But it didn’t matter—he was planning to go anyway.
Still, the fact that Saheon didn’t even tell him and just waited there was a little irritating.
Let him wait a bit longer, then.
With that petty thought, Wookyung returned to the closet.
He glanced at the suitcase and sighed.
“―Wookyung, are you mad?”
Saheon must’ve misunderstood the sigh.
No, he wasn’t mad.
If anything, he was just embarrassed after realizing how excited he was to see him.
The suitcase was a mess.
It hadn’t been particularly organized before, but now it was worse.
Clothes were shoved in, wrinkled, tossed—it was obvious he was in a rush.
“No. Just wait a bit. I’ll be right down.”
Mortified, Wookyung cut the call before he could hear Saheon’s reply.
‘I’ll explain everything when I see him anyway.’
That was his excuse.
Even so, he glanced at the phone again, wondering if there was a new message.
Nothing. With that, he turned his attention back to organizing the suitcase.
“All done!”
He checked the contents one last time, zipped it up, and stood.
Just as he was about to head out, he stopped—realizing how casual his clothes were.
He had planned to sleep right after packing, so it made sense.
But suddenly it felt wrong to show up like this. He turned to his clothing rack.
“Okay, something to wear now, something for tomorrow…”
He scanned his clothes but then paused again.
“Ugh, I’m overthinking this.”
It’s not like anyone else will be there.
But still—he couldn’t go looking like a total slob.
In the end, he settled on something comfortable but at least presentable.
Pulling his suitcase, he headed to the front door.
Maybe because it was late, the elevator arrived quickly.
“Let me take that.”
The moment he stepped onto the first floor, Saheon was there, casually taking the suitcase as if it was a given.
Watching him, Wookyung sniffled out of nowhere.
“Cold?”
“No.”
Sure, the temperature had dropped a bit, but not that much.
Wookyung reached out as if to grab Saheon’s wrist, then quickly let go and tried to walk past.
But Saheon caught his hand first.
Before he even knew it, their fingers were interlocked.
Wookyung glanced around reflexively.
“So what?”
Saheon spoke as if he understood why Wookyung was acting that way.
Well, what did it matter? They were dating, after all.
Wookyung quietly tightened his grip on Saheon’s hand.
That seemed to please him, as a soft smile appeared on his lips.
Since he was planning to leave at dawn anyway, he left his suitcase behind and followed with just himself.
“Do I need to show the guest to his room?”
As Wookyung followed him into the living room, Saheon gently brushed the back of his hand and asked.
The intent behind the question was obvious, so Wookyung deliberately hesitated.
Instead, he looked at Saheon with a thoughtful expression, pretending to be conflicted.
That short pause must have made Saheon impatient, because this time, he grabbed Wookyung’s arm.
“What about when you’re on a business trip?”
Then he looked at him, eyes silently asking ‘Why are you asking that?’
“I was going to request a separate room.”
Still, he answered sincerely—very much like Saheon. That was just how he was.
‘Seriously? That’s kind of disappointing.’
Maybe it made sense when there were others around, but if it was just the two of them, was that really necessary?
“But since I’m going with you, I guess I don’t have to, right?”
Ugh, this alpha really knew how to push and pull.
He should’ve just said that from the start!
From the slight lift at the corners of his lips, it was clear he’d figured out why Wookyung had asked.
“Then… do we even need separate rooms now?”
That alone was enough.
“Of course not!”
Wookyung let out a happy laugh as he followed the hand tugging him forward.
But the smile vanished the moment he felt a warm, lingering touch.
The hand quickly let go, but it was more than enough to plant a thrill deep inside him.
* * *
