* * *

The men of the Yeonhwa family had a notoriously strong possessive streak over their Omegas, something Yeonseo, an Alpha herself, was well aware of.

Observing Beomhyeon’s stiffened expression, she set her doubts aside to listen to Jungin.

“No, it’s not like that! I just wanted to earn my own money. I feel bad being such a burden…”

‘What should I do with this clueless pup?’

Feeling a twinge of pity, Yeonseo input her number into Jungin’s phone and spoke gently.

“If anything happens, call me, okay?”

“Okay, thank you.”

Blushing shyly, Jungin nodded as Yeonseo patted his brown hair.

Her focus shifted back to Beomhyeon, who was already on his feet.

“Let’s go. We can talk on the way home.”

“Huh? Oh, okay. Wait a second…”

Grabbing Jungin’s wrist, Beomhyeon pulled him to his feet.

Jungin’s gaze darted to the shopping bags piled high nearby, his eyes widening in disbelief.

‘Are all of those for me?’

Even a single piece of clothing in those catalogs cost more than most people’s yearly salary.

The amount here could probably buy an apartment.

“Wait, I don’t need this many clothes. And… they’re way too expensive.”

Jungin grabbed Beomhyeon’s arm, looking around nervously.

He didn’t need such extravagant things, and while Beomhyeon wouldn’t make him pay, the thought of accepting them left him deeply uncomfortable.

“Don’t like them? Were they not your style?”

“Huh? Oh, no, they’re beautiful. The prettiest clothes I’ve ever seen… But still…”

“Good. You heard him, Mr. Jung. Send them to Uncle’s house.”

Watching Jungin open and close his mouth in shock, Yeonseo smiled, urging the staff to hurry up.

“Let’s go.”

“Wait—thank you, big sister. I’ll wear them well.”

“Of course. See you again soon?”

“Yes, ma’am!”

Before Jungin could properly finish his farewell, Beomhyeon tugged him away, leaving him glaring at his retreating back.

Once the car door shut, Beomhyeon turned toward him, finally asking the question that had been nagging at him.

“What part-time job? You never mentioned this.”

“Oh, I just got a call about it today. They’re offering 15,000 won per hour!”

Faced with Jungin’s radiant smile, Beomhyeon swallowed his frustration.

With his weak heart, even light exertion left him exhausted—what kind of work could he possibly manage?

“It’s just an assistant job, only four hours a day.”

Suppressing his anger with a rub of his temples, Beomhyeon watched Jungin chatter about his plans, his excitement palpable.

“When I get my first paycheck, I’ll treat you to something nice. Your father said you like tuna sashimi, right? Let’s go eat that together.”

Tuna sashimi was the food Beomhyeon despised most.

He’d been traumatized as a child after a bad experience with it in Busan.

That his father had lied about his preferences, and that Jungin now dreamed of treating him to it, was almost too absurd to process.

With a deep sigh, Beomhyeon quietly closed his mouth.

As the silence stretched on longer than expected, Jungin sensed the atmosphere and pulled his lips away from Beomhyeon’s ear.

“What’s wrong…?”

“Lee Jungin.”

“Do you… not like what I do?”

“No.”

“Phew, I was worried.”

Jungin, whose voice had trembled as he asked, exhaled a breath he had been holding in after hearing the reply.

However, the next words, which seemed completely unexpected, caused Jungin’s eyes to widen like balloons rising into the sky.

“Instead, I’ll do it too.”

“Huh?”

“I’ll do it too. Whatever you’re doing.”

Jungin froze, staring blankly at him in shock.

As Beomhyeon casually declared he would do the same, Jungin hastily covered his mouth.

“Ah…”

“…Lee Jungin?”

Beomhyeon’s expression grew serious as he watched Jungin, whose shoulders trembled slightly, his head lowered.

Could he be ill?

Even in that short moment, Beomhyeon’s mind was filled with a dozen thoughts.

“Ha.”

Beomhyeon reached out and gently cupped Jungin’s soft cheek.

His eyes reflected Jungin, whose face was struggling to hold back laughter.

The situation was completely different from what Beomhyeon had imagined, and his brow furrowed ever so slightly.

“Ha… Ah, s-sorry. I shouldn’t be laughing… cough…”

Jungin, biting his lips to suppress the laughter as he glanced at Beomhyeon, couldn’t hold it in anymore.

He burst into laughter, the corners of his eyes crinkling like half moons, tears clinging to his lashes.

“Ha, ha…”

Jungin laughed for a long time, finally catching his breath.

It had been so long since he’d laughed this hard that his facial muscles ached.

Rubbing his cheeks with both hands, the smile hadn’t fully left Jungin’s face.

“Ha… now I feel better.”

Taking a deep breath as if calming himself down, Jungin glanced back at Beomhyeon, who was still staring at him.

Normally, Beomhyeon seemed very mature, almost like an older brother, and his appearance added to that impression.

But today, for the first time, Jungin saw him as younger.

His eyes still gleaming with amusement, Jungin finally spoke.

“Ki Beomhyeon. You’re really a young master, huh.”

“…”

“You’ve never worked a part-time job, have you?”

Part-time jobs aren’t something you can just do because you want to.

Jungin found it a little cute that Beomhyeon, who had spoken as if he could easily do it, was completely unaware of the complexities involved.

As his lips curled into another smile, Jungin watched Beomhyeon, who still seemed baffled by what he was saying.

Of course, Ki Beomhyeon, who had lived his life as a privileged heir, wouldn’t understand the life of an ordinary working person.

“Part-time jobs aren’t just about wanting to do them. You have to apply, sometimes attend interviews. Some places even value previous part-time job experience. There’s a lot to it.”

Jungin, who had been doing part-time jobs since middle school with the approval of the orphanage director, shared his knowledge with Beomhyeon.

It was strange to realize that Beomhyeon didn’t know about something like this. It made Jungin feel a little proud.

As Beomhyeon listened, he began to wonder.

The Hyun Group, where Jungin is from, likely wouldn’t have allowed him to take part-time jobs.

So, how did Jungin know all of this, like someone who had done it many times before?

Something felt off.

With a hint of excitement in his voice, Beomhyeon asked.

“How do you know all this?”

“Well, it’s just… my friend told me.”

“Friend?”

“You don’t know them.”

There was no way Jungin had a friend Beomhyeon didn’t know.

Could it be someone like Choi Jungin?

Seeing Jungin avoid his gaze like he didn’t want to go into details, Beomhyeon decided not to press further.

He didn’t want to make Jungin uncomfortable or upset.

“And why are you doing part-time jobs when you have more than enough money? You already have a lot of work on your plate.”

Jungin suddenly seemed to remember something and, with a firm look, spoke in a serious tone.

“If it’s because of me, don’t do it. I feel bad enough for living off you as it is, but if you take your time away too, I won’t be able to face your father.”

Though still young, Beomhyeon was already studying business and had a lot on his plate.

There were papers everywhere around him, and often, the lights in his study would be on late into the night.

Sometimes, when he asked Jungin for help, he explained things so smoothly that it seemed like he had never stopped studying.

Jungin knew how busy Beomhyeon was, so he didn’t want to be a burden.

“Do you need money?”

“…Well, I guess?”

* * *