* * *
Moon Dowon carelessly took the glass and put the straw Siho had used directly into his mouth.
It was a swift action, leaving no time for Siho to tell him to remove it before drinking.
“That’s disappointing. Was I not visible?”
Kang Taeyun moved his body closer. Looking at his eyes, he didn’t seem angry.
“So, is the answer Moon Dowon?”
“No.”
Since the pictures were burned in a hurry, Siho didn’t remember whose pictures were the most.
However, he knew there weren’t many pictures of Kang Taeyun among them.
‘Even in the novel, his presence wasn’t that big…’
As Siho tilted his head, Moon Dowon, who was drinking the beverage beside him, suddenly put the glass down.
Looking closely, the tips of his ears were bright red.
“I didn’t even realize that, and I kept my distance.”
“…Huh?”
Moon Dowon showed a look of self-reflection, like someone who had gained a profound realization.
His sudden change felt awkward.
“I will officially hold a party soon.”
“…Why is that?”
“In return for the pictures.”
Even though the person whose pictures were prominent was now Moon Dowon, Siho didn’t particularly want to deny it.
When he remained silent, taking it as an affirmation, Moon Dowon’s lips twitched.
He seemed so pleased that one corner of his mouth looked like it would ascend to heaven.
“I’ll just accept the thought.”
“The protagonist is you. Are you going to back out?”
“…I had no intention of attending?”
“You will.”
It was a compulsion.
“You have to attend. I’m holding it because of you.”
“…I don’t like crowds.”
Siho knew Moon Dowon’s preference was to be where people could see him, but that was Moon Dowon’s preference, not his.
He inwardly grumbled, wondering why a person who was so easily embarrassed loved crowded places so much.
“I like it.”
Joohwan tried to convince Kang Taeyun with a deflated expression.
His look, filled with boredom and a false smile, seemed artificial.
“We can just reduce the audience.”
“Ten.”
“It’s a lot. Make it five.”
“I was even going to prepare a secret space just for you.”
“What’s ten? We can invite more. It’s a party.”
Moon Dowon and Joohwan exchanged meaningful glances and finished their negotiation between themselves.
The decision of whether to attend the party was Siho’s, yet seeing them negotiate with mutually beneficial terms made him chuckle emptily.
‘Fine, let them laugh all they want.’
The moment they returned, he planned to insist that he would be the one topping them.
Since he was a Beta, not an Omega, either position shouldn’t matter—he was having this triumphant thought when Kang Taeyun interjected into the conversation.
“Siho says he doesn’t want to. What you two are doing is forcing him.”
“So, you’re telling us not to do it? Why? What do you think we’ll do at the party?”
Joohwan tried to persuade Kang Taeyun with a disheartened face.
It seemed he was quite fond of the potential contract that would take place at the party.
Kang Taeyun inhaled sharply, almost sneering, escalating the tension.
“Didn’t you hear what he said earlier? Doing something without consent is a crime. If he doesn’t want it, you two can just do it among yourselves.”
“Kang Taeyun.”
“Did you forget? Seo Siho said that dating isn’t one-sided; it’s about compromise.”
He showed a gentlemanly side, suggesting he was going to be considerate just as Siho had said.
He truly was the most reasonable person among the three.
Perhaps it was consideration for the month of time Siho had asked for—to approach him slowly.
Feeling like he had gained an ally, Siho looked up at him with sympathetic eyes.
“Siho, do you want to go to the party?”
Kang Taeyun asked again, like someone seeking confirmation.
Siho slowly shook his head, clearly expressing his will.
The gaze from Moon Dowon behind him was sharp, but Siho didn’t want any non-capturers present.
These men were already looking for a chance to devour him, and it was obvious what they would do in a public setting.
“Then that settles it. Let’s call off the party.”
“Fine. If Seo Siho doesn’t want it, I don’t want to pressure him either.”
This time, Moon Dowon also stepped back, and Joohwan sided with Siho.
Siho expected them to be upset, but Moon Dowon readily agreed and didn’t press the issue further.
They were so forceful before, and yet, the easy resolution made Siho feel a sense of anticlimax.
As he slightly frowned, Kang Taeyun, who was looking down at him intently, whispered softly so Joohwan and Moon Dowon couldn’t hear.
“You still have to be punished for saying no.”
“…”
“Just kidding. You did well today.”
He stroked the back of Siho’s head like a compliment.
The generous gesture made Siho’s heart flutter.
“Should we leave now? The smell of the pheromones radiating from the side is starting to get disgusting.”
Joohwan said coldly, twisting his face.
It seemed to be a response to the explicit stares of the onlookers, but the look on his face, which Siho had never seen before, sent a chill down his neck.
Joohwan, who usually cultivated a comfortable image, if not quite like Kang Taeyun, looked completely unfamiliar in that moment.
“You’ve mellowed out a lot.”
“I can’t help it. My lover is right here, so I have to be patient.”
Joohwan laughed in response to Kang Taeyun’s comment, saying that was how he could show his beautiful side.
It was his usual kind smile.
Seeing him sitting there in his flamboyant attire with a gentle smile, a fully bloomed rose came to mind.
Although Siho couldn’t smell pheromones, he thought a rose scent would suit him perfectly.
The three men who left the cafe naturally drove to a certain place.
It was a hotel owned by Joohwan’s family.
It seemed they had come down expecting to spend the night when they picked him up in Busan.
‘All this time, just building tension, saying things like ‘look forward to the final gift’ and ‘be nervous’…’
Joohwan tossed the keys casually to the valet who came out.
Thinking of Joohwan, who was as flashy as someone going on vacation, Siho’s eyes naturally narrowed.
He was standing at the hotel entrance against his will, but he thought it wouldn’t be a problem if he didn’t share a room with the three of them.
The hotel would have many rooms, and if a difficult situation arose, he planned to call an employee for help.
‘I’m not ready yet…’
The thought of topping the three men felt overwhelming.
Since he had decided this only today, he hadn’t even researched it, and as a lifelong virgin, he didn’t know how to proceed.
He had heard skill was important, and he was worried he would just clumsily thrust like a log, without any technique.
“As you requested, we have prepared everything.”
The manager, who had been informed of Joohwan’s arrival, came out to the hotel entrance and greeted them respectfully.
He also offered flattering greetings to Moon Dowon and Kang Taeyun, with whom he was acquainted, but Moon Dowon only nodded, and Kang Taeyun responded briefly with a business-like smile.
Siho realized how cold they were to people they didn’t care about.
“Aren’t you hungry?”
“A little? You guys?”
“Not really.”
“It is time to be hungry. I should have food sent up as soon as we get upstairs.”
Siho asked back at Joohwan’s question, Moon Dowon answered briefly, and Kang Taeyun checked the watch on his wrist.
Joohwan, taking a cue from Kang Taeyun’s words, gestured to the manager walking a step behind him.
“Send up the food as soon as it’s ready.”
“Yes, understood.”
The manager quickly replied and approached the shiny gold elevator, pressing the button.
As they entered the smoothly opening space, the manager pressed the button for the top floor.
They weren’t all staying together, so were there three rooms on one floor?
Siho wondered, then got off at the floor they arrived at.
Stepping into the long corridor with a dark red carpet, only one door was visible at the end.
It seemed to be VVIP exclusive; there were no doors in the corridor they passed.
There was no sign of life in the confined space, as if that single door was everything.
“Um, excuse me. Which room am I staying in?”
Siho asked the manager, not Joohwan.
The manager looked awkwardly at Joohwan.
“Of course, we’re all sleeping together. We came for a trip as lovers, did you think we’d sleep separately?”
“Yes. This is the first time, and I’m still uncomfortable sleeping all together.”
“Even if you sleep separately, nothing will change, will it?”
Joohwan gave the key to the manager and signaled him to leave.
The manager quickly disappeared, and Joohwan, holding the key, offered it to Siho.
“If you want to use it, use this room.”
“…Huh?”
“It’s fine, just use it.”
As Siho stood there bewildered, Joohwan placed the key in his hand with a generous expression.
As Siho stared blankly, the corners of Joohwan’s mouth curled up.
“I ordered food to this side, so we can go in, right?”
“Let’s take advantage of this hospitality.”
Moon Dowon led the way with large strides.
Observing the actions that flowed as naturally as water, Siho understood Joohwan’s intention.
The room was only nominally Siho’s; sleeping as a group of four was a foregone conclusion.
Even if he had gotten a separate room, they would have sought him out and eventually settled down to sleep there anyway.
There’s always someone who flies above the one who runs.
Siho felt drained looking at the resourceful three.
‘It’s better this way.’
He felt it was better to be with all three than to be alone and experience dangerous moments as they came in one by one.
It was safer, and he also needed to tell the three men that he intended to take the dominant position.
* * *
