* * *
Seeing that the two people weren’t arguing against Kang Taeyun’s words, it seemed they also agreed.
It was absurd, but deep down, it wasn’t so bad.
The moment he confirmed that their feeling wasn’t love, he figured it would be easy to shake them off.
He thought the reason for the trio’s obsession was simply because he had twisted the original plot.
Therefore, if he connected Kim Seunghyun with the three of them as in the original story, they might return to obsessing over the main submissive.
Misunderstanding the faint curve of his lips, Yoo Joohwan softened his stiff expression and spoke.
“I knew you’d like it. That’s a wise answer.”
“So, what’s the conclusion?”
“We date. All three of us.”
Yoo Joohwan lightly answered Moon Dowon’s cynical tone, concluding the situation.
Siho replied with a flustered tone to an answer that deviated from his plan.
“Um, I wasn’t thinking of dating, but just following you guys again like before…”
“You should have done that earlier. Before we started seeing you as a romantic interest.”
“…Can’t I do it even now?”
“No.”
Watching Yoo Joohwan firmly drawing the line, Moon Dowon and Kang Taeyun didn’t say anything specific.
However, Kang Taeyun only wore a meaningful smile, and Moon Dowon continued to look down at him with an unchangingly expressionless face.
“…Who dates three people?”
“Then what? Are you going to choose from here?”
Moon Dowon replied to the sigh-like murmur.
His terrifyingly sunken gaze looked like he was ready to fight the two people in front of him.
‘What if something goes wrong and I end up destroyed?’*
The thought that all his efforts might be for nothing sent a shiver down his neck.
Considering the madness they had shown in the original story, it seemed unwise to provoke them.
“…Just do it, the dating.”
It was difficult to choose one of the three right now.
Even if he chose someone, the issue would likely be brought up again later.
In that case, he figured if he pretended to date them and then ran away, or acted in a way that would turn them off, they might lose interest on their own.
Because their current feeling must only be simple curiosity.
“All three together, huh… Are you really sure you want to do that?”
Kang Taeyun vaguely asked the question.
Although the meaning of the question was a bit ambiguous, Siho nodded, showing his firm intention.
“Yes. I’ll do that.”
His mind was full of schemes, but whether he died this way or that way, the conclusion was the same anyway.
He’d be safe until he ran away.
He didn’t know then that he would later regret this complacent decision.
They were not opponents to be taken lightly.
“Since you answered that way, I guess there’s no choice. However.”
“…?”
“Later on, you’ll have to choose. Because I can’t imagine four people in one bed.”
Kang Taeyun’s eyes curved as he smiled affectionately.
Sensing the chill behind his smile, Siho instinctively avoided his gaze.
“Why? I can imagine it. Wouldn’t it be good for the four of us to build camaraderie?”
“Me neither, particularly. We can just custom-make a bigger bed.”
Moon Dowon responded to Yoo Joohwan’s comment, agreeing that it was a rational idea.
Seeing that the two people had no particular resistance to the idea of all four of them being together, Siho realized then that this novel was a multiple-target-single-submissive book.
“Then, let’s get along well, darling.”
Yoo Joohwan spoke warmly, extending his hand.
Siho took his hand with a reluctant look.
Watching the scene, Moon Dowon lightly squeezed Siho’s shoulder and whispered in his ear.
“The sex you wanted. I’ll help you with that.”
“…”
“Eat plenty and grow up healthy, Seo Siho.”
Siho kicked a stone on the side of the road, thinking about what had happened two days ago.
He hadn’t been able to say anything at the time, overwhelmed by the presence of the three men, but thinking back now, he felt wronged that he hadn’t spoken up.
“Why, of all days, did I have to walk near that warehouse that day…”
As soon as he ran into Kang Taeyun, he was dragged into the warehouse because Taeyun said he had something to tell him.
He thought he was going to get hit, but what Kang Taeyun showed him was a sudden confession.
He recalled the two people who appeared right on cue, and then remembered Moon Dowon’s last words.
“Sex? Grow up healthy?”
True to its Inso-mul (Korean term for ‘Internet novel’) genre, even the lines were cheesy.
In the original story, Moon Dowon was only outwardly stoic, but his actions were said to be old-fashioned like an ajussi.
Boring humor was a given, and he was often mistaken for a gangster because of his fierce appearance and large build.
Now that he had met him in person, Siho understood why he was described that way.
“So what? That’s not what’s important…”
He had agreed to date the three men, but the problem was what came next.
He didn’t have the financial means to run away overseas, and running away far felt like a loss somehow.
Most of all, moving his residence just to avoid those who were only interested out of curiosity felt like a waste of his life.
“Yeah, why bother doing that? They haven’t even contacted me since then.”
Since they hadn’t sought him out afterward, perhaps they were also regretting what they said to him. After all, an Alpha dating a Beta made no sense.
Thinking that way, he felt much better. Humming a tune, he headed toward his rooftop room.
According to the original story, he should have been staying and eating at a gosiwon (cramped, cheap accommodation), but with the reader’s buff, as soon as he transmigrated, he stole the story of the main submissive, Kim Seunghyun’s close senior who successfully invested in stocks, and invested his entire fortune.
He had been anxious about what would happen if he failed, but fortunately, the stock investment was a success.
“Both that senior and I succeeded.”
Thinking back, it was the best thing he had done since transmigrating.
With a proud and excited look, he went up the stairs.
As he lightly, cat-like, climbed the last step, he saw a figure standing in front of his door.
“Yoo Joohwan?”
His steps unconsciously halted at the appearance of the uninvited guest.
As he frowned with an unwelcome face, Joohwan turned his body while casually prodding the wall.
“Yoo Joohwan? You should call me ‘Joohwan-ah.'”
Yoo Joohwan corrected him in an affectionate tone and smiled brightly.
He seemed to have paid more attention to his appearance than usual, putting effort into his hair and clothes.
Siho put on an artificial smile, hoping that the reason for all this was not because of him.
“…What brings you here?”
“I came because I wanted to give you something.”
“What is it?”
“Ice cream.”
Yoo Joohwan took the paper bag hanging on the doorknob and offered it.
It was a beautiful paper bag that could easily be mistaken for containing an expensive gift.
Since it wasn’t a special occasion, Siho stood there, unable to accept the gift readily, and Joohwan crooked his finger.
It was a sign for him to come and take the paper bag.
“You came all this way just to give me this?”
“Yep. Because my darling shouldn’t get too hot.”
“…I’m sorry, but could you maybe not say that?”
Just listening to it made him cringe.
When he showed a look of disgust, the smile faded from Joohwan’s lips.
“So, you don’t like it?”
He seemed offended by the continuous look of discomfort.
Not wanting to escalate things, Siho put on a discreetly fake smile and trotted over to him to take the paper bag.
“It’s corn-flavored ice cream, isn’t it?”
“Don’t you like it?”
“No. I love it.”
Since he genuinely loved ice cream, he thanked him with a bright face.
He felt sorry for having thought of him so uncomfortably.
“That’s a relief. That you like it.”
Yoo Joohwan looked proud and genuinely happy.
Siho felt like he had been too confined to the original plot and thought badly of him when he was actually this kind of person.
The moment he thought he should share the ice cream, he realized there was one more ice cream than the number of people.
There were only two people, so why three?
He tilted his head, then assumed he had bought it during a ‘buy two, get one free’ sale, and without any suspicion, he picked one up and offered it to him.
“Why?”
“To eat it together… Isn’t that why you came?”
“No.”
“Huh?”
“I said no. So you eat all of it.”
Yoo Joohwan made a playful and mischievous smile.
Looking at it, it was a face that made Siho want to slap him.
“I’ll peel this one for you. You peel the rest yourself.”
Despite it being the same ice cream, it seemed he didn’t want to touch the other two.
He kindly peeled the ice cream wrapper and offered the exposed yellow ice cream.
“Eat it.”
“Are you really not going to eat it?”
“No. Before you do, come closer for a second.”
Even though they were close enough, he wanted Siho to get even closer.
Why did he have so many demands without moving an inch himself?
Siho grumbled quietly to himself, but didn’t show it, and narrowed the distance between them.
“I’m here. Why?”
“I want to see your mouth. Ah, open up.”
The words were a little offensive, but Siho figured he was going to feed him directly.
‘Should I open it or not?’
Even as he hesitated, Yoo Joohwan kept urging him with his gaze.
Finally, Siho reluctantly opened his mouth, and Joohwan gasped sharply.
“Is that open? Don’t joke with me. Do you think all this can fit in there? Only two fingers can go in.”
* * *
