* * *
“…”
Taeryu’s demeanor, as if he knew exactly what was troubling Junhee.
Junhee knew he shouldn’t take the outstretched hand, yet he couldn’t just brush it off, either.
Taeryu leaned in, his lips nearing Junhee’s ear.
“Then I guess I’ll have to take care of it for you. Since our Junhee is too busy worrying about me.”
The low whisper and the pheromones wrapped in Taeryu’s breath swept over Junhee’s ear and cheek.
Those pheromones were sweet, like forbidden fruit.
[Moon Gallery]
In front of the art museum. Junhee turned his head away from the gold iron signboard.
Between the buildings, the greenery of the garden basked in the noon sunlight, lush and vibrant.
The reason Junhee had come here was simple.
Moon Doyoung had repeatedly ignored Junhee’s calls, but he’d answered Taeryu’s on the first try.
‘Can we meet today?’
At Taeryu’s request to hurry, they had set the time and place.
So Junhee found himself at Moon Doyoung’s gallery with Taeryu.
After getting out of the car, Junhee entered the gallery with Taeryu.
Moon Doyoung hadn’t arrived yet, but a staff member, apparently prepped in advance, guided them.
After a brief walk around the exhibition hall, they sat in a lounge area, waiting anxiously for a few minutes.
Junhee nervously picked at his nails, while Taeryu, looking bored, was standing by a painting when the door finally opened.
Moon Doyoung, dressed even more flamboyantly than the day before, appeared.
“Taeryu! Have you been waiting long? I rushed to get ready since you called so suddenly…”
With a bright smile for Taeryu, Doyoung’s expression shifted to one of shock upon noticing Junhee.
His eyes seemed to ask, “Why is he here?” Junhee hesitated, unsure of what to say.
“Oh, I invited Assistant Yoo Junhee,” Taeryu explained.
“I’m treating him to a meal to thank him for helping me with something, and I thought it’d be nice to have you join us.”
Doyoung’s face turned pale.
“Ah, I… see. Um, can I talk to Junhee for a bit first?”
Doyoung forced a smile and pulled Junhee onto the terrace.
Once outside, Doyoung almost threw Junhee’s sleeve aside and changed his tone instantly.
“Junhee, I never thought you’d do this. Are you trying to screw me over?”
“…What are you talking about?”
“So I didn’t answer a few calls, and you call me out like this? Did you run to Taeryu and tell him everything?”
Doyoung’s glare was fierce, as though he were ready to devour Junhee.
It was as if he had completely forgotten how desperately he had begged for help the night before.
“I haven’t said anything to the Director.”
“Is it true?”
“Yes. I got a sudden call, and having a meal alone together felt awkward… Besides, the promise I made with you, Mr. Moon Doyoung, is still valid, right?”
Junhee felt like he was getting better at lying the more he did it.
Of course, he hadn’t explicitly mentioned to Taeryu what happened yesterday, nor the incidents involving Doyoung and Siwon, so it wasn’t entirely false either.
“Oh my… So, even in the midst of all that, you thought of me? Gosh, Junhee, you’re way too sweet for your own good.”
The harsh expression on Doyoung’s face melted away, replaced by a playful pout.
Just when Junhee thought he should ask about Siwon and slip away…
“But you better never—absolutely never—tell anyone that I slept with that alpha yesterday, okay? I’m counting on you, Junhee.”
A sudden wave of shock made Junhee’s ears ring.
“Junhee, did you hear me? Why aren’t you answering?”
“So, you mean… Mr. Moon Doyoung and Siwon…”
Junhee couldn’t finish his sentence, and Doyoung gave him a mischievous smile.
“Why are you acting so innocent? I even sent you a message while he was in the shower, didn’t I?”
How had the idea of being together evolved into a certainty of having spent the night together?
Even if Junhee wasn’t entirely sure of who Moon Doyoung was as a person, he knew one thing for sure: it couldn’t be Siwon.
Siwon, the boy he’d known since their snot-nosed childhood days, was more like a little brother.
“I mean, isn’t it weirder for two grown adults to spend the night together and have nothing happen? Unless one of them is… impotent or something. Ahem! Anyway.”
“…”
“You know to keep this a secret from the director, right?”
Junhee, half-dazed, nodded reluctantly. Only then did Doyoung look relieved as he left the terrace first.
The click-clack of heels echoed, pounding on Junhee’s nerves as if trampling on his head.
After that, he lost track of time.
Doyoung took him to a nearby brunch restaurant, saying it was nice, and they had a meal.
Since Doyoung’s attention was entirely on Taeryu, Junhee sat there, barely picking at his food like a petrified stone.
In a way, it was a relief.
When they finished eating, Junhee thought he should excuse himself and leave.
“I have another appointment, so I’ll be going now.”
“I should be heading off too.”
“Oh, you’re leaving too, Mr. Taeryu? I wanted to treat you to dessert as a thank-you for the meal. There’s a lovely café just next door…”
When Doyoung saw Taeryu was leaving as well, he hurriedly tried to hold him back.
Taeryu glanced at his watch and responded calmly.
“Next time, then. We can meet somewhere of your choosing.”
The mention of another meeting immediately brightened Doyoung’s dark expression.
“Ah, that sounds good! Actually, with my gallery work, it would be better to meet more leisurely next time.”
“I’ll reach out then.”
Junhee, who assumed he’d return alone, unexpectedly found himself back in Taeryu’s car.
He even made a brief eye contact with Yeo Daeyun, who was in the driver’s seat, before realizing he’d gotten into the car out of habit.
Regret flooded him as he wondered why he’d done something so natural.
He had resolved his curiosity about Siwon’s whereabouts, but the unresolved emotions still lingered.
“You seem deep in thought.”
“…No, Director. Thanks to you, everything is settled.”
“Does it really matter that much who he slept with?”
Junhee turned sharply to look at Taeryu.
The texts between him and Moon Doyoung amounted to just two.
Junhee’s question about Siwon’s location and Doyoung’s reply, saying they were together.
It was hard to believe that those few words had led Taeryu to piece together the entire situation.
“Siwon isn’t irresponsible like that.”
“It’s not about responsibility when adults choose to sleep with each other. Especially if it’s consensual.”
Taeryu’s words echoed what Moon Doyoung had said.
The idea of getting physically involved with someone he’d only known for a few hours was incomprehensible to Junhee.
Sure, he knew there were people like that, but he never imagined someone close to him, let alone Siwon, would be that way.
“Yes. You’re right, Director.”
Junhee replied stiffly, turning his head away.
It was obvious he was reluctantly agreeing just to avoid further argument.
If only he hadn’t taken Siwon to Doyoung’s birthday party, none of this would have happened.
“I don’t think I can face you anymore, hyung… Sorry, hyung.”
The sound of Siwon’s voice, filled with despair as if the world were ending, echoed in his mind, making his heart ache.
Guilt, disappointment, betrayal, confusion—so many unfamiliar emotions were mixing that he couldn’t tell what he was feeling anymore.
He couldn’t put a name to the turmoil inside.
It wasn’t Siwon’s fault.
Nor was it Doyoung’s.
Yet he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was somehow to blame.
“Why are you so bothered over something so trivial?”
“Director, it may be trivial to you, but it’s not necessarily the same for everyone.”
“So, why does it matter to Deputy Yu Junhee who that kid sleeps with?”
“It’s not about who Siwon slept with—”
Already struggling to keep his frustration in check, Junhee’s voice grew louder as Taeryu’s words added fuel to the fire.
“Go on. If it’s not about who he slept with, then what is it?”
“…It’s just… I didn’t understand. But thanks to you, Director, I’ve realized it’s purely my own perspective.”
Recalling Siwon’s views on romance, things like this seemed impossible.
For Siwon, firsts were as precious as footprints in freshly fallen snow.
Even if repeated encounters dulled the significance, firsts were always memorable.
“Hyung, did you see the news? Kids these days are so fast. The average age for their first time is middle school!”
“…Yeah. Maybe I’m just old-fashioned, but it’s hard for me to understand. Do they really do it out of love?”
“Right? I feel the same. If I truly love someone, I want to treat them really, really well. I’d cherish them, take care of them, and show them affection.”
Siwon would joke sometimes, but he was never someone who spoke insincerely.
That’s probably why he called it an “accident” and couldn’t even face Junhee, feeling so shaken.
The more he thought about it, the deeper he sank into the mire of his thoughts, until he tried to suppress them.
“Humans only pretend to be rational. Half their minds are probably preoccupied with mating instincts.”
Taeryu seemed to enjoy stirring Junhee’s emotions as if fanning flames.
Clearly, the doctor had grossly misjudged him.
“I get that it’s your perspective, Director, but it’s a hasty generalization.”
Taeryu paused for a moment, touching his lips as if amused.
By now, Junhee could sense when that mocking smile lurked behind his long fingers.
* * *
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