* * *

“Don’t cross the line, Jin Siwon. I’ll handle my own business.”

Junhee knew.

He knew exactly what Ki Taeryu wanted now.

And he had every intention of ruining it with his own hands.

He would make Ki Taeryu regret dragging him into the search for his brother.

But that was Junhee’s problem, and he didn’t plan on dragging anyone else into it—Siwon, the people from the orphanage, none of them.

“The line? Did you just say ‘line’?”

Junhee had meant to calm him down, but Siwon only grew more frenzied.

His hands dug into Junhee’s shoulders, forcing a pained groan out of him.

But Siwon didn’t stop. Instead, he pushed Junhee onto the sofa with even more force.

The face Junhee had always seen at a certain distance was now unbearably close.

Siwon’s sharp pheromone scent, tinged with basil, filled the air between them.

His Adam’s apple bobbed visibly as he swallowed hard.

“If I really wanted to cross the line, I would’ve done it a long time ago…”

“…Get off.”

Junhee’s voice was cold as ice as he spoke from beneath Siwon’s heavy frame.

“If you’re planning to never see me again, then go ahead and do whatever you want.”

There was an audible grinding of teeth before Siwon finally backed off and climbed off Junhee.

Breathing heavily, Siwon stormed toward the door.

He slipped on his shoes, grabbed the doorknob, and spat his final words at Junhee.

“You know what? You reek of that bastard. It’s disgusting.”

---

Junhee tightened his tie in front of the mirror, his expression blank as he stared at his reflection.

“Why.”

Why was everyone so desperate to tie him and Ki Taeryu together?

Cha Yoonjae, Jin Siwon…

Even that damn app.

Even with his eyes closed, the ridiculous 99% matching rate still lingered in his mind.

It was unbelievable.

After the cursed update, he’d checked the so-called “Smart Pick” out of curiosity, hoping it was some sort of error or a glitch from the update process…

“I’m never using that again.”

That damn app.

Junhee grabbed his gray spare phone, ready to throw it, but hesitated.

‘…Just in case.’

He carefully tucked it back into the drawer, pulled out a fabric freshener, and sprayed it all over his clothes.

Now soaked as if he’d been caught in light rain, Junhee picked up his damp jacket and stepped outside.

As he exited the villa, he ran into someone.

It was the elderly lady who lived on the first floor.

“Hello, ma’am.”

She was someone he often saw walking around the neighborhood for her daily strolls.

“Working on the weekend too, huh?”

“…Yes.”

It wasn’t officially work, but to Junhee, it felt no different.

“You’re working so hard. Well, that’s good. Work hard while you’re young—it makes things easier later.”

Junhee wasn’t sure when this hardship would finally end, but he politely answered, “Yes.”

“Oh, your brother was here earlier, wasn’t he?”

“…Yes.”

“He’s a good boy. Always bringing food for his brother. It’s nice to see siblings so close. I wish my kids were like that. They’re always fighting.”

She clicked her tongue in disapproval, making Junhee’s stomach churn as he thought about Siwon’s visit earlier.

“Oh, look at me holding you up. Off you go now. Be careful out there.”

The old lady rummaged through her vest pocket and pressed a slightly melted candy into Junhee’s hand.

“…Thank you.”

Junhee bowed politely, pocketed the candy, and straightened back up.

As he turned to leave, the old lady suddenly called after him.

“By the way, the car was parked down that way.”

“Pardon?”

“The car that’s always picking you up and dropping you off—it’s parked at the end of the street today. You’d better go check it out.”

Caught off guard, Junhee didn’t know what to say and simply walked away as she shouted after him.

“Oh, and tell them to stop honking at night! My ears are going to bleed at this rate!”

“What’s got you so deep in thought?”

“…I’m not thinking about anything.”

If the goal was to draw Junhee’s attention away from staring blankly out the window, it worked.

“It’s not like you’d be thinking about me, even though I’m right here.”

“I don’t think about you when you’re not here, either.”

“Liar.”

Junhee turned his head away, avoiding Taeryu’s pitch-black eyes.

Sitting at the wheel, Yeo Daeyun focused on driving as if he couldn’t hear their conversation at all.

At least Daeyun would get paid overtime for this.

Junhee, on the other hand, wasn’t getting anything, yet here he was suffering along again.

Not that he envied Daeyun—it just felt a little unfair.

Recalling his earlier conversation with the grandmother who lived in the same villa, Junhee spoke bluntly.

“The grandmother next door said not to honk your horn.”

“What?”

“She said she’d file a noise complaint if you make a racket at night.”

Technically, she hadn’t mentioned filing a complaint, but Junhee figured he’d take care of it himself if necessary, so it wasn’t entirely untrue.

He felt a slight chill from the gaze sweeping over his profile.

Did Taeryu figure out he was lying?

The thought made Junhee uneasy.

“Did you meet her?”

“Who?”

“Her.”

…Dog-nose.

He’d practically drenched himself in deodorizer to mask the smell, yet here Taeryu was, sniffing it out again.

“She stopped by briefly to drop off some side dishes.”

“Oh, I see.”

Feigning indifference to Junhee’s words, Taeryu casually reached out his hand, but Junhee quickly pulled away.

If it weren’t for Daeyun sitting in the front, Junhee would have slapped that hand away.

Junhee sighed heavily and asked, “So, where are we going?”

“Who knows?”

It was Sunday evening, the most sacred time of the week for any working person with the next morning’s grind looming.

Yet here he was, summoned out at such a time…

“You need to tell me where we’re going if you expect me to help.”

“An engagement party.”

“…An engagement party? For whom?”

“My uncle.”

If it was Taeryu’s uncle, then… Ki Buseong?

Were they on their way to his engagement party now?

“Why on earth am I going to that?”

“I told you, we need to find the mole infiltrating Taesan.”

“And you think it makes sense to drag me to an important family event like that?”

As if Hong Yeonggyeong wasn’t already watching him like a hawk.

What was he supposed to do, create even more misunderstandings?

Junhee fiddled with the car door handle, even though it wouldn’t budge, as if he might jump out at any moment.

“I’m not going. Let me out of the car—”

“Should I hold my engagement party instead?”

Junhee’s head creaked toward Taeryu like a malfunctioning robot.

When their eyes met, Taeryu’s lips twisted into a crooked smile.

“You’re not forgetting, are you? It’s less than two months away.”

Caught off guard, Junhee stammered, trying to make an excuse.

“You need to focus on finding your brother…”

“I’ll find my brother—and my Omega, too.”

Taeryu’s tongue flicked briefly over his lips, the red tip gliding across them before disappearing.

The sight sent an unbidden echo of his voice through Junhee’s mind.

“You haven’t found one, have you? The Omega to bear my seed.”

Junhee closed his eyes slowly, then opened them again.

By then, the red tongue had vanished.

---

The engagement party was held at Hyeonwol Hall, the Taesan family’s ancestral home.

The fortress-like estate appeared just as unyielding as ever, except now it was livelier than before.

Guests who had already arrived were mingling, exchanging greetings, while staff bustled around to keep things moving smoothly.

“Congratulations, Uncle.”

Ki Buseong, who had been busy greeting guests, looked up at Taeryu with a displeased expression as he approached.

“Oh, thanks. I thought you were busy?”

“No matter how busy I am, attending my uncle’s wedding is the proper duty of a nephew, wouldn’t you agree?”

Buseong’s disapproving gaze briefly scanned Taeryu’s face before shifting to Junhee, who stood a step behind him.

“I don’t recall inviting that guest.”

“Well, my guest is your guest too, isn’t he?”

Buseong’s eyes raked over Junhee from head to toe, a faint sneer curling his lips.

“What, are you here to find yourself a bride? Did you bring along a matchmaker for that?”

The corners of Buseong’s mouth stretched into a condescending grin, the lines deepening into his face.

Whether he’d done his homework or heard it from Chairman Ki or Hong Yeonggyeong, the fact that Junhee’s identity had been exposed to the Taesan family was undeniable.

…And along with it, the knowledge that Taeryu was still unattached.

Facing Buseong’s smug, patronizing expression, a strange surge of anger welled up in Junhee. This felt different from last time.

Normally, Junhee’s principle was to stay out of other people’s family affairs, to see nothing and hear nothing.

But now…

‘Why the hell do you keep covering for that bastard? He didn’t just screw over his own parents but his brother, too!’

That was back when he’d had no idea the “brother” in question was a homeless man.

The homeless man had said he’d fled because of the family, not specifically because of Taeryu.

If so, didn’t that mean the blame lay with the entire Taesan family?

Yet they pinned it all on Taeryu, the illegitimate child.

For some reason, that made Junhee furious.

While Junhee clenched his fists, Taeryu tilted his head at his uncle.

“Should I introduce him to you, Uncle?”

“What…?”

“Oh, but no matter how wealthy you are, remarriage is one thing, and a third marriage is another.”

Junhee chimed in, “Apologies, but our company policy doesn’t accept clients for third marriages. Ah, in your case, it’d be a fourth, wouldn’t it? If you’d like, I can bring it up with the director for a special exception.”

Taeryu briefly looked surprised but soon relaxed into a lazy smirk.

“Did you hear that? Too bad. What a shame.”

* * *