"......"
"You said you like someone? You said you weren't sure if you were allowed to, so is it Kim Gyuyoung?"
I couldn't even find the remote and just stood frozen in an awkward position, blinking my eyes. Is this how it's going to be again? No matter how confusing it is, isn't this going too far? How long is this damn Alpha going to keep bringing up Kim Gyuyoung?
I'm sick and tired of him treating me like a guy with lingering feelings. At this point, I wonder if there's an ulterior motive. I should just ask him.
"Hyung, are you saying this because you want me to like Kim Gyuyoung again? Is that why you keep doing this?"
"Don't be ridiculous. You're the one acting confusing."
"When did I! This movie...! I was watching it to see how great your eye for talent is!"
"Didn't you already slam it once, saying something like, 'Why would they make a movie like this and waste Kim Gyuyoung's career?'"
Han Sol. You should have been a person who is careful with his words. You should have just been quiet.
I placed one knee on the sofa to lean my body toward him, who was standing right behind it. I met his two eyes steadfastly and spoke with force, focusing on the movie with the intention of avoiding any mention of Kim Gyuyoung.
"As of today, I officially retract that statement. The movie is so much fun. To the point where I admire your eye for talent."
"Enough."
His eyebrows, which had been twitching as if they would rise any moment, settled back into place, but Han Jinheon's face did not stay in its place. Firmly rejecting my praise, he leaned his head closer to me, who was now at a lower eye level after putting my knee on the sofa.
"I'm warning you, Kim Gyuyoung is an absolute no. From now on, I won't forgive you for getting in their way."
Those words sounded exactly like he was telling me he wouldn't leave me alone if I made Cha Seonmin any sadder. It might just be me thinking that way, but my heart ached and throbbed at Han Jinheon's actions, protecting Cha Seonmin first rather than believing my words. The jealousy I had tried so hard to deny flared up.
"...I told you it's not him. I don't like him."
"I certainly hope so. Stop being so frustrating and just tell me who it is, will you?"
"Is who it is important to you, hyung?"
'You should just worry about Cha Seonmin,' I swallowed the words I wanted to say along with a sigh. Just then, I felt the remote under my knee, picked it up, and turned off the TV. I didn't want to watch anymore. Not the movie, and not Han Jinheon.
I intended to get off the sofa and go up to my room. That was the plan, but Han Jinheon reached out and grabbed my chin, just like he did this morning. Not wanting to let it happen this time, I swatted his hand away. In response, he grabbed the nape of my neck, making it impossible for me to swat him away.
"I'm doing it."
He said with a look of clear annoyance on his face, and then pressed his lips against mine. The kiss was simple, just like in the morning. And if my lips had parted even slightly, his tongue would have invaded. It definitely would have. Just looking at the flesh that tickled and toyed with my tightly sealed lips told me so. It was a subtle stage.
As soon as Han Jinheon's hand dropped, I covered my mouth. I stared at him in silence with wide eyes before mumbling with a trembling voice.
"You... you said you'd let me avoid it.... Th-this... this is going to become a ha-habit..."
"A habit? It already is."
Han Jinheon scoffed and turned around. I couldn't take my eyes off his retreating back, and as he completely disappeared from my sight, I let my body fall sideways. It's a problem even if he gives a warning, and it's a problem even if he gives me a chance to avoid it. In the end, our lips meet.
But I like it so much. So much that my heart feels like it's going to explode. What on earth is Han Jinheon thinking? I just want to know his mysterious true feelings.
***
I had dinner and took my medicine. It was nice not having to take iron supplements in the evening.
Since Han Jinheon didn't see me take my medicine himself, he checked the pill packet. When I said he might as well check inside my mouth next, he replied that it wouldn't be a bad idea, leaving me speechless.
Starting today, one of the conditions written in the contract was to be fulfilled. Namely, that 'B' would spend one to two hours, at least once a day, receiving pheromones from 'A'.
How was I supposed to receive them? As I stood there stiffly with nervousness, Han Jinheon sat on the sofa as usual and patted the spot next to him. I usually sit at a distance where looking at him wouldn't be a problem, but he pulled me to sit snugly right beside him.
With all this wide space, I ended up stuck to him like glue. Not only that, but as if to let me know I couldn't escape easily, a blanket was draped over my lap and a thick arm was wrapped around my shoulders. He had his arm around me.
Han Jinheon let me lean against him so that my posture wouldn't be uncomfortable. This position was awkward at first, but it became comfortable after about ten minutes.
"Don't tell me we have to stay like this for two hours?"
"It'd be good if we could stay for two hours, if possible."
But I think my butt will hurt from staying in one position. It also seems like it would get boring once we run out of things to talk about. For Han Jinheon, I mean. For me, any position was fine, and whether the atmosphere was quiet or not, just being by Han Jinheon's side was enough. I could endure it.
While living as Han Sol, I discovered an unexpected ability. The ability to become one with the sofa.
I never knew I was a person so optimized for the sofa. Before my possession, not only did I not have a sofa, but I also wasn't good at sitting still. I would move whenever I had the chance. It was the only way I could shake off my anxiety. This kind of me, at one point, never left the sofa until Han Jinheon came home from work. I was shocked when I realized that.
I think Han Sol's body supports this well. I can feel that he lived a precious life as the second son of a chaebol family. Seeing as my butt doesn't get restless even when I'm sitting still.
Han Jinheon moved the hand he had around my shoulder. He drew my attention by playfully tapping the part of my arm his fingers were touching, as if playing a piano, and then a low voice captivated my ears.
"You know about next Monday. I'll make an appointment for the morning, so don't forget you have to get an injection."
"Okay... Am I going with you then, hyung?"
"We can't go together. I'll send Secretary Jeong."
"What if Mom brings those men with her again like before while I'm with Secretary Jeong?"
"Who was it that said you can't do anything if you get scared just thinking about things like that?"
"Me..."
"Don't worry too much about that. Secretary Jeong may not look it, but he's a black belt. I'll give him a special heads-up to be careful, and I'll tell the hospital to keep a close watch on you as soon as you arrive. Also..."
It seemed Han Jinheon had more to say, but he stopped. He probably judged that there was no need to say more. I wondered what it was and was about to urge him on, but I held back. Just looking up at his face was enough.
"It's surprising that Secretary Jeong is a black belt. He seemed far from being a fighter."
"I only found out because Secretary Song told me. He said he did Taekwondo until high school."
"Wow. Taekwondo? Secretary Jeong being a Taekwondo black belt... It suddenly seems to suit him."
"......"
"Oh, right. Since I'm going out for the injection anyway, can I have lunch with Secretary Jeong?"
"You haven't already forgotten the contents of the contract, have you?"
"'B' does not flirt with anyone other than Party A. The standard for "flirting" with others is determined by 'A'."
Han Jinheon recited the memorized content without missing a single syllable. 'It's not flirting'. Feeling wronged, I gently tapped his chest with my head.
"How is eating a meal 'flirting''? Then are you flirting at everyone you eat with, for work or personally?"
'The standard for "flirting" with others is determined by 'A'. I should have objected to this part. It should have said that the criteria would be determined through conversation between 'A' and 'B'.
"It'll be around lunchtime by the time I get back from the hospital, so I'm hungry and Secretary Jeong will be hungry too, so I'm just saying we should eat. Isn't calling a meal 'flirting' a bit too harsh? How is this flirting?"
"It's a flirting to someone I know."
"Who is this someone you know?"
"A person trying to get a recent graduate, who struggled to find a job, fired."
"When you put it like that, it makes me sound like the bad guy."
"Do you like Secretary Jeong? Is the person you like Jeong Seongwoo?"
"Huh? Secretary Jeong? That's so random..."
I paused, having briefly pulled away from him. For a moment, a truly bad thought occupied my mind. It wouldn't be so bad to pretend that the person I like is Jeong Seongwoo. It would be convenient for hiding my feelings for Han Jinheon.
...No. That's not right. I immediately corrected my thoughts.
I can't sell out Jeong Seongwoo for my own convenience. To him, it would be like being struck by a sudden bolt of lightning. Just as I was about to say it was definitely not Jeong Seongwoo, Han Jinheon, who had been watching me with a strange look, pulled my shoulder again and made me lean against him.
Han Jinheon turned on the TV. The atmosphere, which had been silent for a very short time, was broken by the noise from the TV.
I wanted to watch a variety show, but he only chose uninteresting things. The 8 o'clock news. Running into the world. A documentary about nature, and so on. He wouldn't listen even when I asked to watch something else. In the end, I ended up watching the news with him, yawning continuously.
Just as I was fuming and getting angry at a story on the news about a pheromone-related crime, I suddenly became curious.
"Am I receiving pheromones right now?"
Han Jinheon nodded, his eyes fixed on the TV.
"That's strange... I don't feel anything..."
"You're not supposed to feel anything. If you felt something, you'd already have become an Omega."
"I guess so... I wonder what pheromones feel like? I'm a little scared, but I'm also looking forward to it?"
I'm not interested in the pheromones of other traits right now. For now, I was only curious about what Han Jinheon's pheromones felt like and what kind of scent they had.
Kim Yujin had said it before. A scent that was cool yet somehow humid, sweet yet smoky, making it mysterious. What on earth could that be? It's such a vague description that no particular scent comes to mind. It was also partly because I myself was ignorant about scents.
"I wonder what my pheromones will be like. What kind of scent do you think I'll have, hyung?"
I shifted my body slightly to get a better look at Han Jinheon. It was a more interesting topic than the news, so I stared intently at him with wide, bright eyes.
***