Correction Chapter 130 - Side Story 6

“Sunbae, whatever you do, don’t be afraid. I’ll be beside you and behind you. All you have to do is look straight ahead and walk. That’s what suits you best, sunbae.”

“You’re really surprising. You can say things like this so casually?”

“There’s no other way, because you’re the type of person who won’t know unless I express it. And it’s not like you dislike it, right?”

“How would you know?”

“Because you’re just listening quietly. If you disliked it, you’re the type of person who would have covered my mouth already.”

Kim Joohwan smiled and kissed Jungmin.

“Stop.”

Jungmin said, pushing away Kim Joohwan’s lips as he leaned in, their kisses becoming gradually more intense. As he stepped back, his face was full of disappointment. Most of all, he could see that he was slightly erect…. Jungmin tried his best to ignore it and cleared his throat.

“I’m going to see the baby that was born. I also need to check if the mother’s condition is okay.”

“Yes, I’ll take you there.”

“And Doctor Ha said he’d be here around five, so I think I can hand things over then.”

“Okay.”

“And tomorrow, I have the day off.”

“Yes, what?”

Kim Joohwan, who had been answering quietly, looked at Jungmin as he realized the meaning of what he had just heard.

“It will take about four hours. The hotel.”

“Sunbae. I don’t want to go that far. It’s eight hours round trip. It’ll be hard on you, sunbae. When we get to Korea… let’s do it then.”

“I want to do it.”

Jungmin smiled and walked ahead. Kim Joohwan, who had been standing there blankly, replayed Jungmin’s words in his head, then quickly caught up to Jungmin with fast steps and grabbed his arm.

“Really… right?”

“Yes.”

Jungmin’s permission was granted. There was no time to hesitate. At this point where every minute and every second was precious, Kim Joohwan quickly put Jungmin in the car and went to the clinic. He confirmed that both the mother and the baby were healthy. The omega, who had now become a single father, must have had it harder than anyone, yet he smiled and thanked Jungmin. Then he looked at the baby he had given birth to and hugged him lovingly. He said he didn’t know who the father was. Just as Jungmin had predicted, it seemed he had had relations for just a few pieces of food.

The young omega didn’t resent the man. He recalled that he had been too hungry at the time, and his mother had also been sick, so if he hadn’t even had that, either his mother would have died or he would have. That image was sad and pitiable… and in a way, admirable. Jungmin comforted the boy, gave him the bread and soup that had been leftover for his own portion, and left the clinic.

From there, they headed straight for the city. The red sunset disappeared beyond the horizon, and the stars came out. In the car, driving across the empty plains, Jungmin suddenly let out a laugh.

“Why are you laughing like that?”

“You don’t like my laugh?”

“No. It sounds nice. So please keep laughing, sunbae.”

“You smooth talker….”

“Aren’t you going to tell me why you laughed?”

“Are you curious?”

“Of course. I’m curious about everything concerning you.”

“It’s just, I was thinking about whether I haven’t been missing out on a lot in life. The sunset in the sky, the stars… I wonder if I’ve ever looked at them this seriously. It’s funny that I’m only facing these beautiful things after turning thirty.”

I really didn’t take care of myself, Jungmin thought.

“Omondi was strong. He was really strong for his young age. And I could feel that he loved himself. But I wonder how I was.”

The body he had thrown away in an attempt to correct his nature had gotten much better, but he was still very unstable in terms of his trait. There were times when his pheromones would suddenly leak, and other times when they wouldn’t come out at all, and his ruts had stopped long ago. What if I stop being an alpha like this? This worry was preceded by the worry of, What if my existence as ‘me’ breaks down like this? Then wouldn’t he feel so sorry for himself? Far from taking care of himself, it was as if he had broken himself with his own hands by trying to forcefully change the natural order.

“You are strong too, sunbae.”

“Me?”

“Yes, your stubbornness.”

“Hey.”

“Haha, it’s a joke. But it is the truth. You are strong. It’s true that you did your best to achieve your goal. It’s also true that you gave it your all. And in the end… since things worked out well with me, isn’t that a happy ending?”

“A happy ending….”

“It is.”

He had thought only Yoo Shinwoo could lead him to a happy ending. But that wasn’t it. The one who led him down that path was right next to him… the junior he had hated seeing the most in the world, Kim Joohwan.

“You, you met Shinwoo hyung, didn’t you?”

“Hmm. How did you know?”

“I just, I thought you probably did.”

“It’s not that you want to see Yoo Shinwoo, right? I have absolutely no intention of letting you meet him.”

Do I want to see Yoo Shinwoo? I don’t think so.

“Sunbae, you’d better answer carefully. Otherwise, you’ll be on a flight to Korea tomorrow.”

When Jungmin was silent, the veins on the back of Kim Joohwan’s hand, which was gripping the steering wheel, could be seen popping out. Jungmin placed his hand over his and patted it.

“Calm down. I don’t want to see him. Why would I see him now? You may not know this, but when I need to be decisive, I am. Hyung is as good as a non-existent person to me now. Well, if you ask how I can cut him off so simply when I liked him so much I was willing to throw my body away, I have nothing to say, but…. It just worked out that way. And that’s not my fault. It’s Shinwoo hyung’s fault. He’s the one who made it this way.”

Listening to Jungmin’s story, Kim Joohwan laughed out loud. Jungmin didn’t know why he was laughing, but he thought it was a relief that he seemed to be in a better mood.

“That’s why I say you’re strong, sunbae. And you know how to love yourself enough. Well, and what if you don’t? I’ll love you more than enough to make up for it.”

Jungmin felt a shiver run down his spine for a moment and stared at Kim Joohwan.

“What on earth is wrong with you? Did you take some weird drug in Korea?”

“You should get used to it by now. I’ll be like this for the rest of our lives.”

“The rest of our lives?”

“Yes, for life. Shin Jungmin can’t escape Kim Joohwan.”

“My, my. Says who?”

“Says me… is what I’d like to say, but I’m working hard right now to make it so through your will, sunbae. Look forward to it.”

How could he be so full of confidence? But he didn’t dislike that side of him, and it even started to look cute, so he felt it was already over for him.

“Are you curious about what Yoo Shinwoo said?”

“No.”

He had expected as much. But still, he thought he might want to hear the story, but Jungmin was firm.

“Whatever hyung wants, whatever he wanted to do to me, it doesn’t matter anymore. That person is a non-existent person in my life. It has to be that way. That’s the only way I can move forward too. So you don’t worry about the person named Yoo Shinwoo either. He’s not even a person worth your concern.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Kim Joohwan felt good, certain that after today, this moment, Yoo Shinwoo’s name would no longer come up between the two of them. Because Jungmin was a person who did what he said he would do. On the other hand, he was also secretly afraid that he too might be cut off so swiftly. Promising himself once again to do well so that wouldn’t happen, Kim Joohwan hummed a tune and continued to drive down the rough road.

✽✽✽

“Haah….”

“Sunbae, sunbae.”

“Umm… sh-shoes first…. Kim Joohwan….”

“Yes, yes….”

As soon as they entered the hotel, the two of them kissed, their tongues mingling. It was called a hotel, but it was at a level that would barely pass for a one-star in Korea. If he had his way, he would have wanted to throw him down right there and follow his instincts, but not knowing what kind of dirt might be on the floor, Kim Joohwan gently guided Jungmin to the bed. The springs were surely not good either, so he carefully laid Jungmin down on the bed. As he took off his clothes, Kim Joohwan clicked his tongue.

“What is it, why do you look so displeased?”

Jungmin asked as he took off his clothes as well.

“I was just wondering what’s so different between here and your lodging, sunbae.”

It was understandable why Kim Joohwan would say that. To be sure, even to Jungmin’s eyes, the state of this place didn’t look very good.

“We have running water and electricity, don’t we? Let’s be satisfied with just that.”

He stroked Kim Joohwan’s arm as if to soothe him. Kim Joohwan flinched and released the pheromones he had been holding back. A suffocatingly thick pheromone enveloped Jungmin. It’s been a while. This weight. And this concentration… this breathlessness. Jungmin intertwined his own pheromones, trying to accept it little by little without resisting. Seeing that Kim Joohwan’s pheromones were still difficult for him, he was definitely an alpha.

“Is it hard for you?”

Kim Joohwan asked, kissing Jungmin’s forehead.

“No.”

Right, it wasn’t hard. Come to think of it, weren’t these the pheromones that had always been with him since he was young? Feeling Jungmin accepting him, Kim Joohwan bent his waist and touched his body. Jungmin’s body was still beautiful and firm. His abs were still there, as if he had been working out consistently here too, and his muscles were well-defined in places. But it hurt his heart to see that he had gotten a little thinner.

Feeling Kim Joohwan caressing his body as if observing it, Jungmin stroked his hair.