Strategic Mating Partner Chapter 66

Seryoung is only a year older than Sejin, as far as he knew. Of course, for athletes who achieved results early and had a relatively secure financial future, it wasn’t uncommon to marry young. Moreover, since Seryoung was an alpha, she wouldn’t be the one carrying the child anyway, so if her goal was to settle down and start a family early, it wasn’t surprising. Still, she was only twenty-three, and to already have a child was shocking news. Without thinking, Taehyun opened the box of truth.

“Wow, that must be cute. How old is she? Is she too young to be left alone, so Seryoung brings her along?”

If Seryoung’s spouse was a fellow athlete around her age, it was entirely possible. Most in that situation left their kids with family or hired a sitter, but if the child was well-behaved and not fussy, some athletes occasionally brought them to the training center. Some even jokingly called it early education. At Taehyun’s casual question, Sejin’s expression hardened briefly before he answered.

“Three years old.”

“Hm?”

Taehyun, momentarily confused by the math, asked again.

“Korean age? Or actual age?”

Sejin replied curtly.

“Do you really need to know?”

“…….”

Taehyun was momentarily speechless.

“Officially, she’s a premature baby.”

“Ohhh… I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.”

Now Taehyun understood why he hadn’t heard about Seryoung’s marriage. He didn’t want to know about someone else’s deep personal life. Turning pale, Taehyun changed the subject.

“How are the other athletes? Getting along well?”

Sejin paused, seeming to think it over, before speaking.

“They’re… just okay.”

Of course, to someone like you, they’d all seem just okay. To a once-in-a-century genius like Sejin, it was natural to wonder why others couldn’t do what he could. Still, the last Olympics, he’d answered with “I don’t know,” so upgrading to “just okay” might carry a negative connotation. Unable to resist his nosiness, Taehyun asked again.

“Are their skills lacking?”

Since getting to know Sejin, Taehyun had looked up the rules of epee fencing. With three-minute rounds and three players per team, simultaneous hits were counted, so matches often lasted the full 27 minutes. A team could win early by reaching the maximum score, but that rarely happened in official matches. It wasn’t a sport where one person’s excellence guaranteed victory, as each player’s active time was limited to a third of the match. At Taehyun’s question, Sejin was silent for a moment before responding.

“With the previous main players gone, the new ones feel less skilled. Well… there are always variables in real matches, so I can’t say for sure.”

As expected, the overall skill level of the selected team members seemed to have dropped, which was a significant factor. Last Olympics, Sejin was the rookie, but now, as the team’s ace, he had to perform beyond his own abilities, which must have been mentally taxing. Of course, his face didn’t show it, but as a human, he couldn’t be completely unaffected.

Realizing this, Taehyun understood why Sejin didn’t chatter about his daily life through texts or calls. With training already weighing on him, he probably didn’t want to vent to someone from a different sport. Hmm. Taehyun nodded to himself. Then, without thinking, he ruffled Sejin’s hair.

“It must be tough. But you’re doing great, so don’t feel too pressured.”

That was all Taehyun could say. Saying “You’ll do well” felt too irresponsible. What if he didn’t? Instead of offering vague hopes, Taehyun wanted to encourage Sejin by acknowledging that what he was doing now was admirable, impressive, and cool. It was the kind of encouragement Taehyun himself wanted to hear. With pressure coming from all sides—You’re the only one. You’re taking this opportunity, so you have to do well. If you don’t, it’s over—Taehyun couldn’t help but let those words slip out.

“…….”

“Oops.”

Taehyun, who had been absentmindedly stroking Sejin’s soft hair, suddenly worried he’d treated him too much like a pet and felt belated regret. Did I go too far? Glancing at Sejin, he saw him silently staring back.

“…….”

He must hate being treated like a kid. Just as Taehyun realized his mistake, Sejin spoke first.

“Shall we go?”

No explanation was needed to know where. Taehyun’s face flushed red from embarrassment and awkwardness. Why was this suddenly so mortifying? He couldn’t understand himself.

“…Yeah.”

Taehyun quietly stood and followed Sejin. Passing through a long hallway, they entered a familiar bedroom where the bedding was neatly arranged, waiting for Taehyun. Come to think of it, every time he passed out from exhaustion after being with Sejin, he’d wake up in a different bedroom. With so many rooms, it made sense. Having a big house was nice. Taehyun glanced around the room with bleary eyes and closed the door.

“…….”

Click, the sound of the door closing made it clear what needed to happen next. Taehyun immediately yanked off his T-shirt, tossing it aside. Before Sejin could do anything, Taehyun pushed him onto the bed, making him fall back.

“…?”

Sejin, suddenly lying on his back against the sheets, looked up at Taehyun with a bewildered expression. Taehyun undid his belt, threw his pants to the floor, and stood in just his briefs. Sejin looked at him with a slightly tense expression. Taehyun grinned and said.

“Today, I’m doing everything, so don’t move a finger.”

Sejin frowned, not understanding. When Taehyun straddled him, Sejin alternated between looking at Taehyun’s lower body and face with a suspicious gaze before asking hesitantly.

“Are you going to top, hyung?”

At the absurd question, Taehyun burst out laughing, all tension gone, tears nearly streaming from his eyes.

“Oh my god, seriously. Ha, haha, ugh…”

Taehyun, doubled over with laughter, pounded the sheets with his fist. Sejin, irritated, asked.

“Then what are you trying to do? You have to say it.”

At Sejin’s sharp response, Taehyun calmed down and looked at him. How did he come up with such a cheeky idea? Of course, Sejin probably knew Taehyun had topped in past relationships, even with women, so it wasn’t strange for him to have those desires. But Taehyun didn’t feel that way with Sejin. Initially, he didn’t want to burden this prickly, sensitive, sometimes rude but occasionally delicate guy with anything that might be uncomfortable or painful.

Besides, once they’d been together, Taehyun found he didn’t mind bottoming for Sejin. It was more than just not minding—it was so good it was almost scary. Being with an alpha so compatible as an omega was thrillingly satisfying. He didn’t know how many partners he’d have in the future, but Sejin would likely be the standard for every sexual experience going forward. So, he had no desire to switch roles. Besides, him bottoming was more efficient for pheromone exchange anyway. Calming his trembling shoulders, Taehyun said.

“No, I mean just stay still. I’ll take care of everything. If you move, it’s too intense for me.”

Did you think I passed out for no reason? Taehyun kept that last part to himself, placing his hands on Sejin’s shoulders. He slid off his underwear with one hand, becoming fully naked. Sejin, looking slightly tense, scanned Taehyun from head to toe. Taehyun, unfazed, climbed onto Sejin and slowly touched himself without even removing Sejin’s clothes.