Cold City Romance Chapter 9.1

“Kangwoo is something you know best. Of course, since you’ve been stuck together for over thirty years.”

In the intimate conversation coming and going warmly between the two close families, and within the cheerful exchange of greetings, Chairman Hyun brought up Hyun Kangwoo’s marriage as the topic of discussion.

Even though he had passed the age of thirty, the appropriate time for marriage, Chairman Hyun poured out his blatant reprimands toward his foolish eldest son who turned down all sorts of good positions and even refused a strategic marriage alliance.

“What do you think from your perspective, Dokyung?”

“…….”

“He’s stubbornly saying he has no intention of getting married at all. What on earth do you think is the reason he’s ruining every opportunity I’ve painstakingly arranged?”

“…….”

“It’s not like he can keep tarnishing his father’s reputation forever. If you have any inkling of what’s going on, you should tell me.”

Even in Chairman Hyun’s eyes, who had watched him grow up like his own uncle from the moment he was born, Cha Dokyung was not an easy child.

Not because of his strikingly outstanding appearance and unusual demeanor that drew admiration from a young age, but despite that, it was his humble and intelligent conduct that always knew moderation and adhered to the right path, which was endearing, so Chairman Hyun cherished and doted on the son of his old friend, the director Cha, as if he were his own adopted son.

Not wanting the child, who was like a son to him, to suffer hardships, he had opened up many opportunities for him, and he had even volunteered as a sponsor, worrying that the harsh entertainment industry might stain him with something dirty and vulgar. He was a child who never forgot that and constantly repaid it with gratitude. A beast with black fur is sufficiently commendable just for knowing that grace.

Cha Dokyung, who had been gazing at the distant mountains outside the lake villa spread out like a landscape painting, rolled his neat eyes as if lost in thought for a moment at Chairman Hyun’s sudden question.

The clear mountains and waters framed by the large lake outside the window were a fresh, verdant spectacle that always refreshed the eyes no matter when one looked. To the families of both houses, this lakeside villa on the outskirts of the city was extremely dear and familiar. Since it was not too far from Seoul, it was also a space frequently used for family gatherings. Cha Dokyung too had many good memories here at Hoesonji (Lake Immortal Land), the lakeside villa, from his childhood.

His neat and pale face, in contrast to him, chewed on his red lips several times, and with an anxious and impatient expression, he once again moistened his dry lips. The families gathered around the grand guest room table, sharing a meal together, waited for Cha Dokyung to speak.

“Well, to me, it seems like he has high standards, so there’s no partner that catches his eye…….”

At that moment, Cha Dokyung’s eyes met those of Hyun Jaehwi, who was sitting across from him, next to Chairman Hyun.

Until just before being summoned to this gathering where both families had suddenly been called together, the man who had been rolling around in bed with him until morning had a face that was dizzyingly cool and sensual.

The atmosphere emanating from Hyun Jaehwi contained a boldness that made it impossible to even imagine that he had toyed with him and drained his soul until this morning.

His long eyes scanned Cha Dokyung as they waited for a response. His straight nose and sexy lips curved into a relaxed smile and quivered.

Only now, looking at each other across the table amid the families, did it finally sink in clearly. They had only mingled bodies a few times. However, Hyun Jaehwi had transformed into a completely different appearance from when they first met. The fact that he, who had been a virgin until now, had come to know sexual experience and understood sex, and had changed into the atmosphere of a man who knew it, touched his skin directly.

Was he such a laid-back man who could leisurely exude sexual charm so freely toward others without reservation? Probably, since he had chosen him at Messiah, it must have been like that even then, but now that charm was to the point of making the other person feel shabby.

If the first time they met he was on the boundary between boy and man, now a complete and confident man was sitting there boldly looking down at him from above. It was as if he was showing off that he had held and possessed him with that perfect body. That feeling was chillingly distinct from his position sitting across from him.

In that instant, his heart sank.

When he came to his senses from the stinging gaze he felt and turned his eyes, Hyun Kangwoo, sitting right next to him, was staring intently at the two of them. The three people’s gazes intertwined at the same time. Cha Dokyung pretended not to notice, but he clearly saw it. It was a gaze voyeuristically watching the sparks flying and the subtle heat between the two.

“Fishing…….”

Cha Dokyung quickly responded to Chairman Hyun, hiding his embarrassment.

“It seems like Kangwoo is so immersed in fishing that he has no time to think about meeting women. Mister…….”

The serving staff approached and busily served the seafood platter, bringing out the main dish made with king crab and truffle mushrooms. Cha Dokyung’s father and mother, sitting beside him, were completely absorbed in the splendid visuals and flavors of the high-end course cuisine.

“That guy, he doesn’t have some secret lover hidden away, does he? Even if others don’t know, you should know best, Dokyung.”

Chairman Hyun, who had received a diagnosis from his father, the hospital director, that his congenital heart condition had worsened, issued stern commands to the children of both families. It was unknown when another heart attack might suddenly strike the seemingly fine Chairman Hyun. If a sudden cardiac arrest were to occur, the prognosis was that his life could not be guaranteed afterward.

Although they had decided to hold a family gathering now that Hyun Jaehwi had returned to Korea, they had not yet been able to have a proper meal with everyone present. The special bond that had continued from the grandfather’s generation, added to the deep and long-standing friendship between the two fathers over the years, meant that the family friendship gatherings, which had consistently continued for just as long, were often postponed due to the busy schedules of the children from both families.

Because it was difficult to align the individually busy schedules of the grown children, the gatherings had been delayed, which displeased him, so Chairman Hyun had personally called each absent child and issued stern commands, forcibly assembling all the children from both families at this gathering today.

Hyun Kangwoo gave a troubled smile with a wry expression.

“Father, why are you asking Dokyung about something like that? Lately, he deliberately doesn’t even answer my calls. How busy our great actor must be……. Cha Dokyung, you punk, why don’t you pick up my calls?”

“…….”

It was true that he had deliberately avoided Hyun Kangwoo’s calls these past few days. He couldn’t very well say he was having sex with his youngest brother.

Whether it was an uncanny coincidence or not, strangely, every time he was stuck with Hyun Jaehwi and eating, Hyun Kangwoo would call him. Because of his guilt, Cha Dokyung had deliberately avoided Hyun Kangwoo’s calls.

The unethical situation of having to lie to his closest friend, who was like a brother, was uncomfortable. This was the first time he had intentionally avoided Hyun Kangwoo’s contact for such a long period.

Throughout the weekend, Cha Dokyung had blocked all contacts from everyone except for urgent work-related calls.

Representative Yeom’s calls were the same. After the final production company meeting with writer Song Eunhee and director Pyo Woongje, Cha Dokyung had spent the entire weekend with Hyun Jaehwi. The strangest thing was that not a single call had come from Representative Yeom, who he had expected would interrogate him relentlessly and persistently about his relationship with Hyun Jaehwi, like a viper.

Throughout the weekend, Cha Dokyung had rolled around in that house with Hyun Jaehwi.

He had been caught by that vigorous and young guy, going back and forth between the bed, living room, and kitchen, doing that act. He hadn’t even realized how much time had passed. Hyun Jaehwi didn’t seem particularly interested in his own satisfaction or pleasure. Rather, he focused on satisfying Cha Dokyung’s desires and pleasures.

Thanks to that, his club-like penis remained stiff as if it would break, unable to relieve its urges. He would fall asleep holding him with his cock erect, then wake up and repeat. He would pin him down, then softly kiss him again, and with that large body of his, he would even coquettishly smile at him like a boy, acting spoiled. Then suddenly, he would scold him and start firmly suppressing him as if pretending to be an adult. It seemed like a scheme to utterly drain his soul until he couldn’t think straight. Fuck, it wasn’t even funny.

When he was utterly exhausted and collapsed, he would soothe him and watch a boring French movie together, resolving meals with the food that kid made. The cooking was terrible, but he forced him to eat it, saying it was high in protein and good for the body. He was a wicked guy.

Throughout last weekend, he felt like a person possessed by something somewhere. No, clearly, he had been bewitched by that bewitching bastard. When he tried to escape, he would grab him at the door, not letting him go back.

In the end, he exposed his belly to him and even used pheromones as a last resort. He was a son of a bitch who didn’t hesitate to use cowardly tricks to win. He controlled, restrained, amplified, and relaxed his pheromones at will. He would tease him into agony but never allow climax.

He must have realized that after climax ends, an uncontrollable sense of loss and emptiness would come rushing in. In that case, he had now become a perfect adult.

Pretending to be clumsy because it was his first time no longer worked. He had become frighteningly skilled, as if wondering when it had even been the first time. Instead, he placed him on the palm of his hand and toyed with him.

He was definitely different from other alphas. Unlike the alphas so far who were frantic to satisfy their own aroused desires in front of his pheromones, Hyun Jaehwi felt ecstasy and satisfaction only when he truly felt pleasure. For that, he obsessively controlled him and made him beg for pleasure at his feet.

When he came to his senses, it was Sunday morning.

And both Hyun Jaehwi and Cha Dokyung received that harsh call from Chairman Hyun in bed.

“If Father hadn’t called Dokyung directly, this guy wouldn’t have shown up here……. Cha Dokyung, this punk, how stingy he is with me. I’m always in the position of the lonely wild goose.”

Disappointment was plainly written all over Hyun Kangwoo’s face. He had been indifferent to his one and only friend all this time. The thing with no loyalty at all, not even as much as dog shit used in traditional medicine, was none other than the human called Cha Dokyung.

“Sorry……. I’ve been really busy preparing for the new project.”

Even though Hyun Jaehwi, who knew the truth, was blatantly watching, he had no choice but to make up a lame excuse. Among the people here, deceiving Kangwoo was the hardest. He knew better than anyone that he was the most loyal and good guy.

“Cha Dokyung…… you punk, you’re not dating behind my back, are you? Mother, sister…… this guy isn’t really dating someone, is he?”

Looking at Cha Dokyung’s older sister, Cha Seongju, who was quite a bit older than him, Hyun Kangwoo asked incredulously as if it were absurd.

“Kangwoo, how would we know if even you don’t? He never talks about his private life to family at all……. Dokyung and I are practically blood relatives who could have been registered in the same family book, but we’re basically strangers, right? I haven’t even seen his face here for months either.”

His older sister, Cha Seongju, a skilled and renowned surgeon, was just as busy as him. From her school days, she had been a ruthless top student who waved her hands saying she had no time to play with kids because she was buried in studies.

Cha Dokyung had not been much of a good family member to his family. He was neither a good younger brother nor a good child. Separate from loving them, over that time, Cha Dokyung had been struggling alone with the symptom called turbulence, so he had no leeway to listen to family advice on marriage or his identity that he had to hide. He was always busy making excuses that he was swamped with work.

As he said, if Chairman Hyun mister hadn’t called directly and spoken firmly, he wouldn’t have attended this gathering now.

“It’s not like that…… yeah, you’re right. I’m sorry.”

A hint of embarrassment fleetingly crossed the cold face of the indifferent ice beauty.

“Kangwoo must be at his wits’ end to say something like that. You, you’re really heartless too. It’s understandable that Kangwoo feels slighted.”

His mother looked reproachfully at her indifferent son.

However, his mother’s gaze shifted back to Hyun Jaehwi. Her eyes had not left the now fully grown Hyun Jaehwi since earlier.

From the mouth of his mother, a renowned university professor who was picky about everything and stingy with praise, endless praise and infinite fondness for that child continued to pour out. In the end, his mother was weak to pedigree and character too.

“By the way, how is Jaehwi so handsome? Isn’t Jaehwi the one who should be the actor, not Dokyung?”

The one who had been holding him and rolling around in the same bed until just a moment ago gave a subtle eye smile as if responding to his own mother. His mother melted at that upright and affectionate smile, blinking her eyes.

“In terms of looks, I can’t compare to Dokyung hyung.”

Yeah, just like Mother said, it seems like you should be the actor, not me.

How could he pretend so well with that relaxed face in front of the family without batting an eye.

It made the fact that he had greedily sucked between his legs until morning seem colorless.

His father, with his kind and benevolent face, offered blessings to his old friend.

“Indeed……. Our Jaehwi isn’t just good-looking. He’s smart and diligent too. Chairman Hyun, you’ve really hit the jackpot with children in your old age. You’ve raised him so upright, so now if you just take care of your health and step down to rest, there won’t be any worries. The daughters of good families will line up, what more…….”

At that time, Hyun Serin asked Cha Dokyung.

“Hyun Kangwoo is getting an earful for having no thoughts of marriage. Oppa, do you have no thoughts of marriage either?”

Hyun Serin knew his situation better than anyone. For her to bring up marriage to him, who was hiding that he was an omega and pretending to be an alpha to the world, was utter nonsense in itself.

“No intentions. You know I’m not in a position for that.”

Cha Dokyung’s father and mother, in turn, poured out nagging in front of Chairman Hyun mister and let out deep sighs at those words.

They were typical older generation elders still caught in the traditional notion that one could only lead a successful life like theirs by getting married, having children, and building a proper family. It would not be an exaggeration to say that his parents, who were the top elites of their generation, had formed their engagement that way and achieved their current success in a conventional manner. In a rigid and stuffy doctor’s family with a top-student older sister obsessed only with studies, the fact that only he had become an actor like an alien from another planet was perhaps a miracle of this strict and boring household.

Before they knew it, this family gathering had devolved into an execution for the two sons over thirty, Cha Dokyung and Hyun Kangwoo, who had not even a speck of thought about marriage.

“Then, oppa, are you going to live your whole life single and frustrated without even dating?”

Hyun Serin asked with a meaningful smile.

“I don’t have the leisure for that. Once I start a project, a year flies by in a flash. In this situation, I don’t want a scandal breaking out that I’m an omega……. I don’t want to be the talk of people’s mouths either. I don’t want to unnecessarily invite trouble by volunteering for it.”

Since all the family members from both sides knew that Cha Dokyung was an omega, there was nothing to be concerned about.