TYS Ch 10

Only after spending the entire afternoon carrying loads did Seungwan realize he was not only covered in dust but probably also smelled of sweat. The man had likely noticed as well, especially in the cramped truck. Maybe that’s why he had been so quiet.

Not knowing how strong the odor was, Seungwan pressed his nose into the T-shirt he had taken off and sniffed, but there was no way to tell. People were usually more sensitive to the smell of others than to their own, weren’t they? He sighed and stepped under the showerhead. He had planned to wash only his face and hands before helping set the table, but it seemed better to clean his whole body instead.

After showering quickly, he roughly dried off and put on the indoor T-shirt and shorts the man had sent him. As soon as he opened the door, the smell of food hit his nose. It was a spicy aroma that might have been fish stew or something else entirely. He hesitated for a moment before cautiously making his way to the kitchen.

“Can you set the bowls?”

The man spoke without even turning to look at him, as if he already knew Seungwan was there. His words, though a command, sounded almost gentle, so Seungwan moved quickly. As he placed the utensils and plates down, the man set a trivet in the center of the table and brought over the steaming pot.

“I don’t want to deal with more dishes, so let’s just eat like this.”

“……”

Seungwan didn’t respond, but this time, his silence was closer to agreement. The pot, still untransferred to a serving dish, contained chicken stew. So this was the source of the spicy aroma.

“Eat a lot. Finally, I’m making you a full meal.”

The man chuckled as he spoke. His tone sounded strange, almost as if he had been looking forward to making Seungwan a meal. Seungwan muttered a quiet thanks and patiently waited for the man to pick up his chopsticks first. When he didn’t eat, the man studied him for a moment before suddenly laughing, as if something had just clicked.

“Are you treating me like an elder?”

“Ah, no, it’s not that…”

Was this something that could offend him? It was hard to gauge their level of closeness, so Seungwan barely moved his lips as he spoke. Older adults tended to like him, but strangely, men who were only slightly older either disliked him for no reason or enjoyed messing with him. Besides, wasn’t the man the same age as Chief Chae? Bad relationships had a way of holding people back in various ways.

The man, who had been staring at Seungwan’s frozen yet delicate face for a while, let out a small chuckle.

“Am I your boss or something? You think I’m gonna sit here and wait for a baby to serve me? Just relax and eat.”

…Baby? Even the elderly people at the cooperative rarely used that word. Seungwan quickly picked up his chopsticks, hoping the man wouldn’t say it again. The deboned chicken was incredibly delicious. Seungwan was a decent cook himself, but the man’s skills were far superior.

“It’s… it’s delicious.”

Seungwan wanted to express his gratitude, but as soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted them. In a life as unpredictable as his, there was no telling what might happen if the man suddenly changed his mind and introduced him to something like a brothel instead of work at the agricultural cooperative. He couldn’t believe his own complacency, letting his guard down just because he’d been treated to a single meal.

Had he always been this easy to break through? No. Seungwan’s life, though short, had been vulnerable to exploitation, and he had long since learned to build walls around himself. Keeping his guard up wasn’t so much a strength as it was a survival strategy. Which made it all the more strange. The man, who had effortlessly torn down those walls, chuckled again, as if he didn’t care how unusual his presence was to Seungwan, and said, “Really? Eat up. You used to like chicken when you were little.”

That sudden burst of dialect caught him off guard, and Seungwan couldn’t quite understand it right away. Just how young did he mean? It seemed to refer to a time before Seungwan’s mother left home, but it was hard to pinpoint exactly when. As Seungwan’s chopsticks hovered in the air, the man glanced at him and chuckled.

“It seems you don’t remember. Why are you trying so hard to rack your brain? The food’s going to get cold.”

There was no expectation in the man’s words. He simply told Seungwan to eat. Only then did Seungwan realize the man hadn’t actually expected him to remember anything—it had just been an offhand comment, a casual attempt to break the frozen atmosphere.

The fact that the man remembered him while Seungwan couldn’t recall him at all weighed on his mind. He’d strained to remember, but now that he understood it was nothing more than a passing remark, he felt strangely deflated. Saying nothing, he resumed eating. The taste was the same, but it was hard to focus.

The man didn’t seem like the type to talk much during meals. After that exchange, which hardly felt like a conversation, he remained silent. The meal ended with the quiet clinking of chopsticks against plates.

“…I’ll do the dishes.”

At those words, the man briefly looked at Seungwan, let out a low hum, and nodded. As he raised his hand to his waist, his T-shirt lifted slightly, revealing a glimpse of his solid hip bone. Seungwan, who had unknowingly let his gaze drop, quickly shifted his eyes to the man’s forehead.

“Can I ask a favor? There’s something I need to do.”

It was probably about the ledger. Seungwan thought so but nodded obediently. He watched the man’s back as he finished cleaning up and headed toward his room. It was the one right next to Seungwan’s. Since it was the largest room, he had assumed the man would use it, but now that it was confirmed, he couldn’t help but be conscious of it. To avoid looking any longer, Seungwan focused on washing the dishes.

After placing the plates on the drying rack and wiping his hands, he bit his lip, lost in thought. He couldn’t shake off his concerns about the ledger from earlier. The Omega who worked at Forget-Me-Not had acted strangely, as if he knew the man well… If the man was the owner of Forget-Me-Not, could he make Seungwan pay off the remaining 50 million won debt by working there?

Although Seungwan was known as a Beta, the man had learned through debt collectors that he was actually an Omega. He had said that if Seungwan helped with work, he would reduce his debt, but in the end, there was always the possibility he’d end up working at some bar in town.

Wiping the moisture from his hands, Seungwan turned around. It would be better to ask than to let his anxiety get the best of him. If he could figure out the man’s intentions, he could at least prepare for the worst. And if it came down to it, he could always run away.

With determined steps, he walked over and knocked on the man’s door.

He immediately heard movement inside. With a tense expression, Seungwan stared at the door. Moments later, it opened. A wave of heat poured out, and Seungwan unconsciously took a step back. The man stood before him, shirtless, thick droplets of sweat rolling down his skin as he looked down at him.

“What’s up?”

His wet Adam’s apple bobbed as he asked, showing no intention of wiping away the sweat. His collarbones, thick like steel pipes, glistened under the light. Dressed in gray sweatpants, the fabric at his waistband was soaked. Had he been exercising? The thick bulge between his legs was clearly visible, and Seungwan hastily averted his eyes. Not wanting the man to see his wavering gaze, he quickly focused on the floor.

“If… the thing you need my help with is about Forget-Me-Not…”

“What?”

Before Seungwan could finish, the man ran a rough palm over his face, as if scrubbing it would somehow help him make sense of the words. Seungwan hesitated for a moment, debating whether to speak again, and was just about to open his mouth.

“What are you talking about? Why would you work there?”

The man spoke first, his brows furrowed in frustration.

“I let you take it easy for a few months, and now you’re getting cocky.”

“……”

“Starting tomorrow, I’ll be leaving work early to train you, so get ready. You’ve got no determination, you brat.”

The man clicked his tongue and waved his hand. He looked displeased and angry, but it wasn’t intimidating. That was strange. Plenty of people had yelled at Seungwan for no reason at all, making this situation even more confusing.

Before Seungwan could respond, the door in front of him slammed shut with a bang.

“Go to sleep. Don’t think about useless things.”

The order came from inside. Seungwan hesitated, then turned away. It felt like he had been scolded, yet for some reason, it didn’t bother him.

He stood there for a moment before reluctantly turning around. It seemed the man had misunderstood him. He probably thought Seungwan was saying he wanted to work at Forget-Me-Not. But Seungwan didn’t have the courage to knock again. The man had looked like he’d just finished working out, and the thought of facing that sweat-drenched upper body again was just too much.