AMF | Chapter 1.2

Realizing he had been looking him up and down, Eunho felt his cheeks heat up. His pulse raced. Hastily, he took a drink, only to hear a chuckle. His heart raced even more. Intending to take just a sip, he ended up downing it all at once.

“Cough.”

“Want to try this? If you like it, I’ll order it for you.”

The man lightly shook the glass in his hand. His kind and sweet tone made Eunho suspicious. Who is this guy? Why is he being so nice to a stranger? Surely he didn’t spike the drink.

Normally, Eunho would have refused and left. But just as he was about to say no, Dohoon’s last image flashed before his eyes. Just thinking about him panting on the terrace made his head spin.

“…I’ll drink.”

Yeah, let’s drink. Already feeling troubled, he didn’t want to doubt someone showing kindness. What he needed now was alcohol. Something to suppress this nauseating feeling.

The man called the bartender with his characteristic gentle tone. Watching him talk, Eunho felt strangely sleepy. He observed the man with a drowsy expression and exhaled. It was a sigh mixed with drowsiness and intoxication.

.☘︎ ݁˖ .☘︎ ݁˖ .☘︎ ݁˖

Eunho had a dream. In the dream, he was drinking with a stranger. The cheerful chatter of Eunho felt strangely unfamiliar, almost as if he were someone else. Even though he kept thinking it was odd, his mouth wouldn’t stop.

“Why are you so angry?”

The man, who had been quietly listening, asked. He didn’t seem bored at all, his eyes sparkling with interest. Though his curious gaze was quite rude, the intoxicated Eunho didn’t mind. He just leaned closer to the man’s face watching him.

“Of course, I’m very angry. Angry, sad, humiliated… I feel like throwing up.”

“So why?”

The man calmly added.

“If you break up, that’s it, right?”

“No, no. It can’t just end with a breakup notice. He treated me like I was defective. I’m boiling inside because…”

Suddenly, his vision blurred, and the man sitting next to him disappeared. With no one to talk to, Eunho’s gaze wandered. Everything around him was pitch black.

Eunho walked through the darkness. As he wandered aimlessly, the man’s question came to mind.

“Why are you so angry?”

A light appeared from somewhere. Reflecting on the man’s question, he ran toward the light. But within seconds, Eunho regretted running toward the light for no reason.

Under the light, a man was kissing someone. The person he was deeply kissing, holding tightly by the waist, was not his fiancé.

It was someone even closer, someone he once believed without a doubt loved him the most in the world. His father.

His father was laughing and continuously kissing someone. Watching in a daze, Eunho felt suffocated. Struggling to breathe, he clutched his throat. Meanwhile, the father engaging in affection before his eyes had changed.

It was Dohoon. His fiancé and soon-to-be husband. And the man who betrayed him, just like his father.

Eunho opened his mouth wide, trying to breathe. At the same time, tears streamed down his face.

.☘︎ ݁˖ .☘︎ ݁˖ .☘︎ ݁˖

“Hah, huh!”

Gasping, Eunho opened his eyes wide. The bright morning sunlight pierced his eyes. Covering his face with both hands, he took a deep breath. His rapidly rising and falling chest gradually calmed down.

“…Ha.”

What a terrible nightmare. Dohoon’s cheating must have been a huge shock. Seeing his father’s affair in the dream too, it seemed.

Eunho’s eyelids blinked slowly as he thought of his father. Soon, a look of annoyance mixed with his once-dazed eyes. It was a gaze as if he were looking at a bug.

His mother, who was frail, had been battling a long illness. During the precarious time when her life seemed to hang by a thread, Eunho accidentally saw it. His father getting out of a car and kissing his secretary.

His father had no idea that his son knew. Eunho hadn’t told anyone. Not his mother, who was on the brink of death, nor his father, who pretended to be devoted only to his wife. The reason was simple. He didn’t want to hurt his mother, who was about to pass away, and he didn’t want the always harmonious and strong family to break apart.

Of course, hiding it didn’t mean it never happened. To Eunho, that memory was a wound that would never disappear. Even while talking to his father, when he remembered that time, it felt like a knife was stabbing his heart. Visiting his mother’s grave, he trembled with betrayal. And now, with his fiancé cheating, the memories of his father resurfaced, making him feel like he wanted to die from the pain.

“Why are they like this? Why is everyone like this?”

Thinking of their seemingly nice faces gave him chills. Eunho shuddered and sat up. Maybe because he drank too much, his body ached. The throbbing headache made Eunho frown.

“Ah.”

He lowered his hands and clutched his throat. His mouth was dry, and he was extremely thirsty. He thought drinking a lot of water might ease this suffocating feeling. Eunho decided to leave the room.

“…Huh?”

But within seconds, instead of leaving, he wore a puzzled expression. He realized belatedly that this room was a very unfamiliar space.

The dark-toned ceiling and wallpaper, the bed, and all the interior were not his. Eunho murmured quietly to himself.

“Am I still dreaming?”

“Dream?”

At that moment, as if waiting, a stranger’s voice tapped at his ear. A foreboding feeling crept up his spine. Eunho turned his head with a pale face, hoping he had heard wrong.

But as if mocking Eunho’s hope, the owner of the voice stood not far away. He stood at the open door, tilting his head. The man didn’t seem unfamiliar or awkward with Eunho’s presence. With an unchanged expression, he gently greeted him.

“Did you sleep well?”

Eunho’s mouth dropped open. Unconsciously, he clutched the blanket tightly, staring at the man. It was him. The man he drank with at the bar.

It felt like all his hair was standing on end. He couldn’t remember what they talked about or what happened afterward. Staring blankly, Eunho quickly checked himself. He was still wearing the clothes from yesterday. His suit jacket was missing, though.

“Oh, I hung the jacket outside. It might get wrinkled, so I took it off.”

“…”

“You seem really surprised. Surely you don’t remember anything from yesterday, right?”

His tone was polite but had a teasing edge. Eunho shrank back, scrutinizing the man. He was dressed casually, like someone would be at home.

“Is this… your house?”

“Kang Yieon.”

“What?”

“Not ‘your house,’ but Kang Yieon, Seo Eunho.”

A smile appeared on the man’s face, who was named Yieon. He seemed to find the situation quite amusing.

“We even introduced ourselves and exchanged business cards, remember?”

“Did we…?”

“You really don’t remember, huh. What a shame.”

Yieon clicked his tongue, stroking his chin with long fingers. His white, smooth skin looked like porcelain. He was impeccably neat, not like someone who drank last night. He chuckled as he touched his jawline. The meaningful laughter made Eunho frown.

“Why are you laughing like that? Did I cause some trouble?”

“Hmm.”

“Did I throw up or… cause a scene or something?”

But still, there was no response. The man just threw a mysterious smile. The long silence was driving Eunho crazy. No matter how much he tried to recall, he couldn’t remember what happened last night.

“Wash up and have breakfast.”

Finally, Yieon broke the silence. But it wasn’t what Eunho wanted to hear.

“No, no. I should leave now. I can’t impose any longer.”

Eunho hurriedly got out of bed. Meanwhile, Yieon took a few steps with his long legs and approached Eunho. He smelled nice as he got closer.

“Eat before you go.”

Yieon said softly.

“Then I’ll tell you what happened yesterday.”

As he murmured, the scent lingered around him. A faint but definite smell, the pheromone scent of an Alpha. Realizing he was an Alpha, Eunho noticed the smell of alcohol on himself. His heart raced like someone caught doing something wrong.

“What on earth did I do yesterday? I hope I didn’t really cause trouble.”

All sorts of terrible imaginations filled his mind. Meanwhile, Yieon just stood there, smiling quietly. Looking at his gentle smile, Eunho even felt guilty. Even though he was a stranger, he could have just left him there, drunk and unconscious. How did he end up bringing him to his house and letting him sleep? And he even prepared breakfast.

“…Then I’ll use the bathroom.”

“Of course. I’ve left toiletries in front of the bathroom, so feel free to use them.”

Yieon spoke with eyes filled with amusement. Not wanting to smell like alcohol any longer, Eunho quickly left. As he stepped out of the room, he felt a prickling sensation on the back of his head. It felt like Yieon was still watching him.

“Haa.”

As soon as he entered the bathroom, he let out a sigh. Looking in the mirror, Eunho couldn’t help but frown. His hair was messy, his eyes were swollen, and his cheeks had paled overnight. It was a face that perfectly matched the expression “pathetic.”

He pressed his swollen eyelids with his fingers. He wasn’t usually prone to swelling, but today was different. To think he talked to that man with this ugly face. The contrast with Yieon, who looked like a model from a photo shoot, was too stark.

“What is going on, Seo Eunho? Your fiancé cheated, and you slept at a stranger’s house…”

He muttered to himself, starting to take off his clothes one by one. And he fervently hoped. That he hadn’t done anything embarrassing to the owner of this house, and that whatever drunken mishap he had was something he could handle.

.☘︎ ݁˖ .☘︎ ݁˖ .☘︎ ݁˖

Eunho carefully opened the bathroom door after his shower. A neatly folded towel and slippers were right in front of him. He dried himself with the towel and slipped on the slippers. The soft, warm feel around his bare feet was comforting.

He cautiously stepped forward, rubbing his damp hair with the towel. The house was spacious and pleasant. The interior was luxurious, and beyond the living room window, the wide Han River was visible.

Eunho recalled Yieon’s watch from last night. Yeah, it was an expensive watch. He really was a wealthy man. What does he do? A businessman? He looked young. Just as curiosity arose, he sensed someone nearby.

“If you’re done washing up, come over here.”

He moved closer to the voice. A delicious smell hit his nose. Various dishes were laid out on the table. Seeing the bean sprout soup made him eager to eat. It looked like the perfect hangover cure.

“…Did you make all this yourself?”

“That’s right.”