DS Ch13

“The article’s already out? That’s faster than expected.”

Seo Baekhan asked as the news section flickered on Joo Taehyun’s phone screen reflected in the car window, and he nodded coolly.

In the past, Seo Baekhan would unconsciously twitch his fingertips if he leaned this close to Joo Taehyun, but has he gotten used to the distance between them in the meantime? Or has he become more nonchalant because he’s two years older? Well, maybe it’s both.

“The reactions are generally good, I think. I haven’t looked at all the comments, though.”

“The reactions are good? A twenty-nine-year-old marrying a twenty-two-year-old, there’s no way.”

“Well, from the part about meeting and becoming friends at Hatch, everyone’s in a position where they can’t say anything.”

Well, there wouldn’t be any crazy bastards picking a fight with descendants of independence activists who fell in love while doing volunteer work. Still, it was unexpected that the public’s reaction was so favorable.

“Isn’t it a bit strange that an old man had a wedding with a twenty-two-year-old, and the reaction is only good? Maybe the assemblyman’s office or the PR department released some people.”

As Seo Baekhan muttered, genuinely wondering, Joo Taehyun bit his lip slightly and lowered his eyes slightly. Even though his facial expressions don’t change much, Seo Baekhan now knows a little that he makes that face when he’s wondering how to react.

“…Twenty-nine years old isn’t an old man.”

“Well, I’m close to thirty and you’re close to twenty? Compared to you, Taehyun, I’m definitely an old man.”

“Still-”

Seo Baekhan leaned back, burying his back deeply in the seat. After all, it wasn’t a joke that he expected an answer from Joo Taehyun.

As if he noticed that his husband on paper had no intention of continuing the conversation on this topic, Joo Taehyun commendably closed his mouth and stared blankly out the window.

When the conversation with Joo Taehyun stopped, the music playing in the car began to enter his ears. It was 〈Elegant Ghost〉, which Marc-André Hamelin had recently performed at a piano recital, which he had been enjoying listening to.

The process of preparing for the wedding with Joo Taehyun was similar to this music. It means it was quite comfortable.

The troublesome processes during the wedding ceremony were all omitted for various reasons.

Joo Taehyun’s older brothers and sisters seemed somewhat dissatisfied, but that was just the grumbling of siblings who wanted to support their youngest brother, so it wasn’t bothersome.

Joo Taehyun filled the newlywed home with things that were not flashy or extravagant, but antique and elegant.

It was fortunate that their tastes and eye for things were similar, since they had been living together for at least 10 years.

Curious about Joo Taehyun’s condition, who was as still as a dead mouse, Seo Baekhan glanced at him and saw him sitting blankly, picking at his innocent fingers.

As always, Seo Baekhan, who acted comfortably as he pleased, found this silence comfortable, but Joo Taehyun still felt awkward and didn’t know what to do when these moments came.

Seo Baekhan recalled the day when Joo Taehyun, at the age of twenty, came to him out of the blue and suddenly asked him to marry him. At that time, he waited for him to bring up the matter first, looking at the exhibition Illustrated Book, considering him in his own way, but Joo Taehyun tormented the soft flesh under his fingernails, where blood was seeping out of the catalog. Just like now.

‘I want to marry hyung.’

‘…I, so, for that reason… I thought I would be the best condition for hyung.’

It’s true that he liked hyung, but that’s all in the past, and now he liked sleeping with another alpha, so he got his hands on Switch. Joo Taehyun, who barely moved his lips in front of him, asking him to use him as his spouse for his smooth relationship… no, his sex life, saying that he would definitely be helpful.

Looking back, Joo Taehyun, who thought he was managing his expression quite well at the time, was clumsy in everything.

I still like hyung.

I’ve never not liked you.

What’s the point of having a gloomy and expressionless face, it was at the level of shouting his heart out with his whole body.

“Hyung, I just got a message from my sister. She said that our parents will contact you separately when they have time, so don’t worry about this side and let’s see each other after I come back from the US.”

“Uh-huh. Ours too.”

Seo Baekhan didn’t check properly, but the situation was probably similar. The notification window was ringing so much that the messages sent by his family were floating down and he couldn’t even dare to check them. Joo Taehyun and Seo Baekhan were already feeling like their souls were leaving their bodies, so how much more would their parents be?

Moreover, the names that flashed through the notification window were mostly unwelcome greetings. He clearly emphasized that he would politely decline congratulatory money, but there were people who arbitrarily deposited money, saying it was their heart.

People who were really close knew that it would only make things difficult for them if they accepted the money, so they stayed still, but on the contrary, the lukewarm bastards were anxious because they couldn’t do anything.

Seo Baekhan sighed deeply just by roughly skimming through the message previews that were densely packed at the top. Even if he cleared the notification window, a similar contact from a similar guy would pop up soon. Even though they said they wouldn’t accept congratulatory money, why do they add these kinds of words? Why were they sending it even though they knew he said he wouldn’t accept it?

“Taehyun, do you also have a lot of bastards who sent you money without your permission?”

“Yes. It’s automatically canceled if I don’t accept it, right?”

“Probably?”

Seo Baekhan threw the phone, which had become hot as if it was about to explode, somewhere on the seat, and Joo Taehyun followed Seo Baekhan’s actions exactly. It was ridiculous that he was consciously aware of him and pretending to take the same action unconsciously.

Well… Seo Baekhan thought it didn’t matter anymore.

His feelings hadn’t changed much from the beginning. Whether Joo Taehyun still had feelings for him or not, he didn’t intend to argue as long as he behaved smartly like now.

If Joo Taehyun could pretend that he had no lingering feelings for him, and if he acted cleanly to extract only the parts that would benefit each other without leaving anything behind… Then Seo Baekhan wouldn’t care at all whether Joo Taehyun continued to have a crush on him or secretly masturbated while thinking of him.

Rather, it was the behavior of the ideal spouse that Seo Baekhan had been wanting so much, so he even felt like praising him.

“What time is your departure tomorrow?”

“Around 11:40 AM. It’s delayed.”

“Didn’t your lover say they’d pick you up? Then you’ll be with your lover today.”