NB | Chapter 27

Seo Woohyun awkwardly followed with a laugh. Park Sejin still couldn’t quite figure out what was going on in his mind.

“Did you get home okay? You seemed pretty drunk too, so I was going to put you in a taxi, but while I was struggling to help you, Director Kang came and assisted.”

“Yeah, I don’t know why the director suddenly appeared, but I found out the next day that he helped me. …Honestly, I don’t remember much from that night.”

“Why don’t you remember? Did something happen to you?”

At first, he teased Woohyun about his low alcohol tolerance with a playful expression, but by the end, his eyes turned into triangles as if he really thought something might have happened to Woohyun.

“Did something bad happen to you?”

As he asked, Park Sejin examined Woohyun as if trying to find traces left by Kang Jiwon somewhere.

The Kang Jiwon that Park Sejin knew was an alpha who valued common sense and efficiency. No matter how much he was tempted by omega pheromones, he wouldn’t even blink. Would he really have touched another alpha, especially one more than ten years younger? Alpha with alpha isn’t particularly efficient, and a double-digit age difference is beyond common sense, so he wouldn’t have done it. That’s why he wasn’t too anxious even when Woohyun was taken right in front of him.

What intrigued him about Woohyun was his pure, untouched state. But if someone had already marked him, it would be a different story. Those who already have owners often have bad habits from the start and are quite arrogant.

Woohyun couldn’t do anything about the busy head moving under his chin and stepped back. It was quite embarrassing to have someone come so close as if they were going to bury their nose in his clothes and sniff.

“The only thing that happened… Ah, the taxi fare was 30,000 won.”

If he had taken the bus or subway, it wouldn’t have cost even 5,000 won… Of course, that 30,000 won included the cost of Seo Woohyun maintaining his social dignity.

Park Sejin, who had been following Woohyun as he stepped back, finally paused.

“Didn’t that rich guy even pay for the taxi?”

Woohyun knew he had misunderstood something, but he didn’t bother to correct him. If Park Sejin was indeed interfering with Kang Jiwon’s work as he suspected, it would be better to maintain the current atmosphere.

So Woohyun didn’t ask until Park Sejin said he had to leave for his next schedule. Why did you give me pheromone stimulants? He felt that addressing that fact would irreparably damage their current relationship.

***

Woohyun crunched on nachos with cheese sauce. The savory and salty aroma filled his nose, and the crispy texture of the nachos delighted his mouth.

The single recliner he was half-lying on was so comfortable it felt like sitting on a cloud, and a drama starring Yoon Ije was playing continuously on a large, high-definition laptop without any ads.

Although he hadn’t been to the cinema often, Woohyun was confident that his personal cinema room was much better.

The cinema room he was currently in was one of the rooms left in Kang Jiwon’s mansion, and the owner had given Woohyun permission to use it on the day he visited the mansion sober. He was told he could use it as he pleased and request anything he needed.

It seemed like a space originally set up as a guest room, perhaps because the owner frequently invited people over. When Woohyun was first introduced to the room, it was already furnished with a bed, desk, a round tea table for light refreshments, and a recliner sofa.

It was so perfect that it seemed strange to want anything more. Since he hadn’t yet told Seo Minhyun about his exclusive contract as an actor, he was hesitant to read scripts at home, and this space was a perfect fit.

Of course, there was one restriction. The reason he was given a room was that while he could borrow the laptop, taking it outside the house was not allowed.

Was he worried that I might break it, damage it, or even sell it? Even if that was the reason, what could I do? The person lending the money or laptop is always in charge, and the borrower is the subordinate. Since I was the one in need, I had no choice but to follow the owner’s words.

Moreover, for Woohyun, who was secretly thrilled to have his own room for the first time, such a restriction was no big deal. I might as well just come back to this house after work for a while. Fortunately, this place was closer to the company than my house, and the direction was the same, so it wasn’t too inconvenient to commute.

“Seo Actor.”

A clear voice accompanied by a knock was heard from outside the door. Woohyun, who was half-lying down, sat up and paused the video.

The owner of the voice, which had a lilting tone, was Mrs. Jang, the only housekeeper in this house. Although her working hours were regular, she was also the person who could open the door to this house when Director Kang, who often had external meetings, was not home.

Even though he had a formal debut work, the title of actor still felt a bit unfamiliar, and being called an actor already made him feel itchy. Not to be outdone, Woohyun called her Mrs. Jang, and they both laughed heartily.

Mrs. Jang, a middle-aged woman, had a motherly warmth that Woohyun liked from the first impression. As is often the case with people of her age, Mrs. Jang was a drama fanatic, and Woohyun often got various information from her.

What dramas were popular these days, who was the prince of weekend dramas…

Sometimes, their conversations would veer off course as she passionately criticized the villain actors who interfered with the protagonist’s love line.

After chatting for a while, Mrs. Jang firmly held Woohyun’s hand and made a request.

“Seo Actor, with this handsome face, you shouldn’t play bad roles. You should only be the protagonist. Got it?”

Faced with a sincere request from a pure drama fan, Woohyun could only awkwardly smile. I can’t exactly say, “Actually, I’m going to audition for a villain role who plans to kill the protagonist tomorrow. I really, really want that role.”

Mrs. Jang only opened the door after Woohyun told her to come in. Perhaps it was a habit ingrained from dealing with the homeowner, but even this felt new to Woohyun.

Although it was a small gesture, it felt like a great courtesy to him. After all, at my house, there’s a pesky person who barges in even if I’m in the bathroom, saying they urgently need to use it.

“The director is here.”

“Yes. I’ll be out soon. Thank you for letting me know.”

After informing Woohyun of the homeowner’s return, Mrs. Jang disappeared to prepare for her departure. Woohyun, who still had episodes to watch today, planned to leave in about two hours.

The sound of the electronic door lock opening was heard. Woohyun, wanting to fulfill his duty as a guest staying in the house, quickly moved his legs and walked briskly down the hallway.

Just then, Kang Jiwon entered, taking off his shoes at the entrance. As expected, he was impeccably dressed today as well.

How is it that even the simple act of changing into neatly placed house slippers can look so perfectly tidy and clean? I really don’t understand.

“Welcome back.”

Setting aside his curiosity for a moment, Woohyun went to greet him. As he bowed his head, Jiwon paused beside him. The familiar scent of Fougere subtly approached and tickled his nose.

“Did you have dinner?”

The voice that greeted him as soon as he looked up sounded overly kind, making him feel excessively embarrassed. Perhaps because he was the one who let him stay in the house, there was no sign of surprise or unexpectedness at Woohyun greeting him at home.

Therefore, the awkwardness was entirely Woohyun’s, and he couldn’t even warmly ask back, “Yes. How about you, Director?”

The inside of his ribcage fluttered with an unfamiliar rhythm. Seo Woohyun was becoming aware of something. If you ask like that, it feels like we’re some newlywed couple…