TAF Ch 7

He needed to get out of here as soon as possible. If he got worked up and lost control, he’d end up giving himself to Chahyun, driven purely by instinct, devoid of any real emotion.

Yeonwoo gave up on his bag and ran towards the front door.

“Let go, you crazy bastard!”

Or rather, he tried to.

But Chahyun instantly grabbed his shoulder and wouldn’t let go. As their bodies collided, the pheromones penetrated even deeper.

The overwhelming alpha pheromones made it hard to breathe. The sheer volume of pheromones Chahyun was emitting was clearly meant to arouse him. A familiar sensation spread from his lower back, igniting his senses.

“Stop it. Why are you doing this? Baek Chahyun.”

“Hong Yeonwoo, you’re the one who needs to calm down.”

“Let go of me and then say that! Let go!”

With a surge of unexpected strength, Yeonwoo pushed Chahyun away and broke free from his grasp.

He caught a glimpse of Chahyun falling to the floor from the impact. Yeonwoo tried to escape while he had the chance, but even as he fell, Chahyun reached out a long arm and grabbed his ankle.

Yeonwoo, about to take a stride, stumbled and fell.

“Ouch!”

His vision spun. A sharp, unexpected pain followed.

He’d twisted his ankle in the fall. And of all places, it was his right ankle, the one that was already weak.

As Yeonwoo writhed in pain, clutching his ankle, Chahyun rushed towards him.

“Hyung! Are you okay?”

Chahyun, whose face had been devoid of expression as if angry, now looked panicked as he grabbed Yeonwoo’s ankle.

“Ah…”

“Let me see. Does it hurt a lot?”

Yeonwoo frowned, clutching his ankle, and remained silent. The anxious Chahyun asked again.

“Should we go to the hospital?”

“No.”

“Let me see.”

“Baek Chahyun.”

“How bad is it?”

“Hey. Move.”

Yeonwoo pushed Chahyun away irritably and stood up. He staggered, careful not to put weight on his injured ankle, and Chahyun, unable to approach him again, just looked up at him.

“Yeonwoo hyung.”

“Move. I’m leaving.”

Chahyun stared at Yeonwoo, sitting on the floor with a somewhat dazed expression.

“We should go to the hospital…”

“I’ll go myself, so stop pretending to care.”

Yeonwoo deliberately said that, even though he knew Chahyun wasn’t pretending. He wanted Chahyun to hurt as much as he did.

Chahyun, who had been desperately trying to stop Yeonwoo just moments ago, only stared at his limping ankle and didn’t try to stop him any further.

Worried that he might change his mind and try to hold him back again, Yeonwoo hurriedly left the apartment.

* * *

Although he hadn’t been able to grab his bag, fortunately, he always carried his phone, credit card, and car keys in his pocket.

He had fled the apartment, but he didn’t think he could drive with his injured ankle. Yeonwoo went out to the main street and hailed the first taxi he saw.

“Where to?”

Yeonwoo, who had jumped into the taxi as if he needed to escape immediately, was at a loss for words at the driver’s question.

“…….”

Where should he go?

Normally, he’d go to his family, but his mother was in the countryside. He hadn’t contacted his gambling-addicted father in ages.

He’d also drifted apart from his few friends, having been busy living with Chahyun. And the rest of his acquaintances were people he’d met through Chahyun. His cafe, Neovel, his home, his acquaintances… everything was connected to Baek Chahyun.

What have I been doing with my life? Yeonwoo scoffed inwardly.

“Please take me to Han River Park.”

Finally answering after a moment of hesitation, Yeonwoo stared out the window at the darkening scenery.

He wanted to feel the breeze in an open space, to clear his head, which was tangled with negative emotions.

Having decided on a destination felt like he’d solved a difficult problem.

Staring blankly at the scenery flashing by, Yeonwoo suddenly remembered a text message he’d received from a friend a few days ago.

He took out his phone and searched for his friend’s name in his message inbox.

[Hey Hong Yeonwoo lol how are you? I’m getting married lol I’ll give you the invitation, call me when you have time~ I’ll send the mobile invite too]

Right. Park Yoongeon had said he was getting married soon. He remembered seeing the mobile invitation and sending a congratulatory gift in advance, but he’d forgotten to send a separate reply.

Staring at the screen for a moment, Yeonwoo started typing.

* * *

“Dude, you ask to meet up this suddenly? What if I was working overtime?”

“Thanks for coming.”

Yoongeon, whom Yeonwoo hadn’t contacted in a while, readily agreed, saying he happened to be on his way home from work. He even came straight to Han River Park where Yeonwoo was.

Yeonwoo, who was drinking a canned beer he’d bought from a nearby convenience store, offered a new can to Yoongeon.

“But why are you here? If we’re drinking, shouldn’t we go somewhere proper?”

“I don’t know. I couldn’t think of anywhere else. I wanted to see the night view.”

“Why. This guy, something’s up.”

Yoongeon opened his beer and gestured with his chin, as if he had a rough idea of what was going on.

“Tell me all about it. As thanks for the generous wedding gift, I’ll listen to everything.”

“Haha.”

“You were living with your boyfriend, right? Did you two fight?”

Yeonwoo felt a pang at Yoongeon’s casual question.

“It just happened. I feel suffocated, and I didn’t know where else to go.”

“What’s there to fight about? Your boyfriend is loaded, right? A silver spoon, wasn’t he? Come to think of it, he set up the cafe you’re running, and he helped you buy your place before, right?”

The more he thought about it, the more he realized that was the problem. His entire life was too deeply intertwined with Baek Chahyun.

Was that why Baek Chahyun felt so confident about marrying someone else? Because he was certain Yeonwoo wouldn’t say anything, blinded by the benefits he was receiving?

Yeonwoo stared at the city lights twinkling like grains of sand across the Han River, overwhelmed by a sense of humiliation.

The more comfortable the life Chahyun had provided, the greater the shock of his betrayal.

“Well, enough about me. How are you doing, Park Yoongeon? Are the wedding preparations going well?”

“Oh, right! I should give you the invitation. Wait a sec. I brought a few from the office, the design…”

Yoongeon looked like any other excited groom-to-be. His bride was also a beta, and just listening to him talk, it was clear they were deeply in love.

It was a cruel contrast to Yeonwoo’s current situation.

Staring blankly at the names of the bride and groom written on the thick white paper, Yeonwoo silently listened to Yoongeon’s boasting for a long time. Then, he finished his beer.

Countless lights shimmered on the river, and it was a bitter realization that there was no longer a place for him among them.

“Who proposed first?”

Yeonwoo, who had been just listening, suddenly asked. Yoongeon opened a new beer and scratched his cheek, looking embarrassed.

“Well, I did, but… when you’re dating, both of you naturally start thinking about marriage.”

“I guess.”

“Before proposing, we had dinner with both sets of parents, discussed where to live… you know, those kinds of conversations come up naturally.”

“…….”

“You’re living together, so you know how it is.”

No, he didn’t. Looking back, it seemed like everything had gone according to Chahyun’s wishes. Using his ankle as an excuse, saying it would be more convenient to see each other often. That’s how he’d gradually lost his agency in the relationship.

That’s why Chahyun hadn’t felt the need to explain the marriage to him. That’s why everyone around him knew, and he was the only one left in the dark.

Listening to Yoongeon’s endless boasting, Yeonwoo fidgeted with his right ankle. The throbbing pain he’d felt when he ran out of the apartment had subsided. Fortunately, it didn’t seem to be seriously injured.

The river breeze was quite cold, but it wasn’t enough to cool the burning sensation in his chest.

* * *

He eventually parted ways with Yoongeon at dawn, after lingering in the park. After putting the stumbling Yoongeon in a taxi, Yeonwoo moved to a bar and drank until sunrise. A few alphas approached him, but they left him alone when he didn’t react.

Strangely, no matter how much he drank, he didn’t feel drunk.

With his mind becoming increasingly clear, Yeonwoo left the bar and had breakfast at a nearby diner.

As soon as it was 9 AM, he called a real estate agent and said he wanted to put his officetel up for sale. Now that he’d decided to break up, he felt he should sever all ties with Chahyun, one by one.

After a brief call with the real estate agent, Yeonwoo, having nowhere else to go, headed to the very officetel he’d just put up for sale.

It was the place he’d lived alone before moving in with Chahyun, but since Chahyun had bought it and put it in his name, it was technically still Chahyun’s territory.

But for now, he had nowhere else to stay. He didn’t want to go back to the apartment.

The officetel, which he hadn’t entered in a while, smelled faintly of dust and the papery scent of wallpaper.

He turned on the lights and stepped inside, only to see a pair of large shoes in the shoe rack, which should have been empty.

Yeonwoo quickly looked up and scanned the living room.

“Why are you here?”

Chahyun, dressed in a suit, was leaning against one of the living room walls.