Crazy A Married Life

#11

Unaware of anything, Idam trembled, his body hair standing on end. At that moment, Taemin gently wrapped his hand around Idam’s small one, as if seizing an opportunity.

“Are you scared?”

“Ah… I… a… a little…”

“Oh no… Should we leave then?”

“No, it’s okay.”

Taemin had said he liked this genre of movies. Also, this outing was essentially in lieu of accepting his fake marriage proposal. So Idam felt he should watch it through to the end, if only out of guilt.

“I’m fine…”

“Alright. But if you get scared, tell me. Okay?”

“Yes…”

Soon after, Taemin released Idam’s hand.

Huh? He’s letting go just like that? For a moment, Idam felt an intense emptiness, but he was also relieved that the burden was gone. However, this relief was short-lived. Taemin put his arm around Idam’s shoulders and pulled him close into an embrace. It was an unexpected move. Though very flustered, Idam wanted to pull away from this renewed burden, but Taemin’s arms were firmly wrapped around him, and he couldn’t bring himself to do it for fear of upsetting him.

Above all, the movie was so terrifying that Idam had no choice but to rely on Taemin’s embrace.

* * *

“Hah…”

Emerging from the theater, Idam exhaled heavily. His face was bright red, and tears were welling up in his eyes.

The movie ran for 2 hours, but Idam felt like he had been tormented by ghosts for 20 hours. There were so many jump scares that he found himself clinging tightly to Taemin’s embrace. Even in this chaotic state, he was sweating profusely trying to control his pheromones, afraid they might leak out. By the end of the movie, Idam was completely nestled in Taemin’s arms.

“I didn’t know you disliked horror movies.”

Taemin looked apologetic. Idam shook his head, saying it wasn’t that he disliked them. This was just a matter of personal taste. He felt bad for causing such a commotion by being scared, inconveniencing Taemin. Moreover, once the tears started, they kept flowing, wetting his cheeks, which made him even more embarrassed.

“Here, use this to wipe your face.”

Taemin offered Idam a handkerchief.

“Ah…”

Idam’s hand stopped midway as he was about to take the handkerchief. The one Taemin offered was intricately embroidered with elaborate traditional patterns. It also looked incredibly soft to the touch. It was undoubtedly an expensive item. He already felt bad for clinging to Taemin throughout the movie, and the thought of wiping his secretions with this made him feel even more apologetic.

“I have my own.”

Idam rummaged through his pants pocket to take out the handkerchief he usually used. But for some reason, he couldn’t find it. He quickly checked his jacket pockets too, but to no avail.

“Huh?”

Cold sweat began to form on his forehead due to his bewilderment. He was sure he had brought it when leaving for work this morning…

“Just use this one.”

At that moment, Taemin started wiping Idam’s eyes with his handkerchief. Startled, Idam’s pheromones leaked out briefly. Realizing this, he quickly suppressed them. It was just for a moment, so it probably wouldn’t affect Taemin much, but he anxiously observed him just in case.

“Haa…”

Taemin’s breathing became rough. His eyes also looked somewhat irrational. It seemed he had sensed Idam’s pheromones. Feeling alarmed, Idam quickly tried to step away from Taemin, taking two steps back. But it was only for a moment; Taemin’s expression soon became calm as he looked at his phone.

“I got a message from the restaurant we reserved. Let’s hurry.”

“Oh? Okay…”

Idam answered while carefully observing Taemin’s expression. It still looked calm. So he didn’t sense the pheromones? As Idam was wondering about this, his phone in his jacket pocket vibrated. It was unusual for someone to contact him at this hour, so he curiously took out his phone.

It was a message from Heo Jitae. He had said on the phone yesterday to pay within this week, so Idam wondered why he was suddenly asking now. This caused him to bite his lip involuntarily.

“Idam? Is something wrong?”

Taemin tilted his head, looking puzzled. At that moment, Idam realized he had failed to manage his expression. Thinking it wouldn’t do any good for Taemin to know about his situation, he quickly replied that he would pay soon and told Taemin it was nothing.

* * *

After leaving the theater, Idam rode in Taemin’s car. Yesterday it was a Korean restaurant, but today they arrived at a Western-style restaurant. The exterior, reminiscent of Neuschwanstein Castle, was incredibly grand. Although he hadn’t expected his meals with Taemin to be ordinary, actually facing it made him feel burdened.

An employee guided Taemin to their table. Unlike yesterday, this place was open rather than having private rooms, and there were other people around. Everyone was dressed formally. Idam felt self-conscious about his shabby attire. His dirty, black sneakers also bothered him.

“What’s wrong?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Unable to say that he looked like a beggar, Idam swallowed his feelings.

The waiter said they would bring out the meal right away, as if the menu had been pre-ordered this time too. It seemed this was Taemin’s usual style. While Idam could eat almost anything, he found it strange that Taemin would choose so unilaterally. What if the other person was vegetarian, avoided certain foods, or had allergies?

“Isn’t that Taemin?”

A deep voice echoed nearby. Turning his head, Idam saw a middle-aged man standing there. He had the same dark hair and blue eyes as Taemin and appeared very gentlemanly. However, he was tall and had an impressive physique. He looked like an older version of Taemin.

Taemin’s pupils dilated.

“Father?”

Huh? If this was his father… he must be the one pushing for the arranged marriage. Idam hadn’t expected to meet such a person here. Moreover, wasn’t he supposed to be in America? Idam froze at the unexpected appearance. Taemin also looked uncomfortable, probably thinking along the same lines.

“How are you here? You said you were coming to Korea next week.”

“There was a change in schedule, so I came a bit earlier. Are you here for dinner?”

“Yes.”

“I see… But…”

Then Taemin’s father glanced at Idam. He seemed curious about who Idam was. Taemin also hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“This is a client I met due to recent company business.”

“Ah, a client.”

“Yes.”

It was quite a vague introduction, but his father seemed to accept it. Feeling he should greet him, Idam stood up and bowed.

“Hello.”

“Hello. Nice to meet you.”

He responded kindly. Like Taemin, he seemed to have inherent kindness. Idam had expected him to be strict since he was pressuring his son to marry, but he wasn’t, which was surprising. Come to think of it, Taemin had mentioned yesterday that his father was polite to others. That must be why. Moreover, he was currently with a companion and seemed busy.

“Let’s talk later.”

“Yes. Take care.”

Soon after, Taemin’s father left the restaurant with his companion. It seemed they were leaving after finishing their meal.

Idam sat back down. He was surprised to encounter Taemin’s father in such a place, something he never would have imagined. Moreover, considering his shabby attire, he felt even more embarrassed.

“Father came earlier than expected.”

Taemin, though seemingly flustered, tried to appear calm as he drank some water.

“Yes…”

Idam lowered his head. It was a moment when he felt even more guilty for refusing Taemin’s fake marriage proposal. Taemin looked quite urgent, and Idam himself was also in a difficult situation, needing to raise money quickly.

“May I ask why you refused my request?”

Taemin asked as he placed his water glass on the table.

“Ah, well… I don’t have the time. I have many part-time jobs lined up.”

“I could pay you more than those part-time jobs.”

Coming from someone running a large corporation, this was surely not an empty promise.

“I’m not asking for your permission right away. Just think about it a bit more and give me an answer.”

“…”

Idam couldn’t bring himself to answer. He just fiddled with his water glass uncomfortably. Meanwhile, a waiter brought their meal on a cart. This naturally interrupted their conversation.

Following yesterday’s Korean meal, Idam had another hearty meal today. However, in the uncomfortable situation, he could hardly tell if the food was going into his nose or mouth. As if reading Idam’s mind, Taemin tried to ease the atmosphere by changing the subject.

“Did you eat the strawberry cake?”

“Yes! It was really delicious.”

Shortly after Taemin left in the morning, Youngchun came to work and discovered the cake.

‘Oh, what’s this cake?’

‘The CEO of Baekwol Corporation brought it.’

‘Really? He called last night to cancel the request. Said he found that omega or something. It’s crazy how he completely changed his tune in just a day, but he paid generously.’

‘Is that so?’

‘Bringing a cake like this too, he must have felt quite sorry. Well, I’m happy to get some easy money.’

Youngchun grinned as he opened the cake box. This naturally led to Idam tasting the cake as well. While Youngchun complained it didn’t suit his taste, it was perfect for Idam. The cream was soft and rich. The strawberries were sweetly tart, as if dipped in honey. In the end, Idam devoured the entire cake right there.

“I’m glad it suited your taste.”

Taemin smiled with his eyes. Idam’s heart fluttered for no reason. It was probably because Taemin was so beautiful and seemed so kind. However, after this meal, he would likely never see Taemin again. They weren’t meant to have a long-term relationship from the start. Idam told himself not to entertain such thoughts.

“Yes. Thank you.”

* * *

After finishing the meal, Idam stepped outside the restaurant. Taemin had briefly excused himself to take a call from a business partner. Idam waited, feeling he should at least say goodbye before they parted ways for good.

At that moment, he sensed someone approaching. Puzzled, Idam looked up. Simultaneously, his body froze like ice.

“Yeo Idam, what are you doing here?”

Heo Jitae stood before him, the corners of his mouth turned up.