NOVEL NEXT 5
Despite the difficult life in a foreign country, he occasionally… no, constantly thought of him. He tried to contact him several times, but each time he hesitated, recalling the day his confession had been rejected.
Then, due to a careless mistake, his phone was completely smashed, and his entire address book was lost. He hurriedly found a temporary phone and inserted the SD card, but the last save on the SD card was three years ago. Unfortunately, the records from the past year didn’t exist because they were saved on the destroyed device.
In the end, Doyun couldn’t ask Yujae how he was doing even once during the past ten years. He had no acquaintances to ask, and since Yujae didn’t use social media or other messengers, there was absolutely no way to contact him.
Naturally, they drifted apart. Still, he thought he was okay now because life had become somewhat manageable.
“…I really thought I was okay.”
Perhaps he hadn’t been able to let him go all this time. The first love he thought he had completely forgotten was starting to bud again with just one contact.
Whatever his whim might be, Yujae would probably remain consistent.
He would still have no particular feelings. Since he was someone who liked pretty and shiny things, perhaps he had become momentarily curious upon seeing a somewhat improved version of himself.
Whatever the reason, Doyun was helplessly shaken. Although confused, perhaps because he recalled memories of being comforted by him in the past, he also felt pleased.
After ruminating over the message for a while, Doyun hesitated with his fingers. Then, swallowing dryly, he carefully tapped the screen.
[Me: I’m still in Korea]
[Me: Please call me when it’s convenient for you]
Before pressing the send button, Doyun checked the neatly written sentences several times. He anxiously wondered if sending such a reply was right, or if it made him appear too easy.
As all sorts of thoughts kept rushing in, his fingertips trembled slightly. Then, he accidentally pressed the send button.
“Ah…!”
I’m not mentally prepared yet!
His body froze stiff at the stupid mistake. Meanwhile, the message had already appeared on the screen.
Belatedly recalling the message cancellation feature of the device he had seen in a TV commercial, he started pressing various buttons.
“Ah, no, there was definitely a cancel icon here somewhere…”
His murmuring voice was full of trembling. Despite searching for a long time, the cancel feature was nowhere to be found. To make matters worse, the screen turned blue and vibrated violently.
Unfortunately, it was a call from Yujae.
“…Oh my.”
Doyun let out a strange sigh out of habit after checking the caller. Thanks to Edwin who always said “oh my,” it was a phrase that had stuck with him at some point.
Swallowing dryly several times with a tense face. Doyun, who had been staring at the blue screen, finally moved his thumb and answered the phone. He also cleared his throat, ahem, trying not to reveal his anxious demeanor.
Perhaps Yujae found it strange that Doyun remained silent for so long. Soon, a low voice was heard from the other end of the phone.
– Hello.
“…”
– Mr. Seo Doyun, can you not hear my voice?
At the familiar yet unfamiliar tone, Doyun moved his lips.
Perhaps because of the respectful honorifics attached, the completely monochromatic person seemed to be visualized before his eyes.
“…No, I can hear you well.”
– That’s good. Since there was no contact from you, I thought you might have left for America without a word again, like before.
That remark strangely hurt. Doyun couldn’t readily open his mouth at the barbed comment.
As if anticipating a bland response, Yujae laughed, haha, and smoothly brought up the main point.
– Actually, I’d like to have dinner together while also checking in on you, would that be alright?
“Tonight… you mean?”
– Yes, unless you have other plans, of course.
“I don’t have any specific plans, but…”
Doyun trailed off, glancing at the bedside table. There, a month’s worth of medicine container and transparent medication packets were piled like a mountain.
Doyun had a congenital pheromone perception disorder that made him less sensitive to pheromone recognition than others.
Being a recessive omega and having a pheromone perception disorder, he was no different from an ordinary beta. This was one of the reasons for his grandfather’s dislike.
Nevertheless, if he consistently took his medication, he could perceive pheromones like others. However, the problem was that he had used up all the medication he had received the day before.
Since it wasn’t an over-the-counter drug, he couldn’t obtain the medication from a pharmacy without a prescription. And if he went to the emergency room, they would likely turn him away, saying it was a minor issue.
In other words, he would have to face Han Yujae, a dominant alpha, in a state of reduced sensitivity to pheromones.
Just in case, he rummaged through the medicine container, but as expected, only opened medication packets remained. Faced with this unexpected obstacle, Doyun sighed and pointlessly grabbed and released the medication packets.
While making rustling, rustling sounds with the plastic…
– If you’re uncomfortable with the sudden meetup, we can see each other next time. It’s not like today is the only day.
Yujae, having read Doyun’s difficult situation, suggested postponing.
At the calm voice, Doyun suddenly realized he had made a mistake. He had just realized that he had been needlessly holding the man back while only making plastic rustling noises.
“Ah, no, today is fine. …It’s not that I was uncomfortable, it’s just that I was a bit surprised to be meeting someone I know in Korea after such a long time. No, I mean, not because you’re a director…”
– Yes, I understand. It’s alright, don’t worry about it.
“…Yes.”
– If you don’t have anything else to say, I think I’ll hang up now.
He responded with a considerably dry voice. Doyun felt intimidated by the phone call devoid of any casual conversation.
Despite Doyun’s barely audible response, Yujae maintained a composed tone.
– Please contact me when you’re ready. I’ll come to pick you up.
“…Yes, I will.”
– Then, I’ll see you in a bit.
With those words, the call abruptly ended.
Doyun stared into space for a long time, unable to take the phone away from his ear. Whether it was a misconception or not, he felt anticipation in the words “see you in a bit.”
Suddenly, he wondered what face the man had made throughout the call. When he said why there had been no contact, that he thought Doyun had left without a word like before, had his eyes looked disappointed?
Still, he hoped that in the end, the corners of his mouth had turned up, if only slightly. After all, he wanted to see that Han Yujae from those days again, the one who always had a subtle smile and sent gentle gazes.
His heart fluttered needlessly. It also felt like he was starting to get a fever.
It seemed like he needed to pour cold water on his head to calm down, but what if he continued to feel this way when they met…?
“I should get ready quickly.”
Doyun, who murmured softly, put down the phone he had been tightly holding onto the table. As he gathered his underwear and robe and headed to the bathroom, his eyes met his reflection in the full-length mirror attached to the front of the door.
With his cheeks and the tips of his ears tinged reddish, he looked no different from a teenage boy just starting his first love.
Doyun faced his reflection in the mirror for a long time.
To him, who likes pretty and sparkling things, how would I look? Would he still like my face even after ten years?
“…I wonder if there’s a place nearby that sells hair spray.”
Colored lip balm seems a bit, excessive. Doyun looked intently at his face reflected in the mirror with unusually lively eyes.
The thought of dressing up after a long time felt both amusing and exciting.
***
[Me: Director, I’m all ready]
[Me: Where are you now…?]
[Han Yujae: I just arrived. I’ll wait in the lobby on the first floor, so take your time coming down.]
His brown eyes sparkled at the returned reply. Doyun adjusted his clothes one last time before pulling the door handle.
Click, as if the sound of the door had fired a starting signal, his footsteps were lighter than before. Even while heading to the first floor, Doyun checked the messages several times.
There were no further messages, but the statement that he would wait in the first-floor lobby felt quite ticklish.
Ding, along with the sound, an announcement that they had arrived at the first floor was heard. His heart was already racing at the thought of meeting him.
Doyun walked carefully toward the lobby. Soon, even before taking many steps, he spotted a man standing next to a beige leather sofa.
His presence was remarkable even from a distance. It wasn’t just Doyun who felt this way; there were many people glancing at him.