NOVEL NEXT 6
Doyun took a moment to collect his breath and adjust his hair and clothes. Just as he was about to take a step, his eyes met Yujae’s, who had turned his head.
“Ah, hello.”
Flustered, Doyun bowed his waist while awkwardly waving his hand. Realizing his greeting had become strange due to the mix of actions, he couldn’t raise his head out of embarrassment.
To him, Yujae turned his body with a gentle smile.
“It’s been a while, how have you been?”
The eloquent voice grew closer and closer. A pair of neat shoes entered the field of vision of Doyun, who couldn’t raise his head.
Doyun, who had nodded with a creaking motion, carefully straightened his waist.
The moment he faced him after three months, Doyun unconsciously drew in a breath. He was startled by the man’s appearance, which still radiated light.
He was dressed in a suit, perhaps having come straight after finishing work, and had a somewhat tired face. Because of this, he exuded a more relaxed atmosphere than before, and his sensual charm stood out even more.
Even his slightly disheveled hair looked as if it had been styled by a famous designer. Doyun felt embarrassed about his own hair, hastily groomed with hair spray bought from a convenience store.
Doyun, who had been staring at him blankly, slightly opened his mouth. Had Yujae not given him a look, he might have just uttered exclamations.
“I’ve prepared Korean food for our meal, is that alright with you?”
Yujae asked politely as he stepped aside. Belatedly coming to his senses, Doyun nodded and stood next to him.
For a moment, it seemed like a soft, crumbling laughter fell over his head. Wondering about this, he glanced sideways to see lips forming a gentle curve.
Grinning in response, Doyun lowered his gaze shyly.
This isn’t good; even to himself, it seemed like he was showing his affection too much.
Yujae led Doyun to a vehicle waiting at the hotel’s main entrance. Although the doorman, who recognized Yujae, gave them an interested look, Doyun pretended not to notice and just walked straight ahead.
As they stepped outside, a waiting driver opened the car door and bowed his head. Doyun greeted him with a small voice, saying hello.
But just for a moment, he hesitated in his steps upon seeing the black vehicle he had seen at the funeral home three months ago.
Suddenly, his mother who had passed away came to mind.
“Seo Doyun?”
“…”
Despite Yujae’s inquiry, Doyun gave no answer. The atmosphere of the man, who was staring at the car with a dazed expression, became quite subdued.
Yujae looked at him strangely. When he then tapped his shoulder, Doyun lifted his head, startled.
“…Ah, I’m sorry. I had something on my mind for a moment.”
“Is this arrangement uncomfortable for you?”
“No, it’s not that, just for a moment…”
Trailing off his words and raising the corners of his mouth awkwardly, Doyun moved closer to the vehicle. Then, rolling his eyes, he tried to gauge whether it was okay for him to get in first.
Yujae, who had been staring at Doyun, pointed to the interior of the vehicle with a subtle smile. At the gesture indicating for him to board first, Doyun hesitantly bent his waist.
After touching the plush leather seat, Doyun got into the vehicle and habitually pressed himself close to the door. While fidgeting with his bottom out of awkwardness, his eyes met Yujae’s, who had also entered the vehicle.
Their faces were closer than expected. So close that his lips could have touched the man’s cheek if he wasn’t careful.
The surprise lasted only briefly as his mind went blank from the familiar scent. Doyun unconsciously took a deep breath and froze in place.
In contrast, Yujae turned his eyes to the driver’s seat as if nothing special had happened.
“Let’s go.”
With those monotone words, he closed his mouth.
…Was it just his imagination that Yujae seemed to be drawing a line between them?
***
The rain kept falling. The pitter-patter sound on the car window was quite substantial.
Doyun blankly stared out the window. Or more precisely, he was taking in Yujae’s reflection in the glass.
As if harmonizing with the sound of rain, he was in a more subdued state than before. His lips, which used to curve into an arc, now rested calmly, revealing no emotion. His once relaxed eyes had also changed, becoming somewhat colder.
Perhaps because he was gazing at someone who had become achromatic like before, Doyun’s mood sank as well, and he idly placed his fingertip on the glass window.
He moved his finger as if connecting the water droplets gathered on the transparent glass. When he came to his senses, he realized he was tracing the outline of Yujae’s reflection in the window.
Suddenly, he recalled how Yujae had been unfazed by everything ten years ago. Whether watching movies together or listening to music, he seemed unimpressed.
The times he showed interest were generally when engaging in intimate physical contact.
Han Yujae was a very strange person.
Unlike typical alphas, he was extremely averse to releasing pheromones around others. He claimed that besides Doyun, no one else had ever felt his pheromones.
As if releasing pheromones was a great sin, he strictly controlled himself.
Yet with Doyun, he would release his pheromones bit by bit. After learning about Doyun’s pheromone dysfunction, he released them without restraint.
Although he said controlling pheromones felt like strangling himself, Yujae always looked quite comfortable when he was with Doyun.
Seeing his expression of liberation, Doyun would feel elated. It was as if Yujae couldn’t do without him, as if he had become someone special to Yujae.
But that was only temporary.
After greedily releasing his pheromones, Yujae would revert to his indifferent face as if nothing had happened. Even when spoken to, he would merely give kind eyes, while his mind seemed to be elsewhere.
Even now, his reflection in the window seemed to be wandering in another world. His eyes, focused solely forward, strangely lacked vitality.
“Have you been well?”
Yujae, who had been silent all along, finally spoke. Doyun, who had been staring blankly at him, missed his chance to respond and only moved his lips.
By now, Yujae was exchanging glances with Doyun’s reflection in the glass window. As if he had known all along that Doyun had been stealing glances at him.
“It’s quite funny to ask now, but I’m still curious.”
He asked, raising the corners of his mouth. After admiring his smile for a moment, Doyun showed an awkward smile.
“I’ve been doing okay. Nothing particularly good, but not entirely bad either.”
“I see. Actually, I was a bit surprised.”
“…Why?”
“When I heard you were working as a model in America, I wondered if it was really the person I knew.”
At his intriguing voice, Doyun turned his head to look at him.
Even after hearing the reason, he couldn’t understand. Wondering if it was really the person he knew? Suddenly, he became curious about how he had appeared in Yujae’s eyes.
Was that thought visible in his gaze? Tilting his head slightly, Yujae spoke in a gentle voice as if recalling the past.
“You used to hate revealing yourself to others. Whenever you felt someone watching, you would always peek over my shoulder and look around. If someone approached, you’d quickly hide behind me.”
Your cautious demeanor was just like a cat with raised claws. A warm smile had already settled on Yujae’s lips.
“It seemed strange that someone like that would be walking on runways filled with strangers.”
“…Was I like that?”
“Yes, you were.”
At the bland response, Yujae playfully wrinkled his nose. That action reminded Doyun of Han Yujae from high school.
The comfortable atmosphere made his chest tingle. Doyun lowered his head shyly and mumbled softly.
“My housemate was an aspiring model.”
“That friend must have helped you.”
“Yes, I was dragged around by that friend and ended up auditioning, and then I received a call saying they wanted to develop me.”
Doyun nodded, recalling the past.
The agency’s contact was an achievement made six months after starting his life in America. Despite not being from a famous academy, he received a contract offer from his first audition.
At the time, Edwin had made a fuss, asking if he was going to waste his talent. It was a career he started as if pushed, but somehow it turned out to be his aptitude.
“I didn’t know I could do it, but as I kept at it, it fit me quite well.”
“Was there a moment when you thought, ‘this suits me well’?”
“…Are you interviewing me?”
“Just humor me with a few words. It’s rush hour so the traffic is a bit heavy, and we can’t stay silent the whole time.”
He raised one eyebrow as if urging Doyun to answer.
Doyun moved his lips for a moment. Finding it difficult to speak, he lowered his gaze and opened his mouth slightly.