Pink Flavor Omega

#35

“Why?”

“Oh, Woohyun.”

Hearing the sullen voice, Eunhong instinctively imagined Woohyun’s expression and composed himself. He tried to speak in a calm tone, deliberately hiding his emotions.

“I’m on vacation and going to Busan, so I’ll probably see your mother too…”

“Weren’t you sick? I thought you were in the hospital?”

“Huh? No, that’s better now. Anyway, is there anything you want me to take care of? Anything you want me to check on… Did you get your mother’s regular check-up results? Should I take a look at how they turned out while I’m there?”

“Stay out of it. I’ll handle it myself.”

I don’t want to be involved either. Eunhong said with a suppressed voice, swallowing a sigh.

“You’re not doing it. She always asks me every time…”

“Are you my mother’s son? I said stay out of it.”

Woohyun cut off Eunhong’s words. Soon after, a low chuckle could be heard clearly over the phone.

“Looks like you lying about being in the hospital too. What the hell are you doing taking a week off? Tell me about that. Don’t tell me you’re screwing around with Lee Jaeha? Did something down there burst? You’ve been acting all innocent, but taking a whole week off…”

“…You crazy bastard, mind your own business.”

Eunhong irritably ended the call and threw his phone onto the shelf. Jaeha was right. Woohyun was always like this. He wasn’t interested in Eunhong’s well-being, but rather enjoyed gossip surrounding him. To Woohyun, Eunhong was just a snack to be consumed.

“Ugh, this is draining. I shouldn’t have called.”

He had called because he needed something to say when he inevitably met Woohyun’s mother while visiting his own mother at the family home in Busan. Even though he had experienced Woohyun’s insensitivity for years, he felt like a fool. He could have just made something up if Woohyun’s mother asked… He felt like he was being taken advantage of every time. At this point, he couldn’t deny being called a pushover among pushovers.

Eunhong sighed and crouched down on the floor. As he was zipping up and fastening the belts on his suitcase, a shadow fell over him. Eunhong tensed up and turned around.

“Looks like you’re all packed? Did you bring warm clothes?”

Jaeha appeared with a small auxiliary bag, rummaging through the drawer right next to where Eunhong was sitting and putting something in. Every time Jaeha moved, a scent – whether pheromones or perfume – wafted gently. Eunhong lifted his hips and took a step back. Somehow, his cheeks felt warm.

“I told you to make a sound when you come close. I did.”

Jaeha turned to look at the growling Eunhong and let out a bright laugh.

“Bunhong, am I going to eat you?”

Eunhong’s face scrunched up.

“You haven’t been hit enough lately. Are you going to keep calling me Bunhong? Really!”

“Hmm? Why is our Bunhong angry?”

Jaeha tilted his head and looked at him. Eunhong unconsciously pouted. Do I not look angry? Eunhong recalled what Mrs. Ham had said at the dining table.

Marriage.

Right, since Jaeha is the only son in four generations of his family, he could certainly consider marriage. Although he has sisters, the chairman favors Jaeha the most, so it was natural from the family’s perspective. He didn’t intend to say anything about it. Back then, he was a beta too…

No, shit, what about now?

Eunhong suddenly felt a surge of heat in his stomach. Was that what he meant when he asked to guess what happened on Christmas Eve? It doesn’t make sense at all. It didn’t seem like that was the context of what he said…

What does he want from me?

What do I want to do…

Eunhong stared blankly at Jaeha, who was rummaging through the drawer.

Him and me? Me and him?

“Eunhong.”

“…Huh?”

“Your pheromones are leaking. Did you take your medication?”

Eunhong’s already warm cheeks turned bright red in an instant. He stood up abruptly like a puppy with its tail on fire.

“Oh shit! Even my body is acting up…!”

As Eunhong hurriedly left the dressing room, Jaeha let out a low sigh behind him. The trail of pheromones left behind, as if painted with a thick brush, was tempting. Although he had indeed seduced Eunhong, it was questionable whether going on a trip with someone like that was a good choice. For both of them.

***

Jaeha nodded with satisfaction as he looked at the gift packages that Secretary Kim had packed in the trunk. The various gift sets, reflecting the taste of Eunhong’s mother, Mrs. Jin, filled the large SUV’s trunk and even spilled over into the back seat. There was barely enough space for the suitcases, requiring a Tetris-like arrangement to fit everything in.

“I’ve gathered everything you asked for. And I’ve included the golden key that Professor Choi recommended.”

“Golden key?”

“Yes. It’s your first official visit to your in-laws, so he said you must take this with you—”

“I clearly said it’s not a formal visit, don’t be ridiculous!”

Jaeha hastily covered Secretary Kim’s mouth and scolded him in a low voice. Behind Secretary Kim, the underground parking lot door opened, and Eunhong appeared. Eunhong brightened up seeing Jaeha and Secretary Kim embracing amicably.

“Oh! Hello, Secretary Kim. It’s been a while.”

“Hello.”

As Secretary Kim approached Eunhong to inquire about his health, Jaeha nudged him in the side. It meant he should leave now. Jaeha was somewhat anxious, fearing that Eunhong might discover that Secretary Kim knew all the details of the manifestation day incident.

Secretary Kim gave a polite greeting and withdrew swiftly. In the awkward atmosphere, Eunhong’s jaw dropped as he looked inside the car trunk.

“What’s all this?”

“Oh, just… We’re visiting your mother after a long time, we can’t go empty-handed.”

Contrary to Eunhong’s worries and various red-tinged imaginations, the destination Jaeha had chosen was Busan, where Eunhong’s family home was located. Not a suite room with an infinity pool that made him feel like he had to escape, or an isolated island in the Indian Ocean popular for honeymoons.

“This is so much… Mom will be thrilled.”

Eunhong was taken aback by Jaeha’s simple and pure choice of location. Jaeha’s reasoning was that they needed to talk about the manifestation, and meeting his mother would be helpful for the confused Eunhong. It was an irreproachable reason. Eunhong could only nod in agreement, like a mute who had eaten honey.

“Get in. Let’s go. Did you pack everything you need?”

“…Yeah.”

Jaeha urged, pushing Eunhong’s back. Feeling somewhat disappointed, Eunhong reflected on his own feelings. What kind of expectations he had been unconsciously harboring… He was even surprised at himself for being subtly disappointed. No, shit, what expectations? Am I crazy? Eunhong shook his head vigorously and opened the passenger door to get in.

The city roads were quiet during weekday afternoons, allowing them to quickly enter the highway. As they drove on the long, straight road at a constant speed, the scenery created regular patterns that quickly disappeared from view. Only the occasional dark tunnels broke the monotony.

Long-distance drives have a peculiar charm. The quiet car interior, where only limited actions are possible, tends to encourage conversation. Moreover, for two people as familiar with each other as they were, there was no space more comfortable and cozy than this.

The radio was playing pleasant city pop. Despite it being winter, the bright sunlight made them both put on stylish sunglasses. They talked about their recent work, discussed the latest celebrity gossip, and even imitated popular jokes.

All sorts of trivial conversations were exchanged. Despite being together almost all the time, the topics never ran out. Eunhong was usually the one who spoke at length. Due to his job’s focus on media, the topics jumped from east to west, north to south.

Jaeha listened to Eunhong’s chatter with a smile, his eyes crinkled. While he liked it when Eunhong was tense because of him, sitting up straight with shy pheromones bursting, when Eunhong was relaxed, opening up to the depths of his heart and showing his true self, happiness welled up in Jaeha’s chest to the point of aching. Jaeha swallowed a sigh, careful not to let Eunhong notice his feelings.

Jaeha’s hand on the steering wheel twitched. Even while driving, he kept glancing at Eunhong. There were moments when he particularly wanted to touch Eunhong, and this was one of them.

“Bunhong, aren’t you cold?”

At this unexpected question, Eunhong turned his head to look at Jaeha. The car interior was exceptionally comfortable…

“No?”

“Really? My hands feel a bit cold.”

At those words, Eunhong reflexively grabbed Jaeha’s hand. He kneaded and touched from the palm to the fingertips. The hand, slightly larger than his own, was warm and appropriately dry. His skin is really nice too… Eunhong suddenly furrowed his brow.

“Your hand is warm though?”

A weak, pained-sounding laugh escaped in response to Eunhong’s murmur. Eunhong’s head naturally turned towards Jaeha’s face. Their eyes met. He had been teasing him. Eunhong forcefully threw Jaeha’s hand away.

“Drive! Use both hands. Keep your eyes straight ahead. Don’t look at me.”

Eunhong pointed two fingers at his own eyes and then at the road repeatedly. His expression was threatening, but his reddened cheeks just made him look cute. Eunhong shouted at the smirking Jaeha. Look ahead, he said, look ahead!

“I really am cold, you know. I’m not lying.”

Laughing, Jaeha reached out his right hand again. Eunhong scolded him. Hey!

“If you’re cold, just turn up the heater.”

Eunhong pressed the heater temperature control buttons. Flustered, he couldn’t control his hand strength, and the temperature rose rapidly.

“How high are you going to set it? If I fall asleep like this, we’ll both end up in the afterlife.”

I wouldn’t mind that either… Eunhong retorted that Jaeha was crazy in response to his muttering. His fingers kept slipping as he tried to adjust the heater temperature again.