Chapter 3: The Proposal

Seunghyuk wasn’t exactly the most unique or standout main character in the novel.

He was simply the first person the protagonist, Hyunjin, had met, and thanks to that, he managed to hold the position of being Hyunjin’s closest friend.

They started as friends, constantly bickering, and eventually developed into a same-age campus couple.

According to his younger brother, their relationship was too smooth, so reader reactions were only lukewarm.

Still, since Seunghyuk had a lot of appearances, enough to make it obvious he was a main character, it was understandable.

Hyunwoo slowly recalled his memories and looked back at Seunghyuk.

When their eyes met, Seunghyuk smiled faintly.

Seeing him like this reminded Hyunwoo of the boyish, fresh-faced Seunghyuk he had met for the first time.

Memories with him resurfaced vividly.

“I think I’ve been a bit sensitive lately because of all the assignments.”

“Ah… I see.”

At those words, Hyunwoo nodded.

It made sense — anyone would be stressed out with too many assignments.

Thankfully, his timing for possession had been good.

When Hyunwoo had possessed Joo Hyunwoo’s body, he had already graduated from college and was working at a company.

Still, knowing how exhausting student life could be, Hyunwoo spoke in a comforting tone.

“Don’t overdo it. Take it easy.”

“Yes, hyung.”

When Seunghyuk replied obediently, Hyunwoo felt a small sense of relief.

Maybe his strange behavior earlier had just been from stress.

Hyunwoo nodded and asked,

“So why did you want to meet today?”

“Well…”

Seunghyuk rolled his eyes and fell into thought for a moment.

Watching him, Hyunwoo felt a bit puzzled.

Had Seunghyuk ever sought him out first before?

There had been plenty of times when Hyunwoo had barged in uninvited and made Seunghyuk uncomfortable, but he didn’t recall Seunghyuk ever coming all the way to his workplace to see him.

It was five years ago, so his memory was faint, but it must have been the same back then.

If anything, Hyunwoo was the one who had chased after Seunghyuk, and Seunghyuk had been the one avoiding him in disgust.

Hyunwoo narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at him.

“Well… so…”

“So?”

“…Marriage! You said you wanted to marry me… right, hyung.”

“What?”

Hyunwoo flinched in surprise and looked around.

It was after work hours, but thankfully, everyone seemed too busy going their own way to pay attention to them.

Hyunwoo sighed in relief — and then the meaning of Seunghyuk’s words hit him.

‘I already proposed?’

It felt like all the blood drained from his body.

He’d been naively thinking there was still time, that he could fix everything — but apparently, things had already gone that far.

Hyunwoo, pale as a sheet, looked back at Seunghyuk.

But Seunghyuk’s expression was somewhat odd.

Hyunwoo had expected him to look repulsed, like he’d come just to reject the proposal, but instead, he looked… anxious.

‘Ah.’

He must be busy with his assignments and just wants to turn me down quickly and go home.

Hyunwoo nodded and reached out his hand.

“It’s not the best place to talk. Let’s go somewhere else.”

“…Okay.”

Seunghyuk obediently followed Hyunwoo.

For a moment, Hyunwoo wondered where to go — then remembered a perfect spot nearby: a café close to the office.

More importantly, there was someone else there he needed to meet.

It would be a good chance to settle multiple matters at once.

Ding.

“Welcome—oh?”

As he opened the familiar café door, someone who had been wiping down a table looked up.

Their short brown hair fluttered lightly, even in the still air.

“Hyung… and Lee Seunghyuk?”

“Hey.”

Joo Hyunjin.

The protagonist of the novel — and Hyunwoo’s half-brother.

Even during the school term, Hyunjin would work part-time at the café whenever he could.

His dream was to become a barista — he’d wanted to polish his skills early on.

Despite being a chaebol family’s second son, he didn’t want to join the company but to become a barista instead.

That’s why, in the novel, there were plenty of people who had no idea Hyunjin was actually a rich heir.

Hyunwoo glanced around the café.

Even though it was located among office buildings, it looked surprisingly quiet.

Of course, that was intentional — the author had designed the protagonist’s café as a cozy setting for him to interact with the other male leads.

Passing by Hyunjin, Hyunwoo spoke casually.

“I’ll talk with Seunghyuk inside. Bring us two iced americanos.”

“Oh, okay. Got it, hyung.”

Hyunjin nodded and headed toward the counter.

Even from a distance, Hyunwoo thought he could smell a faint floral scent from him.

After watching him for a moment, Hyunwoo walked to a secluded seat.

“So… what I meant back then was…”

“Hyung, you don’t put syrup in your coffee, right?”

“Huh? Oh, right.”

“Okay!”

Hyunjin suddenly popped his head up to ask.

Hyunwoo, startled, answered reflexively, and Hyunjin grinned before running back to the counter.

Watching him blankly for a moment, Hyunwoo cleared his throat and turned away.

It seemed better to wait for the coffee before talking.

A moment later, Hyunjin approached with a bright smile, carrying a tray.

“Two iced americanos. The macarons are on the house.”

“No, I’ll pay for those too. Put it on this card.”

“Ah, it’s fine. You don’t have to pay.”

With two dark iced coffees and a plate of colorful macarons, Hyunjin waved his hand dismissively.

Hyunwoo tried to insist — it didn’t feel right for an older brother to be treated by his younger one — but Hyunjin refused to take the card and quickly ran away.

That little brat.

Hyunwoo glared at Hyunjin’s retreating back.

“Hyung.”

“Ahem, yeah.”

Hyunwoo cleared his throat and turned back.

Finally, he could have a proper conversation with Seunghyuk.

A bit tense, he began,

“So, about that proposal back then… just forget it.”

“…What?”

“I think I misunderstood my feelings. I’m sorry. I won’t show up in front of you again.”

“……”

Seunghyuk’s brow twitched.

Seeing his displeasure, Hyunwoo bowed his head apologetically.

No matter how awkward his proposal had been, if he sincerely apologized and suggested they pretend it never happened, everything should be fine — or so he thought.

At least, that’s what Hyunwoo believed at the time.

He found it shocking that he had proposed at this point in the story, but as far as he remembered, Seunghyuk had rejected him once.

Later, Hyunwoo had pushed Seunghyuk into a situation where he couldn’t refuse, and they ended up getting married.

So now, if he apologized early, they could both move on cleanly.

But life rarely goes as planned.

The moment Hyunwoo looked up at Seunghyuk, he realized something was wrong.

Seunghyuk was glaring at him with an icy expression.

“Are you kidding me?”

“I’m really sor—”

“When you asked me to marry you, what did you mean? Why are you saying this now… hyung?”

Apparently, Seunghyuk needed a more convincing reason.

And honestly, Hyunwoo could understand.

If someone who had been chasing him around like a lovesick stalker suddenly said this, he’d be suspicious too.

So, Hyunwoo decided to mix a little truth with a little lie.

“Because… I don’t love you anymore.”

“……”

“And I’m seeing someone seriously now.”

Half of that was true, half wasn’t.

After five years of an unhappy marriage, Hyunwoo’s feelings for Seunghyuk had indeed faded.

But he didn’t resent him.

His love had simply turned into a bittersweet memory.

Of course, the part about having someone new was a lie.

At this point in the story, Hyunwoo had eyes only for Seunghyuk.

He said it just to reassure him — to make the lie sound believable.

A long silence followed.

Hyunwoo thought Seunghyuk might finally understand.

But instead, the displeasure on Seunghyuk’s face deepened.

The dominant alpha pheromones radiating from him pressed down on Hyunwoo like a physical weight.

“Who is it?”

“…What?”

“Who’s that bastard?”

“……”

Caught off guard, Hyunwoo froze.

He hadn’t thought that far ahead when he’d made up the story.

And he had no idea why Seunghyuk looked so angry.

Hyunwoo blinked, confused, and said,

“Just… a decent omega. I figured it’s time I stop messing around and get serious.”

“Hmm.”

In this world, even alphas could date and marry each other, but for Hyunwoo, that was a flaw.

As the heir to the Moon Group, not being able to have a successor was a fatal issue.

That’s why chaebol families usually only allowed alpha–alpha marriages among the non-heir children.

For the chairman’s eldest grandson to insist on one had earned him plenty of criticism from executives and shareholders.

In the past, he’d been a reckless bulldozer — but this time, things would be different.

He’d cleanly let Seunghyuk go, help Hyunjin reach his happy ending, and then marry a decent omega to avoid being branded an unfilial son.

Hyunwoo nodded firmly at the thought.

“Hyung, how can you do that? Does love change that easily? Huh?”

“Well, it’s just…”

“Take responsibility for breaking my heart.”

“……”

Now, Hyunwoo looked like a complete jerk — someone who had proposed and then dumped his lover.

It was definitely the kind of line that could cause misunderstandings if anyone overheard.

Luckily, the café was quiet.

Still, Hyunwoo glanced around nervously.

He couldn’t help worrying about Hyunjin at the counter.

Keeping his voice low, he said,

“Just… think of it as bad luck. I know I hurt you, but I’ll make it up to you. Tell me how much money you want.”

“I don’t want your damn money.”

He heard Seunghyuk grit his teeth.

The expression on his face was anything but pleasant.

Glaring at Hyunwoo with blazing eyes, Seunghyuk spoke again.

“Choose. Either you break up with that bastard — or every disgusting thing you did to me goes public.”

“…What?”

Hyunwoo’s eyes widened.

He stared at Seunghyuk, who was still gritting his teeth, utterly confused by the situation.