Chapter 9: Unexpected Envy

“I tried my best in relationships, but it was always difficult for them to last.”

He could speak about it calmly now, but when he was younger, this particular struggle had caused him considerable distress.

Whenever he started dating someone, Jung-hyun naturally put in effort to be good to them. He was the type to listen to his partner rather than assert his own opinions, especially when making plans or discussing important matters.

However, the outcomes were always bitter. He would be dumped for being “too indecisive,” and then, when he tried to voice his opinions the next time, he would be dumped for being “inconsiderate.”

Being broken up with for a clear reason was, at least, somewhat respectable. Some people even cheated and then brazenly blamed him, or vehemently accused him, claiming it was all his fault.

Looking back, his romantic history was truly bleak.

“I guess relationships just aren’t for me.”

His voice was laced with self-deprecation. Noticing his slumped shoulders, Yoon Tae-jeong offered Jung-hyun comfort with her own gentle words.

“It’s probably because you haven’t met someone whose wavelength matches yours yet.”

Her hands, which had been washing dishes, paused briefly. She glanced around once, then lowered her voice, continuing almost in a whisper.

“Are younger guys not your type?”

It wasn’t a particularly unusual question. However, Jung-hyun quickly discerned the hidden meaning behind it and offered an awkward smile.

It felt less like a general inquiry about younger men and more like a question posed with one specific person in mind.

‘Younger guys are fine. But I was dumped at light speed a few years ago.’

He couldn’t bring himself to say it aloud. It seemed Yoon Tae-yeol hadn’t told his sister about what happened at the graduation ceremony, and revealing it now would only make things awkward for everyone.

There was no reason to needlessly expose his own embarrassing past like some scatterbrained fool.

Fortunately, he had a convenient excuse ready. Jung-hyun quickly composed his expression and answered smoothly, like a snake slithering over a wall.

“As long as they’re a good person, it doesn’t matter. But I tend to be a bit playful, so I prefer someone with a lot of tolerance and understanding.”

“Like me?”

“Exactly!”

Their perfectly matched banter brought a blossoming smile to Yoon Tae-jeong’s face again. Luckily, it seemed she had merely brought up the topic lightly, as she quickly changed the subject.

As they chatted and laughed together like siblings, the kitchen was almost entirely clean. Wiping her wet hands on a hand towel, Yoon Tae-jeong spoke.

“I’ve kept you too long. Could you go help Yeol for a bit?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Jung-hyun readily agreed and turned around. He walked in the direction he felt was right, and indeed, he had found his mark. Through the open doorway, he could see a familiar, well-built back.

“Can I come in?”

“Yes.”

At a glance, the room looked quite stark. Only a bare bed, an air conditioner mounted above it, and a simple round table were sparsely placed. It was a stark contrast to Jung-hyun’s own room, which was strewn with various small items.

‘Of course, this can’t be everything… but he probably doesn’t have much, either.’

His heart inexplicably felt a little uneasy. A sudden thought had sprung to mind: that Yoon Tae-yeol could leave again at any moment without a second thought.

Suppressing the burgeoning emotions, Jung-hyun exaggeratedly looked around and spoke loudly.

“Is this a room or a storage unit? There isn’t even a clock on the wall.”

“I can just look at my phone.”

“It’s annoying to turn it on every time. It’s so much more convenient to just see it as soon as you look up.”

‘Clock’ was mentally noted. He would have to buy him one as a gift.

“Did you buy a new bed?”

“Yes. The one that came with the place was too small.”

That made sense. Yoon Tae-yeol’s height and physique were well above average, after all.

“Let me take a look around the house.”

“There’s nothing to see.”

Jung-hyun almost nodded. Considering the state of this room, it was a perfectly believable statement, yet he was still curious about the new house.

“There must be something. Come on, lead the way.”

At the light push on his back, Yoon Tae-yeol let out a small chuckle, as if to say he couldn’t argue, and started walking as instructed. It was almost embarrassing to call it a tour; he simply led Jung-hyun to the room directly opposite.

“I’m planning to use this as a dressing room.”

It certainly looked the part. It was smaller than the bedroom, and a brand-new looking wardrobe and linen closet stood side-by-side along the wall.

And there was work to be done here. A suitcase lay open on the floor, overflowing with plastic bags full of clothes.

“Do these need to be organized?”

“Yes.”

Jung-hyun’s eyes took on the glint of a hyena spotting prey. If he had sleeves, he would have rolled them up in an instant, but he was only wearing a short-sleeved shirt, which was a pity.

“This is my specialty.”

“I can do it later.”

“……”

‘Do you think I don’t know you?’

Yoon Tae-yeol almost averted his gaze from the look of utter disbelief. He wasn’t sure how much Jung-hyun could predict his actions, but he had indeed been planning to just dump the clothes into a drawer and roughly spread them out.

“Since we’re here, let’s get it done.”

Jung-hyun knelt down and settled onto the floor. As expected, the clothes had been haphazardly tossed in, so he unceremoniously emptied the suitcase and began refolding them one by one.

Yoon Tae-yeol, who had been watching, found his gaze changing slightly. The annoyance that had been present was replaced by admiration.

Jung-hyun’s movements were precise, and his speed in folding clothes was extraordinary. Though Yoon Tae-yeol had seen him work in the office before, it felt surprisingly new and amazing given the change of setting.

Indeed. Jung-hyun had always seemed to have a knack for manual tasks. He would relentlessly bounce a basketball even though he couldn’t grasp it with one hand like others, and he’d fold empty snack bags into strange creations. He had also always taken charge of decorating the rolling papers for their coach and director on Teacher’s Day.

Yoon Tae-yeol belatedly sat down behind the suitcase and reached for the clothes. From his lips, a genuine sentiment flowed out after a long time.

“You’re really unexpected.”

“Huh?”

“I thought you’d be absolutely terrible at this… but you’re so good. It’s more surprising every time I see it.”

“You’ve gotten much better at flattery, haven’t you?”

“Of course. I’m not the same person I used to be.”

‘If only you couldn’t talk.’

Jung-hyun chuckled at the sudden shift in demeanor, but his hands continued to move swiftly. He placed the neatly folded clothes, sorted by type, into the wardrobe drawers.

Then, he opened another pack of clothes, held it upside down, and shook it out. This time, underwear tumbled out.

“Oh…”

Jung-hyun was momentarily flustered, but there was no real reason to be. Of course, there would be underwear. ‘I’m wearing some right now, aren’t I?’

It was a somewhat strange rationalization, but he simply brushed it off and started moving his hands again. Among the items, however, one particularly eye-catching piece stood out. Jung-hyun’s mouth dropped open in a wide grin as he picked it up with both hands.

“Wow…”

The item that drew his exclamation was a rather racy, fluorescent piece of underwear. It wasn’t even boxer briefs or even briefs; it was a jockstrap with the back fabric completely missing. Jung-hyun had occasionally worn event-themed underwear in his younger days, but he had never dared to try such a daring design.

It was so provocative that words simply spilled out of him.

“You wear things like this?”

“Huh?” Yoon Tae-yeol looked up and saw Jung-hyun holding the underwear by its ends with both hands. A wide smile bloomed on Jung-hyun’s face. It seemed less like teasing and more like a mix of admiration and surprise.

Yoon Tae-yeol willingly played along with him.

“Yes.”

“Wow… what a man’s man.”

He let go with one hand, causing the underwear to fall limply. With that same hand, Jung-hyun repeatedly gave a thumbs-up, as if emphasizing his point.

The expression he made was so comical that Yoon Tae-yeol, uncharacteristically, burst into laughter.

However, sensing that the situation could solidify into an irreversible truth, he gradually began to correct it.

“I’m kidding. I don’t know where that came from. I only wear boxer briefs.”

He wondered if it had come with the belongings of the guy he briefly room-shared with, but it was just a guess. There was no reason to pay attention to what others wore, especially their underwear.

“Why? I think it would suit you well.”

“If you like it, Senior, you should wear it. I think it would suit you, too.”

“I have plenty of things like this.”

Yoon Tae-yeol’s lips curled into a wider smile at the sly response. He averted his gaze, pulled over a single, forlorn piece of underwear, and slowly began to fold it again.

Jung-hyun’s eyes caught the sight. He was mesmerized, his gaze fixed.

Just as Yoon Tae-yeol’s height surpassed the average, so too were his hands and feet large, a trait Jung-hyun had always envied.

Unlike most Alphas, Jung-hyun had a rather delicate bone structure for a man, and his body didn’t easily build muscle.

To Jung-hyun, Yoon Tae-yeol’s body was an object of admiration. He had a naturally athletic build, and sometimes, when he wiped sweat from his face with his uniform, his abs were clearly defined, even as a high schooler.

More than anything, he couldn’t explain why the prominent veins on the back of his hands had seemed so cool back then.

“You’re going to burn a hole with your stare.”

The sudden voice pulled Jung-hyun from his brief reverie. He knew the nuance of the remark but feigned ignorance.

“I was just looking because you’re so slow. Though you seemed pretty fast at the office.”

However, this audacious junior didn’t seem inclined to let it slide.

“Are you still envious?”

‘Tsk, busted.’ There was no point in denying it further, so Jung-hyun quickly raised a white flag.

“Yeah. Super envious. Big hands, big feet, big underwear—Gulliver would weep with jealousy.”

While he was at it, he put his expertise to good use and offered a small kindness. He sent Yoon Tae-yeol a web address via text message, saying,

“If you need to buy clothes, check this place out. The quality for the price is good, and they have a variety of sizes.”

“I can just buy them from your company, Senior.”

“Oh.”

An expression that seemed to say, ‘When did you get so clever?’ appeared on Jung-hyun’s face.