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Join the Server“What is this—”
Unable to suppress his discomfort, he vigorously scrubbed his lips with his hand, only belatedly realizing that kissing the man had been nothing but a dream.
After all, his lower lip had been throbbing because the kiss had been so uncoordinated. Now, it felt perfectly normal.
‘This is driving me crazy.’
Overwhelmed by a rising tide of self-loathing, he kicked at his blanket repeatedly. To dream such a thing about an Alpha who already had a partner felt utterly despicable, even to himself.
‘This is all because he hasn’t returned my money.’
It was still too early to send a message, but he didn’t care. If the man had simply provided his account number in the first place, none of this would have happened.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Jung Hee-soo pressed the send button, then tossed his phone onto the bed. He then resumed his tormented rolling about on the mattress.
‘Forget it, just forget it.’
He squeezed his eyes shut, swiftly trying to erase the lingering fragments of the dream from his mind.
Starting the day with such a persistent sense of unease would surely lead to everything going wrong, twisting every plan into knots.
After a considerable time, he finally opened his eyes feeling somewhat better. He then moved to begin his day earlier than usual.
There was always more than enough to do.
****
For several days now, he had been reliving the same dream.
The setting occasionally changed, but it was usually his flower shop. In these dreams, the man would appear, call his name with a wistful tone, and then attempt unwanted physical contact.
He mostly managed to avoid him, but if by chance they did touch, an indescribable sense of unpleasantness would linger throughout the entire day after he awoke.
The stress this caused him was considerable.
If there were any continued points of contact, it might be understandable. However, the man hadn’t visited the flower shop since that day, nor had he replied to any messages about returning the money. Why he kept appearing in his dreams was utterly baffling.
Unable to bear it any longer, Jung Hee-soo confided in a friend he hadn’t seen in a while, telling them about the recurring dreams. His friend listened quite seriously, and their conclusion wasn’t far from what he’d expected.
“Aren’t you falling for that Alpha?”
“…He has a partner, I told you.”
“So what if he has a partner? Some people don’t care.”
“I’m not that kind of trash, you know?”
“If it’s not that, then why does that Alpha keep appearing in your dreams?”
“That’s exactly what I want to know!”
If only it were true, as his friend suggested, that he was falling for the man; his heart would find some peace. But since even he couldn’t understand the reason, it was simply frustrating.
After racking his brain, the only conclusion he could reach was that it was all because the man hadn’t returned the money. However, being tormented for nearly a week over just a few tens of thousands of won—not even hundreds or thousands—seemed utterly excessive.
“Then why don’t you just go and give it to him yourself?”
“Go myself?”
“Yeah, you know where he works, right?”
Despite continually sending messages and calling the man, this thought had never occurred to him. Indeed, what faster solution could there be than going in person?
“I guess I’ll go tomorrow.”
“Yes, it’s better to resolve it quickly and feel at ease. What good does it do to keep dreaming about an Alpha who has a partner, other than making you feel uncomfortable?”
“You’re right.”
Tomorrow, he would go to Daejin Group headquarters and meet the man. Once he returned the change, their last remaining connection would vanish, and surely, the dreams would cease.
With a much lighter heart, he drained the glass of liquor in a single gulp. Perhaps emboldened by the rising buzz of alcohol, Jung Hee-soo found himself smiling brightly for the first time in a while.
He wished tomorrow would come quickly.
****
Though opening his eyes was a bit difficult due to the hangover, he finished getting ready without delay and left the house.
In his pocket was the change he had set aside last night. Now, once he went to Daejin Group headquarters and returned the money to the man, he would finally be free from those unsettling dreams.
‘Let’s go in.’
He felt a slight intimidation before the colossal building, but after taking a deep breath, he stepped inside.
He walked past the grand lobby, intending to enter the company to find the man. However, he realized he would need a visitor’s pass to get through the gate.
“What brings you here today?”
“Um, is Director Han Jung-woo perhaps in?”
“Do you have an appointment with him?”
“Not exactly…”
It seemed that someone of a director’s standing required a prior appointment to be met. But how was he supposed to make an appointment when the man ignored all his calls and messages?
Jung Hee-soo, who had been contemplating whether to simply turn back, suddenly thought of a good idea. Since he had come all the way to Daejin Group, he decided he would ask an employee to deliver the money for him.
“Could you possibly deliver something to Director Han Jung-woo for me?”
“What would that be?”
“It’s… the change left over from buying a flowerpot.”
He pulled the money from his pocket and placed it before the employee. Though the employee couldn’t hide their discomfort at the crumpled bills, they nevertheless took the money Jung Hee-soo had offered, assuring him they would take care of it.
“May I ask your name?”
“Oh, my name?”
“Yes, we need to record the name of the person who delivered the item.”
He wondered if such a complicated procedure was truly necessary, considering he wouldn’t see the man again after today. However, since it was a protocol, he decided to comply.
“It’s Jung Hee-soo.”
“Mr. Jung Hee-soo, we will ensure that the item you requested is safely delivered to the Director.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Jung Hee-soo bowed his head, then turned and walked away without a second glance. Having completely severed even that last small thread of connection, there was no longer any reason for the man to appear in his dreams.
The thought that he would finally be able to sleep peacefully from today onward made his steps light as he exited the Daejin Group headquarters.
‘I should have done this sooner.’
****
It happened again.
He had returned the money, believing the dreams would finally cease, but when he opened his eyes, the man was standing right before him.
The man gazed at him with eyes full of affection, calling his name, “Hee-soo,” in a voice that sent shivers down his spine.
‘Why is this really happening?’
He was utterly bewildered. Was it truly as his friend suggested, that he harbored feelings for this Alpha, which was why he kept having these dreams?
“Hee-soo, you should look at me.”
The demand to meet his gaze, despite how burdensome it felt, irritated him. When he ignored it and looked elsewhere, the man gently took hold of Jung Hee-soo’s chin.
He was forced to meet the man’s eyes, and the man grinned, murmuring, “Good.” Without needing a single word, Jung Hee-soo understood. This man genuinely liked him.
‘It’s just a dream, though.’
On the day they first met, a pregnant Omega had been by the man’s side. There was no way he would abandon such a person to come to Jung Hee-soo, nor should he.
Yet, why did he keep having these foolish, persistent dreams? And why, in these dreams, was he increasingly failing to push the man away?
“How long will you keep coming to me?”
“Indeed. We’re already over.”
They had never even begun, yet the man spoke of an end. Jung Hee-soo frowned, confused by his words, as the man’s approaching hand gently cupped his cheek.
“You probably don’t even know what you’ve lost.”
“What have I lost?”
“Yes, something very important.”
As the man finished speaking, tears began to stream down Jung Hee-soo’s cheeks. Why? There was nothing to be sad about, and he felt no such emotion, yet tears kept flowing from his eyes.
“Huh, why is this—”
Taken aback, Jung Hee-soo wiped away the incessant tears again and again. The man, who had been quietly watching him, slowly rose to his feet.
“Where are you going?”
He reached out and grasped the man who was turning away from him for the first time. He had simply grabbed him because this dream felt different, strange, but the moment he touched the man, a pang shot through his heart.
Though he couldn’t articulate it, a powerful certainty washed over him that this would be his last moment with the man. It was what he had longed for, yet simultaneously, what he hadn’t wanted.
He had been ignoring it, but perhaps, from the very beginning, he had—
“You’ll be able to meet someone better.”
The man gently pushed Jung Hee-soo’s hand away, offering his final farewell. Then, he slowly receded into the distance. Jung Hee-soo could have run and caught him, but he didn’t.
“Goodbye, Jung-woo.”
Uttering words of farewell he didn’t even understand himself, Jung Hee-soo slowly closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he had woken from the dream. His familiar ceiling greeted him.
“Ah…”
He raised a hand to his cheek and found tears streaming down it. A strange ache resonated in his chest, as if he had lost something precious.
“What was that?”
He felt as though he had dreamed, but it faded quickly, leaving him unable to recall anything. It had turned hazy, like mist, and nothing came to mind.
‘It must have been nothing.’
Dismissing the dream as insignificant, Jung Hee-soo wiped away the remaining tears on his cheeks.
Checking the clock, he realized he had woken up thirty minutes earlier than usual. Since it seemed unlikely he would fall back asleep, he decided to start his day a little early.
“It’s a beautiful day.”
For some reason, he felt as though today would be filled with good things.
You think this chapter was thrilling? Wait until you read How to Avoid Regression! Click here to discover the next big twist!
Read : How to Avoid Regression
