Chapter 15: Tension in the Dress Room

“You… you… won’t let go of this?”

“Let go first, hyung.”

“Hey…!”

Hyunwoo desperately tried to hold onto his belt.

But with just one arm, he was no match for Seunghyuk’s strength.

In the end, the belt dropped helplessly to the floor.

“Stop… I said stop!”

“…….”

Now he was practically begging, but Seunghyuk didn’t even pretend to hear him.

Instead, with a click, the zipper of his pants slid down.

Hyunwoo panicked and grabbed the waistband with one hand.

What kind of sense of duty possessed this crazy guy that he didn’t even realize he was seeing another alpha naked?

Hyunwoo yelled at Seunghyuk, who seemed completely out of his mind.

“Stop it, you perverted bastard!”

“……!”

Only then did Seunghyuk, who had been focused on helping remove Hyunwoo’s pants, pause.

He frowned and looked at Hyunwoo.

“Who’s the pervert?”

“You are, holding onto someone else’s pants.”

“I’m just trying to help you…”

“I don’t need help, so get lost!”

Still, Seunghyuk didn’t give up and continued stubbornly.

His grip was so strong that Hyunwoo’s crisp suit pants were all wrinkled.

They struggled like this for a while when suddenly…

“Hyung, are you not done changing yet?”

“……!”

Hyunjin’s voice came from outside the dress room.

Hyunwoo froze, and Seunghyuk frowned and turned his head.

If Hyunjin came in now, it could easily be misinterpreted.

Hyunwoo realized the scene he and Seunghyuk were in.

Seunghyuk was leaning over him halfway, and their legs were tangled from the scuffle.

To an outsider… it might look like they were about to do something inappropriate.

“No, it’s not like that!”

Hyunwoo shouted in his head, frustrated.

He glared at Seunghyuk, who was still holding onto his pants, and called out toward the door.

“I haven’t finished changing yet. I’ll be out soon!”

“What? Isn’t it hard to do alone? Want me to help?”

“I’m fine… really!”

Why was everyone so eager to help him change?

Was it necessary just because he had one arm injured?

Hyunwoo’s energy drained completely.

“You… won’t let go of this?”

“…….”

Perhaps aware of Hyunjin outside, Seunghyuk finally relaxed his grip.

Hyunwoo, barely retaining his pants, patted Seunghyuk’s shoulder and whispered.

“You go out and eat with Hyunjin.”

“…….”

“Hurry!”

Seunghyuk frowned, clearly displeased, but when Hyunwoo pressed, he reluctantly got up and left the room.

“Phew….”

Finally, Hyunwoo exhaled in relief.

If Hyunjin had walked in and seen that scene, it would have been disastrous.

And being misunderstood would have been unbearable…

He really didn’t want to get tangled with the protagonists anymore.

Everything seemed to be going wrong as time passed.

Originally, he should have just treated the proposal to Seunghyuk as a non-event, broken things off cleanly, and quietly supported Seunghyuk and Hyunjin from afar.

Hyunwoo felt a spreading headache as he slowly changed his clothes.

After finally taking off the partially tugged-down pants, he slipped into the comfortable outfit nearby.

“Hmm….”

Wait, weren’t these the clothes Seunghyuk had picked?

Hyunwoo tilted his head in thought, but quickly grew tired of caring.

After changing, he left the dress room slowly.

Honestly, he didn’t want to face Hyunjin and Seunghyuk right now.

But staying locked in the room would only guarantee more noise from them.

Also, after a busy day with barely any lunch, he was starting to feel hungry.

After a brief pause, he headed toward the dining room where the two were.

“…Hmm?”

Something felt off about the atmosphere in the dining room.

Hyunjin and Seunghyuk sat across from each other, silently glaring.

Had they fought?

Hyunwoo froze in surprise at how tense it felt.

“Hyung, you’re here?”

“Uh, yeah.”

Hyunjin, who first noticed him, stood up immediately.

Hyunwoo approached the table with a hesitant expression.

Neither had started eating yet.

Their bowls were full, and every dish was perfectly clean with no signs of use.

Hyunwoo frowned in confusion.

“Why haven’t you eaten yet?”

“Well, I wanted to eat with you when you arrived.”

“Do you have to go that far….”

Hyunwoo chuckled and sat beside Hyunjin.

But something was odd.

“…?”

Why wasn’t there any food at his seat?

He looked at the other places on the table.

Hyunjin and Seunghyuk both had properly set dishes in front of them.

They weren’t trying to be unfair with food… were they?

Then Hyunwoo remembered Hyunjin’s unusual behavior over the past few days.

“Hyunjin, I said I can eat by myself.”

“Why? Your arm’s injured, so I’ll feed you.”

“No….”

One person insisted on helping him change, another wanted to feed him.

Was it because they both thought of him as someone they loved, or were they just oblivious?

Hyunwoo frowned.

“My left arm’s fine for eating. I can handle a meal on my own.”

“But….”

“Hurry and bring my portion too.”

“Yes….”

Hyunjin sulked, picking up the plate and heading into the kitchen.

Hyunwoo glanced at Seunghyuk, who was staring at him, still wearing a displeased expression.

He didn’t know what Hyunjin had said to him before, but apparently it hadn’t gone well.

Hyunwoo soon understood why Seunghyuk was upset.

“Hyunjin, how long are you staying here?”

“Ah….”

Seunghyuk was unhappy because he worried about Hyunjin.

Even though he suggested another place, Hyunjin ignored him.

Hyunwoo glanced at Hyunjin, who was redistributing the food.

“Probably… until the semester ends?”

“You’re going to stay together that long?”

“Two months will pass quickly.”

“Two months isn’t short, you know?”

“Maybe so.”

Working in a company made him lose track of time.

It was late April now, so two months until the semester ends, just like Seunghyuk said.

But what did it matter? Time would fly anyway.

“Well, it’s not like it’ll be that long.”

“How can two months not be long?”

Hyunwoo paused at the sharp tone.

If you’re so worried, you can take him yourself.

But moving in already felt too early.

He shook his head, thinking purely about Hyunjin’s well-being.

“I understand your concern, but both Hyunjin and I respond well to inhibitors. Nothing will happen. It was fine when we lived at the main house.”

“Of course it was fine there. But here, it’s just the two of you.”

“Well… that’s true…”

The annoyingly smart protagonist found every loophole.

Hyunwoo began to feel unfairly burdened.

He had never considered Hyunjin as anything more than a younger brother.

Even though Seunghyuk knew they were true siblings, he still didn’t trust him.

How much of a corrupt alpha must he think Hyunwoo is to be so suspicious?

After swallowing a sigh, Hyunwoo reminded himself that the boy had nowhere else to go.

“You can’t just throw him out randomly.”

“Why not? He could return home or stay at a hotel.”

“The main house is too far, and even if the hotel is nice, he can’t live there for months.”

“…….”

Seunghyuk fell silent for a moment, but his glaring eyes were terrifying enough to make cold sweat run down Hyunwoo’s back.

“So, you’re keeping Hyunjin here?”

“…Yes.”

Hyunwoo nodded firmly despite fear, which made Seunghyuk’s expression even stiffer.

“Then it can’t be helped.”

“……?”

“I’ll stay here too until Hyunjin leaves.”

“…What?”

Hearing Seunghyuk’s explosive statement, Hyunwoo just gaped in shock.