Chapter 157: Unspoken Feelings Between Us

“Why are you here?”

“Of course I came to see you.”

“I told you we shouldn’t meet outside.”

“Ah… sorry.”

“…….”

Seeing Seunghyuk look so downcast made Hyunwoo feel guilty.

He quickly approached and took his hand.

“You don’t need to apologize.”

“I really didn’t mean to cause trouble for you.”

“I know.”

Hyunwoo sighed softly and nodded.

Whenever Seunghyuk acted timid like this—so unlike before—his heart softened.

Still, he couldn’t let it slide completely.

“Just be careful next time.”

“Yes, Hyung.”

“…….”

As soon as Hyunwoo forgave him, Seunghyuk immediately brightened with a big smile.

It was almost ridiculous.

He really was like a fox.

Hyunwoo couldn’t bring himself to scold him further and let out a small laugh.

“Actually, I found a really good restaurant.”

“A restaurant?”

“Yes.”

“Hm…”

A restaurant…

Hyunwoo’s morning sickness, which had calmed down since the flight, had started creeping back again.

Yesterday’s pheromone shower from Seunghyuk helped a bit, but it was still a sensitive time.

Even room-service sandwiches from last night smelled too strong for him to eat properly.

He wasn’t sure if he’d manage today.

Hopefully the place Seunghyuk found served food he could tolerate.

“But Hyung… why do you have another alpha’s pheromone on you?”

“Hm? What?”

“Which bastard—”

“……?”

Seunghyuk ground his teeth angrily, and Hyunwoo blinked, confused.

Alpha pheromones?

Not Seunghyuk’s?

He had only received pheromones from one alpha recently—Seunghyuk.

Hyunwoo couldn’t imagine what he meant… until he remembered.

When he met Abram in the elevator.

It must have gotten on him during their handshake.

On top of gripping too hard, Abram had even tried asserting dominance with pheromones.

Was he planning some kind of showdown in a five-second handshake?

Hyunwoo scoffed internally.

“Ah, I met a company executive earlier.”

“A company executive?”

“Yeah. He seemed kind of wary of me.”

“Why?”

“Not sure…”

Hyunwoo scratched his head, equally clueless.

Seunghyuk’s brown eyes darkened.

“…Does he have interest in you or something—”

“No, definitely not.”

Even if his traits had shifted toward omega, Hyunwoo still looked like a well-built alpha to anyone.

Plus he was coated head-to-toe in Seunghyuk’s dominant pheromone—no one would mistake him for an approachable omega.

He shook his head firmly.

“Feels more like he’s hiding something sketchy.”

“Sketchy?”

“Yeah. I don’t know what he’s done yet.”

He planned to find out soon.

Seunghyuk’s eyes sparkled.

“If you need help, tell me.”

“Hm…”

With Seunghyuk’s hacking skills, he could help a lot.

But having someone not even employed at the company dig around felt wrong.

“And the time difference makes it hard to ask HQ for help. They can’t reply quickly.”

“That’s true.”

It really was inconvenient.

Sometimes they couldn’t respond until the next day.

If Abram was doing something shady, they needed information fast—but coordinating with Korea would be slow.

“Anyway, let’s think about it while eating.”

“Okay.”

Hyunwoo nodded and followed Seunghyuk toward the restaurant he had found.

“…….”

Someone watched the two of them quietly from a distance.

“Ha… that was good.”

“Tasty, right?”

“Yeah.”

Hyunwoo patted his full stomach.

It was probably the first time since getting pregnant that he’d eaten this much.

He let out a satisfied breath.

The restaurant Seunghyuk found specialized in Mexican food.

Since Texas used to be part of Mexico, it was famous for both barbecue and authentic Mexican cuisine.

Everything they ordered tasted amazing.

Nachos, quesadillas, guacamole—

But the best dish was surprisingly the soup.

American food often didn’t suit Hyunwoo, but the tortilla soup reminded him of Korean chicken soup, and he could eat it comfortably.

He ate so well that Seunghyuk barely had any since he kept giving Hyunwoo his portions.

“Sorry for stealing most of it.”

“Your little one ate with you, so it’s fine.”

“Haha…”

Hyunwoo didn’t mind anymore that Seunghyuk called the baby “little one.”

A full stomach made him generous.

“Want to walk along the river path? It’s close by.”

“Sure.”

Hyunwoo nodded.

A walking trail was nearby, and the river scenery was beautiful.

“The weather’s nice.”

“It is.”

Texas in October was warm during the day but chilly at night.

The sun was beginning to set.

“Let’s head back before it gets cold.”

“I’m fine right now.”

Maybe it was the full stomach—that alone lifted Hyunwoo’s mood.

The breeze by the river felt refreshing.

He watched the slowly sinking sun reflect across the water.

Soon the sky turned orange, painting the river in warm colors.

Sunlight glittered across the rippling surface.

Hyunwoo stared at the view for a long time.

“It’s pretty.”

“It is.”

“…….”

“What is it?”

Hyunwoo turned from the river and looked directly at Seunghyuk’s profile.

Curious, Seunghyuk asked, and Hyunwoo finally spoke.

“Why do you still talk formally to me?”

“Hm?”

“You said you regressed too. Before, you used informal speech with me.”

“…….”

Hyunwoo voiced something that had been on his mind.

They had a five-year age gap—not extreme, but not small either.

So when they first met, Seunghyuk naturally used formal speech.

After marriage, at some point, he switched to informal speech.

Hyunwoo knew Seunghyuk’s resentment toward him then, so he never pointed it out.

He assumed it was natural for married couples.

After their regression, Seunghyuk hid the fact that he remembered everything.

So Hyunwoo assumed he used formal speech just to mimic the past.

But even after everything was revealed, Seunghyuk still spoke formally.

“You can talk comfortably now. Really.”

“…It’s okay.”

“You don’t have to.”

“…….”

Hyunwoo pressed again, frustrated.

But Seunghyuk only looked more troubled.

What was the issue?

Why cling so stubbornly to formal speech?

Was he still uncomfortable around Hyunwoo?

Even if he realized his feelings now, the past wasn’t erased—

and Hyunwoo hadn’t accepted his confession right away either.

Hmm…

The more he thought about it, the more reasons he could see for Seunghyuk to feel uneasy.

Hyunwoo looked away awkwardly.

“Well… do whatever you’re comfortable with.”

“Hyung.”

“…….”

“It’s not what you think.”

Seunghyuk spoke quickly, almost desperately.

“I’m… just sorry.”

“Sorry?”

“Yes. Using informal speech before—it was because I lashed out.”

“…….”

He recalled memories he didn’t want to revisit.

Around a year after their marriage—

when their relationship was at its worst,and Seunghyuk joined L&S without a word—

‘If you’re going to act however you want, then get out!’

‘You think I can’t? I never wanted to live with you in the first place!’

‘……!’

That had been the first time he spoke informally.

A moment he desperately wished he could erase.

He remembered too clearly the look on Hyunwoo’s face—

the way his pheromones trembled.

He had hurt him deeply.

Back then, resentment drowned everything else.

He couldn’t contain his anger.

He wounded Hyunwoo badly,and now he never wanted to repeat that mistake.

“I just… want to do well this time. I don’t want you to get hurt again.”

“You…”

Hyunwoo finally understood.

He hadn’t expected this to be the reason.

His chest tightened slightly.

“Why worry about something like that? It’s all in the past.”

“But…”

“I said I forgave everything. And you forgave me too.”

“…….”

“We don’t owe each other anymore, right?”

Hyunwoo’s voice wavered.

Seunghyuk stepped closer and gently stroked his cheek.

“I’m sorry. I was thinking wrong.”

“You don’t have to apologize.”

“I’ll… take it slow. Really slow.”

“Okay…”

They still hadn’t healed every wound.

But just like the river flowing beside them,one day they would look at each other without pain.

Hyunwoo smiled faintly and brushed Seunghyuk’s cheek.

At that moment,a camera shutter clicked sharply nearby.

📚 Also on NHV Novels

You Need to Start Streaming Now!

Age GapBLBoys Love

Read Now →
Not interested