Chapter 16: Unspoken Intentions and an Island Getaway

However, Jinwoo disagreed with Yoonwoo’s rebuttal. What followed was even more absurd.

“No, it’s suspicious. I’ve seen that look before, somewhere.”

“What kind of look, and where did you see it?”

“Ah, right. The kid from next door when we lived in the Seoul apartment, who always cried about marrying you.”

That kid from next door was the very reason Yoonwoo had to take tennis lessons for over a year. Yoonwoo tilted his head, perplexed.

“They did? How do you even remember that? You were just a baby.”

“That kid always followed you around, so you never played with us.”

“…I did?”

“Yeah. You did.”

Yoonwoo pinched Jinwoo’s cheek, which responded with a sulky pout. However, it didn’t stretch as soft and pliable as Yeon-chae’s cheeks would have.

A pang of wistfulness struck Yoonwoo as he pictured Yeon-chae’s mochi-like cheeks, likely sleeping soundly in the next room, separated only by a wall.

“But why are you bringing that kid up now?”

It was strange that Jinwoo, who had been merely four or five years old at the time, still remembered the kid from next door. Jinwoo burrowed deeper into his blanket, his voice thick with sleep.

“That look in his eyes… it’s exactly like how that kid looked when they cried about marrying you. That guy.”

Yoonwoo had wondered what he was talking about. Perhaps it was just his youth. The absurdity of a teenager’s words made Yoonwoo laugh aloud.

“Hey, be sensible. Yeon-chae is an Alpha.”

“What does that matter? I’m an Alpha too.”

“Am I asking if you’re an Alpha right now?”

“Then what?”

Frustrated by his younger brother’s inability to grasp his meaning, Yoonwoo elaborated.

“Why would a male Alpha be interested in a male Beta? When there are Omegas.”

“That doesn’t matter. Why are you so prejudiced?”

“Hey, that’s not prejudice, it’s—”

Yoonwoo cut himself off, his lips pressing into a tight line.

During the summer retreat a month prior, Yoonwoo had entertained the thought that an Alpha could indeed harbor feelings for a Beta.

Yet, that fleeting notion and vague hope had vanished before the night was even over.

The memory of the incident that had solidified his prejudices, which he had briefly tried to set aside, instantly dampened his spirits.

Yoonwoo knitted his brows and continued.

“It’s not prejudice; it’s a fact. Alphas aren’t typically interested in Betas.”

Unaware of Yoonwoo’s change in expression, Jinwoo mumbled on.

“There’s no such thing as ‘typically’ in the world… And if that’s not it, why would that guy come all the way to Tongyeong? Why would he even buy eel? That’s expensive.”

“He came to Tongyeong to travel, and he bought the eel because we ate it together earlier and it was delicious.”

“So, truly nothing happened? Not once?”

“Yeah, not once…”

Yoonwoo pondered the definition of ‘nothing’ with a sour expression.

He had mistakenly jumped to conclusions, expecting a confession, only to be left mortified. He had avoided Yeon-chae for nearly a month. Did this trip, where the Alpha came all the way to Tongyeong just to enjoy gourmet food with Yoonwoo, also fall under the category of ‘nothing’?

His mind grew tangled as he dragged out his words, equivocating.

Yoonwoo had never ordered that ‘kimchi soup’ nor intended to drink it. So, naturally, there was no reason for him to feel so awkward.

Yoonwoo peeled away the persistent thoughts of the past month, which had clung to him like a sticky film, and finally reached a conclusion.

“…No. Nothing happened.”

He squeezed his eyes shut.

“Still, that guy keeps looking suspicious. It’s weird… Are you asleep? Just like that?”

“…”

Jinwoo nudged him several times, but Yoonwoo didn’t respond. He wasn’t deliberately pretending to sleep, but he wasn’t in the mood to speak either.

Apparently thinking Yoonwoo was asleep, Jinwoo hunched his broad shoulders, wriggled closer to Yoonwoo, and soon began to breathe steadily, softly snoring.

However, Yoonwoo couldn’t fall asleep until late into the night. The long hours stretched on slowly.

The next morning, when Yoonwoo awoke, he saw the back of Jinwoo’s head, though he had expected him to already be at the library.

To his surprise, Jinwoo was sitting across the dining table from Yeon-chae, eating breakfast.

Startled by the unexpected sight, Yoonwoo rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand.

“Senior, are you up?”

Yeon-chae was the first to look up. Following his gaze, Jinwoo also turned to look.

One of Jinwoo’s cheeks bulged, stuffed full of food, his expression sulky.

Curious as to what he was eating so much of, Yoonwoo saw that the grilled eel Yeon-chae had bought yesterday was spread out across the table.

“Oh, Yeon-chae, you’re up early… Jinwoo, didn’t you go to the library?”

“It’s closed today. Have some eel.”

Jinwoo offered Yoonwoo the eel as if he had bought it himself. Feeling a little awkward, Yoonwoo glanced at Yeon-chae, but Yeon-chae merely smiled sweetly, looking up at him.

Standing alone, it felt good for once to look down at Yeon-chae. A faint blush colored Yeon-chae’s smooth cheeks, suggesting a good night’s sleep.

“Did you thank Yeon-chae? You can’t just eat it.”

“Uh… Thank you.”

As if only remembering after being chided, Jinwoo bowed his head towards Yeon-chae. Yoonwoo clicked his tongue, but Yeon-chae shook his head gently, his eyes crinkling as he smiled.

Seeing Yeon-chae’s refreshing face continuously beaming, Yoonwoo found his own mood inexplicably lifting. Despite tossing and turning and barely sleeping all night, his fatigue seemed to dissipate.

“What’s so funny so early in the morning?”

Even as Yoonwoo asked, the corners of his own lips were subtly turned upwards. When their eyes met, Yeon-chae quietly lowered his gaze, the tips of his ears turning red.

His plump lips parted, and he spoke in a low voice.

“Senior, please eat quickly. We might miss the ferry.”

“Huh? What ferry?”

Yoonwoo and Jinwoo’s gazes both turned to Yeon-chae. Yeon-chae smiled casually, his expression composed.

As if he had anticipated Yoonwoo’s response, each syllable of his gentle explanation carried a subtle emphasis.

“The trip to Somaemuldo we planned for today. We should hurry, as we need to take a ferry.”

“Ah, right. We were going to Somaemuldo today…”

‘Were we?’

He remembered Yeon-chae wanting to go, but the actual decision remained hazy. As Yoonwoo stroked his chin, trying to recall, Yeon-chae gently jogged his memory.

“You said that if we went by ferry today, it would be late, and told me to stay another night.”

“Ah… I did?”

“Yes, yesterday at the eel restaurant. When we ordered extra seasoned eel.”

“Oh, right.”

Nothing was more frustrating than a memory hovering just out of reach. Only then, having finally retrieved the memories of the seasoned eel and Somaemuldo, did Yoonwoo nod in satisfaction.

Yeon-chae’s long eyes curved into crescent moons. He then asked softly, his voice gentle.

“It was delicious there, wasn’t it? The seasoned one too.”

“Yes, it was. The grilled one is good, but…”

Yoonwoo poked at the grilled eel on the table with the tip of his chopsticks, muttering with a wistful expression. Human desires were fickle.

With the plain grilled eel right in front of him, he suddenly craved the seasoned kind.

As Yoonwoo lingered in his longing, Yeon-chae’s suggestion, whispered in his ear, was as sweet as honey.

“After Somaemuldo, shall we go back there for dinner? This time, we can have the seasoned eel first, and finish with the plain grilled.”

“Oh, should we?”

Yeon-chae’s finely sculpted face bloomed into a bright smile for Yoonwoo. Yoonwoo’s voice naturally grew excited.

It was then, as he unconsciously nodded, that he heard it.

“I want to go too, there.”

“…Huh? Where?”

“Somaemuldo and the eel place.”

Jinwoo, who had been sitting between them, suddenly interjected. The handsome face that had been smiling so sweetly instantly froze before his eyes.

“You… aren’t you going to the library?”

Yoonwoo was the first to recover his composure. Yeon-chae’s light brown eyes still seemed unfocused.

Jinwoo retorted, sounding exasperated.

“I told you, the library’s closed.”

“Still, a student preparing for exams should study…”

Yoonwoo’s voice trailed off uncertainly. He had remembered mid-sentence that Jinwoo’s grades were far beyond needing any worry from him.

As if to confirm that thought, Jinwoo calmly replied in a low voice.

“I need to clear my head a bit. Take me with you. Buy me eel, I want to eat eel.”

The tempestuous teenager brazenly demanded the expensive eel. ‘What is he eating right now, if not eel?’

Yet, there was no real reason not to take him. Yoonwoo himself couldn’t understand his own awkward feelings, so it was unlikely a rebellious teenager would accept a refusal without a clear reason.

Yoonwoo sighed, resigned. Perhaps it was just his imagination, but Yeon-chae’s sharply defined eye corners seemed to droop slightly, like a painting.

“Alright, then…”

“Huh?”

Just as Yoonwoo nodded, Jinwoo’s phone buzzed briefly. Jinwoo peered at the screen, raising one eyebrow and tilting his head to the side.

A spark returned to Yeon-chae’s previously unfocused, hazy eyes. His voice, as he asked Jinwoo, was strangely high-pitched.

Jinwoo clamped his mouth shut, staring intently at the screen, until Yoonwoo prompted him again, and he finally spoke.

“Kangwoo.”

“Why Kangwoo?”

“…He says since the library’s closed today, they’re studying at Hanse’s house.”

“Ah, I see.”

It was a trivial matter. Yeon-chae’s stiff shoulders seemed to visibly relax. Then Jinwoo spoke again.

“He told me to come too.”

“…Are you going?”

Yeon-chae quietly interjected. Jinwoo, seemingly oblivious to who had asked, continued to stare at the screen before shaking his head.

“Hanse didn’t invite me, so why would I go?”

That was strange logic. What was there to invite or not invite when teenagers were just studying together? This time, it was Yoonwoo who tilted his head in confusion, as Yeon-chae, who had subtly placed a hand on Jinwoo’s shoulder, spoke in a soothing tone.

“Aren’t they together? If Kangwoo is telling you to come to Hanse’s house, then naturally Hanse must have invited you.”

“…Really?”

“Of course, it’s obvious.”

“Is that so?”

Yeon-chae, who had never even met Hanse or Kangwoo, spoke as if they were his own younger brothers, and had even dropped the honorifics. Still oblivious to Yeon-chae’s presence, Jinwoo suddenly looked up.

“You.”

“Huh?”

“I’m going to Hanse’s house to study.”

“Oh, uh, alright…”

Startled by Jinwoo’s sudden forcefulness, Yoonwoo replied in a daze. Yeon-chae lightly interjected.

“Take the leftover eel and eat it with your friends.”

His gentle voice then turned to Yoonwoo.

“Shall we go to Somaemuldo now?”