Chapter 21: A Strange Morning

“Ugh….”

Hyunwoo opened his eyes.

Through his blurred vision, he saw the familiar ceiling.

Pressing his throbbing head, he sat up.

What… happened to me yesterday?

“…Ah.”

Though his head throbbed violently, bits and pieces of yesterday gradually came back to him.

He remembered worrying about Hyunjin not coming home, going to Dokyung’s house, and…

Though his memory was patchy, he could roughly piece together what had happened.

“This Seunghyuk… this crazy guy….”

Hyunwoo muttered a curse as he recalled what Seunghyuk had done.

He didn’t understand why Seunghyuk had been so angry. Was it because Hyunjin was at the sub’s house?

Even so, getting that aggressive was extreme.

If one alpha mounts another, it could easily strain the body and cause serious harm.

That’s why conflicts between alphas could even lead to lawsuits.

Luckily, it seemed like nothing serious had happened beyond a slight headache… but still, Hyunwoo felt uneasy.

“Hyung, are you awake?”

“You….”

“Are you okay?”

Seunghyuk peeked through the half-open door, checking on him.

Why was he acting so hesitant, as if tiptoeing around?

Hyunwoo frowned and called him over.

“Come here.”

Seunghyuk approached reluctantly.

He seemed aware that he had done something wrong.

Hyunwoo glared at him, displeased with his subdued demeanor.

“Why did you do that yesterday?”

“…….”

Seunghyuk lowered his head and crouched by the bed.

If his intention was to look pitiful, he had partly succeeded.

Still, Hyunwoo wasn’t ready to forgive him easily.

“Not going to answer?”

“Well….”

Seunghyuk moved his lips, but then closed his mouth again.

He only glanced at Hyunwoo, as if trying to gauge him.

Finally, Seunghyuk spoke.

“I was angry because… Hyunjin’s presence was on you too strongly.”

“…What?”

Hyunwoo widened his eyes in disbelief.

That was the reason he was angry? Because of Hyunjin’s lingering scent?

Hyunjin had been in a vulnerable state at the time, so it was natural that some traces lingered.

Still, Seunghyuk had reacted so strongly?

Hyunwoo stared at him in astonishment.

Seunghyuk kept his head bowed, acting like someone guilty.

“….”

But it wasn’t completely incomprehensible.

Seunghyuk was the main character in the story, with many sub-characters, so it made sense that he would be protective—even possessive—about Hyunjin.

Though it annoyed Hyunwoo that Seunghyuk had acted harshly, he understood it was partly inevitable.

He sighed deeply.

“Don’t ever do that again, got it?”

“…You’re forgiving me?”

“If you do it again, I’ll take action.”

“Yes… yes. Go ahead.”

Seunghyuk smiled like a crazy person at that threat.

Hyunwoo suspected he might really be a little strange.

Seunghyuk suddenly approached Hyunwoo.

“Thanks for forgiving me, hyung.”

“…!”

Seunghyuk leaned forward and briefly kissed Hyunwoo on the cheek.

It was a short, gentle kiss, but Hyunwoo was stunned.

“You… you… what….”

“Today’s the hospital day, right? Get ready, we’re going together.”

“No, you….”

Seunghyuk ignored him, turned, and left the room.

Hyunwoo sat there in a daze for a while.

Time passed before Hyunwoo fully regained his composure.

He still couldn’t believe Seunghyuk had kissed his cheek.

Finally, he gathered himself and went out.

“Hyung, let’s eat first.”

“…Eat?”

A savory aroma filled the air.

Hyunwoo looked at the table.

Steaming rice, miso soup, and various neatly arranged side dishes were ready.

Seunghyuk was good at cooking.

Unlike Hyunwoo, he grew up in a normal household and had lived alone for years, so he was skilled in household tasks.

But Hyunwoo had never actually eaten Seunghyuk’s cooking.

Even after five years of marriage, Seunghyuk rarely prepared meals at home.

Now, with Hyunjin staying elsewhere due to circumstances, Hyunwoo hadn’t expected Seunghyuk to cook for him directly.

He looked at the food, then back at Seunghyuk, bewildered.

“What’s this?”

“Uh… nothing special.”

Hyunwoo shook his head in mild surprise and sat down.

He quietly looked at the food.

To see proper home-cooked food here was unexpected.

Though the kitchen had the necessary tools, they had rarely been used.

Hyunwoo swallowed, then took a spoonful of steaming rice.

“……!”

It was surprisingly good.

Plain rice, yet nutty, sticky, and flavorful.

Hyunwoo devoured it eagerly.

He realized he hadn’t eaten since last night.

Finally understanding his hunger, he hastily ate the rice and side dishes.

“Delicious?”

“…Yes.”

“Good. Try this too.”

Seunghyuk added stir-fried eggplant to his plate.

Hyunwoo wasn’t particularly fond of eggplant, but he still tried it.

“Hyung, you really need to fix your picky eating habits.”

“….”

Seunghyuk seemed to know his habits well, perhaps from the few meals they had shared.

Hyunwoo nodded faintly, realizing the food was too good to be distracted.

“…I’m full.”

He emptied his bowl, feeling a little embarrassed.

It had been a long time since he’d had home-cooked food.

Back in his family home, though meals were prepared, the atmosphere was always tense.

Living alone, he mostly relied on delivery or eating out.

This meal, made with care by someone else, felt unusually comforting.

“Shall we go to the hospital now?”

“Yes.”

The scheduled hospital time was approaching.

Feeling satisfied, Hyunwoo got up.

“Joo Hyunwoo, please come into the examination room.”

“Yes.”

This was a top university hospital, but his turn came quickly.

Hyunwoo glanced at Seunghyuk.

“Wait here?”

“No, I’ll come in with you.”

“….”

He hadn’t expected Seunghyuk to follow him.

Hyunwoo got up, slightly surprised.

“Hello, Professor.”

“Welcome.”

He approached the doctor, who looked up from the chart.

“Any pain or bleeding from the injury?”

“No, it’s fine.”

His arm was healing smoothly.

Despite Hyunjin and Seunghyuk being a bit bothersome, they had helped.

Hyunwoo awkwardly answered.

They then went to the treatment room next door to remove the bandage and disinfect.

The doctor smiled.

“You can remove the stitches next week. Healing well.”

“Yes….”

“Your partner seems to take good care of you.”

“…What?”

Hyunwoo was startled by the comment and looked up.