Chapter 33: The Distance Between Us

For the past few days, the atmosphere at home had been strange.

After coming home from work, Hyun-woo frowned in confusion.

Once again, he didn’t run into either of them.

Only the empty hallway greeted him.

It felt as if he had returned to the days when he lived alone.

Ever since Hyun-jin and Seung-hyuk moved in, there hadn’t been a single quiet day.

After changing into comfortable clothes, Hyun-woo looked down at the barren dining table and fell into thought.

Usually, when he came home, Hyun-jin would already be there, having ordered dinner.

Once Hyun-woo sat down, Hyun-jin and Seung-hyuk would sit on either side of him, pestering him endlessly.

They would make noise, saying things like they’d feed him because his arm was still healing.

But now, even though it was late evening, the house was completely empty.

Even after exams were over, both of them were still too busy to be seen.

‘Well, both of them are in their final year after all.’

Especially Hyun-jin, who had been working part-time and ended up short on attendance.

Because of that, his grades were dangerously close to failing.

He even said he would have to take summer classes during break.

Hyun-woo clicked his tongue in disapproval.

On the other hand, Seung-hyuk’s problem was that his résumé was too good.

Even though he was interning at Moonseong this break, there was still no guarantee he would actually join the company.

Competitor firms, well aware of his talent, seemed unwilling to leave him alone.

But somehow, all of that felt distant to Hyun-woo — like someone else’s story.

Perhaps because, before the regression, Seung-hyuk had joined L&S instead.

Now, no matter what choice Seung-hyuk made, Hyun-woo felt confident he wouldn’t be hurt.

“Hmm…”

He simply assumed the two were busy.

Thinking that way, he walked over to the refrigerator to prepare a lonely dinner for himself.

But when he saw that it only contained bottled water and beer, he sighed.

This was the problem with never cooking at home — there was nothing to eat when needed.

He considered whether to just have coffee or beer instead.

Hyun-woo was seriously debating this when—

“Huh?”

He heard the faint hum of the door opening and closing.

Turning his head, he realized someone had come home.

Maybe it was Hyun-jin.

After the stalker incident, Hyun-jin hadn’t gone back to his part-time job yet, so he usually came home earlier than Seung-hyuk.

So Hyun-woo assumed it must be him.

“Ah…”

“……”

But the one who appeared in the dining room wasn’t Hyun-jin — it was Seung-hyuk.

And when he noticed Hyun-woo, he froze on the spot.

“Uh… Did you eat?”

“…Yes. I already ate.”

“Yeah?”

Hyun-woo awkwardly turned his head away.

Maybe it was just his imagination, but Seung-hyuk’s tone sounded oddly sharp.

Staring into the empty refrigerator, Hyun-woo quietly closed the door.

For some reason, his stomach felt uneasy.

He decided it might be best to skip dinner and just go to bed early.

He turned to leave the dining room.

“Where are you going?”

“To my room.”

“Did you eat?”

“……”

He wanted to lie and say yes, but Seung-hyuk was annoyingly perceptive.

If he had already eaten, he wouldn’t have been rummaging through the fridge in the first place.

Sighing, Hyun-woo turned around to face him.

“No. I’m just tired, so I’ll sleep.”

“Don’t skip meals. You’ll collapse.”

“I won’t collapse from missing one meal.”

“……”

Speaking curtly, Hyun-woo tried to walk past him.

But Seung-hyuk reached out and grabbed his arm.

“Don’t. Eat something first.”

“Ha…”

Frowning, Hyun-woo considered shaking him off — but Seung-hyuk wasn’t the type to let go easily.

He couldn’t understand why he was being so persistent.

He acted cold and distant, yet suddenly started caring like this.

Irritation welled up inside him, and Hyun-woo glared at him.

“Forget it. There’s nothing to eat in the house anyway.”

“Then I’ll go out and buy something.”

“What?”

Seung-hyuk let go of his arm and turned as if to leave immediately.

“Why are you doing this?”

“What do you mean?”

“After the amusement park, you suddenly lost interest in me — so why are you acting like you care again?”

“……”

Seung-hyuk was truly unpredictable.

When they went to the amusement park with Hyun-jin, everything had seemed fine.

It had been tiring riding all those attractions Hyun-jin liked, but overall, the day hadn’t been bad.

In fact, it had been good.

Hyun-woo had even foolishly thought that if Hyun-jin and Seung-hyuk started dating as in the original story, maybe he could also maintain a decent relationship with Seung-hyuk this time around.

But it was all wishful thinking.

After returning from the main house, Seung-hyuk had suddenly started keeping his distance.

The messages he used to send every day stopped completely.

He barely came home.

It had already been a week since they last spoke properly.

Hyun-woo had repeatedly told himself not to be affected — that he wouldn’t get hurt no matter how Seung-hyuk acted.

But it was all in vain.

What frustrated him most was that he was still being swayed by him.

“Just ignore it. That’s easier for both of us, isn’t it?”

“Hyung, I…”

“Enough. I don’t want to hear it. Go to bed.”

“……”

Hyun-woo had decided not to care anymore.

If Seung-hyuk wanted to go out at this hour to buy food, that was his business.

It had nothing to do with him.

Turning his head, Hyun-woo walked away with long strides.

“…Hyung, don’t you have anything to say to me?”

“What?”

“……”

A quiet voice came from behind him.

Puzzled, Hyun-woo turned around to see Seung-hyuk staring at him with eyes full of resentment.

“……?”

What now?

He was the one who had been angry just moments ago.

Frowning, Hyun-woo opened his mouth.

“Something to say? No, I don’t.”

“……”

Seung-hyuk closed his eyes tightly, as if trying to suppress anger.

Hyun-woo hadn’t misread it — he really was angry.

“Then… where are you going this weekend?”

“…Weekend?”

Hyun-woo raised an eyebrow at the sudden question.

This weekend, he was scheduled to attend a matchmaking meeting arranged by the chairman.

His secretary, Sung-yoon, had already texted him the details — appearance, background, everything — but he hadn’t bothered to read it all.

It didn’t matter.

The chairman had surely chosen an Omega beneficial to Moonseong Group.

He’d just meet the person, talk for a bit, and if their pheromones didn’t clash, continue seeing them.

Who the person was didn’t matter much to him.

And it wasn’t something he wanted to discuss with Seung-hyuk — neither the meeting nor the possibility of marriage.

It was none of his business.

“Just… an appointment.”

“What kind of appointment?”

Seung-hyuk stepped closer, towering slightly as if to pressure him.

The height difference wasn’t that big, but as a dominant Alpha, he exuded an overwhelming presence.

Hyun-woo forced himself not to flinch.

“Do I really have to tell you that?”

“……”

“Mind your own business.”

With deliberate coldness, Hyun-woo turned away and walked off quickly.

This time, Seung-hyuk didn’t stop him.

“Phew…”

Once inside his room, Hyun-woo let out a long sigh.

Time flew by.

The day after his tense conversation with Seung-hyuk, Hyun-woo spotted a hard, dried-up sandwich sitting on the dining table while passing through in the morning.

It had spoiled overnight in the heat.

The sight of it was strangely pathetic.

Hyun-woo stared at it for a long time before tossing it into the food waste bin himself.

The indescribable feeling that welled up afterward only worsened his mood.

Why am I even feeling this way?

A wave of bitter resentment spread through him.

“Sigh…”

Remembering that moment, Hyun-woo now sat quietly in the car that had stopped in front of his house.

Although his arm had mostly healed, he still couldn’t drive properly yet.

So he had to take the car the chairman sent to the matchmaking venue.

He would meet his match soon — but he felt nothing.

He just hoped their goals aligned so the whole thing wouldn’t drag on too long.

After a long drive, the car stopped in front of a hotel.

Looking up at the grand five-star building, Hyun-woo felt an odd sense of déjà vu.

Soon, he realized why.

“Ha.”

This was the same hotel where Hyun-jin had once attended a forced matchmaking meeting under the chairman’s orders — before the regression.

And now, it was Hyun-woo’s turn.

Suppressing a bitter laugh, Hyun-woo slowly walked into the hotel.