Chapter 34: Fake Marriage, Real Heat

“If the two of you keep talking only in Korean, we’ll get upset!”

The complaint burst out from the group when the conversation between them dragged on. Woo-seok smiled pleasantly as he pulled Ha-jin’s hand onto his lap and clasped it tightly.

“Sorry. We just end up with too much to say whenever we’re apart, even for a little while.”

The others laughed, saying they understood because they were the same way. Before long, Woo-seok had seamlessly blended into their conversation, as if he had been friends with them for years.

From Go Ha-jin’s perspective, it was baffling.

There was no one here who knew Chae Woo-seok, no family, no acquaintances, so why was he acting this friendly? Why bother pretending they were such a happy couple?

“Eat with the snacks. If you drink on an empty stomach, you’ll get drunk fast.”

Feeling strangely suffocated watching him, Ha-jin gulped down his beer. A fork with a piece of sausage suddenly appeared in front of his mouth.

‘What kind of trick is this now?’

Ha-jin looked at Woo-seok, only to find him smiling warmly while tightening his grip beneath the table. The expectant gazes surrounding them forced Ha-jin to open his mouth and accept the bite.

“Wow. Ha-jin’s husband is way more affectionate than I expected.”

At some point, Brian and the others had gathered together, openly watching the two of them.

“Actually, this is all-”

“You mean this is how we usually are, right, Ha-jin?”

Ha-jin had been about to clear up the misunderstanding, but Woo-seok squeezed his hand hard enough that it felt like his fingers might snap. He instinctively shut his mouth.

Woo-seok’s gaze practically said it for him, Say one more word, and I’ll really break your fingers.

Unfortunately, Ha-jin seemed to be the only one who understood the threat. Everyone else continued praising how sweet Woo-seok was, practically worshipping him.

****

“What exactly are you doing? Why did you suddenly crash someone else’s gathering?”

“What kind of thing is that to say? ‘Someone else’? Did you forget we’re married?”

After drinking together for quite a while, they finally returned to the hotel. Ha-jin had wanted to leave earlier, but even if they were just people he’d met while traveling, they were still friends. He wanted to properly finish the memories they’d made together.

The irritation that had piled up toward Woo-seok burst out before Ha-jin had even finished taking off his clothes.

“I’m not in the mood for jokes. Weren’t you supposed to be at a party? Why show up there pretending to be some loving husband?”

“That’s what I should be asking you. Even if you’re only pretending to be an omega, what were you thinking, sitting between two alphas like that? Especially when those three are apparently in a relationship.”

Woo-seok answered calmly, explaining why he had interfered.

The world might be changing, but accidents involving strangers drinking together overseas weren’t exactly rare. And the fact that the three of them were sleeping together.

That completely exceeded Woo-seok’s moral comprehension.

“How was I supposed to just walk past? You should at least understand your position and avoid even the smallest scandal.”

One simple sentence saying he’d been worried would’ve been enough.

Instead, he had to add criticism too.

“Not everyone lives like you do, Chae Woo-seok.”

Ha-jin shot back sharply again.

“I matched the mood, didn’t I? Wasn’t that enough? Why are you overreacting so much?”

His words snapped Ha-jin back to himself like ice water dumped over his head.

He hadn’t even realized it.

Was this really something worth getting so angry over? Woo-seok hadn’t ruined the atmosphere. If anything, he’d made Ha-jin stand out even more.

And yet he was furious.

Why?

“…Forget it. Sorry. I guess I’m just being sensitive.”

Then he realized the reason.

It was because of Woo-seok himself.

That act, the “loving husband” performance.

Because Ha-jin knew it was fake.

There wasn’t an ounce of sincerity in it.

And somehow, that fake kindness was worse than nothing. It kept feeding ugly thoughts in his head.

Maybe Woo-seok really was that gentle with other people.

Maybe whoever he’d met during their honeymoon actually mattered to him.

“At the very least, I want you to remember that you’re married.”

Ha-jin had wanted to end things there. These feelings weren’t something he could explain aloud anyway.

But Woo-seok kept going.

That final remark became the spark that detonated everything Ha-jin had been bottling up.

“Ha. Marriage? If it mattered that much to you, then maybe you shouldn’t have gone out drinking with another omega on the very first night of our honeymoon. The second our wedding article came out, it got buried under gossip about your nightlife. But I guess that’s perfectly fine, huh?”

It was the first time Woo-seok had ever seen Go Ha-jin this angry.

Back when they first met, Woo-seok had wondered whether this person even knew how to get angry at all.

Apparently, he did.

Even now, it was still more like a tiny animal yapping furiously than anything truly threatening, but still.

His sharp eyes kept firing accusation after accusation without pause.

Watching him, Woo-seok nearly laughed.

At last, he understood why Ha-jin’s attitude had changed after the honeymoon began.

The timing fit perfectly.

Everything had been fine until the first night in Germany.

Then suddenly, the next day onward, Ha-jin’s mood had completely shifted.

And the reason was…

“I’m sorry.”

“…What?”

“I should’ve explained things earlier.”

The reason had been something this trivial?

Suddenly, even Ha-jin’s sulking behavior seemed cute to Woo-seok.

Ha-jin froze at the unexpected apology. Confusion spread clearly across his face.

Woo-seok reached over and pulled Ha-jin’s hand toward the coffee table. As though he’d never been sharp-tongued moments ago, Ha-jin obediently followed.

“It was an important meeting. The people who funded our marriage arrangements came all the way here, so I couldn’t exactly ignore them. And those photos… they weren’t a big deal. We talked business until morning. I didn’t even drink.”

Even while explaining himself, Woo-seok found the situation absurd.

Why was he bothering to explain all this to someone like Go Ha-jin?

And yet… he still wanted to clear up the misunderstanding.

Though he deliberately left out why those photos had been taken in the first place.

“I don’t care about any of that.”

‘No, you clearly do.’

The sharpness had already faded from Ha-jin’s voice. His eyes too seemed to quietly hope Woo-seok would continue talking.

Seeing his expression soften little by little, Woo-seok decided to explain more about his connections with those people.

“Mm… So in the end, you still have to repay the money.”

Ha-jin couldn’t help being surprised.

The conversation itself was just ordinary business talk, but hearing it from Chae Woo-seok was shocking.

Ha-jin already knew Woo-seok differed greatly from the image he showed publicly. Just preparing their fake marriage had proven how meticulous he was.

Still, he hadn’t expected him to be this knowledgeable in business too.

Woo-seok was steadily building his own allies without relying solely on his company’s power. Even the omegas from those photos weren’t shallow partygoers, they were wealthy investors with enormous assets.

“I was going to explain everything properly, but then you suddenly started sulking.”

“S-sulking? I am not that petty!”

Ah.

Now he’d completely relaxed.

This version of Go Ha-jin suited him much better.

The sharp-tongued attitude had been amusing too, but this was more entertaining. The way he argued with ridiculous little denials after every sentence.

“Were you upset because I left you alone on the first night? What? Were you secretly expecting something?”

“…No. I don’t sleep with just anyone.”

A red flush bloomed against his pale skin, climbing from his neck all the way to his face. He awkwardly turned his gaze away.

That expression alone made it obvious he was lying.

“Ha-jin.”

Woo-seok wrapped an arm around his waist and pushed him gently onto the sofa.

Something must have crossed Ha-jin’s mind again, because his throat bobbed hard as he swallowed, his eyes trembling helplessly.

“Why do you keep saying that? I’m not ‘just anyone,’ am I? The first night came a little late, but we can still do it now.”

Woo-seok buried his face against Ha-jin’s neck while undoing the buttons of his shirt one by one.

As he inhaled deeply, the pheromone scent that stirred his heartbeat filled his lungs.

‘That fake pheromone perfume again.’

“Don’t wear this unless it’s absolutely necessary. Why did you put it on today?”

‘To lure some bastard?’

Irritation flared instantly inside Woo-seok. The gentleness he’d intended disappeared.

“Wait- ah…!”

He bit down hard against the soft skin.

Dark marks bloomed across the flushed flesh. He moved slowly from Ha-jin’s neck to his collarbone, biting, s*cking, leaving vivid bruises behind.

The sight pleased him immensely.

He licked over the reddened marks afterward.

“Understood?”

Go Ha-jin couldn’t even answer properly.

At first he’d thought it only hurt, but gradually the sensations became strange. Just being bitten and sucked like this made his chest pound violently.

And below…

Heat tightened low in his body.

He’d completely forgotten to protest that he hadn’t actually used any perfume.

Instead, he simply nodded faintly.

“Your body’s more omega-like than I expected.”

Woo-seok’s fingertips slid slowly down his skin.

From his throat, across his collarbone, lower toward the exposed chest beneath the open shirt.

Softer than he’d imagined.

He’d only intended to tease the idiot who’d been fantasizing on his own, but now even that original intention had blurred.

With Go Ha-jin…

Maybe this really would be fine.

His hand moved lazily over one side of Ha-jin’s chest, gathering the soft flesh in his palm before pinching the hardened n*pple between his fingers.

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