Chapter 83: Kevin’s Return

The space Kevin left behind felt like a ruin swept by a storm. It was partly due to the sudden silence in the house, but more so, it was Yoonwoo’s heart that felt that way.

On a late morning, with Yeon-chae away at school, Yoonwoo lay idly on his bed, groaning under the weight of his worries.

Yoonwoo tried to recall Yeon-chae from their childhood. Memories from that era remained only as faint, hazy impressions.

Yet, it wasn’t difficult to conjure the image of a particularly adorable, doll-like child.

He remembered the conversations adults had, often exchanged as jokes even during formal family meetings.

‘”Yoonwoo, you always said Yeon-chae would present as an Omega, didn’t you?”‘

‘”That’s right. Yeon-chae was so pretty. She’s still pretty now, but back then, I never imagined she’d present as an Alpha.”‘

Yeon-chae first met Kevin—or rather, ‘Yoon-hyung’—when she was around thirteen or fourteen. Though he didn’t know what Kevin, who had been described as a ‘cattle thief’ since childhood, was like, Yeon-chae was definitely pre-presentation as an Alpha.

Yeon-chae had been so certain she would present as an Omega that she had even made an ironclad promise to Yoonwoo.

Kevin had been Yeon-chae’s sole friend and confidant in America. It was only natural that Yeon-chae, who was pre-presentation, would fall for ‘Yoon-hyung,’ an Alpha.

Unexpectedly, however, Yeon-chae presented as an Alpha. It was only now that Yoonwoo understood why she had so readily agreed to marry him the moment she became pregnant, despite loving and missing ‘Yoon-hyung’ so much that she would cry out his name even in her dreams.

She had already given up on Kevin, who was an Alpha, anyway.

Now, all the threads had finally woven together. Yoonwoo resented his own perceptiveness for having pieced together the situation to such an extent.

He wished he had remained ignorant of such a backstory.

” ‘Ah, why did he have to return now!’ ”

Yoonwoo screamed into the empty air, his voice like a shriek. If Kevin had appeared after Yeon-chae had given birth and was as unable to escape as a fairy whose winged robe had been stolen, then even ‘Yoon-hyung’ wouldn’t have been able to sway her.

But the timing now was far too ambiguous. Yoonwoo hadn’t even confirmed Yeon-chae’s feelings yet.

‘She liked him enough for a surprise kiss, but it wasn’t a love strong enough to threaten ‘Yoon-hyung’s’ place deep in her heart. Wasn’t that the extent of Yeon-chae’s feelings?’

Yoonwoo gnawed at his fingernails, his face etched with anxiety, lost in thought. His mind raced so intensely that he was on the verge of a headache.

He couldn’t simply give birth to the baby, whose due date was still far off, making the ‘winged robe theft’ impossible.

Kevin hadn’t known Yeon-chae was married. Despite speaking fluent Korean and owning a home in Korea, he had insisted on staying at their house.

He had tried to insinuate himself into whatever Yoonwoo and Yeon-chae did, always wanting to join them. Yeon-chae had claimed Kevin wanted to get closer to Yoonwoo, but that was all a lie.

Kevin had clearly returned to Korea with Yeon-chae in mind. The world wasn’t what it used to be; there was nothing to stop an Alpha-Alpha couple anymore.

It was the perfect time to reclaim a past love that had been given up due to their secondary genders.

Before their marriage, Yoonwoo had made a promise to Yeon-chae. He had vowed that if someone she truly loved appeared, he would quietly step aside with the baby and offer his blessings.

The ‘someone she truly loved’ Yoonwoo had spoken of back then was ‘Yoon-hyung’. Yoonwoo slapped his own mouth forcefully with his palm. His reckless words had become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

‘Was he truly meant to surrender Yeon-chae to Kevin and retreat?’

His mood plummeted, like a roller coaster with a broken safety harness.

After much deliberation, Yoonwoo bought a gift for his nephew and headed to Seowoo’s house. Though not entirely reliable, Seowoo was the only person he could lean on in times like these.

After planting several noisy kisses on his nephew’s chubby cheeks, the child now babbling adorably, Yoonwoo settled onto the sofa.

” ‘How’s living in the newlywed home? It’s the house you used to live in, so it must feel familiar, right?’ ”

” ‘Oh, well. The apartment has gotten quite old in the meantime.’ ”

” ‘That’s true. How many years has it been already?’ ”

” ‘Still, the interior was redone, so the house is clean.’ ”

” ‘Who lives in our old house? Have you greeted them?’ ”

” ‘No, not yet. Now that you mention it, I haven’t even seen their face. I’ll say hello next time I run into them.’ ”

Seowoo diligently peeled an apple. The last time Yoonwoo had visited, Seowoo had merely accepted slices peeled by Sihyung, but it seemed he had practiced since then.

His skill at neatly removing the skin was quite impressive.

As they exchanged small talk, Yoonwoo watched for an opening. He found it hard to speak, yet he couldn’t leave without saying anything.

Yoonwoo took a deep breath, steadying himself, and finally opened his mouth, pouring out everything he wanted to ask Seowoo in one go.

” ‘Um, hyung. This is about a friend of mine. My friend likes… well, they have an Alpha they’re interested in.’ ”

” ‘Huh? Which friend?’ ”

Seowoo lifted his head, narrowing his eyes at Yoonwoo. Yoonwoo inwardly winced, realizing his mistake.

Statements prefaced with ‘This is about a friend of mine’ were almost always suspicious.

Yoonwoo struggled not to panic, grasping at the first name that came to mind.

” ‘Sugyeom. You know Jung Sugyeom, right? He used to visit our house often.’ ”

” ‘Who’s Sugyeom?’ ”

” ‘The, uh, tall, handsome guy from my class, you know?’ ”

” ‘Oh… that really pretty one? Right, why haven’t I seen him lately?’ ”

Sugyeom, Yoonwoo’s classmate, had passed his exchange student evaluation last year and had long since left Korea. Yoonwoo managed to keep his trembling lips steady as he concocted a plausible alibi.

” ‘It’s not that Sugyeom doesn’t come; it’s that you moved out, so you don’t see him.’ ”

” ‘Oh, is that so? But isn’t Sugyeom an Alpha? He likes an Alpha?’ ”

Crafting an alibi was proving difficult.

” ‘Well, Sugyeom was originally a recessive, you see… So his secondary gender was unstable… He presented as an Omega recently, so…’ ”

His conscience pricked him for suddenly changing a perfectly normal Alpha friend’s secondary gender. However, Seowoo wasn’t letting it go easily, continually probing with sharp questions.

” ‘Him too? Does secondary gender presentation really change that easily?’ ”

” ‘Huh? W-well, I suppose so… But my presentation was just late, so it wasn’t a secondary gender change…’ ”

Seowoo stared intently at Yoonwoo. His gaze was unnerving, causing cold sweat to break out, but unexpectedly, Seowoo’s face suddenly shifted to one of concern.

” ‘If he was an Alpha and suddenly changed secondary gender, it must be really tough for him. You should treat him well.’ ”

” ‘Huh? Oh, haha, of course. I’ll treat him well. That’s why I’m listening to his worries, after all.’ ”

Yoonwoo feared his words might become reality. He silently apologized to Sugyeom, who was presumably enjoying his life in Philadelphia.

” ‘So? What about Sugyeom?’ ”

Fortunately, the topic quickly returned to its original path. Yoonwoo breathed a sigh of relief, carefully choosing his words.

” ‘But it seemed like that Alpha liked Sugyeom too, and then suddenly, that Alpha’s first love appeared.’ ”

” ‘Hm?’ ”

The hand peeling the apple froze. Seowoo’s expression changed.

” ‘That Alpha bastard changed Sugyeom’s secondary gender and now he’s cheating?’ ”

” ‘Huh? No, that’s not…’ ”

” ‘What kind of nonsense is that? Hey, tell him to dump that guy.’ ”

” ‘No, just listen to me…’ ”

Yoonwoo had no idea how the conversation had veered so wildly off track. The shapeless ‘Alpha bastard’ had become a dog-like scoundrel who’d made Sugyeom change his secondary gender only to stray with his first love.

Yoonwoo, at a loss, flusteredly tried to calm Seowoo down. Seowoo, despite his lack of tact, possessed an overly vivid imagination.

After a long while of coaxing, Seowoo finally ceased his furious rant. However, he continued peeling the apple, his brow still furrowed, as he asked.

” ‘So, that Alpha bastard is going to abandon his current partner for his first love?’ ”

” ‘Sugyeom isn’t actually in a relationship with that Alpha yet.’ ”

” ‘But you said they liked each other? So it’s still just a ‘something’?’ ”

” ‘Well… something similar to that…’ ”

All Yeon-chae had done was one stolen kiss, yet to say they were ‘nothing’ was also untrue, given they were married and had a baby. Unsure if they had gone too far or not far enough, Yoonwoo vaguely nodded, agreeing it was ‘something’.

” ‘That Alpha kissed Sugyeom. Secretly, thinking Sugyeom was asleep.’ ”

He conveyed the most crucial piece of information. Seowoo’s brow furrowed intensely, his expression grave.

” ‘Ah, that bastard even sexually assaulted him.’ ”

That didn’t seem like very helpful information.

” ‘Anyway, Sugyeom wants things to work out with that Alpha, but just when he thought they were going well, the first love suddenly appeared.’ ”

” ‘Does that Alpha still like his first love?’ ”

” ‘I’m not sure about that…’ ”

Yoonwoo tilted his head, recalling Yeon-chae and Kevin’s interactions. It seemed difficult to say there was still an atmosphere of poignant first love between them, but appearances could be deceiving.

Yoonwoo decided to stick to the facts for now.

” ‘It seems like the first love is interested in the Alpha. He had been living in America all this time, but suddenly came to Korea just to see the Alpha.’ ”

” ‘Oh. He’s quite proactive.’ ”

” ‘Right? What should… what should I tell him to do?’ ”

” ‘Hey. What do you mean, ‘what should he do’?’ ”

Seowoo picked up the paring knife and slammed it down onto an apple slice, his face contorted in a frown. The small piece split in two.

” ‘Tell him to quit. A guy who strays once will keep doing it.’ ”

Yoonwoo flinched his shoulder, then glared at Seowoo with discontent. Although he pretended it was about a hypothetical Alpha, it was ultimately about Yeon-chae.

Listening to such negative talk made him feel unwell.

” ‘Hyung, he didn’t really stray, though…’ ”

” ‘Hey, that’s enough. Even if his past wasn’t clean, he shouldn’t have dragged it into the present. What does Sugyeom lack that he needs to put up with that?’ ”

‘No, who doesn’t have a first love…’

‘Sihyung says I’m his first love.’

‘Ugh, don’t brag at a time like this!’

‘Anyway, just tell him to dump that kind of bastard and find another Alpha. Is that guy the only Alpha in the world?’ There was truly nothing Seowoo wouldn’t say. Of course, there was only one Yeon-chae in the world. Unable to listen any longer, Yoonwoo suddenly stood up and yelled.

” ‘Ah, I told you he didn’t stray, so why do you keep saying that! That first love came all the way from America to flirt with him, even though he wasn’t called! And when have you ever even seen him to keep calling him ‘this bastard’ and ‘that bastard’?’ ”

Seowoo, who had been chewing on an apple slice, his cheek bulging, was struck by the sudden outburst and widened his eyes.