You Don’t Have to Handle This Alone

He had a lot he wanted to say, but since it was just an excuse, he feared his hidden true feelings might slip out.

That among the dates with the brothers, the one with Beomwoo was the best, that he had stirred his heart.

Saying that might make Hyun-nam believe they had fallen for each other, started dating, and moved in together, making him back off.

But if he said that, Beomwoo, who would remain afterward, would look at him strangely.

Even if he claimed it was just a lie to send Hyun-nam away, considering the awkward atmosphere it would create, it was better not to say it at all.

Then what should he say to make Hyun-nam leave quietly without issue…?

As Haejin was briefly thinking, Hyun-nam watched him and, as if belatedly realizing something, let out a hollow laugh.

“Ah, now I get it. It’s because of that help you’re receiving from Beomwoo, isn’t it?”

“Huh? Why bring that up all of a sudden…?”

“You seem to want to keep it a secret, but as I said last time, there’s something much bigger at stake here than you think! If you’re going to draw a line, do it clearly.

What is this? Are you playing games with our sincerity?”

Hyun-nam got angry, insisting it was clearly a lie and that Haejin was obviously siding with Beomwoo and living with him for that reason he mentioned last time.

While it was true they were lying and that he was living with Beomwoo because he was receiving help, it wasn’t solely because of the issue Hyun-nam thought.

Caught off guard by the unexpected reaction, Haejin was flustered.

Hyun-nam, seeming more convinced by his reaction, grew even more heated.

He spoke recklessly, saying whatever help Haejin was getting from Beomwoo was surely trivial compared to the inheritance issue, and told him not to take it lightly.

Haejin understood why Hyun-nam was so passionate about this, but the word “games” that came from his mouth reflexively twisted his expression.

Games? There was an event that could turn my entire life upside down, and you call it playing games?

Hyun-nam seemed unaware of this incident, but even so, his behavior—acting as if only their matters were important while treating his affairs as nothing—was so absurd it made him angry.

How could he say that without even knowing what happened to him?

Even without this incident, leaving his adoptive parents’ side was a once-in-a-lifetime choice for Haejin.

It wasn’t for some stranger to decide what was important or not.

Last time, when Hyun-nam stubbornly insisted his own matters were important in a similar way, Haejin had somewhat understood, partly because of his own poor choice of words.

But not now.

Now, after being entangled in their brothers’ affairs and nearly suffering a terrible act, he couldn’t just bear it and let it pass.

Haejin composed his expression, which had twisted in dismay and absurdity, then hardened his face coldly and spoke frigidly.

“Hah… Games? Do I look like I’m playing games to you?”

“What I mean is, unless you’re taking this lightly, there’s no reason for you to see Beomwoo again.”

“I don’t understand why you can state so definitively that there’s no reason.

You don’t even know what happened to me because I got caught up in your brothers’ affairs.

How can you say that to me?”

“…Something happened? What happened?”

When Haejin spoke with a stern face, Hyun-nam, who had been firing off words without seeing clearly, flinched as if taken aback.

Hyun-nam seemed not to have expected Haejin to react this way; he paused briefly before quickly changing his attitude.

He had just said that whatever his circumstances were, they weren’t as important as his own matters, but now he was watching Haejin’s reaction and being cautious.

Having seen it before, Haejin knew Hyun-nam tended to be proper and polite normally but, when excited, would speak without caring how others perceived him.

As Haejin responded coldly, unlike before, Hyun-nam finally seemed to realize he was wrong and became curious about what had happened.

But after being tossed around by their brothers’ affairs and hearing such reckless talk, Haejin was in no mood to explain further.

Haejin no longer cared that Hyun-nam could threaten his adoptive parents about his whereabouts and shook his head.

“You said my matters aren’t important anyway.

Please leave. I have nothing more to say.”

“Ah, no, that was a slip of the tongue. I was too excited—”

“And it’s true that I’m living with Beomwoo as a couple, so please don’t come looking for me again.”

“Hae-Haejin!”

Haejin spoke coldly and turned away.

As he tried to go inside, Hyun-nam, flustered, tried to grab him but was immediately stopped by Beomwoo.

Hyun-nam seemed curious about what was going on and might have tried to demand answers by threatening to reveal his whereabouts to his adoptive parents.

However, given that marrying him meant receiving the inheritance, he didn’t seem able to push too recklessly.

Haejin left Hyun-nam behind and entered the house.

Shortly after, Beomwoo followed.

He thought Hyun-nam might grab Beomwoo, asking what happened, or they might argue again, but it seemed Hyun-nam judged there was nothing he could do in this situation and took a step back.

With the situation temporarily resolved, Haejin tried to resume his meal.

But even with food in front of him, Hyun-nam’s words—asking if their situation looked like a game to him—flooded his mind, and his mood worsened.

“Haa…”

Haejin clinked his utensils, then put them down with a frustrated sigh.

He didn’t think he could eat anymore, but he felt bad wasting the food made with care.

Unable to bring himself to get up, he just sat there keeping his seat.

Beomwoo, who had followed him in, glanced at him and headed to the kitchen.

Haejin thought he was also going to resume his interrupted meal, but instead, Beomwoo boiled water in an electric kettle.

It seemed he also wasn’t in the mood to eat and was perhaps going to have coffee before going to work.

Haejin, feeling too out of sorts to do anything, just watched him blankly.

Soon, the water boiled, and Beomwoo took out a teacup to steep tea.

It wasn’t the Americano coffee he usually drank, but tea with a mild fragrance.

He had rarely seen Beomwoo steep and drink tea himself unless it was a special occasion.

Finding it a bit surprising, Haejin watched as Beomwoo placed the tea he had made in front of him.

“Drink this.”

“…Huh? For me?”

“Yes.”

When Haejin asked in surprise, Beomwoo nodded lightly, as if asking who else was there.

Well, that’s true… It was just tea, but since it was out of character, Haejin couldn’t help but feel flustered, wondering if there was more to it.

As Haejin took the cup from him, still a bit dazed, Beomwoo made the same tea for himself, pulled a chair to the opposite side, and sat down.

Haejin didn’t understand his intentions but accepted the teacup, cradling it with both hands.

Slowly cooling and sipping the hot tea, his heart, which had been heated by Hyun-nam, gradually calmed.

As Haejin relaxed his expression more than before and caught his breath, Beomwoo, who had been observing him, cautiously spoke.

“Feeling a bit better?”

“Ah, yes… Th-thank you.”

He wondered why the sudden tea, but it seemed he had done it for his sake…

Although unintentional, he felt sorry for making Beomwoo worry about him.

But finding it hard to say anything readily, he just moved his lips.

Beomwoo, who had been watching him for a moment, let out a small sigh and spoke.

“That’s why you should have stayed inside. Why did you come out?”

“……”

His tone was almost scolding, as if to say if he hadn’t come out, he wouldn’t have gotten involved.

Haejin felt a momentary sting at being spoken to as if he were at fault, but today, for some reason, he felt the underlying meaning might be different.

If this were before his regression, he would have thought Beomwoo was angry at him and painfully blamed himself, thinking, ‘I must have been wrong again. I did something unnecessary.’

But knowing Beomwoo worried about him more than anyone, this time it sounded like he was speaking out of concern.

If he weren’t concerned, he wouldn’t have taken care of him when he lost consciousness that day, wouldn’t have bothered with the inconvenient cohabitation, and wouldn’t have offered to go check when someone came.

No matter how long he had known Beomwoo, he couldn’t listen to that cold tone indifferently, thinking, ‘That’s just how he is.’

But today, he felt he understood the cold words’ hidden meaning and answered without being hurt.

“I came out because I thought it might be Jeong-yeon. But it wasn’t.”

“…You can leave matters like this to me. There’s no need for you to step forward and put yourself in a difficult position.”

Haejin explained that he had asked Beomwoo to check who it was for a reason, and since it wasn’t that person, he went out himself, saying it wasn’t something he needed Beomwoo’s help for.

At this, Beomwoo, as if that wasn’t what he meant, pressed his hand to his forehead and shook his head.

Leave it to him; there’s no need for Haejin to get into trouble…

As expected, in the end, it was said out of concern for him, just as he thought.