The day of the first date dawned.
After finishing the discussion that day, Beomwoo had relayed the details to his brothers.
Haejin had permitted the first date, but privately thought his brothers might object.
He didn’t know how Beomwoo managed it, but he came back having gotten their permission.
He had reluctantly allowed the first date, but from his perspective, it was actually fortunate.
It wasn’t because he had any special feelings for him, but rather because his brothers made him uncomfortable, both then and now.
Naturally, he felt more at ease with someone he had seen and spoken to a few more times.
Thinking this, he washed up and changed clothes.
But as the appointment time drew near, his heart began to beat faster and faster.
A date…
It still didn’t feel real that he was going out on a date.
If he included his married life, he had been by his side for years.
But this was the first time a meeting was officially designated as a ‘date.’
In his past life, they had eaten meals, watched movies, and gone through all the stages up to the final one.
So a date wasn’t something entirely new he had never done.
In substance, there wasn’t anything particularly special about it.
But the thought that not only he, but the other party would also be experiencing it as a date for the first time, gave it a special meaning.
Feeling an inexplicable excitement, Haejin looked in the mirror and slapped both his cheeks firmly.
“…Don’t overthink it.”
One of the things he was most determined to avoid in this life was falling for him again.
Overthinking things like this would do him no good.
Haejin steeled himself, thinking of it as a meaningless, business-like promise he had to keep with each of his other brothers as well.
Having firmly composed himself, he stepped outside.
When he opened the front gate, Beomwoo was waiting in front of the house.
He was standing by his car, and when he spotted Haejin, he gave a faint smile.
“Haejin-ssi.”
“…Hello.”
No matter how much he tried to compose himself and not overthink it, facing him made it difficult to erase those thoughts.
When they first met in this life, although lingering attachment remained, his feelings of resentment were stronger.
That allowed him to decisively cut things off in his own way.
But lately, that seemed to be becoming more difficult.
Just as one’s heart leans towards someone they see often, it was inevitable for his heart to lean towards someone who treated him well.
Especially when that person was someone he had once liked, it became even harder to dismiss such thoughts.
It was likely Beomwoo’s plan to clear obstacles from his path, treat him well, and win his favor in the process.
The ultimate goal was marriage.
He knew Beomwoo was doing things he didn’t truly mean for that goal.
Yet, knowing this, he still felt himself wavering.
He felt foolish, like someone knowingly walking into a trap.
As Haejin secretly let out a bitter smile, he suddenly noticed something odd.
They had met, exchanged greetings, and were now just standing there staring blankly at each other.
…What’s going on?
He wondered if he should say something first.
But when setting up the appointment, Beomwoo had said he would handle all the plans and transportation.
That’s why they had arranged to meet in front of the house.
Therefore, it was difficult for Haejin to take the lead on the next step.
Still, they couldn’t do anything here.
If they were going to do anything, they needed to get in the car.
Haejin stood there awkwardly.
He finally yielded to Beomwoo’s gaze and spoke first.
“Did you… have something to say?”
“No, not exactly…”
“…?”
When Haejin asked, Beomwoo shook his head.
However, the way he covered his mouth, trailed off, and subtly avoided eye contact didn’t make him seem like someone with nothing on his mind.
…Did he have something difficult to say?
It would be strange to bring up something difficult right after meeting.
Did he have something on his face?
He had checked his appearance meticulously in the mirror before leaving.
What, then?
There definitely seemed to be something.
As Haejin looked at him with a puzzled expression, Beomwoo, perhaps feeling pressured to answer, hesitated.
Then he spoke again.
“I think I’m nervous because it’s our first date.”
“……”
Ah…?
He thought Beomwoo was staring because he wanted to say something, but that wasn’t it.
He was just staring because he was nervous and couldn’t do anything else.
He was already trying hard not to overthink things.
Especially since Beomwoo had previously been so adamant that this was different from all their previous meetings…
But when Beomwoo said something like that, all his efforts crumbled.
A wave of heat rushed to his face.
Haejin didn’t know about Beomwoo’s romantic history.
But given that he was the son of a chaebol family, his looks, his good educational background—which suggested he was also studious—and that he was likely an object of admiration, he must have had plenty of romantic experience.
Yet he was acting like someone on his very first date…
Flustered and embarrassed, Haejin felt he had to say something.
Panicking, he stumbled over his words before hurriedly replying.
“I-I told you… it’s not like that…”
“It might not be for you, but for me, it is.”
“……”
Even though he denied it, Beomwoo didn’t accept his words and instead grew even more serious.
He wanted to calm his embarrassment, but things were only getting worse.
He wanted to say it wasn’t like that, but he doubted Beomwoo would listen.
Flustered once more, Haejin rolled his eyes.
He then gestured awkwardly towards the parked car, thinking he should change the subject.
“Um… shall we get going, then…?”
“It’s a bit… just standing here…”
“…Right.”
Beomwoo looked at him seriously for a moment, then nodded at his words.
He seemed to have noticed Haejin was trying to change the subject.
But fortunately, he seemed to take a step back.
Beomwoo then opened the passenger door for him.
A quick glance showed both the driver’s seat and the back seat were empty.
It seemed he hadn’t brought a chauffeur today either.
Did he not have a driver during this period?
His memory of the time before their marriage in his past life was hazy because it was so brief.
But it was possible since he hadn’t taken over the company yet.
Thinking this, Haejin got into the passenger seat.
Soon, Beomwoo closed the door for him and got into the driver’s seat.
Before starting the car, he asked for Haejin’s opinion.
“I was thinking we could watch a movie first.”
“Is that okay with you?”
“Ah, yes.”
“I like movies.”
In his past life, Haejin had always made an effort to watch movies.
Of course, most of the time it was because he had nothing else to do to pass the time alone.
He didn’t have a particular genre he avoided.
But the genre he sought out most often was romance.
Whether it was because he was immersed in his own unrequited love, or because he had never experienced a proper, loving relationship, he became more immersed and enthusiastic about sweet, passionate romance films than anyone.
Although he often felt empty afterward due to the gap with reality, his yearning made him enjoy watching them.
When Haejin answered positively, Beomwoo, looking pleased, asked further.
“That’s good.”
“Is there a movie you’d like to see?”
“No, not particularly…”
“But I enjoy pretty much any movie.”
Although he said he liked watching movies, ironically, Haejin didn’t really know what films had been released recently.
In that hellish house where he lived together with them, watching a movie was a luxury, and he had no time for it.
Consequently, he also hadn’t had time to pay attention to new releases.
This was also affected by Haejin’s regression to the past.
From his perspective as someone who had lived a past life, even a newly released movie was one that had come out years ago for him.
He had seen many.
He knew whether they were hits or flops, and had many spoilers.
Thus, he often couldn’t feel much special novelty or freshness.
Considering these points, it wasn’t an ideal time for him to watch movies, separate from his liking for them.
However, he had now left that house and had some mental peace.
He was earning money normally through part-time work.
Also, compared to other date activities, watching a movie seemed less burdensome and not a bad idea.
Plus, it was one of the most common date courses.
So when Haejin answered nonchalantly, Beomwoo tapped the steering wheel with his index finger.
He seemed to ponder something, then spoke.
“Could you open the glove box in front of you there?”
The glove box?
Did he want him to take something out?
Since he hadn’t started driving yet, Beomwoo could have reached for it himself.
But given the position, it was more convenient to ask Haejin.
So, Haejin opened the drawer in front of the passenger seat without much thought.
Inside the glove box were a few sheets of paper.
They were movie posters.
Some people did keep trash in there.
But the Beomwoo he knew was a very neat person.
Even now, only these few movie posters were inside.
The glove box was so clean you couldn’t see a speck of dust.
Was he supposed to take these out?
Thinking it was unexpected, Haejin looked, and Beomwoo continued.
“Among those movie posters, there’s one for ‘The Returned Time.'”
“How about that one?”
“Ah…”
“I saw there’s a showing in thirty minutes.”
“There were plenty of seats available.”
So that’s why he suddenly asked him to open the glove box, and why these were inside…
Had he looked up movies?
If he was thinking of watching a movie, he must have checked what was playing.
But the thought that he had gathered several posters and looked them over was surprising.
Haejin looked at him, then checked the poster for the movie he mentioned.
The movie he chose, ‘The Returned Time,’ was a box office hit memorable enough that its title remained in Haejin’s memory.
Yet it was one he hadn’t seen in his past life.
And since it was in the romance genre, which he liked, it seemed he could watch it without any burden.
“It looks interesting.”
“Then let’s watch that.”
“I’ll start driving now.”
Now that they had chosen a movie, he nodded at the words indicating they were heading to the cinema.
But for some reason, contrary to his words, Beomwoo only held the steering wheel and continued to look at him.
Why was he just sitting there with the engine on?
Moreover, his silent, intent stare was awkward.
His gaze felt pressuring and noticeable.
Had he done something wrong?
Why…
As Haejin, unable to bring himself to ask, rolled his eyes restlessly, Beomwoo leaned closer and spoke.
“Just a moment.”
“…!”
He suddenly leaned his body toward Haejin.
The closing distance, the heavy alpha pheromone that wafted to his nose, caused the tension that had relaxed while looking at the movie poster to surge back.