A Sudden Proposal and a Scraped Knee

After storming away, Yoon Dae-eon ran for a long time. He didn’t know where he was going; he just ran. At one point, he felt a sharp sting in his knee as if he’d collided with something, but he didn’t stop.

He couldn’t sit there and eat with them with a straight face. The moment he heard that the urban legend he’d hoped was nonsense might actually be true, a wave of nausea surged within him.

Finally, he came to a stop atop a pedestrian overpass. He leaned forward, hands on his knees, gasping for air.

The reality of his uncle’s words hadn’t quite sunk in yet. Even now, the information delivered over the phone felt like a plot from a movie or a drama. But the moment the thought crossed his mind that it was all real, it hit him.

A crushing sense of fear and loneliness washed over him. Technically, nothing had happened to Dae-eon yet. If he followed his uncle’s advice and hid his identity well, he might live his entire life without incident.

……But how?

He couldn’t tell anyone he was a Beta. That meant Yoon Dae-eon would be alone forever. It was impossible to get close to someone while keeping such a massive secret.

Dae-eon had many friends, but none he had known for more than three years. When he was young, his parents moved frequently; as he grew older, Dae-eon kept his distance on his own. He knew now that his parents had moved to avoid being outed as Betas.

Yoon Ju-myeong, Oh Dong-cheol, Jeong Yun-gi, Kim Ye-jun.

Dae-eon felt all his human relationships becoming meaningless. In that same instant, a wave of isolation poured over him. The loneliness that had plagued him intermittently since his parents passed away hit him even harder this time.

And just as he was drowning in that solitude, he felt a firm grip on his waist, pulling him back.

As his back pressed against a solid chest, Dae-eon lifted his sweat-drenched face to look back. There stood Seon Ji-ha, having followed him as if it were the most natural thing in the world, looking down at him in silence.

“……Sunbae.”

“Why are you running away?”

Ji-ha wrapped his arms around Dae-eon’s waist with a strength that suggested he would never let go again. The eyes visible beneath his bangs gazed at Dae-eon with blind devotion.

The moment he saw Dae-eon, he was relieved. Dae-eon could feel it radiating off him.

“……Don’t run away…….”

The end of the sentence trembled slightly. Ji-ha looked at Dae-eon with a confused, panicked expression, like a lost child. He clearly had no idea what to do when Dae-eon had suddenly bolted.

Looking at Ji-ha, a hollow laugh escaped Dae-eon’s lips.

The moment he faced Seon Ji-ha, the terrifying stories his uncle had just told him felt miles away. Ji-ha’s obsessive gaze made everything else feel small. It made those other problems seem like they didn’t matter at all.

“I wasn’t running away, Sunbae.”

“……But you went away.”

“I just suddenly felt like running, so I did.”

Because if I didn’t, I felt like I would throw up right there. Dae-eon swallowed those words. There was no need to say them now.

Dae-eon’s hanging hands clenched into tight fists. Seeing Ji-ha follow him without a second thought gave him a strange surge of courage. After a long silence, Dae-eon finally spoke.

“Sunbae, do you want to date me?”

Ji-ha blinked at the sudden proposal. Dae-eon knew it was out of the blue, but he couldn’t stand it anymore.

Dae-eon wanted someone who wouldn’t let him be lonely. This wasn’t a sudden thought. It was something he had considered many times—whenever he felt a pang of sorrow watching his parents, or whenever he saw his friends casually dating.

Someone who wouldn’t let him be lonely. He had always wanted to find that person.

“I am confessing. I still have secrets I can’t tell you yet, but I think I really like you, Sunbae.”

“…….”

“I know I’m weird, but I even think it’s cute that you collect my things. It’s just…… it’s the first time someone has liked me this much.”

Perhaps someone in the past had liked him, but it wasn’t the kind of affection Dae-eon craved.

He wanted someone who would recklessly cross the lines he drew, someone who liked him with a desperate intensity…… a person who, even if he built walls with his secrets, would tear them down to find out the truth anyway.

All that talk about wanting to meet a Beta was wrong. Dae-eon didn’t actually want a Beta; he just wanted someone he could finally be honest with.

“So, let’s date. Okay?”

Even if he couldn’t tell the truth right now, if it was Seon Ji-ha, he would surely try to find out eventually. Dae-eon looked forward to that time—the day Ji-ha would finally cross the line.

Dae-eon waited quietly for an answer, looking up at him. Slowly, Ji-ha’s eyelids fluttered, closing and opening a few times. Finally, the answer came.

“……Yes…….”

It sounded like a long, drawn-out “Yesss.” But it was enough for Dae-eon, who let out a satisfied, beaming smile.

This was enough. He could physically feel the loneliness that had been chasing him retreat several steps.

“Ugh, Sunbae, I like you!”

With a bright grin, Dae-eon turned completely and wrapped his arms around Ji-ha’s neck. Because of the massive size difference, it looked more like he was being enveloped, but he didn’t care. He felt like he was losing it.

He had gone from turning pale at a phone call to sprinting away, and then suddenly confessing to the man who chased him. But he didn’t care. He just liked being with someone right now.

“Dae-on, wait a second…….”

“Yes?”

Suddenly, Ji-ha pushed Dae-eon away. Since this had never happened before, Dae-eon stared at him, wondering if he had done something wrong.

Ji-ha was usually the one desperate to touch him. Why now?

Just as Dae-eon was about to pout, Ji-ha suddenly dropped to his knees. For the first time, Dae-eon could see the crown of his head. Even the swirl of his hair was handsome.

But more importantly, he saw why Ji-ha had knelt. Ji-ha was staring intently at Dae-eon’s legs before reaching out to cup his knee.

Dae-eon looked down. He’d thought he hit something while running, and he was right. Blood was trickling down his knee.

Since it wasn’t hot yet, he was wearing long pants, which were now torn. Ji-ha stared at the wound before reaching down to roll up the pant leg.

“Ah, that stings.”

“……Sorry…….”

The large man flinched at the involuntary reaction when his hand brushed the wound. Despite the injury, Dae-eon felt strangely good and shook his head.

Fortunately, the pants weren’t tight. Once the fabric was rolled up to reveal his knee, Dae-eon’s leg was visible. It wasn’t a fall, but a scrape from something sharp.

Ji-ha wiped away the dark debris around the wound with even more delicate movements than when he rolled the pants. Dae-eon flinched again.

It didn’t hurt; the touch was just so careful it felt ticklish. But to Ji-ha, it seemed like Dae-eon was in pain.

“……Sunbae?”

After staring at the knee for a moment, Ji-ha suddenly turned around while still crouching. His broad back was now right in front of Dae-eon. He didn’t say anything, but as he reached his hands back, Dae-eon realized what was happening.

“You want me to get on your back?”

“……Yes…….”

“I’m heavy, though?”

Ji-ha seemed to forget sometimes, but Dae-eon was a healthy man who stood nearly 180cm tall. He was a bit leaner than average, but he certainly wasn’t as light as a petite Omega.

“……You’re not heavy.”

“I haven’t even gotten on yet.”

“You’re not heavy.”

Ji-ha answered stubbornly. He had clearly made up his mind to carry him.

Dae-eon burst into laughter at his persistence, but then let out a long breath. It sounded like a sigh, but it felt different. It was a sigh of contentment.

“I’m really getting on.”

“Yes…….”

With that, Dae-eon reached out and wrapped his arms around Ji-ha’s neck. He climbed on carefully, but his weight was definitely there. Yet, Ji-ha stood up effortlessly, supporting Dae-eon’s thighs and seat.

As his field of vision rose, Dae-eon felt that same breath of contentment escape again. Strangely, the tip of his nose felt tingly. He wasn’t crying, but his nose just felt…… warm.

Dae-eon rubbed his face against the back of Ji-ha’s neck. Ji-ha let out a low groan.

“Sunbae, you’re really too much.”

“……Yes……?”

“Being this nice to me is cheating. What if I’m the only one who ends up liking you way too much?”

Dae-eon grumbled, still rubbing his face against him. He didn’t know why being carried like this made his spirits soar.

But Ji-ha, unable to see the expression on the face buried against his back, simply replied in a tiny, low voice:

“……Then I’ll just keep cheating…….”

Seon Ji-ha—he really was a man who did whatever he wanted. Exactly like Dae-eon’s ideal type.