Staying the Night

Haejin finally understood why Beomwoo’s expression had soured so much upon seeing the caller ID.

It was a call from his mother.

Judging by the content, it was probably…… urging him to marry me.

Even in my past life, during our brief and uneventful marriage, she had been pestering us constantly to get married quickly.

In this life, since I’ve been refusing and pushing him away, she seems to have grown even more impatient and is pressing him harder.

She definitely wouldn’t have anything good to say, and thinking of her only brings back unpleasant memories.

So the best course of action was not to listen, yet Haejin found himself unconsciously halting his steps there and eavesdropping.

Even though Beomwoo was speaking firmly, she didn’t seem to stop her sharp words, as her venomous voice carried all the way here.

Beomwoo, who had been listening quietly, ran his hand through his hair in irritation and spoke again, almost like a sigh.

“That person won’t marry any of us. As for the company, I am perfectly capable of taking it over with my own abilities. I’m busy because of this business trip, so I’ll hang up now.”

Beomwoo seemed to think further conversation was a waste of time, as he promptly hung up.

Although he had conveyed that he had no intention of moving according to her whims and that his resolve was firm, receiving such a call was clearly unpleasant.

After hanging up, he let out a deep sigh.

After staring at his phone for a moment, confirming no further calls were coming, Beomwoo steadied his breath, disrupted by annoyance, and turned to walk back to our dining table with a composed demeanor.

Haejin thought that if he followed immediately, it might seem like he had eavesdropped, so he planned to enter a little later.

However, Beomwoo, who had opened the door as if to go inside, suddenly froze.

He stopped walking, and his eyes, fixed on the inside of the annex, widened dramatically.

His face turned pale as if he had seen something terrifying, and Beomwoo immediately spun around, about to head somewhere else.

He looked frantic, as if about to dash off.

Haejin, who had paused for a moment, forgot his own plan to enter later and quickly followed him, grabbing his forearm.

“Uh, where are you going?”

“……H, Haejin.”

He looked like he was about to run off immediately, but upon seeing Haejin, Beomwoo let out a trembling breath.

He seemed to have been frightened by something, but seeing my face brought a look of relief.

What did he see that startled him so, and why is he reacting like that upon seeing me?

Is it related to me?

Haejin frowned seriously and asked him.

“Why……? Is something wrong?”

“You weren’t in your seat, so I was startled.”

“Ah……”

So that’s why he had that panicked look and was about to run out…… Did he think something had happened to me in the time he took the call, that I had disappeared?

But it hadn’t even been thirty minutes since he told me that Hyeon-nam and Jeong-yeon were in Seoul and that they weren’t showing any suspicious behavior……

Remembering that made it hard to understand why Beomwoo was overreacting so much, but even so, I couldn’t discard the ‘what if’ assumption.

He already worries about me a lot, and he’s the type to blame himself, thinking it’s his fault for failing to protect me.

Just seeing me not in my seat probably made all sorts of thoughts flood his mind.

Haejin gazed at Beomwoo, who still seemed unable to shake off the bad thoughts, his trembling not subsiding, and then answered nonchalantly.

“I just went to the restroom.”

“……I see.”

“I told you nothing’s wrong. You said your brothers are all in Seoul.”

“That’s right…… That’s true, but.”

Haejin comforted him gently, saying nothing happened and that he should relax, just as he had advised.

Only then did Beomwoo seem to come back to himself, nodding and wiping his dry face with his hand.

If something were to happen, I’m the one who should be more afraid, but looking at him now, Beomwoo seemed more shaken than I was.

Thinking that he was this concerned for me made my heart feel strange, and on the other hand, I even felt sorry for him.

I don’t know what could have changed that seemingly cold-blooded person so much.

Haejin looked at Beomwoo for a moment and, thinking it better to change the subject, glanced towards the inner room and spoke to him.

“It seems you’re finished eating too, shall we get going? It’s a long way, so we should probably leave diligently.”

“……Let’s do that. I’ll settle the bill, so wait outside.”

We were about to wrap up anyway.

Since we really did need to get going diligently, when Haejin spoke, Beomwoo nodded.

As Haejin continued to bring up other topics and ground him in reality by his side, Beomwoo seemed to gradually regain his composure.

It looks like Beomwoo needs the mood change more than I do…… Haejin thought the situation was ironic and faintly lifted the corner of his mouth.

Even though it was an extremely serious situation for Beomwoo, for some reason, seeing it didn’t feel bad to me.

****

After driving diligently for about an hour, we arrived at a hotel in Busan.

I didn’t drive; all I did was fall asleep from carsickness and doze off from post-meal drowsiness.

Still, sitting still for hours on end was taxing, leaving my body stiff and tired.

Is this where we’re staying?

Haejin got out of the car and followed Beomwoo, who led the way, when the latter looked back at Haejin and cautiously opened his mouth.

“The room…… I booked one with two beds.”

“Uh…… Were there no rooms available to book separately?”

“That’s not it, but booking separate rooms didn’t sit right with me. If you’re uncomfortable, Haejin, I can change it to separate rooms.”

He must have made the reservation before leaving Seoul.

It seems he booked one room then, thinking it would be safer to stay together since we didn’t know how Jeong-yeon and Hyeon-nam would act.

Even though Beomwoo saw on the way here that they weren’t making any suspicious moves and thought we could separate rooms, he still couldn’t let go of the ‘what if’ assumption and seemed reluctant to split up.

Beomwoo apologized for not mentioning it earlier and said we could change it even now, but after a moment’s thought, Haejin shook his head.

“Ah, no. That’s…… It’s fine. We’re staying in the same house anyway……”

“That’s a relief. Then I’ll go check us in. Wait here.”

When Haejin said it was okay, Beomwoo’s expression softened as if relieved, and he headed to the counter.

Haejin watched Beomwoo’s straight, unyielding back and let out a small sigh.

I answered that since we’re staying in the same house anyway, sharing a room isn’t much different, but thinking about it, staying in the same house and the same room feel different.

Realizing that made me think ‘oops,’ but since we ended up sleeping in the same bed once before and nothing happened, using separate beds should be even less eventful, right?

And honestly, more than anything else…… I’m still scared of being alone.

Just as Beomwoo trembled with anxiety when he saw I wasn’t in my seat, even though he said they were quiet, I too find it hard to let go of the ‘what if’ assumption when Beomwoo isn’t by my side, even if I pretend to be calm.

So while I rationally think sharing a room is fine, my heart feels a different temperature.

No matter how innocent the intention, staying in the same hotel, in the same room, conjures certain images.

Especially since I’ve been having many moments where my heart flutters for him lately, I can’t help but feel this way even more.

……Let’s not have lewd thoughts.

It’s rude to view him as some kind of depraved scoundrel when neither I nor Beomwoo have such intentions.

While Haejin was struggling to shake off his imagination, Beomwoo finished checking in and returned.

We followed the staff’s guidance to the room.

The door opened when the key card was tapped.

Following the staff who moved our luggage and Beomwoo inside, a spacious interior came into view.

Even though it’s one room, it must be quite an expensive suite.

The spacious, luxurious, and clean interior had everything you could need.

In my past life, when I went somewhere with Beomwoo, this standard was everyday, so there was nothing to marvel at anew.

However, having lived in squalor for what feels like half my life, I couldn’t erase the feeling of ‘this is nice.’

As Haejin looked around the interior, Beomwoo smacked his lips as if regretting something and spoke as if asking for understanding.

“I should have gotten a better place. Since it was a sudden business trip, I had to book in a hurry. I also wasn’t entirely sure you would come with me.”

“Huh? Ah, no…… This is more than good enough. When you said one room with two beds, I thought it would just have two bare beds.”

“As if I would book such a room. I’ll use this side, so you can comfortably use that side.”

I was already thinking this much was good.

Of course, considering his wealth, this might seem modest to him.

Still, when Haejin spoke as if he was surprised by how nice the room was, not having expected even this much, Beomwoo let out a soft chuckle as if he had heard a joke.

Then, claiming a bed each and implying we should stay on our respective sides, he unpacked his luggage on one side.

Beomwoo acted as if he wanted to say nothing would happen even though we were sharing a room, drawing an invisible line like a student causing a fuss if someone crossed the desk.

He doesn’t have to go that far…… I’m not that worried…… But still, given we’re an Omega and an Alpha and he said he likes me, being cautious isn’t bad, so I couldn’t say it was unnecessary.

Haejin also briefly unpacked his things on his side of the bed and leaned against the headboard to rest for a moment.

Beomwoo, who had been organizing his luggage alongside me, checked the time and let out a small hum.

“Hmm…… I have work now, so I should head out soon. What will you do, Haejin?”

“Ah, should I come with you……?”

“There’s no need for you to come. You must be tired from the journey here; why don’t you rest? My secretary will be outside the room, so you don’t need to worry about other matters. I also plan to finish before dinner, so I won’t be gone long.”

As Haejin hurriedly tried to get up from the bed, Beomwoo immediately answered that it wasn’t necessary.

We decided to stay together out of fear and even share a room…… but honestly, the long drive left me a bit fatigued.

I didn’t do anything, just sat there, but my stamina isn’t that great.

Perhaps because I stayed awake and tense throughout the journey after eating spicy stew for lunch, my body feels languid and loose.

If he’s coming back before dinner, the time alone won’t be that long.

After a moment’s thought, Haejin spoke to him with an embarrassed expression.

“Then…… I’ll rest for a bit……”

“Alright. If you want anything to eat or need anything, just ask the secretary outside the room; he’ll get it for you.”

“Okay……”

Since I just want to lie down, there probably isn’t anything I need to ask for…… Haejin didn’t explicitly say it wasn’t necessary and just nodded.

Beomwoo, who probably needed to leave soon, put on the outerwear he had briefly taken off.

I was sprawled on the bed like a slime, and looking at Beomwoo standing perfectly composed without a hint of disarray, Haejin inwardly marveled.

He didn’t sleep like I did, and he was the one driving…… His stamina to go straight to work is impressive.

Then again, he’s always been robust; I’ve never seen him sick or in pain.

He’s a man obsessed with self-care, and it must be thanks to his innate superior Alpha physique.

As Haejin was lost in thought, Beomwoo, who seemed about to leave any moment, looked back at Haejin and spoke again.

“You remember what I said, right?”

“……Huh? What was that?”

“About thinking if there’s anything you want to do in Busan, that thing I mentioned.”

“Ah.”

Come to think of it…… He did say that earlier during lunch.

Since we have time, if there’s anywhere I want to go, I should tell him.

He’d take me.

“I’m looking into it. Today and tomorrow, you rest at the hotel, Haejin. We’ll have time the day after tomorrow.”

Beomwoo spoke as if assigning homework, chuckled softly, said he was off, and left the room.

After he left, the surroundings became so quiet only my breathing could be heard.

The room temperature was warm, the bed was plush, and my body was tired from the long drive—the perfect environment for a nap.

However, Haejin instead felt his weary mind clearing, and lying face down, he searched for Busan attractions on his phone.

Looking at the numerous Busan spots popping up online, his scrolling hand halted upon seeing many posts tagged with keywords like ‘Busan date spots,’ ‘Good places for dates in Busan.’

I had only thought of it as a mood change or a drive, but seeing the word ‘date’ reminded me of the times when my brothers and I took turns going on obligatory dates.

Back then, since they were trying to appeal to me, I didn’t voice my opinions, but now it’s the opposite.

I have to plan the course myself.

Since Beomwoo is the one who wants to continue this relationship, I should feel negative, thinking, ‘Why is he making me do this bothersome task?’

Yet, far from feeling annoyed, a clear light returned to my eyes, dulled by fatigue.

Whether with family or a lover, I had never gone somewhere with someone and planned the course myself.

I stayed quiet, not daring to be someone who voiced opinions, but now I was planning it myself.

Moreover, the fact that Beomwoo said he would go with me to the places I find…… It’s really nothing special, but it made me feel excited, like I was doing something.

I didn’t know it, but apparently, I liked the idea of researching and going places on my own.

Right now, it truly felt like preparing for a ‘real’ date.