You Stole Him… But You’re Still Not Winning

“You know, lately things have been surprisingly good with Jeongha.”

Unlike before, he hardly ever ignored Seonwoo’s messages. Even if a reply was delayed because he was busy, he tried to leave at least a short reply whenever possible.

Of course, they weren’t lovers yet. They hadn’t even been able to go on dates or see each other. But the situation was different from before, so even not seeing Jeongha was bearable. Now, Ahn Seonwoo had hope.

Even if it was disappointing not to meet in person, Seonwoo understood. There were many people around him who knew his face, and the campus, especially, was a place where rumors spread quickly, so he had to be careful.

Seonwoo knew Baek Jeongha well. He prided himself on it. To win Jeongha’s heart, he had committed to memory everything from his minor habits to his tastes, personality, and even individual actions.

He was an Alpha with strong pride. He was definitely not the type to quietly lurk as someone’s kept partner, engaging in risky love games. His threat to Ahn Seonwoo that as long as he was a married man, he could never be his lover, was so typical of Baek Jeongha.

So Seonwoo found himself trusting Baek Jeongha’s feelings even more. Rather than forcing the relationship, he liked that Jeongha was moving cautiously and waiting, subtly pushing Seonwoo to inevitably choose him.

If his feelings weren’t genuine, there was no way he would approach Seonwoo, who was already married, like this. Baek Jeongha had no reason to ruin Seonwoo’s marriage, and if that were his goal, it would be much easier and simpler to just sleep with him. Since he knew Seonwoo wouldn’t be able to resist his seduction anyway, there was no need for such a troublesome approach. Baek Jeongha was a man who acted only for himself.

Seonwoo rolled the ring on his finger back and forth, sorting out his thoughts. Eventually, he would divorce Oh Jaeyeol. His heart was already leaning toward Baek Jeongha, and Jeongha wasn’t one to let go of someone he’d set his sights on. He would use whatever means necessary to make Seonwoo get a divorce and have him.

Seonwoo also had no intention of having an affair with Baek Jeongha. When there was never enough time even being together, he didn’t want to waste precious moments watching what others thought.

The fact that Baek Jeongha was currently Seo Haeyoon’s lover was also a problem. If he didn’t get a divorce and held out, Jeongha might continue his pretentious act of being a lover just to provoke him.

Even if it was an act, imagining Jeongha by Haeyoon’s side made his blood boil. Haeyoon, unaware of who he owed such fortune to, had even dared to show up at his wedding acting all high and mighty.

Thinking about that day, he was furious and resentful that he hadn’t spat in Haeyoon’s face.

But what could he do? What good would it do if Haeyoon strutted around claiming to be Baek Jeongha’s lover? In the end, Seo Haeyoon would be miserably and cruelly discarded again, just like with Oh Jaeyeol. To hasten that day, he needed to move diligently.

“But still….”

But still, for just a short while, it wouldn’t be bad to savor the feeling of two men fighting over him.

Seonwoo, now with a pleasant smile on his lips, carefully placed the box containing the ring meant for Baek Jeongha back in the drawer and stood up. Suddenly, a person he wanted to meet today came to mind.

* * * *

“As expected….”

Stepping inside the café, Seonwoo spotted a familiar face by the window and broke into a radiant smile.

Sitting with a cup of coffee, leaning back in his chair, lost in the view outside, was none other than his long-time friend, Seo Haeyoon.

This café near Haeyoon’s studio was a quaint, small establishment with a charming, tranquil atmosphere like an old cabin. One wall was entirely glass, and in the morning, the gentle sunlight would pour in, a time Haeyoon loved dearly.

When deeply immersed in work, Haeyoon practically lived in his studio, but whenever things weren’t going well, he would come here to rest.

That’s why Ahn Seonwoo disliked this café. He hated the pretentious atmosphere, and the café owner who made a fuss every time Haeyoon showed up as if greeting a great artist.

What he hated most, however, was Seo Haeyoon himself, sitting there, attracting everyone’s attention. The memory of a day when he had come to meet Haeyoon and arrived first, only to see him sitting by the window, had haunted Ahn Seonwoo for a long time.

He was beautiful. Infuriatingly so.

Though Seonwoo had always prided himself on shining more brightly than Haeyoon wherever they went, in that moment, it seemed like Haeyoon was the sole bearer of light in the world. Feeling as if he had become colorless and insignificant beside him was a feeling Seonwoo never wanted to experience again. So after that day, he had mostly avoided this café.

But today, upon spotting Haeyoon, Seonwoo smiled. His face was full of confidence.

Seo Haeyoon, who was nothing. Who, despite his pretentious air, would have all the people he loved taken from him. That pathetic, miserable Seo Haeyoon was now before him.

After smoothly ordering his coffee, Seonwoo turned and pretended to just notice Haeyoon.

“Seo Haeyoon?”

The sight of the tranquility in Haeyoon’s eyes shattering was something he never got tired of.

* * * *

“Sorry. I didn’t know you’d be here. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have come.”

Haeyoon leaned back in his chair, watching Ahn Seonwoo shamelessly lie to his face. Seonwoo knew this was Haeyoon’s favorite café. He knew he was usually here around this time. Besides, Seonwoo didn’t even like this café and rarely came.

If Seonwoo truly felt sorry, he would have left the moment he saw Haeyoon. Not shamelessly sat across from him without permission, pretending to be friendly.

But watching him persistently act was a little amusing and interesting. Haeyoon was also curious why he had come all the way here.

“It’s been a while.”

Haeyoon spoke calmly. It wasn’t an act; he genuinely wasn’t particularly shaken.

It wasn’t that there was no pain at all. For Seo Haeyoon, Ahn Seonwoo was a deeper, sharper wound than Oh Jaeyeol. But that was it. The unhealed wound just stung a little. It was a wound he already knew, a familiar pain—nothing to be flustered or surprised about. It was slowly fading.

“Yeah. You’ve been well?”

Seonwoo’s eyes widened slightly, perhaps surprised by the calm reaction, but he quickly asked in a lively tone. Anyone watching would think they were close friends meeting after a long time.

Why was Ahn Seonwoo going to such lengths? A fundamental question arose. Wasn’t this enough? He had taken Oh Jaeyeol away; couldn’t he stop now? What grudge did he have that was so deep he was still looking for opportunities to wound Haeyoon?

Haeyoon slowly took a sip of his warm coffee. The leisurely time he had wanted was already ruined. If that was the case, he hoped Seonwoo would go back with at least the same level of discomfort.

When he thought all of this wasn’t intentional, he tried to endure and understand, but now he didn’t need to. There was now someone willing to carry Haeyoon’s wounds for him, and as the one affected, Haeyoon had to put in that much effort too.

Setting down his coffee and sitting back slightly, Haeyoon answered in his usual monotone.

“I’ve been fine. How’s Jaeyeol hyung?”

Seonwoo’s brow furrowed momentarily. He hadn’t expected Haeyoon to mention Jaeyeol’s name so casually. His voice became somewhat irritable, as if his earlier composure had been a facade.

“Why are you curious about Jaeyeol hyung?”

Haeyoon tilted his head innocently.

“What do you mean, why, Seonwoo? It’s not like Jaeyeol hyung and I just met yesterday. And….”

“……?”

“I happened to run into Jaeyeol hyung recently.”

Afraid his trembling fingers might be noticed, Haeyoon clenched his fists tightly. He wanted to act as nonchalant as possible, as if he held no emotion.

As if he had no intention of hurting you, as if he held no malice towards you—these were all things Ahn Seonwoo had done to him.

“He looked… not so good. I was worried something might be wrong.”

But even if it’s the same kind of act, the result depends on who’s performing it. Ahn Seonwoo’s tricks were now obvious. Everyone could see through them. He could no longer hide the thorns planted in every word with his pathetic acting.

But Seo Haeyoon was different. He was a completely different person from Ahn Seonwoo. He didn’t know how to mock others, couldn’t twist his words, and couldn’t easily detect others’ malice. Seonwoo only knew Haeyoon that way, so he couldn’t even imagine that Haeyoon was now treating him with a different intention.

“Oh Jaeyeol… met you?”

“Don’t misunderstand. We didn’t talk about anything special. He just… didn’t say anything in particular, but he looked exhausted….”

Seonwoo bit his lip tightly. They hadn’t just passed by; they had actually talked. Because Jaeyeol hadn’t said anything, Seonwoo had no idea such a thing had happened.