RACA 84

For a moment, silence passed over the table. Then Eunsol suddenly pushed Jaebeom away with all his strength. His pupils were shaking uncontrollably.

“Ah! Wh, wh, wh, what the…!”

“A birthday gift.”

Eunsol was about to demand what he was doing, but Jaebeom spoke first. Eunsol had nothing to say and resentfully glared at him.

“You said you already got all your presents. Wasn’t that the end? And you could’ve at least said something before doing this!”

“If I told you, you wouldn’t have let me. You have to eat when you feel like it.”

What kind of logic was that? It wasn’t even something he could eat. Eunsol opened his mouth in disbelief, then suddenly remembered that they weren’t alone here, and buried his face in his hands.

He wished that he could hide his embarrassment.

“There’s no need to be that ashamed. Everyone already knows anyway.”

Even if he argued that knowing and seeing were two different things, this alpha would never understand. Eunsol wiped his face with both hands like someone who had given up and lowered them carefully.

Fortunately, Bulgom and Kwak Sang were pretending [stolen content]to be busy with other things and weren’t looking this way.

“CEO, here, please cut the cake. We have to do the cutting ceremony!”

Even though he wasn’t used to birthday parties, Bulgom’s knack for managing events kept things flowing smoothly, and Jaebeom laughed as he took the knife.

The time spent celebrating the birthday was simple, but the mood was warm and lively. Once the early awkwardness faded, a smile also appeared on Eunsol’s face.

But it was too soon to relax. Just as the meal was ending, the doorbell suddenly rang.

“I’ll get it.”

Bulgom, who had been washing fruit to eat with the cake, immediately left the kitchen. But not long after, he came back with a slightly confused expression.

“Who is it?”

Kwak Sang asked and Bulgom carefully reported toward Jaebeom.

“It’s the Chairman.”

“What? Why’s that man here?”

“He said he came to congratulate you on your birthday…”

Jaebeom showed a dumbfounded look. Eunsol blinked and looked between him and Bulgom, then stood up.

“Where is he now?”

“He said he’s in the apartment complex parking lot.”

Since he wasn’t a resident, it seemed he couldn’t enter the building and was waiting in the car. Eunsol decided he couldn’t leave an elder outside and was about to move, but Jaebeom grabbed his arm.

“Where are you going?”

“They said the Chairman came.”

“Leave him. Tell him to go back.”

The first words were to Eunsol, and the next were instructions to Bulgom. After speaking, Jaebeom naturally pulled Eunsol’s arm toward himself.

“Huh?”

Before Eunsol realized it, his body tilted and he sat down awkwardly, right on top of Jaebeom’s thick thigh.

“What are you doing?”

When Jaebeom’s arms wrapped around his waist and stomach, Eunsol turned to him in surprise. But Jaebeom only looked back with a face that said he didn’t see any problem.

He raised his eyebrows, and then he smirked as he kissed Eunsol’s cheek, his nose, the space between his brows, and his forehead in turn.

It all happened in an instant. Kwak Sang’s face showed disbelief again, and Bulgom’s eyes said, “There they go again.”

“Why are you acting like this, especially today?”

Eunsol, the one who got kissed, couldn’t even look toward the other two and hit Jaebeom’s shoulder repeatedly with his fist.

The hits weren’t painful at all. Jaebeom once again kissed Eunsol’s lips and then looked toward Bulgom.

“Eunsol seems too worried, so I guess there’s no choice. Let him come up.”

At those words, Eunsol, who had just reached to grab Jaebeom’s handsome ear, suddenly froze.

“Put me down.”

“Why?”

“How can I meet an elder like this?”

“So what? He already knows everything anyway.”

“Stop saying things like that and hurry.”

Eunsol knew he was only teasing, so this time he answered firmly. Jaebeom clicked his tongue in disappointment but finally put Eunsol down on the floor.

They had to move to the living room anyway since Chairman Jang would be coming up.

Just as they were about to move, the doorbell rang again. Jaebeom, realizing that the Chairman must already be at the door, opened it right away. As expected, Chairman Jang entered as if he had been waiting. The secretary following him was holding several shopping bags.

“I really had to come all the way here just to celebrate your birthday?”

“You could’ve stayed home.”

“Still the same rude brat. Right, Eunsol-ssi?”

When everyone’s attention suddenly turned to him, Eunsol’s eyes widened. Chairman Jang laughed in amusement at his reaction and gestured to the secretary behind him.

“Come on, hand them over.”

The secretary stepped forward briskly and placed the shopping bags in front of Eunsol.

“What’s all this?”

“It’s a birthday gift, what else would it be?”

If it was a birthday gift, shouldn’t it be given to Jaebeom, not to him? Eunsol wondered for a moment, but he quickly understood. If it were given to Jaebeom, he would probably just ignore it, so the Chairman must have chosen to hand it to him instead.

After all, earlier Jaebeom had tried to stop him from even entering the house, so it made perfect sense.

Eunsol curiously peeked inside one of the shopping bags, then tilted his head. He took out one suspicious-looking item. It was a colorful mobile. No matter how he looked at it, it didn’t seem like a gift meant for Jaebeom.

Just in case, he reached into another bag and pulled out another one. This time, it was a mobile decorated with butterflies and stars hanging down.

The glitter and gentle swaying made it look like something that could never suit Jaebeom. And that wasn’t all.

Everything inside the bags turned out to be baby supplies, or else vitamins and snacks meant for pregnant omegas.

“What could that guy possibly need? It’s better that you get it instead, don’t you think?”

“You did the right thing.”

Unlike Eunsol, who looked flustered, the one who was supposed to receive the gifts looked satisfied. Chairman Jang’s tactic had worked.

If they had been gifts for Jaebeom himself, he would have immediately refused them, but if they were for Eunsol or the twins, there was no loss in accepting them.

“If you’re done with your business, you can leave now.”

But that was the limit of the time Jaebeom was willing to give the Chairman.

“You really are a rude brat. I came all the way here in this awful rainy weather with all these gifts, and you treat me like this at the door?”

“You’re not a guest, so why does it matter?”

“Hey!”

While the two of them bickered, Eunsol, who had been looking through the items in the bags, felt embarrassed and fidgeted with his fingers before speaking up.

“Jaebeom-ssi, don’t be like that, at least offer him some tea. You can’t just send away someone who came to celebrate your birthday.”

Jaebeom clicked his tongue. If it were up to him, he would have thrown the Chairman out right then, but because Eunsol stepped in, he couldn’t say no.

Chairman Jang was watching the scene with bright eyes.

“Well now… you two have really gotten close! Read on As expected, having a child brings a couple closer together.”

At the word ‘couple,’ Eunsol gave an awkward smile and tried to guide the Chairman toward the sofa.

“Eunsol, go inside.”

“Yes?”

Eunsol had naturally planned to sit with them and exchange a few words with the Chairman, but when Jaebeom stopped him with a hand, he blinked.

“You’ve had a long, busy day, and you’re tired. You already helped celebrate my birthday, so go rest now.”

“But a guest came…”

When he looked at the Chairman in confusion, the man was watching the scene with amusement, like someone watching a drama. Embarrassed, Eunsol turned back to Jaebeom.

“He probably came here to talk to me anyway. You don’t need to stay. Go on and look after Jongjong too.”

“Jongjong? Now that you mention it, I haven’t seen him.”

Eunsol suddenly realized that the cat, who always followed them everywhere, hadn’t been around since waking up. He looked startled. The thought that he had completely forgotten about the cat while preparing for the party made him feel guilty.

“Where is he?”

“In the room you used.”

Not the room you use, but the room you used. It was a statement that clearly meant Eunsol would no longer be using that room.

But Eunsol didn’t notice and only nodded. Meanwhile, the Chairman, still watching with amusement, laughed.

“I’ll step out for a bit.”

Eunsol, unaware of the subtle tension between the two men, left to take care of his cat. The soft atmosphere immediately turned rigid once he was gone.

“So, will you tell me why you went out of your way to come here?”

His tilted head and blunt tone were full of insolence, but the Chairman, who had experienced things like this too many times, didn’t even flinch.

“You think I came for a reason?”

He grinned, his face suddenly taking on a childlike look. Jaebeom narrowed his eyes, already knowing that whenever the Chairman wore that expression, he was about to cause trouble.

Finally, the Chairman spoke again.

“You two should get married.”