Be My Baby - Vol.1 Chapter 1 Part 2
It was the start of a very ordinary and peaceful day, where today felt like yesterday, and tomorrow would feel like today.
For the past few days, Eungyo had been constantly worrying. Recently, his condition had been terrible due to inexplicable irritation, rapid heartbeat, and intermittent surges of anger, and his concentration was at rock bottom.
Concerned that he might be experiencing early menopause for the first time in his life at this age, he even requested hormone tests, but fortunately, his physical condition was very good. Both his hormone levels and overall health were excellent. There was no physical reason for his poor condition.
That meant it was likely a mental issue…
“This is the power of attorney Mom is sending. She says to keep it delegated for now and transfer everything to you when the time is right. She also asked if you need more stocks.”
Eungyo received the document envelope handed over by Eunsoo standing in front of him and felt relieved at his parents’ unchanged attitude.
Recently, due to the series of broken engagements of their sons, their father’s mood had been quite bad, so just in case, he had said to his mother, “Can you lend me some stocks?” and she had offered to give them outright.
As expected, she was a mother who loved her father’s misfortune the most.
“This is enough for now. Good job.”
Expressing indirectly that he had finished his business and should leave now, Eungyo spoke, and Eunsoo, who had handed over the documents, carefully observed his expression.
“It’s almost off-work time… Can’t you buy me dinner today?”
Perhaps having heard rumors that Eungyo had been in a bad mood recently, the youngest hesitated and looked cautious. Eungyo had no choice but to nod.
“Alright. I don’t have any plans anyway.”
As it happened, Eungyo also had something to discuss with Eunsoo. Thinking that it would be difficult to find time to talk separately if not now, he agreed and stood up from his seat. Eunsoo smiled brightly and immediately stuck close to him.
“It’s been a while since I’ve had a meal with you, hyung.”
“We met last month, didn’t we?”
“Hyung, I couldn’t contact you because I heard you were in a bad mood lately. I’m sorry. Seonwoo caused trouble again last time…”
Eungyo understood why there had been no contact from this guy too. It seemed that the troublemaker’s antics had become quite notorious. Well, it was this guy who had attached that troublemaker to him, so if he had a conscience, he should feel sorry.
But…
“What about him?”
As he casually asked that while leaving the office, Eunsoo opened his eyes wide and asked back.
“You mean what the troublemaker is up to these days?”
Eungyo asked indifferently while gesturing to his secretary that he would drive himself instead of having the secretary do it. He then immediately crossed through the secretarial office and headed into the corridor. As he slowly walked towards the elevator, Eunsoo asked a very reasonable question.
“Why? Did Seonwoo cause trouble again? Is that why you’ve been in such a bad mood?”
“No. It’s just strange that such a noisy guy has been so quiet.”
So, that was the problem. It seemed that the recent increase in irritation was likely due to that guy’s absence.
While drunk ramblings usually happened two or three times a year, so the cycle hadn’t come around yet, it was strange that the troublemaker wasn’t visible at all.
Usually, he would loiter around the company area two or three times a month when he came downtown, engaging in blatantly obvious stalking, but there had been no sight of him for about a month.
It should be about time for him to show up, but it was too quiet. That was strange.
No, to be precise, it was really annoying. It was also vexing that there hadn’t been a single text message since that day, and now he had even stopped stalking.
For some reason, feeling extremely irritated, Eungyo frowned as he got into the elevator. Eunsoo nodded as if he understood what was going on.
“Ah, you don’t need to worry anymore. He’s abstaining from alcohol these days. This time he seems to have made up his mind firmly, telling his friends not to invite him to drink at all, so everyone just has dinner without alcohol even when they see his face. He really seems to have come to his senses.”
“…Does he come out of the research institute?”
“Yeah. Sometimes when he’s off duty. Though it’s only once every 2-3 weeks. Since we can’t drink because of Seonwoo, everyone’s just looking for places to eat, but he seems to be possessed by a gluttonous spirit these days. Seyoon even teased him, asking if he was pregnant. He’s getting so chubby he’s about to burst.”
“…I see.”
After committing such an act, he cuts off all contact with me but goes around eating well? As he put it into words in his mind, another intermittent bout of anger along with irritation surged up.
Fine, if he’s living so well, that’s good.
It’s none of my business whether that guy gets chubby or not. Of course, he would look cute if he gained weight… No, didn’t he already have some chubbiness? I think his cheeks were always puffy even in high school…
Recalling memories from over 10 years ago, Eungyo got off the elevator and silently got into his own car. As he started the engine right away, Eunsoo, who was getting into the passenger seat, glanced at Eungyo and muttered softly.
“Hyung, you seem really lenient towards Seonwoo.”
“What do you mean?”
“If it were anyone else, you would have made them come to their senses in an instant, but you’ve really let Seonwoo off easy, considering it’s you.”
Stung by those words, Eungyo pretended not to notice and shifted gears. As he slowly pulled out the car, Eunsoo continued talking.
“When was it? The first time he caused trouble after going to S University, you said you wouldn’t let him off if he caught your eye again, so he started following you around secretly. It was all so obvious, hiding behind pillars and sticking to walls to follow you.”
It was really something, Eunsoo reminisced about the past. Seonwoo was always troublesome, but at that time he was creepily troublesome.
“He wasn’t even good at hiding so he got caught quickly, but even then, you just told him to come out and only flicked his forehead. Not only that, you even told him if he was going to follow so visibly, he might as well do it openly, which is why he never broke that habit.”
Even to Eungyo himself, it sounded strange. No matter how much of a genius Dr. Lee Seonwoo was, known as the greatest intellect in history, his own reaction was odd.
But he decided to pretend not to know this time too.
“What’s the point in dealing with someone so lacking? He has to be lacking to a certain degree to understand when he’s scolded.”
“Well, that’s true. He really doesn’t get social cues to the point of being called socially inept.”
In the car that had left the parking lot, Eunsoo quietly agreed, and Eungyo gritted his teeth while looking straight ahead. Although he had brushed it off, no matter how he thought about it, his attitude towards that guy was too lenient.
Come to think of it, the cause of his recent poor condition also seemed to be that guy. The only thing that had changed during the month when his irritation grew was that guy’s absence.
He was human too, so he must have been worried and concerned about the guy who used to appear frequently but suddenly stopped showing up. Even though he had said he would let it go this time, to completely wipe his mouth clean after committing such a sin…
As he thought that far, Eungyo was surprised by his own thoughts and shook his head vigorously. He should be grateful that the guy wasn’t showing up. There was no reason for him to be concerned. Without that guy, his daily life was unprecedentedly quiet, peaceful, and elegant.
There would be no more being made fun of by friends or being embarrassed in front of potential business partners.
And there would be no need to get his car washed just to remove permanent marker.
So there was absolutely no problem with not seeing that guy.
So…
“I really like you a lot.”
The image of those arms desperately clinging to his neck and that pitiful expression, so unlike the troublemaker, suddenly flashed through his mind.
When in his right mind, he would always slink away cautiously, avoiding people as if they were monsters, but when drunk on alcohol, he overflowed with courage. He would stick to him like glue, singing for sperm and causing utter embarrassment, so Eungyo had dragged him home to teach him a lesson… but the way he jumped onto the bed was desperate.
It’s true that he had been constantly receiving bold confessions from the drunk guy, but his attitude had always been so frivolous, and he would always prostrate himself in apology after sobering up, so Eungyo had thought it was just a drinking habit.
But that day, that troublemaker was truly serious. Of course, he ruined it right after by saying he loved hyung’s genes even more, but…
Clearly, as Eunsoo said, he was weak to that troublemaker.
Yes, he admitted that. When he shows up drunk or calls, Eungyo wants to wring his neck immediately, but when he doesn’t show up, he gets worried.
The guy who would always wait for him at the large cafe across from the company building, pretending to read a book, at least once every two or three weeks – it felt empty now that he wasn’t showing up.
It had been somewhat fun to tie his shoelaces, adjust his clothes, and kill time in front of the cafe until the guy noticed him, since he would often be so absorbed in the book he had prepared as a prop that he wouldn’t notice Eungyo passing by. If he still didn’t notice, Eungyo would eventually get frustrated and go into the cafe to greet him or knock him on the head.
Of course, that was just fun, not that he expected or wanted the guy to come and wait. And he absolutely did not take that route, which he didn’t need to take just to see that guy’s face.
“Ah, right. Hyung, Father wants you to stop by the house. He’s really gearing up now. Stop by once and see Father’s face. And these days, Eunho-hyung is acting strange. Is he really trying to bring a child from somewhere? With Eunho-hyung, you never know what he might do behind our backs… Should I investigate a bit? Hyung?”
As Eunsoo, sitting in the passenger seat, kept talking and turned to look at him who hadn’t said anything, Eungyo, who had been gripping the steering wheel tightly, suddenly blurted out with a fierce expression.
“…That damn sperm collector.”
“Huh?”
At those words that came out suddenly while talking about Eunho, Eunsoo’s eyes widened. Eungyo changed lanes, stopped the car on the shoulder, unlocked the doors, and said to Eunsoo:
“I can’t buy you dinner today. Get out here.”
“Why?”
“I just remembered an urgent matter.”
“What kind of matter?”
“Personal business. Get out. I’ll see you on the weekend.”
Faced with his brother’s momentum that suggested he might kick him out if he didn’t leave immediately, Eunsoo hesitantly unfastened his seatbelt and got out of the car. Eungyo quickly finished inputting something into his phone and stepped hard on the accelerator.
Left bewildered on the roadside, Eunsoo could only stare blankly at the departing car.
“What’s going on?”
