Instead of responding, Director Yeon continued to stare at Jung Heeyeon, his chin still propped up on his hand. Normally, Jung Heeyeon would have noticed the gaze and looked up, but today his, slightly chubby face remained fixed on the soup. The man quickly realized that Jung Heeyeon was intentionally avoiding his gaze. The Alpha’s dark eyes narrowed thinly.
“Thank you for the meal.”
Even while visibly avoiding eye contact, Jung Heeyeon offered his gratitude politely. After mixing the pretty garnishes into the soup, he dipped his spoon into the white broth. A thinly sliced piece of rice cake slipped into the spoon. When he ate the broth and rice cake together, a savory taste spread in his mouth. The carrots and egg strips he chewed along with it were also delicious.
“Heeyeon.”
“Yes?”
Director Yeon stepped back and made a lighthearted joke.
“Since you have to eat as much as your age, you’d have to eat twenty bowls.”
Only then did Jung Heeyeon’s gaze shift to Director Yeon. His fair cheeks, which were busy munching on rice cake soup, slightly puffed up.
“I can’t eat that much…”
Jung Heeyeon frowned a little, as if he was seriously considering how many more bowls of the soup he could manage.
“Traditionally, you eat one bowl of rice cake soup to age a year. You didn’t know?”
“Huh? But you age naturally as time passes…”
Only when Director Yeon chuckled softly did Jung Heeyeon realize he had been teased.
“I’m twenty years old now.”
“I see. You’re twenty.”
“Yes.”
Jung Heeyeon answered politely, nodding his head.
“What do you want to do?”
“What do I want to do?”
“Yeah.”
Caught off guard by the unexpected question, Jung Heeyeon chewed diligently on his mouthful of rice cake soup as he fell into thought. They had had a similar conversation before, but nothing much had changed since then. Every day was enjoyable, and just being with Director Yeon felt more than enough.
“I’m not sure… but everything is great when I’m with you, Director.”
Hearing the meek response, Director Yeon tilted his head slightly. Although the answer was no different from usual, something about the atmosphere was subtly off. It was clear he was hiding something, though what it was, Director Yeon couldn’t discern. The fact that this small, fair Omega might be hiding something from him gnawed at the man’s mind.
“What about Chairman Jung?”
“The chairman? Why?”
“Do you not have hard feelings for him?”
Jung Heeyeon hesitated briefly before shaking his head. He had never really thought about harboring personal feelings toward the chairman.
Instead, other thoughts flooded his mind, overwhelming his focus. To push them away, Jung Heeyeon pretended to be absorbed in eating his rice cake soup, subtly avoiding Director Yeon’s gaze. But the man kept tilting his head, their eyes continually meeting.
Normally, this wouldn’t have been an issue, but the guilt lingering from the dream the night before made it difficult for Jung Heeyeon to meet his gaze directly.
“Heeyeon.”
Director Yeon called his name slowly.
“Yes?”
He thought he was avoiding that gaze subtly, but to the perceptive man, it was obvious.
“Why won’t you look at me?”
The experienced Alpha spoke in a voice that would likely make Nam Soohyun gag with disgust—a tone that was slightly exaggeratedly sweet.
“Pardon?”
“You said I was pretty. Am I not pretty anymore?”
Startled by the absurd question, Jung Heeyeon quickly looked up. Director Yeon, whom he genuinely thought was beautiful, was asking with a face full of feigned disappointment. He looked upset, as though deeply hurt, which left Jung Heeyeon flustered.
“No! That’s not it. You’re pretty, Director…”
“If I’m pretty, why won’t you meet my eyes?”
Jung Heeyeon gripped his spoon tightly.
“Our baby loves pretty things, right?”
“Yes, I do. I also like you, Director…”
“Then why won’t you look at me?”
As if reflecting the pressure on his spoon, Jung Heeyeon bit down on his lips with equal tension. Jung Heeyeon blinked, staring at Director Yeon. He was utterly at a loss, all because of him.
The long lashes fluttered anxiously, mirroring their owner’s unstable emotions. Jung Heeyeon, as though trying to distract himself, sipped his tea while glancing at Director Yeon. Since bringing up about his prettiness earlier, Director Yeon had been openly staring at him, causing an uncomfortable silence that only affected Jung Heeyeon.
In the end, Jung Heeyeon fidgeted with the teacup in his hands before cautiously speaking. He decided it was better to come up with some sort of excuse.
“Director.”
“Yeah, Heeyeon?”
“About yesterday…”
“Yesterday?”
Lowering his fluttering lashes in hesitation, Jung Heeyeon finally looked at the alpha sitting diagonally across from him.
“Why did you give me a peck?”
His expression was innocent.
Director Yeon repeated the word Jung Heeyeon had used on his tongue.
Peck.
For an act he had committed, the word was far too adorable and endearing. In truth, what had happened early that dawn had been closer to violence. He had pressed down on Jung Heeyeon’s still chubby cheek, pried apart his clueless lips, and blown cigarette smoke into his mouth.
To Director Yeon, the act barely qualified as coercion, let alone violence, but to the innocent omega, it was undeniably an act of force. Even if the recipient didn’t recognize it as such.
The emotions that surged in Director Yeon the moment he locked eyes with Jung Heeyeon were far removed from the sweetness of the word ‘peck’. Obsession, possessiveness, desire, hunger—feelings familiar to Director Yeon but alien to Jung Heeyeon. These raw, turbulent emotions were hardly gentle.
“Heeyeon.”
Director Yeon called Jung Heeyeon’s name. His voice flowed out as gentle as always—a voice reserved solely for this innocent omega. Its softness was enough to conceal the sharp urges underneath.
“Yes?”
“Does that feel like a peck to you?”
The act that Jung Heeyeon called a ‘peck’ was, in reality, a form of exploitation. Taking his breath, invading his space—it was an act indistinguishable from violence.
“Pardon? Yes.”
Jung Heeyeon nodded, wrapping his palms around the warmth of the teacup. Lips touching lips—it must have been a peck. Calling it anything else, like a ‘touch of lips’ or ‘kiss’ in the romantic sense… felt inappropriate. Jung Heeyeon hastily brushed aside thoughts of the increasingly vivid images in his mind. The lingering remnants of the dream he had been suppressing threatened to resurface. In an attempt to distract himself, he fidgeted with his teacup.
“Ah, then… a touch of lips…?”
At the more innocent use of the term, Director Yeon let out a brief chuckle. It seemed Jung Heeyeon regarded the Alpha’s unilateral act of force as something delicate and endearing. He was deceiving the clueless Omega, but it wasn’t entirely unpleasant.
“I did it because I wanted to.”
Tilting his head, Director Yeon’s eyes curved. He had considered explaining to Jung Heeyeon just how violent his actions were, but his mood this morning had taken a different crooked turn. His irritation had started when Jung Heeyeon avoided his hands earlier.
With narrowed eyes and a lazy smile, Director Yeon skillfully masked his true intentions. His deliberate shift in expression gave the aggressive alpha a more relaxed appearance. Yeon Woobeom had long mastered the art of concealing his true feelings, deftly and habitually.
“You wanted to… give me a peck?”
“Yeah.”
Startled by the straightforward answer, Jung Heeyeon’s lips moved hesitantly. Was it okay to give someone a peck just because you wanted to? Adults would give a peck to their children or pets, thus it did seem acceptable.
“Then… can I give you a peck too?”
At the naive question, Director Yeon raised an eyebrow as if he had heard something completely unexpected. The corners of his lips deepened into an amused smirk.
“You want to?”
“I’m not sure yet… but I might want to later.”
“Heeyeon, if you want to, you should.”
Director Yeon’s lazily drawn lips whispered sweet lies like a serpent tempting its prey. His face, which appeared gentle at first glance, hid a sly cunning beneath.
“Do you want to do it now?”
Of course, he didn’t forget to make Jung Heeyeon flustered. The sudden suggestion made Jung Heeyeon’s long lashes flutter anxiously. He avoided Director Yeon’s gaze, bringing his teacup to his lips. Thankfully, the tea had cooled, or he might have burned himself.
“Heeyeon. Why aren’t you answering? Do you want to do it now?”
“I won’t do it right now.”
“Hmmm, not right now? Then, baby, you can do it when you want to.”
Taking a sip of the fragrant tea, Jung Heeyeon tried to steady his feelings. There was something else he wanted to ask the director.
“Then… will you keep giving me a peck, Director?”
“Yeah, I’ll keep giving you a peck.”
Director Yeon dragged out the word ’peck’ as if it amused him. Watching him repeat it, Jung Heeyeon wondered if he should be using a different word. While contemplating alternative terms, he found none, so he simply fidgeted with his hands.
“Director… then… what about to other people?”
Director Yeon’s arm, which had been reaching for his coffee, froze in midair. Though the pause was brief, it was enough to betray the discomfort stirring in him. The elegant line of his eyes hardened in an instant.
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![There’s a Beauty [Ancient Wear Modern]](https://www.freenovels.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/image_2023-11-22_095131618.png "There’s a Beauty [Ancient Wear Modern]")
