Chapter 154: THE MEMORY TRIGGER
SIHYUK HYUNG is acting jealous again.
To be honest, Garam didn’t like it when Song Sihyuk was acting this way.
Hyung’s default setting is crazy, but he becomes unhinged when he’s jealous.
"Daddy, I don’t like your scent," Gunwoo complained while covering his nose and mouth with his hand. "You smell bad."
Right?
Song Sihyuk’s stinky pheromones came out because of his sour mood.
I seriously need to scold Hyung, but not in front of Gunwoo.
Fortunately, Lee Wonjae had returned with Mija.
His Omega father-in-law stepped out of the room earlier to take a call, and when he returned, the shaman kid was with him already.
Ah, maybe Appa picked up Mija.
"What’s going on?" Lee Wonjae asked worriedly, and then he glared at Song Sihyuk. "Son, you stink."
Song Sihyuk let out a frustrated sigh, and then the Alpha finally controlled his pheromones.
Whew.
Now the air in the room was finally breathable again.
"Appa, can you take Gunwoo home first?" Garam asked, smiling apologetically at his Omega father-in-law. "Sihyuk Hyung and I need to talk."
"Are you sure you’ll be alright?" Lee Wonjae asked worriedly. "I can come with you."
"Appa, you’re hurting my feelings," Song Sihyuk complained lightly. "You make it sound like I’m going to hurt Lim Garam if we’re alone."
"You’re not exactly a good person, son."
Aigooya.
Garam couldn’t decide if the exchange between the father and son duo was funny or worrying.
I should interfere before Appa and Hyung fight for real.
Plus, the fact that Mija didn’t say anything meant nothing bad would happen.
"Appa, don’t worry. Hyung and I will just talk," Garam assured his Omega father-in-law. "Please look after Gunwoo in the meantime."
Lee Wonjae’s face softened when he looked at Garam. "Of course, dear. Leave your son to me."
"Dad, you’re leaving me again?" Gunwoo complained, wrapping his arms around Garam’s neck. "No, let’s come home together."
Aigooya.
"Why are you acting like that, Gunwoo-ya?" Song Sihyuk scolded their son. "Your dad and I will just talk..."
The Alpha trailed off because Garam nudged him in the stomach with his elbow.
He glared at Song Sihyuk, asking him to stop scolding Gunwoo.
The Alpha cleared his throat before avoiding his gaze.
"Gunwoo-ya, Mija and I are actually planning to buy some herbs and wild ginseng that she needs to make medicines," Lee Wonjae said while approaching the child. "After that, do you want to buy food for our koi fish?"
"Food for the fishies?" Gunwoo immediately beamed. "I want to buy food the fishies, Grandpa!"
"Son, it’s ’fish’ and not— argh..."
Garam elbowed Song Sihyuk again, rendering the Alpha silent this time.
Let the kid be a kid for now.
"Then come here," Lee Wonjae said, opening his arms for Gunwoo. "Let’s buy snacks, too."
"Okay, Grandpa."
And, just like that, Gunwoo left Garam’s arms.
My son can really be gullible sometimes.
***
GARAM was thinking of just talking to Song Sihyuk in the car.
But, before he knew it, he was already having an early lunch with the Alpha in an Italian restaurant.
Since it was a weekday, the restaurant wasn’t busy.
Moreover, Song Sihyuk booked the restaurant’s private lounge.
That lessened Garam’s anxiety.
I’m still not confident about showing my face to be public yet.
However, at that moment, it wasn’t being recognized by people that scared him.
That freaking cheese wheel...
Garam and Song Sihyuk both ordered pasta alla routa.
Their pasta was made tableside by mixing freshly cooked pasta in a hollowed-out cheese wheel. Then the cheese was lit on fire to induce the melting of the scraped cheese, and then the pasta was added. Truffles were also added, making the meal smell amazing.
After that, their plates of pasta were finally served.
"Please enjoy your meal."
Oh.
Garam just bowed to the head chef.
Yep, the head chef himself came out and made our pasta.
After all, Song Sihyuk was a VVIP.
Anyway, Garam was relieved when the cheese wheel was finally gone.
It reminds me so much of the past.
"Do you want to drink?" Song Sihyuk asked when the head chef and his assistants finally left the lounge. "They have an excellent selection of wine here."
"No, I don’t want to drink," Garam said while shaking his head. "Cider is fine, Hyung."
"Alright. Let’s eat then," Song Sihyuk said, only speaking again when the two of them were already half-finished with their meal. "That cheese wheel..."
"H-Huh?"
"It’s not my first time seeing a cheese wheel, so I don’t know why I felt fascinated by it earlier."
Aigooya.
Garam carefully grabbed the glass and took a sip of his cider.
No, please don’t tell me it somehow triggered Hyung’s memories of the past...?
"It’s weird, but looking at the cheese wheel earlier put me in a good mood," Song Sihyuk said, and then he raised an eyebrow at Garam. "Do you possibly know why I’m feeling this way, Garam-ah?"
"How would I know that, Hyung?"
"You were staring at the cheese wheel, too."
Right.
"W-Well, I don’t usually go to restaurants like this," Garam said. Yes, he stuttered at first. But his lies became smooth eventually. He reminded himself to calm down, after all. "So, I was a bit fascinated by how the chef cooked our pasta."
"Uh-huh."
Tsk.
It’s scary how quick-witted Sihyuk Hyung can be.
Hence, Garam immediately changed the subject.
"Hyung, I don’t like how you interrogated me earlier."
As expected, Song Sihyuk immediately frowned. "I didn’t interrogate you— I just asked you a question."
"It’s none of your business."
"What?"
"First of all, Dr. Seong only visited me because he wanted to check on my condition," Garam said sternly. "Dr. Seong is your friend. Do you suspect him of having feelings for me? His pheromones that clung to me weren’t that strong anyway. It just couldn’t be helped because we were in the same room. His pheromones also clung to Appa."
"He’s still an Alpha, so I don’t like his scent clinging to you."
Aigooya.
"Hyung, whether it’s Dr. Seong or other Alphas, it’s none of your business," Garam said sternly, repeating his earlier point: that it was none of Song Sihyuk’s business whether he met with other Alphas or not. "We’re already divorced."
Song Sihyuk’s lips formed a thin line.
It was obvious that the Alpha was just holding back from saying more.
And, to be honest, Garam was glad that Song Sihyuk kept his mouth shut.
I’m too tired to deal with Hyung’s bullshit.
"Lim Garam, are you planning to date now?"
"What?"
"Our son isn’t that young anymore, so you have time for yourself."
"If I have that much free time, I’d rather spend it working than dating."
"Why do you need to work?" Song Sihyuk asked, furrowing his brows. "Was the alimony you got not enough?"
"Oh, I haven’t touched the money I got after our divorce. I’m saving it for Gunwoo."
"Ah. I’ll start sending child support for our son, and I’ll compensate you for the last five years that I’ve been absent from his life. So, go ahead and spend the alimony on yourself."
"You don’t have to worry about my finances, Hyung. I have my own money."
"Clearly, it’s not enough if you still have to work."
Aigooya.
"I want to work not for money, but because that’s what I want to do," Garam said, getting a bit frustrated because of Song Sihyuk. But he realized that someone as rich as the Alpha wouldn’t understand working for passion and not for money, so he just changed the subject again. "The point is, I have no intention of dating yet."
"’Yet.’"
"Because I can’t see the future, Hyung. I don’t know if I’ll meet someone else in the future."
Song Sihyuk’s face darkened. "But you’re not closing your doors."
To be honest, Garam didn’t have any intention of dating.
He was already content as Gunwoo’s dad.
But Song Sihyuk didn’t have to know that.
"I’m still young, Hyung."
Song Sihyuk scoffed. "I won’t let anyone else become Gunwoo’s father."
"Do you think I’ll introduce just anyone to my son?"
"Don’t. Date," Song Sihyuk said sternly, emphasizing each word through gritted teeth. "I don’t like the idea of you dating someone else."
Aigooya.
So, Garam’s fear had already come true, huh?
Song Sihyuk was showing signs of being obsessed with him again.
But why?
I acted meek and obedient because Hyung liked my rebellious side in the past.
Whatever it was, he still decided to be firm with the Alpha.
Because if I let this slide now, Hyung is just going to get worse from here on.
"Hyung, you don’t get to control what I want to do with my life," Garam said in an eerily cold voice, enough to make Song Sihyuk flinch. "I agreed to co-parent Gunwoo with you, but that doesn’t give you the right to meddle with my personal life."
***
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