Swallowed - Chapter 29

The youngest in the family dating? No one could resist being interested. All eyes were on Jaeha, but he only smiled softly, neither confirming nor denying anything. Still, just by looking at his expression, it was clear that there was someone special in his life.

Jaeha had always been handsome, but in the past, there hadn’t been much depth to him. He had just become an adult, after all, so what depth could there be? But now, it was clear that something had changed. He had the look of someone in love. The boyishness was gone, replaced by a new weight and a sense of maturity.

“Well, it’d be strange if he didn’t have a girlfriend with that face. Kids these days start dating in elementary school. It was weird that Jaeha was still single,” Young-ah remarked.

Youngjun agreed enthusiastically. Even as a guy, he found Jaeha’s looks incredible. His brother Jaeseok, by comparison, seemed a bit unfortunate—though Jaeseok was academically superior, when it came to appearance, people couldn’t help but think, How is his brother this good-looking?

“So, who’s the girl? Is she pretty?” Youngjun’s eyes lit up as he asked, and Young-ah playfully smacked him, grumbling about how guys only care about looks.

“Come on, if you had a boyfriend, the first thing you’d ask is, ‘Is he handsome?’” Youngjun shot back.

“No, I wouldn’t.”

“Yeah, right. You’d totally ask if he’s handsome. Be honest, it’s what you’d be most curious about.”

When Youngjun refused to back down, Young-ah raised her fist in warning. Youngjun quickly shut his mouth and turned to Jaeha for an answer. Jaeha, who had been watching the siblings bicker with amusement, simply nodded.

“She’s pretty.”

“Wow, do you have a picture? Are you two officially dating, or is it still in the talking stage?”

“We’re dating.”

“No way! That’s awesome!” Youngjun was making a big fuss, but Hyunseon, Jaeha’s mother, looked at him in disbelief. She had planned to persuade him to retake the college entrance exam during the semester, but a relationship was an unexpected hurdle. If he got too involved in dating, she knew he wouldn’t focus on his studies. The thought gave her a headache, and she felt dizzy.

“Jaeha, have another drink. You’re a full-fledged man now. It’s good—experience love, enjoy your college life,” his uncle said, pouring Jaeha another glass.

“Thank you,” Jaeha replied, accepting the drink.

Watching her husband encourage their son, Hyunseon felt like ripping his mouth off or sealing it shut. Since she couldn’t do either, she balled her fists under the table, her perfectly manicured nails digging painfully into her palms.

As he observed his wife, Jaeha’s father, Gyeongdeok, thought that maybe this was for the best. This way, Hyunseon would have no choice but to give up. Even if she was persistent, it was a lost cause. Gyeongdeok knew his second son well. If Jaeha had been the kind of person to bend to his mother’s will, he would have written nothing on the college entrance exam and handed in a blank sheet before applying to medical school just to appease her. No matter what she said, she couldn’t follow him into the exam room or the interview.

Eventually, unable to bear it any longer, Hyunseon excused herself from the table. The conversation briefly paused as everyone glanced at her, but Gyeongdeok ignored it and refilled Jaeha’s glass, bringing the lively atmosphere back. Jaeha’s uncle gave his wife a look, and she nodded before quietly following Hyunseon out of the room.

“You don’t have a picture?” Youngjun asked eagerly.

“I do. Hold on.”

Even Jaeha’s older brother, Jaeseok, seemed curious, so Jaeha had no choice but to pull out his phone. He didn’t feel the need to hide anything. After the emoji exchange earlier, Seyoung hadn’t sent any more messages. She was probably sleeping. After all, she hadn’t gotten much sleep the night before and was likely exhausted. Jaeha even thought it was better for her to rest now, knowing he wouldn’t let her sleep when he got back.

“I took this yesterday. We went to Gapyeong.”

The first to grab the phone was Young-ah, with Youngjun craning his neck to see the screen. When they saw the picture of the couple, they couldn’t help but gasp. They had expected her to be pretty, but they hadn’t imagined she’d match Jaeha so well. It wasn’t just a case of him seeing her through rose-colored glasses—she was genuinely beautiful.

“Wow, she’s seriously… I mean, she’s really pretty,” Youngjun stammered, his face flushing as he cleared his throat, embarrassed at how awestruck he’d been by his cousin’s girlfriend.

“You two look great together. How did you meet?”

Jaeha didn’t mention that he’d gone to that university specifically to meet Seyoung. He figured it wouldn’t be wise for his mother to hear that. If she found out the truth, she’d probably hold a grudge against Seyoung for the rest of her life, blaming her for Jaeha not becoming a doctor.

“We met at school. I confessed first,” he said, thinking it was a safe enough answer. This way, there was no reason for anyone to direct any anger toward Seyoung.

Meanwhile, Jaeha’s phone made the rounds at the table. When it reached his father, Gyeongdeok smiled warmly as he looked at the photo. He could tell that Jaeha’s smile in the picture was genuine. His son truly looked happy, and that was all that mattered to him.

“Wow, what a rare beauty. Now I see why Jaeha’s been so busy. It’s not just school—he’s been caught up in a romance too,” his uncle joked.

“Haha, please say it’s both,” Jaeha responded with a chuckle.

“Of course! Give your best to both. No regrets in your youth—that’s the way to go.”

Jaeha’s uncle let out a hearty laugh as he poured a drink for Gyeongdeok, who smiled in return. The advice about having no regrets in youth made Jaeha’s eyes darken with a hint of intensity.

“Must be nice,” Jaeseok muttered, sitting next to Jaeha as he returned the phone. He looked downcast. When they were in high school, he had thought Jaeha would follow in his footsteps. But now, his younger brother had spread his wings and was flying on his own.

With a somber expression, Jaeseok downed his beer, only to meet his father’s gaze. It seemed to ask, Do you regret it? Jaeseok hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. No, becoming a doctor had been his choice, despite their mother’s strong influence. Gyeongdeok smiled faintly at his son’s silent acknowledgment.

Jaeha was finally able to leave the house after promising he would stay in touch more frequently, despite how busy he might get. His mother had locked herself in her bedroom and refused to show her face, but Jaeha wasn’t particularly eager to talk to her either. There would be plenty of time to have a conversation once she gave up trying to control his life.

Still, he couldn’t turn down the food his father handed him. His mother had prepared it that morning, intending to give it to him, and he couldn’t reject that sentiment entirely. Since he was eating out most of the time, the thought crossed his mind that it might be nice to share a meal at home with Seyoung.

On his way back, Jaeha stopped by the most popular chicken shop near school and bought a whole chicken, along with a serving of buffalo wings. His steps quickened as he thought about getting it to her before it got cold.

Standing outside his door, Jaeha paused. Instead of using the fingerprint lock, he smiled and pressed the doorbell for the first time since moving in.

“You could have just let yourself in,” Seyoung said, tilting her head curiously as she opened the door. But when she saw Jaeha standing there with his hands full of bags, she understood. It looked like his family had packed him all sorts of things, and she could smell the chicken.

“Knowing you were waiting for me made me feel restless. It really feels like we’re living together now,” Jaeha said as he set down the bags and pulled Seyoung into a tight hug. It had only been a few hours since they were apart, but he couldn’t help how happy he was to see her again. Seyoung patted his back gently.

“Did you sleep?” she asked.

Seyoung nodded in response. “Yeah.”

“Good. I was a little worried since I don’t plan on letting you sleep tonight. You should conserve your energy in advance,” Jaeha teased, grinning as he watched Seyoung’s face flush with embarrassment. He leaned in and quickly stole a kiss, making Seyoung glare at him in mock irritation—completely unaware of how much that look turned Jaeha on. He wanted nothing more than to rush her to bed, but he decided to prioritize feeding her first, knowing she must be hungry. So, he focused on the chicken.

“Did your parents say anything?” Seyoung asked.

“They cheered me on. Told me to work hard at both my studies and my relationship.”

“You told them we’re dating?” Seyoung’s expression became a bit complicated.

“There’s no point in hiding it. It’s not a secret,” Jaeha said, his tone casual.

Seyoung’s face grew more uncertain, and Jaeha’s mood instantly darkened.

“Why? Do you think we’re going to break up, so I shouldn’t have bothered telling them?” he asked, a touch of frustration in his voice.

“I didn’t say that,” she replied.

“You didn’t have to. Your eyes did.”

Jaeha’s breath quickened as he growled slightly. Seyoung, who had been watching him with a slight frown, reached up and stroked his tense jaw. When Jaeha pulled away, feigning anger, she stood on her toes and planted a series of light kisses along his jawline. Slowly, Jaeha’s stubborn sideways glance softened, and he looked down at her with gentler eyes. Seyoung smiled mischievously.

“I didn’t say anything like that,” she reassured him.

Even though Jaeha knew she wasn’t being entirely truthful, he couldn’t help but give in. How could he stay mad when she was like this?

“…Let’s eat the chicken,” he finally said.

“Okay.”

They spread out in the living room, opening the bag, and the smell of fried chicken intensified. Seyoung, who typically didn’t care much about eating, was now faced with twelve buffalo wings in front of her. Normally, she could go hours without eating, just enough to keep her stomach from growling. But ever since she started spending more time with Jaeha, her appetite had grown. If it weren’t for him, she would have skipped dinner entirely tonight.

But here she was, staring at the plate of wings.

“I can’t eat all of this,” she said.

“There’s barely any meat on wings,” Jaeha replied, his expression making it clear he wasn’t going to let her off the hook until she ate. Seyoung smiled bitterly and picked up one of the wings.

“If I keep hanging out with you, I’m going to gain so much weight.”

“Don’t worry about it. I think you’d look even cuter with a little weight on you,” Jaeha said, his eyes twinkling mischievously as if he had plans to fatten her up. Seyoung could tell from his expression that he was dead serious about it, so she gave in and began eating. Whether it was because the chicken was genuinely delicious or because Jaeha had bought it for her, it tasted amazing.

As Jaeha watched Seyoung eat with a contented smile, he cracked open a beer.