DASH-Chapter 161

Sure enough, Jaekyoung froze in his steps as if possessed, gaze fixated on the baby clothes, shoes, and fluffy dolls showcased in the shop window. Slowly, he raised his head and peered inside, giving off the vibe that he was itching to go in no matter what.

“Hey, you’re not seriously thinking of going in, are you?”

Jiheon said, chuckling for no particular reason.

“What? Oh, no. It’s not like that. I’m not going in.”

Despite Jaekyoung’s words, he remained still in place.

“I can’t go in. Yeah, not right now, yeah....”

Jaekyoung continued to peer into the store, muttering as if reciting a mantra. Clinging to the hem of Jiheon’s clothes in case he left first, Jaekyoung stood there. Jiheon couldn’t help but be impressed once again by the department stores’ marketing strategies.

It seemed that the home goods store and children’s goods store were strategically placed on the same floor to attract parents shopping with their kids. A clever move to naturally draw in customers.

However, Jiheon hadn’t anticipated the parent getting lured in, not the child.

If a child got enticed, the parents would simply drag them away, but if the child’s father got lured in, it would be harder to break free.

Of course, adults had the ability to communicate, unlike kids, but judging by Jaekyoung’s current state, it seemed unlikely that he’d listen even if Jiheon spoke up. Maybe he wouldn’t hear it clearly, but still.

So Jiheon stood silently beside him, waiting for Jaekyoung to snap out of it. In the meantime, a young pregnant woman exiting the store halted in surprise at the sight of two men standing in front of the entrance.

It wasn’t like there was no way out—it was a semi-open store to begin with, and the entrance was wide enough for two or three strollers to go in and out at the same time—it was just that she seemed a little surprised to see two big men that seemed out of place simply standing there.

“Jaekyoung-ah, this way....”

Jiheon attempted to pull Jaekyoung towards him, but Jaekyoung sidestepped first ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) and apologized.

“I’m sorry, ma’am.”

Jaekyoung bowed his head and kept saying sorry to the woman. She reassured him with a smile, saying, “I’m just pregnant. It’s okay,” and walked away.

In this unbelievable situation, Jiheon stood there, holding his breath, astounded. It was hard to believe that THE Kwon Jaekyoung apologized twice just for blocking the entrance. Normally, he wouldn’t pay it much attention, but after hearing what Jiheon had said, Jaekyoung not only stepped aside but also bowed his head and apologized.

“Hey, you.... What’s going on?”

Still in shock, Jiheon stammered. Jaekyoung looked at him as if questioning what he was talking about.

“Why are you apologizing? And you even moved out of the way first?”

“Oh.”

Only then did Jaekyoung mutter and touch the back of his neck.

“I thought she looked startled.... You shouldn’t startle pregnant people. Besides, she looked kind of heavy....”

Jaekyoung seemed a bit embarrassed as he spoke, perhaps feeling that his behavior wasn’t typical for him. The more he explained in embarrassment, the redder his ears became.

“Oh, forget that. Let’s just go home.”

Jaekyoung suddenly got irritated. After expressing his annoyance, he seemed to come to his senses, then he glanced at the shopping bag in Jiheon’s hand and grabbed it.

“Give it to me, hyung. I’ll carry it. Do you need to get anything else?”

“No. Is there anywhere you want to stop by?”

“No.”

“Alright then. We can skip that place, right?”

Jiheon gestured towards the baby goods store. Jaekyoung shot Jiheon a resentful look and then spoke bluntly.

“If the two of us walk in there now, it’ll be a big deal.”

“Yeah.”

“But why are you asking?”

Jaekyoung sighed and headed towards the escalator. Jiheon chuckled as he watched Jaekyoung’s disappointed back and soon caught up with him.

“Or do you wanna go alone? Just walk in and ask the staff for some gift recommendations for newborns. They won’t question you.”

“It’s fine. Why would I go to all that trouble?”

Jaekyoung said firmly. Then, sensing that his tone might have been too harsh, he softened his voice.

“I’ll come with you later, alright? We’ll be frequenting that place like going to a restaurant anyway.”

“Oh, I usually do my shopping online.”

“.......”

“It’s a joke, just kidding.”

Seeing Jaekyoung’s expression darken instantly, Jiheon hurriedly reassured him.

“I buy most of my things online, but for baby stuff, I have to come to the department store, right? Yeah, I really should.”

Jiheon said with a smile. Even though he apologized several times, Jaekyoung seemed upset without saying anything.

“Sorry. It really was just a joke.”

Jaekyoung didn’t respond to Jiheon’s apology and stood silently on the escalator.

“Hey, Jaekyoung-ah.”

Rather than standing behind Jaekyoung, Jiheon deliberately stood beside him. Taking advantage of the narrow width of the escalator, he leaned forward and whispered.

“I said it was a joke. What you did today was so cute that I wanted to tease you a bit. I won’t do it again, so ease up, okay?”

When Jiheon said this deliberately, Jaekyoung’s expression finally relaxed a little. Still, he remained silent, and it wasn’t until they were about to switch escalators that he muttered softly.

“......buy....”

“What?”

When Jiheon asked him to repeat, Jaekyoung clicked his tongue briefly and tried again.

“I said I want to buy stuff for you at the store, not for the baby.”

Jiheon almost laughed and hugged Jaekyoung. Even Jaekyoung’s blunt way of speaking was so cute and endearing that it made Jiheon feel giddy. He wanted to do something immediately, but the location prevented him from doing so.

Wanting to express his affection differently, Jiheon took Jaekyoung to a cafe inside the department store. Since it was a cafe associated with a chocolate brand, there were plenty of chocolate-based drinks and desserts.

When asked to choose what he wanted, Jaekyoung opted for a sweet chocolate shake and two types of chocolate cake that melted in the mouth. However, when Jaekyoung saw the vanilla ice cream that Jiheon ordered, he looked worried and asked if it was alright for Jiheon to eat something sweet like that.

“I heard that people who don’t eat sweets might experience a spike in their blood sugar if they suddenly eat them.”

“Not to that extent.”

Jiheon chuckled.

“I’ve had ice cream a few times recently. Sometimes, I just crave something cold and sweet.”

However, because he was afraid of gestational diabetes, Jiheon didn’t touch the chocolate syrup provided for the ice cream. Jaekyoung poured all the untouched syrup into his shake, and Jiheon silently hoped that their baby wouldn’t inherit Jaekyoung’s sweet tooth.

“What are your parents like, hyung?”

Jaekyoung gulped down half of his shake and immediately cut into a sizable piece of his chocolate fudge cake.

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“They’re just normal. Ordinary Korean parents.”

“But your dad is a soldier, right...?”

Jaekyoung’s expression suggested that the idea was somewhat implausible.

“Just because he’s a soldier doesn’t mean he has to treat his children harshly or be strict with them.”

Jaekyoung nodded.

“I thought your dad was super strict, which is why you’re so neat.”

“What? Where did you even hear that?”

“...A long time ago. When I was still at the swimming center.”

Jaekyoung frowned at Jiheon’s joke, and it seemed he was about to get mad again. So, Jiheon deliberately scooped a spoonful of his ice cream and placed it on top of the slice of cake Jaekyoung had cut.

“It tastes better if you eat it like this.”

“Hyung, are you a genius?”

Jaekyoung was amazed with this method. He quickly brought the cake to his mouth before the ice cream melted, nodding with a satisfied expression.

Observing Jaekyoung’s eyebrows relaxing, Jiheon smiled to himself and continued.

“Anyway, my dad is anything but strict. He’s pretty laid-back. He plays a lot with his kids and cracks jokes often. No matter what mistakes my sister and I made, he tended to overlook them and say, ‘Oh, sure, I understand that.’ On the contrary, my mom was a bit straightforward and strict with her kids, but that’s just when I was young.”

Jiheon went on, crossing his legs under the table.

“I lived in the official residence until middle school, and my dad’s colleagues often came to visit. So, he’d remind me to be careful about my behavior in front of adults and be polite. My dad was an Omega officer, which was quite rare at the time, so I think he was more concerned about being accused of something other than his job performance.”

Though his mom didn’t say it, she seemed tired of that life as well. After leaving the official residence, his dad said, ‘Do whatever you want. This isn’t even an official residence, so who cares?’

“Then, when my sister and I became adults, and my dad was discharged from the military, he stopped meddling in my affairs, even in the smallest matters. Both my parents are like that. Basically, they say, ‘Your life is yours, so why should your parents interfere?’ But they always tell me, ‘If there’s something you can’t solve on your own, I’ll help you. Just let me know. Don’t cry and complain after taking out private loans and spending money beyond your control.’”

“They sound like good parents.”

“Yeah. I always feel lucky to be born as their child.”

As Jiheon nodded while enjoying his ice cream, Jaekyoung suddenly spoke with a serious tone.

“But from what I’ve seen, your parents are the lucky ones, hyung. Having a child like you means they can do whatever they want. They don’t need to worry about teaching you if you fail. That’s why your parents should be glad to have a son like you.”

Jaekyoung said it seriously. Jiheon felt happy hearing it but also a bit worried, fearing Jaekyoung was really crazy about him.

He was afraid Jaekyoung might say something like that in front of his parents too.