“…”

“I didn’t necessarily believe that third-rate drama story about pretending not to know me because life is hard, but I didn’t expect it to be more credible.”

Frustrated to the point of bursting at his response that completely ignored his claim of not being Hae-eon, Hae-wan raised his voice.

“I’m not Yoon Hae-eon! I’m not him, so I don’t understand why I have to convince you.”

“…”

“I think it’s because of my scent, and I know I smell similar to Hae-eon. I’ve heard that a lot. But there are plenty of similar scents in the world. And… and Mr. Yeo Kang-hyun, it’s been eight years since you last saw Hae-eon. What you remember might not be accurate.”

At those words, Kang-hyun’s face, which had maintained a stubborn expressionless mask until now, visibly twitched.

He straightened his leaning body and strode toward Hae-wan with his long legs. Hae-wan flinched and stepped back, but Kang-hyun was faster. He grabbed Hae-wan’s wrist with strong grip and pulled him close, burying his nose against his wrist.

“Why, why are you doing this!”

Startled, Hae-wan tried to pull away, but Kang-hyun gripped his wrist even tighter, refusing to let go until he was satisfied.

When Kang-hyun finally released him, red marks remained clearly on Hae-wan’s wrist.

Hae-wan clutched his burning red wrist and frantically stepped backward. Kang-hyun spoke in a low, deep voice.

“I’m never wrong. You’re the only person who has this scent.”

“…”

“And you’re still saying you’re not Yoon Hae-eon?”

How on earth. Hae-wan bit his lip until it showed blood. From their first meeting, he had thought Kang-hyun’s certainty about Hae-eon’s scent was incomprehensibly firm.

However, since he couldn’t explain Hae-eon’s death and the pheromone gland transplant surgery, he had no choice but to repeat the same words like a parrot, even if it made him look foolish.

“I’m not.”

“…”

“I’m not Yoon Hae-eon.”

Hae-wan approached Kang-hyun and thrust the envelope toward his chest.

“So… please take this back.”

Kang-hyun just looked down at Hae-wan without moving for a while, but when Hae-wan gritted his teeth and didn’t avoid his gaze, he finally took the envelope with slow movements.

As soon as the envelope passed to Kang-hyun’s hands, Hae-wan stepped back and pressed the corners of his eyes firmly while muttering quickly, following his habit when stressed.

“You’ll be short two and a half million won from the twenty million you gave us. I’m sorry. But if you give me a little time, I’ll definitely pay it back.”

At those words, Kang-hyun’s expression changed subtly. He opened the envelope carelessly, took out the checks to confirm the amount, then smiled strangely.

Just as Hae-wan was about to wonder at that smile, Kang-hyun spoke.

“I think you’re misunderstanding something. What I gave was forty million.”

The moment he heard the amount, his mouth fell half open without him realizing it. After gaping several times, he could barely manage to ask back.

“What did you just… say…”

Though he knew it was impossible, he hoped he had misheard, but making such foolish hope meaningless, Kang-hyun answered clearly without any doubt.

“I said what I gave to Kim Yu-jun was forty million won.”

Forty million won.

It was an amount he had never even thought he could receive from someone all at once. Feeling like he had been hit hard on the back of the head with a club, Hae-wan just stood there dazed.

Watching Hae-wan’s face, Kang-hyun leisurely changed his posture.

“All the money I gave you was because I thought you were Yoon Hae-eon.”

“…”

“But if you’re not Yoon Hae-eon, and Kim Yu-jun made me think you were Yoon Hae-eon to get money from me, this could very well constitute fraud.”

Hearing those words, words reflexively burst from Hae-wan’s mouth.

“I’ll return it, I’ll return it. Yu-jun must have it.”

Hae-wan continued rambling without properly thinking about what he was saying.

“Yu-jun is only twenty-one years old. He’s a kid who doesn’t even know what to do with that much money.”

“It won’t be there. He said he used it for settlement money.”

“Settlement money…?”

“Right. Apparently he had an accident while riding a motorcycle. I checked it myself.”

He didn’t know. He knew nothing. Beyond bewilderment, his mind went completely blank.

Excluding the seventeen and a half million won he had returned, there were still twenty-two and a half million won left to repay to Kang-hyun.

Even the two and a half million won he had initially thought was lacking was a large sum for Hae-wan now. With Hae-eon’s death and the surgery recovery period added together, it hadn’t even been a year since Hae-wan had started working again, and while moving between part-time jobs and paying monthly rent, food expenses, other living costs, and loan principal and interest, it had taken a full eight months just to save one and a half million won.

But twenty-two and a half million won.

It felt so overwhelming that he couldn’t even gauge when he might be able to pay it back.

Still, he couldn’t just stand there saying nothing, so Hae-wan squeezed out his failing voice and barely managed to speak.

“I’ll pay it back. I’ll pay, I’ll pay it back, so just give me a little time…”

“How?”

Kang-hyun cut off Hae-wan’s words immediately. His tone was direct but without any mocking undertone.

“When you couldn’t even bring two million, it’s hard to believe you can pay back twenty million.”

It was an undeniably correct statement, so he didn’t even feel humiliated.

Hae-wan lowered his gaze and remained silent. Kang-hyun spoke slowly toward Hae-wan.

“I think you came knowing that amount of money isn’t much to me.”

“…”

“But I’m going to be petty.”

And Kang-hyun closed his mouth. Strangely, Hae-wan realized that Kang-hyun’s silence was demanding that he look at him.

When Hae-wan raised his head, the intense gaze that had never moved from the beginning captured his eyes.

“Even if you’re not Yoon Hae-eon, date me for just one month.”

Unable to immediately grasp what he meant, Hae-wan just blinked stupidly. Kang-hyun continued speaking toward Hae-wan in a clear and distinct voice.

“Until then, I won’t think of you as Yoon Hae-eon. If you want to be someone dating me for the first time, I’ll do that for you.”

“…”

“Meet with me for just one month like that, and if you still say you’re not Yoon Hae-eon.”

Kang-hyun paused for a beat. But there was no hesitation in what followed.

“Then I’ll let you go cleanly without asking anything about the money or about Yoon Hae-eon.”

He should have said no.

That no matter how much he wanted to believe it, he was not Yoon Hae-eon, and he’ll somehow pay back that money.

But he absolutely couldn’t say it.

Of course, the first reason was practical. Though Kang-hyun’s words sounded like he was asking Hae-wan to consider his proposal, it was essentially an ultimatum. Even if Hae-wan said he would pay back the money, there was no guarantee he wouldn’t report Yu-jun to the police.

And the second reason was his own terrible selfishness.

No matter how much Hae-eon had asked him not to reveal his death, if he really wanted to avoid this situation, he should have honestly told all the facts.

Still, he didn’t want to tell Kang-hyun that he had received Hae-eon’s scent through transplant.

Yoon Hae-eon’s knockoff. Imitation. Counterfeit.

The voices that had mocked him during his school days echoed in his head.

Hating himself for being so pathetic, Hae-wan instead spat out words in a harsh tone.

“…Don’t regret it. I clearly told you I’m not Yoon Hae-eon.”

At those words, Kang-hyun just shrugged his shoulders once with a relaxed attitude.

A moment later, after getting Hae-wan’s number and immediately pressing the call button to confirm it was the right number, Kang-hyun smiled and said cheerfully.

“Then I’ll contact you again.”

And Kang-hyun turned around without hesitation and began to leave the greenhouse.

“Why are you going this far?”

The question that had never left his mind throughout meeting Kang-hyun again burst out before he could stop it.

At those words, Kang-hyun stopped and turned around. He looked at Hae-wan and said quietly.

“That’s what I want to ask you.”