3 Paths to Love

Chapter 3

Kwangsun's eyes widened. "Wait. You're Seunghyeon's brother? What a coincidence."

"Must be fate," Taeyong insisted and they both laughed.

"I remember him telling me about one of his studio mates who always wears a neon orange jacket," Taeyong said, pointing to his jacket, hanging off his chair. Now that he saw it on, it looked great on Kwangsun; he didn't know why Seunghyeon hated it. "It's a great colour on you."

"Thank you," Kwangsun said and patted his jacket. "Yeah, it's a pretty good jacket, but I'm trying to save up for another one. Which is currently a total bust."

Taeyong furrowed his brows. "How come?"

"I just quit my job at a bar near my house," he sighed. "The hours weren't good. I work best at night."

"That's a shame. I'm sorry to hear that." A light bulb went off in Taeyong's head and he smiled slowly. "If you're looking for a job, why not work here?"

Kwangsun blinked. "Really?"

Taeyong nodded, leaning back. "Of course. I've been looking for new staff anyway. And it's even better since you're Seunghyeon's friend."

Kwangsun paused for a moment. "Yup. We're friends," Kwangsun said, stiffly. "But, what about a resume? I mean, I've worked at cafes before, but still."

"Well, you can email it to me later." Taeyong bit the inside of his cheek. Today was truly a day of divine intervention. "What do you say? You can try for a week, and if you're not interested, no hard feelings."

Kwangsun dragged his thumb against the rim of his cup, unable to tear away from Taeyong's convincing look. Taeyong raised his eyebrow as a final attack and he faltered.

"Sure, why not," he chuckled.

"Perfect," he cheered, clapping his hands together. "Let me get you my card and we can discuss further."

"Seunghyeon, do you want apples?" Taeyong asked, cutting a small piece and feeding it to Daehyun over his shoulder. Daehyun held his waist tighter and nuzzled his jaw, relishing in Taeyong's soft purrs.

"Uh, I'm good," Seunghyeon said, obnoxiously staring at the ceiling as he picked up his bowl of cut fruit. "Can you guys not be so clingy?"

"No," Taeyong snapped and let out a dramatic sigh. "I've had a bad day and I need my Alpha to make it better," he whined and pressed back.

Daehyun chuckled and nuzzled his hair. "You don't seem too upset though," he said and dragged his hands down Taeyong's hips. "In fact, you seem lively."

Taeyong giggled and tilted his head to one side, his alpha's scent tempting him.

"Bleh," Seunghyeon scoffed. "I'm going to join Myungsuk and turn the volume to max in case you two—" He cut himself off with a wave of his hand.

"Wait, I actually wanted to talk to you," Taeyong called out. He wiggled for Daehyun to loosen his grip and cleared his throat. "I hired someone today."

"Already?" Daehyun asked.

Taeyong hummed. "Yup," he said and turned to Seunghyeon. "He's actually one of your friends. Nam Kwangsun?"

Seunghyeon's face unexpectedly soured. "What!"

Taeyong dropped the knife and apple from Seunghyeon's shriek and placed his hands on his chest. "What?"

"You hired Nam Kwangsun?" Seunghyeon scrunched up his face, scowling. "What the heck, Hyung? I hate him! Take it back."

"I can't just take it back," Taeyong said, resting his hand on his hip. "And if you hate him so much, why do you always talk about him?"

"Because"—Seunghyeon threw his hands in the air—"don't you see how he dresses? Literally the opposite of professional."

"Have you seen how you dress?"

Seunghyeon scoffed. He turned to Daehyun "Daehyun-Hyung," he whined. "Speak to your husband."

Daehyun plucked an apple from the plate, looking away. "I don't get involved in the cafe. Taeyong runs his business the way he likes."

"Thank you, honey," Taeyong cooed and whipped back around. "Listen, Seunghyeon. He's experienced, and strong. You know I need that," he said and placed his hand on his stomach for emphasis.

Seunghyeon's eyes flicked down at his hand and he deflated. "Fine," he groaned. "But, you better make sure our schedules don't line up," he ordered and spun on his heels, exiting the kitchen.

Taeyong sighed and leaned his head against Daehyun's shoulder, looking up at him. "I don't know what I can do about that," he whispered and opened his mouth.

Daehyun fed him a piece and returned his arm around his waist. "You'll be fine," he said and nuzzled his temple. "You're my strong-willed mate. You know what you're doing."

Purring, Taeyong pressed his nose against Daehyun's neck. "Yeah, I do," he hummed. "Speaking of which." Taeyong trailed off and turned around, wrapping his arms around his neck. He let his intentions waft with his scent, his mate the only one able to sense the intense sweetness.

"We should go upstairs before Myungsuk catches us," Taeyong whispered.

"Galactica is on. He won't leave the couch until it's done," Daehyun pointed out.

And without room for any further protests, Daehyun tilted Taeyong's chin up, closing the gap between them with a warm, deep kiss.