Trapped In A Novel As The Breeding Mate For Four Powerful Alphas Chapter 452: You’re late, Hyung

My phone chid and I checked to see it was a ssage from Jie-Yu. She snapped a selfie with Kyle, they were holding ice cream.

Guess they were having fun.

But has it already been an hour since they left?

Ki-hoon hasn’t arrived yet. I wonder what’s taking him so long.

I don’t believe he’s intentionally delaying his arrival since he would do everything in his power to arrive as soon as possible.

Maybe sothing unforeseen happened, and he thought he could handle it very quickly before eting .

Well, he could take his ti.

I flipped the page of the book in my hand, imrsed in what I was reading.

It was a piece of literature about an old folklore.

I found myself imrsing myself in it, even though it was not fantasy or romance like I usually enjoy.

An old potter ran a shop at the outskirts of a village. He was well known for his craft and was very hardworking.

He had a daughter he wanted to marry off but his daughter only had thoughts of helping him in the shop.

She didn’t know, but he was working extra hard to save enough for her dowry.

If he were able to afford an expensive dowry for his daughter, then she would definitely be able to marry into a good ho.

He worked his hands raw, fingers cracked and bleeding from the clay and heat, yet every pot that left his kiln was smoother than the last. People praised him, said his wares carried warmth, as if the old man poured his life straight into the earth before shaping it.

One winter, his daughter noticed his cough worsening, the way he paused longer between breaths. She scolded him for overworking himself, but he only smiled and told her that clay waited for no one.

The page blurred for a mont.

I blinked and shifted my grip on the book, thumb rubbing absently at the edge of the paper. Stories like this always did sothing to —quietly, without warning. Sacrifice disguised as routine. Love hidden behind labor.

The bell above the bookstore door chid.

I looked up instinctively.

Ki-hoon stood there, tall fra filling the doorway, his expensive black coat still dusted with cold air, eyes imdiately locking onto like he’d been searching the room even before he stepped inside. Relief washed over his face so fast it was almost embarrassing.

He was dressed too formally for to say he was coming straight from ho.

I can only confirm that he had sowhere to be before he got here.

"Hey," he said in a casual voice, walking over, gaze dropping to the book in my hands.

"You’re late, Hyung," I replied mildly, slipping a bookmark between the pages and closing it. "I got bored, so I started reading."

He crouched slightly in front of , ignoring the stares from other custors who seed to have sowhat recognized him.

Can’t bla him. Even without his extra formal and expensive dressing, his handso face stands out too much.

"Sothing ca up. But it’s nothing serious." He said, but I caught the tightness around his eyes. He reached out, brushing his thumb against my wrist like he needed to confirm I was real. "Did you wait long?"

"Not really." I tilted my head. It was more than an hour now, but the ti flew by quickly because I was reading, so it wasn’t too bad. "You look tired."

He smiled, the kind that tried to reassure rather than convince.

"I’m fine."

Liar. Given that he made wait for so long it was definitely sothing that he could not ignore, sothing very important.

It doesn’t look like he wants to tell what it is, though, so I’ll let it slide.

I stood up, sliding the book back onto the shelf.

"I was reading about an old potter. He’s killing himself to prepare a dowry for his daughter without her knowing."

Ki-hoon humd thoughtfully.

"Hm, sounds like soone who doesn’t know how to ask for help."

"Or soone who doesn’t want to burden the person he loves."

His eyes softened at that, and for a second, neither of us spoke.

My phone buzzed again.

Another ssage from Jie-Yu. This ti it was a picture of an empty plate and two coffee cups. Still alive. Still intact. Good.

This marked two hours that I waited for Ki-hoon. How ti flies without even realizing it.

The reason he was in such a hurry was that he knew he had kept waiting for too long.

"Everything okay?" Ki-hoon asked.

"Yeah. Just checking on Noona." I slipped my phone away and looked at him properly.

"Noona?"

"Ah, Jie-Yu Noona, she’s older than all of us, haha." I laughed but his tilted eyebrow didn’t make it seem like it was no big deal.

I quickly decided to change the topic.

"So~ Date?" I smiled and he quickly let go of his curiosity as this piqued his interest more.

His lips curved upward, slow and dangerous.

"Where to?"

"Sowhere warm," I said after a second. "You know, it’s been quite cold these days because of the rain."

"Yes," he said.

"Oh, the place should also be quiet, so if you have anywhere in mind, let’s go there."

He stood and offered his hand without hesitation. I took it.

"As you wish," he said. "But you’re not paying for anything."

I snorted, rolling my eyes.

"I wasn’t planning to."

As we walked out together, I stopped and turned.

"Hold on, on second thought, I want that book."

I went back to the bookshelf, picked up the book, and then went to pay for it.

I don’t usually enjoy simple lore like this, but for so reason, it intrigued .

I also had that reader feeling that made super curious about how things would end.

He might die, and I might regret seeing the ending of it.

But then again, he might succeed in buying an expensive dowry for his daughter, get her into a good family and then that family might Carter for him, so he never has to work the kiln again.

Well, whatever outco was going to co of it, I’ll find out.

"Did it interest you that much?" Ki-hoon asked as I walked out happily with the book in a small paper bag.

"Well, let’s just say curiosity killed the cat."

He reached for the bag and took it from .

"So, where are we heading from here?"

Ki-hoon looked at , then answered without hesitation.

"Sowhere that sells soup."

"Soup?" I echoed, blinking.

"There’s a good place I know," he said, and for a brief mont, a soft longing crossed his expression, so fleeting I almost thought I imagined it. "You know it too."

"I do?" I blinked and he smiled openly.

I searched my mories, even going as far as massaging my temples to jog it, but nothing surfaced.

I know I’m pretending to have forgotten him, but that doesn’t an I’m forgetting for real.

I just can’t recall this soup place no matter how hard I thought of it.

Is this old age kicking in?

Still, the way his lips curved upward told this wasn’t just about food.

"I don’t recall," I added, narrowing my eyes. "Are you sure you’re not just saying that to sound mysterious?"

He chuckled under his breath.

"If I were, I’d be doing a poor job." He said and then nudged with his shoulder. "Co on, let’s go."

He took the lead, naturally, like this was already decided long before I asked. The guards followed at a respectful distance as we headed toward the car, the rain tapping softly against the pavent.

Once inside, the warmth from the A.C wrapped around imdiately. Ki-hoon gave the driver a brief instruction, the na of the place slipping past before I could catch it.

"Wait," I said, leaning toward him. "You’re really sure I’ve been there?"

"Yes."

"With you?"

That made him pause.

He turned to , eyes dark and unreadable for a second before he nodded. "A long ti ago."

That only deepened my confusion.

"But I won’t hold it against you since you don’t have all your mories."

"R-right."

How odd for to forget.

The drive was oddly quiet. I glanced at Ki-hoon, who was doing his best not to feel awkward. The space between us was small, and if he so much as touched by accident, he would flinch.

Seriously, fufu, he was acting like a kid with a crush.

"What’s wrong?" I asked but he shook his head. "Then why don’t you co closer? I don’t bite."

His ears flushed.

"Don’t tease like that," he said but I laughed.

It was too fun not to tease him.

Then, the car slowed, pulling into a narrow street far from the busy roads. We passed a school that I knew too well.

Ah, wasn’t that our high school building over there?

I recognize the uniforms on the students moving around.

I turned to Ki-hoon who gave a knowing smile.

The car stopped in front of a store and Ki-hoon stepped out first and held the door open for .

I looked up at the sign, then back at him.

"Oh," I said slowly, a little knowingly.

So that’s what he ant.

Now that I see it, how could I not rember?

"Madam Nam’s famous pork rib soup," I mumbled. "It rings a bell."

"Hm, thankfully," he nodded and then smiled at . "Shall we go in?"

He looked excited.

Why wouldn’t he?

This was like reliving a mont when we were younger, so fresh in love and had no worries at all.