Chapter 76: Chapter 76

Ohm

Si Woo came tumbling out right behind him, parents on his heels, Dad looking half-asleep and Mom already frowning at the whole scene.

Dad blinked hard, staring at the random guy like he’d grown a second head. “I… what? I didn’t order any car. what’s going on??”

The dealer dude stepped forward, all professional smile, and held the key out toward Ye Jun. “Mr. Ye Jun? Delivery for you. Full payment already processed. Keys are yours, sir. Enjoy the ride.”

Ye Jun’s eyes went wide, bouncing between me, the car, and the key. “Me? But I didn’t… Ohm, did you do this? You’ve been weird since last night, that phone call, and now a car? What the hell, man?”

I rubbed the back of my neck, forcing a laugh that came out too sharp. “Surprise? Yeah, I might’ve… looked up a few things after you left the restaurant. Figured you needed something reliable instead of those sketchy cabs. No shade or disrespect .”

Si Woo cackled.

Dad stepped closer, still confused as hell, and snatched the key from the dealer guy before Ye Jun could even grab it. “Hold on, hold on. If this isn’t from me and it’s not from my family then who the hell paid for it? Young man, you sure the address is right?”

The dealer checked his tablet real quick. “Positive, sir. Paid in full last night, rush order.”

Mom threw her hands up and then down, voice rising. “This family and surprises, I swear. Ye Jun, you didn’t secretly buy yourself a car, did you? And Ohm, honey, if you did this you could’ve at least warned us instead of turning the driveway into a showroom!”

Ye Jun snatched the key back from Dad, laughing but with that edge in his voice like he was half thrilled and half freaked. “Guys, chill, all of you talking at once Dad, you look like you’re about to pass out. Ohm, seriously, a car?

That’s… that’s too much, You drove it here just to show off?”

I shrugged, trying to play it cool even though my stomach was twisting because seeing his face light up like that after the night I’d had made the guilt roar back louder than ever. “Mine’s the one I showed up in, yeah. The shiny one… guess the universe wanted you to have options. Or maybe I’m not the only one who thinks you deserve it. Take the key, man. Drive it. Crash it. Whatever. Just don’t ask me to explain because I’m running on three hours of sleep and bad decisions.”

Ye Jun turned to me, eyes soft in that way that always killed me, and pulled me into a quick hug right there in the driveway while everyone else kept arguing. “Seriously, thank you. You’re the best, teddy bear. Even if you’re a mess sometimes like that phone call last night, what was that moan about anyway? Porn? Sure, dude.” He pulled back, grinning, but I could feel the heat crawling up my neck because that hug smelled like him, warm and safe, and all I could picture was Sunoo’s marks that weren’t on him.

Dad finally threw the key back to Ye Jun, shaking his head and backing away toward the house. “Fine, fine, it’s yours, son. Just… next time warn your old man before the driveway turns into a car lot. I’m too old for this chaos.” He disappeared inside, still grumbling, Mom trailing after him with a sigh.

Ye Jun rolled his eyes but he was still smiling, key fob dangling from his fingers. ” And Ohm… you okay? You look like you didn’t sleep. That call last night, you sounded off. Everything good?”

I forced another laugh, ramming my hands in my pockets so nobody saw them shake. “Yeah, yeah, just late-night scrolling. Researching gifts for my favorite pain in the ass. Turns out cars are easier than picking the right watch. You like it?”

He nodded, eyes crinkling exactly like they did at dinner, and for a second the sadness punched through me so hard I had to look away. “Love it. But you didn’t have to. You already saved the night with the restaurant. What’s next, a private jet?”

“Only if you ask nicely,” I shot back, voice sarcastic on purpose because if I didn’t joke I was gonna break right there in front of his whole family. Inside though, the regret from last night kept looping Sunoo’s glare, the cold shower, the way I’d whispered Ye Jun’s name like a prayer while hurting somebody else and I hated how happy he looked right now because I knew I didn’t deserve to be the one making him smile.

Ye Jun grabbed my wrist, tugging me toward the shiny car. “Come on, teddy bear, you’re riding with me first lap. And later you’re explaining that weird phone moan because I’m not letting it go.”

I let him pull me, laughing even though my chest ached, because yeah, this was the chaos I’d driven into, cars and keys and family noise covering up the fact that I’d spent the night being the worst version of myself and still couldn’t stop wanting him more than air. The sadness sat right under the jokes, heavy and quiet, the kind that makes you laugh until your eyes sting and then suddenly you’re blinking hard because one wrong word and you might just cry in the middle of the driveway like an idiot.

But I didn’t. I just climbed in the passenger seat while Ye Jun slid behind the wheel, key clicking in, engine purring, and pretended the only thing on my mind was how good he looked excited. “Floor it, Ye Jun. Let’s see if this thing can outrun all my bad ideas.”

He grinned, shifted into gear, and the whole family kept hollering from the porch and I sat there with my heart cracking open in the best and worst way at the same time, wondering how long I could keep pretending this was enough when every single part of me knew it never would be.

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