A few days ago, he looked up saying, “I’m the person involved in that scandal with you,” but there was no one in front of him. Confused, Do Wonkyung looked around and spotted Ho Munbeom standing in front of the elevator. He reached out toward him.
“Excuse me, wait a moment! I know you’ve had trouble because of me, and I wanted to apologize…!”
Do Wonkyung hurried over, but Ho Munbeom had already stepped into the elevator that had just opened. He immediately pressed the close button, but before the doors closed, Do Wonkyung put his hand between them. Standing in the gap, his eyes looked desperate as he looked up at Ho Munbeom. This made him appear even more insignificant.
Although he had been standing next to Ho Munbeom the whole time, Younghwa slipped quietly into the corner of the elevator to avoid Do Wonkyung, who seemed invisible to Ho Munbeom.
“My father also said I should apologize properly, and I feel the same way. So if you don’t mind, could you spare some time…?”
“No. I didn’t experience any trouble because of you, so there’s nothing to apologize for. Don’t waste other people’s valuable time and please leave.”
“No, but that scandal with me…”
“Those scandals or whatever that break out several times a day, I’m not interested. Especially something deliberately created by your side—I’m even less interested.”
Ho Munbeom pressed the close button again while looking down at Do Wonkyung.
At this clear expression of his feelings, Do Wonkyung’s face turned pale and then flushed red. As he stumbled backward, Ho Munbeom pressed the close button again. Through the slowly closing doors, Do Wonkyung stared at him with resentful eyes, but Ho Munbeom paid no attention.
Inside the descending elevator, Younghwa exhaled deeply with an “oh my.”
“While hanging out with you, I get to see all sorts of things… But surely you don’t treat the person you’re dating this way too?”
“…”
“Fine, if you don’t want to talk about it, don’t. But treat them well while you’re dating. It’s the first time I’ve seen you this stable. So do well.”
“I’ll handle it myself.”
“I’m sure you will.” Younghwa mimicked “I’ll handle it myself” with just his lips, and when Ho Munbeom closed his mouth, he quickly did the same. Pretending he hadn’t been imitating him, Younghwa looked up and busied himself with something else as Ho Munbeom left the elevator first.
Preferring to move alone and enjoying driving, Ho Munbeom had driven himself this time as well. Seated in the driver’s seat, he checked Secretary Kang’s message. Though he could sense Secretary Kang’s weariness in the text “The chairman left just now,” Ho Munbeom didn’t mind.
His grandfather would have harassed everyone around him as soon as he realized he was gone. Thinking about how hard they must have worked, Ho Munbeom decided to add a little extra to this month’s bonus.
“…”
If someone else had behaved this way, he wouldn’t have tolerated it either. Since it was his grandfather, Ho Munbeom couldn’t act according to his temperament. After all, he had received many benefits from his grandfather and knew how much the old man cared for him and showered him with affection.
Still, recently he hadn’t visited his office.
The reason for his sudden interference was surely Yeonwoo. That Omega covered in soft hair—his grandfather was concerned about him.
Furrowing his brow slightly, Ho Munbeom called Secretary Kang. Hearing the cautious “Executive Director” voice, he got straight to the point.
***
The fourth contact came.
The Alpha, who knew Yeonwoo’s working hours, set the appointment for 7 PM. Yeonwoo didn’t refuse and headed to where the car was parked to pick him up as soon as he finished work.
About a 10-minute walk from the mart. A spot inside the public parking lot. Upon arrival, Yeonwoo hesitated when he saw a car with a different shape than the ones he had ridden in before.
“…”
As Yeonwoo fidgeted with the phone in his pocket, the car’s headlights flashed. Thinking “could it be?”, he walked toward the passenger side and bent down. The car window lowered as if it had been waiting, and seeing the face beyond it, Yeonwoo let out an “Oh.”
“Get in.”
“…Yes.”
Responding reflexively, Yeonwoo opened the passenger door but then hesitated.
Until now, it had been Secretary Kang who came to pick him up, and each time he had sat in the back seat. He felt uncomfortable doing the same this time with Ho Munbeom sitting in the driver’s seat. After hesitating about what to do, Yeonwoo closed his eyes and sat in the passenger seat, fastening his seatbelt. Only after confirming this did Ho Munbeom start the engine.
Though he wanted to act naturally, just the fact that Ho Munbeom had come in person made him nervous. I thought Secretary Kang would come. Is he busy? But even if the secretary is busy, it’s strange for the boss to come himself.
The vehicle, which hadn’t caught any red lights since setting off, stopped at a traffic light near the mart. As they were pulled up next to the sidewalk, Yeonwoo could feel the glances from people crossing the street. The windows were darkly tinted, so neither he nor Ho Munbeom would be visible. People were probably looking because it was a luxury foreign car rarely seen in the area.
Even though he could be comfortable, he kept feeling tense because of his condition today.
Yeonwoo pulled his mask up and lowered his hat. Even though his face was almost completely covered, he still didn’t feel at ease and kept fidgeting with his hat.
“Did you catch a cold?”
“…Yes.”
Yeonwoo briefly answered the question thrown when the light changed, hoping his voice didn’t sound strange.
“I heard the flu is going around these days.”
“…I took medicine, so I’ll be fine.”
Once he started lying, the rest came out easily. At the question about having a cold, Yeonwoo recalled what it was like when he actually had a cold. Should he cough once and hunch his shoulders as if cold? But soon thinking “what am I doing?”, he leaned back in his seat. Of course, his head was still slightly lowered.
Munbeom observed Yeonwoo. He was generally not talkative, but today he was especially quiet. He seemed to be trying not to even breathe loudly. As if watching him cautiously. Tapping the steering wheel with his fingertips, Ho Munbeom asked casually.
“Should we stop by the hospital if you’re not feeling well?”
“…I’m fine. It’s not serious enough to go to the hospital.”
“People who are sick usually don’t know whether they need to go to the hospital or not.”
The tone of his statement suggested he would turn the car around immediately if Yeonwoo didn’t respond properly, so he reassured him again.
“I’ve already been to the hospital.”
Well, he had been to the pharmacy instead, which was somewhat similar, right?
Suddenly realizing he had been looking straight ahead since getting in the car, Yeonwoo felt he should look at the other person while conversing. So he turned his head to look at Ho Munbeom.
“I’m really fine. I’m wearing a mask to avoid spreading the cold.”
“…”
Today he had a cold. Having decided on this story, the lies came smoothly. After even adding a small fake cough at the end, Ho Munbeom glanced at him and replied, “Alright.” Yeonwoo had worried he might continue talking about the hospital, but he didn’t. Seeing Ho Munbeom focus on driving, Yeonwoo also turned his head forward again.
Since he couldn’t stay tense forever, Yeonwoo tried to relax. The seat was soft and the air was warm. Sitting in a comfortable car watching the quickly passing scenery, his eyelids felt strangely heavy.
Ah, I might fall asleep at this rate.
Thinking that, he blinked several times, but feeling it wouldn’t be enough, he raised his hand to rub under his eyes. Taking a deep breath to stay alert, Yeonwoo suddenly thought:
Ho Munbeom is right beside me now.
“…”
With tingling fingertips, he gripped his clasped hands tighter.
***
Even before he was old enough to understand, Yeonwoo was a child accustomed to staying home alone. That’s why he started speaking a bit later than his peers. Led by his father’s hand, who had belatedly learned about available subsidies, Yeonwoo entered kindergarten only when he turned six, where he had to learn everything from scratch.
The principal and teachers at the small provincial kindergarten were older people who always treated him kindly. Embracing Yeonwoo who would arrive in the morning having barely wiped the sleep from his eyes, they would wash his face, change him into spare clothes kept at the center, and feed him breakfast. The morning menu was usually rice wrapped in seaweed or rice with seaweed soup, but that was enough. They would praise Yeonwoo, who always lifted his soup bowl and drank every last drop, saying he was lovely for eating well.
They would trim his hair when it grew long and cut his fingernails and toenails. He learned all the basics there—the Korean alphabet, numbers, multiplication tables. Then when Yeonwoo entered elementary school, he again found himself alone at home waiting for his father.
Though he had only attended kindergarten for two years, that experience had a profound impact on Yeonwoo. Being alone, which had never bothered him before, became frightening. So even after entering elementary school, Yeonwoo visited the daycare center repeatedly. The principal, surprised at first to see Yeonwoo, soon smiled and opened the door, inviting him in.
There was a system where if siblings of kindergarten children were in the lower grades of elementary school, they could also be looked after until the afternoon.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
