“Director!”
As Siwoo and Sanho entered the large dining room, the employees sitting at the tables all stood up in unison.
“Ah, hello.”
Siwoo bowed his head and greeted them. He gestured towards Sanho, who was awkwardly standing next to him, and continued speaking.
“This is the intern from the 13th batch, and he’ll probably start working next week.”
“Ah, yes! I heard.”
One of the female employees nearby greeted them with a bright voice. Siwoo smiled back at her as she flashed a warm smile at Sanho.
“I thought it would be nice for everyone to get to know each other before starting work.”
“Oh, that sounds great.”
“And since everyone has been working hard, I’d like to treat you all to something delicious.”
Pleasant laughter and greetings filled the air. The female employee from earlier giggled and thanked Siwoo, calling him “Director.” Of course, our Director is the best. She affectionately linked her arm with Siwoo’s. Sanho watched this quietly.
“Since the Director is the main character, please sit in the middle here.”
The female employee, with her arms crossed, kindly led Siwoo to the seat next to her. Siwoo, smiling a bit awkwardly, looked back at Sanho.
“Today’s main character is this friend here.”
The female employee momentarily looked flustered. But soon, she smiled brightly and gestured towards the seat across from her.
“The new intern can sit in the middle across from you. That’s also the main character’s seat.”
With a charming voice, Siwoo smiled back at the female employee, appearing pleased. Sanho, keeping his mouth tightly closed, slowly sat down in the seat across from Siwoo, watching the female employee as she busily placed cups and chopsticks on Siwoo’s table.
“Actually, it’s not easy to create a good atmosphere in the planning department.”
“Right, it tends to be a serious atmosphere for no reason.”
“But our team has been so lively since the Director came.”
The atmosphere was warm and cheerful as the conversation continued. Drinks were passed around several times, and the employees’ voices grew louder. Siwoo set down the drink he had received out of courtesy and moved his chopsticks. He placed a piece of meat in front of Sanho, then subtly gestured with his eyes. When Sanho glanced at Siwoo, he urged him again with a look. You came here to eat, so what if you don’t? Slowly, Sanho moved his chopsticks and put a piece of meat into his mouth. Seeing him chew, Siwoo smiled again.
“So, are you and the Director from the same department?”
The female employee sitting closely next to Siwoo leaned forward slightly and smiled. Facing her innocent expression, Sanho nodded with a stiff face.
“The JR internship is really tough. You must be good at studying.”
“…….”
“Oh, well, since it’s H University, you must be good, right?”
Talking about academic backgrounds at a company dinner is a no-go. A male employee sitting at the end of the table raised his glass and joked. Laughter erupted again. The female employee looked at Sanho and smiled.
“Sanho, let’s do well together.”
“…Yes.”
As everyone raised their glasses, Sanho reluctantly lifted his drink. The clinking of glasses echoed in the air. Watching everyone drink, Sanho hesitated to bring his glass to his lips. Siwoo’s eyebrows furrowed slightly as he observed.
“Give it to me.”
“Pardon?”
After placing his empty glass down, Siwoo reached out towards Sanho. Before Sanho could react, Siwoo took Sanho’s glass. Without hesitation, he tipped the glass into his mouth. Siwoo chuckled, slightly wrinkling his nose. Noticing his hand awkwardly hovering in the air, Sanho slowly lowered it.
“Uh, Director, you’re drinking a lot today?”
The female employee poured more alcohol into Siwoo’s glass and said. Siwoo smiled at her and nodded.
“Yes, I feel like drinking a bit today.”
“Oh my, did something happen?”
“No, it’s nothing like that.”
I thought the Director didn’t like alcohol. Looking at the female employee who was chatting away, Siwoo blinked kindly. Feeling a slightly prickly gaze, he turned to look at Sanho, who was staring intently at him and the female employee. Sanho’s expression was quite sulky, causing Siwoo to burst into laughter again.
“Sanho, you should have a drink too.”
Another employee sitting next to Sanho poured him a drink. Siwoo watched as Sanho reluctantly accepted the glass, raising an eyebrow slightly. Alcohol… this isn’t good. Siwoo stretched out his hand.
“Give it to me.”
Huh? The employee who had just poured alcohol into Sanho’s glass looked at Siwoo with wide eyes. Siwoo smiled at him as if to explain.
“Ah.”
He tapped his forehead lightly, feeling a bit embarrassed, and continued.
“I wanted to drink the alcohol that Assistant Park gives. That’s why.”
Once again, he took the glass from Sanho’s hand and tipped it into his mouth. The liquid flowing down his throat was particularly bitter. Although a smile remained on his lips, he felt a bit uneasy inside.
“We saw the Director coming in…”
“Ah, it’s okay.”
Siwoo waved his hand lightly. His vision was slightly blurred. His eyelids felt a bit heavier than usual. The female employee, who had been friendly next to him throughout the dinner, suddenly grabbed Siwoo’s arm.
“Director, you’ve had a lot to drink today.”
“I’m fine…”
“Should I call Manager Jung?”
As the female employee asked her colleagues, Siwoo grabbed the wrist of the employee holding his arm. He tried to slowly pull her hand down, but it didn’t seem to work well.
“No, let’s just leave it for today.”
“Senior, no, Director, I can take you home.”
Sanho firmly pulled the female employee’s hand away from Siwoo’s arm. The intern, who had been unusually quiet, spoke up with a clear voice, surprising the female employee, who widened her eyes. Fidgeting with her now cold hand, she mumbled to herself. Ah, um… is that okay? The female employee seemed a bit tipsy as well. She exchanged awkward glances with her equally flustered colleagues and faced Sanho awkwardly.
“Yes, I’ll go with Sanho. You all go ahead.”
Siwoo bowed his head to the employees as he said goodbye. The employees also bowed back and began to disperse. Siwoo glanced at his wristwatch. It was almost midnight. Finally, as the female employee got into a taxi, Siwoo thanked the taxi driver and waved his hand kindly before letting out a sigh. Then he turned to Sanho.
“I think I’m drunk.”
An unguarded smile spread across his face. Sanho looked at Siwoo with a blank expression. Noticing Sanho’s somewhat stiff expression, Siwoo tilted his head.
“Are you mad because I drank all your alcohol?”
“…….”
“Um, then…”
“Senior.”
I’ll buy you a drink next time we’re together. Swallowing the rest of his words, Siwoo replied, “Huh?” while still smiling. Looking at Siwoo, who was still smiling, Sanho opened his mouth.
“Are you close with that woman?”
That woman? Siwoo tilted his head for a moment, fumbling for Sanho’s words, then soon laughed, “Oh.”
“Yunju?”
“……Yunju.”
“Yeah. We’re close. When I first joined the company…”
“Senior.”
Sanho stepped closer, interrupting Siwoo. He grabbed Siwoo’s arm and looked up at him.
“Let’s rest in the car before we go.”
Leading Siwoo towards the parking lot, Sanho bit his lip.
Just like when they were in the street lined with Omega clubs, Siwoo and Sanho sat side by side in the back seat of the car. The only difference was that Siwoo was a bit more drunk than before. And that Sanho, who had kept his distance back then, was now sitting close to him. As Sanho stared at him, Siwoo blinked and looked back at him.
“Why?”
“Are you drunk, Senior?”
“No, not really.”
It was a lie. In fact, he was quite drunk. It was all because he had drunk the glasses meant for Sanho. It had been the same during their department gathering, and Sanho was clearly weak with alcohol. Siwoo didn’t particularly enjoy drinking, but he wasn’t weak with it either. So perhaps he had been a bit overconfident.
Feeling as if he was being pulled down beneath the surface, he leaned back deeply into the car seat. He tilted his head to look at Sanho. Sanho was still gazing at him. The deep black of Sanho’s eyes sparkled in the light.
“…….”
The contrast of his pale face and black hair had a certain charm to it. It reminded Siwoo of the porcelain doll that had been placed in a large display case. Since childhood, Siwoo had liked it. There were times when he insisted on cleaning the display case himself when the servants would open it to dust. He had poked the smooth cheeks of the porcelain doll and stroked its black hair. Like most boys his age, Siwoo preferred model toys over dolls, but that porcelain doll was an exception. Stroking its black hair inexplicably made him feel good.
“…….”
Impulsively, Siwoo reached out his hand. His fingers brushed against Sanho’s black hair. The silky strands flowed like waves between his fingers, slipping away and then wrapping around his fingers again before drifting apart. It felt nice to stroke the small, round head.
Ah.
Startled, Siwoo suddenly withdrew his hand. He slightly furrowed his brows and bit his lip.
“Ah, I’m sorry.”
As Sanho watched the large hand that had been stroking his head pull away, he parted his lips slightly.
“…Senior.”
Siwoo smiled with an awkward expression.
“I’m sorry. It’s just… you’re pretty.”
Siwoo lowered his gaze, like a child caught doing something bad. He had promised not to touch. Am I more drunk than I thought? Soon, he heard Sanho’s quiet murmuring voice.
“…You can touch…”
“Pardon?”
“You can touch me…”
Siwoo raised his gaze again to look at Sanho. Sanho, sitting next to him, was closer than before. Had he always been this close? Blinking slowly, Siwoo shook his head.
“No.”
“…….”
“You scolded me for not keeping my promise.”
“…….”
“So I have to keep my promise.”
An uncontrollable smile burst forth. Sanho stared at Siwoo’s white face, which was now smiling. His expression was calm, but his black eyes were not. Something like a huge wave was swirling in his pupils. Siwoo slightly lifted his lips and asked.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“……How was I looking?”
“Um.”
Siwoo, who had closed his eyes for a moment in thought, shrugged. I don’t know. Just… Sanho slowly opened his mouth.
“I’ve just never seen someone like you, who seems to have everything.”
The small face moved a bit closer. Siwoo faced Sanho’s slowly approaching face and replied.
“That’s not true.”
“Pardon?”
“No, I have a lot of things I don’t have.”
“Senior?”
“Yeah. There are things I want and desire.”
“What do you want?”
“Um.”
Siwoo closed his mouth again, feeling a lump in his throat. What do I want… During the brief moment, their gazes intertwined softly. His fingertips and toes tingled. Siwoo chuckled and said.
“I do have things like that.”
Sanho continued quietly.
“I have nothing. Not just things I can’t have, but I have nothing at all.”
It was a self-deprecating remark, but his voice was flat. Rather, that dry tone pierced Siwoo’s heart. He slightly furrowed his brows and slowly opened his mouth.
“Then…”
“…….”
“I can have it.”
“…Pardon?”
“You said I seem to have everything.”
“…….”
“If I have it… everything I have is yours.”
Words spilled out chaotically from his drunken mind. But isn’t it true? Sanho bit his lip. If he keeps biting like that, it’ll hurt. Siwoo’s hand, which had been reflexively reaching out, hesitated.
“…Mine?”
It was a small but clear voice. Siwoo burst into a bright laugh and nodded.
“Yeah, yours.”
“Can I have you, Senior? Then you’re mine?”
Siwoo laughed a bit louder. His voice was cheerful, like a child who had received an unexpected Christmas gift. He pressed his rounded lips with his fingers and replied.
“Yeah, you can have me. Sanho, you can have me.”
“Mine…”
