Beyond the wide outdoor parking lot, where the tree-lined walking path stretched on, Cheon Tae-seong stepped out of the building. A group of secretaries in suits followed behind him, and one middle-aged man—who appeared older than the rest—broke away from the group and quickly closed in on Tae-seong’s side.
His expression was agitated, and he was saying something heatedly. Even from a distance, the intensity of the atmosphere was palpable.
“There he is—there’s the CEO. Uh…”
Kim Dae-hong, who had been mid-sentence, hurriedly opened the passenger door. His movements were brisk and urgent. Glancing back briefly, he added to Ha-jin, “Manager, please wait here.” As the passenger door slammed shut, Ha-jin turned his gaze back toward Cheon Tae-seong.
Who the hell is that?
The middle-aged man tailing Tae-seong was raising his voice. His emotions were so clearly projected that even Ha-jin, observing from afar, tensed instinctively. The man was nearly as tall as Tae-seong, and watching him, Ha-jin thought to himself without realizing it, He’s an Alpha. It was at that moment—
Smack! There was no way he should’ve heard it, but Ha-jin could feel the sound. Tae-seong’s upper body jolted violently. He’d been slapped.
It happened before Kim Dae-hong could reach them. Ha-jin reflexively reached for the door to jump out, but Driver Choi, who was in the driver’s seat, swiftly locked it.
“Driver Choi! Please open the door!”
“Oh no, I can’t do that, Manager.”
Ha-jin bit his lower lip hard. Seeing Tae-seong touch the corner of his mouth filled him with frustration. Did his lip split? That beautiful face—how dare he hit it!
To strike a member of the owner family like that—whoever this bastard was, he clearly didn’t care about tomorrow. He had to hold a deep grudge against Tae-seong. He could be one of Kang Sung-oh’s cronies. That only made Ha-jin more anxious.
He looked toward Driver Choi with pleading eyes, signaling him to unlock the door. But Driver Choi, meeting his gaze in the rearview mirror, shook his head firmly.
Bathed in sunlight, Cheon Tae-seong narrowed his eyes. One look at his face, and it was clear—he looked like he was this close to retaliating. But he clenched his fists and barely held himself back. He said something, and the man who had hit him twisted his face into a nasty sneer, looking for all the world like he had been struck.
Kim Dae-hong quickly stepped between them, and in that moment, Tae-seong’s eyes turned toward the car Ha-jin was in.
“……”
Ha-jin was sure their eyes met. A surge of fury boiled up in his chest.
You should’ve had Kim Dae-hong stay by your side!
He glared daggers at Tae-seong, and as if reading his thoughts, Tae-seong gave him an annoyingly smug smile.
As Kim Dae-hong and the other secretaries intervened, the situation seemed to cool down. The middle-aged man, still seething, stormed off. Even as he walked back into the building, he kept pointing his finger and shouting—he clearly hadn’t let it go.
Tae-seong, brushing off his clothes as if nothing had happened, started walking toward Ha-jin’s car. His steps were relaxed, but as he drew closer, the split in his lip became more visible, making Ha-jin’s heart pound harder and harder. The car door soon opened.
“Sir!”
“Ha-jin.”
Tae-seong climbed into the backseat and immediately leaned forward, wrapping his arms tightly around Ha-jin’s waist and burying his face in his chest. As he took a deep breath, the sensation of his breath tickled all along Ha-jin’s waist.
“Why did you let yourself get hit? It hurts just seeing it.”
Ha-jin pushed Tae-seong’s head away and started rummaging through his bag. He was looking for ointment when Tae-seong snatched the bag, tossed it behind them, and leaned in close until their faces were inches apart.
“Did it upset you?”
“What on earth did you say to make him that angry? That guy—who is he? Who in the same company goes around hitting people like that?”
“I said, ‘You say you’ve got a kid the same age as mine? Well, I’ve got a mother the same age as yours.’”
“…You’re joking, right?”
As Ha-jin frowned deeply, Tae-seong pressed a kiss to his cheek, then yelped theatrically, “Ow, ow, ow.”
“You totally think I deserved that, didn’t you, Ha-jin?”
“…Yeah.”
He couldn’t bring himself to deny it.
“So, what got the argument that heated in the first place? I mean, seriously—slapping the CEO of a company? Who is that guy? How powerful is he, to be bold enough to do that? And what’s going to happen to him now?”
Ha-jin fired off questions one after another, his face twisted with worry. Tae-seong simply smiled without answering. Then he turned to the front seat and gave the order to drive, pulling down the privacy screen between them. After that, he leaned his head comfortably against Ha-jin’s shoulder.
“I told them I’d tear apart all the useless departments and the brats in them that only drain money.”
He spoke in a flat tone, casually saying he planned to cut them all without mercy. He added that it was only natural for a guy to lose his mind when his cash flow got cut off overnight.
“And this might be something Joo Yoon-seo will be happy to hear—we’ve decided to channel more funding into that side starting this fall.”
“You mean the hospital?”
“Yeah. We’re building new facilities, bringing in some insanely expensive medical equipment—tens of billions’ worth. And we’ll be sponsoring treatment for patients with rare diseases, like your brother.”
The avalanche of sudden news left Ha-jin stunned. Only one season had changed outside, but it felt like the entire world had flipped upside down.
“W–Wait… all of a sudden?”
“Why not? You’ve gotta cut out the rot in one clean stroke.”
Tae-seong tapped lightly on Ha-jin’s knee as he added,
“I’ve been planning this since before Paris, so don’t get the wrong idea.”
“What wrong idea?”
As Ha-jin tilted his head, genuinely confused, Tae-seong sat up, the pressure of his weight lifting off in an instant. He pulled Ha-jin close again and whispered near his ear.
“You and me…”
“That tickles.”
“Then should I just say it plainly?”
“No! I think I get it without you saying it.”
Ha-jin flailed in protest, causing Tae-seong to burst out laughing. He straightened up and pulled out his tablet. A few taps later, he opened a document and showed it to Ha-jin.
“This is the draft.”
“……”
What he showed him was a sponsorship proposal for patients with rare diseases. The wording was complex, and Ha-jin couldn’t understand everything at a glance, but it was clear this was for his younger brother, Yushin. He was left speechless.
The first thought that came to mind was—Can he really do this?
He knew Tae-seong had feelings for him. He knew it was sincere. And he didn’t hate it. Honestly, he liked it. Even if these feelings were new to him, he wasn’t so dull that he couldn’t recognize a fluttering heart.
And because he liked it, he was terrified. Compared to before, too much was changing too fast.
Even the incident just now. Every one of Tae-seong’s actions clearly created enemies. He could feel it in his bones. And it was all happening at least a year earlier than in his previous life. That realization made it hard to breathe. With how fast things were moving, who knew what kind of upheaval—what kind of disaster—might be waiting around the corner?
As he stared vacantly at the document, Tae-seong suddenly asked,
“Thoughts?”
“…Is this really okay? I mean, I can’t do anything for you…”
At Ha-jin’s small, hesitant answer, Tae-seong turned his head to look at him, gaze unwavering.
“Exactly. I get nothing out of this. So why am I doing it for you?”
That was something even Tae-seong wanted to ask himself. Ha-jin was pretending to focus on the document, but his face was visibly clouded with worry.
Is this the same Lee Ha-jin who once plummeted off a cliff in my past life?
The same man who, over two years, had tamed him and left an imprint.
It was a question too complicated to explain, just like time traveling itself. But while his brain couldn’t solve it, his heart had no doubt. It was already racing—imprinted on the man before him. His heart was like a compass needle—it knew exactly which way to point.
“Ha-jin. Do you think I’m doing this because I expect something in return?”
Tae-seong took Ha-jin’s hand and placed it over his left chest.
“If this were about gains and losses, no one in this world could ever meet my standards.”
Ha-jin blinked as he felt the steady heartbeat under his palm.
How could he tell him? That the people behind Kang Sung-oh were far more terrifying than he realized? That Chairman Cheon Han-jo might be in danger? That these were people capable of murder?
His previous life had become a mess because he couldn’t be honest. And now, in this life, he still couldn’t find the words to tell him.
Maybe this is my real punishment. But even so, he didn’t want anything bad to happen to this man. This time, he had to find a way. No matter what.
Ha-jin looked straight into Tae-seong’s eyes.
“Okay.”
“…What?”
Tae-seong didn’t grasp his meaning at first. He’d expected Ha-jin to demand an explanation—why he was doing all this, what he wanted in return. But instead, with a face full of tangled emotion, Ha-jin simply said okay. And that left him unsure how to respond.
As Tae-seong waited for clarification, Ha-jin whispered,
“I’ll do it. Whatever you say, I’m in.”
A real lover. He sure knew how to make a man’s heart explode.
