Chapter 67
“But is it okay for you to come pick me up yourself, Director? I thought we’d meet at the hotel again or you’d send someone. Ah, maybe sending someone would be stranger.”
Cheong-yeon’s insides were burning with anxiety, still undecided about how to explain tomorrow’s schedule to Do-heon.
I should have just explained clearly by text from the beginning. Now that we’re face to face, only meaningless words are coming out of my mouth.
“Are you cold?”
Do-heon asked abruptly after starting the car, watching Cheong-yeon fasten his seatbelt.
“Not at all. Why?”
“Your face is red.”
Cheong-yeon felt a pang of embarrassment inside.
“Must be from running here.”
Do-heon didn’t ask further and pressed the accelerator to leave the parking lot.
“But how did you know I was here?”
“Wouldn’t it be stranger if I didn’t know?”
Fair enough. For someone like him, tracking Cheong-yeon’s location would be trivial if he wanted to.
Cheong-yeon realized his question had been foolish.
“Anyway, I had a hard time getting away today. People tried to make me go to a company dinner after work, so I made up an excuse and ran away.”
“Then you haven’t had dinner yet.”
“No. You haven’t eaten either, right?”
“We can stop at a restaurant before going to the hotel.”
Do-heon nodded briefly as he spoke. Once the car entered the road, Cheong-yeon finally took off his outer coat. Then he leaned back comfortably against the seat and gazed out the window, relaxing his previously tense body.
As Do-heon had pointed out, his reflection in the glass showed his face was indeed flushed more than usual.
“……”
“……”
Silence enveloped the car interior as always. Cheong-yeon was about to habitually ask Do-heon what kind of food they would eat but then decided against it. He knew that even if he asked a few more questions, the conversation wouldn’t flow naturally and would soon fall silent again. It would inevitably end up with just him chattering away.
Cheong-yeon glanced at Do-heon’s expressionless face as he gripped the steering wheel, then fixed his gaze forward again.
Just as he was thinking about reviewing his script again in preparation for tomorrow’s meeting with the director—since sitting quietly until they reached the restaurant seemed awkward—
“Ah.”
Bending to open his bag containing the script, Cheong-yeon belatedly realized what he was wearing.
In his rush to leave Kwon Hye-na’s office, he had come wearing the outfit he had just finished fitting. Cheong-yeon touched his suit in dismay.
The staff hadn’t noticed either, as Cheong-yeon had immediately put on his casual jacket after the fitting ended.
Though it looked like an unremarkable clean shirt with a tie, jacket, and pants, he had heard it was quite expensive.
Should I return it?
Alarmed, Cheong-yeon fiddled with the necktie constricting his throat and turned to Do-heon.
“…Director.”
“What.”
“This is a fitting outfit that I was supposed to return today, but I forgot and just came with it on.”
“Really? You suddenly appeared in a formal suit, so I thought you’d changed your style again.”
“No, if something seemed odd, you should have said something. If you’d told me earlier, I could have gone back up to change into casual clothes.”
Cheong-yeon grumbled, making an unreasonable complaint. Learning that Do-heon had known what he was wearing from the beginning somehow directed his resentment toward him.
“Oh my. In my sincere respect for your fashion, I hadn’t thought about that aspect.”
“……”
Ah, why is he so annoying?
Unable to find a rebuttal, Cheong-yeon nibbled on his lower lip and glared at Do-heon.
“Do you absolutely have to return it today?”
“Not necessarily, but it’s a costume for the drama shoot, so I shouldn’t wear it around in case it gets stained…”
Having just had the fitting and alterations done on-site, it would be problematic if food splattered on it or it got pilled. But returning to Kwon Hye-na’s office was inconvenient for various reasons.
Do-heon tapped the steering wheel with his fingertips, appearing to contemplate briefly before changing the car’s direction.
“Let’s just buy new clothes instead.”
Cheong-yeon brightened at this. Why hadn’t he thought of that? Simply wearing new clothes and returning the outfit through Min Hye-rin tomorrow would easily solve the issue.
“Sounds good.”
Conveniently, there was a department store nearby, and Do-heon turned the car in that direction.
Shortly afterwards, Do-heon’s car entered the department store parking lot. It was a place they had frequented together in the past, so the entrance was very familiar. Though it wasn’t particularly pleasant to visit again with Do-heon after their divorce.
After getting out of the car, Do-heon and Cheong-yeon were guided to a VVIP exclusive room inside the department store.
Cheong-yeon briefly wondered if buying new clothes at a department store needed to be this elaborate. But he concluded that having a private, quiet shopping experience was far better than fully exposing their faces while shopping for clothes in the midst of a divorce.
“Hello. It’s been a while since your last visit.”
The VVIP manager who had previously attended to Do-heon and Cheong-yeon greeted them with a smile.
The prepared room had slightly different interior decor than before, suggesting it had been recently renovated.
“Are there any specific products or brands you’re looking for today?”
The manager brought a catalog and tablet featuring this season’s brand products and set them on the table.
“No. We’re just going to look at some clothes and leave quickly.”
“Then please call when you’re ready. Would you like your usual tea?”
“I’m fine. What about you, Director?”
When Cheong-yeon asked, Do-heon also shook his head as if to decline.
“I understand. Then we won’t prepare tea separately.”
After the manager left, Cheong-yeon and Do-heon were alone in the VVIP room. Cheong-yeon awkwardly went to sit on the sofa and flipped through the catalog. He planned to choose any suitable clothes, have the manager bring them up, change immediately, and leave.
Having found an unremarkable coordinated set with matching top and bottom, Cheong-yeon turned toward Do-heon.
“Since it doesn’t matter what I wear anyway, I’ll go with this…”
Upon meeting Do-heon’s black eyes, Cheong-yeon unconsciously stopped mid-sentence. Do-heon, who had been standing by the window waiting for Cheong-yeon to choose clothes, raised one eyebrow as if asking what was wrong.
Looking at Do-heon properly for the first time since meeting him today, Cheong-yeon carefully examined his outfit from top to bottom with wide eyes.
The shirt, tie, vest, and jacket—everything seemed familiar.
Unlike his usual style of neatly slicking his hair back, today he had his bangs casually down.
Cheong-yeon belatedly realized that the suit Do-heon was wearing now was the one he had personally selected for him at his house not long ago.
‘You should wear your hair down like this…’
‘Does it look better down?’
‘With this outfit.’
‘Then I’ll wear my hair down when I wear this outfit.’
The conversation they had in the dressing room while he was drunk flashed through his mind. Suddenly feeling a flutter in his chest, Cheong-yeon swallowed dryly.
Seeing Do-heon with his hair down just as he had suggested made his mouth feel parched.
“……”
Had the room suddenly grown warmer? Cheong-yeon gulped down the cold water placed on the table.
Perhaps Do-heon had simply grabbed whatever clothes were at hand without thinking. So there was no need to attach significant meaning to it.
Even though Cheong-yeon repeatedly told himself it was nothing important, his heart was racing uncontrollably.
“This one. Why did you stop talking?”
Do-heon looked curiously at Cheong-yeon, who had suddenly gone silent with his lips tightly pressed together.
“No… it’s just.”
Under Do-heon’s direct gaze, Cheong-yeon couldn’t meet his eyes and lowered his head. Somehow, facing him directly had become difficult.
It would have been better if there were other staff around, but having only Do-heon and himself in the VVIP room made him feel even more unsettled.
“…Doesn’t it seem hot today?”
Cheong-yeon awkwardly changed the subject.
“Then we should choose thinner clothes.”
Do-heon murmured dryly. Unlike Cheong-yeon, who wanted to buy clothes and leave as quickly as possible, Do-heon didn’t seem particularly rushed.
“Yes, we should.”
Cheong-yeon cleared his throat and meaninglessly flipped through the catalog he was holding. After becoming conscious of Do-heon’s clothes and hair, he found it difficult to concentrate on anything else.
“Director.”
After much hesitation, Cheong-yeon finally spoke. Do-heon tilted his head slightly in response.
With his bangs down, he emanated a somewhat gentler and more relaxed atmosphere, unlike his usual sharp image.
“Um… actually, I have an early schedule tomorrow morning.”
“And?”
Do-heon arrogantly jerked his chin.
“Because of that, I’ll need to leave at dawn tomorrow. So…”
Do-heon lifted Cheong-yeon’s constantly lowering chin, making him look up directly at him.
“Tell me.”
“Today, instead of penetration… could we do something else?”
“For example?”
“For example… with my mouth.”
Cheong-yeon answered in a barely audible voice.
He didn’t know why he suddenly brought up such a thing. In a department store of all places, where they had come to buy clothes, not a hotel.
Heat gradually flooded his face until his cheeks felt so hot they might burst.
Do-heon remained silent for a while.
“Surely you haven’t been drinking again today?”
After a few seconds, he asked Cheong-yeon about his alcohol consumption.
“No, I’m completely sober right now.”
“You’ve made so many drunken scenes that I can’t trust you.”
“…If you don’t believe me, why don’t you check?”
Responding somewhat impudently while licking his lower lip, Cheong-yeon was suddenly pulled forward as Do-heon grabbed his tie and kissed him.
Cheong-yeon’s eyes widened in surprise as his body was abruptly pulled toward Do-heon. But that lasted only a moment. Cheong-yeon obediently opened his lips and submissively welcomed Do-heon’s tongue as it pushed in without hesitation.
“You really haven’t been drinking. Alcohol.”
After tasting the inside of his mouth with his tongue, Do-heon murmured softly as if surprised.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
