# Chapter 23
It seems that love, sneezing, and irritation when hearing nonsense are truly impossible to hide no matter how hard you try. The words that popped out from his brain to his tongue without any filter were compressed honesty.
Even so, how could someone with a dark, intimidating body like his refer to himself as a fairy? And with his own mouth at that. After instinctively imagining Dohyun dressed like Tinkerbell and immediately reacting to it, Seowoo quietly put his hand to his forehead, disgusted with his own brain.
With a face as thick as steel, Dohyun could be popular if he appeared on variety shows. It was a shame that such talent was being wasted in a criminal organization.
Since Seowoo’s words had been a bit harsh, he expected Dohyun to say something in return, but there wasn’t much reaction. Dohyun merely raised an eyebrow as if his name had been called.
“I just moved in at dawn, so I didn’t have time to stock up on food.”
“Did you spend the night outside?”
“I was busy with official business. I stopped by briefly and then went out again. It’s not like I personally organize the place myself.”
Poor Manager Gu must have been used for indoor cleaning duties again. Seowoo felt a slight sympathy for Manager Gu, but then immediately dismissed it, thinking he was just the same as Dohyun. Dohyun approached with a leisurely step and closed the refrigerator door with a thud.
“No matter how much you stare, only water will come out.”
“I know that.”
Seowoo sighed and took a step back. What was the point of this meaningless power struggle? He suddenly realized that this exchange was too childish to be considered a verbal duel between two adult men.
Of course, according to information on web portals, Seo Dohyun was five years older than Seowoo, but it would be laughable to expect mature behavior from him.
The problem was that even if Dohyun was acting childishly, this could all be part of some scheme. But right now, Seowoo couldn’t know anything for certain. Without knowledge, he had no grounds to politely refuse Dohyun’s requests.
“Just lead the way already.”
With a half-resigned attitude, Seowoo gestured toward the corridor, and Dohyun, seemingly surprised, brightened up and asked:
“You’re in such a hurry now? Have things improved between us?”
Once again, Seowoo couldn’t hide his reflexive stiffening. More accurately, he didn’t try to hide it. Seowoo stared at Dohyun with a cold gaze. This man really didn’t deserve any concessions.
❖ ❖ ❖
Since Manager Gu was busy with Seowoo’s moving arrangements, it was none other than Dohyun who took the wheel. Though Seo Dohyun must have more than just Manager Gu as his underling, this time he unusually volunteered to drive the car himself.
When Seowoo gave him a suspicious look, Dohyun smirked and said nonsensical things like, “When you’re on a date, you can drive yourself and all that.”
“Is what we’re doing a date? Do you even know what a date is?”
“Two people sitting across from each other, elegantly cutting meat—isn’t that a date? Why, what more grandiose thing is needed? What do you think a date is, Seowoo?”
“At the very minimum, you need some kind of affection, no, at least goodwill to even pretend it’s a date.”
“I didn’t know that. Where do they teach that sort of thing? Did you attend some academy?”
At the lightly playful tone, Seowoo turned his head sharply to glare at Dohyun’s profile. As Seowoo narrowed his eyes and twisted his lips, Dohyun felt the gaze and glanced over at Seowoo’s face.
“Do you enjoy teasing me that much?”
“You’re surprisingly quick to catch on.”
At the genuinely impressed voice, Seowoo lost the energy to reply and closed his mouth. Responding would only be disadvantageous. As if declaring he would no longer say anything, Seowoo turned his head sharply in the opposite direction, making Dohyun laugh out loud.
Most of Seo Dohyun’s words were lighthearted, like jokes, which made it harder than expected to distinguish between his jokes and his serious statements. Seowoo generally dismissed things that sounded like nonsense as jokes and put statements that seemed to have hidden meaning under scrutiny to determine their truth.
‘Still, even so…’
He never imagined that even the suggestion to cut steaks in broad daylight for their first meal would be serious. Seowoo stood in front of the main entrance, quietly looking up at the fancy and clean sign.
There wouldn’t be many people wanting to cut steak on a weekday afternoon, so the surroundings were quiet.
Of course, even if they had come during busier hours, it wouldn’t have eased Seowoo’s bitter feelings. Now he felt awkward because there were no people, but he was certain that if they had come during busy hours, he would have felt ashamed due to the many onlookers. Either way, not coming at all would have been best for his peace of mind.
Dohyun stared openly at Seowoo’s profile as he silently looked up at the upper floors of the building. After making a serious expression as if deep in thought, Dohyun suddenly touched his own chin.
“By any chance,”
“By any chance what?”
“Are you vegetarian?”
“……”
Seowoo wondered if it was a genuine question, but there was no way Seo Dohyun wouldn’t have investigated even that much. Given how serious Seowoo’s expression was, this too must be another attempt to lighten the mood.
Seowoo looked alternately at the fancy exterior of the building and Dohyun’s face, with a sullen expression and his arms on his waist.
“What if I really were a vegetarian? Why are you asking this now?”
“Then the date would be ruined. Do you dislike meat?”
Was he planning to go back if Seowoo said he disliked it? Seowoo stared at Dohyun with suspicious eyes.
“I dislike it.”
Dohyun smiled brightly, as if he knew this would be the answer.
“I know that’s not true.”
I knew this would happen. Not exactly teasing, but deliberately getting on his nerves. Seowoo’s voice automatically sharpened.
“If you knew, why did you ask?”
“I thought I should ask at least once out of courtesy. If you’re just going to stand here instead of going in, should we take a commemorative photo?”
There was an obvious hint of laughter in his voice. The attitude was so blatantly teasing that it was incredibly annoying. Seowoo glared at that smug face for a moment before turning his head away sharply.
“Good grief… No thanks.”
When Seowoo flatly refused, Dohyun, far from being embarrassed, chuckled and said “Okay” while extending his hand. It was a signal to take it. Why did he keep playing these jokes every time, knowing full well Seowoo would never take his hand?
With a sigh, Seowoo glanced sideways at Dohyun and took the first step. However, the moment a familiar face came into view, his movement automatically stopped.
Beyond the glass door, a man in a suit was walking out on the red carpet with a phone to his ear. At first, Seowoo almost didn’t recognize him. It was an appearance he had rarely seen—the neat, proper attire and the front hair slicked back with wax.
But the moment their eyes met as the man ended his call and opened the door to exit, his expression brightened in such a familiar way. It was indeed Jung Woojae that Seowoo knew.
“Hyung!”
Even his voice was exactly the same as usual, but he looked noticeably different from the usual Woojae, as if he had just come from some important meeting.
Given Woojae’s job characteristics, which often involved staying up all night, he preferred comfortable and informal attire, which was more familiar to Seowoo’s eyes. How long had it been since he had seen Woojae in such a formal outfit?
“Hyung, what brings you here? Filming? Didn’t you say you had no schedule for a few days?”
“Oh, I’m just here to eat.”
“What a coincidence.”
Woojae, showing how delighted he was, grabbed Seowoo’s hand right away.
“This is perfect timing. I was actually going to call you.”
“I’m sorry, but the actor has a prior engagement.”
As if deliberately making his presence known, Dohyun wedged his head between the two men’s conversation. Only then did Woojae realize that Dohyun was standing next to Seowoo and turned his head.
The last time they met at the bar, the two had acted lukewarmly, as if they didn’t know each other very well. In fact, Woojae had said he didn’t know anything about Dohyun.
There was a strange tension even then, but this time Seowoo could sense wariness in Woojae’s eyes.
Trying to remember if anything had happened between them, all that came to mind was the time Seowoo had called Woojae saying he wanted to ask about Dohyun.
“CEO Seo, we meet here again. It seems we have quite a deep connection.”
Woojae greeted him in an exaggerated tone, wearing his professional smile. Woojae’s hand, which had been gripping Seowoo tightly, let go and formally offered a handshake to Dohyun. Dohyun took that hand and shook it lightly.
“You look different from last time. Are you here for work today?”
“That’s just how journalists are. Being busy meeting people everywhere is our daily routine.”
After chatting about trivial, meaningless things, Woojae turned his head slightly to look at Seowoo.
“Last time at the bar, the CEO took him away, so this time, I’d like to be a bit presumptuous.”
“What do you mean?”
“I have something I’d like to talk to hyung about. It won’t take long, could I borrow him for a moment?”
It was a fairly courteous and polite tone. Normally, Dohyun would have given them space. Given his unpredictable character, he might have added conditions like a time limit or other stipulations.
But Dohyun’s reaction was peculiar. He was clearly smiling, but a strange silence fell. The atmosphere felt somehow ominous.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
