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Monday after a weekend that was no different from a disaster. Han Jaekyung headed to work today in his usual neat appearance. Regardless of how much a person’s insides were burning up, the sun always rose anew and Monday, which made shoulders naturally heavy, arrived without fail.
Although he had been dispatched in the role of legal dispute review and consultation, there wasn’t much for Han Jaekyung to do in Woojin Group’s legal team, which was already packed with elites scouted from former chief prosecutor positions or famous law firms. It wasn’t for nothing that Jang Yeonhu, before getting a boyfriend, had sent a dispatch request telling Han Jaekyung to spend time comfortably as a vacation before promotion.
The person who had acted like he’d play with him every day until sesame seeds spilled out had made a boyfriend within the same department and didn’t even visit the legal team often.
Han Jaekyung, thinking he should study what he hadn’t been able to, was flipping through international law materials while checking his phone almost every thirty minutes. It was behavior that had continued since yesterday. However, his phone’s response was exactly the same as it had been continuously since yesterday.
Jang Yeonhu, who normally would have sung the national anthem and then some with apologies, pleas to stop being angry, and asking what was wrong, seemed intent on faithfully following the words “go to your wonderful boyfriend” and hadn’t left even a single period in his conversation window with Han Jaekyung.
He had resolved to study for once, but with his mind in the bean field, there was no way he could make progress. The hardcover book of over 500 pages had been stuck at merely 20 or 30 pages for hours.
This won’t work at all. Han Jaekyung, who finally decided to give up on studying that was no help whatsoever for changing his mood, pouted his lips and slammed the book shut with a thud. While doing so, he checked his phone once more, but it was dark as expected.
It’s not much to say it’s a chicken instead of a pheasant, but just around that time, the office work phone rang.
“Hello, this is Lawyer Han Jaekyung, right? This is the lobby security team.”
“Yes. Go ahead.”
“It’s just that a visitor came to the lobby saying they’re your client, Lawyer.”
It was strange. He had wrapped up all major cases before coming on dispatch, and additional case acceptance was planned only after his return…
“For security reasons, visitors without prior permission have difficulty entering the main building, so we contacted you. You’ll need to come down and see for yourself.”
“I understand. I’ll come down right away.”
Wondering if there was a case he’d missed in the handover, he carefully looked through his diary once more, but there were no gaps. Just what kind of client would come all the way here? Han Jaekyung got on the elevator without being able to guess the identity of the visitor at all.
The identity of the client who shouldn’t exist became clear immediately. It was thanks to the familiar sight of a man waving his hands vigorously from afar as soon as Han Jaekyung appeared in the lobby.
“Ah. There you are. Lawyer! Over here, over here!”
Moon Yeonu, smiling brightly in neat business attire unlike his usual self, looked like a promising elite, the complete opposite of how he appeared on Saturday night. Honestly, on Saturday… by Han Jaekyung’s strict standards, he was nothing more or less than just an ill-mannered ruffian.
“…Well, well, I wondered who it was.”
“Lawyer, is this someone you know?”
“Yes, that’s right. I’ll escort him out. Thank you for contacting me.”
Han Jaekyung, who bowed once to the security team staff, only gestured with his chin toward Moon Yeonu, in contrast to his expression about escorting him out. It meant to be quiet and follow.
“Lawyer, isn’t this too difficult to meet? For someone who’s supposedly a boyfriend, you didn’t even leave a contact number.”
“Ah, right.”
You were my boyfriend. Han Jaekyung let out a blank exclamation as if he’d just remembered. Moon Yeonu’s face immediately frowned as he had been walking behind Han Jaekyung without complaint toward some unknown destination.
“What’s with you? You told me to act tactfully, but what if you’re the one who forgot? What are you planning to do from now on, why did you tell me to play along like that? You should at least give me a rough explanation.”
“Hah… Hey, my head’s already complicated enough, don’t you start nagging too. You disappeared for ten years and now you show up acting cocky.”
It was true that when he first met Moon Yeonu again, he couldn’t figure out how to treat him, but thanks to such a big bomb sweeping through in the meantime, he had one less worry. Without realizing it, Han Jaekyung began showing Moon Yeonu the same moderately gruff attitude as ten years ago. It was quite a natural flow.
This side was definitely more like Han Jaekyung than the sharp-edged appearance. Even after being called cocky, Moon Yeonu didn’t seem to feel bad and instead let out a chuckle.
“…You’re laughing? Do you think I’m funny? Huh? You too?”
Anyway, whenever even one troubling issue arose, his nasty temperament of becoming prickly like sandpaper and bristling so that no word could be easily said remained the same. Han Jaekyung, who would never show weakness even if it killed him and would throw fits with everything he had, would only melt sweetly like acting spoiled in front of just one person he allowed.
During their school days, Moon Yeonu would sometimes steal glimpses of that voice calling “Yeonhu” with a sly smile and arbitrarily think it was calling his own name.
Everyone wanted at least one person… to call their name. Even if it was stealing someone else’s hand warmer, without even that small warmth, some corner of Moon Yeonu’s mind might have frozen to death long ago.
“But where are we going? I came right after waking up. Let’s eat while we talk.”
“I don’t know either. I didn’t want to be in the company building, so I just walked aimlessly.”
“Han Jaekyung, you really…”
“Why? What.”
“Nothing. Just that you’re pretty.”
“Yeah. I know.”
Right. That shameless face was what he wanted to see. Not the shockingly pale expression of someone who looked like they’d seen a ghost. Not the fragile expression that seemed about to burst into tears while looking at Jang Yeonhu and his boyfriend.
In fact, there was significant emotional resentment toward Jang Yeonhu who had screwed him over during the most important period. For that reason, Moon Yeonu had decided to approach Han Jaekyung with the intention of at least destroying Jang Yeonhu’s composure, even if he couldn’t do anything about his life. But when he actually faced Han Jaekyung, his complicated mind became extremely simple. It might be thanks to that shameless temperament that equally gave everyone hell. Moon Yeonu dragged Han Jaekyung to a nearby restaurant he’d looked up in advance.
“Let’s go. I know a place nearby that makes good knife-cut noodles.”
Han Jaekyung, who grumbled about how knife-cut noodles could go down in this hot weather, cleanly emptied two bowls of knife-cut noodles topped with fresh kimchi that came with it. Even after that, Moon Yeonu had to watch in a daze as he smacked his lips and shamelessly suggested ordering dumplings too.
* * *
“…So Jang Yeonhu started dating an intern from his team, and your pride was hurt so you suddenly blurted out that you had a boyfriend too?”
“Yeah. I said it was someone I met during training in America, and you happened to be there. You’re not seeing anyone right now, are you? Just let me borrow your name for a bit. It’s not the first time anyway.”
Mmm, refreshing. Han Jaekyung slurped his grapefruit ade and rolled his eyes. He had a clear expression as if he hadn’t even considered the possibility that Moon Yeonu’s situation might be difficult, or that Moon Yeonu might refuse.
“Where did you do your training? Wasn’t it D.C.?”
“That’s right.”
“…You don’t happen to not know that I worked in California the whole time, do you?”
“I know. You got your PhD at Caltech and stayed there the whole time.”
The kid is smart, but… whenever he acts absent-minded like this, should I call it cute… or say it’s frustrating… Moon Yeonu decided to reserve judgment for now. This aspect was no different from high school either.
For issues he cared about and considered important, he would pick them apart thoroughly enough to eat them bone and all, while for things he didn’t consider important, he’d act like he didn’t know A from B.
“…Hey, temporary boyfriend Moon Yeonu. Turn on your phone and check a map of America, will you?”
Washington and California were located on completely opposite sides. It meant they weren’t places where you could accidentally run into each other and start dating.
“Are you crazy? Can’t you use proper titles? …Ah, whatever. Then I’ll just say we broke up and find a new guy.”
“Hey now. Your impatient personality is still the same.”
In such matters, the weaker party always becomes the more desperate one. Moon Yeonu hurriedly shook his head and declared that if Jang Yeonhu asked, he would answer that he had diligently flown to Washington. After waiting years to return to Korea, he had met an incredibly good opportunity – he couldn’t just let it slip away futilely.
“Anyway, it means I just need to behave well in front of Jang Yeonhu and his boyfriend.”
“Yeah.”
“Don’t worry. I’m good at that kind of thing. Plus, I have experience.”
Trust your hyung? When he even scrunched up his nose, Han Jaekyung shuddered and pulled out the straw he’d been chewing on to throw it right at Moon Yeonu’s face.
“You’ve gotten older and become an even crazier bastard.”
…Unfortunately, Moon Yeonu’s one and only first love seemed to have gotten an even nastier personality with age.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
