#63
***
Jaeha still woke up early to prepare food, smiled brightly, and drove safely to take Eunhong to work. It was no different from the routine he had maintained without a single deviation for the past two weeks.
Only breakfast was different from usual, as he had prepared noodles. He put a lump of well-cooked noodles in a rich anchovy broth and topped it with colorful garnishes. It was clearly not Mrs. Ham who had come and gone. Eunhong tilted his head as he watched Jaeha, dressed in a striped suit, sitting across from him and sipping coffee. The noodles were delicious.
Helping with clothes was also the same as usual. The only slight difference was that he kept picking out terribly strange outfits. He chose all horizontal stripes for top and bottom, then hot pink, then traffic light fashion… He got irritated, saying everything was too pretty and wouldn’t work.
‘He didn’t used to have such bad taste…’
In the end, fearing he might be late, Eunhong wore clothes he chose himself.
When the car got on the road, Eunhong finally realized the source of his unease. Jaeha cursed at a car that cut in front of them, changing lanes dangerously. Eunhong’s eyes widened at this unfamiliar behavior as he studied Jaeha’s profile.
‘He’s angry. He’s really angry.’
And that guess soon proved to be true. As soon as Eunhong got out in front of his company, Jaeha drove off without a word. Until last week, he had been the type to park and watch until Eunhong passed through the lobby and got into the elevator. Only when Eunhong waved from the elevator would the car start moving…
Although there were many cars on the street, Eunhong had always felt a bit self-conscious. He had also worried that someone might recognize Jaeha and take a photo, damaging his image. So he often insisted on getting off farther away or urged Jaeha to leave quickly, but now that Jaeha actually left first, he felt oddly disappointed. Why?
Jaeha never did anything to make Eunhong feel uncomfortable or uneasy like Woohyun did. He always came to pick him up at the promised time after work and smiled as they prepared and ate dinner together.
But he no longer dried Eunhong’s hair after washing, nor did he beg to watch TV together. When Eunhong tried to play games, Jaeha used to persistently interfere and lie down with his head on Eunhong’s lap, but he had stopped that too.
Above all, he didn’t touch Eunhong at all!
After about three days like this, Eunhong felt his nerves were completely frayed. He even thought this must be how someone feels after cutting out carbohydrates for a month.
‘I want to be touched.’
Eunhong briefly thought he had become a voluntary slave, then shook his head.
***
“Our company isn’t going bankrupt, is it?”
If someone were to ask if there’s a company in the world where employees interpret the CEO working hard from early morning as a sign of doom, Han Sejin thought this would be the one.
“Isn’t he like this because Han Jung Bio stocks fell? I heard our CEO owns a lot of shares there.”
“Doesn’t he own more in entertainment than biotech?”
“Entertainment stocks fell too. Maybe he’s trying to find a way to make a living.”
“Don’t say such nonsense. Why would Han Jung go bankrupt? And even if it did, he’d still be richer than Taemin.”
Unable to listen anymore, Han Sejin cut in. They say there are three things in the world you shouldn’t worry about, and one of them is worrying about the rich. As an employee, it’s best to close your ears, shut your eyes, keep your mouth closed, and just focus on the given work. Just like me… As he muttered this, his phone rang.
[Han Jung Secretary Kim]
He couldn’t count how many calls this had been in the past few days. Han Sejin regretted giving his number to Secretary Kim, fooled by his kind face. This wasn’t even a group affiliate, so why was this task falling to him? They say nothing good comes from getting involved in the CEO’s family matters! As he clutched his head in regret, he steeled himself and headed to the CEO’s office.
“CEO…”
Han Sejin called out to Lee Jaeha in a small voice, half-opening the frosted glass door.
“Another call came…”
Jaeha, without turning his head from the monitor, said:
“Are you that free? Enough to take on other work?”
Han Sejin, undeterred, came in and stood in front of Jaeha’s desk. The hand touching the mouse stopped abruptly. Noticing that Jaeha was ready to listen, Han Sejin quickly said:
“Secretary Kim asked me to confirm if you received the message about the Chairman’s schedule today.”
“Are you getting paid by Secretary Kim?”
“I was thinking of changing my phone number anyway. Could you process this as a work-related injury?”
Work injury? At this unexpected remark, Jaeha’s sharp gaze turned to Han Sejin. Han Sejin grinned and attempted a joke.
“I’ve been suffering like this for days, exposed to your family matters…”
Jaeha’s eyebrow twitched.
“That’s how family management works, isn’t it? Usually, it’s just the employees who suffer, but lately Secretary Kim and Professor Choi have been tormenting me so much…”
Jaeha waved his hand as if shooing away an annoying fly. At this gesture clearly meaning ‘get out now’, Han Sejin’s face fell. If he was driven out again without results, Secretary Kim would give him a hard time. It’s not like that person had a grudge against him or anything… Anyway, he needed to resolve this quickly. Only then could he eat lunch in peace. Han Sejin hurriedly added:
“Secretary Kim said to tell you that if you don’t visit the main office by the appointment time today, the Chairman will go home in the evening.”
Jaeha, who had been looking at the monitor with a blank face, suddenly froze. As he slowly turned his head towards Han Sejin, Han Sejin momentarily heard a creaking sound in his imagination. It was like a wooden puppet returned from hell, spewing blue fire from its eyes.
“Why are you only telling me this now?”
Jaeha drove out of the underground parking lot to go to the main office. On the way from Jaeha’s company to the Han Jung building where Chairman Lee was waiting, Eunhong’s company was in the middle. Jaeha, who had been gripping the steering wheel and chewing his lips, seemed to make a decision and turned towards Eunhong’s company. There was still some time before the appointment.
The initial plan was to park the car near Eunhong’s company, call him out saying he was just passing by, have a coffee and some dessert, and then send him back up. But when he actually arrived, he couldn’t bring himself to speak. After acting like a child for the past few days, he was now facing the consequences.
‘I miss him.’
Unable to find a suitable parking spot, he parked in a paid lot a bit far away. He took out his phone intending to send a message as he walked, but kept hesitating. Jaeha finally gave up on meeting and, feeling disappointed, went into a small coffee shop near where he could see Eunhong’s company cafeteria well.
As Jaeha was looking out the window, constantly thinking he wanted to see Eunhong, his eyes suddenly widened. Just then, Eunhong was coming down with a few team members, heading to the cafeteria. With his employee ID hanging on a blue lanyard around his neck, his expression while talking looked quite bright. Jaeha habitually opened his phone to check Eunhong’s pheromone levels. It was an act that brought both relief and self-loathing simultaneously.
‘Our Bunhong.’
The corners of Jaeha’s mouth naturally curled up. Resting his chin on his interlocked hands, he began to watch in earnest.
Eunhong, slightly thin with a small head, had good proportions that made him stand out more than people of the same height. His pale, transparent skin looked pretty with the light-colored cardigan casually worn over it. Jaeha thought he should buy more clothes from that brand.
Eunhong sat down and fiddled with his phone. He seemed to look at it briefly, then put it down and accepted a coffee handed to him by a team member. He looked cute bowing his head in thanks. Even though the distance was considerable, Jaeha felt as if he could vividly see Eunhong’s expressions, as if his brain was playing a recorded video.
Eunhong’s lips puckered out as he bit the straw. Soon after, his cheeks hollowed and then puffed out. His white cheeks easily flushed, and his Adam’s apple slowly moved up and down. Jaeha winked at Eunhong’s insistence on iced drinks in such cold weather. Eunhong paused drinking his coffee and fiddled with his phone again.
As Eunhong was looking at his phone while people were chattering, the person sitting across from him waved to get Eunhong’s attention. Whatever was said, Eunhong smiled with a troubled expression and waved his hands frantically. Then the colleague next to him seemed to peek at Eunhong’s phone. Were they looking at photos…?
Jaeha watched quietly and then sent a message to Eunhong.
[Baby. Did our baby eat a lot?]
The reaction was immediate. The subordinate named Seo Heeseung got so excited that Jaeha wrinkled his nose and chuckled. Eunhong, who had been gulping down coffee, choked and kept wiping his mouth. He also succeeded in deflating the man across from him who had been demanding attention.
Eunhong seemed flustered, but he didn’t look too displeased. It was cute to see him hurriedly trying to hide the message that Seo Heeseung had seen. Jaeha found himself laughing out loud without realizing it. This startled the employee bringing Jaeha’s coffee, causing them to nearly drop the tray and spill a little.
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I’ll make you a new one right away.”
Jaeha flashed a picture-perfect smile and said it was fine, he’d drink it as is. His gaze remained fixed on Eunhong the whole time.
