Seon-woo, for the first time since entering this body, had practically abandoned his work to throw himself into something else. As a result, he’d managed to narrow down a few travel destinations. However, even the clueless Secretary Park insisted on choosing a place together after considering the other person’s preferences—so for Seon-woo to just pick one on his own felt inconsiderate, almost selfish.
That meant he had to talk it over with Seung-hyeon…
‘How should I bring it up without making it obvious?’
With a worried expression, Seon-woo pondered.
Under normal circumstances, he would’ve just asked Seung-hyeon directly if he wanted to go on summer vacation together, and where he’d like to go.
That had been his initial plan. But after imagining how Seung-hyeon might respond, he realized that probably wasn’t the best idea.
Though it felt a bit showy to bring it up himself, the truth was, Seon-woo had genuinely been incredibly busy lately. The company was still reeling from the aftermath of the family feud that had torn through it, leaving an air of instability in its wake. Especially for Seon-woo—he was pushing himself extra hard to avoid raising any suspicions or giving his father or the chairman any excuse to pick at him. So much so that he’d nearly forgotten vacation even existed.
Hadn’t he already figured that the reason Seung-hyeon hadn’t brought up vacation either was probably because of that?
But if he came right out with it, Seung-hyeon would definitely try to talk him out of it.
“A trip can wait, Director. You’re busy right now.”
But now was the critical moment. If he waited until things settled down—until no one was watching or doubting him—and kept putting it off, the chance to take a trip would likely never come.
And he had absolutely no intention of making Seung-hyeon wait until then.
Now was the moment he needed a clever plan—something that would reflect Seung-hyeon’s preferences without letting him catch on that a trip was being arranged behind the scenes.
“Is something on your mind today?”
While gripping the steering wheel, Seung-hyeon asked the question casually, prompting Seon-woo to quickly manage his expression and glance his way.
“You’ve been quiet since this morning. You look a bit serious.”
“Ah.”
Seon-woo gave a sheepish smile and offered an explanation.
“Something came up with work. Just one of those days.”
“Let’s head straight home today.”
“No need for that. It’s not that bad. Didn’t we agree to eat out tonight?”
But the moment Seung-hyeon saw the fatigue on Seon-woo’s face, he seemed to make up his mind. The car, which had been heading toward the restaurant, abruptly switched lanes. The GPS, still set to the reserved restaurant, let out a warning tone as they veered off course. Seung-hyeon reached out and turned it off with practiced ease.
Watching this, Seon-woo bit his lip, looking troubled.
He couldn’t use work as an excuse—that clearly wouldn’t fly. And it wasn’t as if he didn’t know Seung-hyeon had been taking special care to look after him lately.
Through the rearview mirror, Seung-hyeon glanced at Seon-woo’s face and spoke in a comforting tone.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ve actually got some meat at home. If we don’t grill it by today, it’ll start to go bad—so just think of it as doing me a favor, okay?”
He’d gone so far as to change their destination out of concern for Gwak Seon-woo’s exhaustion, and yet still made such a thoughtful comment. Overcome with guilt, Seon-woo clenched his resolve once again. After witnessing this scene, the need to carry out his plan felt even more pressing.
Seon-woo gave a reluctant nod at Seung-hyeon’s words, then opened his mouth as if to casually change the subject.
“That employee you invited to the coming-of-age ceremony last time—or rather, meant to invite—didn’t you say the proposal ended up being a success anyway?”
When Seon-woo awkwardly corrected himself with a sheepish look, Seung-hyeon laughed and nodded.
“Yeah, that’s right. For a proposal that happened back then, the honeymoon came a bit late, right? Sounded like the wedding date kept changing and they had a hard time getting things sorted.”
“I see.”
It was a short remark, but it carried genuine sympathy. As the saying goes, when luck runs out, it runs out everywhere. After being humiliated at the coming-of-age ceremony, now the poor guy had struggled even with his wedding. It was hard not to feel sorry for him.
“I heard they originally planned to go overseas for their honeymoon but had to switch last-minute to Jeju Island. But it turned out better than expected, thankfully. They even brought back fifty boxes of mandarin orange chocolates—just for themselves, apparently.”
Seon-woo let out a quiet sigh of relief.
He hadn’t known how to steer the conversation in the direction he wanted, but thanks to Gyeong-cheol, things were flowing naturally toward the exact topic he’d been curious about.
“Where were they planning to go originally?”
“Mm… was it the Maldives? Or Hawaii? I can’t quite remember. But I do recall they’d first decided on Europe before changing their plans.”
“Why Europe? Was it the cost of living?”
“That was part of it… but you know, I read somewhere that to go on a honeymoon to Europe, you need three things.”
“Three things? What are they?”
“Enough money, a partner who listens well, and absolute confidence that you won’t fight.”
The first condition wouldn’t be much of an issue for them, but the rest were another story. It sounded more like a warning that something terrifying would definitely happen unless those other two boxes were ticked. The phrasing even had a slightly ominous ring to it.
“When you put it that way, maybe Jeju was the better choice. More affordable, and you don’t have to run around all day—just relaxing is enough.”
Seung-hyeon nodded in agreement at first—but his expression hinted that he had more to say. When Seon-woo looked at him curiously, Seung-hyeon turned his eyes back to the road and added,
“But I still think somewhere like Europe would’ve been a better fit than Hawaii or the Maldives.”
Seon-woo barely managed to stop the corners of his lips from rising in delight. To learn about his travel preferences this way, without even asking directly—it was perfect. Doing his best to sound casual, he asked,
“Why? Is there something you want to try in Europe?”
“Not exactly… It’s just that Gyeong-cheol hates Korean food and is absolutely obsessed with Western cuisine. He probably would’ve enjoyed himself way more if they’d gone somewhere in Europe.”
This wasn’t the kind of information he’d been fishing for.
Noticing Seon-woo’s subtly puzzled expression, Seung-hyeon chuckled and added,
“Not just for that reason, but I’ve always found Europe kind of appealing. Don’t those warnings make it sound kind of fun? Having to dash around constantly and all that.”
It was definitely a bit different from the typical image people had of an ideal honeymoon. But message received—he seemed to prefer a more active trip, even if it meant being a little busier, rather than something slow and monotonous.
Seon-woo, trying not to forget, recalled the comment with a serious expression. Then, as if amused, Seung-hyeon asked,
“What’s got you so interested in this kind of talk all of a sudden?”
At that softly amused question, Seon-woo flinched inwardly. He’d expected some hint of suspicion, but Seung-hyeon’s face was surprisingly neutral.
“That coming-of-age ceremony must’ve left quite an impression, huh.”
He joked that maybe if he told this story, it could help ease Gyeong-cheol’s psychological trauma about karaoke. Seon-woo glanced sideways and studied Seung-hyeon’s face intently.
Seung-hyeon wasn’t the type to wear his emotions openly. Still, they were lovers—so if he’d noticed something, he wouldn’t have been able to joke so casually with such a completely unaffected expression. At most, he’d have put on that usual vaguely guarded look of his.
The fact that Seung-hyeon hadn’t noticed what Seon-woo was hiding—it should’ve been a relief.
But for some reason, it just left a bitter taste in his mouth.
Even after bringing up honeymoons, Seung-hyeon hadn’t suspected a thing. That meant only one thing: it hadn’t even crossed his mind that Seon-woo might be planning a summer vacation with him.
It wasn’t that he felt hurt or disappointed. It just… ached, a little.
“…I should be doing more.”
He didn’t bother keeping that thought inside. When he said it out loud, Seung-hyeon turned his head with wide eyes and asked who he meant, who he wanted to do more for. Seon-woo quickly shook his head and brushed it off, saying he was still talking about Gyeong-cheol. That Gyeong-cheol should’ve done more for his bride.
Seung-hyeon seemed convinced and gave a small nod, letting the moment pass.
Seon-woo wanted to make Gwak Seung-hyeon happy.
That thought only became clearer the more he worked on his plan.
***
Once he’d gotten a feel for what Seung-hyeon liked, everything moved quickly. Seon-woo personally chose the travel destination and itinerary, booked their flights, and made reservations one by one at popular local restaurants that required advance booking. Since the entire process had to be done in secret, he didn’t enlist anyone’s help.
Only five days had passed since then. Because he’d rushed the preparations, the trip he’d planned was already right around the corner.
All that remained was letting Seung-hyeon know.
‘…Now how am I going to tell him this time?’
It was truly a case of one mountain after another—an endless series of hurdles.
Imagining a scenario where he just kidnapped Seung-hyeon without telling him a thing, Seon-woo let out a long, weary sigh.
