Suhwan lightly bumped his forehead against Seunghyun’s face as he nodded slightly. Seunghyun still exuded a very worried air, but for some reason, Suhwan kept smiling. Seunghyun frowned as he looked at Suhwan, who was grinning.
“Don’t smile so prettily.”
“When did I smile… prettily.”
Sometimes Seunghyun’s aesthetic sense was questionable. Cute, pretty. He was constantly saying things that didn’t suit Suhwan at all.
“I’m sure you’re the only one who thinks that.”
“I doubt it.”
“I’m right… mmm.”
Suhwan couldn’t continue speaking. It was because Seunghyun’s lips had swallowed his in one go. Suhwan’s body was gradually pushed backward by the kiss, which was more urgent than usual. He reached out his hand, which had been holding Seunghyun’s cheek, to wrap around his shoulders.
“Ha… Seunghyun, mm.”
“Haa.”
As Suhwan was walking backward, his foot caught on something. And his body fell backward. Suhwan opened his eyes wide as he fell onto the bed. Somehow, while kissing Seunghyun, his body had been pushed all the way to the bedroom.
He was a bit surprised but wrapped his tongue around Seunghyun’s even more actively. He was already so excited that he could barely see his surroundings. It was when he was pressing down on the back of Seunghyun’s head with one hand, feeling an ecstatic sensation.
“Hyung.”
“Yes?”
Seunghyun, who had separated his lips, called Suhwan in a low voice. Suhwan gazed at Seunghyun with heated eyes. After hesitating a bit, Seunghyun raised his body.
“Let’s just sleep for tonight. We have to go to the hospital tomorrow.”
“Ah…”
“We shouldn’t overexert ourselves before getting tested.”
“That’s true, but…”
Before he could say anything, Seunghyun wrapped Suhwan’s body in a blanket. It happened in an instant. Suhwan became unable to move, with only his face showing, and blinked. Seunghyun quickly lay down next to him, embracing Suhwan’s body, and said:
“Let’s go to sleep.”
“Mmm.”
In the end, he reluctantly nodded, but it felt a bit strange. Since they started sleeping in the same bed, days when they actually just slept were very rare.
But he couldn’t bring himself to show it and closed his eyes. He didn’t want to make things too awkward by making a fuss about it here. Suhwan tried to fall asleep, though sleep wouldn’t come.
“…”
Seunghyun’s eyes, looking down at Suhwan, darkened. Still unable to shake off his anxiety, he stared at Suhwan’s face, eyes closed, for a long time.
***
Suhwan briefly considered whether he should tell Hwalyeon about going to the hospital. But since he didn’t want to worry her unnecessarily, he decided to keep it secret for now. If the test results showed nothing wrong, it would just be embarrassing.
Yes. Surely nothing would be wrong. Suhwan firmly grasped Seunghyun’s hand, who seemed even more nervous than himself.
“First, we’ll conduct a few simple tests. Please fill out this medical questionnaire.”
“Yes.”
“After completing the questionnaire, please proceed to the blood collection room.”
“Ah, yes.”
Suhwan followed the doctor’s instructions, filled out the questionnaire, and went to the blood collection room to have his blood drawn. He also entered another examination room to measure his pheromone levels. It didn’t take as long as he expected. When it was all done, he returned to Seunghyun, who was sitting anxiously.
“Seunghyun, I’m finished.”
“Hyung.”
Seunghyun, who had sprung up from his seat, approached Suhwan. With a face contorted with worry, he reached out and stroked Suhwan’s face.
“Are you okay? Nothing happened?”
“I just did some tests, what could have happened?”
“Still…”
“Ahem.”
The doctor cleared his throat and looked at the two, suggesting they sit down again. Suhwan blushed and pulled Seunghyun’s hand down. After sitting back down, he looked at the doctor’s face.
“The test results will be available tomorrow, but due to the weekend, you can come back on Monday.”
“Oh, would it be possible for just one of us to come and hear the results?”
“Yes, that would be fine.”
“Thank you.”
Suhwan nodded and smiled brightly. Seunghyun would be busy starting next week with exams. Though Seunghyun was a talented student who had entered university at the top of his class and probably wouldn’t be greatly affected by missing a few hours of study to visit the hospital, Suhwan still felt uneasy.
“Hyung, I want to come with you.”
“No. You need to study.”
“But—”
“Starting today, don’t even think about coming home from the study room. Understood?”
Even for such a talented person, he seemed to be studying too little. Suhwan recalled Seunghyun greeting him outside his company all week. He had been so relaxed that it was hard to believe his exams were starting next week. Suhwan was finally feeling a sense of urgency.
“Answer me quickly.”
“…Okay.”
Seunghyun hung his head like a scolded child. Suhwan almost burst out laughing at the sight.
But he held it in and maintained a firm expression. Seunghyun, watching him carefully, gripped Suhwan’s hand tightly.
“I’m worried, so you must call me as soon as you hear the test results.”
“Yes, I will.”
“Promise.”
“I said I would.”
Despite his repeated assurances, Seunghyun still didn’t seem reassured and sighed deeply. Suhwan comforted him while listening to the doctor. Soon after, they left the hospital.
***
During the weekend, Chairman Jin Gilnyeong officially announced his retirement from the chairman position, and preparations for Hwalyeon’s inauguration ceremony as the new chairman began swiftly. While there was considerable commotion about this both domestically and internationally, Hwalyeon herself didn’t quite feel the reality of it.
Her gaze was focused on the materials handed to her by her secretary.
“So, from what’s visible on the surface, it’s difficult to connect Hansung with HS?”
“Yes, if it’s true, Chairman Ju seems to have concealed it perfectly.”
“Hah.”
Hwalyeon sighed and rubbed her tired eyes. Jin Gilnyeong had warned her not to upset Chairman Ju. He clearly knew something, but refused to say anything more.
Even without evidence, she could roughly guess what had happened. Shortly after HS went bankrupt, Hansung suddenly began venturing into the biotech industry. The drug they developed became quite a hit domestically, and looking at it now, it had many similarities to HS’s controversial new drug, with just slight differences in composition.
Why did I only notice this now? Moreover, one of the companies that had invested in HS and then withdrawn its investment was a paper company that existed only in documents. No one knew its true identity. Was this also Hansung’s doing? Hwalyeon’s face wrinkled intensely.
If Chairman Ju was still keeping an eye on HS, he could extend his grasp to the new drug they were currently developing.
After organizing her thoughts, Hwalyeon spoke with a hardened face.
“Secretary Ahn. I apologize for the weekend intrusion, but please contact Professor Lee Jaehyun.”
“Do you mean the professor from Yeonsin University? Isn’t he… the older brother of Young Master Suhwan’s fiancé?”
“Yes. Don’t mention anything about the experiments. Just tell him that I’d like to discuss the children’s engagement.”
“Understood.”
Jaehyun had received investment offers from various companies so far, but had reacted sensitively to all of them. Probably due to his negative perception of conglomerates after the HS bankruptcy. Hwalyeon calmly calculated her next move.
First, she would meet him using the engagement as an excuse, then persuade him. Letting him continue developing the new drug as things stood was dangerous. There was no telling what Chairman Ju might do this time.
“What shall we do about Hansung?”
“Please continue investigating them. It doesn’t matter how long it takes.”
“Understood.”
The secretary bowed and left the CEO’s office. The office, now cleared out as she would soon be moving to the headquarters, felt somewhat empty.
Inside, Hwalyeon let out another long sigh.
***
The weekend passed, and Seunghyun spent his time busy as Suhwan had insisted.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
