TSG 30

It was clear that the intention was to block his path. He raised his head to see who was approaching him.

At that moment, Se-hyun saw the other person’s head leaning towards him, so he urgently took one foot back and tilted his upper body back.

As Se-hyun confirmed the face of the person who seemed impolite, various thoughts raced through his mind.

‘Why is Ha Jin-seong in front of me?’

Why was he in front of his house? Why did he block his path? Could it be that he even saw that Shin Tae-oh took him home?

“Do you remember me?”

Ha Jin-seong must have gotten the answer from Se-hyun’s expression and slowly raised his upper body. As the distance increased, it became easier to breathe, but his chest felt strangely tight.

Unlike when he was with Shin Tae-oh, he became increasingly nervous and swallowed the saliva that accumulated around his mouth. It wasn’t the first time they’d met, but Se-hyun pondered why he felt trapped by Ha Jin-seong’s gaze, and then he realized why.

‘It’s different.’

Unlike the last time when he observed and teased him, this time there was a purpose. His instinct to avoid getting involved in it gave way.

Se-hyun had thought it unlikely, but it turned out that he had been waiting here to see him.

Se-hyun calmed down his expression and faced Ha Jin-seong. There was no point in showing any vulnerability here, so he suppressed his voice and spoke firmly.

“What can I do for you?”

“You didn’t answer my question.”

Se-hyun was taken aback by what he said and his sudden appearance. He was acting so shamelessly as if they had just recently met and talked.

When he said it was a question and didn’t say anything else, it meant he wanted Se-hyun to figure it out. It was purely Ha Jin-seong’s way of speaking.

At times like this, Se-hyun should recall what questions he asked in the past.

“I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”

He didn’t.

‘I don’t even want to do that.’

Ha Jin-seong was not the type of person he needed to listen to and take notes from in case he forgot something.

“Are you pretending not to be interested in me, or are you really not interested in me?”

He was interpreting Se-hyun’s answer however he wanted. He seemed to believe he was the center of the world. However, the real protagonists of this world were Ha Min-hyuk and Yoo Jin-ha.

Ha Jin-seong thought while tapping his lips. He remained remarkably composed from start to finish. It made the person with him feel quite uneasy.

“I told you to come to me.”

“I answered that then…”

“It seemed like I gave you time to think.”

“Therefore… ”

Why wasn’t this conversation flowing?

“Tell me what you want.”

It was a time when Se-hyun was feeling frustrated and wondering how bluntly he should refuse. Ha Jin-seong said the most normal thing he’d ever said: he asked Se-hyun what he wanted in order to scout him out.

“I’ll give you a house and a car.”

“Even if you say that, my answer remains the same.”

It was an offer Se-hyun didn’t need to consider. When he first became Ahn Se-hyun, he could have chosen Ha Jin-seong for the nice house, car, and the prospect of a lot of money. Se-hyun could have let his emotions get the better of him, and accepted the house, while Ha Jin-seong could also have given him more money than he’d ever made in his life.

But that wasn’t what he wanted.

Stability.

He just wanted to find the safest person in the novel and live on an honestly earned salary rather than dangerous pay.

In that respect, Ha Jin-seong was someone Se-hyun truly needed to push away without a second thought.

“I refuse.”

“Is that because you’re loyal? Or was my offer lacking?”

Ha Jin-seong asked as if he was really curious, and then suddenly burst into laughter. The corners of his eyes lifted with his smile, making him look like a laughing fox.

So when Se-hyun asked if it bothered him, Ha Jin-seong softened his sly expression and said it was okay.

“After all, sweet kisses are the best, right?”

At this point, Se-hyun has given up on seriously thinking about Ha Jin-seong’s words.

Se-hyun reached into his pocket and took out something. He didn’t usually bring one with him, but he had packed one while cleaning up earlier.

“Think about it carefully. Come to me while I still speak nicely…”

Se-hyun shoved candy into his mouth, cutting off his incessant chatter.

Ha Jin-seong’s eyes darted back and forth as he closed his mouth due to the candy that had unexpectedly entered his mouth. Se-hyun felt much better after blocking Ha Jin-seong’s mouth, which had been spewing nonsense for a while.

Se-hyun let go of his tension in the peacefulness like any other day in the alley. Now that he knew why Ha Jin-seong had come, there was no reason to be on edge.

“I thought of it when you mentioned something sweet. Enjoy the candy and goodbye. I have to prepare to serve my talented CEO Shin Tae-oh tomorrow, so I’m going in.”

He had no intention of going with him, so he summed it up and told him to stop, then passed by.

“I’ll come back again, so prepare a different answer then.”

I don’t want to.

⍣⍣⍣

He changed into comfortable clothes and lay down on the bed. As he stared up at the ceiling, he wondered what had happened today.

Though he had a fairly busy day, the most memorable part was…

“Gift… Do you like it?”

He vividly remembered Taenyang-i’s shiny eyes.

“Is it real?”

He turned his head to look at the sink. Dishes worth thousands of dollars were piled up in a shabby cupboard.

Of course, it was bought by Shin Tae-oh to use, but it seemed like he ended up bringing quite a lot to Se-hyun’s place instead of leaving them at his own house. Typically, Bosses didn’t leave such things at their secretaries’ house. No, they wouldn’t even think of going to their secretary’s house.

Whether it was in a novel or a drama, secretaries always handle everything at their boss’s house and disappear like shadows.

“Should I quit?”

He was truly grateful when Shin Tae-oh didn’t demand his resignation even though he knew about his background. But now, he hesitated if he should still go and work there.

It seemed like Shin Tae-oh really interested in him.

“That’s not normal.”

He shouldn’t deviate from the original plot.

And what made him hesitate even more was… he didn’t think he could accept Shin Tae-oh’s feelings.

“I… can’t.”

He abruptly stood up and picked up the phone he had thrown beside him.

“Let’s find a new place.”

Although not much, he had some savings, so he could afford not to work for a few months.

As he impulsively browsed through job sites, his phone vibrated and he received a call from his mother.

“Hello.”

– It’s mom.

“Yes. What’s wrong?”

– Nothing is wrong. It’s been a while since we last talked, so I wanted to hear your voice.

Has it been that long? He thought as he glanced around the room for no reason. As he absentmindedly fiddled the buttons on the coffee machine, he remembered Shin Tae-oh’s bewildered expression when he saw it.

He smiled before realizing the call was still ongoing, so he refocused his attention on his mother’s voice. With no further words, he thought the call had been disconnected.

– Do you happen to have some money?

Something must be wrong.

“Why… What’s going on?”

He asked, knowing it would be difficult to bring up.

– Well, this time your father said he was going to climb the mountain despite the bad weather and ended up slipping in the rain.

As soon as he heard the word “slipping,” he stood up from his seat.

“Is it serious? I’ll go right away.”

– Huh? No, it’s okay. You don’t need to. It’s just a minor sprain from the fall. But during the examination, they found a tiny lump and suggested surgery.

“A lump?”

– Yeah. It’s uncomfortable having this lump hanging around for no reason, so they suggested having surgery this time. But… well, the cost is quite substantial. If we had known, we should have had insurance at least.

Se-hyun could sense that she was having a hard time talking longer and longer because she felt dependent on me.

“I actually received a bonus recently, so I was planning to send it anyway. Don’t worry and get the surgery. And I’ll make time to visit you.”

He quickly blurted out his words and ended the call promptly. He lay down on the bed without a moment to sigh in an atmosphere that had become as heavy as the silence that had come again.

He thought he had to send his savings to his parents, and as for him…

“I’ll work hard to support them.”

He said politely as he glanced at the coffee machine.

He decided to keep working because he thought about the money he would have to send to his parents next month.

⍣⍣⍣

“Good morning.”

Shin Tae-oh, who was just leaving the house, stopped at Se-hyun’s greeting and nodded.

“What’s wrong, Sir?”

“I think something like this happened once.”

Shin Tae-oh started by scanning Se-hyun’s head while stroking his chin.

“You used to be diligent, but I feel like you have become even more diligent and fast. Did you suddenly make any resolutions yesterday?”

It was out of the desire not to quit, but he pretended not to notice and hugged the tablet tightly.

“I had a hearty meal, that’s why.”

He was so distraught that he skipped breakfast, but it was a good excuse to bring up.

“Ah, a meal. It was about food.”

Shin Tae-oh vaguely nodded and casually handed over a paper bag in his hand.

“Take this.”

It seemed more like a command to take than an offer to receive.

“No way, is this… a gift?”

“That’s right.”

Even though he said he wouldn’t accept it.

Se-hyun handed back what he was holding in his hand.

“You’re not planning on rejecting it without even looking at it, are you?”

“Ah…”

Right.

Now that he thought about it, it seemed like Yoo Jin-ha had also rejected something without knowing what it was.

Se-hyun calmly looked at what was in the paper bag. A tumbler?

“What is this?”

“Instant porridge.”

Why would he give that?

“It’s for you to eat since it’s hard to work on an empty stomach.”

He left with just that remark.

“What.”

What am I supposed to be correcting?

Am I on an empty stomach? Or did he think I couldn’t refuse it because it’s a porridge?