TSG 117

Se-hyun felt like he had been reborn lately.

When he became Ahn Se-hyun, the future seemed daunting.

At first, he didn’t even know how to navigate his own life. Then, at some point, his focus expanded from merely surviving to ensuring his parents wouldn’t have to suffer anymore. He thought of them as his people, so he couldn’t just ignore them.

So he made plans to stick with Shin Tae-oh and worked hard.

‘It’s for me, but… not entirely for me.’

What he wanted to achieve then wasn’t being a secretary. So he started again. Using Ha Jin-seong’s advice as a foundation, he began to look into many fields.

From planning to marketing. Not limiting himself to construction but branching out into other industries—hotels, electronics, and even food.

About a month passed like that? He slowly began to outline what he wanted to do.

‘I want to be a secretary.’

After saying his dream wasn’t to be a secretary, he ended up wanting to be one after all. He thought it didn’t make sense, but this was his true feeling.

It was different from choosing to be a secretary to stay by Shin Tae-oh’s side. Looking at many things, he liked encompassing everything as a whole rather than staying confined to any one thing.

“Even if the reasons were different, I guess I headed towards my true calling.”

If his aptitude had been for something else, he would have had to start from scratch. So should he say it’s fortunate?

Se-hyun rubbed his tired eyes as he closed the book. Opening his eyes, he saw Shin Tae-oh sleeping on the sofa across from the desk, his body stretched out. The book in his hand was precariously dangling, having fallen asleep at some point.

Se-hyun told the already tired Shin Tae-oh to rest in bed after dinner. But Shin Tae-oh had insisted on staying in the same space as him, and now he was dozing off, crumpling his big frame to fit the sofa.

What should he do with this sunflower-like bear?

It felt good to feel Shin Tae-oh’s unchanging affection for him again, but sometimes that affection was so blind it made him sad.

He never thought he would find love disappointing. He thought happiness would naturally follow if love was achieved. Even in novels, stories end happily with the love of the two main characters.

But looking at Shin Tae-oh, love wasn’t always just a sweet pink happy ending. It was hard having to control feelings that had grown too big at times.

‘It must be difficult for Shin Tae-oh.’

He was someone who wanted to give everything to Se-hyun. Saying he wanted to give all good things to him, it naturally led to gifts. And even that didn’t seem enough for him.

It wasn’t just gifts. Even though they had been intimate quite a few times, Shin Tae-oh still looked at Se-hyun with thirsty eyes.

On the surface, he pretended to be a fresh lover who had just fallen in love. But beneath that, Shin Tae-oh was like a deep, sticky swamp—relentless and intense.

‘No matter how much he tries to hide it, I can’t not notice.’

If it were someone else, they might not know. But Se-hyun did. Was it because Shin Tae-oh was the sub-male lead in the original story? That was only marginally helpful when Se-hyun had to align himself with Shin Tae-oh as his secretary.

No, Se-hyun could understand because he was no longer an extra from the novel. He was experiencing it directly as Ahn Se-hyun.

Shin Tae-oh never let a single moment they shared go to waste. Every one of them became a treasure in his vault, and even then, he acted as if it still wasn’t enough.

Even now, it was the same.

Today could have been a long-awaited rest day for the busy Shin Tae-oh, but he readily pushed aside his own needs to prioritize Se-hyun.

How could Se-hyun view Shin Tae-oh’s blind love as purely sweet and beautiful?

Se-hyun carefully approached Shin Tae-oh, muffling his footsteps. Bending his knees to look down at his sleeping face, he spoke.

“Hey, Honey.”

In Se-hyun’s phone, Shin Tae-oh was still saved as “Honey.”

Originally, the nickname had been a cheeky jab, symbolizing how Se-hyun planned to “suck the honey” out of him. But over time, he started using it for other reasons too.

“You should go to bed and sleep.”

Se-hyun wrote ‘honey’ on Shin Tae-oh’s face with his index finger.

Maybe he should’ve used an actual pen instead.

“Are you going to keep sleeping here?”

He didn’t seem to want to wake up even when spoken to. Not even an eyebrow twitched, making it seem like he wouldn’t wake up even if carried…

“Could I carry him?”

Carry Shin Tae-oh like a princess?

Se-hyun imagined carrying Shin Tae-oh. Carrying and walking with an adult man bigger than himself…

“I can’t do it.”

Then what should he do?

Se-hyun pondered for a moment, then got up and left.

Leaving Shin Tae-oh behind.

***

Shin Tae-oh woke up, perhaps due to physical discomfort. Seeing the ceiling with its soft light, he realized he was still in the study.

Much time had passed, and it was quiet around. Not even the sound of turning pages could be heard, so Se-hyun must be sleeping too.

“Haa.”

Shin Tae-oh couldn’t hide his self-loathing as he covered his forehead. If he showed this side of himself, Se-hyun would never give him another chance. The moment he tried to sit on the sofa wanting to be near Se-hyun while he studied, Se-hyun would tell him to go to bed. Even if he protested that he couldn’t sleep, Se-hyun would surely say sleep would come naturally if he just closed his eyes.

He couldn’t even argue—it was entirely his fault for showing a moment of weakness.

“Maybe I should tell him to stop studying.”

Getting rid of this situation altogether might be best. Lately, Se-hyun had been burning with enthusiasm for his studies. With event preparations keeping Shin Tae-oh busy, Se-hyun had suddenly become busier too, leaving even less time to be together.

The deliberation was brief, and the answer came quickly. He didn’t want to stop Se-hyun from doing what he wanted.

“I’ll have to think of another way.”

First, he should go to the bedroom where Se-hyun would be sleeping…

As Shin Tae-oh raised his upper body, he belatedly noticed something strange. Except for the sofa he was lying on, the placement of other objects had changed.

The table that was in front of the sofa had moved far away, and the lamp that was in the bedroom was here now. And right next to the sofa on the floor, a man was sleeping on his side.

Judging by the blanket brought from the bedroom, it didn’t seem like he just sat down and dozed off…

Shin Tae-oh gazed intently at Se-hyun’s peacefully sleeping face, soon revealing an undisguisable smile.

He had thought Se-hyun might have left him behind out of indifference. But no—Se-hyun had figured out a way to stay by his side, even erasing the notion that sleep must happen in a bed.

This thoughtfulness is why his feelings for Se-hyun could only grow bigger.

Sometimes Shin Tae-oh was surprised by himself, wondering if it was okay for his feelings to keep growing like this. He worried that Se-hyun might leave if this enormous love became burdensome. He thought maybe he could deceive himself by having an ordinary relationship like others do.

“Guess I’ve been found out.”

Se-hyun had long known about the anxiety Shin Tae-oh harbored. Knowing, yet not running away, he comforted him. Saying he would reassure him as much as he wanted.

Shin Tae-oh quietly lay down next to Se-hyun. Thanks to the blanket spread out as if anticipating his lying down, Shin Tae-oh simply rested his head on his pillow and gazed at Se-hyun.

Even though he saw him every day, he never tired of looking at him.

“I love you.”

The sweetness he could savor for a lifetime without ever getting sick of it.

***

The first In-Company (IC) event had officially begun.

Over the course of a day, participants solve various missions to receive stamps. The more stamps they collected, the more raffle tickets they’d receive, increasing their chances of winning prizes. The prizes ranged from merchandise to incredible workplace perks.

As it accommodated all participants within one building, it was held in the gymnasium of SR headquarters’ training center, and teams could be formed regardless of the number of people.

Marketing Team 1 could be one team, or one could participate alone. Bracelets were given out as team identifiers, and Se-hyun waited among the secretarial staff for Chief Secretary Lee Jin-ho to distribute the wristbands.

“Assistant Lee, I’m really looking forward to this.”

“Really. It seems like it’ll be even more fun than the sports day.”

As they received their wristbands, people made comments to Assistant Lee, who had played a significant role in organizing the event.

Even the secretarial team seemed unable to hide their excitement, especially since Assistant Lee had kept many details under wraps to ensure everyone would enjoy it.

Traditional sports day events led by recreation instructors were fun, but this event, which incorporated virtual and interactive gaming experiences, felt completely different.

Se-hyun scanned the surroundings, wondering where to start. Everything looked like it would be fun.

Meanwhile, as Chief Secretary Lee Jin-ho came towards him, Se-hyun stretched out his hand to receive a wristband.

“That’s all.”

At Chief Secretary Lee’s signal that he had distributed all the wristbands, Se-hyun held up his empty hand.

“What about me?”

He was part of the secretarial office after all.

“Ah, Se-hyun’s wristband is over there.”

As if he had just remembered, Lee Jin-ho pointed behind Se-hyun. Se-hyun obediently turned around, then narrowed his eyes seeing Shin Tae-oh waving two wristbands.

This…

It seemed like Shin Tae-oh had meddled again.