TPG 13

Lee Si-woo looked at the macarons in the box.

Was offering a perfectly packaged box with a red ribbon while asking what kind of snacks he liked supposed to mean Han Jeong-hyeon was giving this to him?

Why?

Last time, Han Jeong-hyeon seemed like he was going to buy him coffee, and now he was doing it again. Si-woo had no real connection with Han Jeong-hyeon and no intention of getting close to him, yet he kept running into him.

Annoyed by his question, Si-woo blurted out anything.

“Ginger cookies.”

“Ah, really.”

Han Jeong-hyeon’s incredulous reaction burst into laughter.

“You’re doing that on purpose, right?”

Han Jeong-hyeon sat across from him with a pleased expression. Si-woo thought he had just rejected him, so why wasn’t he upset?

“You said you like ssanghwa tea, so why are you drinking coffee now?”

“This is…”

“Are you trying to play hard to get by saying the opposite?”

When did he ever.

Si-woo was bewildered by Han Jeong-hyeon’s arbitrary definition.

“There are quite a few types like Secretary Lee who approach me while pretending not to be interested.”

“I’m sorry, but I’m not one of them.”

“Everyone says they’re not.”

“I really am not though.”

Han Jeong-hyeon’s smiling eyes were proof that he wasn’t listening to Si-woo’s words.

“It’s a classic method, but it wasn’t bad…”

When Si-woo held out his cup to show him, Han Jeong-hyeon’s words trailed off. He must have only just noticed.

“It’s citron tea.”

The sweet fragrance had been rising all along, so why did he assume it was coffee without looking?

“Ah, citron tea… You really are…”

Han Jeong-hyeon stroked his lips and drew out his words.

“Interesting.”

Though Si-woo was flustered at first, he was gradually regaining his composure. Han Jeong-hyeon was blatantly scanning his face, and he couldn’t express how burdensome it was.

“You know who I am, right?”

Si-woo couldn’t understand what Han Jeong-hyeon was thinking, propping his chin and grinning as he spoke. He would have liked to say he didn’t know, but he did. That was why he was avoiding him, if he didn’t know, would there be a reason to avoid him?

“I’ll be honest.”

Han Jeong-hyeon tilted his head slightly with a gentle smile on his lips. His eyes sparkling in the soft lighting seemed to slowly draw his target in, and his voice carried a low tremor.

“I’ve become interested in you.”

Along with his contextless confession, Han Jeong-hyeon slowly extended his arm. Just that movement, barely grazing Si-woo’s wrist, seemed to convey warmth.

“…”

A moment of silence flowed, and not missing the moment when even the air became calm, Han Jeong-hyeon opened his mouth again.

“I can give you more than Soo-hyeok can.”

His voice was soft but filled with conviction without a hint of hesitation. He leaned toward Si-woo.

“So how about joining hands with me?”

Si-woo was momentarily puzzled. Though he was called Han Soo-hyeok’s personal secretary, he was just the bottom of the secretarial staff with no power. Why was Han Jeong-hyeon making such a meaningful proposal to someone like him?

He forcibly lowered his voice and asked back.

“Why are you extending your hand to me?”

It was a question he threw out quite seriously, but Han Jeong-hyeon lightened the mood with his characteristic smile.

“I said I’m interested, is anything else important?”

His tone was caring but had a strange lingering feeling.

Si-woo looked at Han Jeong-hyeon’s gentle smile and stood up from his seat.

“I don’t accept bribes.”

“Bribes? This is just a gift… Oh, is that what it is.”

After giving a bow to Han Jeong-hyeon, who had switched to muttering to himself midway, Si-woo passed by him. Just then, he caught up with Han Soo-hyeok walking through the lobby and ignored Han Jeong-hyeon’s gaze.

Ssanghwa tea, ginger cookies, Han Jeong-hyeon would think he was joking around, but it wasn’t a lie. They were tea and snacks he had developed a taste for in the countryside, but he didn’t bother explaining since he had no desire to convince Han Jeong-hyeon.

Clearing his mind of distracting thoughts, Si-woo stood right behind Han Soo-hyeok. Han Soo-hyeok’s gaze swept past behind him.

“We met by chance.”

“I didn’t ask anything.”

“Then please consider it as I answered on my own.”

Everyone knew that the relationship between Han Jeong-hyeon and Han Soo-hyeok wasn’t good without having to dig through memories. Even from the conversation the secretarial staff had the day Si-woo first met Han Jeong-hyeon, he could sufficiently guess their relationship.

“There are no other schedules, so just go home now.”

“Go home?”

Looking at his wristwatch, it wasn’t even lunchtime yet. Though he had never worked an office job, he knew this wasn’t typical.

“It’s true that I hired you as a secretary, but I didn’t hope for you to do the job well.”

Han Soo-hyeok’s blunt words were reminding Si-woo of his reality.

As he said, now wasn’t the time for him to immerse himself in the job of being a secretary. This was purely for buying time, but Han Soo-hyeok pointed out that he had unconsciously gotten absorbed because it was work he had admired.

“Yes, that’s right.”

He quickly collected himself.

“I’ll leave work first.”

Han Soo-hyeok was watching silently as if waiting for him to turn around first.

His gaze was quiet but somehow contained regret. It seemed like he hoped Si-woo wouldn’t leave, was that his imagination? Si-woo deliberately crossed the lobby and left the building, then came back in and stood as if blocking Han Soo-hyeok’s path.

“Hyung, want to eat together?”

If he left work, he would become Lee Si-woo, not a secretary.

***

Han Soo-hyeok was lost in thought and hadn’t picked up his utensils. Lee Si-woo cut his steak into bite-sized pieces and placed the plate in front of him. Seeing the plate moving around in front of him, Han Soo-hyeok shook his head.

“I’m fine.”

“You’re buying me lunch, right?”

Lee Si-woo was the one who suggested eating together, but Han Soo-hyeok had offered to pay. Han Soo-hyeok looked at the steak and only picked up his fork.

“Don’t worry too much about what I said. You’re doing well.”

Si-woo could tell he was referring to what he said about it not being time to focus on work.

“You’ve adapted better than I expected, even I’m surprised.”

“You’ve given me that compliment before.”

Though he said Han Soo-hyeok didn’t need to, the corners of his mouth kept twitching. Han Soo-hyeok chuckled, noticing his mood.

“Honestly, I didn’t know I’d adapt this well either.”

Si-woo had impulsively asked for a job, but each day had been quite enjoyable.

“Now everyone comes looking for me.”

What he had wondered if he could do well at first had now become something he felt proud of.

“At this rate, I might really…”

He stopped speaking and unknowingly dropped his utensils when a thought suddenly occurred to him.

“This isn’t the time for me to be like this, is it?”

He made Han Soo-hyeok, who was looking at him as if wondering what he meant, aware as well.

“I shouldn’t look good but I made a mistake. I was planning to act really badly.”

When Han Soo-hyeok looked at him with disbelief, Si-woo nodded.

“I decided to become the villain, remember?”

“That’s…”

Han Soo-hyeok started to speak but closed his mouth. Si-woo knew what he was going to say. He had volunteered to be the villain to create justification for breaking off an engagement later, but Han Soo-hyeok still hadn’t given him any definitive answer.

“I think it’ll be necessary even if it’s not an engagement.”

He gave a bitter smile and quickly swallowed it.

“From the moment Father suggested a family meeting, I knew I absolutely couldn’t be dragged along. So I need to take responsibility and cut off our relationship myself.”

This situation itself was already grateful enough for him, so he shouldn’t be greedy for more.

“But since it’s my first time doing this kind of work, I guess I secretly wanted to do well. But I won’t do that anymore.”

He had enough on his plate already. He said he wouldn’t look elsewhere since he had clear things to do. Maybe he was saying this to himself rather than to Han Soo-hyeok.

“I’m looking forward to seeing how you’ll act.”

“I’ll try to meet your expectations.”

So he could become such a bad person that Han Soo-hyeok would kick him out.

Si-woo waved his fork around.

“To do that, I need to eat well and also…”

He unconsciously looked at his arm and voiced the thought that came to mind.

“Exercise hard too.”

He used to think everything would be over if he just escaped from Father. But when he was thrown into the world alone, he realized how weak he was. He couldn’t express how much he regretted going to work the next day with muscle pain from working all day.

“Since I have time today, I should go after lunch.”

Looking at real estate and buying exercise equipment should do it. He wanted to look at houses in advance, preparing for when he might be alone anytime.

While deciding where to go in his head, he cut his steak. As he was cutting it all up like when he gave some to Han Soo-hyeok, his thoughts suddenly turned to him.

“Are you going straight home?”

“I’m not going home.”

Han Soo-hyeok answered while eating his steak elegantly. He picked up a garnish but dropped it, ignoring it as if he never intended to eat it.

Was Han Soo-hyeok more careless about eating than usual?

***

“What are you doing?”

Si-woo was waiting for Han Soo-hyeok to leave when he urged him.

“Get in.”

“You’re giving me a ride? I’m fine.”

Si-woo thought he might have misunderstood him wanting a ride when he was waiting for him to leave first.

“Do you know how to drive?”

“I do, but…”

As he hesitated, Han Soo-hyeok handed him the car keys. Si-woo took them, bewildered, and looked up at him. This wasn’t about giving him a ride either, what was it?

“Should I give you a ride?”

“Go where you were planning to go, not me.”

“Why?”

Si-woo didn’t understand Han Soo-hyeok’s words and asked back.

“I’m following you.”

“Why?”

He couldn’t grasp at all why Han Soo-hyeok wanted to follow him.

“Is it strange for a CEO to follow his personal secretary?”

Han Soo-hyeok’s tone was quite confident.