DFLT 24

His senses snapped awake. There was no time to cry. There was neither emotional nor temporal luxury to mourn or honor his father’s death. It was a luxury he couldn’t afford. With the debts already piled up and the new ones from the accident settlement, a single day wasn’t enough, and he sometimes resented having only one body to work with.

But perhaps there was no law decreeing death, as the scholarship from the TG Foundation allowed him to breathe a little easier. From then on, he threw himself into his grades. To be selected for the TG Foundation’s linked employment program, he had to compete with formidable alphas.

“I’m sorry I found out late. It must have been really tough on your own, Yeonoh.”

“It’s all in the past now.”

Of course, he had paid off much of the debt by now, and just as a healed wound forms a tough scab, it no longer hurt even when touched or pressed hard. The fact that it truly didn’t hurt anymore only left a slight bitter taste in his mouth.

…Or was it the alcohol that was bitter? To check, Yeonoh took another big gulp of his drink. The alcohol was both sweet and bitter.

“Hey, hey. Why are you drinking like that?”

A warm, knotted sensation that had been lingering in his chest spread throughout his body. His head spun. Had he drunk too much? If he’d known he was such a lightweight, he wouldn’t have had sake at the sushi place. He tried to focus his eyes, but they wouldn’t cooperate.

“Your eyes—”

Defeated, Yeonoh surrendered his mind to the alcohol.

Clatter, clatter.

At the sound of something rustling, Yeonoh lifted his eyelids. He quickly realized this wasn’t his home. The swaying sunlight was tapping his cheeks. Living in a dense residential area where his window only showed the house next door, his room never got this much sun.

So… where was he? Trying to think with a mind still groggy from sleep made his head throb as if it might split. As Yeonoh clutched his head and groaned, the door swung open.

“Yeonoh, you’re up?”

“Yes… Is this your place, sunbae?”

“Yeah. Remember passing out after two glasses of wine?”

“…….”

He’d stayed out overnight. Pressing his throbbing head, he picked up his phone from the nightstand. Thanks to his internal clock, he’d woken up at his usual time, but it was his first time staying out without contacting his family.

“If you’re worried about contacting them, don’t be. Your mom called last night, and I explained everything.”

“…To my mom?”

“Yeah. You should call her or something. Go wash up and come eat breakfast. I’ll put your clothes in the styler in the meantime. You can wear mine if you want.”

Yeonoh lifted the hem of his shirt and sniffed. It wasn’t exactly fresh and was wrinkled in places.

“Sorry, sunbae. I’m the one who suggested drinking, and I made a fool of myself…”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. Better that it happened in front of me.”

“What?”

Yeonoh didn’t catch Dojin’s meaning, but it seemed his words didn’t reach Dojin, who had gone into the dressing room.

“Wear this and come out. It might be a bit big on you.”

With no other choice, Yeonoh took the sweatshirt and shorts Dojin handed him. After changing and stepping out of the room, he saw Dojin setting the table for breakfast. The savory aroma of pollock hangover soup tickled his nose.

“Whoa, did you make all this, sunbae?”

“No way. It’s delivery.”

“I’ll eat well.”

Since he was heading straight to work from here, he should have just enough time for a quick breakfast, right? Suffering from a hangover, Yeonoh quickly picked up a spoon. The mild broth seemed to soothe his uneasy stomach.

“Yeonoh, I noticed earlier, but your suit seems a bit big on you. Have you lost a lot of weight?”

A memory naturally echoed in his ears at the same time.

‘So skinny. You look like you stole your dad’s suit.’

Everything in his daily life now led back to Seo Heonyoung. Where had his resolve to let go of his crush gone? The corner of Yeonoh’s mouth drooped as he chewed on a grain of rice.

“No, I bought it on sale at a spa brand, and it was the only size left, so it’s a bit big…”

“Oh, if that’s the case, good. I was worried you were sick or something.”

Dojin was kind in every way. After finishing the meal, Yeonoh retrieved his clothes from the styler, finding them soft, dry, and mostly wrinkle-free, which was satisfying.

“Want to change your tie at least? The clothes are one thing, but wearing the same tie as yesterday might look off.”

“Nah, it’s fine. I was out all day yesterday, so no one will notice.”

He’d come up from Daejeon and only stopped by the office briefly, not meeting other colleagues, and surely Seo Heonyoung wouldn’t remember his outfit, so it should be fine as is.

“I’ll head out now, sunbae.”

“Earn that money, our tofu.”

Dojin playfully waved his hand in farewell.

“Thanks, sunbae.”

Thanks to him, yesterday, which could have been the worst, didn’t end with a single tear. Waking up today, he felt he could at least calm his heart compared to yesterday.

“Thanks for what? If you knew what I was thinking, you wouldn’t be saying that.”

“What?”

“Nothing, nothing. Go to work. I’ll call you.”

What was he thinking to say that? Pondering Dojin’s cryptic remark, Yeonoh headed to the parking lot. He was nervous about running into Heonyoung, but thankfully, that didn’t happen.

As usual, Heonyoung was approaching at the same time. Yeonoh quickly got out of the car, opened the back door, and waited for him.

“Good morning, Executive Director.”

But Heonyoung, who usually walked straight from the residence and got into the car without pause, stopped in front of Yeonoh today. It wasn’t overt, but Yeonoh sensed Heonyoung’s subtle gaze scanning his appearance. Was he dressed too shabbily?

“Morning.”

With a short reply, Heonyoung got into the car. His impassive gaze was the same as always, yet the nuance felt slightly off, leaving Yeonoh puzzled. Should he have listened to Dojin and changed his tie? Regret hit him.

Throughout the drive, Heonyoung didn’t say a word. They didn’t usually chat much, but this morning felt especially icy. Ignoring the awkwardness lodged in his chest, Yeonoh arrived at the company.

“You’re here, Executive Director.”

As Heonyoung appeared, a secretarial office staff member stood and approached him.

“Dr. Shim called earlier, asking you to visit.”

“Got it.”

With a face that didn’t look like he’d comply, Heonyoung replied and disappeared into his office.

‘Like a leaky faucet filling a bucket drop by drop over time, thinking you’ve overcome a rut with suppressants can slowly break down your hormonal system.’

The rut cycles were getting shorter, and their intensity fiercer. If this continued, there was no guarantee Heonyoung would be safe during the next rut. As Yeonoh glared resentfully at the office where Heonyoung, stubbornly refusing treatment, was, the door swung open, and Heonyoung reappeared.

“Ji Yeonoh, come in.”

“Yes, yes!”

He quickly put on a smile, but had Heonyoung seen him? Heart pounding with anxiety, Yeonoh stepped inside.

“W-What’s the matter?”

Hoping he might be asked to schedule a visit with Dr. Shim, he asked expectantly, but—

“Where was that place we went for your mother’s birthday?”

“Oh, it was the Jamsil Hotel Skylounge.”

“I’m thinking of having dinner there with Sehyun tonight. To give her the gift we bought yesterday.”

As expected, no such luck. Yeonoh, startled despite himself, straightened up and opened his notebook.

“…Yes, I’ll make the reservation. I’ll also contact Director Doh separately—”

“No reservation. Let’s book the whole place.”

“Oh, book the entire place…?”

“The more attention it draws, the better. We can subtly leak articles about the new product too.”

“Then I’ll tip off our reporters about the dinner and coordinate with the PR team on the new product details.”

Heonyoung, reading text on his monitor, let out a light chuckle.

“They say a dog at a temple learns to recite poetry after three years, and Ji Yeonoh’s reciting my unspoken thoughts.”

“That’s too kind.”

“Get out.”

Heonyoung watched Yeonoh bow and leave, his lips pressed tightly, his eyes sinking low with an unreadable expression.

Booking the entire Skylounge at Jamsil’s renowned five-star hotel, known as the tallest and most famous in South Korea, wasn’t easy, but mentioning the name ‘Seo Heonyoung’ made it much smoother.

At the entrance to the lounge, Heonyoung wrapped his arm around Sehyun’s waist. Startled by the sudden contact, Sehyun looked at Heonyoung with surprised eyes, while Yeonoh, following behind, lowered his head.