DFLT 53

I was on my way up to the executive director’s office after the last scheduled task, which had been in the conference room on the lower floor. Inside the elevator, Chief Kim Jinhwan handed Seo Heonyoung a car key.

“The car is waiting in the parking lot.”

“Got it. I have personal plans today, so Secretary Ji can leave right after this as well.”

For a moment, I was curious about what those personal plans were, but I consciously pushed the thought away.

“Yes, understood.”

All I had to do was welcome the earlier-than-usual end to my day like an unexpected gift.

As soon as the doors opened, Chief Kim Jinhwan got off first. As Yeonoh was about to follow him, a long shadow fell in front of him. Seo Heonyoung had blocked his way.

Seo Heonyoung, who had blatantly pressed the ‘close door’ button with someone still inside, put his hands in his pockets with a nonchalant expression, as if he had done nothing of the sort, and took a large step toward Yeonoh.

Lately, Seo Heonyoung had been doing a series of inscrutable things, like suddenly telling me to buy him a meal only to secretly pay for it himself, or driving me home. So, an action like this wasn’t even surprising anymore.

“You look thrilled to death that I’m letting you off work early.”

How is this early? My usual departure is late because my workday doesn’t end until I get to Seo Heonyoung’s residence. This is just getting off on time. Yeonoh grumbled inwardly, but there was nothing else he could do.

“Hahaha. Not at all.”

“If you’re going to lie, at least wipe that half-assed smile off your face.”

I shouldn’t have brought up the business smile that time. I wonder if this is how restaurant owners feel when their trade secrets are exposed. Yeonoh inwardly smacked his lips in regret.

“Don’t go around getting into trouble.”

Tomorrow is the weekend, and I’m not a child. Why do I have to listen to this kind of nagging? Of course, it wasn’t that I was planning to get into trouble, but Seo Heonyoung had a side to him that was stricter than necessary.

“Ah, yes. I understand.”

However, there was a gap between the kind of trouble ordinary citizen Ji Yeonoh, whose greatest deviations in life mostly took place at convenience stores, would get into and the kind of trouble Seo Heonyoung meant. Having received a satisfactory answer, Seo Heonyoung finally opened the door.

Back in the office, Seo Heonyoung finished his preparations and left work immediately. Following Seo Heonyoung’s lead, people left their desks one by one.

Yeonoh mapped out his plan for the day in his head. I was supposed to have dinner with Dojin and then go see his office right away, so I should go buy a gift in my spare time. In fact, I had been worried that it would be a tight schedule to buy a gift after leaving Heonyoung’s residence and then get to the meeting place, so this was much better.

“I’ll be heading out now, too. See you on Monday!”

I greeted everyone with a voice excited about the approaching weekend and left the company. Although, it would be more accurate to say that I had deliberately feigned an excited voice.

After stopping by a department store and buying a suitable gift, Yeonoh headed to the restaurant at the address Dojin had sent. It was a Japanese restaurant located inside a large building. When I gave them Dojin’s name, they immediately guided me to a private room. I had been worried that I would have to wait since I arrived a little earlier than the reservation time, so I was secretly relieved.

“Oh, sunbae. You got here quick?”

But Dojin was already there.

“This is the same building as my office. You’re early too, Yeonoh?”

“As it happens, the Executive Director also had personal plans, so he left work right from the company.”

“Ah, I heard he’s having dinner with his father and mine at Sehyun’s place today.”

“Oh, I see.”

I tried to act as nonchalant as possible and was taking a sip of warm tea before the food arrived. Dojin, with a face full of laughter, pointed to the seat next to Yeonoh.

“I should pretend I don’t see that for now, right?”

On the seat next to me was Dojin’s grand opening gift, a shopping bag containing a potted succulent.

“Ah, for now, yes. Haha.”

What if he has high expectations… Compared to everything Dojin has done for me, it was a terribly shabby gift. I wished so badly that I could have sent a floral wreath at least.

“But this building is really huge. And it’s not that far from your place, sunbae. I think you found a great location.”

“This area is such a commercial hub, there’s no place like it. Being close to home is the biggest factor, though.”

“It must be a bit quieter at night and on weekends.”

“Yeah, pretty much. It’s no different from a ghost town.”

We had a satisfying meal while chatting about this and that. Everything was perfect, except for the fact that we had a brief squabble over who would pay, and I ended up losing to the sheer size of the alpha, Kang Dojin.

The first three floors were lined with cafes, bookstores, and restaurants, and the main commercial area started above that. Dojin’s office was on the 20th floor, a level from which the Seoul nightscape was quite visible.

“Wow, sunbae. The interior is really, really nice.”

The spacious office was neatly designed with a modern concept. The walls and furniture were light-colored, and I thought it would look incredibly 멋질 during the day when sunlight streamed through the large glass windows.

“A close friend of mine runs an interior design company. I commissioned this job as a way of apologizing for ghosting him.”

An apology on this scale would probably have cooled his friend’s anger. Yeonoh, relieved to see green pots placed here and there in the corners, handed the shopping bag to Dojin.

“This is late, but congratulations on the opening.”

As Dojin opened the wrapping with a broad smile, a succulent with reddish tips in a pure white pot was revealed.

“It’s a succulent called Portulacaria afra. I thought things like potted orchids might be a bit difficult to manage…”

Even though I had chosen a rather expensive and luxurious pot from the department store flower shop, it felt like a humble gift compared to the splendid office. Yeonoh smiled awkwardly, but fortunately, Dojin seemed to like it.

“Thank you. Orchids are a bit intense for me. I’ll have to put this on my desk and keep it all to myself.”

“I wrote a message there, too.”

When Dojin turned the pot, a small plaque with a printed message appeared.

[Congratulations on your opening, Dojin sunbae. May you only walk on flower paths!]

After reading the message, Dojin smiled, the corners of his mouth curling up.

“That’s so Ji Yeonoh of you.”

“What? What does that…”

For a moment, I was about to ask what he meant by ‘so me,’ but it sounded like a cliché drama line, so I decided against it. Plus, Dojin just shook his head as if it were nothing, so I couldn’t press him further.

“Tomorrow’s the weekend, how about some wine?”

“Ah, that sounds great!”

Why did Seo Heonyoung’s warning not to get into trouble have to pop into my head at this very moment?

“…But just a little.”

In the kitchenette, which had an espresso machine and other things, there was also a small wine cellar. He brought over a bottle of wine and two glasses, then turned on a Bluetooth speaker.

“Can’t have wine without music.”

As Dojin operated his phone, which was connected to the speaker, a slow-tempo R&B pop song began to play.

It wasn’t a song Yeonoh would have ever sought out on his own, and one he would likely never have heard again if not for today, but it was incredibly sweet.

“Come sit over here.”

Dojin perched on the windowsill and patted the spot next to him. As Yeonoh hesitantly approached and sat down, Dojin placed a glass in front of him and poured a little wine.

“Cheers.”

And the two glasses clinked lightly in the air.

“You worked hard this week, Yeonoh.”

“You too, sunbae. I hope only good things happen at your new company.”

We exchanged pleasant smiles and took a sip of wine. I couldn’t even taste the unique sting of alcohol; it went down smoothly.

“This is delicious.”

“I’m glad you like it.”

So this is what expensive wine is like. Drinking isn’t just about getting drunk. A realization flashed through Yeonoh’s mind.

“Yeonoh, do you have a favorite song?”

As the first song seemed to be ending, Dojin asked, opening the music app on his phone.

“Um…”

But Yeonoh couldn’t answer. He asked himself what music he liked, but nothing particular came to mind. He seemed to have mainly listened to songs from the top of the music app charts.

“I’ll listen to what you’re listening to, sunbae.”

Suddenly, I wondered. At the end of the day, with a wine glass in hand, what song would Seo Heonyoung use to soothe his fatigue? Perhaps he’d be swirling a crystal glass full of whiskey in his hand, listening to music similar to the classical radio channel he enjoyed.

Now, it had come to a point where every single one of my idle thoughts led back to Seo Heonyoung. To the extent that even when Dojin asked about my own preferences, I was wondering about Seo Heonyoung’s.

Have I been losing myself during the time I loved Seo Heonyoung? Yeonoh thought.

Perhaps I had been buried under a tidal wave of emotions, just struggling beneath the sea. In between repeating my resolutions to get over my one-sided love hundreds of times, each one ending in failure, my breath had been growing shorter.

Ji Yeonoh, who had emerged with only his body, leaving his ego buried in the deep, was nothing but an empty shell. That’s why, when trying to recall the core, he reached for its origin, Seo Heonyoung.

“The song is good, right?”

“Yes. Do you like listening to music, sunbae?”

“I do. I also like pairing wine with cheese or watching movies.”

How much trial and error must he have gone through to find the right drink, music, and hobbies to his taste? Yeonoh was envious of that leisureliness, of finding one’s own preferences even through repeated failures. The devotion of willingly spending money and time is ultimately a process for oneself, but I had always been stingy about embarking on that process.

My excuse was that I had no money and that it was a waste of time, but the truth was closer to the fact that I had no will to look into my own preferences because I was so busy accommodating Seo Heonyoung’s. This quiet realization created an endless resonance.

“What about movies? What genre do you like?”

“I like action.”

Dojin paused for a moment and pulled his upper body closer to Yeonoh.

“I like romance, too.”

Dojin’s gaze lowered slightly. I was pleasantly tipsy, and the music flowing through the air suited the mood.