DHG Ch 40

Since Jang Seungyung had still expressed a desire to sleep with him, he wouldn’t be handed over to Kim Jinhwan immediately. He had to think carefully. A hasty action could raise suspicions.

Even though he knew he had to be cautious, he felt compelled to make a decision. When he had to endure Kim Jinhwan, he had endured each day, oblivious to how much he hated it, but now, living a life without him, he felt he could never go back. He couldn’t live like that again.

Every time Kim Jinhwan came to mind, it felt like a noose tightening around his neck. Heewoo forced himself to take deep breaths, feeling suffocated.

It was the third day of walking on thin ice.

“I heard the CEO is downstairs.”

At 5 p.m., Hong Sunsoo, who had visited the kitchen to order juice before opening, suddenly spoke to him.

Heewoo, who was blending vitamin juice ingredients with a pale face, abruptly shifted his gaze. To the bag of nuts that hadn’t decreased much. Come to think of it, he suddenly realized that the CEO had stopped coming to the kitchen.

Why hasn’t he come to the kitchen?

Since when? He became acutely aware of something he hadn’t noticed before. A chill ran down his spine, and his movements slowed. He couldn’t answer when Hong Sunsoo muttered, “I wonder if he’ll come here. I heard the CEO is a regular for juice.”

“You look just like Lee Daol.”

Hong Sunsoo, leaning over the counter with his chin resting on his hands, looked up at Heewoo.

“You look haggard. Your lips look like they need some color. Want me to introduce you to my aunt who’s good at semi-permanent makeup?”

Hong Sunsoo said, tapping Heewoo’s lips with his index finger. Hong Sunsoo’s cheeks were also pale, though. He continued,

“You’re still friendly with Lee Daol. Like a cat wagging its tail at its owner.”

He didn’t understand what he meant. Heewoo was simply tired and didn’t have the energy to understand. He just kept blending the ingredients. Hong Sunsoo narrowed his eyes.

“I wouldn’t be, if I were you. Lee Daol is the one who pinned the blame for that trash Kim Jinhwan on you. You have no idea how much Lee Sunsoo’s face has brightened since you started working at Benny.”

Ah, that’s what he meant. While pouring the blended ingredients into a takeout cup, Heewoo vaguely recalled Hong Sunsoo’s previous words.

“Lee Daol is the only one among the hosts who wasn’t dragged there, right? That’s why I sometimes dislike him.”

“You’ve been there too, haven’t you? Like ‘us.'”

The voice that had pushed Daol outside an invisible boundary, poking at the sense of belonging Heewoo craved.

Heewoo pushed the juice with a cup holder towards Hong Sunsoo and said,

“That’s not Daol-hyung’s fault.”

It wasn’t Daol’s fault that Kim Jinhwan’s attention shifted to Heewoo, improving Daol’s situation, nor was it Daol’s fault that he, Heewoo, was the only one dragged to that motel he couldn’t remember.

“Kim Jinhwan is the one at fault.”

Heewoo shuddered as he mentioned the name, but he pronounced it clearly. The moment his eyes met Hong Sunsoo’s, he thought he might get an earful. It felt like sparks flew from their gazes. However, the response he received was quite mild.

“I get chewed out for showing concern. Are you some kind of ethics teacher?”

Hong Sunsoo grinned crookedly. Heewoo, who hadn’t averted his gaze, stubbornly replied,

“Yes. Thank you for your concern.”

“Ugh, now I dislike you too.”

Hong Sunsoo picked up the juice with his fingertips and turned his back.

Heewoo silently cleaned the counter. He thought that at least someone who expressed their dislike upfront was better than someone who only did so behind his back. He took off his apron and went to the back of the kitchen.

“I’ll be out for a bit.”

He told the Head Chef. The Head Chef, who was marinating pork belly in wine for an appetizer, looked up.

“Oh, okay. You look really unwell. Go get some rest.”

Lately, Heewoo’s complexion had gone beyond pale and looked sickly. From an outsider’s perspective, it seemed like a miracle he could even walk. Heewoo had no intention of sleeping but vaguely agreed.

“Ah, and ignore what Hong Sunsoo said. He’s paid off all his debts, so why is he stirring things up? He should just leave this place.”

Heewoo bowed his head to the Head Chef, who was taking his side. He left the kitchen as he was. Hong Sunsoo had said the CEO was here. He intended to find Jang Seungyung.

He didn’t rush off like he had three days ago when Mingeon told him about the deal. He just planned to see the man from afar, even just briefly.

He wanted to gauge his reaction. Depending on how much interest the man showed in him, he could endure the remaining time.

He stopped by the restroom and rubbed his lips and cheeks hard. He wouldn’t be able to elicit the desire to roll around in bed together with a face that screamed “sick.”

Wait near the elevator. Then he’d be able to see him eventually.

Bloodshot eyes. Chapped lips. Those things hadn’t changed, but a flush of color had temporarily returned to his face. Heewoo checked his reflection in the mirror and was about to step outside when he stopped. Jang Seungyung, along with Madam Won and Secretary Hwang, was coming out of the VIP room area.

The moment he saw the man, Heewoo couldn’t tell, even for a split second, whether he was there to gauge his desire or if he was there to satisfy his own lingering feelings. It was because his heart was pounding. Hotly and clearly. As if he had longed for that person.

Their eyes met immediately.

An indifferent and cold gaze settled on Heewoo. Heewoo, frozen stiff with a straight posture, hiding his fervor as he received that gaze, bowed slightly in greeting a moment later.

“…….”

And the next moment, he felt his passionately beating heart sink.

It was because Jang Seungyung clearly frowned upon seeing him. Then he turned his gaze away without hesitation, as if he had encountered something unpleasant.

At that cold attitude, Heewoo quickly dropped his gaze to the floor. His plummeting heart began to pound with a different rhythm.

He had been ignored. The man, who was far away, hadn’t even laid a finger on him, yet Heewoo felt suddenly pushed away.

Jang Seungyung headed straight for the central staircase. He didn’t take the elevator he usually used. Due to the hall’s structure, he would have had to pass by Heewoo to take the elevator. Was it too much to assume that the man had deviated from his usual route because of him? Heewoo was struggling to calm his startled heart when…

“Heewoo, can you help me? I need to move this.”

Madam Won beckoned him, waving her hand. Heewoo, barely recovering from the inexplicable shock, approached her. A small orchid pot was placed in his arms.

He followed behind Madam Won. Holding the single-leaf orchid pot with its light green flower stalk in a small white porcelain pot seemed to calm his mind. However, the calmness brought on by the subtle fragrance of the orchid gradually faded as he realized where they were headed. It was the CEO’s office.

“CEO, this orchid was sent as a gift.”

Madam Won, after knocking and entering, gestured towards Heewoo. It was a somewhat ambiguous expression for Madam Won.

On the day the CEO visited after a long absence, she had decided to have Kwon Heewoo carry the pot as soon as she saw it.

But the atmosphere wasn’t what she had expected.

Under the large chandelier, Jang Seungyung was looking at data displayed through a beam projector. Secretary Hwang was standing next to the screen. It seemed to be a presentation related to the railway station expansion project. The one Jang Jooshin, the managing director of Geumsan, had recently won the bid for.

Jang Seungyung’s face, fixed on the screen, looked even more emotionless than usual, perhaps due to the bluish light. A strangely cold silence weighed on Madam Won’s shoulders.

“I didn’t realize you were already working. I’ll put the pot here. Heewoo.”

Madam Won said calmly. She had initially intended to place the pot on the CEO’s desk but discreetly changed the location to the sofa table. The orchid pot was placed next to a small stone bonsai that was already there.

Madam Won, with the dutifulness of a Cupid shooting arrows, tried to break the chilly silence.

“Would you like a cup of Dahongpao tea sent by Chairman Hyogil?”

At the same time, she slightly gestured to Heewoo, signaling him to bring the tea. It was so that he could get closer to the CEO, hoping the cold atmosphere would thaw if they were closer.

Then Jang Seungyung, still without lifting his gaze, said,

“Aren’t you working? You seem free.”

A gloomy voice resonating under the luxurious lighting. The corners of his lips were slightly raised, but his eyes weren’t smiling at all. Madam Won sensed the difficult atmosphere.

“…I’ll be going then.”

She said, maintaining her smile until the end. However, she couldn’t hide the haste in her steps as she headed for the door, as if she were being chased. Kwon Heewoo followed her. Madam Won, who had left the CEO’s office feeling deflated, looked back at Heewoo.

“Hey, you-“

What did you do to the CEO?

She almost asked. Unless he had done something, there was no way the man, who had been so openly displaying his interest, could have changed so drastically.