MM 69

“…Okay. This seems good enough.”

Standing in front of the mirror, Yu-young muttered to himself while adjusting his hair. He had woken up early, taken a shower, and put on nice clothes. Recently, he had worn suits almost every day, including weekends, so he felt quite happy to wear casual clothes for the first time in a while.

He wore comfortable beige cotton pants and a dark brown knit sweater on top. Although the sweater was a bit too big, and the sleeves hung a little awkwardly, he had never had a chance to wear it out since buying it recently, so he was eager to wear it today. His reflection in the mirror was somewhat satisfying. After tidying up his hair, Yu-young carefully examined the shoes in the shoe rack.

Today was the day he was supposed to go shopping for household items with Do-won.

He had been so anxious all week, especially with Saturdays on his mind. Even though they had gone to visit his parents and done much bigger things together every Saturday, the fact that today they were simply going shopping together made Yu-young even more nervous.

Perhaps it was because of what happened yesterday. Yu-young tilted his head, recalling Do-won’s attitude from yesterday. For some reason, when he and Yoon-seok were in the meeting room, Do-won had looked very annoyed and even childish, making Yu-young run an errand to get tea, which he had never asked him to do before.

Yet, when they were alone in the room, he was incredibly kind. He had treated Yu-young’s minor hand injury with excessive care and had told him to let him know anytime there was a problem with his pheromones. All of these things swirled inside Yu-young’s mind in confusion.

But the most confusing thing was the words Do-won had said yesterday. It was something that strangely stayed with him, clear and hard to forget.

“I’m fair to everyone, but I’m not kind to everyone.”

What did that mean? As he began to ponder deeply, the door suddenly opened. Do-won looked surprised when he saw Yu-young.

“You’re out early, Assistant Han.”

“Good morning, Team Leader.”

“Yeah.”

Do-won’s lips curved into a gentle smile, and his hand naturally reached up to brush Yu-young’s forehead. Yu-young’s eyes widened but he didn’t move away. It felt very natural now to have this level of contact with Do-won outside of work. Honestly speaking, the touch of his hand on his face felt pleasant.

“You look great today. The sweater suits you well.”

“…Thank you.”

“Let’s go.”

Do-won had been complimenting Yu-young’s appearance every time after Mrs. Park did his hair and makeup, but today Yu-young had done everything on his own. Still, Do-won gave him the same compliment.

Could it be that he said it just casually all the time? Yu-young suddenly felt a bit embarrassed, realizing that he had been reacting so strongly to such comments.

“Ah, yes. Um, Team Leader.”

Yu-young, who usually got into the car without hesitation, hesitated today and didn’t open the door. Do-won looked up at him.

“I’ve always gotten a ride in your car and you’re the one who drives, so… would you like to take my car today? I’ll drive today.”

“It’s fine, really. It’s not a difficult task.”

“But still. I always get a ride from you, and I feel sorry about it. Please?”

“Hmm.”

Do-won paused for a moment, then smiled faintly.

“Okay, let’s take your car today. But I’ll still drive.”

“No, it’s fine, Team Leader. The driver insurance only applies to me anyway… Today, I’ll drive so please, trust me!”

Yu-young straightened his back and proudly patted his chest a few times. Do-won’s smile grew a little wider as he watched Yu-young.

Since Yu-young’s car was parked right next to them, they didn’t need to move. With a beep, Yu-young’s car unlocked. Yu-young felt a little awkward. Could there be a more mismatched pair than a compact car and Do-won? He regretted making this suggestion.

“Ah, um, Team Leader… The ride might feel quite different from yours.”

“It’s fine.”

Do-won answered calmly, and Yu-young glanced at him to make sure he was putting on his seatbelt. It was something Do-won always did habitually.

“Then, let’s go.”

It felt different from the usual times when he got in Do-won car. Yu-young felt like he was truly taking care of his boss.

It was true that he had been too comfortable until now. Getting in the car every time and having his boss open the door for him and naturally sitting inside.

“From now on, let’s keep some boundaries. No matter how much we agreed to this…”

Just thinking about the term ‘contract marriage’ made Yu-young’s ears flush red, so he could only vaguely think of the words. After all, he saw Do-won every day at work and would continue to see him in the future, so it would be difficult to keep treating him with fluttering and racing emotions like before.

Above all, Do-won treated him the same as everyone. Wasn’t that the condition he had proposed from the start—to strictly separate emotions from the contract?

So, as much as Yu-young didn’t understand other things, that part was clear. Do-won was kind, but that was just because he was naturally gentle, not because he had any special feelings for Yu-young. Unlike the ambiguous words Do-won had said yesterday, Yu-young concluded that much.

“Don’t get too excited and mess things up. Act like an adult.”

It was something his older sisters often said. His father also used to say that Yu-young always acted like the youngest wherever he went, so he should act more maturely. Although it wasn’t something he had heard recently, Yu-young thought of those words and straightened his back.

“…Ah. Right. Is it uncomfortable? Let me ventilate the room first.”

Although it was a bit late, Yu-young suddenly remembered the pheromone issue and hurriedly opened all the windows. He had been so lost in his own thoughts that he had completely forgotten that Do-won might feel uncomfortable because of his pheromones.

However, Do-won just smiled. He casually leaned his arm against the window and tilted his head, looking like a lion who had just eaten and was satisfied.

“It’s fine. It’s not that uncomfortable.”

“Ah… I’m relieved.”

Do-won, who was giving him a relaxed look, seemed to be saying more than just that it wasn’t uncomfortable. He even seemed to be in a good mood. Unlike Yu-young, who would visibly show excitement when feeling good, Do-won just had a slightly gentler gaze, but Yu-young could instinctively feel it.

And as he felt Do-won’s pheromones becoming stronger, Yu-young straightened his back.

‘What’s going on? Why is he like this? Is he having trouble controlling it today?’

Fortunately, it wasn’t to the point of discomfort. Although he had a pheromone shock last time, after proper medication, it seemed like it was back to normal today. Knowing that, Yu-young guessed that Do-won must have been feeling more comfortable as well. He thought casually about it and slowly turned the steering wheel.

However, today his pheromones seemed to be taking on a slightly unusual pattern. It wasn’t like before when they would wrap around his body or fall into a relaxed, calm state as Yu-young had expected. Today, it was much more precise and persistent. It felt as if Do-won was trying to leave his mark in every corner of the car.

If it had been before, Yu-young would have been shocked. There was no way he would have just ignored the fact that an alpha was marking his car with its scent. But why did Do-won’s pheromones feel so comfortable and thrilling now? What would happen if he got too used to Do-won’s pheromones?

‘Here we go again.… Tch. I need to pull myself together.’

Clicking his tongue, Yu-young slowed down in front of the department store. They naturally went up to the second floor, where the VIP parking spaces were. After handing the keys to the valet, the two of them entered the department store.

While there was the option of using a shopping assistant to choose household items, for some reason, Do-won didn’t suggest it. Maybe he wanted to pick things out himself since it would be the space they would live in? Yu-young thought to himself.

The same went for his current house; for some reason, he seemed to like setting up his own space. Maybe he just liked shopping… Yu-young wasn’t sure. But since he didn’t mind shopping either, he decided to think of it as just getting some fresh air today.

Standing in front of the elevator, Yu-young looked up at Do-won and asked,

“Team Leader, what should we look at first?”

“Hm, let’s start with electronics.”