MM 80

“…Could you look at this chart first? I believe this part best represents the current state of the market. Especially, the sales performance compared to the previous quarter…”

A monotonous voice filled the conference room. Do-won’s hand, holding a pen, moved every now and then, neatly writing the presentation content on the paper.

The room was so quiet, with only the sound of pens from those seated beside him, apart from the person presenting. Do-won’s sharp gaze remained fixed on the screen, and his posture, sitting upright, was unshakable. Since the meeting would continue based on the content after the presentation, he needed to stay alert and focused.

However, despite fully absorbing the content being spoken, the lingering afterimage in front of him was about something entirely different.

‘Team Leader. Did you sleep well?’

The image of him rubbing his eyes in pajamas, he couldn’t even open his eyes…

‘Something like a feather is on you. It must’ve come from your clothes.’

The memory of him, with a perfectly professional appearance, handing me a proposal, only to suddenly lower his guard and place his hand on my head…

‘Have I lost my mind? Really.’

It was so ridiculous it was hard to believe. After the meeting ended, Do-won let out a hollow laugh and stood up. He casually responded to other team leaders from different departments who spoke to him, suggesting they have a drink sometime, and then immediately headed to the restroom.

He turned on cold water and splashed his face. While his focus had not yet been impaired by thinking about Han Yu-young, it was enough to make him feel bewildered, as he had never experienced such distractions while working before.

The water was cold, but the sigh he let out still felt strangely warm. After roughly drying his face and fixing his hair, he left the restroom. He had to suppress and bury these feelings on his own. There was no good reason to show them to Han Yu-young.

Lost in work, he buried himself in tasks, knowing that if he didn’t, his thoughts would only wander more. He ended up working on things that weren’t his priority. By the time he realized it, it was already nearly 6 PM.

As usual, he came out of his office to check on his team members’ departure. There was no urgent business today, and as he looked around the office, he noticed that everyone had finished getting ready to leave, their eyes glued to their monitors. Do-won clapped a couple of times and called out briefly.

“Alright, let’s head home. Good job today.”

“Good work!”

That word became the signal, and the team members all stood up at once. The quiet atmosphere quickly became lively as people gathered their things to leave. One by one, the team members greeted Do-won as they left the office. However, one familiar seat still showed no sign of being vacated.

After everyone left, Yu-young, who had been lingering at his desk, slowly approached and asked.

““Um… Team Leader, are you busy today? I was wondering if you were coming along.”

Yu-young knew that this week was more relaxed, so he was asking with that in mind. However, Do-won, avoiding Yu-young’s wide, curious eyes, responded.

“I don’t think I can.”

A hoarse voice replied.

“…Yes?”

Yu-young’s confused expression finally snapped Do-won back to reality. He realized his answer had been inappropriate and a delayed realization hit him.

“…I’ll work a bit longer. You go ahead and leave.”

“Ah… Yes. I understand.”

Yu-young nodded and slowly reached for his bag, but at that moment, Do-won’s hand reached out, covering Yu-young’s head.

“…Uh…”

Hiding his flustered feelings, Do-won slowly began to comb Yu-young’s hair and adjust his collar. The thought that he might be out of his mind briefly crossed his mind, but it was after work, and there was no one else around, so what did it matter?

At first, Yu-young looked bewildered, but soon accepted the gesture with a look of indifference, as if it were natural. When he thought about it, Yu-young had never avoided his touch from the beginning.

‘…Ha…’

‘I really can’t do this.’

Suppressing the urge to continue stroking his round, cute forehead, Do-won forced his hand to withdraw. Turning around, he greeted Yu-young in a deliberately more formal and dry manner.

“Drive carefully on your way home.”

“Yes, I understand. Um… Team Leader.”

Yu-young’s hesitant voice suddenly grabbed his attention.

“If you’re too busy… just bring work home. I’ll help with whatever I can.”

A soft laugh escaped him. The genuine concern in Yu-young’s voice melted away a block that had been inside Do-won without resistance.

“…I won’t make you work overtime at home, so don’t worry.”

“Yes. Then… I’ll head out.”

The polite tone, accompanied by a slight bow, was unmistakably that of an ordinary colleague. After such a greeting, once home, he would probably wash up, put on indoor clothes, and sit there with that pale, puppy-like face…

‘…Crazy.’

Sighing, Do-won stared at the door Yu-young had just exited before walking over to rummage through his bag. With a rough hand, he pulled out a stronger emergency suppressor, not the regular one he usually took, and swallowed it. He felt as though he might make some ridiculous mistake tonight if he didn’t take it.

It was the second day after moving to his new place. The dinner and wine he shared with Yu-young yesterday seemed strangely like something from long ago.

After parking, he took the elevator up. The unfamiliar new building still felt strange. Standing in front of the door, Do-won tugged at his tie slightly, the thought of Yu-young being on the other side of that door making his throat feel parched.

He had taken the suppressor, so he wouldn’t make a mistake. It would be fine. If it was too hard, he could just think of it as work.

With that in mind, Do-won absentmindedly typed in Yu-young’s birthday. Just as he passed through the hallway and entered the living room, someone greeted him.

“Ah, Team Leader, you’re here?”

Yu-young, comfortably leaning on the sofa, immediately sat up. Perhaps he had been sleeping, as he kept rubbing his eyes.

“Why don’t you go rest in the bedroom? Why are you sitting here like this?”

“…I just… I thought I might fall asleep if I went in. I wanted to say goodnight to you before going to bed. Haha.”

On the sofa were, without a doubt, his photo albums spread out. Do-won let out a laugh as he looked at the neatly stacked albums on the sofa.

What’s so great about that? Does he really like it so much that the book covers have worn down from looking at them every day?

And why is he waiting for me? I’m just his boss. These unspoken questions kept rising in his mind.

“…You didn’t even dry your hair.”

Suppressing the surge of emotion he couldn’t explain, Do-won casually spoke.

“You’ll catch a cold.”

“Ah… I usually don’t dry it well. But I was feeling a bit cold, so maybe I didn’t dry it enough.”

“Wait here.”

The wet hair bothered him for some reason. As he walked to get the hairdryer from the bathroom, he couldn’t shake the thought that this might be unnecessary meddling. Yet, his steps toward Yu-young with the dryer were unstoppable. When Yu-young saw him holding the device above his head, his eyes widened in surprise.

“Team… Team Leader, it’s fine. I’ll… I’ll do it.”

“Stay still. Just finish what you were looking at.”

Without a word, Do-won held the device, gently shaking it, and began drying Yu-young’s hair.

Yu-young’s hair was fine. Do-won carefully inserted his fingers between the strands, slowly working through it, making sure to dry his hair thoroughly. The damp hair, once rough and wet, soon lost its moisture and became soft.

At first, Yu-young had stiffened up with tension, but quickly relaxed as he allowed Do-won to continue. Watching Yu-young let go of his wariness and surrender to his touch, Do-won took a deep breath.

“Ah…”

Yu-young let out a lazy sigh, as if in admiration, with his head tilted back.

“This feels nice. You’re drying my hair, Team Leader…”

He joked, his eyes closing in a relaxed smile. Seeing that, Do-won’s grip on the handle tightened. He carefully avoided gripping his hair too tightly, silently continuing to dry it.

“…I used to look at photo albums whenever I couldn’t sleep. But… now I feel sleepy.”

His voice, thick with sleepiness, continued to chatter, even though there was no response. At some point, perhaps realizing how casual he was being, his body, which had been relaxed, suddenly stiffened.

“Um, Team Leader… I’m sorry for just letting you do this…”

“It’s fine. Stay relaxed. If I don’t dry it properly, you’ll catch a cold.”

His hair was almost dry now, but for some reason, Do-won didn’t want to stop.

The feel of Yu-young’s hair wrapping around his fingers, the sensation of his slender neck brushing against him, and the roundness of his small head… He wanted to keep touching him, keep doing this…

Focus. Do-won bit his lip tightly and turned off the dryer.

“Team Leader… If you go wash up, I’ll dry your hair for you.”