NFS 4.7

Dark eyes filled with heat now openly threw bait at Joo Seung-ha. Of course, Joo Seung-ha had no intention of taking it, but he became flustered nonetheless. Even though they hadn’t seen each other for over a week, he hadn’t expected Seo Ahn-jae to come looking for him first thing in the morning saying he missed him. Though they hadn’t seen each other’s faces in so long, they had been constantly messaging each other and often talking on the phone in the evenings, so Joo Seung-ha hadn’t particularly felt their separation.

But Seo Ahn-jae had rushed over like someone who couldn’t wait any longer. At one point, Joo Seung-ha had thought that different sizes of love would be burdensome. However, Seo Ahn-jae’s uninhibited display of his feelings wasn’t as off-putting as expected. He does so boldly what I couldn’t do. There was even a hint of regretful envy. But not enough envy to fall for the explicitly lewd trap being set.

“It seems like you have a lot of experience doing it while rushed for time.”

“Just a few times.”

Seo Ahn-jae shrugged his shoulders lightly and added, “Only with you.”

When did we…? As Joo Seung-ha was trying to recall their recent time together, an unexpected answer came, “Seven years ago, I was so busy I could barely sleep. But I always kept our scheduled times.”

“…”

In Joo Seung-ha’s mind, he remembered Seo Ahn-jae always working on his laptop at the hotel. As he said, he had never once broken their appointment times. Not that he was particularly moved now by the fact that Seo Ahn-jae had made time to meet him despite being busy. However, it felt like the solid wall he had built against Seo Ahn-jae over the years was being gradually worn down.

“It’s sad that you had to rush for money when you were too busy to even sleep.”

Unlike the light content of his words, Joo Seung-ha’s voice was dry, as if sunken. Seo Ahn-jae stared at him expressionlessly for a moment before curving his lips.

“The sex was better than the money.”

“…”

“What about you?”

No matter how many times he’d overcome it and thought he was fine with the past, it always bothered him terribly. He found it somewhat irritating how Seo Ahn-jae touched on this subject so casually. And with such deep, desperate eyes at that. Joo Seung-ha opened his mouth, which somehow felt completely dry.

“Not really. I regretted wasting the money.”

A short laugh burst from Seo Ahn-jae’s mouth. Ah, that wasn’t meant to be funny. Joo Seung-ha looked at him crookedly while running his hand through his still-wet hair. Unlike Seo Ahn-jae’s smiling lips, his eyes clung hungrily to Joo Seung-ha’s every movement. Not noticing this, Joo Seung-ha sighed and picked up his phone to check the time.

“Anyway, I don’t want my work disrupted, and I’m not up for any thrills at the moment, so please leave.”

“I’m not done here yet.”

What business? Before he could ask, Joo Seung-ha remembered the nonsensical excuse Seo Ahn-jae had made earlier. He said he missed me. He couldn’t help but laugh.

“You should just say you want sex. That would make more sense.”

“No. I missed you.”

“…”

“From the moment I opened my eyes, I couldn’t stand how much I missed you.”

“Don’t believe it?”

Though Joo Seung-ha didn’t answer, his disbelief was apparent. Seo Ahn-jae stared at him with a blank expression on his face.

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me.”

Joo Seung-ha was rendered speechless and only gripped the bag tighter. True, there was so much he didn’t know. That he had missed him that much. Even to Joo Seung-ha’s doubtful ears, these words sounded true. He suddenly felt sorry for avoiding him.

He had just needed time alone to let his wounds heal and hadn’t thought this much time was significant. It was just a little over a week after all. But he hadn’t known Seo Ahn-jae would miss him this much. As Joo Seung-ha stood quietly, unable to raise his eyes, Seo Ahn-jae took the bag from him and put it on the table.

“Are you sorry?”

“Why should I be?”

Though he was sorry, being asked directly made him reluctant to admit it. Seeing Joo Seung-ha’s irritation, Seo Ahn-jae smiled and opened the bag.

“If you apologize, I’ll graciously accept it.”

“I have no reason to be sorry.”

Joo Seung-ha’s hand stopped at the next question.

“But you had a reason to avoid me for over a week?”

“…No.”

The conversation paused briefly. Instead, white plastic containers filled with soup, rice, and side dishes emerged endlessly from the rustling bag, filling the small table. Joo Seung-ha glanced at the clock, realized it was pointless to try to drive him away, and gave up, sitting down at the table. It was the same bean sprout hangover soup they had eaten at Seo Ahn-jae’s house before.

“Did you drink yesterday?”

Joo Seung-ha asked without thinking as he opened the lid, but there was no answer. When he looked up, a faint smile had spread across Seo Ahn-jae’s face.

“Was my question strange?”

Seo Ahn-jae handed Joo Seung-ha the chopsticks and spoon he had unwrapped.

“How could it be strange?”

Why are you smiling then? Tilting his head to one side in confusion, he took a spoonful of the soup. The refreshing and savory broth with dried pollack felt like it was curing a hangover he didn’t even have.

“I was happy because it seemed like you were worried about me.”

His low voice, almost a whisper, truly contained satisfaction. Another layer of guilt was added to Joo Seung-ha’s already guilty conscience. He hadn’t worried at all.

“Hmm, I didn’t ask out of worry. It was because of the menu.”

“Don’t act cute when you know that’s not true.”

Joo Seung-ha looked at Seo Ahn-jae with a mix of disbelief and relief. Thanks to these occasionally unpleasant remarks, which had become rare since they started dating, his guilt was fading. This was more like Seo An-jae. Joo Seung-ha responded sarcastically as usual, feeling more at ease, “You’re happy even though you know it’s a misunderstanding?”

“It’s better than the dream.”

“Dream?”

“Yeah. You appeared in my dream.”

“What…what did I do in the dream?”

Seo Ahn-jae stared at Joo Seung-ha while chewing his food, then swallowed and answered slowly, “You came to my office. Then you got on top of me, took in my cock, and moved your hips amazingly.”

“What a dirty dream.”

At his firm response, Seo Ahn-jae chuckled again. But his eyes darkened momentarily as he suggested quietly, “Let’s do it like dogs.”

***

“They’re asking about attendance for this month’s Pet Food Association seminar. What should we do?”

“It’s called a seminar, but it’s just for show to use up the allocated budget. Nothing special.”

Manager Park answered Assistant Kim’s question. Though he raised his voice as usual during the morning sales team meeting, today Joo Seung-ha barely heard her. Instead, his mind was filled with thoughts of Seo Ahn-jae who had visited his home that morning.

Isn’t he getting more and more shameless and slick since we started dating? No, saying “Let’s do it like dogs”…Ha, really…It was both outrageous and embarrassing. Because the moment he heard those words, he had imagined the position. Damn it.  Why did I have to remember that now?

“It’s on a weekend anyway, right? Who would go there when we’re busy?”

“Well, this seminar’s topic is about diversification of pet food ingredients, and one of the speakers is from K University’s veterinary…”

“Enough. If you want to go, Assistant Kim can go. Or Team Leader Joo can go?”

As Joo Seung-ha was still lost in thought with his gaze lowered, Manager Park let out a disbelieving laugh.

“Ha. Getting famous from the shopping broadcast and now not wanting to work, or what?”

“Ah, yes. I did get a bit famous.”

When Joo Seung-ha deliberately smiled, Manager Park’s cheek muscles trembled as she tensed her face.

“Hmm, but they say rumors don’t last more than three days.”

“Yes, but there are people like you, Manager Park, who remember and mention those rumors beyond three days. I’m doing my work properly so I won’t be called arrogant.”

Manager Park shut her mouth at Joo Seung-ha’s response. She had never particularly liked Joo Seung-ha, but recently, with the huge success of the shopping broadcast Joo Seung-ha participated in and the company’s sales increasing significantly, she couldn’t hide her discomfort.

“Oh really? You didn’t seem to be listening properly to the meeting content.”

“Isn’t it you who wasn’t listening properly, Manager Park?”

“Ha, when was I not listening?”

“You cut off what Assistant Kim was trying to say.”

Joo Seung-ha looked at Assistant Kim, who had first brought up the seminar topic, and asked gently, “You were going to mention that a professor of veterinary nutrition from K University is one of the speakers, right?”

Assistant Kim, being the only other woman in the team handling sales support, was someone Joo Seung-ha usually took care of. When Joo Seung-ha showed he knew what she meant, Assistant Kim responded with eyes sparkling more than usual, nodding emphatically.

“Yes. This seminar’s topic is about special ingredients consumed overseas, especially in Oceania. Since he’s a veterinary nutrition professor, I thought he might have research data about special ingredients that aren’t currently imported.”

“So what?”

Manager Park interrupted again. Joo Seung-ha was about to help explain but stopped when he saw the determination in her eyes. She can handle this herself? Sure enough, Assistant Kim took a deep breath and rapidly explained.

“Remember the pet food we tried to import from Australia before? It had special ingredients, but the quarantine office wouldn’t assign an import code because these ingredients had never been imported before, so we couldn’t even get samples. The president looked into it and said it would be difficult because to approve such ingredients, we need proper research materials based on papers or research from veterinary nutrition authorities. So wouldn’t it be a good opportunity if the professor’s presentation materials include the ingredients we wanted to import?”

Though her words were sharp, her slightly flushed face showed her nervousness. As expected, Manager Park furrowed her brow, not even bothering to hide her displeasure. Whether Assistant Kim’s words were right or wrong didn’t matter to her. The issue was that his subordinate was speaking to her as if trying to teach her. As she was about to reprimand this clear insubordination, Joo Seung-ha’s voice came first.

“That’s right. It’s a good opportunity. Assistant Kim, you’ve looked into this thoroughly. The seminar is on Friday and Saturday, right? Hmm, how about you attend, Assistant Kim? If possible, it would be even better if you could arrange a short meeting with the professor after the seminar.”

“Well…but what if the professor’s materials aren’t what we wanted?”

“It can’t be helped then. In that case, just think of it as getting a nice rest at a hotel on business expenses.”

When Joo Seung-ha smiled brightly, Assistant Kim blushed slightly and nodded her head.

“Let’s end the meeting here.”

At Joo Seung-ha’s closing words, everyone left the cramped meeting room, but Manager Park lingered, glancing at Joo Seung-ha as if she had something to say.

“Manager Park, did you have something you wanted to say?”

“No, I was going to let it slide, but how can you praise Assistant Kim when she talks to her superior like that? Aren’t you just encouraging her?”

“Yes, I did encourage her this time.”

“What?” 

As Park Manager’s eyes widened, Joo Seung-ha said lightly, “Assistant Kim is admirable, isn’t she?”

“For defying me?”

That too is admirable, actually. Joo Seung-ha shook his head expressionlessly.

“No. For volunteering to do the troublesome work that nobody wants to do. As you said, who would want to go to an association seminar that might not even benefit us? Even with pay, nobody would want to go because it’s actually bothersome.”

“But still, when I was speaking, she so pointedly…”

“In meetings, many people don’t speak up even when they have ideas because they’ll have to take responsibility for those suggestions until the end. They say it just creates more work.”

“That’s…true.”

Manager Park thought for a moment before agreeing. Joo Seung-ha tensed his jaw to avoid showing his smile. Though Manager Park was old-fashioned and petty, once she agreed with something, she was easier to persuade than anyone.

“So it’s admirable, isn’t it? Even though she’s young.”

“Well, I guess so.” Park Manager nodded again. Then she paused and stared at Joo Seung-ha.

“…Team Leader Joo is young too, right?”

“Yes. I’m young too, and I find the seminar bothersome.”

“Ah, you too?”

Though it wasn’t actually very bothersome, Joo Seung-ha agreed with “Of course” and added, “So please treat Assistant Kim well.”

“Ah, well, I was planning to.”

“And listen to her opinions through to the end from now on.”

“Ah, that…”

“It’s admirable, right?”

“…Right.”

Manager Park agreed reluctantly and, having nothing more to say, fled the meeting room. Left alone, Joo Seung-ha smirked while closing his laptop. Until just recently, he had gotten headaches wondering how to work with this person, but now that he was used to it, he felt like he was starting to understand how to handle her.

***

Even thinking about it now, Seo Ahn-jae wondered if he’d gone crazy. Since arriving at work until now in the afternoon, scenes kept popping into his head, making it difficult to concentrate on work.

“What a dirty dream.”

When Joo Seung-ha had coldly commented on his dream, he had half-jokingly replied, “Let’s do it like dogs.” And looking at Joo Seung-ha’s eyes, he slightly regretted it. For a moment, those brown eyes had wavered. He immediately knew what Joo Seung-ha had imagined. 

Simultaneously, desire rose up and enveloped him like flames. Fuck, I want to pounce on him. He had almost reached out to roughly grab his body and push him onto the table. He wanted to press his neck down and rub against his bent-over bottom like an animal.

“Sunbae must be full.”

Fortunately, the calm voice had come out in time to suppress Seo Ahn-jae’s twitching hand. Joo Seung-ha had looked straight at him and added disapprovingly, “Full from reading the atmosphere.”

Just remembering it made Seo Ahn-jae-an’s mouth twist into a smile. He was so incredibly cute. The current Joo Seung-ha, whom he hadn’t known before, was impossibly cute even when making sassy remarks. Throughout his commute after leaving him, and during several meetings at work, those expressions and voices kept coming back to disturb his daily life.

He hadn’t known one person could dominate him like this. He couldn’t erase thoughts of Joo Seung-ha. Seo Ahn-jae reassessed his earlier self-evaluation. I’m not just crazy, I’ve completely lost it. But as he confirmed his condition, a pleased smile spread across his face. And seeing that smile, Secretary Choi made the same assessment.

The CEO has finally lost it.

In Seo Ahn-jae’s hands were the previous quarter’s performance figures. Given the stagnant gaming market, this level was holding up well, but they were certainly not numbers to smile at. Of course, the beta response to their upcoming new game was quite good so performance would improve, but the current market announcement wouldn’t be positive. No, it definitely wasn’t a performance that would satisfy their perfectionist CEO.

Moreover, for the past week, Seo Ahn-jae had been freezing everyone out like some martial arts master who had mastered ice techniques. So everyone had endured the week consoling each other, “Let’s be careful, let’s be careful.” The biggest hurdle was today when the performance figures came out. Yet here he was, smiling at the poor performance figures as if reading a love letter.

Secretary Choi couldn’t help but be suspicious. What could it be? Had the CEO invested in company-related derivatives under someone else’s name? That would mean prison if caught. I still have 2 years left on my car payments. Surely I won’t have to undergo prosecution investigation too…