PIA 49

Jeong Hee-seo chuckled.

“It’s my first time doing this too.”

“That’s a shame. You would have had a good response if you had done it more often. You would have gained a lot of popularity too.”

“I don’t need to do this kind of thing to have a line of people waiting.”

His words were so true, but he said them so casually that it annoyed Ji-an. Ji-an narrowed his eyes and stared at him. He must have felt the gaze, but Jeong Hee-seo was only looking at a puppy walking along the street.

“So are you going to do it or not?”

Ugh. He’s so persistent.

“Secretary Yoon is having a hard time taking care of your meals, so you should help out that much.”

“Then should I go to the secretary’s office?”

“No, that seems a bit strange, so come to my office instead.”

“What’s wrong with my appearance?”

Jeong Hee-seo narrowed his eyes and looked Ji-an up and down. The way he slightly curled up the corners of his mouth had the power to make people embarrassed. Ji-an’s face flushed red as he cleared his throat loudly.

“What what what why?”

Jeong Hee-seo’s smile deepened until he eventually reached out and pinched Ji-an’s cheek. Ji-an let out a yelp as Jeong Hee-seo’s soft touch pinched his chubby cheek.

“Ah, ah, it hurts, Hyung-nim! Ouch!”

From pinching his cheek to squeezing his cheeks, Ji-an became anxious that Jeong Hee-seo had found some new amusement from him. The grip was quite strong, so tears welled up in his eyes.

Amidst the laughter and chatter, Ji-an didn’t even realize that the dark energy that had made him depressed and unable to think about reality had disappeared before he knew it.

* * *

“So you’re buying all these clothes?”

Leaning back on the long sofa in the personal shopper’s room, Woo-seok glanced at Ji-an with an indifferent expression. There was a pile of fully packed shopping bags on the table in the living room, and Ji-an was changing his clothes again, as if he was still not satisfied.

“Yes. I will buy them all.”

“Crazy. Call me when you’re done shopping.”

“I called you to take a look. Look at this carefully. How does it look?”

“It all looks good on you.”

When Ji-an turned his head at Woo-seok’s indifferent response, he saw that Woo-seok wasn’t even looking at him. He was just moving his mouth while looking at his phone. What a useless friend to bring along. Ji-an looked back at the mirror and clicked his tongue.

“I can take a look for you.”

Manager Cha rushed forward, fearful of losing this VIP customer, who improves sales significantly. Ji-an had not visited in a long time, so he decided to show him all of the latest products. Furthermore, he had a distinct personality, making doing business with him simple, and he was a pleasant and satisfying customer to sell to.

Manager Cha rubbed his hands with a capitalist smile on his face.

“Take a spin around.”

Having just changed into a new suit, Ji-an looked like a young office worker. Perhaps because it was the clothes that Manager Cha ambitiously recommended, Ji-an looked outstanding. The sleek waistline and well-proportioned leg lines made his already well-proportioned body even more attractive.

Watching Ji-an from behind, Manager Cha excitedly clapped and cheered.

“Great… How about trying on the navy suit with stripes?”

“Yes. Please show me that one too.”

Manager Cha was already emotionally invested. He was so excited that he even stamped his feet. Today, Ji-an listened so well that it was quite rewarding to work with him. As the shopping time dragged on, Woo-seok’s posture became increasingly relaxed.

Growing impatient with the prolonged shopping and the lack of proper feedback, Ji-an glared at Woo-seok.

“I’ll be working at Hyung-nim’s company, so at least I shouldn’t fall behind.”

That day at lunch, Ji-an finally gave in to Jeong Hee-seo’s pressure and signed the contract. Since he had to come starting next Monday onwards, he needed clothes to wear. Ji-an’s wardrobe was filled with loud and flashy clothes that he would never wear if he were in his right mind.

Woo-seok snorted as he looked at Ji-an looking in the mirror with a serious expression.

“It’s not even a proper internship position. You’re spending several months’ worth of salary on clothes. The Chihuahua seems to have grown up a bit these days, but now you’re back to the old Seo Ji-an?”

“Oh my, this one is also so pretty. Brighter tones suit you better.”

Manager Cha fussed as he stepped between them to block Woo-seok’s criticism. Rather than helping further, the person prancing around beside him was of no help at all. He had already defined Woo-seok as an unnecessary person.

Ji-an said sullenly as he held several ties under his neck one after another.

“It’s fine. This is on grandma’s card. It’s not like I’ll be taking it all to the afterlife, so I might as well spend some. I’ll use it a bit as a filial duty.”

Indeed, in Ji-an’s pocket was the card his grandmother had given him. Whether out of guilt for throwing the ashtray last time or out of concern to stay on Jeong Hee-seo’s good side, it was a clear opportunity to contribute to the national economy.

As Ji-an alternated between the ties in his hand, he suddenly took out his phone and pulled up a photo of Jeong Hee-seo. He held the navy pinstriped tie up to his neck in the picture.

“Would this match?”

Manager Cha looked at what Ji-an had shown and his eyes widened because he was familiar with the face that appeared on the screen.

“Oh my, are you giving this as a gift to the General Manager Jeong? He would look absolutely great in this color. May I show you some more high-end items? The age gap calls for different styles.”

“Um…then please show me handkerchiefs too.”

“Certainly. He’ll love them.”

Ji-an wanted to replace the bloodstained handkerchief with a new one. Ji-an carefully examined the various brands of handkerchiefs that Manager Cha brought. He wanted to choose the one that suited him best.

As he carefully selected a handkerchief placed on the table, Woo-seok approached and leaned on Ji-an’s shoulder. Ji-an frowned and shrugged him off. Woo-seok brushed off his rejected chin and asked:

“Hey, what are you doing now? This.”

“What.”

“You and that guy. The baby father.”

“What about it?

“…”

When Ji-an looked back with a genuinely clueless expression, Woo-seok rubbed his forehead.

“Aren’t you guys dating?”

“No, we’re not?”

Ji-an spoke once again with a very innocent expression.

“No, we’re not.”

You’re not, huh.”

“No. And what do you mean by ‘that guy’? He’s older than you too.”

“Oh right. Okay, let’s say that.”

Ji-an chuckled at Woo-seok nitpicking like a child. He always reacted like that to everything I said. He had a habit of not believing me right away and needing proof.

Ji-an said she would finish shopping with the last suit she wore. I expected to buy a huge amount because it was the biggest overspend of my life that made my heart flutter, but the answer I received was a bit different.

“Don’t you need a watch? Have you become more sensible after getting employed?”

“Ah…haha. Sensible.”

“In the past, you gave us a lot of special orders. Every time a new product came out, I thought of you, but it seems our telepathy wasn’t working. I couldn’t adapt for a while, so I felt so lonely. We used to see each other often.”

Manager Cha pouted with a genuinely sad expression.

“What’s with that? Let’s stop and go. I’m hungry.”

Woo-seok clung to him again, wondering if he should buy something else. It was clear he wanted to flee from the department store as soon as possible. It wasn’t long since they met after lunch, and it was too early for dinner, so it was an unusual situation.

“Why are you hungry already?”

“I don’t know. You said you’d treat today. I have an upscale palate. Be prepared.”

“I said I’d treat you if you properly checked them out. You didn’t even give your opinion and now you want to eat?”

Woo-seok snorted and took the lead in opening the door and going out. His pace suggested he might just go home if left alone. Ji-an left the rest to Manager Cha and driver Kim and hurriedly followed Woo-seok.

Despite boasting about eating something expensive, Woo-seok timidly chose an omurice and hamburger steak restaurant. Ji-an mocked that birds of a feather flock together when it came to his friend. Just like how Ji-an craved sweets when stressed, Woo-seok also had quite the childish palate.

It was still early evening when the two settled by the window in the quiet restaurant. Being on the 10th floor of the department store, an artificial fountain and connecting bridge could be seen through the window.

With no other customers, their ordered dishes arrived quickly. A steaming omurice and hamburger steak were brought to the table one after another.

“No morning sickness today? You’re reeking of Alpha pheromones so badly, I’m just asking out of courtesy.”

Woo-seok pulled out a paper napkin and rubbed his nose in disgust.

“Oh, is it that noticeable?”

Ji-an took out Jeong Hee-seo’s handkerchief, took a deep breath, and then cut a big piece of the hamburger steak to eat. Although he had eaten enough to make Jeong Hee-seo nauseous at lunch, the food melted softly in his mouth. Woo-seok was also eating at an unusually fast pace, quickly clearing his plate.

“It’s not just noticeable, you bastard. Anyone would think you just finished rutting in the bathroom and are now walking around. It’s embarrassing, calling me out in such an animal-like state…”

He looks like a beast yet acts all sensitive. Ji-an muttered internally.

“If they noticed, they’d know you’re an Alpha or Omega, so why don’t they realize the pheromones on me are different from yours? No one will misunderstand. Don’t worry. And I have eyes too. First of all, we don’t even match.”

“Don’t give a damn. I’m not interested in you either.”

“Yeah, thanks.”

“Why don’t you ever mature, even after having a kid?”

Ji-an, who had been caught off guard, burst into laughter. The whole grain of rice almost went into his nose.