PIA 59

Ji-an had been ignoring the things “Seo Ji-an” of this world had saved up until now, and it startled him to realize it had come to this.

‘Seriously, what the hell..’

Ji-an hurriedly picked up his phone and opened the contacts to change the name saved there. . Even as he was doing that, messages kept coming in, almost making him call back.

‘Why does he keep sending these? Seriously…’

[Jeong Han-joo: It was a real mistake earlier. Hyung is sorry. [1:28 PM]

[Jeong Han-joo: I never did that on purpose. Just like before and last time too. [1:28 PM]

[Jeong Han-joo: Do you trust hyung? [1:28 PM]

[Jeong Han-joo: Really;; I was surprised too… I don’t know why I keep acting like this towards you. [1:29 PM]

[Jeong Han-joo: I want to apologize, but please give me some time. [1:30 PM]

[Jeong Han-joo: That’s because hyung wanted to buy you something you like. [1:31 PM]

[Jeong Han-joo: Are you uncomfortable meeting me? [1:31 PM]

‘I am uncomfortable.’

Should he respond or ignore this?

From his perspective, it would be best to ignore and not read it, but he got scared Jeong Han-joo might persistently seek him out. It wouldn’t be good for Jeong Han-joo to come looking for him at Jeong Hee-seo’s office or home. Aside from the two brothers being on bad terms, it would be worse if Jeong Han-joo found out that Ji-an was pregnant…

Without realizing it, Ji-an was frowning deeply while staring at his phone. He had forgotten about eating lunch, his head bowed and expression frozen in a deep frown.

Thud. There was a dull tapping sound on the desk.

Still with his head down, Ji-an just raised his eyes and saw a large hand – no, a fist on the desk.

“Hyung-nim?”

He quickly looked up to see Jeong Hee-seo staring down at him with a complicated expression. The slight crease between his brows and the way his lips moved as he chose his words fully revealed his mood.

“…”

“…”

Jeong Hee-seo stroked his jaw. He abruptly turned his head away from Ji-an and said in a low voice,

“I’ll move aside…so you can eat comfortably.”

“…”

“Stop mumbling.”

That was the end of it. Before Ji-an could form a response, he withdrew his hand from the desk. He turned his back and walked away from him without hesitation. His stride was as wide as usual, but seemed a bit more restless and uneasy.

Click, the glass door facing outside closed and Ji-an was alone in an instant. Just Ji-an, the pork cutlet lunchbox, and Jeong Hee-seo’s lingering pheromones remained in the spacious General Manager’s office.

“…What, what was that?”

He stood up abruptly to find Jeong Hee-seo’s desk unnaturally clean and cleared off. He had completely missed him eating and cleaning up his lunch.

Ji-an looked at the glass door with a look of disappointment on his face.

* * *

“I’m home.”

Late in the evening after sunset, Ji-an reflexively greeted as he entered through the front door. It was a habit over 20 years old, except here he had a mother who would enthusiastically welcome him back.

“My son’s here! Did you have dinner?”

Ji-an was still not used to the living room not being dimly lit, so he was so blinded that he missed the moment to reply. Taking that as a cue, Yoon Ok-hee gestured hurriedly for the servants to serve the meal.

“No! I ate a huge meal already, Mom.”

“Really?”

But why the face like you couldn’t even get a crumb? Ji-an smiled and added an explanation.

“I ate too much, way too much. My stomach’s a bit upset.”

It wasn’t a lie. Jeong Hee-seo was a man who kept one duty to the utmost. Even though the awkwardness was indescribable, he took Ji-an out to make sure he ate dinner. Perhaps the awkwardness was just on Ji-an’s side, which deflated him a bit.

“Really, don’t worry. Hyung-nim always makes sure I eat at least one meal properly. That’s why I agreed to go out every day.”

Though after what happened the first day, he was concerned about the future.

Dismissing his worried mother like water off a duck’s back, Ji-an went to the kitchen and took out a tonic from the fridge. All he could do was try his best to have a healthy baby. As he was sipping the tonic, his grandmother’s mocking voice drifted over.

“Wandering around recklessly and not listening properly, no wonder your face looks like that. A brat with a child has no sense of caution.”

“Hrmph, the less I see or hear Grandma’s face and voice, the better for my health.” As the grandson mumbled and loudly slurped his tonic, tuning out her nagging, Kang Boon-nam couldn’t contain herself and grumbled.

“You’ll come to your senses after something bad happens out there, you hear!”

“Geez Grandma, being old doesn’t make you an adult.”

“What did you say, you brat?”

“Mother! Ji-an isn’t alone anymore, please.”

Never corrected the old lady… Yoon Ok-hee looked flustered as she intervened. Ji-an knew that his inability to hold back makes things hard for his Mom, but he couldn’t help it. How could Ji-an just laugh it off when he was being told he would face something bad while pregnant?

Sheesh, he really needed to move out before the year was up… Ji-an muttered internally so the baby wouldn’t hear. As he climbed the stairs to his room, he suddenly sighed. He didn’t quite know why he was putting up with this situation.

They say stress is the worst, and he just kept mumbling the obvious.

* * *

Inside the General Manager’s office, a separate meeting room was hosting an intense video conference. It was for localizing a new brand, so there were only a few people physically present as it was connected to overseas branches, but over ten voices could be heard.

The meeting was almost over. The final question was asking for Jeong Hee-seo’s opinion. It was less of a question and more seeking his permission, as the meeting couldn’t conclude without the answer from the man himself. However, Jeong Hee-seo had been tight-lipped for minutes, unsatisfied with something, causing tension to fill the meeting room.

“…General Manager.”

Secretary Yoon lowered his voice and called out Jeong Hee-seo. His lips were barely moving as he spoke was almost like a form of martial arts. Even when he resorted to gestures, Jeong Hee-seo showed no signs of responding, so he blinked his eyes, but his quick-witted boss was unusually indifferent today.

―General Manager Jeong Hee-seo?

Eventually, someone else on the screen called out Jeong Hee-seo. Only then did he turned his head to look at the screen, but even that was slow.

Jeong Hee-seo blinked for a moment and then spoke in a monotonous tone.

“We will proceed with marketing as you mentioned, and if we are going to do it aggressively, let’s not hold back and pursue it with the hottest model in the region. List up verified candidates immediately and share it.”

―Understood.

“Our target isn’t conservative consumers, so go for a young model but someone clean without controversies, past or potential. Thoroughly investigate their personal life as well before deciding.”

As the smooth response flowed from Jeong Hee-seo, who had seemed lost in other thoughts, the man on the screen visibly looked relieved.

―Will the General Manager personally come to the site and inspect it before the showcase begins?

After hearing the question, Jeong Hee-seo’s gaze briefly glanced at the screen.

“Hard to say. I’ve been busy lately.”

Several people on the screen blinked their eyes. Their boss was known as an obsessive control freak when it came to work, insisting on personally seeing and deciding even minor details. So his nonchalant attitude was surprising.

Moreover, they had braced themselves for him scrutinizing this long-planned project on-site, so his refusal to do so in person was baffling. Their bewilderment was palpable, yet Jeong Hee-seo calmly concluded the meeting in an impassive tone.

“If there are no other agenda items, let’s end the meeting here. Isn’t it late over there?”

―Oh, it’s the middle of the night. Thank you all for your hard work.

―Thank you for your effort.

―We will immediately share the meeting details via email.

―Thank you.

As the video call ended and the screen went dark, the meeting room briefly turned pitch black. Amidst the commotion of people gathering their things and standing up, Jeong Hee-seo remained seated, causing Secretary Yoon to cautiously study his mood.

Jeong Hee-seo’s gaze was fixed beyond the opaque glass partition, and Secretary Yoon knew exactly who was on the other side. After the others left and the room fell quiet, he approached his boss.

“General Manager.”

“…”

Jeong Hee-seo turned his gaze back to the laptop as if he couldn’t hear Secretary Yoon’s words. On the screen, video materials handed over for marketing purposes were being played repeatedly.

“Why.”

“Will you have a lunchbox again today?”

Only then did Jeong Hee-seo look at Secretary Yoon. He couldn’t hide his sigh.

“…Yeah. Ask Ji-an about the menu, and sorry to trouble you again this time, Secretary Yoon.”

“Oh, it’s no trouble at all. Thanks to you, I keep getting to eat expensive meals too. It’s just…”

Secretary Yoon unconsciously turned his head back and looked in the direction where Ji-an was. Although it was impossible to see because of the closed door, it was clear what Ji-an was doing. He was probably sitting quietly at this moment as if he was not even there.

Yes, it had already been two weeks since Jeong Hee-seo and Ji-an had become awkward around each other. Thanks to that, Secretary Yoon, caught in the middle, was fed up to the gills while walking on eggshells.