PIA 88

It was just last weekend that he had decided to take things slow.

“…”

Jeong Hee-seo momentarily lost his words in front of his subordinate. He wondered if everyone was conspiring to tease him… why was everything happening at once like this?

The employee who had come to request a meeting moved their eyes nervously, thinking they might have done something wrong due to the unexpectedly heavy reaction.

Jeong Hee-seo exhaled a long breath before speaking.

“You’re getting married.”

“…Yes. So I wanted to ask if it’s possible to take extended leave by combining my refresh vacation and wedding leave.”

“Yes, Hyun-joo, you’re in your third year so it’s possible. Well…”

Is marriage trending all over the world or something?

Earlier that morning, he had received a message from Jeong Hee-young about the engagement party arrangements. It had been only an hour since he had endured that headache-inducing chatter.

Considering that his and Ji-an’s relationship had begun with a pregnancy, he had been feeling that their relationship was moving too fast. He had resolved to take things slowly, following the proper steps. He planned to gradually win Ji-an over. It hadn’t even been 48 hours since he made that decision.

But everyone around him kept prodding him. Jeong Hee-seo, who had never felt so provoked in his life, was bewildered by the rawness of his emotions. Every day since meeting Ji-an has been a series of new experiences.

Of course, there were more good times than bad. Lately, he often thought that he felt like a newborn person.

“…”

“…”

Lee Hyun-joo blinked her eyes. The silence was too long for it to be a positive response. Why does the General Manager look so displeased? Is it because she brought up extended leave? Well, even if it’s guaranteed by company policy, what boss in this world would be happy about someone taking three weeks off?

But if not now, when else could she take a long trip?

Lee Hyun-joo put on a determined expression but then caught sight of Jeong Hee-seo sighing lightly with a troubled look between his brows.

“…General Manager?”

“Huh?”

“Is it not possible?”

“Oh, no. There’s no reason why not. That’s what the vacation system is for.”

He reassured Lee Hyun-joo with a willing expression, as if he had never been troubled. Then he even asked with a bright smile.

“Where are you going?”

“Pardon?”

“You’re taking leave for your honeymoon, right?”

“Ah, yes. We’re planning to tour Western Europe.”

“Ah, Europe is nice.”

Jeong Hee-seo instinctively tried to fit Ji-an into the travel frame that came to mind, then his eyes widened. His fantasies spread as quickly as wildfire, instantly moving to the thought of whether it would be too much for Ji-an to take a long flight while pregnant.

He lightly shook his head to clear his thoughts and looked at Lee Hyun-joo.

“I’ll have to give a generous wedding gift so you can have a fun trip. Congratulations on your marriage.”

“Th-thank you.”

As Lee Hyun-joo left the General Manager’s office, she tilted her head. Why did he look so regretful about her getting married? It made her heart flutter a bit.  She returned to her desk, thinking about how the General Manager had a unique way of teasing people.

Left alone again, Jeong Hee-seo scratched his eyebrow for a moment before taking out his phone.

[What do you want to eat for lunch? The weather’s nice, let’s go for a walk together.]

After sending the message without hesitation, he felt a slight self-loathing, as if he’d become a puppy begging for attention. Jeong Hee-seo roughly rubbed his forehead. What could he do? The report on the monitor screen just wouldn’t register in his mind.

It was severe. Perhaps this is why they say it’s a blessing to go through things at the right time. He suddenly remembered his grandmother worrying that he’d suffer greatly when he got older, seeing how he was always indifferent to everything.

What did Ji-an say while eating the traditional sweets his grandmother had sent?

‘You’re saying your grandmother made these herself? Wow, that’s amazing… I didn’t know you could make these at home. Is this honey? And this… wait a moment. Let me guess.’

‘This is pine nut powder, right? And there’s ginger in the honey, right?’

‘It’s so fascinating. How does it have this texture?’

Could a person’s expressions be so diverse over a mere snack? As he quietly watched Ji-an chattering away, he thought he’d like to capture it on video. It was the moment he finally understood his grandmother, who always urged his sister to record Ye-seo’s cute antics.

His grandmother would have been so happy to see Ji-an enjoy those sweets. She’d probably have wanted to give them all to Ji-an.

These days, he felt more complex and colorful. It was hard to believe that his once colorless world had become this vibrant.

Who knew the human mind could be this complicated? The fact that he’s even reminded of his college classmate who was always full of tireless love fantasies, say it all.

Just then, his phone buzzed.

[Samgyetang sounds good. But I also want Yeonpotang. Do you know any place that serves both? I’d feel a bit embarrassed to visit two different places for one meal. But if I have one for lunch and save the other for dinner, I won’t have the patience…]

Jeong Hee-seo couldn’t help but laugh. He laughed without even knowing why. If becoming more complex allowed him to laugh like this, then being complex was good. Perhaps this was the flavor of life, being able to hold curiosity for each day.

As he turned off his computer and stood up abruptly, Secretary Yoon, who was just entering after knocking, widened his eyes in surprise.

“…Where are you going?”

“Ah, perfect timing. Cancel all my afternoon schedules.”

“…”

“Good work, Secretary Yoon.”

Secretary Yoon was left alone, watching Jeong Hee-seo leave the General Manager’s office with a light step. Once again, the office staff would bet on whether Jeong Hee-seo would return after lunch. Yoon Woo-young would bet on him not returning. These days, his winning rate was quite high.

* * *

At the same time.

Ji-an was walking around with a slightly different emotion from Jeong Hee-seo.

[Ji-an. You didn’t delete my number, right? It’s Seo Ji-hyuk. I have something to talk about, so let’s meet. Tell me the time and place, and I’ll make it work.]

The unexpected message from someone he never anticipated had left his feeling anxious, as he couldn’t decipher his intentions.

“Why? What do we have to talk about?”

He should have actually changed his phone number back then instead of just making empty threats.

While blaming himself for being so soft, he also had the thought of whether he could have escaped the grasp of this world’s protagonist even if he had done so.

Even so, wasn’t the last confrontation enough? Why does he have to throw cold water on him just when he’s trying to muster some strength? Ji-an had just decided that if he couldn’t do anything for the little bubbler in his belly, he would at least eat a lot of delicious food.

Was the world angry because he had figured out the truth that would only be revealed in the latter half of the drama? He suddenly felt anxious about what purpose Seo Ji-hyuk had for wanting to see him, or if he had already figured something out.

‘I hope mother in this world didn’t know Seo Ji-hyuk.’

After learning about Seo Ji-hyuk’s true bloodline, Ji-an decided never to try returning him to his home himself. If possible, he hoped for an ending where he would happily marry Jeong Han-joo and never think about finding his original home.

Anyway, he needed to know what he was thinking… Ignoring it wasn’t the answer if he wanted to defuse the bomb before it exploded.

Ji-an held his phone and typed out each character carefully.

[Can’t you tell me your business through a message?]

Honestly, they were not exactly on close terms where they’d meet face to face… No, that sounds too emotional and made him look like a jerk.

Ji-an reminded himself that this wasn’t his abusive older brother who used to torment and hit him, just someone who looked the same. There was no need to be too scared or emotional. The plot had already twisted enough; he shouldn’t be too afraid. 

Ji-an deleted the message he had typed and replaced it with the most calm sentence he could muster.

[I said everything I had to say that day. If you leave a message, I’ll read it and reply.]

Perhaps offended by his response, Seo Ji-hyuk read the message but didn’t reply. Ji-an was completely focused on his phone even as he got dressed and prepared to go out.

The wall pad chimed to indicate the main gate had opened, and Jeong Hee-seo’s car could be seen entering the driveway. Just as Ji-an decided to change his phone number while he was out today,

[I want Ji-an to definitely come to our engagement party. I won’t accept your absence.]

A message came from Seo Ji-hyuk.

“…”

“Ji-an?”

Ji-an was staring at his phone, not noticing Jeong Hee-seo coming in, when he suddenly looked up at the sound of his voice.

“Did something happen?”

“Ah, no. Just kept getting spam messages. Something about joining a stock trading room…”

Ji-an switched his phone to silent mode and shoved it in his pocket. He deliberately went to Jeong Hee-seo’s side with an energetic air, and he led the way past the entrance.

“None of the good places seem to serve both.”

“Hmm… Then we have no choice. We’ll have to eat yeonpotang quickly and then move to a samgyetang place.”

Jeong Hee-seo laughed out loud as if in disbelief. Is it too unreasonable? Ji-an pouted his lips.

“Poggles want to eat it. Not me. Definitely not me.”

“…Poggles?”

“Yes. Because it’s all bubbly.”

Jeong Hee-seo’s steps down the garden stairs came to a sudden stop. Ji-an stood two steps above, looking at him curiously. With the height difference, Jeong Hee-seo gazed up at him, meeting his eyes.

“Did you name it by yourself?”

“Ah, just…”

It wasn’t like he had set out to name it. It had just been lingering in his mind all weekend. Since he hadn’t yet worked up the nerve to actually call out “Poggles” yet because he still felt shy, when Jeong Hee-seo called it a “name” suddenly made him feel embarrassed, like he wanted to run away.

“You didn’t listen when I told you before.”

“Ah, I was out of it then. But Ji-an, it’s cheating to talk about the baby when we’re doing that.”

“You’re shameless, really.”

Jeong Hee-seo hugged Ji-an’s waist as he laughed. He lowered his head and buried his face in Ji-an’s chest. Ji-an suddenly wanted to see his expression. Suppressing the slight ticklish feeling inside, he fiddled with his ear, feeling his warm breath through his clothes.

Poggles. The soft whisper seemed to sink into his heart. Just then, he thought he felt a gentle bubbling movement in his belly as if Poggles was responding, but he wasn’t sure. It was such a delicate sensation.