TSG 16

“You mean he gave this back?”

“That’s right.”

“It was his first time receiving the gift and it came back like this.”

“That’s right.”

Se-hyun became nervous without realizing it as Shin Tae-oh spoke while closely looking at the box. Under normal circumstances, there would be no need to be nervous about Shin Tae-oh, but the box’s messed-up state was extremely unsettling. What was it that made him care so much?

Se-hyun decided that he should quickly move it aside the moment Shin Tae-oh looked away from the box. It was a good decision not to throw away the receipt. It was a brand-new item that had never been used, so it should be refundable without any issues…

“Have you tried this?”

“…Well. I’ve used a similar product before…”

It’s the same brand every morning.

“But you know, everything in the world gets renewed, and there’s no exception for this.”

What nonsense. It’s the same product.

“So I need to check this out.”

Why check it? If Yoo Jin-ha rejected it, then it should be refunded, so why open it!

Se-hyun forcibly suppressed the fingers that wanted to stop him and clenched them into fists. Otherwise, it felt like he would hit Shin Tae-oh’s head.

‘Don’t do it. Don’t open it. Leave it alone!’

There was no way Shin Tae-oh could hear Se-hyun’s voice trying to stop him, so he calmly opened the box. He seemed to have no intention of repackaging it. The place Se-hyun had crumpled with his fingernails was now hardly noticeable…

“On the surface, it doesn’t seem different from the one I use. What could have changed?”

Shin Tae-oh’s muttering to himself sounded so irritating. It mocked the lame excuses he used to give while giving gifts to Yoo Jin-ha… Seeing Shin Tae-oh earnestly seeking the truth by checking the device made it seem like it wasn’t just a concept. Se-hyun felt a chill run down his spine as the excuses he had always used seemed genuine now

‘It’s not my money anyway, and he said he’ll use another one, so I shouldn’t care.’

There was no need to be shaken. He did his job by simply going around buying items and delivering them.

“I’ll do it.”

Se-hyun regained his composure and pulled the coffee machine from Shin Tae-oh’s hands. He brought the new mug into the kitchen and set it in a suitable spot. Despite the fact that there was already one, the colors were different, and arranging them next to each other looked quite harmonious.

Se-hyun ran the device without capsules for cleaning now that it had been unpacked, and in the meantime, he wiped the cup he had purchased together. Se-hyun cleaned the exterior of the device several times, and after checking that it was safe to use, he lowered the mug and pushed in the capsule. As he pressed the button and waited, the scent of coffee soon came out along with the sound of the device.

Se-hyun’s stomach, which had been boiling because of Shin Tae-oh until now, began to cool down as he listened to that sound. Doing something while turning his back on Shin Tae-oh also helped him regain his composure. Se-hyun was now certain that no matter what Shin Tae-oh said, he would never be shaken.

As Se-hyun poured the coffee into the mug and offered it, Shin Tae-oh just stared at it silently without taking a sip.

“Do you need anything?”

“I remember having two cups of coffee today.”

“Ah… ”

Se-hyun understood why Shin Tae-oh wasn’t drinking the coffee. He had his own firm philosophy, limiting himself to no more than two cups of coffee per day.

Regardless of the size of the cup, he wouldn’t drink any more after two cups of coffee.

Se-hyun couldn’t understand it because Shin Tae-oh was not particularly concerned about the total amount of caffeine, but Shin Tae-oh had no intention of drinking coffee right now anyway.

‘Then why did you decide to try this?’

Se-hyun glanced at the mug in frustration. It would have been better to check it tomorrow, so why bother with it now…

“Does Secretary Ahn want to drink?”

“No.”

“Then don’t decline and have some.”

“I’m fine.”

“How many cups of coffee did you drink today?”

‘I had four cups.’

“Try it for me, to see if the taste is different.”

Se-hyun couldn’t help but pick up the mug as Shin Tae-oh casually handed it over. Will he be able to sleep tonight if he drinks this?

Se-hyun tilted the mug to drink the coffee without even being able to sit down, then placed it down with the same expression as before.

“How is it?”

“It’s the same.”

“Nothing has changed?”

“That’s right.”

“Nothing has been renewed.”

‘Of course not.’

Se-hyun struggled to compose himself as he saw his face reflected in the coffee.

“Does it taste bad?”

“No. It’s good.”

“Really? Then, Secretary Ahn takes it.”

When Shin Tae-oh spoke while looking behind him, Se-hyun unconsciously turned his head and looked at the same thing. Did Shin Tae-oh ask him to take the machine he just used to make a cup of coffee?

“I don’t like capsule coffee. Maybe because the aroma isn’t strong?”

Was the machine next to it just a decoration?

“I think it’s because the beans aren’t special.”

Since when did he start caring about coffee beans, even though he had been enjoying vending machine coffee all this time?

“Anyway, Secretary Ahn takes it.”

Shin Tae-oh stood up, walked past Se-hyun, and tapped the coffee machine. He picked it up and placed it in Se-hyun’s arms. In a moment of surprise, Se-hyun accepted it and looked at Shin Tae-oh’s face, and their eyes met for a while.

“Oh, I forgot to give you the cup.”

Interpreting Se-hyun’s expression, Shin Tae-oh handed him the mug.

“Take everything. It’s difficult to use public transportation with this, so take my car when you go.”

Shin Tae-oh bid his farewell and said he’d see him tomorrow before leaving the kitchen. Se-hyun couldn’t shake the strange feeling as he watched him leave. Why was everything flowing so smoothly?

‘Did he open this because he didn’t want it to be refunded? No way… ’

It was easy to see the meticulousness he showed when giving gifts to Yoo Jin-ha. However, this one was a bit confusing.

⍣⍣⍣

In the end, Se-hyun returned home holding the machine and sighed as he looked around his room. Since it was a one-room studio, the room was filled with items he had acquired while working as Shin Tae-oh’s secretary.

The round silver dining table that seemed to be commonly seen in the market came from Italy, and the sleek style rack next to the wardrobe exuded grandeur. The huge monitor and computer took up more space in the small room than Se-hyun’s room for sleeping.

Only this much was visible at first glance, but upon looking further, there was much more.

“Where should I put this?”

He needed to place the new addition, but there was no available space. The kitchen was small, and the length of the sink had its limits. In the end, the coffee machine found its place on the bedside table.

“Not bad.”

Se-hyun nodded with satisfaction, thinking it would be pleasant to smell the coffee aroma while sleeping. Of course, he was trying to ignore the existential crisis that would come if he didn’t do so.

Se-hyun picked up the towel with a sense of relief. The towel with the word “Sports Day” written on it was given to him by Shin Tae-oh as a free gift from the head office, and Se-hyun had been using it well until now.

“The towels they used at the hotel seemed thinner…”

⍣⍣⍣

A party took place in a room of a luxury club. Women in tiny bikinis and men in palm-sized swimsuits played in the pool, and men and women dressed up in their own way enjoyed the party.

The spacious table in the center was no different. Two men at the center were drinking amidst the attention of others.

One of the men looked at his phone and sat up from his relaxed posture.

“Hey, I heard Shin Tae-oh has a lover?”

Then, another man who was drinking with a woman next to him cast an arrogant look at the two men.

“Why would that eunuch bastard have a lover?”

“Hye-in was making a fuss because he got taken now. Look at this.”

When Ha Jin-woong, the man who was delivering news about Shin Tae-oh spoke, he looked at his twin brother Ha Jin-seong’s cell phone on the table. He was so engrossed in the music that he didn’t realize the vibrations, which were probably from the text messages sent by the Jinmyung Group’s troublemaker.

The woman picked up Ha Jin-seong’s cell phone and held it in front of him while he remained motionless.

“This girl is crazy. I guess she was blinded by anger.”

Ha Jin-woong sneered as he read the texts. That was because the content Jin Hye-in posted in the group chat was quite aggressive. She was talking unfilteredly about how she couldn’t understand why Shin Tae-oh had rejected and criticized her, how his family was the first to offer her family a marriage proposal, and so on.

“F*ck. Turn off the music.”

In response to Ha Jin-seong’s swearing, the woman hurriedly waved her arm and the music soon turned off. Those who were enjoying the party looked back at Ha Jin-seong in a dead quiet atmosphere, as if the uproar just now had been a lie.

Ha Jin-seong ignored the attention of others as he looked at his phone and then called Jin Hye-in.

“Jin Hye-in. Have you been drinking? You keep crossing the line.”

– They said they would accept it. But he had already been stolen by someone else.

Ha Jin-seong sighed as Jin Hye-in cried. He’d played with her a few times before, but now she was acting as if they were close; what to do with this?

– I was planning to go there with Shin Tae-oh this time. I was trying to make a good impression…

His interest was sparked as Ha Jin-seong half-covered his pupils as if he was considering just throwing everything over.

“If you want to go, then go.”