TSG 24

It was his first time.

Se-hyun means, bringing Shin Tae-oh into his house.

‘Did I clean it up before I came out?’

Since he lived alone, Se-hyun didn’t give much thought to whether or not it was dirty. He just took something that was in a familiar place and used it…

“Please wait a moment.”

Se-hyun stopped Shin Tae-oh in front of the front door and opened it. He only opened it slightly, just enough for his body to slip through.

Only after confirming that the house was in good condition did Se-hyun open the door to Shin Tae-oh.

Se-hyun, who was watching Shin Tae-oh take a step inside, belatedly realized something else.

Now wasn’t the time to nitpick about the cleanliness of the house.

There was no way Shin Tae-oh wouldn’t notice what Se-hyun had realized. Se-hyun swallowed a sigh. He had already shown everything; there was no point in sending Shin Tae-oh back.

“I’ll put in a word for a moment.”

These were Shin Tae-oh’s first words as he looked around the house. He casually spoke while putting in a word. Since there was nothing particularly new, Se-hyun nodded.

“Shall we be honest with each other?”

“Alright.”

Shin Tae-oh seemed to want to talk about the things filling the room, so Se-hyun was ready to be honest.

“Have you used what I gave you well so far?”

“Anyway, Mr Yoo Jin-ha is going to someone else.”

“…”

“…”

“Jin-ha?”

“Are you asking for a product review?”

No, Se-hyun thought Shin Tae-oh was talking about Jin-ha. If it wasn’t that question…

“It was good.”

“…”

Wasn’t this the answer he wanted?

Se-hyun quickly scanned the surroundings. There was no cake, but he pointed to the box he had left as a reminder of the delicious memories.

“The cake was sweet and soft, and the gloves were warm. Easy to put on and take off. This is a sincere review, not something I’m saying because I got it for free. Also…”

Shin Tae-oh’s expression grew stranger and stranger as Se-hyun was reciting the product reviews that Shin Tae-oh had bought.

“… I’ll make ramyun.”

In a messed-up situation, it was best to cut it off rather than fix it.

⍣⍣⍣

Shin Tae-oh looked around Se-hyun’s house as he cooked ramyun. It was a studio apartment that could be seen at a glance, excluding the bathroom. So, he could see as much as he wanted without feeling like he was delving too deeply.

“It seems like everything is tangled up these days. Do I really like Jin-ha? Why do I remember my first meeting with someone so well? What are my true feelings?”

This was what Shin Tae-oh told Yoo Jin-hyun. It was a concern that filled his mind recently. He realized that this concern couldn’t be resolved with someone else’s advice.

‘I’ll observe for a while.’

Shin Tae-oh temporarily stopped letting the situation flow and paused for a moment. He had always turned away from himself, but now he decided to face it directly without being disappointed that the world didn’t make him the protagonist.

‘Gloves.’

He thought of someone’s fingers that followed him. With his long, straight fingers, he carried everything from cell phones to tablets, and other various items, since he had no room to fit them in his pockets.

His fingertips turned white and cracked in the cold wind, but he was too busy working to even glance at his own hands.

‘I was stupid.’

Everything had gone wrong since their first meeting. He was shaken when he saw Se-hyun’s face, but he dismissed it as unimportant. Now, he regretted turning away from the most crucial time in his life.

Shin Tae-oh, who was looking at the items that suited Se-hyun one by one, let out a hollow laugh.

“I like him.”

Shin Tae-oh’s feelings began to take shape as soon as he acknowledged this.

When Yoo Jin-ha cooked ramen for him, Shin Tae-oh made a decision in his head. If it was Yoo Jin-ha, it would be fine. Thinking about the time they spent together, he thought that Yoo Jin-ha could fill in just a little bit of what he lacked.

When Ahn Se-hyun cooked ramen for him, Shin Tae-oh’s heart resonated. He wanted to eat it again. He wanted to be with him. When he was with him, it was so pleasant that it didn’t matter if he was not the protagonist in this world. His heart spoke on behalf of his foolish head.

“Please eat.”

Shin Tae-oh turned around at Se-hyun’s call. He chuckled when he saw Se-hyun’s eyes looking up after putting the pot down on the dining table. It was true that he fell in love with him. However, it wasn’t because of their first time at the hotel; rather, it was their first meeting.

Shin Tae-oh calmed down and spoke to Se-hyun to express his gratitude for his hard work.

“Did you warm up some rice?”

“I will if it’s necessary.”

If necessary? Although he had doubts, Shin Tae-oh sat down. Then, Se-hyun lifted the tightly closed lid, revealing the identity of the ramen only after the trapped steam escaped.

As Shin Tae-oh looked at it, Se-hyun stirred the ramen with his chopsticks and said.

“We had soup ramen earlier, so I thought black bean sauce ramen would be nice.”

“Good idea.”

Shin Tae-oh grabbed up the chopsticks, and when he couldn’t find what he was looking for, he instinctively turned to Se-hyun.

“Sorry. I don’t have bowls to serve it in.”

“None?”

Can’t he just put the ramen in a rice bowl and eat it? When Shin Tae-oh’s eyes turned to the kitchen, Se-hyun lowered his head.

“I usually eat instant rice, so I didn’t need bowls.”

Only then did he realize there was no rice container either.

“Surely you have plates or something similar?”

“No.”

Se-hyun answered nonchalantly. To be honest, for a man living alone, household equipment was not that detailed. Even if he boiled a ramen, he could eat it right out of the pot. At least eating meals at home was a rare occurrence for him.

Shin Tae-oh mumbled quietly while quietly observing.

“It’s really a blushing cat. It’s not blushing-ears cat, but a pitiful cat…”

The words were too soft, and it was unclear whether it was “pitiful” or “blushing-ears.”

Se-hyun, who was starting to get more annoyed by the fact that there was only a pot on the table and no kimchi, held out something toward Shin Tae-oh.

“How about this…”

He meant to pour the ramen into the pot lid.

“Okay. Let’s eat for now. We can think about the rest later.”

Shin Tae-oh accepted the lid.

“Shall I make coffee after eating?”

When Se-hyun pointed to the coffee machine next to the bed, Shin Tae-oh, who had been acting casual until now, couldn’t help but smile.

⍣⍣⍣

Se-hyun quickly washed up and came out due to a sudden weekend schedule.

– I’ve been constantly on flights, so I found out about the schedule changes late. I’m sorry.

“It’s okay.”

It wasn’t difficult for Se-hyun to act in place of the chief secretary who was currently abroad.

– If I knew it would turn out like this, I should have just done it normally… Money isn’t everything…

While the call about the schedule suddenly turned into a call of lament, Se-hyun quickly put on his shirt. Despite this, Se-hyun knows that the chief secretary enjoys his job.

When was it? When someone asked why he accepted a scouting offer from a junior in school, the chief secretary responded.

Did he say it was because he wanted to become one of the people working under the best figure? In short, because they offered a lot of money.

– Anyway, I’d like to ask you a favor.

“Alright.”

Se-hyun, who had just finished changing clothes, looked at his reflection in the mirror. After ensuring that everything was fine except for his wet hair under the yellow bathroom light, he left the house immediately.

“I don’t have a car, so the subway would be better.”

Se-hyun, who thought he wouldn’t be able to arrive on time by bus because there were so many cars on weekends, stopped as soon as he saw a familiar car.

There was no need for confusion because it was the same car model. It also had the precise plate number he had memorized.

Shin Tae-oh got out of the driver’s seat as if he noticed that Se-hyun had found the car and stopped.

“Boss.”

“I came to pick you up because there’s no time.”

“I’m sorry.”

Realizing that it would take some time, Se-hyun immediately bowed and apologized, and Sin Tae-oh reluctantly accepted it.

“How about apologizing while we ride?”

“I understand.”

“No, not here. Over there.”

Se-hyun quickly went to the driver’s seat, but Shin Tae-oh stopped him and pointed to the passenger seat.

“Are you telling me to get in the passenger seat?”

“If you like the back seat, that’s fine too.”

However, Shin Tae-oh wanted to take the driver’s seat first, as if he would not give it up.

Se-hyun got back into the passenger seat where he sat yesterday and felt a strange feeling.

‘Why is the boss driving the car again…’

⍣⍣⍣

“Do you want to go to the dish shop?”

“Let’s take a look around.”

Se-hyun, who did not understand why he suddenly needed dishes, belatedly followed Sin Tae-oh. his primary responsibility was to assist, therefore he prioritized it.

“Welcome. Are you here to see the newlywed dishes, by any chance?”

Se-hyun frowned at the friendly question from the smiling staff.

The dishes in Shin Tae-oh’s house were already overflowing. No, even if it weren’t, he still lives alone, so there was no need for newlywed dishes…

“Please show us.”

“Come this way.”

The employees smiled as if they expected Sin Tae-oh’s response, and Se-hyun followed in confusion.

“What’s going on, really.”

Whether Se-hyun was clueless or not, he couldn’t understand Sin Tae-oh’s sudden actions.

“No way…”

Se-hyun should have thought this was it, but the timing was too peculiar.

Yesterday, Shin Tae-oh came to his house. He cooked black bean sauce ramen. There were no dishes.

In that case, those dishes…

“Is it for me?”

It may appear that he was overly considerate, but this was just too sophisticated.

Unable to join the conversation between Sin Tae-oh and the employee, Se-hyun, who was just following along, began to suspect that it was meant for him. He bit his lips, thinking it was right.

Should he wait quietly to find out? Se-hyun wanted to ask, but what if it turned out not to be for him? He didn’t need dishes, but should he ask before making the payment?

While mulling over his thoughts, Se-hyun reached a decision. He decided to ask, even if the answer was embarrassing.

So, he was about to ask Shin Tae-oh.

“Please help me pay. Secretary Ahn, please bring all these dishes into my house.”

Se-hyun nodded as if fascinated by Shin Tae-oh’s instructions, who quickly finished shopping.

It’s not mine.

He was glad that he didn’t go through the awkward situation of asking.

‘I’m not really disappointed, am I?’

Se-hyun pinched his pathetic thoughts. Anyway, to settle the situation, Se-hyun quickly made the payment.

“Do you want it gift-wrapped?”

In response to the employee’s question, Se-hyun turned to Shin Tae-oh about what to do. However, instead of answering, Sin Tae-oh looked at him instead of the employee.

“Secretary Ahn makes the choice. Do you want it wrapped?”