TSG 27

Shin Tae-oh rushed inside the studio and approached Yoo Jin-hyun as if he were about to trample the floor.

“Yoo Jin-hyun.”

Yoo Jin-hyun, who was looking at something, greeted Shin Tae-oh without even looking at him.

“You’re here?”

“Where is Secretary Ahn? What did you do to Secretary Ahn?”

“What do you take me for?”

Even as Yoo Jin-hyun clicked his tongue, Sin Tae-oh stared at him suspiciously.

“Have you forgotten the nonsense you spewed about liking the subject? If you’re thinking of taking pictures of Secretary Ahn, give it up already.”

“That’s right. But that wasn’t nonsense. Se-hyun-ssi is really something.”

“If you have feelings for someone else’s secretary…”

Shin Tae-oh was about to say to stop this nonsense when something appeared in front of him.

“I already took them.”

Yoo Jin-hyun added his words while glancing at Shin Tae-oh, whose gaze was fixed on the photograph.

“ID Photo.”

Shin Tae-oh obediently took the photo from Yoo Jin-hyun’s hand and looked at Se-hyun’s ID photo. It was incomparable to the hastily taken photo he used when submitting his resume or the one where his facial features were obscured. Looking at Se-hyun’s well-captured facial features in the ID photo, Sin Tae-oh felt captivated by a strange sensation.

“This… ”

“Se-hyun has a good face, but it’s hard to capture in photos. Depending on how the lighting is set, the emphasis on each facial feature changes. For example, from the front, the nose bridge may not look high, while it appears higher from the side. So, with lighting, you can…”

Yoo Jin-hyun babbled endlessly, pretending to know Se-hyun well because he had taken a picture of him. It was okay to brag because the photo turned out so good, but Sin Tae-oh didn’t listen at all. In fact, his expression was getting worse.

“Who… asked you to take a picture of my secretary?”

“What? Hey, even if Se-hyun-ssi is your secretary, he has the freedom to take a picture like this.”

“So? Are you pushing him to get a job somewhere else?”

Sin Tae-oh, who was gritting his teeth, made Yoo Jin-hyun wonder what he was talking about before he suddenly remembered the purpose of the identification photo.

“Is that so? Should I take this opportunity to ask him to come to my studio? I’ve been looking for capable people like Se-hyun anyway.”

Shin Tae-oh approached Yoo Jin-hyun and leaned in closer as he spoke while stroking his chin.

“Hey, what are you doing? Don’t get so close. You’re emitting pheromones.”

Although he didn’t actually releasing pheromone, Yoo Jin-hyun pushed Shin Tae-oh’s shoulder with his finger.

“The day his resume with this photo goes around, I won’t leave you alone.”

“Ridiculous. What are you going to do to me?”

Yoo Jin-hyun scoffed at Shin Tae-oh’s threats as if they were nothing. His confident attitude only fueled Sin Tae-oh’s growing irritation.

“Naturally, you’d be…”

Shin Tae-oh was speaking with a lot of bitterness to assert himself when he noticed something that Yoo Jin-hyun was holding out. This was already the second time. He first stopped talking after seeing the ID photo, and now…

Shin Tae-oh received a photo of someone with his legs crossed and his tie pulled down. Just this slight deviation from his usual neat appearance had a big impact on the impression.

Shin Tae-oh tilted his head as if he were staring at a stranger due to the slight shadows on his face.

Since Shin Tae-oh couldn’t take his gaze away from Se-hyun’s photo, Yoo Jin-hyun showed him another photo as if he knew he would react like this.

It featured Se-hyun from different angles, capturing his particular aura that differed from the ID photo. Sin Tae-oh became engrossed in the images.

Yoo Jin-hyun, who thought he had sufficiently charmed Shin Tae-oh, confidently spoke.

“I guess you don’t want to have a profile picture?”

“How did you take this?”

Sin Tae-oh asked with a noticeably softer expression compared to earlier. Seeing this, Yoo Jin-hyun chuckled as if he had expected it and waved the photos teasingly.

“Shall I give it to you?”

“Will you give it to me if I renew my contract?”

“That’s a given.”

Yoo Jin-hyun crossed his arms as if asking him to say more. Things have changed.

“Take as much wine as you want from my house.”

Yoo Jin-hyun handed over the photos without further ado. Then, as Sin Tae-oh couldn’t tear his gaze away from the photos, Yoo Jin-hyun stared at him intently before asking.

“Have you had a change of heart?”

When asked if he had gone to Ahn Se-hyun, instead of his younger brother Yoo Jin-ha, Shin Tae-oh shook his head.

“It’s not a change of heart.”

“Not a change? You, this bastard. You’ve been drooling over my younger brother all this time and now you’re lying?”

“I didn’t fully realize my feelings at the time. It’s not a change, just finding my place.”

“Nonsense.”

Yoo Jin-hyun summarized Shin Tae-oh’s words in one sentence. The only good thing was that Shin Tae-oh didn’t have a change of heart after dating Yoo Jin-ha, otherwise, he wouldn’t have left him alone.

“Well, if that’s how it is, leave Jinha alone. I don’t like that guy named Ha Min-hyuk, but it’s their relationship. Go ahead. Your secretary is here.”

As Yoo Jin-hyun said something while looking at Se-hyun coming out from the inside, Sin Tae-oh tucked the two photos into his pocket and casually turned away as if nothing had happened.

“Secretary Ahn.”

Yoo Jin-hyun, who found Sin Tae-oh’s behavior somewhat distasteful, as if he were born with a naturally brazen demeanor, smiled mysteriously.

“That’s the revenge I was going to tell you about last time but changed my mind.”

Yoo Jin-hyun looked pleased as he glanced at what Se-hyun had brought out, then turned away happily. He’d had enough fun; now it was time to get back to work.

⍣⍣⍣

“What did I do just now?”

Se-hyun sighed as he recalled the deal he shared with Yoo Jin-hyun.

Originally, he had no intention of taking a profile picture or anything like that.

‘I refuse.’

So he brushed it off as if there was nothing to think about.

‘Why?’

‘A photo of an ID card is enough.’

What would he need a profile picture for?

‘Oh, that’s right. People usually don’t take that kind of pictures.’

Yoo Jin-hyun seemed to accept it easily but then changed his words.

‘Then how about this?’

Yoo Jin-hyun seemed to be fishing for excuses, and Se-hyun wondered what excuse he would come up with to justify taking his picture. Honestly, he couldn’t understand why Yoo Jin-hyun was so eager to take his photo. If he wanted to capture a subject, wouldn’t Sin Tae-oh be the best choice?

The most handsome and well-proportioned person Se-hyun had ever seen was Shin Tae-oh. To be honest, Ha Min-hyuk, Yoo Jin-ha, and even the person he saw last time, Ha Jin-seong, were all decent-looking, in Se-hyun’s eyes, Sin Tae-oh was the most handsome and well-proportioned.

‘I’ve been taking pictures of people since I was young…’

Se-hyun could clearly see that Yoo Jin-hyun was asking for his attention as he trailed off his words.

‘As you know, Tae-oh has a good-looking face. So, I took a few shots. But when he was young, he didn’t have as many expressions. It was rare for him to laugh, and I took a picture of it.’

Why was he saying this?

‘Let’s trade. Picture for picture, how about it?’

Se-hyun’s response to Yoo Jin-hyun’s barter was…

“I must be crazy.”

What did he say about Shin Tae-oh? He knew Taenyang-i so well, why would he need a childhood photo?

“Ha.”

No matter what excuses Se-hyun came up with, ultimately, the fact that he agreed was what mattered. If Sin Tae-oh hadn’t shown signs of confusion recently, Se-hyun would never have agreed. He would have thought seeing the Sin Tae-oh from the original work would be enough.

“What’s done is done.”

There’s already an album filled with Sin Tae-oh’s photos in his hands.

“Secretary Ahn.”

Se-hyun, who had been bowing his head to look at the album, raised it when he heard Sin Tae-oh’s voice.

“Sir.”

“Have you checked everything?”

“Oh, yes.”

Se-hyun tucked the album into his side and handed Sin Tae-oh the documents to review.

“Here they are.”

“Any unusual notes?”

“None.”

While Shin Tae-oh went through the documents one by one, Se-hyun pondered what to do with the album he was carrying. Putting it on one side seemed like someone might see it. However, carrying it around all day would also be awkward if Sin Tae-oh asked about it.

“What’s that you’re holding on your side?”

Se-hyun didn’t want to get caught carrying it all day. Sin Tae-oh quickly noticed. To hide the album from him, Se-hyun subtly turned his body away.

‘No. There’s no need to hide it.’

He could have already heard it from Yoo Jin-hyun.

Just as Se-hyun was about to speak, he saw Yoo Jin-hyun behind Shin Tae-oh, waving his arm as if he were about to say something. Yoo Jin-hyun pointed at Sin Tae-oh, gesturing as if taking a photo, then shook his head.

‘Shin Tae-oh, picture, no?’

Se-hyun put together what he wanted to say and thought for a moment before nodding. This could be interpreted that he didn’t mention anything about pictures to Sin Tae-oh. If that was the case, then since he didn’t mention the album, so there was no need to bring it up.

“I received a gift.”

“…A gift?”

He received it in exchange for taking his photo, so it was hard to call it a gift, but Se-hyun reasoned that if he said it was a gift, Shin Tae-oh would not ask any further questions. Se-hyun was relieved that he wouldn’t have to worry about this, but he overheard Shin Tae-oh ask an excited child-like question.

“A gift… do you like it?”