TSG 3

“I remembered to go somewhere.”

“Please let me know and I will set off there.”

Se-hyun was originally planning to go home, but Shin Tae-oh suddenly seemed to want to go somewhere. As Se-hyun sat in the passenger seat and operated the navigation system, he said,

“Bye.“

The only thing that came out of his mouth was the name of the bar. He quickly registered the location so Shin Tae-oh could head there. After that, Se-hyun grabbed the car door.

“Then goodbye.”

“Are you trying to get off work?”

“Do you have any instructions for me?”

As a personal secretary, Se-hyun followed Shin Tae-oh’s schedule, but he generally didn’t get involved in his personal affairs. Going to a bar was beyond the scope of his duties, so he was planning to head home and clock out. However, since the boss didn’t instruct him to leave, he wondered why and waited silently.

“Wanna have a drink?”

With whom? With me? Just the two of us?

Se-hyun’s eyes sank as he imagined having a drink with his boss. The most uncomfortable thing in the world must be an uncomfortable boss, right? If that was the case, Se-hyun had only one answer.

“All right.”

He had originally planned to go home and have a beer or two, but if the boss was offering good drinks, there was no reason to refuse. Moreover, whatever the boss had to say was probably related to Yoo Jin-ha, so Se-hyun was just going to listen as usual and quietly gulp down the strong liquor.

“Then let’s go.”

As the chauffeur started the car, Se-hyun took out his phone and updated his schedule.

Starting now, it’s the boss’s personal schedule.

⍣⍣⍣

“Jin-ha had a fight.”

Se-hyun, who sat side by side at the bar, sipped the alcohol that Shin Tae-oh bought for him. The quality of the drink was truly exceptional, and it clung to his taste buds. No wonder people had to make money. To earn enough to drink without worrying about the cost, he had to stick close to Shin Tae-oh.

“Jin-ha had a fight.”

Shin Tae-oh seemed to be drunk. He kept repeating the same thing.

“So that means I have an opportunity to intervene, so what should I do to make Jin-ha look at me? Is there not enough alcohol? Shall I order more?”

“Thank you.”

He had no reason to refuse if his boss offered to buy it for him.

“Set it up again in front of us,” Shin Tae-oh instructed.

At his command, the bartender cleared everything in front of Se-hyun and brought in new drinks and snacks. Se-hyun waited and then took a sip of the new drink.

‘It’s smell nice.’

It seemed sweeter, but its high alcohol content made it hard to discern. Instead, he was left with a strong aftertaste, but when he ate the cheese served as a snack, it melded into a rich and flavorful experience.

“Even if they fought, they can meet again. So, before that happens, I need a way to make Jin-ha recognize me completely. What could it be? Should I give him a car as a gift? Or maybe a building?”

What kind of alcohol is this? Why is it so delicious?

What’s with this cheese? Is it supposed to be this rich? Has it gone bad?

No matter how much Shin Tae-oh talked about Yoo Jin-ha like a fanboy or whatnot, Se-hyun was immersed in the alcohol clinging to his throat.

“But I have something to ask Secretary Ahn.”

“Please go ahead.”

“How much more delicious food do you have to eat for your expression to change?”

He wondered when Shin Tae-oh had seen him drink. Se-hyun put down his drink.

As a secretary, he had tried to restrain his emotions as much as possible, but now his boss seemed to find his response strange.

“Thank you.”

“I didn’t mean to say it as a compliment.”

When Shin Tae-oh tilted his head and looked closely at his face, Se-hyun’s eyebrows twitched slightly. Regardless of the purpose, he always disliked having someone’s attention on him.

“Shall we check out cars?”

Se-hyun brought up what he had heard earlier to redirect the attention to YooJin-ha so that he wouldn’t be observed.

“You were listening to everything I said. But you didn’t even answer… ”

“I’ll check right away.”

“Okay, do that. But don’t buy anything like a sports car. Even if the car has a better descent than ascent, I really don’t like how I have to crawl out of it. It’s uncomfortable.”

He imagined Yoo Jin-ha driving the car and Shin Tae-oh sitting in the passenger seat. There would be no chance of getting in, let alone crawling out.

‘It’s so great of you to think that Yoo Jin-ha will accept it.’

He didn’t know how many gifts Shin Tae-oh had given so far. Ji-an had rejected all of them, and now he’s thinking about giving a car.

Se-hyun thought Shin Tae-oh was pitiful, but he didn’t show it. He just focused on his job.

‘I just have to do my job well.’

It was none of his business no matter how much Shin Tae-oh gave.

‘I’m too busy worrying about other things.’

It was beneficial to keep his secret hidden while Yoo Jin-ha considered whether he would receive the gift. He was grateful for the alcohol, but he had to be cautious in situations like this, where Shin Tae-oh’s penetrating gaze could be bothersome.

“Looking at it this way, Secretary Ahn is quite…”

“Shall we check out the building?”

He cut off his words gently without offending Shin Tae-oh’s feelings.

Don’t pay attention to the secretary who is nothing more than an extra. Tae-oh, you should continue with the concerns you had until now. Will Taenyang not do it?

“Well… maybe I should just have one built for him?”

The construction company’s CEO was very flexible.

Se-hyun turned his head to the opposite side of Shin Tae-oh, making sure that his profile wasn’t too visible.

“This way.”

Shin Tae-oh’s loud voice, as he looked beyond his shoulder, made Se-hyun turn around, and he saw a familiar face approaching. Se-hyun had seen this person a few times, so he knew who he was.

He was Yoo Jin-ha’s older brother and Shin Tae-oh’s friend, the one person who truly understood Shin Tae-oh’s feelings. …Se-hyun knew him well too, but in this situation, he thought of Yoo Jin-ha’s older brother as the one person who truly knew Shin Tae-oh’s feelings. Why? Well, it was just like that in the novel. Se-hyun believed that a secretary, who usually moved in the shadows, wasn’t someone to share secrets with.

“It’s been a while, Shin Tae-oh.”

“I’ve been busy. How have you been?”

The tall man sat down next to Shin Tae-oh. After a brief exchange of greetings, he could feel the man’s gaze on him, and soon he spoke.

“It’s been a while, Se-hyun-ssi.”

“Hello.”

Se-hyun greeted him politely and turned slightly as if to tell the man not to worry about him.

“How do you know Secretary Ahn’s name?”

“I saw it on his business card. It’s similar to mine. I’m Jin-hyun, and he’s Se-hyun.”

Yoo Jin-hyun mentioned that they both had the same character in their names and tried to connect with Se-hyun based on that. Se-hyun wondered if it wouldn’t have been simpler to link himself with Yoo Jin-ha, whose name only differed by one character. After all, they were both brothers.

“How can you call someone else’s secretary so casually?”

“You act like my little brother is yours.”

Shin Tae-oh seemed to disapprove, but Yoo Jin-hyun sorted out the situation, suggesting that the situation wasn’t unnatural.

“So why did you call me?”

“Oh, Jin-ha fought with that guy earlier. I saw it with my own eyes.”

“And?”

“I want to use this opportunity to make Jin-ha mine, and I need your help.”

“What help can I provide for you…”

Yoo Jin-hyun shook his head and said that he had called him for something unimportant. He motioned to the bartender as if to order something, but the bartender’s expression changed, possibly because it was the most expensive item in the bar.

I should remember to order that for myself later.

“I really don’t understand your taste. What do you like about Jin-ha?”

“He is pretty.”

“A face like that is common.”

“What do you mean, common?”

When Shin Tae-oh complained as if it were nonsense, Yoo Jin-hyun pointed somewhere with his chin.

“Se-hyun-ssi, he’s not worse than Jin-ha, is he? Isn’t he better?”

“Secretary Ahn is not ugly, but he has a different charm. Jin-ha is pretty, and Secretary Ahn… I’d say he’s more ‘clean-cut’ and that’s fine.”

“In any case, you’ve just proven that Jin-ha has a common face. And tell me again.”

“He has a good body and a good personality.”

“Have you seen him naked? Well, this is a matter of the eyes of a photographer like me, but I think Se-hyun-ssi has a better balance as a subject. Jin-ha is too skinny, while Se-hyun-ssi is slender and has a better proportion. Ah, Se-hyun-ssi, I want to clarify that I’m just talking as a professional photographer, and it’s not meant to be anything perverted. Never mind, I made a mistake, so if you ever want me to take photos of you, I can…”

“Stop making offers and sit down.”

Yoo Jin-hyun was about to stand up and approach Se-hyun when Shin Tae-oh grabbed his back and forced him to sit.

“I do that because I feel sorry.”

“Don’t go overboard with your theatrics.”

“Who’s judging whom…”

Yoo Jin-hyun snorted in bewilderment but did not say anything more. Instead, he apologized again to Se-hyun.

‘I shouldn’t have come.’

Se-hyun felt uncomfortable that he was constantly mentioned in conversations. If he had known it would be like this, he would have just stayed at home and drank beer.

“So you want to win Jin-ha’s favor with a gift?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s pathetic. Do you think Jin-ha likes gifts because she thinks she’s lacking something? Has he received anything you give him so far?”

He hadn’t.

“But there’s nothing better than a gift to express how much I like him. Even if I don’t get a chance to go on a date.”

“Then try to create opportunities, make it work coincidentally, instead of being wasteful with money.”

Se-hyun, who had acquired quite a bit through Shin Tae-oh’s monetary extravagance, downed his drink and tried to dismiss the sour feeling. If Shin Tae-oh accepted Yoo Jin-hyun’s words, what he had gained from this money extravagance would disappear.

‘It’s like getting rid of the crude jokes.’

“Just take him to the right place and set the mood. I’ll arrange for him to go. In my opinion, that’s the best way.”

Yoo Jin-hyun clicked his tongue and drank. Se-hyun called the bartender to order the same thing. After having three glasses, he felt his stomach was heating up. He should stop here, or he might make a mistake.

“I don’t even know what that means.”

“Take a walk around the park or ride a bike together. Or you can go to a cafe somewhere with a nice view. What’s so difficult about that?”

“…Is that so?”

Shin Tae-oh seemed to have made up his mind and looked back at Se-hyun.

“Secretary Ahn, let’s choose a few suitable places. No, I’ll check it out whenever I can, so let’s go together.”

“All right.”

His sincerity toward Jin-ha was truly amazing.

“However… ”

Yoo Jin-hyun, who was sipping his drink, glanced at Shin Tae-oh and asked what was on his mind.

“When did your taste become about the pretty side? You said you liked a clean-cut face…”