TSG 33

He saw the salmon salad that came out as an appetizer. It looked tender just by looking at it, slightly cooked on the outside, and the sauce embraced the salmon. Moreover, the decorations on top were perfect.

Beautiful and appetizing… it was just like Shin Tae-oh himself.

A dish so splendid that it couldn’t become the main course but only whetted the appetite.

“What are you thinking?”

“Ah… I thought it was hard to touch because it looks so beautiful.”

More accurately, he was thinking of Shin Tae-oh, but it wasn’t entirely wrong to say that.

“If it looks delicious, you would have touched it right away, but today is different.”

“Did I do that?”

Se-hyun thought for a moment and nodded. There were very few times when he was just amazed while eating with Shin Tae-oh. King crab should be filleted, and ramen should be eaten before it becomes soggy.

While thinking about Shin Tae-oh, he was silently watching the appetizer.

“Do you know what will happen if you don’t eat it before the next course comes out…”

In response to Shin Tae-oh’s question, he looked at the salmon salad in front of him. What will happen?

“They throw it away.”

“Throw it… away?”

Following Shin Tae-oh’s words, he quickly understood the meaning.

“So, beautiful as it may be, don’t just admire…”

Shin Tae-oh sliced ​​Se-hyun’s salmon. After picking it up with a fork and spreading the sauce, he brought it close to Se-hyun’s mouth.

“It means you have to eat it. Do you understand? It might be more memorable than the main dish.”

Se-hyun reflexively opened his mouth in response to a reaction that was no different from telling him to open his mouth. He was partly stunned by the shock that one should not just admire the appetizer for its beauty.

The appetizers are beautiful.

Shin Tae-oh is an appetizer.

Therefore,

Shin Tae-oh is delicious?

While Se-hyun was eating salmon, he was thinking about everything that came to mind and came to a strange conclusion.

“Secretary Ahn?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Why are you suddenly apologizing after eating well?”

“…Nothing.”

Unable to bring forth the words in his mind, he picked up his fork. He ate the salmon salad that he had messed up before he knew it but was still pretty.

⍣⍣⍣

After eating the last dessert, his lingering impression was…

‘The appetizer was the most delicious.’

He ate a main dish that was so rich that the flavor of the salmon disappeared, but strangely, the salmon salad remained memorable.

“Well, now that we’ve eaten satisfactorily, the bill is… ”

Se-hyun was surprised when the bill was mentioned, so he took out his wallet.

“I’ll handle it.”

Although Shin Tae-oh had suggested paying, unlike him who hadn’t eaten much, Se-hyun had cleared his plate eagerly. Despite being full from the meal, the thought of it being wasted if left uneaten only made him eat more.

“Alright then?”

Shin Tae-oh stood up with a smile on his face. Se-hyun interpreted it as an invitation to splurge now that he’d been earning money all this time and took out his card without a second thought.

‘Well, I’ve eaten a lot with Taenyang-i’s money.’

People have no shame, even if they’re a secretary. How can they only think about taking advantage? No wonder Shin Tae-oh likes him so much.

Thinking that he had been rather absent-minded today, Se-hyun walked to the cashier.

‘I want to come again next time.’

Despite the slightly steep prices, with the meal voucher he received as a gift and the thought of bringing his parents here…

As he walked around, suddenly Shin Tae-oh grabbed his wrist. He gripped it so tightly that he almost dropped the card.

“What are you doing?”

Se-hyun looked at Shin Tae-oh inspecting his card and realized belatedly why he was doing it.

“This is my card.”

Se-hyun guessed Shin Tae-oh thought it was the card that Se-hyun always carried with him. So he held it up to show him the name on the card.

Seeing what Shin Tae-oh confirmed, Se-hyun tried to ask him to let go of his wrist, but he was still holding on tightly.

“I said I’ll pay…”

His words trailed off as he absentmindedly looked past Shin Tae-oh. He saw Ha Jin-seong, whose presence he hadn’t noticed until now.

They didn’t lock eyes. It was just a recognition of a familiar face. But Se-hyun couldn’t take his eyes off Ha Jin-seong’s pale face.

‘Why is he here?’

As Se-hyun continued to look at Ha Jin-seong, Shin Tae-oh belatedly turned his head to check on the other person.

“Why is that loser(Jinsang) here?”

“It looks like he came to eat.”

“With a face like he’s about to collapse?”

Shin Tae-oh also noticed that Ha Jin-seong was different from usual.

“Looks like he’s about to pass out.”

Shin Tae-oh stopped there and quickly lost interest. He didn’t feel the need to worry about Ha Jin-seong.

“Don’t worry about it.”

Shin Tae-oh waved his hand at Se-hyun. Even if they happened to meet Ha Jin-seong, there was no need to pretend to know him.

Se-hyun nodded. He was feeling burdened by the threatening scouting offer from Ha Jin-seong, whom he met not long ago.

Since Ha Jin-seong didn’t seem to see him, it was obvious that nothing would happen if he just left without acknowledging him

‘He’s a villain.’

The more incompatible, the better the opponent, right?

So, it was better for him to leave with Shin Tae-oh from here.

“I didn’t mean for Secretary Ahn to pay with your card. I can’t just take advantage of you when your salary’s thin.”

Shin Tae-oh followed the hand up and took Se-hyun’s card. And when Se-hyun’s eyes told her to take out her card, she closed her wallet.

“I left your card at home. I’m sorry, but could you pay for it?”

“Uh… Sure.”

Shin Tae-oh moved on from where he had stopped and Se-hyun followed him.

As for Ha Jin-seong, whatever.

Se-hyun didn’t know why he was acting this way right now, but he would soon find out.

‘Where else can you find someone with such persistence?’

So, harass Ha Min-hyuk until the end. If you hate others, be like Ha Jin-seong. So, this momentary discomfort would soon pass.

It would pass…

“Ha.”

Se-hyun stopped walking and sighed.

“I can’t just ignore it.”

He knew Ha Jin-seong was a jerk… he knew it in his head, but his body just wouldn’t listen.

“I can just pass by, but my feet won’t move.”

However, Se-hyun felt like he would regret it if he helped Ha Jin-seong. He might go home and kick the blankets, asking why, but he felt like he would be crushed to death by the blankets if he turned away.

More precisely, the guilt of following along and knowing why Ha Jin-seong was acting this way weighed heavily on him.

He looked at Ha Jin-seong again. Now even his lips were trembling, as if he couldn’t even breathe properly.

“Now, the secret shouldn’t be revealed. That’s Ha Min-hyuk’s responsibility.”

So, rationalizing his efforts to stick to the original story, Se-hyun turned towards Ha Jin-seong. Ha Jin-seong was alone in a panic even though he was with other people. As Se-hyun approached, he noticed Ha Jin-seong’s face was not only pale but also covered in cold sweat.

“Oppa! What’s wrong with you?”

A girl he’d seen before urged Ha Jin-seong, looking frustrated.

“Hey, calm down. Are you okay, Jin-seong?”

Another guy realized something was wrong with Ha Jin-seong’s face. As he approached Ha Jin-seong, Se-hyun could feel the pheromones of the others, but Ha Jin-seong emitted none. Amidst the Omegas’s sweet pheromones and the Alphas’ cool ones, Ha Jin-seong’s scent was absent.

“If you’re hurting, let me know now… What’s wrong with you?”

The girl, whom Se-hyun recalled as Jin Hye-in from Jinmyung Group, didn’t receive a response.

Instead, he went near Ha Jin-seong and tapped the wine glass on the table.

Splash, the wine spilled on Ha Jin-seong’s clothes and onto the floor. Fortunately, there was a rug on the floor, so the glass did not break.

“Kyaaa!”

Jin Hye-in screamed when she saw Ha Jin-seong’s clothes.

“What are you doing! Huh?”

Jin Hye-in shouted when she saw Se-hyun, then realized who it was and pointed her index finger at him.

Ignoring that, Se-hyun spoke to Ha Jin-seong.

“I’m sorry. I came to greet you and accidentally knocked over the glass. But… you should go upstairs and change.”

Ha Jin-seong’s pupils looked at his clothes.

“The wine scent is vibrating.”

Seeing Ha Jin-seong’s wavering gaze, Se-hyun quickly added, “Please bill me for the dry cleaning.”

Since he already knew enough to come to his house, a bit of information like that wouldn’t matter.

Se-hyun held out his business card in front of him and walked away without looking back. Fortunately, Shin Tae-oh was not far away.

Sin Tae-oh, holding a receipt in his hand, looked behind Se-hyun. It was to see Ha Jin-seong.

“I thought you were helping…”

Sin Tae-oh glanced between Ha Jin-seong and Se-hyun.

“You spilled wine?”

He didn’t seem flustered knowing he was being watched. Since he didn’t think it would stay hidden anyway, there was no need to manage his expression separately.

“It was an accident.”

Se-hyun told Sin Tae-oh the same thing he had told Ha Jin-seong. Sin Tae-oh’s gaze didn’t show much trust, but…

“Well, if that’s what you call an accident, then it’s an accident.”

He didn’t say anything more.

“Let’s go. The chief secretary keeps calling me.”

Shin Tae-oh showed him his ringing cell phone. Se-hyun nodded.

“I’m not even the one signing, why is he so nervous about not being able to show the documents properly?”

Then, shall we play the gong and drum on our own from below?

“Even if it’s just a report, the boss needs to know everything.”

“That’s right… not many people are as hands-on as I am.”

Shin Tae-oh quickly accepted and walked side by side with Se-hyun. By saying something else, he diverted Se-hyun’s attention and walked side by side.

It was a great strategy.

Meanwhile, there were eyes watching the two leaving the restaurant. Ha Jin-seong, who had already recovered from the shock, couldn’t take his eyes off the two, or more precisely, Se-hyun’s back.