TSG 42

Shin Tae-oh sat on a chair and watched Se-hyun blankly.

“If it’s okay with you, I’ll get everything ready to take with us.”

So Se-hyun said to Shin Tae-oh that it was fine for him to stay on the sofa. Shin Tae-oh’s condition was one thing, but the gaze fixed on him felt burdensome.

“Is that so? I’ll just lie down in bed then…”

“I’ll prepare quickly.”

Se-hyun had only one thing to do since he was thinking about the sofa and mentioned the bed. He moved quickly to prepare everything. And then promptly handed it over to Shin Tae-oh.

With determination, he diligently transferred the food onto the plates.

“You’re very thorough in your preparations.”

Knowing what Shin Tae-oh meant by his words, Se-hyun replied casually.

“You mentioned that you’ve never used it even though you paid a lot for it.”

There was no dust on the dishes Shin Tae-oh brought from his home, but Se-hyun looked them over with detail just in case. And after confirming there was nothing, he filled the dishes with food. He offered the soup, which should be the warmest, to Shin Tae-oh last.

“I brought the meal vouchers and packed them.”

The food was bought from a restaurant.

Shin Tae-oh only looked at the soup in front of him without touching it. Seeing that it didn’t seem appealing to him, Se-hyun sighed halfway.

“Do you perhaps have no appetite? Shall I go get some porridge?”

“No.”

Shin Tae-oh immediately picked up the spoon and Se-hyun confirmed that there was no need to leave and sat back down. And Se-hyun looked at his share of the soup that he had put in the bowl in this house.

He only brought one serving of dishes, but since meal tickets cannot be shared, he bought this serving. Thanks to that, they were able to eat together.

It was ridiculous to even bring the dishes in the first place. There were still leftovers from the last time, so he packed them away so as not to give Shin Tae-oh a chance to dig in.

“Enjoy your meal.”

Se-hyun said to Shin Tae-oh and lifted a spoon. As he ate his portion of soup, it was now warm as if it had just been served. The savory aroma stimulated his appetite, and as it went down his throat, warming his insides, laughter naturally escaped him.

This restaurant would undoubtedly become the first favorite dining place they would want to visit whenever they had the chance.

Se-hyun, feeling regretful as he saw the bottom of the soup bowl, lifted his head. Shin Tae-oh had been watching him for some time.

“You’re enjoying it.”

“Ah… I also had an empty stomach.”

Somehow it happened.

He had waited to eat with Shin Tae-oh and lost track of time while returning to the office and seeing the CEO’s office.

“I see.”

Shin Tae-oh nodded with a completely different look in his eyes.

“I didn’t have any particular thoughts about getting takeout… but seeing it today, it’s nice.”

Shin Tae-oh lifted his spoon. And as he looked around, it seemed like he knew what to say.

“Eating with home spoons makes it even tastier.”

The spoons in the restaurant were a bit small, weren’t they?

In response to Shin Tae-oh’s question, Se-hyun scanned the table. While the dishes were somewhat matching, he had brought spoons and chopsticks that suited his taste.

Thanks to this, he didn’t have to take more than a few bites.

Se-hyun pretended not to see Shin Tae-oh’s mirthful smile. He pushed the salad aside and brought the pasta in front of him. He definitely wasn’t teasing himself by doing this.

“Since it might not digest well, it might be better not to have the noodles.”

Once he realized there was pasta in it later, he didn’t bother asking for it to be removed.

“No, I think I can eat it.”

When Shin Tae-oh approached with chopsticks, Se-hyun raised his hand to block him.

“It’s not good for digestion.”

“Isn’t it because the pasta is for one person?”

“Sir, please eat salad and meat.”

“Don’t you think meat will be harder to digest?”

Shin Tae-oh continued to argue, but Se-hyun silently tidied up the dishes. What Shin Tae-oh needed to eat went to his side, and the rest to Se-hyun’s.

“Bread and noodles might be too heavy for the stomach.”

Se-hyun said as he transferred the honey-covered garlic bread to his bowl.

“Wow, you’re going this far?”

Shin Tae-oh laughed heartily, then suddenly eyed the bread as if his appetite had returned.

“If it’s like this, I should at least take a bite, right?”

“Wasn’t your health not good?”

“If you knew I wasn’t feeling well, you would have bought me a porridge.”

At Shin Tae-oh’s words, implying he knew despite everything, Se-hyun handed him the bread. He even kindly cut the bread, which was difficult to eat in one bite with chopsticks.

“Here you go.”

When Se-hyun obediently handed out the bread, Shin Tae-oh took it and ate it as if it were fun.

“Wow, it’s delicious.”

Since Shin Tae-oh was satisfied, Se-hyun also took part of the cut bread and ate it. It was different from just garlic bread. The bread was fluffy, and the aroma of honey and garlic was rich and savory.

As Se-hyun gradually began to feel full after concentrating on the meal for a while, he started to subtly gauge Shin Tae-oh’s reaction as his stomach began to fill up.

“If you have anything to say, say it.”

Shin Tae-oh said while concentrating on the steak that Se-hyun had cut, he could clearly feel the gaze.

“I like stability as much as recognition. So, I wanted to ask.”

He looked at Shin Tae-oh’s expression as Se-hyun brought up the three desires he mentioned before. There wasn’t much of a reaction yet. It seemed safe to ask.

“Will there be any disadvantage to me because I just called you a Taenyang and a perverted-cat?”

“Perverted… cat?”

“…”

“…”

“I’m sorry.”

Se-hyun made a mistake thinking Shin Tae-oh knew everything. He shouldn’t have mentioned the word “pervert.” But now that he had said it, he couldn’t just deny it. So, he wondered how to wrap up the situation, but Shin Tae-oh was quick.

“Perverted cat is not cute.”

“You can forget it.”

Se-hyun maintained a blank expression from beginning to end. Here, the moment he falters, the label perverted cat would follow him around like a tail, so he shamelessly putting his foot down

He calmly accepted Shin Tae-oh’s gaze. He didn’t even blink, knowing Shin Tae-oh’s intense gaze lingered on his face, especially his lips.

The confrontation over who would move on first ended with Shin Tae-oh letting out a weak laugh.

“Right. Let’s just move on for now. Since there’s probably a lot more to ask, it’s fine to save one more for later.”

Se-hyun was glad Shin Tae-oh didn’t ask any more questions now. Se-hyun lowered his head to eat the pasta and naturally avoided his gaze.

Seungnyang-i, third, perverted cat.

The more Shin Tae-oh knew the more worried Se-hyun became about whether his personal stability would be maintained. It was during this anxious moment that he was eating the pasta with all his might.

“You know why I’m sick, right?”

“I don’t know.”

“Lies.”

Shin Tae-oh responded immediately. He seemed to think that Se-hyun was pretending not to know on purpose, but Se-hyun was genuinely clueless. He suspected it was because of what Ha Jin-seong had said, but he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was.

“If you tell me, I’ll remember.”

“Could you help me a little?”

Shin Tae-oh spoke as he finished the pasta. Whether it was related to Ha Jin-seong or not, Se-hyun listened for now.

“Can you just look at me?”

Related to Ha Jin-seong…

“Can you do things just for me, as if I were the protagonist of this world?”

Right?

It was a request conveyed through Shin Tae-oh’s soft voice. Before understanding its meaning, Ha Jin-seong’s words came to mind.

‘How much longer he will stay by your side.’

‘Just give up and live your life as eunuch usual.’

Shin Tae-oh said he would come to the hotel with his loved one. That’s why Shin Tae-oh felt awkward at the hotel.

Shin Tae-oh, who looked at Yoo Jin-ha and never received any reciprocation from him.

Why do things connect so naturally like this? Anyway, if it’s what Ha Jin-seong said…

He wanted to believe that good things are good, but it was a problem that couldn’t be easily accepted.

“I’m sorry, but…”

“I’ll let you speak informally.”

Se-hyun had intended to refuse, but he closed his mouth at the unexpected offer.

“I’m younger.”

The respectful treatment may not be given simply because they were a superior and a subordinate.

“You’re aware of the two-year age difference, right?”

But you’re the one suggesting informal speech.

“If we’re close enough, isn’t it enough to speak informally?”

If it’s just like something between an older brother and a younger brother, there’s no reason not to speak informally. But how could he casually address his superior like that?

“Don’t think too hard about it. Just on a comfortable level…”

Shin Tae-oh’s expression improved when he realized that Se-hyun was shaken. His eyes lit up like a wild cat that had caught an opportunity, and then the tips of his eyebrows lowered.

What’s the point of pretending to be pitiful now…

“It’s not like I’m asking you to be by my side forever.”

Ah…

Bringing up Ha Jin-seong’s words like this. It’s enough to soften anyone’s heart.

“But you never know when a person’s heart may change…”

“There will be no disadvantage.”

“… Even if it makes you feel bad?”

“Is there anything to feel bad about? I’m fine with anything…”

“Tae-oh-ya.”

“…”

“I’m sorry. I’ll address you as Tae-oh hyung.”

Se-hyun changed his words right away because he knew that would happen, but Shin Tae-oh didn’t react right away.

“Please finish your meal. The food will get cold.”

Se-hyun gently pushed the glass towards him and spoke, then Shin Tae-oh suddenly made eye contact.

“Call me like that.”

“I’m sorry. I just wanted to say that I find it hard to accept informal speech…”

“I like it better than being called hyung.”

“What is better?”

Tae-oh-ya. Of course, I like it, but why would you?

“Do as I say.”

Faced with Shin Tae-oh’s persistence, Se-hyun hesitated as he looked at his expression, then swallowed a sigh.

‘Let’s not overthink it.’

He had to accept it with a mindset of repaying the favor for moving his father to a VIP room.

“Tae-oh-ya.”

Shin Tae-oh’s eyes flickered at Se-hyun’s call but soon disappeared into laughter. Knowing that his request was being met, he revealed a pleased smile.

“Come on, eat up. Just watching you eat makes me full.”

Though the meat had cooled considerably while they conversed, it still looked delicious. Se-hyun pushed the plate of meat towards him. Shin Tae-oh looked between the meat and Se-hyun, then tilted his head as if reconsidering their recent conversation.

“Need more water? Or would you like something else to eat?”

“… I’m not asking you to act like my mother.”

Shin Tae-oh let out an exasperated smile.

“And just looking at me eating doesn’t make you full, it just makes you feel satisfied.”

Se-hyun lightly scanned the empty plate in front of him, then asked Shin Tae-oh.

“You don’t like this?”

He could be adorable and coaxing here.