TSG 48

Shin Tae-oh remained silent, but immediately Se-hyun’s mind was preoccupied with imagining what would happen next. After all, watching the fight is enjoyable, but getting involved would only lead to trouble.

“Do you know what’s going on between them?”

Se-hyun, feeling frustrated, ran his fingers through his hair and adjusted his tie. No matter how much he loosened it, the suffocating feeling didn’t go away. It wasn’t something that could be solved physically, as it stemmed from psychological factors.

“If the CEO gets involved in that fight… Sir, sir?”

As Se-hyun was expressing his frustration, he belatedly realized that something was off with Shin Tae-oh’s demeanor. He waved his hand in front of Shin Tae-oh’s face, trying to get his attention.

He was serious right now, was Shin Tae-oh thinking about something else?

“You’re worried… that it might affect me?”

Thankfully, he didn’t stray too far from the topic.

“Yes. So I’m worried. You know. Maybe there will come a time when the CEO has to take responsibility for everything.”

That meant it would inevitably affect him too.

‘My stable life is at stake.’

Knowing that a difficult path lay ahead, why wasn’t he worried? He couldn’t elaborate on how Ha Jin-seong might react in this situation, which was maddening.

“I hope nothing happens to you, sir.”

“Ah… Se-hyun-ah.”

Shin Tae-oh’s friendly tone caught Se-hyun off guard. He quickly looked around to make sure no one else had heard, then closed the door tightly.

Approaching Shin Tae-oh again, Se-hyun examined his eyes closely.

Se-hyun thought Shin Tae-oh had gone crazy somewhere now.

“Sir.”

“Se-hyun-ah.”

Se-hyun called out to Shin Tae-oh, but all he heard in response was his name being called out in a hoarse voice.

Taenyang-i, things were so serious he could die, why were you like this?”

“Sir.”

“Se-hyun-ah.”

“Why, Tae-oh-ya?”

When Se-hyun responded in the same way, Shin Tae-oh smiled as if that was the correct answer.

Why was he smiling?

The serious atmosphere was ruined by that one smile.

“Oh, this is really funny. It’s really amusing because it’s the real Se-hyun.”

Really, really, really.

He thought Shin Tae-oh would somewhat accept his true self and react accordingly, but Shin Tae-oh was genuinely enjoying it. This wasn’t the right time for this.

“If you’re so worried about me, what can I do about it? I can’t just roam around freely outside, can I?”

“Tae-oh-ya, don’t overdo it.”

Really, why did the atmosphere flow like this…

In this situation, he couldn’t help but express some mild resentment towards Shin Tae-oh.

“Why did you get involved between those two?”

After all, Ha Min-hyuk will only grow stronger through this ordeal. And why should they suffer by interfering when he’ll eventually become an important figure in the company and end up falling in love with Yoo Jin-ha, leading to a beautiful ending?

“I understand what our Se-hyun is worried about…”

Shin Tae-oh raised his hand towards Se-hyun. Se-hyun was startled by the hand that suddenly came up and leaned his upper body back, and Shin Tae-oh stopped moving. It seemed like Shin Tae-oh didn’t intend to startle him, as he extended his hand forward again toward the empty space.

As Se-hyun stood still, Shin Tae-oh’s hand brushed against his tie. Soon, his other hand joined, gently adjusting the tie. Se-hyun discreetly bit his lip to hide his turmoil.

Strangely, Se-hyun’s heart trembled even though there was no warmth touching his skin. In addition, he couldn’t take his eyes off Shin Tae-oh’s face as he focused his eyes to look at Se-hyun’s tie. Why did Shin Tae-oh have to look like that and affect him like this?

“I’m worried too.”

Shin Tae-oh said as he fixed Se-hyun’s tie.

“I haven’t been able to express it properly yet, but I’m afraid I might lose you.”

Even as Shin Tae-oh’s hand left his tie, Se-hyun couldn’t lift his head, afraid to meet Shin Tae-oh’s gaze. The vague words seemed to carry some hidden meaning.

“I allowed it with confidence that we can handle it. It’s not because of Ha Jin-seong.”

Shin Tae-oh squeezed Se-hyun’s shoulder and then turned around.

“Let’s go. Aren’t we behind schedule?”

Shin Tae-oh left the conference room first, not paying attention to the fact that Se-hyun did not immediately follow. Lee Jin-ho, who was waiting outside, followed him.

Left alone, Se-hyun sighed softly.

“What on earth is going on?”

⍣⍣⍣

“Can I ask why you are participating in this project?”

Lee Jin-ho, who had been waiting outside the meeting room and followed Shin Tae-oh, asked him.

Shin Tae-oh looked back at the conference room where Se-hyun was. He thought of Se-hyun, who naturally assumed he wouldn’t participate in the consortium. Although he showed no signs, why did Se-hyun assume he would refuse?

A question Shin Tae-oh had thought before raising its head again. It felt like someone who knows him well…

“Did you hear everything?”

“No. But I guessed it.”

“Then guess why I made that choice.”

Shin Tae-oh didn’t readily give Jin-ho an answer. Instead, he playfully led the conversation, but Shin Tae-oh’s expression was actually cold and expressionless.

Nothing that Ha Min-hyuk said remained in his mind. Se-hyun occupied every corner of his mind, leaving no room for anything else. The suspicion that Se-hyun seemed to know him well, the softness of Ha Jin-seong’s eyes as he looked at Se-hyun, etc.

This consortium was perfect to find out all of that at once.

“It’s just catching two birds with one stone. Making money and have the opportunity to watch closely.”

He would lead the consortium successfully, and he planned to keep Ha Jin-seong by his side and watch him. Ha Jin-seong said he came as an observer this time, but they never knew what role he would play in the future.

Shin Tae-oh said to Lee Jin-ho.

“So, we need to keep him close enough to keep an eye on.”

“What’s that about? What are you thinking…?”

Lee Jin-ho muttered as he saw Shin Tae-oh ignoring his words and leaving.

⍣⍣⍣

Se-hyun walked through the lobby with a light step, relieved that he could finally leave work on time. He hadn’t planned any separate plans for the evening because he was always by Shin Tae-oh’s side and didn’t know when he’d get off work, but he did have some spare time today.

As soon as he got home, he planned to take a shower and crack open a can of beer.

‘Stretch my legs at home and think about a way to fix what Taenyang did.’

If it didn’t go as well as the original, there was a slightly different approach he could take. And if he could get it back on track…

“Secretary Ahn.”

“Deputy Yoo Jin-ha?”

Se-hyun turned around to see who was calling him and felt a strange sensation upon seeing Yoo Jin-ha approaching.

Why did it feel like it had been so long since he last saw him?

“It’s been a while.”

Yoo Jin-ha approached with a faint smile, seemingly sharing the same sentiment.

“Yeah, it has.”

“I didn’t realize how hard it would be to catch sight of you since Secretary Ahn stopped dropping by. Sometimes I wonder if you’re even still working at the same company.”

In the past, Jin-ha used to be someone he’d see practically every day when he kept delivering Shin Tae-oh’s gifts. So even though it hadn’t been long since they last met in person, it felt like ages.

“I have something to tell you. Do you have a moment?”

Glancing around, Yoo Jin-ha gestured towards a nearby café. Se-hyun suppressed a sigh and nodded. It seemed like his plans for the evening were completely ruined.

⍣⍣⍣

“I’ve been carrying it around, wondering when I could give it to you.”

Yoo Jin-ha took out a long box from his bag and immediately pushed it towards Se-hyun.

“You want me to deliver it to the CEO?”

So, that’s why he called him. Se-hyun thought nonchalantly, trying to gauge when he could hand it over to Shin Tae-oh. Since he hadn’t seen him much today, tomorrow morning would probably be the earliest.

“Yes? Oh no. I’m giving this to you.”

Then, when Yoo Jin-ha waved his hands and denied it, Se-hyun’s eyebrows furrowed slightly. He expressed his confusion immediately upon realizing it wasn’t for Shin Tae-oh. He couldn’t understand why he was giving it to him. Yoo Jin-ha gave an awkward smile.

“And I also brought something for the CEO.”

He took out a similar but different colored box. Two long boxes that look like they would fit perfectly into a pen.

“I felt like I’ve always been rejecting Tae-oh hyung’s feelings. At least, I thought about it when I bought these… So, I bought them as a thank you for everything.”

Yoo Jin-ha softly spoke while fiddling with the box.

“Are you going to reject it?”

Yoo Jin-ha always rejected Shin Tae-oh’s gifts. The reason was that it was burdensome. So, perhaps Shin Tae-oh felt the same way. But that could only be confirmed by asking the parties involved.

Se-hyun looked at the two boxes and remembered the navy blue one that belonged to Shin Tae-oh.

“I’ll deliver it.”

He had been the intermediary between the two before, not exactly a go-between, but something similar, so he accepted this role again.

And…

‘He needs to get him back as Shin Tae-oh, who pursues Yoo Jin-ha.’

Thinking about it, it seemed like it wasn’t just this consortium that had gotten complicated. Shin Tae-oh wasn’t at a point where he could let go of Yoo Jin-ha’s feelings. He had been trying to grasp his feelings all this time, but lately, he hadn’t been showing that kind of effort.

He couldn’t explain why, but it wasn’t because he didn’t want to.

‘I have no intention of shaking up the original work.’

So, it would be nice if Shin Tae-oh would try to pursue Yoo Jin-ha again like before.

‘That’s a good thing… right.’

It felt bitter for some reason.

‘I shouldn’t waver.’

If he could return everything to its original place, he could continue living as an extra, a bystander in this world. Then he could lead a stable life.

…That thought shattered the next morning, accompanied by Shin Tae-oh’s piercing gaze.

“At whose request?”