TSG 5

Se-hyun looked at his watch and checked the time. There were still twenty minutes until the appointment.

Se-hyun, who had been waiting on the sofa with the intention of waiting for Shin Tae-oh, suddenly questioned why he was here.

“Okay, going to the hotel makes sense as an extension of work, but why couldn’t we go together from home?”

Receiving Shin Tae-oh’s morning call and quietly waiting in the hotel lobby felt strange and unfamiliar. It was like making an appointment with someone, showing up early, and then waiting…

“Is this what Shin Tae-oh is aiming for?”

Since he said it would be embarrassing to come to the hotel alone, he might be trying to make it look like a business meeting scheduled for an extension. Now feeling relieved, Se-hyun adjusted his tie and made sure to prominently display the bag he brought.

When Shin Tae-oh comes, should he greet with ‘Hello, sir?’ Or is ‘Welcome. Sir.’ better? Whatever it is, it just needs to appear business-like.

Shin Tae-oh walked in as Se-hyun looked towards the door, wondering when he would come in.

Se-hyun stood up right away, straightened out his crumpled suit, and waited for him. Se-hyun spoke at the same time as Shin Tae-oh when they were close enough to hear each other’s voices.

“Good morning, sir.”

“You’ve waited a long time. Honey?”

“…”

“…”

It wasn’t that conversation didn’t work. Since they exchanged greetings roughly, it was okay to insist that it was correct, but they both felt the awkwardness and couldn’t proceed to the next words.

He greeted Shin Tae-oh more formally than usual, while Shin Tae-oh welcomed him with a sweet voice.

They played different roles in the theatrical performance they had imagined. Se-hyun’s concept was to meet for business, while Shin Tae-oh’s concept seemed like he had come to meet a lover. The collision of these thoughts created this awkward situation.

‘No, but what is this guy thinking calling me like that?’

Honey! If another honey, not your honey, calls you honey, can you respond that you are their honey? Honey? Bringing in such a strange person called Honey was mind-boggling.

Why did he call him that when he said he would meet Yoo Jin-ha today?

Se-hyun expressed various irritations internally, but for a moment, he managed to cope with the situation.

“I’ve checked in.”

Shin Tae-oh coughed awkwardly and headed toward the elevator as he said while holding out his card.

“I didn’t know you would call me Sir so bluntly.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I… I’m very embarrassed to come to the hotel. So, I hesitated and almost made it more awkward by addressing Secretary Ahn as honey.”

‘It’s already awkward.’

Se-hyun considered saying something but refrained.

“Later, you’ll have to go up with someone else, right? I thought calling you ‘Sir’ in preparation for that would be appropriate.”

“is it?”

“Is that so?”

Whether Se-hyun’s reasoning seemed valid or not, Shin Tae-oh didn’t elaborate further and entered the elevator.

Se-hyun gazed at the scenery beyond the transparent wall. During the ascent to the highest floor, it was a decent view that wouldn’t be boring.

“Here.”

When Se-hyun heard Shin Tae-oh’s voice suddenly speaking to him, he turned his head. Shin Tae-oh pointed to something, and it was the hotel’s logo. Daeil. It was the name of the country’s largest corporation and a world-renowned conglomerate.

“When I was younger, I used to come to the hotel with the chairman. Back then, I often saw couples holding hands in the elevator, going up and down happily. Just seeing couples who smiled at each other without saying anything made me think that a hotel is a place for people in love.”

Se-hyun stayed quiet because he didn’t have anything to say, but fortunately, Shin Tae-oh didn’t ask for one.

“Now that I’m grown up, I know it’s not only for couples. I understand it can be for business or just a one-night stand, but the idea of a hotel being a place only for couples hasn’t completely changed.”

So, that’s why he hasn’t been to a hotel for a while.

“Do you understand why I came here today? I’m going to have a good time with Jin-ha.”

The elevator stopped as Shin Tae-oh turned around with a smile.

Shin Tae-oh quickly disappeared from his sight after checking the direction as he exited the elevator and walked away.

Se-hyun, who was looking at the spot where Shin Tae-o was standing while pressing the open button, blurted out.

“He’s funny.”

The perverted guy was a pure-hearted man.

⍣⍣⍣

Entering the suite, Se-hyun closed the door behind her and looked around at the view. The wide open space welcomed Se-hyun with its sophisticated interior. There was no admiration for the suite as Se-hyun went inside and looked around every nook and cranny to familiarize himself with the structure.

‘As expected, it’s similar.’

Shin Tae-oh’s house was like this. If anything, it was even better than here. The house where the works collected by Shin Tae-oh, who has an excellent sense of aesthetics, and the small models he made as a hobby were displayed, had more to see and were more attractive. Maybe that’s why he looked around with a more carefree mind than he expected, and he found just one different thing.

“What are you doing?”

“Oh…”

Every time Shin Tae-oh pressed a button on the remote control, the glass wall in front alternated between becoming opaque and transparent.

“Should I make this at home too?”

“I’ll look into it.”

Remembering the rule that a question was essentially an order, Se-hyun took out his phone and quickly entered the details. His home was already better than a hotel, and adding more options would make it even better.

“The wine cellar is small.”

Can it be compared to your house, which has a wine cellar in the basement?

“Secretary Ahn. Come here.”

Se-hyun, who had been looking around to see if there was anything else Shin Tae-oh might like, turned around when he heard him call out. Wondering what he had found, Shin Tae-oh, who had already taken off his coat, came back with wine and glasses.

“What are you doing now?”

“I want to taste it.”

It’s okay to taste it alone, but why bring two glasses.

“Secretary Ahn, you don’t have to drink. Just think of it as going through the motions. I prepared it to imagine drinking it while facing Jin-ha.”

Taenyang’s sincerity was admirable as he even prepared wine to drink with Yoo Jin-ha in advance.

So, he sat across from Shin Tae-oh, admiring his sincerity. It absolutely wasn’t because he really wanted to drink wine…

“I understand.”

Right.

In response to Se-hyun’s answer, Shin Tae-oh poured wine into the two glasses one by one. And as he swirled his glass, Se-hyun naturally took the glass and tasted it.

“It seems a bit heavy to create the right atmosphere, so a light wine would be good.”

“Uh… sure.”

Shin Tae-oh immediately brought another wine, and Se-hyun hummed a tune in his mind. he aroma and flavor were considerable thanks to Shin Tae-oh, who had a good eye for wine. Anything would have tasted good, but it seemed preferable to choose something suitable for the atmosphere.

There was also a sense of pity towards Shin Tae-oh.

‘Anyway, it won’t work out, but it’s nice to create a proper atmosphere for just today. Even if things don’t work out well, they can create good memories.’

After all, it’s just a bit of drinking. He didn’t think things would progress beyond that.

Because Yoo Jin-ha has a heart that only responds to Ha Min-hyuk.

Se-hyun, who was tasting various wines, used the faintly rising intoxication to cast a sidelong glance at Shin Tae-oh.

He tightened and loosened his necktie as the temperature rose. He wasn’t good at getting drunk due to his strong tolerance. Thanks to that, there was little worry even if he sipped along with Shin Tae-oh. But now he was feeling a little dizzy.

‘Maybe it’s because I’m not in good physical condition.’

Deciding not to drink anymore, he withdrew his hand from the wine. Shin Tae-oh sent him a puzzled look as if asking why he was doing that.

It seemed better to divert his attention rather than saying he couldn’t drink anymore.

The contemplation was short, and the action was swift.

“I… ”

He smiled because Shin Tae-oh’s gaze did not leave his face. Shin Tae-oh was staring at him as if he knew exactly what he was going to say. He shouldn’t smile as a secretary, but the corners of his mouth raised.

“Secretary Ahn, did you just… smile?”

In response to Shin Tae-oh’s question, Se-hyun remained silent as if he didn’t know. It seemed like he didn’t expect Shin Tae-oh to notice the expression he revealed in that short moment.

“No.”

“I think you smiled.”

“If you don’t mind, may I ask you something?”

Se-hyun quickly spoke, fearing that if he remained silent, Shin Tae-oh would continue to talk about his expression.

“To me?”

“Can’t I?”

“No, that’s not it.”

Shin Tae-oh waved his hands and couldn’t hide his embarrassment.

“You always acted like you knew me so well that I didn’t expect you to ask questions. It’s not like I’m telling you not to. I’m just surprised.”

It couldn’t be helped. Since he knew quite a bit about Shin Tae-oh…

“Well, then I’ll ask two questions.”

“Two at a time? Alright.”

“Why do you use both formal and informal speech?”

It was a question that Se-hyun had wondered about during the three years of being his secretary. Since the novels didn’t explicitly mention how Shin Tae-oh treated his secretary, he couldn’t figure it out. It seemed like Shin Tae-oh did things his own way, but Se-hyun didn’t understand the criteria.

“Depending on my mood.”

“Do you use informal speech when you’re in a good mood?”

“That’s not it.”

While Shin Tae-oh poured a new glass of wine, their gazes crossed. Shin Tae-oh looked at the wine glass, and Se-hyun looked at his hand. It was the only delicate part of him. Long and straight.

“If I feel close, I use informal speech; otherwise, I use formal speech.”

“Was that so?”

Se-hyun didn’t know when Shin Tae-oh had felt that close to him, but he didn’t delve into it. Since he had heard why he mixed them, he wasn’t particularly curious.

“That’s fun. Ask the next question.”

Se-hyun hesitated for a moment, wondering if it was okay to ask the second question. But fueled by Shin Tae-oh’s cheerful smile, he mustered the courage.

“If you were to say a hotel is a place… where a lover would come…”

When he actually tried to speak, he stuttered without realizing it.

“Then, that means you will hold hands only with the person you love…”

“I wonder what kind of question that is. Are you asking if I don’t do one-night stands?”

Se-hyun kept his mouth shut at Shin Tae-oh’s easy answer. There was no need to explain further. It was just an impulsive thought… It came to mind because of something he heard earlier while riding the elevator up.

Se-hyun wondered if it was because Shin Tae-oh was just fixated on Jin-ha or if he was truly a pure romantic man…

It might have been a presumptuous question, and Se-hyun thought hard about whether he should just tell him to forget it or listen to the answer and apologize.