TSG 76

Se-hyun was working overtime to make up for the three-day gap before his upcoming business trip to Ulsan tomorrow. If he finished his share of work today, Chief Secretary Lee Jinho would take care of the rest. Feeling stiff in his neck from doing paperwork, he looked up.

Se-hyun checked the time while massaging the back of his neck and leaned back in his chair. The moment he thought of taking a short break, Shin Tae-oh inevitably came to mind.

How can I avoid disappointing our Taenyang-i?

How can I keep our perverted cat from feeling down?

These thoughts crossed his mind whenever he had time. Would it be okay if he gave him a gift and an answer when his 12-month savings matured? That would be no different than telling Shin Tae-oh to wait for a year. Moreover, attaching all sorts of conditions to the gift wasn’t ideal either.

“What should I do?”

He sighed and closed his tired eyes. Though his mind was complicated, everything else was peaceful. With Se-hyun alone in the office, it was quiet and comfortably warm, creating a stillness that made him feel sleepy.

In that serene space, the sound of someone approaching echoed. The steps were confident and unhesitant, reflecting the person’s personality.

Even with his eyes closed, Se-hyun couldn’t help but recognize Shin Tae-oh’s presence. He smiled faintly before standing up.

“You’re alone,” Shin Tae-oh said, glancing around the dim surroundings.

“Doesn’t seem like anyone else will come.”

Though it sounded like he was talking to himself, Se-hyun knew it was directed at him. He waited for Shin Tae-oh’s next words with his hands behind his back.

“Instead of sitting around like that, how about we interact a bit more casually?”

What did he want to say that he was cushioning his words so much?

“I’d prefer the human Se-hyun who can have a personal conversation, rather than the stiff Secretary Ahn…”

He was asking to be treated as Shin Tae-oh, not as the company president, in this office space. It would be problematic if someone saw them, but as Shin Tae-oh said, it was just the two of them now.

Se-hyun did as Shin Tae-oh wished.

“You came knowing I was working overtime, right? Sit here. Want some coffee?”

He happily offered his seat to Shin Tae-oh and brought coffee along with some snacks.

“Here, drink this and cheer up.”

Feeling the need to lift his spirits for some reason, Se-hyun even added caring words. Shin Tae-oh picked up the coffee cup with a very elegant gesture.

“It’s evening, so I’d prefer alcohol over coffee.”

He never let things slide, but that was just Shin Tae-oh’s personality. As Se-hyun was thinking this, he suddenly found himself pulled forward by his necktie, almost falling onto Shin Tae-oh.

With his center of gravity clearly shifted, he quickly stretched out his arms to brace himself against the desk and chair. Despite his heart pounding from the sudden event, Se-hyun tried to maintain a composed expression.

“I told you, you’re a blushing cat.”

Even knowing that Shin Tae-oh’s gaze was scanning every inch of his face, Se-hyun couldn’t move. He tried to look elsewhere to avoid eye contact, but could only manage to stare at Shin Tae-oh’s shoulder. Meanwhile, Shin Tae-oh’s gaze finally settled on one spot. And of all places…

“What’s the point of managing your expression? Your ears are red…”

The problem was that it was his ears.

Se-hyun lifted his hand from the chair and covered his ears. Even though it was only one side, it was the best he could do at the moment.

“Excuse me, but could you please let go of my tie?”

Se-hyun tried to walk away from Shin Tae-oh with a polite tone, but the grip on his necktie didn’t budge.

“Se-hyun-ah.”

Shin Tae-oh’s sweet voice tickled Se-hyun’s ears. At this rate, it was only a matter of time before his carefully maintained expression crumbled.

“You need to answer me now. How long are you going to keep me in suspense?”

Se-hyun had been anxiously waiting for Shin Tae-oh to ask. Feeling that he’d remain trapped if he didn’t answer, Se-hyun struggled to begin.

“Well…”

His throat felt itchy from Shin Tae-oh’s pheromones, so he paused to swallow. He wondered if the swirling pheromones had completely enveloped him.

Se-hyun continued, choosing his words carefully to avoid hurting Shin Tae-oh.

“Thank you for liking me.”

“I’ll accept your thanks.”

“Uh…”

Se-hyun hesitated, unable to remember what to say next. Se-hyun knew Shin Tae-oh wouldn’t be at a loss for words or overly moved, but he accepted it too easily.

“I… ”

Se-hyun lowered the hand covering his ear and cleared his throat. It was just an awkward reaction, but the grip on his necktie loosened slightly. Even though the cough wasn’t because of him, Shin Tae-oh was still considerate at this moment.

Thinking he could break free if he applied a little force, Se-hyun flinched when he felt warmth covering his hand as if Shin Tae-oh had sensed his intentions. His body temperature was as hot as his gaze.

He shouldn’t react to every little thing… Shin Tae-oh’s fingers spread Se-hyun’s apart and intertwined with them.

Feeling that he’d be completely captivated by Shin Tae-oh at this rate, Se-hyun answered as if he’d never hesitated.

“I don’t think I can accept it. I’m sorry.”

“It’s not an unexpected answer, but it’s still disappointing. Am I that bad?”

His voice sounded dejected. There truly was no painless way to reject someone.

“It’s not about you, sir. It’s just me… because of me. I don’t think I can. No, I don’t think I’m capable.”

Se-hyun squeezed his eyes shut and spoke from his heart.

“I still don’t understand anything about the second trait or whatever. I’m not used to these things and just wanted to live quietly. I never thought about having a partner. I’ve always lived alone, before and planned to after. For someone like me to date… I sometimes forget that I’m an Omega, so how can I accept an Alpha’s confession?”

As he spoke, it turned into an outpouring of his pent-up feelings. He hadn’t intended to say this much, but it seemed he had quite a bit bottled up inside.

Having said everything, Se-hyun breathed heavily. He glanced slightly askew at Shin Tae-oh’s ear. It was different from viewing his boss’s ear from behind. Realizing his own position through Shin Tae-oh ’s ear was a strange feeling.

“Hmm… ”

Shin Tae-oh ’s low hum made Se-hyun flinch as he slowly stood up. He hadn’t noticed the grip on his tie had loosened. He stood simply because he thought he should.

Se-hyun took a step back and looked in the direction other than Shin Tae-oh. While taking a moment to catch his breath, Shin Tae-oh observed him thoughtfully.

“Do you want to have a drink?”

“…A drink?”

Se-hyun asked, thinking Shin Tae-oh mentioned it because he was upset by the rejection.

“Yes. Where should we go?”

Se-hyun wondered why he didn’t understand Shin Tae-oh ’s words immediately…

“It’s been a while since I felt like having a drink.”

The oddly cheerful tone in his voice revealed it.

It was strange. Shin Tae-oh was clearly disappointed by the rejection, and yet…

⍣⍣⍣

At a bar called ‘Bye’ they frequented, Se-hyun focused all his senses on Shin Tae-oh. His leisurely expression, the occasional smile, and even the composure shown in his half-downcast eyes were all evidence that Shin Tae-oh was in a good mood.

While it was a relief that he wasn’t disappointed or depressed, this was unexpected. What had lifted Shin Tae-oh’s mood?

“Now that I think about it, I was wrong.”

It was strange that he was even joking, but Se-hyun couldn’t pinpoint exactly what was off.

“May I ask why you said that?”

As Se-hyun reluctantly spoke up, Shin Tae-oh swirled his glass. His smile also curved upwards…

What’s really going on with him?

“I pushed without considering it might be burdensome for the other person.”

He mentioned it being burdensome. Se-hyun tried to find any hint in his words, but Shin Tae-oh explained further.

“I’m a handsome, capable Alpha. Usually, someone with these qualities might be more than just appealing – it could be overwhelming. It’s all my fault. Se-hyun-ssi bears no responsibility.”

“If you put it that way, I’ll think of it like that.”

“Thank you.”

Se-hyun thought about why the conversation was going like this, but he agreed for now. It seemed like Shin Tae-oh had figured something out, just like when Se-hyun called him “Taenyang,” but what exactly?

Feeling frustrated, he downed his drink. Right now, drinking seemed the best way to improve his mood.

“Here you are.”

Hearing a sudden familiar voice and seeing a hand on the bar, Se-hyun slowly turned his head. It was Ha Jin-seong, with his characteristically crinkled, smiling eyes.

“I was feeling lonely by myself.”

As Ha Jin-seong tried to sit next to Se-hyun, Shin Tae-oh stretched out his hand to block him.

“If you’re lonely, you should sit next to your friend.”

Shin Tae-oh delivered a smiling threat as if to say ‘How dare you try to sit next to Se-hyun’. Ha Jin-seong shrugged and obediently went to sit next to Shin Tae-oh.

“You know, I knew you were shameless, but I didn’t realize to this extent. How long has it been since you used Moon Ha-joon to create a scandal? Yet here you are.”

“I already apologized for that.”

Ha Jin-seong boldly admitted to his actions.

“Apologized?”

“I said I was sorry.”

To Ahn Se-hyun, Ha Jin-seong deliberately added Se-hyun’s name at the end.

“To me?”

“I don’t apologize to the person I hate most in the world.”

As he was saying he had nothing to say to Shin Tae-oh, suddenly there was a loud sound of a glass tipping over.

“I’m sorry.”

Se-hyun quickly righted the fallen glass, checking if anything was broken. He wiped up the spilled drink so swiftly that everything was cleaned up before the staff could bring a cloth.

“Looks like your words shocked him.”

Shin Tae-oh naturally blamed Ha Jin-seong. Since it wasn’t entirely wrong, Se-hyun said something else instead of denying it.

“So the person you hate most has changed to the CEO now?”

He said he didn’t want to see Shin Tae-oh the most. Originally, that kind of person for Ha Jin-seong was supposed to be Ha Min-hyuk.

“Yes. It changed.”

Ha Jin-seong nodded obediently and accepted Se-hyun’s words. Se-hyun looked wary at that docile attitude.

He was already concerned about Shin Tae-oh’s grinning smile, and now he wondered why Ha Jin-seong was acting this way too.

Caught in the tension between the wolf and the fox, Se-hyun held his head.

He had an uneasy feeling that tonight was going to be a long one…