TSG 78

Se-hyun’s response to Shin Tae-oh’s greeting was to take out his phone. He immediately called Chief Secretary Lee Jin-ho and asked about the situation.

-He said he would see for himself.

Chief Secretary Lee Jin-ho’s answer was simple. Well, while Se-hyun might need to get permission from superiors for business trips, the CEO could go wherever he wanted.

Se-hyun put his phone in his pocket and approached Shin Tae-oh. Though he sometimes forgot due to their entangled personal emotions, Shin Tae-oh was fundamentally a very important person who paid his salary.

Shin Tae-oh was the CEO, and Se-hyun was the secretary. Thus, what he had to say here was predetermined.

“The sunglasses look good on you.”

Instead of questioning why he was going, Se-hyun greeted him with flattery, expressing joy at going together.

“It’s been a while since I’ve worn them, but they fit my face well.”

Shin Tae-oh ran his hand through his hair and lightly brushed the arm of his sunglasses. His shamelessness in accepting the flattery as natural was typical Shin Tae-oh, so it wasn’t strange.

“I look forward to working with you on this business trip.”

Se-hyun offered Shin Tae-oh a professional smile along with the soy milk he had put in his pocket for himself. Given the situation, it was better to create a slightly softer atmosphere.

Amused by Se-hyun’s quick acceptance, Shin Tae-oh smiled and took the soy milk.

“This is why I like Secretary Ahn. He never disappoints.”

Shin Tae-oh was very excited and talked while leaving Se-hyun standing.

“I couldn’t sleep thinking about going to Ulsan. I ended up waiting with my eyes open before coming out.”

Se-hyun felt uneasy at the thought of Shin Tae-oh driving after a sleepless night. Should he suggest that Shin Tae-oh get out of the car?

“My heart is beating uncontrollably because of what will happen today.”

Indeed, it seemed safer for Se-hyun to drive.

“Why are you just standing there? Do you not want to go together?”

After saying everything he wanted to say, Shin Tae-oh looked at the blankly standing Se-hyun as if he found it strange. He asked if Se-hyun didn’t want to go together in a lowered voice but with formal speech, creating an atmosphere where anyone with sense wouldn’t be able to say no.

“…I’m very much looking forward to it.”

In the end, Se-hyun gave the answer Shin Tae-oh wanted to hear. If Shin Tae-oh wanted to drive, Se-hyun would have to stay alert. Maybe he could take the wheel at a suitable moment.

“That’s the right attitude.”

When Shin Tae-oh nodded towards the passenger seat, Se-hyun gave up and walked around the car to get in. He put his briefcase in the back and fastened his seatbelt. Shin Tae-oh watched Se-hyun while resting his head on his arm on the steering wheel.

And when Se-hyun finished all preparations and looked ahead, Shin Tae-oh asked in an amused voice.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Yes, you can.”

“When you saw me, was ‘I look forward to working with you’ all you could think of?”

Faced with Shin Tae-oh’s question of unclear intention, Se-hyun tried to recall everything to figure out what he meant. What kind of answer does he want to hear?

He thought he might understand if he could see Shin Tae-oh’s eyes, but the sunglasses blocked them. This was no different from shooting in the dark.

“The weather is nice.”

“Indeed.”

“Shall we stop at a rest area on the way?”

“Let’s do that.”

“…”

Despite Shin Tae-oh’s polite and thorough responses, Se-hyun knew they weren’t what he wanted. What did he really want…?

“…I missed you too?”

Se-hyun recalled what Shin Tae-oh had said as soon as he saw him. If he wanted an answer to his statement about missing him terribly…

“You put in quite some thought, but you’re wrong.”

Se-hyun looked at Shin Tae-oh with deflated eyes. What was he doing, parking in front of the house, when were they going to leave? Resigned to whatever might happen, Se-hyun looked at Shin Tae-oh, who brushed his padded jacket.

“I wanted us to go with a lighter mindset. A suit is too stiff for that.”

As he explained why he wore a jacket, Shin Tae-oh reached into the back seat and pulled out a large paper bag.

“Let’s wear these together. By the way, they’re not new, just what I had at home.”

Se-hyun, who had suddenly received the paper bag, looked inside to see a neatly folded knit sweater, jeans, and padded jacket, then turned to look at Shin Tae-oh.

“The designs are similar.”

“What can I say? The person who picked them has consistent taste.”

ShinTae-oh must have chosen them…

“You said they were from your house.”

“I brought them from home.”

Shin Tae-oh pointed confidently at the clothes.

“There are no tags.”

Perhaps because he had given Se-hyun what he wanted, Shin Tae-oh started the car with a much lighter expression. Though Se-hyun hadn’t seen it often, the watch on Shin Tae-oh’s left hand seemed to sparkle especially today…

⍣⍣⍣

Se-hyun changed into the clothes Shin Tae-oh gave him in the restroom, awkwardly running his hands over the jacket. Having worked as Shin Tae-oh’s secretary without weekends, he rarely had the chance to wear casual clothes outside.

“This is uncomfortable.”

Even though it should have been more comfortable than a coat, Se-hyun frowned.

“It’s really unsettling that Shin Tae-oh’s clothes from his house fit me perfectly.”

Despite signing a contract promising not to buy expensive gifts anymore, it seemed Shin Tae-oh had found a clever way to circumvent the promise without breaking it, which troubled Se-hyun.

“That cunning Taenyang.”

No wonder he agreed to sign the contract so easily.

Though feeling somewhat played, Se-hyun couldn’t ignore Shin Tae-oh’s thoughtfulness, so he draped his suit over one arm and went outside.

Shin Tae-oh, who was drinking soy milk while leaning against the car, turned his head at the sound of Se-hyun’s approach and smiled brightly. He openly stared at Se-hyun wearing the matching jacket.

“It suits you well.”

“Thank you. But is this okay?”

“What?”

“Well…”

This wasn’t an exaggeration – anyone would see it as couple outfits, and Se-hyun expressed concern about going like this. As Se-hyun trailed off, touching his jacket, Shin Tae-oh nodded in understanding.

“The inside is different.”

Shin Tae-oh pointed to his t-shirt. Se-hyun, who was wearing a knit sweater, figured that was the difference Tae-oh was referring to, but it didn’t change the fact that the jackets matched.

Se-hyun gave up and walked to the driver’s seat.

“I’ll drive from here.”

“Wait a moment.”

Shin Tae-oh gently grabbed Se-hyun’s wrist as he was about to open the car door. Se-hyun turned to look at Shin Tae-oh, startled by the cold touch, possibly because he had been outside all along. If Shin Tae-oh was going to insist on driving himself, Se-hyun was prepared to explain that he should drive from now to reach Ulsan faster.

“Wear this too.”

Fortunately, it seemed Shin Tae-oh wasn’t trying to prevent Se-hyun from driving. As Tae-oh kept fiddling with his wrist, Se-hyun belatedly looked down and blankly stared at the watch Tae-oh was fastening.

“This doesn’t have a price tag either.”

Implying it wasn’t newly bought, but it matched the watch on Tae-oh’s wrist.

“Sir.”

“I was originally going to give this to you if you accepted my confession…”

Se-hyun’s throat tightened at Shin Tae-oh’s bitter words, unable to make a sound.

“When I was rejected, it suddenly became an ownerless item. It would be a waste to just throw it away.”

The weight of the watch on his wrist was hard to ignore, and Shin Tae-oh’s quiet voice made it impossible to shake off.

“I don’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable, Se-hyun-ssi. It’s just that the watch seemed so pitiful with nowhere to go, I felt I had to give it to someone.”

When Shin Tae-oh forced a cheerful expression, the weight of the watch made Se-hyun’s hand droop. It felt as if Shin Tae-oh’s feelings were attached to his wrist, making it heavy and hard to dismiss. It was troublesome either way.

“…Please get in. We’ll go straight without stopping at the rest area.”

“That’s what I wanted too.”

As Shin Tae-oh climbed into the passenger seat first, Se-hyun secretly sighed. Wasn’t this cheating? Using a rejected confession to make someone feel guilty was too much. It makes one’s heart soften.

Se-hyun opened the car door but paused, noticing something.

He realized why Tae-oh… that Taenyang had put the watch on him outside.

It would have been distracting to do it inside the car with the sweet smell of snacks.

Shin Tae-oh’s smiling face as he cracked open a walnut cookie was not gloomy at all. He looked cheerful as if he hadn’t been rejected at all, which made Se-hyun grind his teeth in frustration.

He had been tricked again.

“The snack will get cold. Hurry and get on.”

The brightly smiling Shin Tae-oh’s wrist sparkled, and so did Se-hyun’s wrist.

⍣⍣⍣

They drove for quite a while without conversation. Apart from Shin Tae-oh occasionally asking if Se-hyun wanted snacks, there was no conversation. The reason was simple. Se-hyun didn’t initiate any.

Shin Tae-oh must have been having a hard time enduring the boring time as he seemed to be thinking hard and suddenly making a suggestion.

“How about a word chain game?”

“I’ll go first. Sodium.”

“…Don’t you want to play the word game with me?”

“I need to drive.”

Se-hyun ignored Shin Tae-oh’s gaze and turned the steering wheel. The car was moving very smoothly, but Se-hyun’s mind was in turmoil. The reason was simple. Because Shin Tae-oh keeps breaking his promises. There should be limits to such tricks. Taking advantage of people’s hearts was too much.

“I know I was wrong.”

Knowing you were wrong was wrong in itself. He shouldn’t have done it in the first place.

“We’re almost there.”

Before Shin Tae-oh could say anything, they reached their destination. Se-hyun had never been so glad to hear the navigation guidance.

After entering the parking lot and finding a suitable spot, Shin Tae-oh let out a deep sigh.

“You can get out now. I’ll stay here.”

For some reason, Shin Tae-oh waved his hand, looking at Se-hyun. He meant for Se-hyun to go alone. Se-hyun wasn’t sure why but followed Shin Tae-oh’s instructions. As he grabbed the bag from the back seat, he noticed Shin Tae-oh reclining the passenger seat.

“Have a good trip.”

It seemed Shin Tae-oh intended to nap. He crossed his arms and closed his eyes.

“I’m tired from waking up early.”

Then he should have slept on the way here. Why… does it feel like he deliberately stayed awake to talk to him?

After staring at Shin Tae-oh’s face, trying to figure out his intentions, Se-hyun finally gave up on getting an answer and said goodbye.

“I’ll be back.”

Seeing Shin Tae-oh nod, Se-hyun was about to close the car door when… he added one more thing.

“I’ll play the word chain game with you when I get back.”

This time with easier words.

Before closing the car door, he saw Shin Tae-oh’s lips curl up.