TSG 82

Se-hyun had nothing to say as Shin Tae-oh had said what he was about to.

“Well…”

Shin Tae-oh turned around and looked at their surroundings. Being an industrial area, there wasn’t anything special. The once quiet street was starting to fill with noise as machines began to operate one by one.

“Shall we get out of here?”

Shin Tae-oh came up with a very appropriate solution.

Se-hyun nodded, then tucked the documents under his arm and headed towards the car. He remembered seeing a suitable open space on the way here, so perhaps he could guide them there. He opened the passenger door and waited for Shin Tae-oh to get in, trying to recall the right location.

As he approached with leisurely steps, Shin Tae-oh glanced at the passenger seat and chuckled.At the sound of his laughter, Se-hyun looked up at Shin Tae-oh, and their eyes met just as he was getting into the car.

“Give me those documents.”

Before the door closed, Shin Tae-oh reached out and took the documents from Se-hyun, then tossed them into the back seat without hesitation. Se-hyun quickly got into the driver’s seat.

‘Taenyang’s attention has completely shifted.’

Seeing how he disregarded the documents they had obtained after coming all the way to Ulsan, Se-hyun anticipated it would be difficult to persuade him.

“Let’s go this way.”

Before Se-hyun could even close the driver’s door after getting in, Shin Tae-oh pointed at the navigation system.

So he had a place in mind.

Well, it’s better than going somewhere aimlessly. Se-hyun stepped on the accelerator, and after quite a long drive, the navigation system announced that they had arrived.

“Where is this?”

“You’ll see.”

As Shin Tae-oh got out of the car first, Se-hyun followed without knowing where they were. Unlike before when he would always figure out Shin Tae-oh’s movements in advance, his actions were a bit sluggish now.

“If you tell me where we’re going, I can lead the way…”

Even though he tried talking to Shin Tae-oh who was waiting, he just pointed to his side and started walking. Seeing that he seemed determined not to tell until the end, Se-hyun half-gave up and walked alongside Shin Tae-oh.

Seoul and Ulsan are different. The scenery wasn’t familiar, and Ulsan was such an unfamiliar city to him that he wouldn’t know where he was going without the navigation.

But there was one thing that wasn’t different between Seoul and Ulsan: people’s gazes towards Shin Tae-oh.

People unconsciously looked at the man with his tall stature and broad shoulders. And when they saw his face, they couldn’t hide their surprised expressions. Their eyes widened or their eyebrows rose, but it was unmistakable. He had seen it too many times.

Even here, people were looking at Shin Tae-oh. Se-hyun remembered what he had momentarily forgotten – that he needed to get used to this, that Shin Tae-oh was an eye-catching sub-gong character who had it all.

“What are you doing?”

As Se-hyun’s pace slowed while observing others’ gazes, Shin Tae-oh, who had gotten ahead, looked back.

“Ah…”

Se-hyun, unable to explain what he had been looking at, just let out an awkward sound.

“Come here.”

Shin Tae-oh reached out his hand. Why was he extending his hand when they were just a step apart? Se-hyun understood Shin Tae-oh wanted him by his side, but he couldn’t bring himself to take his hand. He hesitated, knowing that if he took this hand, if he accepted Shin Tae-o’s confession, it would alter the original story.

If he fell for him, his whole environment would be shaken. He had found a family to protect in this world, and he wondered if he should leave this stable life, not knowing how everything might change.

“Se-hyun.”

Sensing something in Se-hyun’s hesitation, Shin Tae-oh lowered his hand. He no longer urged him to take it but instead closed the distance between them.

“Uh.”

Se-hyun let out a surprised gasp as Shin Tae-oh didn’t just close the distance but embraced him outright. It wasn’t a casual touch; it was a full, unexpected hug. With their bodies pressed together, the cold breeze was replaced by an embarrassing warmth that made Se-hyun’s face flush.

“What are you thinking about so much?”

But why was he hugging him?

“Are you worried about other people seeing us? Should I tell them not to look?”

It might be faster to just cover Shin Tae-oh’s face.

“Or should we walk like this? Then they won’t look at me.”

They would look at Se-hyun instead.

Since Shin Tae-oh had figured out what Se-hyun was thinking, there was no point in hiding anymore.

“Should we just go back to Seoul?”

“Why?”

“I’m worried about the chief manager working hard in my place…”

Being alone with Shin Tae-oh was also worrying, and he couldn’t relax at all. Just as he hesitated again, the arms wrapped around him tightened, making him let out a stifled sound.

“You rascal(bullyang).”

He had said his nickname was Bulnyang(Blushingcat), but just now he deliberately mispronounced it.

“You really hate the idea of skipping work to have some fun?”

Normally, he would prefer a day off from work, but not today.

“If we leave now, we can sleep at home.”

“We sleep at home every day, wouldn’t it be okay to sleep outside just once?”

“Sleeping outside is uncomfortable.”

If he gave in to Shin Tae-oh now, he would end up spending a date night in Ulsan with no way out. Having made up his mind to persuade Shin Tae-oh, he was determined not to give in.

“Haa, Se-hyun-ah.”

Shin Tae-oh sighed, running his hand through his hair as if frustrated. Just now… he called his name so casually that Se-hyun couldn’t think of how to react.

It wasn’t the first time he had called him like that, but Shin Tae-oh’s voice sounded so sweet that Se-hyun was shaken.

It was because of that moment of hesitation that Se-hyun missed the chance to escape from Shin Tae-oh.

“Don’t you get it? I’m saying I want to stay on this island where the ship about to sail away.”

Shin Tae-oh tilted his head to meet Se-hyun’s eyes. But what good was it to look into his eyes? Shin Tae-oh’s view of the world was skewed.

“Just the two of us.”

It wasn’t about Shin Tae-oh’s view of the world. Se-hyun touched his own neck. There was nothing tangible there, but it felt strange. Why did it feel like he was wearing a collar? And why did it seem like Shin Tae-oh was the one holding the leash?

“What will we do?”

Otherwise, Se-hyun wouldn’t have responded this way.

At Se-hyun’s agreement, Shin Tae-oh’s lips curved up gently, as if he had expected this. The smoothness of his lips stretching into a smile was clearly visible. Shin Tae-oh’s been sticking close to him a lot today.

⍣⍣⍣

Yoo Jin-ha was about to turn away in disappointment when he couldn’t find the person he was looking for in the secretarial office.

“Who are you looking for?”

“Eek!”

Startled by Chief Secretary Lee Jin-ho who was right behind him, Yoo Jin-ha jumped back. He pressed his hand against his pounding heart and gave an awkward smile.

“Yes. I came to see Secretary Ahn Se-hyun.”

“Hmm… Se-hyun is on a business trip right now.”

“Then when will he be back?”

“He’s supposed to come to work on Friday, but I’m not sure how it will turn out.”

Lee Jin-ho’s words sounded somewhat uncertain as he took out his phone to check the calendar.

“You don’t know?”

Yoo Jin-ha was trying to understand, thinking that it could happen if Se-hyun had been assigned a difficult task or if there were various circumstances delaying him at the business trip location.

“Since Se-hyun will only come back when the CEO returns…”

He had momentarily forgotten that as a secretary, it was natural to accompany the person one serves. Yoo Jin-ha nodded, but then something occurred to him and he asked Lee Jin-ho:

“So, did they go on the business trip together, just the two of them?”

“Of course?”

Lee Jin-ho acted as if Yoo Jin-ha was asking about something obvious, but to Jin-ha, it wasn’t obvious at all. He knew Shin Tae-oh’s feelings.

“Just the two of them, without anyone else…”

Muttering to himself, Yoo Jin-ha soon nodded as if understanding and excused himself, passing by Lee Jin-ho. There was no reason to stay any longer since Se-hyun wasn’t there.

Lee Jin-ho watched Yoo Jin-ha walk away and muttered to himself as if suddenly realizing something.

“He never comes near the CEO’s office when the CEO is around, but he comes so readily to meet Se-hyun.”

How should he interpret this?

“Is it because Shin Tae-oh is burdensome and he wants to get closer to Se-hyun?”

Lee Jin-ho voiced his speculation but quickly lost interest. He was already busy observing how Shin Tae-oh had come to like Se-hyun.

“Will they really come back on Friday?”

He spoke to the empty air, thinking that it would probably depend on Shin Tae-oh’s mood.

⍣⍣⍣

“It’s a bamboo forest.”

Se-hyun muttered, looking at the bamboo shooting straight up to the sky. He felt like there might be another name for it, but he couldn’t quite remember.

He had thought they might go see the sea since they were in Ulsan, but this was an unexpected choice.

“We have plenty of time.”

As if reading Se-hyun’s thoughts, Shin Tae-oh spoke in a tone that suggested there was no rush.

“I just want to walk comfortably today.”

Se-hyun unconsciously lowered his gaze. He strongly suspected that this was the reason for the sneakers he had been given to match his outfit, but he couldn’t be certain unless Shin Tae-oh told him.

“Let’s go.”

Shin Tae-oh took his hand and spoke in a soft voice, causing Se-hyun to scratch his ear in frustration. It was because his ear was itchy. He rationalized that this was why he didn’t let go of the hand Shin Tae-oh had taken as they entered the bamboo forest.

“We’ve held hands and hugged, so the next step is…”

Shin Tae-oh was muttering something, but Se-hyun couldn’t hear it clearly.