TSG 84

If Se-hyun had to describe the kiss in a word, “crushing” would be most accurate. Despite Shin Tae-oh seemingly soft and tender lips, he mercilessly crushed Se-hyun’s. Se-hyun was worried that his lower lip might get scraped by his own teeth from the pressure.

Se-hyun was surprised, having expected a gentle, feather-light kiss. Shin Tae-oh had been sweet as cake and light as cotton candy when enticing him, but now his lips were devouring aggressively.

“Wait…”

Instinctively turning his head to avoid it, Se-hyun’s lip got caught between Shin Tae-oh’s teeth. This crazy Shin Tae-oh!

‘Isn’t using teeth cheating?’

Se-hyun was dumbfounded, feeling like he was becoming meat in Shin Tae-oh’s mouth. Blinking in confusion, he saw Shin Tae-oh’s eyes beautifully curved, seemingly unaware of what his lips were doing.

Seeing the smile in those half-hidden eyes, Se-hyun realized he’d fallen for Shin Tae-oh’s trick. He’d been lured by sweet words to check his feelings, but when it came to the actual kiss, Shin Tae-oh didn’t hide his intentions.

Se-hyun stopped in surprise, and as if praising him, Shin Tae-oh hid his teeth and softly rubbed his lips against Se-hyun’s. His movements became softer, as if the previous roughness had been a lie. He lightly nibbled Se-hyun’s lower lip and soothed the teeth-scraped area with his tongue.

Then he started tapping Se-hyun’s tongue, feeling like a puppy licking. When Se-hyun shrank from the ticklish sensation, Shin Tae-oh pressed closer and alternated kissing his lips.

“Hnngh.”

This sound came from pain, not kiss-induced stimulation.

His shoulders hurt more than his lips from Shin Tae-oh’s pressure. With the car door behind him instead of a flat wall, his body was awkwardly pinned, causing him to groan.

His lungs were compressed, his mouth blocked.

Even trying to breathe through his nose was difficult, as Shin Tae-oh’s tongue exploring his mouth left him light-headed.

‘This is driving me crazy.’

In addition to the uncomfortable posture, he could clearly feel the arousal between his legs. Tae-oh’s hardness against his thigh was unmistakable.

Wanting to beg Shin Tae-oh to move away, Se-hyun opened his mouth wider, but it only looked like he was asking for more.

Tae-oh’s tongue swept across Se-hyun’s gums and every corner of his mouth. Trapped between the car door and Tae-oh’s body, the overwhelming kiss made him feel suffocated. The relentless stimulation piled up, pushing him towards the edge of his limits. Even with his eyes closed, everything seemed too bright, making him squeeze them shut.

“Ngh. Hahh.”

Trying to take a deep breath only made Tae-oh’s pheromones mix with the air, intensifying the sensation. Unable to endure any longer, Se-hyun tapped Shin Tae-oh’s shoulder.

Responding to this signal that Se-hyun had reached his limit, Shin Tae-oh reluctantly withdrew after one last sweep of Se-hyun’s soft inner mouth. Though still close enough for their eyelashes to touch, Se-hyun was grateful for the brief respite.

It was just two breaths. Shin Tae-oh was visually counting Se-hyun’s inhales and exhales. Facing the risk of having to offer his lips again, Se-hyun hastily spoke.

“You…”

He didn’t have the luxury to notice how his voice was lower than usual.

“…aren’t going to eat me, are you?

He looked up at Shin Tae-oh with defiant eyes, as if saying he wouldn’t allow more kissing if that was the intention. Whether the kiss would continue depended on Shin Tae-oh’s answer.

“Se-hyun-ah. Your lips are calling out to me.”

“What nonsense…”

“Yes, it’s nonsense.”

Shin Tae-oh pressed his lips against Se-hyun’s again, leaving no room for any gaps.

“Y-you perv…”

As Se-hyun tried to say “pervert cat,” Shin Tae-oh’s tongue probed his mouth with each movement, even blowing air in, causing chaos.

From start to finish, Se-hyun kissed Shin Tae-oh with a sense of betrayal. He let out soft moans when Shin Tae-oh’s tongue explored him and trembled all over when it brushed against tender spots.

It was an electrifying kiss that made his spine tingle. When his head hit the window and the cold coffee spilled on his pants, Se-hyun realized he had been giving in to Shin Tae-oh for quite some time.

Shin Tae-oh didn’t hide his desire. He licked and sucked as much as he wanted.

Sometimes, he was as messy as a stray dog, and other times, as gentlemanly as could be.

Hearing Shin Tae-oh’s husky voice, Se-hyun couldn’t even laugh. If Shin Tae-oh was in this state, what about himself?

“I want to date you.”

Despite the kiss, Shin Tae-oh expressed his desire to be Se-hyun’s lover, leaving Se-hyun speechless. It wasn’t the right time for that.

Shin Tae-oh breathed into him, and Se-hyun’s heart, having received that breath, felt as heavy as water-logged cotton.

Shin Tae-oh was right. It took kissing to understand more deeply.

Se-hyun realized he was on the verge of falling for Shin Tae-oh.

A warning sounded that this shouldn’t happen.

⍣⍣⍣

Lee Jin-ho entered the secretary’s office holding a tablet. He was looking for Se-hyun, who had just returned from a business trip. Noticing Se-hyun back to his usual work routine, Jin-ho spoke to him.

“Se-hyun, this…”

“I’m not sure if I can get this approved right now. I need to visit Seongha Interior. They insisted I see it in person despite requesting the modeling via email. I’m sorry.”

Lee Jin-ho quietly pulled back the tablet he had been about to hand to Se-hyun.

“No need to apologize.”

If Se-hyun was busy, Lee Jin-ho could go instead. However, it bothered him slightly that Se-hyun cut him off mid-sentence without Lee Jin-ho even mentioning about getting approval from the CEO. Wondering if he was overthinking it, Lee Jin-ho forcibly suppressed the thought and half-turned.

“Chief.”

“Yes?”

“Could you take care of the boss’s departure today?”

Se-hyun, who had stopped Lee Jin-ho from going to the CEO’s office, carefully made this request. As it was an unusual ask, Lee Jin-ho thought for a moment before nodding.

“Sure.”

“Thank you. I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

Se-hyun quickly bowed and left the secretarial office, as if worried Lee Jin-ho might change his mind. His swift movement caught the attention of other secretaries, wondering what was going on.

Lee Jin-ho looked back and forth between Se-hyun and the CEO’s office. The business trip hadn’t been delayed further. In fact, it had ended in two days instead of the expected three.

The lawyer had been busy going in and out of the CEO’s office, perhaps having dealt with matters quickly and returned. Additionally, Se-hyun had been moving between the TF team regarding the bid.

On the surface, everything seemed peaceful. Preparations were going well, and the concerns about Ha Jin-seong’s side were turning out to be unfounded, as they were proving to be a decent partner.

But something felt off.

It was like a crack in an invisible part while the ship was sailing smoothly – that kind of precarious feeling.

“It’s like there’s something wrong, but I can’t put my finger on what it is.”

If he had to guess, it seemed like Se-hyun was avoiding Shin Tae-oh. But as just now, it could also be because Se-hyun was genuinely busy, so Lee Jin-ho wasn’t sure.

In times like this, there’s only one thing to do. Ask the CEO.

Lee Jin-ho didn’t hesitate and knocked on the CEO’s office door.

⍣⍣⍣

As Se-hyun walked through the company lobby, he recalled what had just happened.

“Should I go back now and say I’ll do it myself?”

He felt uneasy about passing his work onto someone else. Se-hyun stopped before completely leaving the lobby and turned to look at the elevator.

It wouldn’t be difficult to go back and tell Lee Jin-ho that he’d handle it. However, the problem was the time he’d have to spend with Shin Tae-oh if he did that.

They still hadn’t hired a driver, so they would have to drive together.

Just the two of them, him and Shin Tae-oh…

“Ah, this is driving me crazy.”

Just thinking about it made him feel suffocated.

“Got something on your mind?”

“Yes.”

“Is it because of Tae-oh hyung?”

“…”

Se-hyun turned his head in shock. He had been talking too naturally just now.

“Assistant Manager Yoo Jin-ha.”

“Thought so.”

Yoo Jin-ha looked at him with a knowing smile.

What’s he talking about? All Se-hyun did was call his name, but Yoo Jin-ha acted like he had answered a question.

“It’s not like that.”

“Is that so?”

Yoo Jin-ha responded indifferently to Se-hyun’s denial. It was as if he was saying, ‘If you say so’…

“Even if you act like it’s not, it’s obvious. Should I pretend not to notice?”

Apparently not. Watching Jin-ha’s sly smile, Se-hyun sighed.

He knew Yoo Jin-ha better than anyone else, and it seemed Jin-ha had seen through him.

“You look thirsty. Should I buy you a drink?”

Jin-ha gestured to go out together and started walking first. Se-hyun, watching his back, reluctantly followed.

He was indeed thirsty after being tense all day, worried about running into Shin Tae-oh.

“It’s a shame, beer would be perfect for times like these.”

Se-hyun unconsciously swallowed at Yoo Jin-ha’s words as he looked at the bright daylight. He realized he hadn’t had a beer in a while.

Since returning from Ulsan, he’d done nothing but sleep quietly, go to work, come home – just repeating those days.

Even though he was burning up inside.

Now that Yoo Jin-ha mentioned it, Se-hyun desperately wanted to drink beer.

“Assistant Manager Jin-ha.”

Se-hyun called out to him and even grabbed his shoulder. He’d thought Yoo Jin-ha was ahead of him, but somehow he was close enough to reach.

“Would you like to have a beer after work?”

Drinking alone would only make him more agitated, so he needed someone to drink with.

“Sure?”

Yoo Jin-ha readily accepted Se-hyun’s suggestion.