TSG 93

Se-hyun slightly turned his head and glanced at the hospital room. Inside, Shin Tae-oh and Jeong Mi-jung were talking. Not wanting to disturb them, Se-hyun stood blocking the door as he faced Ha Jin-seong.

“I’m sorry, but the CEO needs to rest. Could you please come back another time?”

“I’m not here to see Shin Tae-oh.”

Se-hyun wondered why he had come to see him then.

“If it’s about the police investigation, that’s all finished. Since there’s footage of the internal situation at the time, if you’re hoping for leniency or a settlement, that will be difficult.”

“That’s for the lawyers to handle.”

It wasn’t this, it wasn’t that. The atmosphere didn’t suggest he was here for pleasantries either.

“Please follow me.”

Feeling this wasn’t a conversation to have here, Se-hyun walked ahead of Ha Jin-seong.

⍣⍣⍣

Ha Jin-seong looked around. They were in front of a vending machine at the end of the hallway, with people occasionally passing by.

“I thought you’d at least take us somewhere private.”

“I can’t spare much time. I’m sorry.”

“Not even time to take the elevator. Or maybe you just don’t have time for me.”

Se-hyun didn’t deny Ha Jin-seong’s curt reply.

“The CEO’s stability is the top priority.”

“That damn stability.”

As Ha Jin-seong clicked his tongue and muttered, Se-hyun abruptly stood up and inserted money into the vending machine. As if he had a drink in mind from the start, he quickly pressed a button and returned with two drinks, standing in front of Ha Jin-seong.

“He’s someone who just had a long surgery. Of course, he needs to be cared for.”

As he said this while offering a drink, Ha Jin-seong kept his gaze fixed on Se-hyun.

“Why don’t you resent me?”

So that’s why he was looking for him.

Although Shin Tae-oh’s surgery was due to Ha Jin-woong, Se-hyun acted no differently than usual.

Ha Jin-seong’s eyes seemed to be trying to determine if Se-hyun was hiding his true feelings or if he genuinely didn’t mind.

“I don’t resent you.”

“…That’s not a lie?”

Se-hyun forcibly placed the unaccepted drink in Ha Jin-seong’s hand and sat down beside him.

“Because there’s no need to lie.”

That’s why he could treat Ha Jin-seong no differently than usual.

“That’s unexpected.”

As Ha Jin-seong rolled the drink in his hand and muttered, Se-hyun opened his own drink and took a sip. After letting out a long breath at the refreshing carbonation, Se-hyun turned to Ha Jin-seong.

“Ha Jin-woong was the one who caused this. The person I’m facing is Ha Jin-seong. Even though you’re twins, your faces are different, so it’s easy to distinguish.”

Ha Jin-seong, who had been staring straight ahead since Se-hyun sat down, slowly turned his head. Meeting his eyes, Se-hyun added kindly:

“If anything, I should be grateful. I heard you tried to find me.”

“…”

Ha Jin-seong was originally the villain, manipulating Ha Jin-woong from behind and leading him to kidnap Yoo Jin-ha. Ha Jin-seong’s fate had clearly changed too. So if asked to express his honest feelings…

“Honestly, I was glad to hear there was another person who worried about me.”

“What’s there to be glad about.”

“It made me think I wasn’t alone.”

Se-hyun calmly laid out his thoughts.

“Actually, when I was captured, I think I would have been quite sad if no one had looked for me.”

“You knew Shin Tae-oh would look for you.”

Se-hyun responded matter-of-factly to Ha Jin-seong’s nagging sound.

“So I wasn’t sad. I was happy because not one, but two people came looking for me.”

At least he wasn’t completely forgotten as an extra, which was fortunate.

“It wasn’t just two people.”

Ha Jin-seong pulled Se-hyun out of his thoughts. Seeing focus return to Se-hyun’s eyes, Ha Jin-seong spoke deliberately.

“There was also that chief manager guy and the interior design representative.”

He was referring to Lee Jin-ho and Park Ha-seong.

“Then that’s four people.”

“Oh, you’re right?”

One was better than none, and two were better than one, but hearing it was four people made him feel overwhelmed. Why hadn’t he realized this earlier? As Se-hyun was getting excited, Ha Jin-seong clicked his tongue and grabbed Se-hyun’s chin.

Lifting his chin, they were close enough to see their own reflections in each other’s eyes. Se-hyun remained still, feeling Ha Jin-seong’s intense gaze scanning his face.

“Have you seen enough now?”

Se-hyun gently touched the bandages on his cheekbones and cheeks as he removed Ha Jin-seong’s hand. Instead of flinching or freezing up, he addressed it directly, causing Ha Jin-seong to laugh in disbelief.

“You really are Ahn Se-hyun.”

“I think it’s time you told me what you came here to say.”

At Se-hyun’s words to stop beating around the bush and get to the point, Ha Jin-seong’s mood sank.

His expression had been heavier than usual from the start. Se-hyun knew it was because of Ha Jin-woong, but that only made him more uncertain about what Ha Jin-seong wanted to say.

It’s not like there was anything he could do to help anyway.

“I came to confirm something.”

“What exactly?”

“Ahn Se-hyun’s feelings.”

Seeing Ha Jin-seong’s wavering eyes, Se-hyun felt uncomfortable for the first time.

Even though he had expected this conversation would happen eventually, it wasn’t easy to accept.

“It would be better if you just apologized on Ha Jin-woong’s behalf.”

“He’s an adult, why should I apologize for him?”

Ha Jin-seong snapped irritably as if telling Se-hyun not to change the subject. It was a rather cold response for someone who said he wanted to confirm Se-hyun’s feelings.

“You can already see my feelings, can’t you?”

“I’m asking if there’s a chance you’ll change your mind.”

“Hmm…”

If he was asking whether there was any chance to wedge himself in, knowing that Se-hyun’s heart had gone to Shin Tae-oh…

“As time passes, the current passionate feelings may cool down. They say you can’t love someone forever, right?”

Se-hyun answered neutrally with a generally applicable phrase, causing Ha Jin-seong to furrow his brow sharply.

“What? So you’re saying you love Shin Tae-oh. ‘Passionate,’ shit… How cheesy.”

Se-hyun had meant that it might cool down someday, but Ha Jin-seong took it differently.

He’s… sharper than I thought.

“Well, love is cheesy after all.”

Since he had no intention of hiding it anyway, Se-hyun responded brazenly. Then he raised his hand as if to look at his wristwatch and stood up.

“I’ve been here a while. The CEO will be looking for me.”

“…You’re not even wearing a watch.”

Your wrist is bandaged. Were you just pretending to check the time? Even with Ha Jin-seong’s incredulous gaze, Se-hyun remained indifferent as he bid farewell.

“I’ll see you next time.”

Leaving with a polite farewell, Se-hyun stopped midway but didn’t look back at Ha Jin-seong. Watching Se-hyun’s back as he walked straight ahead, Ha Jin-seong let out a deflated laugh.

“Idiot.”

It would have been better if he had cursed. Shin Tae-oh had collapsed, and gone through a long surgery, and despite Ahn Se-hyun being physically unwell himself, he was still able to distinguish between people clearly.

He had such strong self-control that he didn’t show even a trace of resentment towards Ha Jin-seong just because he wasn’t Ha Jin-woong. In fact, Ha Jin-seong had come prepared to hear anything from Se-hyun.

Ha Jin-seong sighed and then paused, noticing the drink he had been holding absentmindedly.

“What?”

He twisted his mouth in frustration as he examined the drink from different angles, then finally let out a bitter laugh.

The drink Se-hyun had given him was a black tea drink that Ha Jin-seong hated.

⍣⍣⍣

Even though he hadn’t climbed the stairs, Se-hyun was out of breath when he reached the door, thinking he needed to hurry. He focused on the sounds coming from inside while trying to calm his breathing.

Not hearing any conversation, he opened the door slightly to check inside. The stillness flowing through the small gap indicated that Shin Tae-oh was alone.

Exhaling deeply, he opened the door the rest of the way. Shin Tae-oh, who had been looking out the window, turned his head.

Looking at his expressionless face and half-closed, hazy eyes lowered to the ground, Se-hyun felt a pang in his heart.

Shin Tae-oh didn’t always have to smile. But his melancholy gaze greatly shook Se-hyun’s heart.

Se-hyun approached Shin Tae-oh and gently caressed each of his fingers. When he interlaced their fingers and squeezed tightly, Shin Tae-oh’s eyes looked down at their hands.

“I’m sorry I’m late.”

Se-hyun stroked the back of Shin Tae-oh’s hand with his thumb.

“What were you doing?”

“Well…”

Thinking about where to start, Se-hyun finally spoke.

“I revealed my feelings.”

He had gone beyond simply liking Shin Tae-oh—he had confessed that he loved him. Even though he didn’t expect it to be Ha Jin-seong, he felt relieved after revealing his complicated feelings.

“To who?”

“To black tea.”

Se-hyun sat in the chair and caressed Shin Tae-oh’s cheek.

“Are you uncomfortable anywhere?”

“Your formal speech is uncomfortable.”

“Oh really? You must be in a bad mood if you’re nitpicking strange things like that.”

“You should reveal your feelings to me.”

At Shin Tae-oh’s tone suggesting why Se-hyun went to some random black tea (Hong-cha) to do that, Se-hyun let go of Shin Tae-oh’s hand and stood up. As Shin Tae-oh repeatedly clenched and unclenched his now empty hand, Se-hyun lifted the blanket and lay down in the empty space.

“I will reveal them.”

Se-hyun placed his hand on Shin Tae-oh’s waist.

“Divided into 12 months.”

Just like last time, he referred to it not as a year, but as 12 months.

Shin Tae-oh looked at Se-hyun with bewildered eyes before pulling him into an embrace.

Se-hyun smiled faintly as if giving up, at the possessiveness shown by Shin Tae-oh tightening his hold.

Mentioning 12 months had been Se-hyun’s way of expressing his fears. Despite the clarity of his feelings for Shin Tae-oh, seeing him hurt had terrified him.

He never wanted Shin Tae-oh to get hurt again. He wanted to seriously watch over Shin Tae-oh over time. Not from behind, but from beside him.