DFLT 51

After finishing the last dessert like that, my stomach felt like it was about to burst.

“Wow, I’m so full.”

“You scraped the bowl clean, right down to the sherbet that came out for dessert. Of course you’re full.”

I usually don’t eat this much, but the food was so delicious that it just kept going down endlessly. Once the satisfying meal was over, the moment of judgment finally arrived. Right, the food was delicious, so that’s all that matters. As we reached the counter, an employee asked with a gentle expression.

“Did you enjoy your meal?”

“Ah, yes! It was truly delicious.”

With the thought that it would be nice to diligently save up and bring my mother and Seowon here, Yeonoh offered his card with a trembling hand.

“The bill has already been paid, sir.”

“What? What do you mean it’s already been paid?”

“The Executive Director took care of the payment when you stepped away for a moment.”

Wasn’t he the one who told me to buy him a meal in the first place? Not knowing what to do, Yeonoh scratched his head. Just then, Heonyoung, who had been on the phone for a moment, came over.

“Uh, Executive Director, they said you already paid…”

“Did you really think I’d let you buy me a meal?”

“But I’d feel too sorry about that…”

Anxious, Yeonoh let his sentence trail off uncertainly. Seo Heonyoung twisted one corner of his mouth upwards, making an unreadable expression.

“Would it be alright if I bought coffee, at least?”

“Who drinks coffee at this time of night?”

“But I made a scene and then freeloaded a meal off of you.”

“You’re good at one thing—self-awareness.”

“…”

“If you really feel that bad about it, you can buy me a meal next time.”

With those words, Seo Heonyoung was the first to walk out of the restaurant. Listening to Seo Heonyoung speak always gave me a strange feeling. His tone was certainly blunt, but when I tried to grasp his true intentions, that wasn’t always the case. He bought a meal that cost nearly 300,000 won per person for someone he should have been getting a meal from, and then brushed it off as if it were nothing…

“Yes, Executive Director!”

Even if I couldn’t treat him to a 300,000 won meal, I had to find a really good restaurant, Yeonoh thought as he chased after him.

But Seo Heonyoung’s actions that surprised Yeonoh didn’t stop there. As Yeonoh scurried over to the parked car, Seo Heonyoung was standing in front of the driver’s side door.

“Key.”

“What? Are you going to drive yourself?”

“I have somewhere to be later.”

“Ah, yes!”

Ah, he has personal plans. Yeonoh quickly took the car key out of his pants pocket and handed it over with both hands.

Seo Heonyoung opened the door but didn’t even sit on the seat, immediately pushing back the seat that was adjusted for Yeonoh’s height. The longer the characteristic noise of the power seat whirred, the more strangely embarrassed Yeonoh became, scratching only the back of his neck. Being short isn’t a crime, so why am I like this?

“Well then, I’ll see you tomorrow, Executive Director.”

“Get in.”

“In this car?”

“It’s tiring to have to say things twice. Get in.”

As Seo Heonyoung swept his bangs back with a long sigh, Yeonoh swallowed any further questions and sat in the passenger seat without a word. Seo Heonyoung, who started the car shortly after, headed in the direction of Yeonoh’s house.

“Executive Director, I don’t know where you’re headed next, but you can just drop me off at the station over there. I don’t even have to transfer from here.”

However, Seo Heonyoung drove right past the subway station entrance Yeonoh had pointed to, as if to make a point. It was quite a distance from here to my house, so he would be wasting over an hour on the road because of me. I felt so uncomfortable and sorry about it that I couldn’t lift my head.

“You were happy to get into the car Kang Dojin was driving, but now that I’m driving, you’re acting like you could die from discomfort?”

Why is Dojin’s name coming up now?

“The situations are different. I’m supposed to be the one driving you…”

“I’ll look after my own interests. So that kind of worrying is just a waste of time.”

Didn’t that mean that taking the time to drive his subordinate home was an exception in Seo Heonyoung’s calculation of his own interests? Once again, contrary to his chilly tone, the meaning was the complete opposite.

It would be nice if he were just consistently prickly like usual, but the problem was that his sudden displays of kindness kept creating a strange flutter in my chest. A raw sort of consideration was more like Seo Heonyoung than a neat and affectionate kindness, and that’s why I kept mistaking it for Seo Heonyoung’s unique brand of gentleness.

There was no more conversation after that, and Yeonoh did his best to just listen intently to the music flowing from the radio. After driving for a good while, the car finally reached Yeonoh’s familiar neighborhood.

“You can stop over there.”

The place Yeonoh pointed to was Seowon’s cafe, visible from the street. It felt like a burden to have him drive into the alley, and it was also almost time for Seowon, who was working the night shift, to finish.

“A cafe?”

“Yes, it’s the cafe where my brother works. I’m planning to go home with him after he’s done.”

“Ah.”

When he stopped the car on the main road in front of the cafe, the inside of the shop was clearly visible through the glass window. It seemed Hyeyun and Seowon were closing up together. Seowon was mopping the floor, and Hyeyun was busy organizing cups.

“Thank you for buying me dinner and for driving me all the way here.”

“Go on in.”

Bow. After bowing, Yeonoh closed the door. I waited for Heonyoung’s car to leave, but no matter how long I stood still, the car didn’t move.

It was dark and the car windows were heavily tinted, so I couldn’t see what he was doing, but maybe he was entering his next destination into the navigation system or talking on the phone.

Yeonoh checked his watch. 9 p.m. If it’s a private meeting at this hour, he’s probably going to see Executive Director Do Sehyun…

No, I should stop thinking about it. Even after waiting for a while, Heonyoung’s car showed no sign of leaving, so Yeonoh turned around and headed for the cafe.

“Seowon, hyung is here—”

I pushed open the door and was calling for Seowon when he suddenly threw the mop onto the floor, grabbed Yeonoh’s wrist, and sat Yeonoh down in a chair. Seowon sat across from him, and Hyeyun ran over and sat down next to him.

“Hyung, that guy is the same guy who came to our neighborhood that time, right? The Maserati car poor?”

Seowon fired off the question like a machine gun without taking a breath, and only then did Yeonoh realize. Ah. The fact that the inside is clearly visible from the outside must mean that the outside is also very transparently visible from the inside.

“Wh-what. That’s not it, okay?”

Flustered, Yeonoh even started to stutter.

“I saw everything when the car door opened. It’s obviously him, the guy who basically has ‘dominant alpha’ written on his forehead!”

What on earth is this absurd misunderstanding he’s having? Horrified, Yeonoh waved his hands and vehemently denied it, but it was no use.

“To drive you all the way here himself, you guys must not be just any ordinary couple, right?”

“Whoa… I thought our Yeonoh oppa was just a sweet little puppy, but he was dating a handsome, rich dominant alpha?”

“Wow, and you pretended you didn’t know when I asked if you saw that car back then?”

“Ah, we’re not a couple!”

Having had enough, Yeonoh exploded. He tensed his stomach, shouted, and slammed his fist on the table. Hyeyun, looking sorry, lowered the corners of her eyes and spoke.

“Oppa, you’ll hurt your cotton-ball fist. Be careful…”

“…”

It got to the point where I thought it would have been better to just shamelessly ask Seo Heonyoung to drop me off right in front of my house.

“He’s not my boyfriend, he’s my boss. I’m usually his driver, but he said he had personal plans today and needed to use the car, so I just caught a ride.”

“No way.”

“What do you mean, no way? Seriously, stop with the pointless misunderstandings and get back to work. So we can go home soon.”

Smacking their lips in disappointment, Seowon and Hyeyun returned to their closing duties. I had a spare moment and was checking my phone when my eyes widened as I looked at the missed call list. There were two calls from Dojin from about an hour ago.

Was my phone on silent? To make sure I never miss work-related calls, I usually set it to either silent or ring, but when I checked the settings, it wasn’t on silent, but on vibrate.

Could it be that I didn’t notice because I was eating? An hour ago was when I had just come back from stepping out and was excitedly eating Korean beef. I must have been so focused on my meal that I didn’t even hear the vibration. Yeonoh tilted his head and called Dojin.

“Ah, sunbae. I’m sorry I couldn’t answer your call. I was having dinner.”

—Ah, you already ate. I was going to ask you to eat with me if you hadn’t. Where are you? Want to get some tea or something?

“I would if I were nearby, but I’m already home. I’m sorry, I saw your call late.”

—Ah… is that so? Let’s meet up next time, then.

Dojin’s voice sounded somewhat disappointed.