Marriage Mate: 39

“Assistant Han.”

“Ah, Team Leader.”

“It’s almost time for dinner. Aren’t you hungry?”

That’s right. The team leader always makes sure to take care of meals… Yu-young swallowed, feeling the sudden hunger, but he shook his head in an attempt to hide it.

“…I’m fine. I’ll just quickly finish this and eat at home.”

“You don’t know when it’ll end, though. Wouldn’t it be better to eat together and talk?”

Just like last time, he seemed unwilling to back down when it came to meals. Since he was hungry anyway, Yu-young had politely declined once, but with no further reason to refuse, he quickly nodded in agreement.

“Then what would you like to eat? Should we order in or go out?”

“Assistant Han, you’ve finished your work, right? Let’s go out and eat, then head home right after.”

“Yes, that sounds good.”

The two of them tidied up the office together. While Yu-young checked the lights and air purifier and turned them off, Do-won lowered the blinds, walked around the office, and checked everything.

From the start, Yu-young had noticed that Do-won was not the type to flaunt his position. Even with these small tasks, he didn’t just stand idly by with his hands behind his back.

His attitude was the same when it came to work. He was cold and precise when assigning tasks, but if a team member was struggling or feeling down, he silently helped them until they got back on track.

The two of them closed the office door and took the elevator. While waiting for the first-floor button to light up, Yu-young glanced over at Do-won.

I still can’t believe it… I can’t believe it.

As they stood in the elevator, memories of that day resurfaced. The day he almost spilled coffee on Do-won’s clothes when they were leaving his house. That day too, they had argued, and he had cursed, telling Do-won to step in shit. Of course, he never imagined back then that Do-won would eventually become his team leader.

Do-won looked the same now as he did then. His indifferent gaze and expressionless face. Back then, his handsome features only made him seem even more annoying. But looking at him today… well, he didn’t seem that annoying at all.

Suddenly, Do-won spoke up.

“Assistant Han.”

“…Yes?”

Yu-young realized he had been staring at his face again. Worried that Do-won might criticize him for staring, he quickly glanced at him to gauge his reaction.

“What kind of food do you like?”

“I like anything.”

“There is no ‘anything’ on the menu. Pick something specific.”

Why does he speak so sternly even when it comes to choosing food? Yu-young muttered silently to himself, then unknowingly spoke up.

“Well, Team Leader, you know, when eating with a superior, we usually just go with their preferences, right?”

“…”

Do-won stared at him silently for a moment, and Yu-young hurriedly closed his mouth.

Why did I say that… He’s no longer just the annoying guy next door, he’s my boss now!

Having remembered the past while in the elevator, Yu-young made an embarrassing slip of the tongue. He quickly looked at Do-won, but fortunately, Do-won didn’t criticize him.

“When you’re with me, don’t worry about those things. Just say whatever you want to eat. It helps with faster decision-making.”

His tone was still stiff, but Yu-young quickly caught the hint and responded.

“Then I’d like to go to that sushi place you bought from last time.”

“Alright. Let’s go.”

Yu-young and Do-won walked side by side to a sushi restaurant just three minutes away from the office. It was in an area filled with office buildings, and since people often went there for a quick drink after work, the small restaurant was fairly busy. They sat down at the counter together.

“What kind of sushi do you like?”

“I like anything… So I’ll just go with the sushi set.

Yu-young went for a safe answer. Do-won nodded and ordered from the staff who brought them water and towels.

“Two of the special sushi set.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Well, he’s not so bad after all. Yu-young couldn’t help but smile contentedly. After Do-won took off his jacket, Yu-young gestured for him to hand it over, then hung it on the coat rack along with his own. When they returned to their seats, Do-won reached out his hand.

“You said you had something written down? Let me see it. We have things to finalize today.”

“Oh, yes. But, um… there’s nothing special written down. I thought we should talk about it together…”

Yu-young scratched his head and took out the printed document from his bag. It was just a simple list. Do-won skimmed through the paper quickly before speaking.

“Future plans.”

“Yes, I thought the parents would probably ask about it… They might bring it up pretty directly. I don’t know what your parents are like, but I think mine would be like that.” Do-won nodded in agreement.

“They’ll probably bring up marriage.”

“Yes, so… how about just saying, ‘we’re thinking about it’?” 

Just then, a loud voice from a nearby table shouted, “Cheers!” and Yu-young’s suggestion was drowned out. 

Do-won slightly frowned and leaned toward Yu-young. Yu-young also leaned in and whispered in his ear again.

“How about just saying we’re thinking about marriage?”

Without meaning to, Yu-young spoke in a louder voice, and as he looked at Do-won’s profile so close to him, he suddenly felt his heart race.

He hadn’t meant to, but his eyes widened. It was too close, like that time in the room when they kissed. Feeling a slight shiver, Yu-young fixed his gaze on Do-won’s profile. Do-won turned his head toward him and nodded.

“Alright. Let’s do that.”

The eye contact lasted only a moment, then Do-won straightened up. Yu-young quickly took a deep breath, trying not to make it obvious. He couldn’t understand why his heart was racing so much.

‘This is strange… Is it because he’s an alpha? Is my pheromone acting up again? The pheromone meter didn’t show anything earlier…’

Worried that he might get scolded about pheromones again, Yu-young stole a glance at Do-won’s face. But his pheromones had only slightly intensified, and there was no sign that he was reacting to Yu-young’s pheromones. It seemed the pheromones weren’t the issue.

So what’s the problem? Yu-young was lost in thought when Do-won lightly tapped the counter.

“What are you thinking about?”

“Ah… it’s nothing.”

“I thought it would be less awkward if you knew this in advance, so I wrote it down. Just lightly go over it.”

The paper Do-won handed over contained simple details about his family. As Yu-young casually took the paper, his eyes widened.

Just as I thought, a person with a distinguished background…! He’s born with a silver spoon!

No way. His father is the president of KS Construction, a subsidiary of the KS Group. How could the son of such a wealthy family be here, grinding away as a team leader? It’s beyond Yu-young. He could live lavishly working under his father…

Then again, thinking about it, he’s not in a position to talk. Do-won must have some circumstances too, Yu-young thought, nodding his head as he imagined the story hidden behind the paper.

“… Got it.”

“And there’s another proposal.” Do-won spoke with a calm expression.

“What is it?”

“As it says here, my parents are also trait bearers. So, just like last time, it seems necessary to adjust our pheromone fusion a bit. What do you think, Assistant Han?”

If it weren’t for his overly formal tone, Yu-young would’ve nodded without thinking. However, as he processed the words a beat later, his face turned bright red.

“Th-th-that is, the pheromone fusion…”

“The same as last time.”

Do-won answered nonchalantly with a low, firm voice.

“Holding hands or hugging won’t be enough to blend the pheromones, so like last time, a kiss might be necessary. Of course, we can’t have sex, but if we kiss several times each day…”

“Ugh, ugh! Team leader! Wait, wait a moment!”

His voice wasn’t loud, just at a normal volume, but the shop had momentarily quieted, making the content of his words clearly stand out. Yu-young’s ears were burning red as he stopped Do-won from speaking.

“What do you mean?”

Do-won, the one speaking, had a calm expression on his face.

“T-Team leader… I… ahem…”

“Your sushi is here.”

At that moment, the chef from the kitchen came out to serve the sushi directly to their table. Yu-young, his face flushed red, lowered his head.

“…Enjoy your meal.”

“Eat a lot.”

Yu-young quickly turned his head and took a sip of the hot soup.

Before, seeing his face made Yu-young angry, but now… he doesn’t know. It was like when he leaned in close to speak in his ear earlier, and now, with the things he was saying. 

Those things kept hitting him like a heavy wave in his chest. Do-won seemed unbothered by it all, but Yu-young felt strange about how much it was affecting him.

Why is Do-won so indifferent to these things? Has he dated a lot? Is this kind of physical contact so natural to him? To h, it feels so foreign and uncomfortable.

Don’t think about it, just eat.

Yu-young thought to himself, chewing on the sushi dipped in soy sauce. He and Do-won were only in this strange relationship because of their circumstances, nothing more. 

After they meet their parents and make it clear they’re doing well, they’ll return to the ordinary relationship of a team leader and subordinate.

So, let’s make sure they do things right. Yu-young tried to calm his racing heart with those thoughts, but he couldn’t shake the fluttering sensation. 

The seats were too close during the meal, the scent drifting from his side was too distracting, and his heart kept fluttering. Yu-young just wanted to leave the restaurant as soon as possible.

However, after the meal, something even more intense awaited. Once Yu-young had finished his meal, Do-won spoke calmly.

“Let’s start adjusting from today.”