Yigyeom strolled through the large company lobby, marveling at the surroundings. It was his first time visiting such a massive corporate building, and he found it fascinating, constantly shifting his gaze here and there.
“Hello, Chief.”
“Yes, hello.”
Another remarkable thing was that most of the people passing by all greeted Kwon Taejung. While he knew Kwon Taejung held a crucial position in the company, it was still astonishing that so many people recognized him. It made Yigyeom feel proud for some reason.
“Chief, hello. Congratulations on your return.”
“Thank you for the congratulations.”
Even a senior-looking employee greeted Kwon Taejung with a bow. Observing Kwon Taejung’s interactions with people, Yigyeom, with a somewhat different expression than the warm one he usually wore, silently observed.
“…”
It was hard to express in words, but it wasn’t the usual affectionate face that he saw in Yigyeom when he looked at him.
“Chief, why did you suddenly come to the office? Oh, Yigyeom, hello. It’s been a while. Have you been well? I heard some good news. Congratulations.”
As they entered the room labeled “Chief’s Office,” Baek, the secretary, stood up and greeted Yigyeom. Yigyeom, with a nod, greeted Baek, whom he hadn’t seen for quite some time since the day they briefly met while moving.
“Thank you for the congratulations.”
“I heard about your marriage news, and congratulations on that too. I’m really happy for you since I helped a bit. Congratulations.”
“Thank you for all your help.”
After exchanging another round of greetings with the smiling secretary, Yigyeom, who partly clung to Kwon Taejung, moved towards the Chief’s office. Following closely, Baek, who had sighed quietly, placed a document on the desk.
“Chief, the Head of Product Planning Team 2 has left a message to meet you. It seems related to the conflict with Team 1 over the new product, as we discussed this morning. They expect you to be there within an hour. It seems like a challenging issue, and they want to resolve it quickly while you’re still full of energy.”
“Ah, they want me there within an hour. We need to resolve troublesome matters while Yigyeom is with me. Otherwise, he might have to carry the burden. Are you okay with that?”
“…Are you serious?”
“I would if I were you. You know it. Shall I show you?”
“No, thank you. I’ll make sure to be there within an hour.”
After Baek left the office, Kwon Taejung, who had separated from Baek, met eyes with Yigyeom, who was observing him curiously.
“This is my office, Yigyeom. Isn’t it quite nice?”
“Ah… Yes, it’s wonderful. I didn’t know it was this spacious.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“When no one is around, you can relax on the sofa. Also, as I heard earlier, the team leader will come in. Just stay inside during that time. Let’s go.”
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“Yes. I try to go home as much as possible, but sometimes I get too tired, and I can’t drive. In those cases, take a short break here. Well, I may not need it anymore now.”
Turning around and completely meeting eyes, Kwon Taejung, holding Yigyeom’s waist from behind, lightly brushed his nose against the nape of his neck.
“After getting married, I will definitely go to our home even if it’s late.”
Snuggling close to each other, even their lips met when their gazes fully met again. At that moment, a knocking sound from outside interrupted them. Kwon Taejung, who had slowed down the movement of Yigyeom’s tongue, reluctantly looked outside with a displeased expression.
“They came quickly. I’ll finish this quickly. Rest here.”
“Yes….”
Yigyeom absentmindedly watched Kwon Taejung’s back as he left the room, tilting his head. Soon after, the door opened along with Baek’s voice from outside, followed by the greeting of an unfamiliar man. Captivated by Kwon Taejung’s voice, which sounded different from what Yigyeom had heard before, he observed Kwon Taejung sitting on the sofa behind the bookshelf.
“Team Leader Seo, it’s been a while. I’d like to ask how you’ve been, but knowing that you’re not doing well, I can’t even offer such greetings.”
“Chief, congratulations on your return. On such a good day, I hesitate to say this, but… I’ve come here without any reservation because there’s really no one other than the manager who can resolve this matter.”
“Why are teams with only differing numbers at the end fighting as if there’s not enough to go around? Do I have to mediate in such a battle?”
The voice that descended coldly did not contain any warmth. It seemed like every word was sharply edged. Moreover, the gaze directed at the man sitting across held no trace of affection. Yigyeom stared at Kwon Taejung, who engaged in a businesslike conversation without a hint of personal emotion, as if forgetting to breathe.
“Isn’t it a matter of compromise? While healthy competition for progress is good, in cases like this, wouldn’t it be better to acknowledge the results and move forward? You’ve already planned out excellent alternative projects, so I honestly don’t understand why you’re engaging in meaningless disputes over overlapping items.”
Regardless of what the other person said, Kwon Taejung responded with a very firm and sharp tone. Yigyeom looked at Kwon Taejung, who engaged in a businesslike conversation without any emotional fluctuation, with a gaze that did not reveal even a slight waver. The Kwon Taejung he saw now was completely different from the one who used to come home and embrace him with what seemed like the possibility of tears.
“….”
What should I do… Chief looks so cool working… Yigyeom’s eyes glazed over, and his grip on the bookshelf tightened slightly. Watching Kwon Taejung, who seemed to lack any emotion, it was the first time Yigyeom felt unsure about what to do.
A very determined person like that seemed to be neither firm nor always showing a warm smile to me. It was overwhelmingly exciting and joyful to see the Kwon Taejung who looked so imposing and calm compared to the challenging environment of the demolition village.
“I’m sorry for the trouble on your first day back.”
“No, I’ll see you next time for something good.”
“I’ll go down.”
“Yes.”
Kwon Taejung, who stood up from the sofa and lightly bowed in farewell, sighed with an expressionless face. His cold face seemed even colder compared to the temperature of any emotions. Yigyeom felt tense and tightly clutched his heart, quickly entering the room behind the bookshelf where he should be.
Seating himself on the bed, feeling as if he had done something wrong, his heart pounded loudly. “Yigyeom.”
The footsteps approached. Yigyeom looked up as Kwon Taejung called him. Kwon Taejung, who until a moment ago seemed unlikely to show such a voice or smile, now looked down at him with a very affectionate face.
“….”
What should I do… It’s embarrassing just to look at him… His heart, which had been pounding loudly, fell with a thud. Yigyeom slightly lowered his head, facing the direction he had avoided, and then looked at Kwon Taejung who tilted his head.
“Why did you avoid looking at me?”
“I-I didn’t avoid you….”
“You did. You avoided me just now. Don’t you want to see me? Did you get mad because I brought you here and left you alone?”
No, he shook my head. Yigyeom, avoiding eye contact, faced the other side and bent his body again. As Kwon Taejung approached more closely, the scent of his pheromones became even stronger. Yigyeom, with eyes still avoiding, raised his head to look at Kwon Taejung, who was tilting his head again.
“It’s not that…”
“Yeah, not that?”
Kwon Taejung, who had been busy kissing here and there earlier, raised his head and met eyes again.
“…Chief, your work is so impressive….”
“My work? I just talked with the team leader. Do you like me being all stern like that?Should I talk to you like that, hm? Should we address each other with our last names”
As their bodies got closer, the pheromone scent from Kwon Taejung became even more intense. Yigyeom, feeling overwhelmed, closed his eyes and leaned back slightly, murmuring in Kwon Taejung’s ear.
“Yeon Yigyeom, what were you thinking while secretly watching me work?”
“Uh…”
Suddenly, a deeply penetrating voice echoed softly. Yigyeom, exposed to Kwon Taejung’s voice, didn’t know what to do and bit his inner lip.
“It’s troubling to moan at work….”
“Chief….”
“If I had known that Yeon Yigyeom likes a professional attitude, I would have done so earlier…. It’s not difficult.”
“Well, it’s just that….”
Although he should have said no, Yigyeom couldn’t come up with any words in response to Kwon Taejung, who, with a tone stiffer than usual, added a title to his name. Yigyeom, unable to hide his fluttering emotions, glanced at Kwon Taejung and then lowered his head again.
“Yeon Yigyeom is avoiding me again.”
“That’s… I mean….”
“Do you like me, Yeon Yigyeom? Always avoiding eye contact and, huh? Unable to speak. I’m not a fan of office romance.”
The shoulders that twitched every time he spoke or the eyes that shook like that were excessively cute. Kwon Taejung gently kissed the ear that seemed to touch his lips and embraced Yigyeom with one arm, pulling him closer.
“But I might consider changing my preferences for Yeon Yigyeom.”
Kwon Taejung, who had kissed the blushing earlobe again, gently held Yigyeom’s chin, turning his face to meet his eyes. Embarrassed by all this, Yigyeom knew that he couldn’t keep the playful act going for much longer, as Kwon Taejung had not looked at him properly since a while ago.
“Really. I have a rule that I should never engage in office romance, but if I had met you at work, I would have changed my mind instantly.”
“…Really?”
“Yeah. Because wherever Yigyeom is, that’s where I want to be.”
It was the same for him. Wherever he met Kwon Taejung, he would have come to like him. How could I not like him? Yigyeom, still remembered the image of Kwon Taejung sitting with his long legs stretched out under the collapsed wall, and the moment he first said he grew well.
“….”
And there was a slightly regretful feeling. If he had met Kwon Taejung at the company, if he could work at such a good company even part-time, if he could be near him… he couldn’t help feeling regretful thinking about what could have been better.
“Chief…. Can I also work hard and try to work at such a good company?”
“At the company? Of course. Our Yigyeom can do anything.”
“I mentioned it before, but my only goal was to repay my debt…. I couldn’t think of anything else. So now, even if I try to think about what to do, what I want to do, nothing comes to mind….”
“……”
“Even if I’ve mentioned it before, when Piyak grows a bit, I want to try it then. If possible.”
“Yigyeom, if you want to, you can start right now. Piyak is important, but I care more about our Yigyeom’s today. I hope you won’t put aside what you want to do because of the baby.”
“….”
“If you have something you want to do, let’s talk about it together. I’m so happy that our Yigyeom has something you want to do. Whatever it is, you can do it. Don’t worry. Got it?”
In Kwon Taejung’s words, there was no difficulty or hesitation. Watching Kwon Taejung say that he can do it, that he can achieve whatever he wants, Yigyeom felt like tears were about to fall, but he held back and nodded.
“Yes…. I feel like I can really do anything now.”
“Yeah, my babe can do anything.”
When their lips met, Yigyeom smiled. Kwon Taejung felt an incomparable happiness as he sensed Yigyeom’s laughter spreading above his lips. No, thinking that there could be no greater happiness was not accurate. This happiness was just the beginning, Kwon Taejung knew.
