“He-Heewoo-ya. Hyung always w-worries about you. You know that, right? Take care of yourself,”
“……”
Jang Heewoo lost his words at Miro’s detestable attitude and opened his mouth blankly.
“Don’t g-get healthy after receiving my blood, just s-stay like this, in this state……”
“You crazy,”
“You shouldn’t meet alone with Eunchan. You understand, right? Then hy-hyung will go.”
Jang Heewoo couldn’t stop Miro from standing up. He wanted to grab his hair and slap his cheek hard, but unable to do so, he could only grind his teeth in frustration. The crazy bastard was also strong—first, that he would lose to Miro in a physical fight if he tried, and second, he was scared that he might immediately cancel the promise to give blood.
Miro gazed at Jang Heewoo’s reddened eyes filled with rage with a numb face. Now everything except Eunchan was tedious and boring. Holding down Jang Heewoo, who kept wriggling like an earthworm trying to come out of the shadows, and making him anxious about whether he’d kill him or not, was no longer fun either. He wanted to just kill him and cleanly dispose of him, but it was regrettable that he had no choice but to keep him alive because Eunchan was by his side.
Leaving Jang Heewoo in the hospital room and coming out, Miro whispered to himself with his lips like a promise not to forget.
‘Eunchan likes good people.’
This was because Eunchan was a good person. Therefore, Miro had to take care of his younger brother, had to bestow good deeds, and had to become a weak and delicate person so Eunchan could help him.
Miro raised his head and looked around for Eunchan. Soon discovering him having a friendly chat with the secretary, Miro felt his nerves standing on end with a crack in his head and approached Eunchan with urgent steps. When did those two become so close? Could the secretary have matched Eunchan’s taste?
What the weather was like today, what he ate for breakfast, what exercise he mainly did… Just conversation to break the awkward silence continued. Moreover, Eunchan, who would usually keep his mouth shut, was actively asking the secretary questions. Because if he didn’t do something in this situation, it felt like he would fall into strange speculations and thoughts.
As they were exchanging nutritionless stories for a while, Miro, who seemed to have finished his conversation, came out and quickly approached. With those spinning eyes again.
“Wh-what are you two doing?”
“We were waiting for you, Miro-ssi.”
Didn’t you tell me to go out and wait? Instead of answering whether he had no eyes to Miro’s out-of-the-blue question, Eunchan spoke kindly so Miro wouldn’t have strange imaginations.
“You were t-talking.”
“We talked about Miro-ssi. I was curious about what you do at the company. I won’t ask next time.”
Since he’d asked if he was Miro’s secretary, half of it was true. Eunchan picked out an answer to avoid hurting Miro’s feelings as much as possible. Fortunately, whether it was the right answer, at Eunchan’s words that he was curious, Miro relaxed his stiff face and, as if embarrassed, gently smiled with his eyes and pursed his lips.
“I-I don’t do anything special… Were you curious?”
“Of course I’m curious. Miro-ssi knows what work I do, but I don’t know well.”
Watching Miro shyly fidgeting with his hands, Eunchan waved his hand behind his back where the secretary could see.
‘Go quickly.’
The secretary, who understood the signal, smiled and naturally joined the conversation.
“I’ll have the car waiting downstairs.”
“Do you want to go to the company with me?”
At the same time Miro grabbed Eunchan’s hand, the secretary turned around. He probably didn’t see. Eunchan gauged the departing secretary’s reaction and led Miro to a corner in front of the empty emergency exit.
“The company is busy, what would I do there?”
He was someone who had left early in the morning because of work anyway. Eunchan smiled awkwardly, subtly showing his refusal.
“Be with me. Okay?”
Deciding what Eunchan should do, Miro put Eunchan’s hand inside his coat pocket. The blush on his cheeks was pretty like a flower.
“Should I?”
Though he was particularly weak to Miro’s pretty appearance, and perhaps he might be able to obtain information about the Jang family and the company, Eunchan nodded. At Eunchan’s consent, Miro smiled brightly with joy, creating dimples.
“I’ll t-tell you everything. Because Eunchan is curious about me.”
Miro, who emphasized “me” twice, looked extremely moved and happy that Eunchan was showing interest in him. Eunchan, who had ulterior motives, hid his uncomfortable feelings to one side and pretended not to know, pulling his hand out of Miro’s coat and walking toward the elevator.
J&N, a pharmaceutical company established in the 1980s, grew rapidly under the sponsorship of Myeongjin. Initially, it focused on importing and distributing European medicines centered on Germany, but from the 1990s onward, it was actively engaged in research and development through establishing raw material factories and new drug research institutes.
In the car heading to the company, Eunchan hastily searched about J&N. The president was Jang Heewoo, the vice president was Jang Miro, and the former president was Na Seula, the wife of Jang Seonwoo, who had been chairman of Myeongjin, and Jang Heewoo’s mother.
It was information he could have easily found with just a little searching. But how would I have known I was connected to Myeongjin in all these ways? Eunchan turned off the screen and looked at Miro leaning on his shoulder.
“You could have asked me…”
Miro, who had been watching Eunchan search from beside him, dragged out his words to express his hurt feelings. As if he could see the drooping rabbit doll’s ears above Miro’s head, Eunchan rubbed his eyes with his right hand to erase the illusion.
“Ahem, th-that,”
There were many things he wanted to ask anyway. Whether he knew Han Inju, whether he was related to the redevelopment project that Myeongjin Construction was carrying out, perhaps the land and mansion in Muan and…
His heart swayed in the waves of thought like a ship that had lost its sail. Though it was already cold weather, his insides felt hot, so Eunchan couldn’t help but open the car window. Miro hurriedly spread his hand, saying he’d catch a cold, and covered Eunchan’s exposed nape.
While Eunchan, who said he wanted to get some air, and Miro, who worried it was cold, had a small tussle with each other, the vehicle had already finished driving to the front of the headquarters. At the tall and massive company building, Eunchan couldn’t overcome the pressure from the lobby and had to hide behind Miro’s back as he moved.
You walked around a place like this without even wearing a suit? Even now, Miro was wearing a light knit. Only after getting on the elevator leading to the vice president’s office alone with Miro could Eunchan finally breathe comfortably.
Whether the entire floor was used, as soon as they got off the elevator, along with a long hallway, secretaries’ desks lined up in front of the vice president’s office. He had to ignore Miro constantly pulling at his waist while bowing and exchanging greetings with the employees, who weren’t just one or two people.
The inside was wider than the outside. It was an office with only a large sofa and table, bookshelf, and a desk without even a common nameplate, but it felt clean rather than empty. Beyond the glass window, the road and a river that looked like the sea spread out like a painting.
If this is the vice president’s office, then how much better is the president’s office?
Eunchan couldn’t hide his admiration while looking at the view outside. Compared to here, Eunchan’s company—no, it couldn’t even stand on the same comparative line.
“E-Eunchan, shall I give you juice?”
“Ah, yes.”
No different from home, Miro was busy waiting on Eunchan. Miro, who soothed Eunchan who had been distracted looking outside, took off his coat and sat him on the sofa, then soon received simple desserts and juice from the secretary outside and placed them on the table.
“Do you like it?”
“It’s wonderful.”
Though he knew Miro had a lot of money, now that he was actually facing it in person, Eunchan had to suppress a strange emotion. Why would someone like this meet me? The gap was way too much. Eunchan turned his head and looked at Miro sitting close beside him, not across from him.
“Why?”
The returning gaze was sweet beyond affectionate. Even if Miro had been poor, Eunchan had confidence that he could take responsibility and support him. He hadn’t fallen in love looking at his background in the first place. However, in reality, the one who had things wasn’t him but Miro.
In this kind of relationship, was there a need to throw questions and create cracks? It wasn’t that important anyway. As Jang Heewoo said, Myeongjin had already been handed over to professional managers and the brothers had withdrawn. He naturally couldn’t know everything Myeongjin did.
Smack.
As Eunchan just stared with a blank face, Miro didn’t miss the opportunity and lightly overlapped their lips. Seeing Eunchan invited into his own space inside the company, it was difficult to endure the joy rising up. Unable to overcome his emotions, Miro wrapped his arms around Eunchan’s neck and waist. Eunchan’s nape was easily and completely caught in Miro’s large hand.
“……”
The pale pink that rose to his cheeks transformed Miro’s pale complexion into fresh vitality. Watching the beautifully blooming face, Eunchan felt all of this was futile.
‘Even if I died and woke up again, I could never meet someone like this again.’
The Miro that Eunchan knew was a person like glass that would soon shatter. He was also a foolish man who didn’t know the fragments were digging into his own flesh.
Miro’s gentle eyes like a reindeer sparkled like jewels in the sunlight. He was pure like a saint who had never been tainted by the world’s evil for even a moment.
“Don’t hurt me.”
Eunchan whispered desperately. A life covered in loss, patience, and jealousy was too arduous, and he didn’t want to go back again. Now that Eunchan’s purpose had become to stand beside Miro, protect and guard him, and spend trivial daily life, if he received a blow, he would never be able to stand up again.
“I’ll protect you.”
At Miro’s answer, Eunchan responded with a kiss. Breath and saliva mixed wetly together, impossible to distinguish whose was whose. Miro indulgently entangled the root of Eunchan’s tongue and licked his lips. Though Eunchan struggled with the presence of the intruder filling his mouth, he slowly matched the breathing. Miro greedily accepted Eunchan’s consideration and forcibly stuffed Eunchan into his arms.
I want to engrave my name. He wanted to stamp each other’s names as soon as possible so that people of the world could all recognize them. Miro suppressed his impatient heart and swallowed his affection while repeatedly kissing Eunchan’s eyes and cheeks.
“…Stop now,”
Unable to endure Miro who kept pestering him, Eunchan was the first to cry surrender.
“S-sorry.”
Seeing Miro apologize while still lifting him to sit on his thighs, Eunchan burst out laughing. Contact with Han Inju was cut off and the commission was destroyed. There was nothing to gain from stirring up a beehive. Eunchan had to cherish Miro held in his hands preciously.
“What are we eating for lunch?”
“Whatever Eunchan wants to eat.”
“Can we try the company cafeteria?”
“Yeah.”
Since we came all this way, I should see everything. Eunchan put his arm around Miro’s broad shoulders and thought about touring the company. It felt exactly like a child who came on a field trip to dad’s company. Of course, he’d never had such a diligent father.
“B-before that, eat c-cookies.”
Before he knew it, Miro picked up a butter cookie from the desserts on the table and brought it to Eunchan’s mouth. Eunchan opened his mouth, took a bite, and let Miro eat the rest.
Right, though he couldn’t get a diligent father, he could have an affectionate lover. Eunchan chewed the sweet cookie, feeling again the fair arrangement of God.
[Hyung, I found Kim Haengbok!]
And on one side of the sofa, inside Eunchan’s coat pocket, the message Hyungsik sent flashed and disappeared.
