Lee Myeongho glanced at where Jin Surim was standing and clicked his tongue. This curse talisman was something he had made and secretly placed in the lavender pot on Song Hanyeong’s orders. What he was aiming for was obvious.
“But what about our research?”
“What do you mean, what about it?”
“The research isn’t needed anymore.”
“Nonsense. Continue.”
“What? But…”
Hadn’t he decided to drink the real thing? When Lee Myeongho looked at him with a dubious expression, Song Hanyeong furrowed his brow.
“Because a backup plan will be needed someday.”
It was a statement with Jin Surim’s death in mind. It was also a statement that he wouldn’t take Jin Surim as his eternal mate.
Lee Myeongho obediently followed his will.
“Yes. Then we’ll continue the research.”
Song Hanyeong nodded, then glanced at Jin Surim standing blankly in front of the cabinet. But contrary to everyone’s expectations, he didn’t move toward him.
“I’ll go down to the basement for a bit, so take care of Surim’s lunch.”
“What? You’re not eating together?”
At Lee Myeongho’s puzzled question, Song Hanyeong smiled crookedly.
“Just a little bit more ripening will make it more delicious.”
* * *
Having heard that Song Hanyeong had gone out on external business while he was standing there blankly, Surim was dejected all day. He could only eat half his meal, and every time someone came in or out, he was startled and turned his gaze toward the passage leading to the iron door.
It was obvious who he was waiting for.
That behavior continued until it was time to leave work. Without even organizing his bag, Surim hesitated and watched people’s reactions, and as researchers began to leave work, his heart grew anxious.
Surim ran to Lee Myeongho, who was happily preparing to leave work.
“Manager Lee, why isn’t Manager Song coming in?”
“Huh? Why?”
“I have something to tell him about earlier…”
“He’s out doing some work right now… It’s a bit difficult to tell you about it, Surim-ssi.”
“Is that classified too?”
“Yeah, it’s classified.”
Surim pressed his lips together in dissatisfaction.
“If you had something to say about that issue, he would have told you to contact him and wait. Don’t worry about it and go home.”
“How can I do that…”
“Geez, it’s already past quitting time. I need to go home and rest.”
Lee Myeongho, full of fatigue, waved his hand. Indeed, his cheeks were rough and dark circles were clear under his eyes.
“Yes, get home safely.”
“Yeah, see you next week.”
With Lee Myeongho as the last one, all the researchers left work. Surim awkwardly looked around the empty research lab, then sneakily moved to Song Hanyeong’s seat.
There were no unnecessary items on the desk. He ran his fingertips over the desk, which looked rather empty with only a laptop and mouse, then carefully sat down in the chair.
Surim giggled as he leaned back in the chair for no reason. The chair, adjusted to Song Hanyeong’s height, didn’t let Surim’s heels touch the floor when he sat. Song Hanyeong’s legs really are long.
After spending some time with his legs dangling and spinning the chair around, around 6:30, Surim fell into deep anguish.
“Is he not coming today…?”
If so, there was no point in waiting at the research lab. As Surim contemplated whether to call, he realized he didn’t have Song Hanyeong’s cell phone number.
The reason he hadn’t thought to ask for the number was because he was afraid that if he knew it, he wouldn’t be able to control himself from wanting to send personal texts or make calls. Still, if he’d known he’d need it like this, he would have asked.
“Should I just go home…”
It was when Surim muttered gloomily.
Somewhat urgent footsteps entered the research lab. The owner of the footsteps, who stopped somewhere, clicked their tongue.
‘Manager Song…?’
Surim, conscious of the seat he was sitting in, quickly got down from the chair and crouched on the floor. He had decided to stop playing tag, but he had no choice. Playing around at someone else’s desk—wasn’t that too suspicious?
If even a pen went missing, he could draw strange suspicions. Surim urgently felt both of his suit pockets with his hands. Because he was suspicious of himself, wondering if he’d stolen something unconsciously, but fortunately his pockets were empty.
Then now, if he carefully returned to his seat, then stood up saying he’d been picking up something he’d dropped under the chair, he could completely avoid suspicion. It was when he began to carefully crawl across the floor with relief.
Viiiing- Viiiing-.
The sound of his cell phone vibrating at his seat rang through the research lab. Before Surim could do anything, Song Hanyeong went to his seat and picked up the phone.
“……”
The Song Hanyeong that Surim knew wasn’t the type of person who would just leave because there was a phone but no owner. There was no other way now. Surim squeezed his eyes shut and stood up abruptly from his spot.
“Manager Song, you’re here?”
“…What were you doing there just now?”
“Just… I dropped something…”
“What?”
Song Hanyeong pointed out Surim’s empty hands.
“I couldn’t find it.”
“I see.”
It felt like he could hear sarcasm in his ears saying, “Sure you were.” Still, now was much better than being caught playing alone at Song Hanyeong’s seat.
Surim decided to just brazen it out.
“That’s what I said. More importantly, why are you so late? I was waiting…”
“…You were waiting.”
“Yes, today’s the blood draw day.”
Surim, who answered with hunched shoulders, glanced at Song Hanyeong as if gauging his reaction, then lowered his gaze again.
“Um… Manager Song, I’m sorry.”
“About what?”
“The flowerpot… I keep unintentionally causing problems with the research lab’s security. I’m really sorry.”
“It’s fine.”
Song Hanyeong replied nonchalantly and moved his steps to his seat. Surim grabbed the sleeve of Song Hanyeong as he passed by. Song Hanyeong, who stopped walking, furrowed his brow as if asking what.
“Um, I… want to know.”
“…What?”
In fact, there wasn’t just one or two things he wanted to know. The identity of this place called Research Lab 0, whether Song Hanyeong was really the parent company CEO’s bloodline, what kind of relationship he had with Nasol, whether his illness was getting better, whether he slept well last night…
But what he was most curious about was this.
“I’m curious why you drank my blood, Manager-nim.”
Because he thought that if he knew that, most of his questions would be answered. Surim looked straight at Song Hanyeong with his eyes wide open. There was no longer fear pooling in those eyes.
Song Hanyeong’s head, meeting those eyes, tilted slowly.
“Are you confident you won’t run away?”
“Yes. I won’t run away.”
“Well… I can’t trust what a coward says.”
“Then hold me here.”
Surim pulled Song Hanyeong’s hand and placed it on his own wrist. As if telling him to grip it tightly so he couldn’t escape.
“You just have to hold on tight so I can’t run away.”
“I don’t have a taste for forcibly holding someone down.”
“Then…”
“So, if you want to hear the story, endure it yourself.”
As if giving him a chance to run away, Song Hanyeong let go of Surim and moved his steps. The place Song Hanyeong moved to was in front of his desk. Song Hanyeong, who had turned the chair that was facing the window instead of the desk back to its original position, sat there and threw a glance as if watching Surim’s reaction.
“……”
“……”
Their eyes met for only 3 seconds. Song Hanyeong turned his gaze away as if he hadn’t expected anything. That ignited Surim’s stubbornness.
The reason he wouldn’t tell him was because he was a coward? Of course, he knew he’d acted in a way that would make him seem that way. On the day his tongue was bitten, he’d fainted, and when he was taken home after that, he’d run away out of fear. And the next day when the lunchbox was brought, he’d tried to close the door when he saw Song Hanyeong.
But that absolutely wasn’t something that could be passed over by pretending not to know, pretending it never happened.
Surim ran to Song Hanyeong and abruptly snatched his wrist.
“What are you doing?”
“I have it, this taste.”
Surim continued in a rush of emotion.
“Forcibly holding down someone who’s running away—I can do that. So don’t think about running away. I’m not letting this go.”
“I see.”
Song Hanyeong, who curved his eyes strangely, swung his hand sharply. As a result, Surim’s body flew along with it and tilted forward.
“Waah!”
He’s falling forward. Surim, who squeezed his eyes shut, braced for impact. But the next moment, he was lifted lightly and seated somewhere obediently.
“Open your eyes.”
“…Huh?”
It was on Song Hanyeong’s desk. He didn’t know how it happened, but he was sitting on Song Hanyeong’s desk with his legs together. In a position trapped between the legs of Song Hanyeong sitting in the chair, no less.
How? Song Hanyeong had been sitting in the chair the whole time, and no matter how strong he was, lifting and seating an adult male in that posture was impossible… wasn’t it?
“Now, you have to hold on.”
“Wha…?”
“The wrist.”
“Ah…”
Surim grabbed the wrist Song Hanyeong offered again. He gripped it quite tightly in his own way, but no matter how he thought about it, the current position of the two wasn’t Surim holding Song Hanyeong, but the opposite. Because Surim’s dangling feet under the desk were trapped between Song Hanyeong’s legs.
Surim looked at Song Hanyeong with confused eyes. He couldn’t understand the current situation.
