Seungju grabbed Muyeon’s shoulders and pulled him in. Rubbing his lips against the man’s smooth cheek, he nodded. When Muyeon moved, the stimulation that made his lower abdomen burn left him restless without realizing it. He wrapped his spread legs around Muyeon’s waist. Muyeon gripped Seungju’s waist with both hands and pressed down firmly on his lower abdomen with his thumbs. Seungju trembled at the pressure transmitted through.
“Huk, heu, ha… Muyeon… Muyeon-ssi….”
“Do you like it?”
Seungju nodded. With each repeated movement, his thighs trembled and everything before his eyes turned white. Heat rose to his head. His ears became hot as if they would burst. His mind went blank.
“Seungju-ssi….”
The low voice was so good it gave him goosebumps.
At the final moment, Seungju grimaced because of the stimulation that was now truly unbearable. It was because of the excessive stimulation, the surging impulse, the emotion that was so fulfilled it was difficult to handle.
Muyeon rubbed around Seungju’s eyes with his clean hand. Seungju looked up at Muyeon’s face with his blinking vision. The corners of his narrowed eyes trembled a little.
“Don’t cry.”
“…I’m not crying….”
Seungju let out a laugh mixed with a sigh. Muyeon bit his lip slightly. He looked up at the soft, plump, pretty lips being pressed under his teeth. Unable to hold back, Seungju cupped his face with both hands. When their lips met, Muyeon’s voice scattered from the corner of Seungju’s mouth.
***
After washing up again and tightening his shower gown, Seungju received the glass Muyeon held out to him. Muyeon sat back down on the sofa and picked up his phone. He opened his mouth.
“It’s not even that late, want to go to a bar and drink?”
“No. I don’t want to bother putting clothes back on.”
Muyeon nodded. Seungju also gripped his own phone and looked at Muyeon. Seungju eventually opened his mouth, half impulsively.
“Who keeps contacting you like that all the time?”
“Huh?”
Seungju fiddled with his glass and thought. Had this man ever not answered immediately when someone asked him a question? Suspicious. Muyeon was silent for a moment. Seungju started bouncing his leg. Why isn’t he answering?
Muyeon soon opened his mouth.
“People I knew before.”
“People you knew before? Did something happen to them?”
“It’s not that.”
Muyeon paused again. Seungju stopped bouncing his leg and drank. The whiskey on the rocks tasted good. Well, of course, it’s expensive liquor. Next time I should have another glass of vodka. Because watching what Baek Muyeon was doing, it felt like Seungju’s insides were about to burst.
Muyeon opened his mouth as if he’d made a decision.
“They keep contacting me to meet up.”
“Why do they want to meet?”
Muyeon smiled broadly. That smile said: You know why.
Yeah, I know. You’re so popular and have so many people that all kinds of places won’t leave you alone, that’s what it means.
His throat felt parched for no reason. Seungju tilted his glass again. The alcohol seeped into his tired body and his insides grew hot. Thinking about it, he’d worked overtime, had two drinks of alcohol, and had sex. It was natural to be tired. But his mind was clear. Rather, he felt tense.
And Seungju thought: He said “people.” So it means there were several people he dated before, not just one or two.
Well, how nice. I’m envious. Really.
Seungju eventually emptied his entire glass.
Placing the glass with only ice remaining on the table in front of the sofa, Seungju thought again.
Anyway, because Seungju had asked, Muyeon explained relationships that were uncomfortable to tell a lover about. In the end, I was the one who asked. So I should handle it. Seungju looked at Muyeon. Muyeon had already put down his phone and was looking at Seungju.
Seungju opened his mouth.
“Are you going to meet them?”
“No.”
Muyeon replied curtly enough to kill any lingering feelings. Seungju smiled slightly. Seeing Seungju’s expression, Muyeon smiled even more brightly. He picked up the bottle and refilled Seungju’s glass. Wait, I was going to drink something different for the next glass. But he didn’t refuse. Because Muyeon spoke first.
“Were you jealous?”
“Not quite jealous.”
“Would you lose something if you said you were?”
“Why would I say that? As if it’s something good.”
Muyeon blinked. His eyes were so large that the time it took to close and open them was meaningfully long.
Muyeon came over to the sofa where Seungju was sitting. He wrapped his arm around Seungju’s shoulder and leaned his head against him. Muyeon’s body temperature was warm and he smelled good.
Leaning his head on Muyeon’s shoulder, Seungju suddenly thought: Like this, I can’t see Muyeon’s expression.
But it was okay. Because the hand holding his shoulder was quite affectionate. Lifting his glass again and downing the alcohol, Seungju said.
“As long as you’re not going to meet them, that’s fine.”
“Seungju-ssi is really cool.”
“Do you like that?”
Muyeon didn’t answer. Seungju drank again. Really… what does this silence mean? As if answering Seungju’s thoughts, Muyeon laughed and said.
“What do you think?”
***
It was just as the rumors and Baek Muyeon’s words had said. The Director’s transfer became reality the following Monday when the Director announced it with his own mouth at the weekly meeting.
Among the people feigning regret, Seungju struggled to hold down the corners of his mouth that kept trying to rise. His eyes tried to make a regretful expression while his mouth kept trying to smile, so he must have been making quite a funny face.
Thanks to the rumor becoming official fact as soon as the meeting ended, Seungju’s group chat also exploded with messages. From reactions doubting whether the Director’s disappearance was reality or a dream, to serious reactions contemplating the company’s direction after the Director’s departure, everyone left all kinds of different comments.
However, everyone prepared to naturally welcome one ritual-like event. They anticipated a toast. They would leave work on the dot this Friday. Anyone who couldn’t leave on the dot should come to Isu Station Exit 11 on their own as quickly as possible. The first round would be raw fish with soju-beer cocktails, and what happened after that was unknown, but anyway, everyone wouldn’t be able to go home that day.
It was a day of revelry befitting the liberation of oppressed office workers. There was no reason for Seungju, Vision Factory’s stagnant water and alcoholic, not to attend.
It was the afternoon of the next day. When Seungju, who had been to the break room, put his cup down on the desk, Team Leader Yoon from Team 5 quietly called him.
“Team Leader Seungju.”
“Yes, Team Leader.”
She rolled her chair wheels while still sitting. Team Leader Yoon, who had crossed the corridor and come near Seungju’s desk, handed him a file folder she was holding. To him blinking his eyes, Team Leader Yoon gestured at the file folder and said.
“We’re supposed to vote for the workshop location. Since Team Leader Seungju is the last person to vote in the Planning Division, after you’re done, pass it over to the Sales Team.”
“Ah, workshop…. Wow…. Time flies fast. Already?”
“Yeah. Look at the activities and choose from one of three. I heard that since there’s no hiking course or walk-type thing this year, the President isn’t going.”
This was tempting news. Seungju looked at Team Leader Yoon with wide eyes. Team Leader Yoon nodded knowingly.
“Something like his son came so he’ll skip it, or something.”
Hearing that, Seungju raised the corners of his mouth without hiding it and smiled. Vision Factory’s summer workshop always included a hiking course, which was the President’s preference. Except for a few people who hiked as a hobby or loved exercise, it was a time everyone hated terribly. This was because most employees had exhausted all their stamina on office chairs, so their whole body’s density and physical strength were no different from slime.
But that special corner was scheduled to not exist this year. Seungju wanted to immediately interrogate Baek Muyeon about the truth. He quickly straightened his body that had been leaning toward Team Leader Yoon.
Then Team Leader Yoon lightly grabbed Seungju’s forearm. Seungju looked at her with a puzzled expression. Team Leader Yoon lowered her voice, leaned in, and whispered.
“Honey, and this is about the Director’s resignation…”
As if it were some classified information, she handed over a note. She seemed concerned about the Director sitting behind Seungju’s back. Seungju took it.
“Since the Director is leaving, there was talk about giving him a gift. It’s nothing much, just modestly among the team leaders. They said to collect a certain amount each.”
“Who said that?”
“Who do you think?”
Team Leader Yoon gestured with her eyes. Seungju immediately recognized her gaze heading toward Planning Team 1 and Team 3. A short laugh flowed from Seungju’s nose.
“You can withdraw cash directly and give it to him, or send it to his account.”
“Can’t people who want to just give it among themselves?”
“That’s what I’m saying, aigoo, what can we do.”
Seungju, who received the note with Team Leader Kim from Team 3’s account number written on it and placed it on his desk, this time snorted even louder, openly. Really now.
“I think it might violate the Kim Young-ran Act, so I’ll think about it. I can tell Team Leader Kim directly, right?”
Team Leader Yoon opened her eyes wide as if she’d realized something. Then she nodded. Seungju smiled at her once.
Seungju opened the file folder and skimmed through the workshop candidates. He opened a new internet tab and filtered out the accommodations most likely to be used at each of the three candidate locations. Then, looking at the type of accommodation, he chose the place where he was least likely to be assigned to the same room all at once with other uncomfortable team leaders. Seungju sincerely finished voting next to his name and closed the file folder again.
Getting up from his seat, he headed toward the Sales Team. In the few steps it took, Seungju debated whether to just leave the file folder with the Sales Team rookie and go. During that time, he made eye contact with Muyeon.
Ah, can’t help it. Seungju trudged over to Muyeon’s seat in the back.
“General Man… General Manager Baek, this is the workshop location ballot the General Affairs Team sent up. Once all your team members finish voting, please pass it to the Design Team.”
