# Chapter 39
On the way home, neither Jiho nor Yeomin spoke a single word in the car.
Jiho’s mind was complicated. Did he appear to be saying nothing but naive, unrealistic things in front of Yeomin? He probably did.
…Since he was actually that kind of person.
“…”
Even after arriving at the building’s parking garage, they both remained silently in the car. Yet they weren’t having a conversation either.
Surprisingly, Yeomin was the first to speak.
“Sorry for getting irritated.”
Amazingly, Yeomin apologized first. If he had stayed angry instead, Jiho wouldn’t have felt this way.
“Don’t say you’re sorry.”
Jiho made a sad face. Yeomin was bewildered by his response.
“Why shouldn’t I say I’m sorry?”
“It feels like you’re drawing a line. Just keep getting irritated like before instead.”
“You’re making a fuss even when I apologize?”
Jiho tugged at the hem of Yeomin’s t-shirt. It was near a spot burned by a cigarette.
“I’m upset.”
Jiho’s insides were boiling. He wanted to break every finger of whoever did this so they could never smoke again.
Yeomin tried to soothe Jiho.
“It’s really fine. This only cost 5,000 won.”
“That’s not the issue.”
He just wanted nobody in the world to touch even a hair on Yeomin. He wanted to lock him up in a greenhouse, feed him delicious things every day, dress him in nice clothes, and treasure him like that…
Yeomin chuckled.
“Alright. I won’t do it again.”
“…”
“I won’t let this happen to me. I’ll try to avoid it well. If it’s unavoidable, that can’t be helped, but I’ll try not to make you worry.”
That one time he asked Yeomin to give in. He hadn’t meant for it to be now.
The door to Jiho’s heart, which had never been closed to Yeomin in the first place, came crashing down completely.
“This is part of dating too, right?”
“Hyung.”
“I’ve lived such a boring life that I don’t know much. So you tell me. What should I do?”
Yeomin’s careful addition was endlessly lovable.
As he’d said before, in his eyes, Yeomin was most cute, lovable, and beautiful when he was calculating.
Unable to hold back, Jiho hugged Yeomin tightly. Yeomin tried to push Jiho away but gave up.
“Hey, Seol Ji… ah, forget it. Fine, do whatever you want.”
“Say it all the way through. Say Seol Jiho.”
“Seol Jiho. Happy now?”
Only then did Jiho nod, satisfied. Even the way he stayed still without pushing away was so cute.
Holding Yeomin tighter, Jiho said,
“Soon, President Ahn wants us to have dinner at the main house. Seol Jiwoong, you, and me.”
“President Ahn…?”
“Yes. My mother.”
“Why the sudden dinner?”
Yeomin looked bewildered. Jiho explained.
“Officially, she’s curious about Seol Jiwoong’s tutor, and I told her you’re my senior from school. She seems curious.”
“I’m suddenly feeling a bit nervous.”
“No need to be nervous. Ah, no. You should be nervous now.”
Jiho looked into Yeomin’s eyes and grinned.
“Because our operation is officially starting now.”
The pretext he’d given Joo Yeomin was <Breaking Seol Jiho’s Arranged Marriage>. The first step of that grand plan.
But the truth was that the first meticulously planned chapter of <Completely Wrapping Up Joo Yeomin> was about to begin.
* * *
Yeomin was in a good mood from the morning. Because today the contract payment had been deposited.
It was the first time such a large amount had been credited to his account all at once.
He was needlessly anxious—what if the money suddenly disappeared? What if it was withdrawn by mistake? What if he fell victim to a voice phishing scam?
“Mister! Why is the ramen taking so long!”
With money in his account, even a high school student making a scene over an order placed just a minute ago seemed cute.
‘But I’m not a mister, kid.’
“Sorry~ Coming right up.”
“Lots of pickled radish please.”
“Sure~ I’ll give you plenty~”
Yeomin smiled very benevolently. The back of the kid’s head saying “What’s with him” as he returned to his seat even looked cute. He felt like he could even kiss the top of his head.
“Hyung.”
As he was humming a happy tune while boiling ramen, he heard an impatient voice.
The water’s just starting to boil… Frowning as he turned around, the face he encountered wasn’t the high school student in uniform, but Jiho leaning against the counter.
Yeomin flushed.
‘Come to think of it, today was the day.’
The D-day for dinner at the Ian Group main house. Yeomin suddenly felt nervous.
“I’ll be off in ten minutes, so wait a bit!”
Yeomin placed pickled radish and kimchi on the tray. As he was putting the ramen bowl on top, Jiho took the tray.
“I’ll take it over.”
“Don’t bother. Don’t make more work by spilling it…”
“Which seat number?”
“Huh? Number 13.”
Jiho took the tray and headed toward the customer’s seat. Yeomin anxiously watched Jiho disappear between the partitions.
Then he hurriedly packed his bag.
As he was finishing up, the entrance bell jingled again. It was Manager Cha, the next shift.
Manager Cha started cursing as soon as he entered.
“Some crazy bastard parked their car like shit. Hey, Yeomin, was that sports car downstairs when you came to work?”
“Haha… I’m not sure. No idea.”
Yeomin laughed awkwardly. It was obviously Seol Jiho’s car, but he pretended not to know.
The excited Manager Cha scanned the PC bang. Then he acknowledged Yeomin’s hard work, saying, “Lots of customers, must have been busy, huh?”
“No, not really busy.”
“Hyung, where do I put the ashtray?”
It was Jiho who appeared again. He not only delivered the ramen but seemed to have cleaned up an empty seat too, as he was holding an empty snack bag and an ashtray.
How adorably devoted.
Yeomin felt cold sweat running down his back.
‘Damn it… we’re screwed.’
“Who’s this? I don’t remember hiring a part-timer who looks like this.”
Manager Cha looked Jiho up and down.
Manager Cha, a former special forces member, had an imposingly large build.
Because of this, even troublemakers who harassed Yeomin would quickly back down when Manager Cha appeared.
But Jiho wasn’t the type to feel threatened by mere physical presence.
Does Seol Jiho ever feel scared or intimidated by anything? Yeomin was secretly curious.
Looking at Manager Cha, who was about the same height, Jiho asked with a condescending gaze:
“Ah~ Are you the owner here, mister?”
“What, what…? Mister?”
Yeomin could see Manager Cha’s lips twitching in real-time. Damn. Manager Cha was most sensitive about his age…
“You and I don’t look that far apart in age.”
“Ah, your hands smell like cigarettes. Hyung! Where do I wash up?”
“The bathroom over there…”
Jiho treated Manager Cha like an invisible person and headed toward the bathroom. “Ha!” Manager Cha’s incredulous laugh rang out.
“Who’s that rude bastard?”
Probably… the owner of the car you were cursing when you came in. Yeomin swallowed those words.
“He’s a junior from my department who came up because we have plans. I’ll take him out right away!”
“Is he the one who was staying at your place?”
Manager Cha had quite a good memory. Then he started reciting chapter one, verse one of the old man’s gospel: “Kids these days have no manners.”
“I can tell he has no sense of shame just by looking at him. Tsk. Anyway, Joo Yeomin, set a date.”
“What date?”
“Summer vacation. Let’s go to Eulwangri Beach. Mingyu says any time works for him.”
Manager Cha would take his part-timers on vacation every summer and winter during school breaks.
It wasn’t anything grand, but he would buy them good food and drinks—quite a generous boss.
Normally, Yeomin would have been excited, but he couldn’t readily answer.
“About that…”
“Pick a day when you don’t have tutoring. We should go before the semester starts.”
“Where are you going?”
It was Jiho, with his uncanny timing. Appearing between them, Jiho smiled slyly.
“Yeomin Hyung will be veeeery busy this vacation.”
As he said this, he draped his arm around Yeomin’s shoulders. The scent of lemon hand sanitizer wafted from Jiho, who had just washed up.
Manager Cha had an unimpressed expression.
“Joo Yeomin, are you working another part-time job?”
“Ah… well, something like that.”
‘Right. Since I’m getting paid hourly, it is a part-time job.’
If we’re being specific, Joo Yeomin was working three jobs: PC bang part-timer, Seol Jiwoong’s tutor, and Seol Jiho’s (same-sex) lover proxy. Damn. Even three bodies wouldn’t be enough.
“No matter how young you are, don’t burn yourself out. It’ll catch up to you later. Your bones will wear out, man.”
“Haha… thanks for worrying! I’ll be heading out then, boss.”
“Anyway, you set the date. If you really can’t make it, then it can’t be helped.”
“Yes!”
Seizing the opportunity, Yeomin quickly pulled Jiho out. But this guy wasn’t following right away.
Jiho showed signs of being about to act up again. Noticing the signs, Yeomin poked him in the side.
And through gritted teeth, he muttered:
“Letz go…”
Standing firmly, Jiho’s eyes stared at Manager Cha with “I.DON’T.LIKE.HIM” written all over them.
Manager Cha must have felt Jiho’s hostility too. Soon, he put his hands in his pockets and looked at him sideways.
An indescribable tension circled between the two.
“What. Want some candy?”
Then, pulling out a stick of candy from the display, he stuck it in Jiho’s shirt pocket.
‘That probably hurt Seol Jiho’s pride a bit.’
Is this what experience is? Yeomin was inwardly impressed.
“Go move your car quickly, before I have it towed away.”
As expected, the sharp-witted Manager Cha already knew. Well, who else would park such an expensive car in front of this PC bang if not this young master?
This time, Yeomin grabbed Jiho’s hand. “Let’s go, Seol Jiho.” As he interlocked their fingers secretly from Manager Cha, Jiho finally followed obediently.
“…”
After staying quiet all the way down the narrow staircase to the lower floor, Jiho got in the car. As Yeomin was thinking, ‘Hmm, he really did park the car like shit,’
“I don’t like that person.”
When did I ask? Yeomin was at a loss. It was difficult to know how to react when Jiho was like this.
“I don’t particularly like him either.”
“Liar. You actually like him a lot.”
“This is ridiculous. Who are you to judge my feelings? I don’t like anyone.”
Yeomin grumbled while fastening his seatbelt. Jiho still seemed unconvinced, snorting before firmly stating:
“Fine. Just pretend you don’t like him.”
“…”
“You should dislike what I dislike. That’s what being lovers is about. Right?”
“You really… aren’t normal.”
Yeomin honestly stated what he felt. Jiho seemed to like that, quickly changing his expression and smiling.
There seemed to be a coexistence of good and evil in Jiho’s smiling face.
That smile looked kind and innocent, yet also extremely cold and inscrutable.
“Since today is an important day, let’s stop talking about annoying things and go, shall we?”
“…”
Right. Today was a damn important day. It was Joo Yeomin’s entrance into the Ian Group main house.
Yeomin’s heart began to beat more intensely.
