At Seunggeon’s words, Chaehun hesitated for a moment but didn’t object. Since he knew nothing about custom suits, he thought it would be better if Seunggeon helped with something from the side.
And not long after, Chaehun regretted his decision.
* * *
As he said, Seunggeon didn’t spare any advice. Taking the body measurements ended quickly. What actually took a long time was choosing the fabric. That’s when Seunggeon was active. Only after listening to Seunggeon’s advice to exclude colors and patterns he didn’t prefer could he select something he liked.
Besides that, they made molds and took measurements of both his hands and feet. They said it was necessary to make gloves and shoes. When Seunggeon elegantly smiled and said gloves were a gentleman’s basic, Chaehun was left speechless.
That wasn’t all. Saying that the ill-fitting athletic wear wasn’t appropriate for dining out, he recommended ready-made clothes the shop had prepared in advance. The tailor quickly agreed with Seunggeon’s words. He even made various recommendations, saying Chaehun had a slim standard physique.
Chaehun couldn’t go back ten days and sew his own mouth shut. Caught in the trap he had set himself, in the end Chaehun had to sit in a Chinese restaurant wearing a new suit and even shoes.
“Your hair is disappointing.”
Chaehun, who had been sitting blankly and looking over the menu, raised his head at Seunggeon’s words. The gaze of Seunggeon sitting across from him and looking this way was full of scrutiny.
He says his hair is disappointing. He had washed his hair last night but applied nothing to it. Chaehun, who normally didn’t particularly touch his hair, held the menu and became wary of Seunggeon.
“Don’t even think about touching my hair. I’m comfortable like this. No, I hate wax.”
“The time is definitely too tight.”
Seunggeon said regretfully. It was a hint that if there had been time, he would have done his hair too.
This guy is really going all out.
While clicking his tongue inwardly, Chaehun focused on something else.
“Do you have another appointment? Work?”
“It’s a busy time.”
When he asked just in case and got an answer that he really did have work, Chaehun slightly frowned. If he was the CEO of one of Korea’s leading large groups, he would be overflowing with work. Even though he was Chairman Jeong’s grandson, it was easy to predict that he was struggling to establish his foundation, having only recently returned to Korea.
Still, working day and night and not being able to rest properly even on weekends was too much.
“You can’t even rest on weekends. Aren’t you overworking yourself?”
“Connections are important here. It can’t be helped.”
A slight irritation was evident in Seunggeon’s tone as he said connections were important. Chaehun found it curious that Seunggeon, who had more powerful connections and relatives than anyone, would say such a thing, so he had to ask again.
“Connections? You have connections you need to maintain?”
“Many. Interest relationships are complicatedly intertwined. There are many ceremonial occasions I need to attend.”
“Ah, ceremonial occasions. That’s also an extension of work. Isn’t that harder?”
“Right.”
“Hard-working office workers who work even on weekends are all the same. Well, it’s funny for me to say this to the CEO of Taehwa Group.”
Comparing the CEO of Taehwa Group to an ordinary office worker was absurd, but having to attend a superior’s or business partner’s ceremonial occasions on weekends was hard work. Whether he really liked being called an office worker, Seunggeon burst into light laughter.
In the now cheerful atmosphere, Chaehun called the server. Since Seunggeon had completely left the menu selection to Chaehun, he ordered the most expensive course meal. It was a luxury he could indulge in because of the 160 million won deposited in his account.
Having even ordered alcohol they could drink lightly, Chaehun was satisfied.
“Just pour one glass of alcohol. Don’t drink it.”
“It’s definitely not as good as custom-made. The shirt collar is big, so it’s wrinkled.”
When he told Seunggeon, who disliked alcohol, to just keep his glass filled, an unexpected answer came back. As Seunggeon said, the circumference of the shirt collar was a bit loose, but because it was tightly fastened with a necktie, he didn’t particularly feel anything strange.
“Well. It’s fine. This much.”
“Something that fits your body perfectly will feel different.”
Chaehun had certainly never worn custom-made clothing. So he didn’t know what clothes that fit perfectly would feel like. But more than the feeling at that time, he was curious why Seunggeon was so obsessed with what he wore.
“Let me ask honestly.”
“……?”
“What are you thinking? Don’t joke around like earlier. I did say I’d accept everything, but I don’t understand why you’re doing this. I get the watch. But suddenly a suit? What’s that about?”
Having warned him in advance not to say something else, Chaehun asked once more.
“What if I’m curious how far you’ll accept?”
“How far can you give?”
“Well. The watch doesn’t seem to be much, so I wonder if you’d be interested in a car?”
“Don’t tease me.”
Chaehun glared at Seunggeon with a ‘surely not’ feeling. Unlike the old days, the changed Seunggeon was a ball that could bounce anywhere. There was a possibility he might really offer a car.
“I realized this time that it’s fun to dress you up. It was interesting too.”
“……?!”
At the completely unexpected words, Chaehun’s eyes widened. He remembered when he was in college, one of his female classmates said it was fun to pick out and buy clothes for her boyfriend. And among his seniors, there was someone who came wearing exactly what his wife coordinated for him. In that context, it wasn’t such a strange thing to say. But it didn’t suit Seunggeon.
“Your taste is quite unique.”
Chaehun didn’t press further and simply concluded. Just ten days ago, he had given him a wristwatch and said he liked nice hands. He could realize his preference while buying him a suit. Seunggeon also laughed without denying that it was a unique taste.
I really should accept everything he gives me.
It wasn’t teasing—if Seunggeon wanted to give things because he liked it, then what did it matter? While thinking that what’s good is good, the table was set and the dishes they ordered began to come out one by one.
Starting with cold dishes and continuing with matsutake abalone soup, Chaehun, who was tasting proper Chinese food for the first time in a while, quickly relaxed.
He didn’t know that his eyes sparkled every time a new dish came out. He also didn’t know that Seunggeon saw this and laughed silently. However, Chaehun continued to be bothered by the fact that Seunggeon, like before, didn’t even eat half of his portion of food.
The palbora-jo and fried sea bass were both delicious too. The eohyang-donggo harmonized the shiitake aroma with seafood and a strong sauce to create flavor. The bell peppers were also crisp, giving a good texture. Still, Seunggeon only ate half of one piece cut into four pieces before putting down his chopsticks. He said it was tasty, but his eating was utterly unsatisfactory.
Chaehun suddenly wondered if he had made a mistake.
“I’m asking just in case, so if it bothers you, say it bothers you.”
“What are you beating around the bush to ask?”
“Back when you were hurt, did you injure your digestive organs? I mean, if you hurt your stomach or something, it can cause problems with digestion. Chinese food is oily, so I wondered if it might be a burden.”
Speaking indirectly wasn’t Chaehun’s style. If he had made any mistake, he thought it was better to apologize and correct it right away.
But Seunggeon was unusually flustered. It wasn’t to the extent of showing outwardly, but judging by how his answer was two beats late, he was.
“It’s not like that. It’s just a habit to eat small amounts.”
“Then that’s a relief. I was worried I was only thinking of myself.”
Chaehun had thought about that time several times. It was Seunggeon who had blocked the knife the kidnapper swung at him. If it was because of him, it would be like tormenting him doubly.
“It’s fine. So don’t be self-conscious and eat. You look good eating. A little……”
“A little?”
This time it was Seunggeon who trailed off. Chaehun tilted his head, asking what that was about.
“You won’t like it.”
“What?”
“The act of eating is sensual. Sexy. Yeah. I realized this too recently.”
Even though he hadn’t eaten anything, Chaehun had to cough as if choking. He was flustered by why this guy connected everything to that.
Moreover, while saying such things, his facial expression remained indifferent and solemn, which made it worse. If he’d at least smiled, Chaehun could have laughed along, but this time he was serious.
“Uh. Um. Got it.”
In a slightly different sense from before, eating deliciously had become burdensome. Chaehun picked up the last piece of yuxiang donggu and thought “whatever” as he put it in his mouth. They were already doing everything together anyway, so there was no need to be embarrassed.
“Other than that, isn’t there anything else you want to ask?”
“Something else? What?”
“Like who the culprit of the kidnapping incident was, or how the aftermath was handled.”
At Seunggeon’s completely unexpected words, Chaehun consciously swallowed what was in his mouth. He had been curious, but it was Seunggeon who had coldly told him not to pry.
“You told me not to pry before.”
“I did say that.”
