Only after I pressed my elbow firmly into Seo Heejin’s solar plexus did his hand fall away.
“Tonight. Don’t forget.”
After Seo Heejin muttered in a low voice toward Kicheol hyung and returned to his seat, Song Ki burst out laughing with a “puhah.”
“First time seeing Heejin act so heavy.”
I was facing away from Seo Heejin so I didn’t know what expression he had, but I had a feeling Song Ki would tease him about this for a long time. If I’d known, I should’ve kept turning my head.
“You guys at headquarters don’t know, but even the branch managers shudder at the mention of Seo Heejin.”
Kicheol hyung shook his head saying to be grateful you’re not in the same department.
***
On the first day, we ate dinner at the restaurant in the training center. Memories from when I first joined the company came back fresh. I didn’t know about other things, but the food was amazingly delicious, so I’d said there was really a benefit to joining a large company. Back then, I really didn’t know only the food would be good!
Whether he really hated that I’d played around grabbing chests with Kicheol hyung earlier, Seo Heejin stuck right next to me as soon as the training ended. If he was going to ignore me, he should’ve maintained it to the end. Him following right behind me was obviously noticeable to anyone.
“Do you want more sausage?”
It wasn’t just noticeable—it was more like he was outright flaunting it. I do like sausage side dishes, but not to the point of stealing the side dishes Seo Heejin brought.
“Cut it out. I’m not a kid.”
Whether I was annoyed or not didn’t matter to him, Seo Heejin picked up the sausage from his rice bowl and held it out to me. And that sausage was transferred by my chopsticks onto the tray of Hyungtae sitting across from me.
Hyungtae was just happy and munched on the sausage. It was fortunate that Hyungtae, who didn’t have a shred of tact, was sitting in front.
If it had stopped there, it would have been bearable. When we finished dinner and returned to our rooms, Seo Heejin, who was definitely supposed to use a different room, came into our room with all his luggage packed.
No way. The expression “no way” appeared on the face of Kicheol hyung, who had been happy to share a room after a while and drink all night tonight and tomorrow. Song Ki, this bastard—what was he thinking trading rooms with Seo Heejin?
“He said he’s monitoring Kicheol hyung, so he traded with me.”
Seo Heejin smiled prettily with a bright face, reading our expressions.
“You said you’d do it tonight and hand it over, hyung. You weren’t trying to just brush it off……”
“I give up.”
As I watched Kicheol hyung pull out his laptop with a sulky expression, I mouthed silently toward Seo Heejin. Are you crazy? He shrugged his shoulders as if asking what he did wrong—that insufferable attitude left me speechless. We promised not to make it obvious, so why is he acting like this?
>> Hey. Why are you really acting like this 19:35
> Seo Heejin
> What did I do? I came to monitor Kicheol hyung 19:35
Seo Heejin’s phone buzzed because of my message.
And soon my phone vibrated. Where does he get off playing innocent?
>> Then I’ll ask Hyungtae to switch rooms 19:35
Seo Heejin’s eyebrows twitched after checking the message. Of course, since we weren’t here on an MT, it wasn’t easy to switch rooms as we pleased. But I couldn’t just sit still watching Seo Heejin act all innocent when he was so infuriating.
Seo Heejin’s fingers, which had been wandering over his phone wondering whether to write something or not, soon started typing tap-tap-tap.
I could feel Seo Heejin’s anger at his fingertips.
> Seo Heejin
> Absolutely not. What if someone touches your chest again? Didn’t I see you go crazy earlier? Kicheol hyung is suffering right now all because of you 19:36
>> What’s the big deal about guys touching each other’s chests, why are you freaking out 19:36
> Seo Heejin
> Then can I touch your chest right now? Why not let me touch your dick too. How about it? 19:36
Is he really crazy!?
“Hey, you two.”
The angry finger-pointing finally stopped at Kicheol hyung’s voice.
“If you two have something to say, just say it out loud. You’re making me dizzy.”
If I could, I wanted to tattle to Kicheol hyung that Seo Heejin was threatening to touch my cock right here and now. Since it wasn’t something I could tell a third party, I just kept my mouth shut and glared at Seo Heejin.
“Yunwoo hyung said he was supposed to drink with you tonight but I’m in the way so he told me to fuck off.”
Seo Heejin, more cunning than me, quickly made up a plausible lie.
“Ah, you should’ve done it earlier and sent it!”
My irritation was directed at the wrong person, Kicheol hyung. Kicheol hyung, caught in the crossfire, looked back and forth between Seo Heejin and me with an expression that said he had no idea why these bastards were freaking out.
“I’ll just go drink in another room and come back. Hyung, hurry up and finish it and call me.”
When I sprang up from my seat, Seo Heejin stared at me as if dumbfounded, and Kicheol hyung quietly turned his gaze back to his laptop screen. The thought that I really couldn’t fucking deal with Seo Heejin filled my head.
Even as I drank while wandering from room to room, my anger didn’t subside. We’re not dating. We’re just fucking. How dare he treat me like I’m cheating. Every time Seo Heejin’s absurd attitude came to mind, alcohol poured down smoothly.
Even if it’s no big deal as training goes, I need to restrain myself to listen properly tomorrow. Everyone seemed to have similar thoughts because eventually, as it approached midnight, there were no more places to hang around, so I returned to the room where Seo Heejin and Kicheol hyung would be.
“Did you have fun?”
In the darkened room, Seo Heejin’s voice rang out coldly. Behind it, Kicheol hyung’s snoring could be heard like a majestic background sound.
“Did Kicheol hyung finish his work?”
No matter if he’s sleeping, I can’t say dick or cock in front of someone else. Thinking I should be the mature one since I’m older by a year, I asked an ordinary question.
“Yes. Thanks to you, I nagged him hard and got it.”
“I told him to call me when he finished.”
As I took out my toiletries from my bag, Seo Heejin walked closer step by step. No way he’s trying to fuck me in a room shared with someone else!?
“Wait.”
I became urgent without realizing it and held out my hand, speaking like I was commanding a dog. Seo Heejin must have been flustered by this tone too because he stopped dead in his tracks.
“This weekend, if you want to see me this weekend, maintain that position five steps away from me until the day after tomorrow.”
Even in the darkness, I could see Seo Heejin’s eyes shining blue-green.
Is he really pissed this time? Seo Heejin, who had been standing still at my words for a moment, turned around sharply and went into bed. Seo Heejin didn’t seem pissed—he seemed sulky.
Seriously sulky.
***
Childishly, Seo Heejin really didn’t come anywhere near me and showed with his whole body that he was sulking. He left early in the morning to eat breakfast alone, and during training, he sat even farther from me than yesterday.
Yesterday he clung to me and tormented me, today he won’t come near me and torments me. It’s a good thing I’m not dating Seo Heejin—if I’d fallen head over heels and dated him, it would’ve been a disaster.
Ugh. Even I, who has no interest in Seo Heejin, couldn’t feel comfortable when he was showing he was this sulky. I did feel a bit sorry for treating him like a dog.
Dinner was supposed to be grilling meat, so I should sit near Seo Heejin and give him some compliments.
Seo Heejin might not know about other things, but he grilled meat fantastically. If I gave him sincere, lavish compliments, wouldn’t Seo Heejin’s mood improve?
However, when I opened the door to the meat restaurant near the training center that the HR team had told us to go to, the scene I saw shattered my plan. The table where Seo Heejin was sitting was already full. I wasn’t the only one who knew Seo Heejin grilled meat well.
In front of Seo Heejin, Song Ki and Hyungtae had secured seats, and despite being tormented so much yesterday, Kicheol hyung was sitting in the seat next to him with no hard feelings.
The only seat available for me was far away, at that table where the female colleagues were chatting. I couldn’t ask the female colleagues to grill the meat, so if I sat there, I’d obviously be in charge of grilling.
“Oh, what brings Yunwoo oppa here?”
As I sat down holding tongs and scissors, my female coworkers giggled.
“What do you mean, tsk. You wanna grill?”
Far from eating the meat Seo Heejin grilled for me, I was busy putting the meat I grilled myself into the mouths of my coworkers who were chirping like baby birds.
“Oppa, how’s work these days?”
“Same old, same old. How about the research lab?”
“The research lab’s the same old, same old too.”
I’d heard rumors that the new research lab director was a pain in the ass, but maybe it was because of her good personality—the coworker in research answered as if it was no big deal.
They weren’t my children or my juniors, but I felt a warm surge of pride for no reason. It must not have been easy for someone so much younger than me to adapt to working life.
“Oppa, it seems like you’ve gotten close with Heejin oppa?”
