Knowing that Leo was waiting outside, there was no time to dawdle or hesitate. After getting dressed and going outside, Hyedam saw Leo leaning against the car door and bowed his head again in greeting.
“Did you eat?”
Without even thinking about whether he had eaten or not, Hyedam nodded unconsciously, then stared blankly at Leo as he deliberately walked to the passenger side and opened the door for him.
“Team Leader-nim.”
“Yes.”
“It’s Saturday today.”
Having been woken up by the knocking, then hastily greeting Leo and rushing to wash up without proper thought, Hyedam spoke with a dazed expression.
“Hurry and get in.”
“You should tell me what’s going on first…”
“Let’s go eat.”
Leo’s words urging him to get in while holding the passenger door open only amplified Hyedam’s confusion.
“Do you have an urgent schedule?”
“…Yes. It’s urgent, so let’s hurry a bit.”
Not knowing how urgent it could be that he’d wake someone up and drag them out, Hyedam found himself in the passenger seat and watched Leo make a phone call to somewhere.
The navigation wasn’t even on, so he had no idea where the self-driving car was heading, and since Leo was speaking in French, even eavesdropping was impossible.
Setting this situation aside, how could he have slept from Thursday until now without waking up even once? He had enjoyed a peaceful, dreamless slumber. If Leo hadn’t shown up, he could have enjoyed it longer, but anyway, he had slept for almost two days without eating or going to the bathroom.
Only after recalling how long he had slept did he feel the hunger in his stomach. Rubbing his belly, Hyedam watched Leo with a serious expression as he continued his call. His body’s feelings shouldn’t become his heart’s feelings. After all, he was the one who had clung to Leo. Leo had merely responded. It wasn’t just that they hadn’t had the leisure to properly talk—Leo hadn’t shown much reaction to his words.
He couldn’t take his eyes off that flawless profile—hair that looked golden in the sunlight, eyes that were bright emerald rather than deep green, and that high nose bridge.
How strange. The man who had embraced him so tightly it felt like his bones would crumble was gentle yet persistent, and rough. Even though he seemed to have lost control just as much as Hyedam had, Leo kept checking on his condition.
He had brushed back his disheveled hair and kissed his forehead. The look in his eyes when he watched him burst into tears amid unbearable intense pleasure and indulgence—he could still vividly recall it.
It truly felt like he had spent a passionate night with a lover who genuinely liked and loved him. He had kept denying it, but behind the complicated emotions he harbored toward Leo, there was affection for him.
But what about Leo?
Even when he opened his eyes with an aching body, he was still on top of Leo. Like a parent putting a child to sleep on their chest, Leo had been holding him like that. That’s why, before he could even do anything, he found himself in his embrace again—but recalling all these things, only one answer kept coming up.
Things like the worry plainly visible on Leo’s face when he burst through the door, or the relief that showed after seeing the disheveled apartment, himself, and the bed visible right from the entrance.
While rubbing his belly and lost in random thoughts, Hyedam heard his stomach growl and quickly straightened his slouched posture.
“Did you really only sleep?”
Classical music was playing in the car and Leo had been on the phone, so Hyedam thought he wouldn’t hear it—but when Leo immediately looked at him and spoke, Hyedam quickly removed his hand from his stomach.
“Pardon?”
“I asked if you only slept without eating anything.”
“Yes.”
Leo paused his phone call momentarily to engage in this meaningless conversation, then ended the call and turned his body toward Hyedam.
“It’s late, but if you tell me what needs to be done from now on, I’ll check the schedule and…”
Feeling self-conscious for having stared at his face too much, Hyedam put his hand in his pocket and let out a small sigh.
The tablet he always carried wasn’t there. He had forgotten the tablet, and the phone he had grabbed in a hurry was dead. In this situation, how could he check any schedule? He couldn’t even contact Robert right away to find out what was going on.
“Are you that curious about what we’re going to do?”
Whether or not he knew Hyedam’s predicament, Leo’s lips curved upward in a pleasant arc. As his large hand moved, Hyedam’s gaze naturally followed. The scent of coffee suddenly intensified, and as Hyedam followed only that slowly moving hand, the moment it touched his chin, he drew in a short breath.
“Are you nervous that I might suggest something unexpected?”
Leo’s fingertips moved as he spoke in a voice lower and slower than usual, and his thumb touched the corner of Hyedam’s mouth. His fingertips moved from the corner of his mouth to his lower lip, pressing down softly before finally pulling away.
As if under a spell, only after all of Leo’s actions were finished and his hand moved away did Hyedam pull back and raise his hand to cover his mouth.
“First, we’ll eat, then go shopping. There are things I need to buy.”
“Do you have an appointment with a personal shopper?”
Still covering his mouth and mumbling, Hyedam’s gaze was directed out the window rather than at Leo.
“Hyedam-ssi.”
Even at the sound of Leo calling his name plainly, Hyedam couldn’t bring himself to look at him.
“Why do you think so much? Sometimes, try not thinking about anything and just do what someone else suggests. That’s not such a bad thing either.”
“I apologize for not doing my job properly.”
Telling himself repeatedly not to get swept up by Leo, who created this subtle atmosphere with just a moment’s lapse, Hyedam finally looked at him.
A moment of intimate emotion had passed, but was it because he had drawn the line? The coffee scent that had unsettled him disappeared, and only a calm expression remained on Leo’s face where a gentle smile had been.
“We’ve arrived. Robert had something to do, so I’m asking you to accompany me. There’s no need to feel too uncomfortable.”
The car stopped, and only after seeing Leo open the car door did Hyedam lower the hand that had been covering his jaw and got out of the car.
After finishing a simple meal at a quiet, reserved Korean restaurant, the next place Hyedam went was a car showroom.
“How about this one?”
At Leo’s question while he carefully examined each car in the showroom and listened to the seller’s explanations, Hyedam only blinked. Since he had wrecked his car so badly a few days ago, buying a new one wasn’t that strange.
Not knowing much about cars, Hyedam had no reason to step forward and was just standing beside Leo and the seller, formally listening to the explanations—so he had nothing particular to say to Leo’s question.
Why are you asking me about a car you’re going to drive?
Besides, I only know about the exterior of cars.
“Wouldn’t the body be a bit too low for you, Team Leader-nim?”
With his excellent physique, he had the magic of making any car look small, but since the car next to the one he was looking at seemed better, Hyedam offered his brief opinion.
“There might be occasions to drive it, but isn’t that car too big?”
At his words while casually glancing at the car Hyedam had been looking at, Hyedam fell silent for a moment, trying to understand what he meant.
“Ah! Are you buying a gift? I thought you were looking at a car for yourself, Team Leader-nim.”
“I’m looking at Hyedam-ssi’s car right now.”
At Leo’s low, concise words, Hyedam blinked rapidly. Was it because he had filled his stomach well with easily digestible Korean food? The seller’s lengthy explanation had made him a bit drowsy, but wondering if he had misheard, Hyedam showed no reaction at all.
“In the newly drafted employment contract, it said you would report what car you wanted, but since you haven’t reported anything yet, I came out personally. Choose whichever Hyedam-ssi likes. Personally, I think this one looks good—what do you think?”
After hearing Leo’s words, the first place Hyedam’s eyes went was the car’s price tag. He had been standing in the back with a third party’s mindset of ‘Look around, enjoy, and choose whatever you want,’ but if this was about buying his own car, the situation had changed 180 degrees.
Indeed, the contract did include a vehicle support clause, and he was supposed to specify the car he wanted, but in the rapidly passing days, he had forgotten about that part.
“…”
Thinking beyond just buying the car to insurance premiums, various taxes, and finally a parking space, Hyedam’s gaze shifted elsewhere. Who wouldn’t want to drive an expensive, nice car? But realistically, the car suited for him was a small or mid-sized one.
“Choose one of these three, then we’ll look at colors and options.”
What about my opinion?
The moment he saw the seller leading them to the consultation room inside with a smile full of satisfaction before Leo’s words even finished, Hyedam couldn’t bring himself to refuse.
