“When did you arrive?”
Hyedam, who had barely caught his breath, tried to turn around while placing his hand on Leo’s arm that was wrapped around his waist.
As he always did, Leo hugged him tightly and then let go, taking away the tablet that Hyedam hadn’t managed to put away yet. Even if he takes it, it has a password… Leo brought over Hyedam’s right hand without any hesitation and unlocked it with his fingerprint.
“Where do you want to go?”
Since it was a work tablet, anything he’d see would just be his schedule or company-related things, and as for search history, there was only stuff related to travel from just now, so whether he took it and looked at it or not, there was no problem.
“Somewhere Team Leader-nim isn’t.”
Hyedam answered curtly, grabbed the handle of the carrier next to Leo, and took the first step. He knew their relationship—boss and secretary at work—but now that those boundaries had already collapsed, Hyedam had let everything go.
If he doesn’t like my attitude and says something, I’ll just ignore it.
If he fires me, I’ll get severance pay and unemployment benefits and rest for a bit.
They say even murder can be forgiven after enduring three times, but it seemed like he’d already endured more than a dozen times and had been a pushover for a long time. Rather than suffering inside and getting sick from it, it seemed right to say what needed to be said while living.
If I get sick, I don’t even have any blood relatives to take care of me, so I have to protect my own health. Who else will?
“Pathetic fool, what you just said kind of hurts?”
“I’m sure it hurts terribly.”
After returning the tablet and taking the carrier, Hyedam handed over the luggage to him for now and put the tablet in his bag.
“Didn’t you want to see me?”
“Yes.”
“I thought I’d die from missing you, but I couldn’t contact you because I thought you’d hate it.”
“You did well with that.”
“That’s praise, right?”
“Yes.”
Walking quickly through the people toward the parking lot, Hyedam staggered from the force pulling and grabbing his arm and bumped into Leo’s body.
“Careful.”
“Ah, thank…”
Hyedam, who was giving lip service to Leo who had grabbed him so he wouldn’t collide with a cart, raised his head at the force firmly gripping his arm.
“Now you’re showing me your face. I did well just now too, right?”
At that handsome face smiling brightly at him, Hyedam slightly lowered his head to hide his unmanageable expression and gently pulled out his arm that was caught in his hand.
“If we hesitate, we’ll be late. The road was blocked on the way here, and the way out isn’t easy either.”
What other strange thing is he going to say—Hyedam, who had a history of being swayed by him while spacing out, blocked his nonsense and took the lead walking again.
“If you did something praiseworthy, I should praise you enough and give you a reward.”
Are you a five-year-old kid?
“We’re going to your place, correct?”
Whatever you say, I’ll do my job.
“Won’t you give me a reward?”
“……Are you a kid?”
“I’m younger than Hyedam-ssi, aren’t I? Let’s see, by 3 years, so…… Hyedam-ssi probably ate about 3,000 more meals than me.”
At the ridiculous miraculous logic, Hyedam’s steps finally stopped. If he didn’t cut it off precisely at this point, he couldn’t predict at all what would unfold or how on the way to his house today.
“Let’s say I ate 3,000 more meals. But in terms of quantity, I think Team Leader-nim ate twice as much.”
“That’s also true. Then, think of it as a Christmas present and give me a reward.”
Did you leave something with me? Did you? And I told you I don’t do Christmas or birthdays or presents. What on earth happened in England that you came back even weirder?
Instead of answering, Hyedam looked at Leo and ran his hand through his hair.
“Christmas passed. Then a New Year’s present.”
About to say that New Year’s hasn’t come yet, Hyedam firmly shut his mouth. Because it was obvious he would give an absurd answer no matter what he said.
“Don’t say strange things and say what you want to say.”
“If I say it, will you listen?”
“No.”
Hyedam gave an answer containing refusal right away without any consideration. Why is he acting like a child especially today? Hyedam looked at him again and swallowed a sigh that came from deep within.
Hairstyle always neat, suit fitting perfectly on his body. Leo always showed an appearance that seemed like it would only appear in a pictorial, without any dishevelment. Since he mostly saw him at the company, it was natural that such an appearance was familiar to him.
But today……
His unstyled bangs covered his straight forehead. Wearing cotton pants and a hoodie instead of the custom-made suit created for him without even a bit of error, he looked much younger than usual. Believable enough to pass as a college student.
“Then I won’t say it.”
At his words accompanied by a smile so bright and enjoyable that it made even the person watching feel good—what’s so fun and pleasant—Hyedam slowly exhaled the breath he’d been holding while suppressing a sigh.
“Let’s go.”
I’ve played along with your tune enough, so let’s go now.
“Aren’t you curious?”
At what point should I be curious about what and why—Robert-ssi said he’d come in after the new year and my heart sank, and that vague worry was becoming reality. As he followed obediently but kept chattering with questions, Hyedam, who had made up his mind, stopped short.
Thud.
He ended up bumping into Leo, who hadn’t anticipated that he would stop. Hyedam, who was pushed forward a few steps by the sturdy him, turned around and looked at Leo.
“Are you okay? If you suddenly stop……”
Hyedam, who walked closer to close the distance with him, spread both arms and hugged Leo.
Was he this big? Anyway, Hyedam, who hugged him as he stood there, patted his lower back with his hand a couple of times. Since he, who would normally have shown some kind of reaction, was just staying still, Hyedam felt embarrassed, swallowed the saliva pooling in his mouth, and slowly removed the arms wrapped around his body.
Now he just needed to step back and create distance, so Hyedam slightly stepped back one foot. And space formed between their chests that had been touching.
Did I do something wrong? You said you wanted a reward. When kids listen well, you hug them tightly. And you pat them too, right?
As his weight shifted to the foot that stepped back, the space between them widened more. One step. Two steps. Three steps. The more Hyedam stepped back, the warmth he’d felt from Leo, however briefly, and the coffee scent gradually faded.
“How am I supposed to understand this?”
At Leo’s muttering-like words as he raised his hand to cover his eyes, Hyedam answered in a small voice, “Reward.”
“You’re saying you really gave me a reward because I asked for one?”
Hyedam, who couldn’t properly examine Leo’s expression because he was covering his eyes, hastily stretched both hands forward at the same time Leo lowered his hand. However, Hyedam’s somewhat defensive gesture was nothing more than the flapping of a small butterfly’s wings before a roaring large polar bear.
Urk.
Something big swooped down on Hyedam, and he literally thought he was going to be devoured. An incomprehensible onomatopoeia burst out automatically from the force tightly constricting his torso. On top of that, at Leo’s intense action of burying his face in his nape and even sniffing, Hyedam’s waist bent backward of its own accord from the instinct to survive and create distance from him.
“Our pathetic fool. Really, how could I not go crazy when you’re like this? Where did you learn something like this? Have you done this to someone else before?”
When was it that he hugged so tightly that all the ribs might pop out, and suddenly grabbing his forearm and pushing to create distance while matching eye level—at those words, Hyedam only blinked his eyes. Where would I learn something like this? Even if I learn everything there is to learn, who would teach what? And who else would I do this to?
“No.”
“Then. You thought of it on your own with that head? You were ticking away and getting angry, but inside you were thinking it all through?”
Leo. You’re a bit scary. Could you let go and talk from a distance? Um, people are all staring……
“Um…… Team Leader-nim?”
“Leo.”
“Oh, right. Leo. Could we let go and go outside to talk first? This is the airport and there are lots of people……”
Hyedam, who was trying to calm him down by tapping Leo’s chest with his fingertips that had been awkwardly stretched forward, was soon walking at a fast pace with his hand firmly caught by him.
“Leo Lewis?”
“You said to talk in a quiet place.”
“But it’s not this direction.”
We need to exit through Gate 5 to be close to the parking lot. You’re going to the wrong place right now. With one hand pulling the carrier and the other hand holding my hand, passing through people so well. Well, rather than passing through people well, it was more like others saw Leo and moved aside on their own.
And there’s me being dragged along holding hands. What did I even do wrong—the only crimes are throwing a tantrum so I appeased him, asking for a reward so I gave a reward, right? Even if I do what he asks, it’s this chaos. If I don’t do it, it’s that chaos—what do you want me to do?
Not even knowing where he was going, Hyedam, who was walking almost half-running following Leo, suddenly entered some space with him.
“Ah…… Mmph!”
His body was swiftly moved here and there by Leo’s hands, and at the same time as being startled by the slight pain suddenly felt on his back, Hyedam’s lips were devoured and his two hands urgently sought Leo’s shoulders.
