If I heard from Kwon Jukyung again something like, “Even if I don’t like you that much, we’re good in bed so that’s enough,” unlike before, the shock would be considerable. If I got so shocked that I gave up on myself and got married to just anyone like Father wants and ruined my life, what then? Not just my life, but the other person’s life too.
Um… am I writing too much of a novel? But anyway, I needed time to recharge my courage. Next to Kwon Jukyung, my brain became half-melted to the point that rational judgment was utterly impossible.
I made excuses to Jukyung that I was thinking of slowly packing my things and had many errands to run back and forth between home, the hospital, and Father’s company. In reality, all those tasks would be done by Secretary Choi and Driver Jung, but Jukyung didn’t need to know that.
Jukyung looked displeased, but only barely accepted after I nailed down the one-week period.
“Anyway, you’re so busy these days that even if we’re in the same house, we barely see each other’s faces.”
When I pointed this out, he said something ticklish.
“That’s different. Still, if we’re in the same house, I can at least see your sleeping face and sleep with our bodies touching.”
“……”
Listening to what Kwon Jukyung says, sometimes I wonder if I was a legendary seductress in my past life. I don’t really know, but am I perhaps fantastic at bedroom skills? Is that why he’s so obsessed with sex with me? Should I meet another guy and experiment?
But when I thought about mixing bodies with another man, my insides churned just from imagination. I shook my head to shake off the terrible stray thoughts.
“Should I come with you and at least say hello?”
Lost in other thoughts, I gaped at the words Jukyung suddenly offered. The place Jukyung suggested going together was the hospital where Father was admitted.
“Hey. Say something that makes sense.”
“What doesn’t make sense about it? Anyway, if hyung knows, it all gets to Father’s ears too, right? Since it’s Father who’s putting pressure on you to get married, wouldn’t it be better to openly appeal to your father?”
“I’m not joking, an ashtray will really fly at you, you know?”
“It’s fine. I’m good at dodging those things. I have good reflexes.”
I was incredulous. Bragging about himself in the midst of all that. And that’s not really what’s important anyway.
“Stop talking nonsense and just go.”
When I pushed his back telling him to just get in the car already, Jukyung opened the driver’s side door but tilted his head for a moment as if thinking about something.
“Well, I need to change clothes first anyway… Do you have any other schedule after stopping by the hospital?”
“Uh… no?”
Since I’d reunited with my car after a long time, I was thinking of just enjoying a drive.
“Just take my car. I’ll take you to the hospital. Then I’ll stop by home to change clothes and come pick you up again.”
“Why are you coming to pick me up?”
I frowned slightly as if on guard.
“I’m thinking of changing clothes, coming to pick you up, and going where I work. Don’t you want to meet Jehyun hyung?”
“What?”
I was briefly recalling the conversation we’d had in the morning when I was startled by the name that suddenly popped out.
“Why would I meet that ba… I mean, that person?”
Although Jukyung said they weren’t anything, the unpleasant feeling hadn’t settled yet, so I almost said “that bastard.”
“Just. You seem concerned about Jehyun hyung, so I thought it might be okay for you to meet him once, and since it’s the weekend, I thought it would be nice if you were next to me while I work.”
So it was a lie that weekend work was canceled. I knew it. I frowned.
“Even so, following you to work is a bit…”
“Ah, well, strictly speaking it is company work, but it’s also something hyung and I are doing independently, so it doesn’t really matter who we bring.”
I was confused. Independently? Hadn’t they been working on a project within the company until now? As if reading my thoughts, Jukyung made a slightly awkward expression.
“Company secrets are involved, so it’s a bit hard to talk about. I’ll tell you after the project ends.”
“It’s confidential but you can bring me?”
“Yeah. You’re not going to leak the materials anywhere, right?”
“Well, that… depends.”
Jukyung laughed.
“Then that’s fine, let’s go.”
I said I’d see, but what does he mean that’s fine? Has he lost a screw?
At his contextless smile, only my innocent face turned red.
***
I stopped by the hospital room fully prepared for battle, thinking hyung might have tattled about yesterday, but Father didn’t say much. He just grumbled about being uncomfortable being stuck in bed, and pressed me about when I’d quit the academy. Had hyung not said anything yet? That can’t be. But if he had, there’s no way Father wouldn’t have said anything.
With an uneasy feeling, I sat in a corner, then when another employee came to visit on business, I only told Secretary Choi and slipped out of the hospital. While killing time briefly at a nearby coffee shop, Jukyung arrived.
“Get in.”
Opening the car door from inside, Jukyung lifted the corners of his lips slightly. Even though I’d just seen him earlier, his eyes somehow looked welcoming, making my heart flutter. Come to think of it, he seems to be smiling a lot more lately.
I handed him the drink I’d bought for him and sat down. When I closed the door, Jukyung’s scent, which usually felt faint, wrapped thickly around me. I stole a glance at Jukyung’s profile as he started the car.
I remembered Jukyung saying he could smell my weak scent well too. Was the scent feeling strong because Jukyung had loosened his pheromone control, or because I’d become more sensitive to Jukyung’s scent? Either way was fine, but I thought it would be better if it was the former. Because it somehow felt like Jukyung wanted to appeal to me that he was an Alpha. Though that’s just my feeling.
The place Jukyung took me to as a temporary office was the IK Hotel in Gangnam. My jaw dropped when I saw the room Jukyung entered was a suite. No, why? It’s just two company employees working on a project, so why would they book a suite instead of a regular room? Suite (suite) isn’t that sweet (sweet), but doesn’t even the sound feel unpleasant?
Then does that mean Jukyung had been here with Seo Jehyun for those few days he didn’t come home? Even though he says they’re nothing, I was starting to feel bad…
“You’re finally showing up wandering around? You were half out of your mind yesterday, and today you’re completely late? Do you want to take your hands off the project or what? The promise with the Chairman becomes null and void… huh?”
A voice came from inside, then Seo Jehyun, who appeared suddenly from the balcony side, discovered me and his eyes widened a bit.
“Kang Doyun-ssi?”
My name popped out of Seo Jehyun’s mouth, though we were practically meeting for the first time.
“Yes? Oh, yes. Hello.”
I hurriedly returned the greeting while looking at Jukyung out of the corner of my eye. It was obviously a look asking how does this guy know me? But Jukyung just shrugged and avoided my gaze.
“Ah, hello. I’ve heard a lot about you from Jukyung. I’m Seo Jehyun, a company colleague and also someone he knows privately.”
Jehyun approached and extended his hand. When I grasped the hand requesting a handshake, a large, firm touch enveloped my hand. It was a strange feeling. We were practically meeting for the first time, but we knew each other. In my case, it wasn’t through the route he mentioned of hearing from Jukyung, but anyway.
“Um… Jukyung talked about me? Then it probably wasn’t anything good.”
While lightly shaking and releasing the hand, I smiled pretending to be nice. I wanted to know what he’d heard and how. Or maybe it was just a courtesy like how my hyung said he’d heard a lot about Jukyung from me.
“I wonder. What do you think?”
But as expected, Seo Jehyun was as formidable as he looked. He glanced at Jukyung, then showed me an enigmatic smile.
“What’s good or bad about it? I just tell it as it is.”
Jukyung interjected in his characteristic indifferent tone.
“As it is… well, you seemed to have no intention of showing his face easily, but I don’t know what wind blew for you to bring him all the way here today.”
While suggesting we have some tea and guiding us inside, Jehyun looked at Jukyung with somewhat mischievous eyes.
“I like hyung, that’s all.”
Jukyung pulled me along with his arm around my shoulders and let out an incredulous laugh.
“Mm?”
Jehyun raised an eyebrow slightly.
“You do like me.”
“No, that’s not what I meant!”
Jukyung raised his voice sharply. Jehyun laughed in a low voice.
“I know, I know. Don’t get excited.”
Jehyun laughed in a low voice, then looked toward me with raised corners of his lips.
“Jukyung has surprisingly high standards. There’s no way I’d catch his eye.”
The flow of conversation was a bit subtle. I didn’t know what expression to make, so I smiled with an ambiguous face. Does Seo Jehyun also know about Kwon Jukyung’s unrequited love? High standards means better than Seo Jehyun? It seems kind of hard for a person to be better than Seo Jehyun. Though not as much as Kwon Jukyung, of course. Surely that bastard didn’t look in the mirror and fall for his own face.
“Anyway, it’s because of that bastard Yukyung. He told all sorts of things to him at first meeting, that kid.”
Jukyung clicked his tongue and spoke as if grinding his teeth.
