“You’re not even dating each other, so why do you keep acting like exes? Even if that were the case, it’s work now.”
“Assistant Manager Woo must have very free-spirited relationships. At this rate, people will think this is Hollywood or something.”
Since guiding required physical contact, there were delicate aspects. Not all pairs dated. Initially becoming a pair was only possible if the two had a high matching rate. But that didn’t mean it developed into a loving relationship.
There were people with good matching rates but bad relationships who made you wonder how they could be a pair, while on the other hand, there were cases where what was initially just a work relationship later became a deeper relationship. That was because guiding fundamentally involved physical contact anyway. Physical contact when you weren’t lovers wasn’t easy.
“And you said you were gay, Director.”
At Ilkyung’s words, Daehoon stubbed out his cigarette and said,
“You’re really consistent about not listening to what people say. I’ve never said with my own mouth that I’m gay.”
“I’m a man though? You asked me to play the role of your lover.”
Ilkyung pointed at himself with his finger as he spoke.
“My family keeps telling me to get married. If I don’t want to hear that, what should I do? I need to make them recognize that I’m someone who can’t get married. I need to let them know I can’t give them the child my grandfather wants, don’t I?”
Ilkyung’s mouth just opened and closed. So what did he just hear? That he’s not gay?
“Then! Did you really date those two people? Did you break up because of a love triangle? Director, did you two-time them?”
Ilkyung’s voice was gradually rising.
“I hate acting like there’s some special relationship, like we’re dating, just because we’re a pair. When that line is crossed, someone tries to fulfill their personal desires.”
Ilkyung didn’t understand any of what this meant.
“I don’t know why I have to talk this long to convince Assistant Manager Woo Ilkyung, but being a pair is delicate. It would be nice if we could just do it as work like Assistant Manager Woo Ilkyung says, but I just told you. I have no intention of marriage, and it’s annoying when Espers cling to me just because we became a pair. But Assistant Manager Woo Ilkyung keeps making me get entangled with such Espers. You keep pushing these annoying people onto me.”
Ilkyung’s mind was confused right now. What is this? He still didn’t understand. If he’s not gay, why is he asking him to play the role of his lover, and why does he keep breaking up with his female pairs? Plus, because they’re annoying?
“Then you’re saying you won’t work because it’s annoying? And you just said ‘it would be nice if we could just do it as work,’ Director. That’s right, even if they were previous pairs, you can just treat them as work. Can’t you just do physical contact professionally? Just do mechanical physical contact.”
Ilkyung poured out words rapid-fire without even breathing. While he was already not in his right mind, he spilled everything he’d wanted to say usually. Would he get fired? Even though Director Ha is an executive, it’s not like he has personnel authority and he’s not even his direct superior.
“Ha!”
Daehoon put out his cigarette and looked at him as if flabbergasted. Because he couldn’t tell what those black eyes were thinking, Ilkyung unconsciously tried to step back. No, tried to. Suddenly his waist was caught in a strong arm and he was pulled in. It was physical contact reminiscent of the guiding situation from just before.
“Mechanical physical contact? I’m not sure, so will Assistant Manager Woo teach me?”
His face came close. Ilkyung froze like ice and squeezed his eyes shut. The face that already looked unrealistic even from far away came right up close, so his eyes naturally closed. And then. He heard a low laugh.
“Can’t Assistant Manager Woo do it well either? Because you’re not a Guide?”
When Ilkyung opened his eyes, Director Ha really was right in front of his nose. Director Ha whispered by his ear.
“I’ll take Assistant Manager Woo Ilkyung’s advice to heart. So here’s what I’m saying—let’s add mechanical physical contact to our dates too. Be my partner for one month, Assistant Manager Woo. And distribute the Guides yourself. Use it well.”
Leaving those words, Director Ha cleanly opened the car door and got in. Ilkyung stood there as if struck by lightning, unable to move. He really thought he was going to kiss a man. As dazed Ilkyung stood still, Ha Daehoon started the car just like that.
“Fuck, crazy.”
All Ilkyung could do was curse.
Ilkyung found his car and quickly sat in the driver’s seat. For a moment he really thought their lips would touch. He didn’t know how shocked he was. He’d been so busy lately he hadn’t met anyone, but now he thought he was going to kiss a man after living all this time and worried about what to do.
“Ahhh! Fuck!”
Ilkyung screamed. He’d been played. How funny must he have looked, squeezing his eyes shut and trembling? Ilkyung banged his forehead against the steering wheel.
“Argh! I won’t let this go. I’ll get revenge.”
Even so, even if he’d lost his reason and rapid-fired words. How could he bring his face close and pretend to kiss just to make him uncomfortable? On top of that, he’d closed his eyes like someone waiting for a kiss, so thinking about it again made his blood boil.
“What? Use it well? Does he think I can’t do it? Just watch. I’ll select only partners who need not just a finger touch but kisses and even more to guide. Ha, and I’ll find all his previous pairs and assign them all to him.”
Ilkyung trembled as he stared holes into the spot where Director Ha’s car had been. As if casting a curse or something.
“I’ll definitely get revenge.”
Ilkyung bit his lip and muttered. Then he screamed.
“I’m not gay!”
His thoughts were bouncing around everywhere uncontrollably. He couldn’t get a grip. He wanted to grab Director Ha Daehoon right now and cry out, “Why are you doing this to me?”
Honk!
After raging alone, it seemed like people were glancing over because of the horn he’d pressed, so Ilkyung quickly started the engine. Then he hurriedly backed the car out and started moving.
He didn’t even know what state of mind he came home in. Ilkyung, who kicked open the gate and entered, shouted as soon as he opened the front door.
“Noona!”
Ilkyung started looking for Minkyung, his twin noona.
“Noona! Where are you?”
“Oh, the youngest is here? There was a tunnel accident today, right? Did you come late because of that?”
Having just finished dinner, his noona came out to the entrance holding a tub of ice cream and greeted him.
“Yeah, where did you go, noona? You weren’t at the scene.”
“I have so much to do besides that. You know that incident from a while ago, the one where they clearly said it was a one-person protest but suddenly more people showed up and it ended up in chaos with tear gas being fired. I went to investigate the people behind that. Anyway, our youngest, how was the scene? You haven’t had dinner yet, right? Eat.”
At the question of how the scene was, Ilkyung finally remembered why he had been looking for his noona so urgently.
“Right, noona.”
“Hm?”
“Can Espers not kill Guides?”
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
Minkyung looked at her younger sibling as if bewildered. To come home right after work and say something like this!
“Why? Did something happen?”
“No, well…”
Ilkyung felt like he needed to complain to someone, anyone, to feel satisfied, so he started. But what should he say? Once he actually opened his mouth, the words disappeared again. What should I say? That I almost kissed Director Ha after having a huge fight at the scene? No, that bastard wasn’t thinking of kissing from the start—he was trying to mock him while watching him tremble and panic.
“I really won’t let him off!”
Because of her younger sibling suddenly shouting, Minkyung was so startled she jumped on the spot.
“Why, what’s wrong? Did you eat something bad?”
Ilkyung couldn’t say anything more and let out a sigh with his shoulders drooping.
“Huh? Tell me, what’s the problem? I’ll listen to everything.”
She was ready to pluck stars from the sky if asked. Her younger sibling’s condition was not normal. He went to work fine and came back, so what could be the problem?
“Ah, but, those clothes—I haven’t seen them before. Did you buy them?”
At those words, Ilkyung, who glanced down at his outfit, started screaming silently again. He couldn’t stand how Director Ha Daehoon was seeping into his daily life like this. Tomorrow morning, as soon as he gets there, he should throw them in his face saying he won’t wear them, that he doesn’t want to accept them!
