Ilkyung pouted his lips. When you’re watching a fight, you can end up getting that close, you know.
As soon as they entered the director’s office, the person who greeted them wasn’t Executive Secretary Min but Secretary Kim Eunju who worked under him. Kim Eunju handed over a towel she’d prepared, having apparently heard the whole situation from Executive Secretary Min.
“Director, shall I bring you a warm cup of tea?”
“Yes. Assistant Manager Woo, what do you want to drink?”
“Me? I’m fine though?”
“Then give us two coffees.”
No, I said I’m fine! I want to go home! Let me leave work, let me leave work! Ilkyung was on the verge of foaming at the mouth because of Director Ha Daehoon, who didn’t listen to a word he said and acted as he pleased. So, I mean, I’m grateful that he took the water for me, but why did we have to come up here and have this situation unfold?
“Huh? No, I…”
“Forget it. What are you going to do just holding the towel?”
Director Ha snatched the towel from Ilkyung’s hand, placed it directly on his head, and wiped his small head. Ilkyung had to just leave his head in Director Ha’s hands like a puppy being forcibly bathed and dried.
“For now, change into this. When Executive Secretary Min comes, you can change into proper clothes then.”
The clothes Ha Daehoon handed over were clearly Director Ha’s. The shirt was quite big. Is this like a boyfriend shirt or something? Ilkyung was spacing out again without his brain.
“What are you doing?”
“I’ll just wait. It’s fine.”
“What’s fine? You’re trembling from the cold right now. Or should I change your clothes for you?”
“Why are you really being like this?”
Ilkyung muttered.
“Hurry up and change.”
Director Ha said that and took off his vest. Ilkyung didn’t know where to change, so he clutched the shirt tightly and looked around. But damn, what a killer body. It was a body that even the same man would envy.
He’d felt it when he first saw him at the hotel too, but Director Ha was tall and had a great physique. Especially his leg length was endless. If you started from his toes, your gaze would have to travel up endlessly.
“Hup!”
Ilkyung made a sound without realizing it and covered his mouth. Ah, crazy. Because Director Ha took off his vest, then unbuttoned his shirt and just took it off. No, I get that his body is killer, but if you just strip like that!
“Are you watching?”
“What do you mean just stripping like that here!”
“So, how was your impression from admiring it?”
Ha Daehoon chuckled and put his arms through a new shirt and buttoned it.
“Hmm? I’m asking if your eyes were pleased.”
Daehoon came close and asked. Ilkyung just opened and closed his mouth like a baby carp. How am I supposed to say that! Huh! Should I say I’m glad your body is killer? Where do you work out? What kind of exercise do you need to do to get a body like that? Am I supposed to ask something like that? Or should I say, you’re a Guide but your body is as good as an Esper’s? No, that’s a bit prejudiced.
“I’m sorry for stealing a look.”
“Stealing a look, when you were looking so openly.”
At Director Ha’s words, Ilkyung’s face flushed red. At the same time, he remembered how he’d unconsciously closed his eyes that day thinking they were going to kiss. Thinking about it again was humiliating. I won’t let this slide.
“Are you sick? Your face is red.”
“I’m not! I’m totally fine!”
“Is that so? Then change your clothes now. You’re really going to catch a cold. Or do you not like it because it’s a shirt? Would a dress you wore while standing be better? How about I ask Executive Secretary Min to buy a skirt too on his way here?”
Ilkyung ground his teeth. Fuck, really won’t let this slide. Director Ha Daehoon turned someone’s insides upside down with a single word. Ilkyung was about to say something when a knock was heard and Executive Secretary Min entered like a savior.
“Ah, I’ll change into that. In the bathroom.”
He couldn’t just strip carelessly and change like Director Ha. His whole body wasn’t densely packed with muscle like Director Ha’s, and Ilkyung was on the thin side. No matter how much he exercised, he didn’t build muscle, which was a bit of a complex for him.
“Don’t worry. I don’t go into heat just looking at anyone.”
Daehoon spat out the words indifferently and lit a cigarette. Ilkyung’s face contorted. What is he saying, really? He hadn’t even thought about that. But before he could retort, Daehoon continued speaking.
“Anyway, do whatever’s comfortable and hurry up and change. You’re really going to catch a cold. And take those clothes, Assistant Manager Woo. There’s no use even if you return them anyway.”
Ilkyung hugged the shopping bag he received from Executive Secretary Min tightly to his chest and bowed his head in greeting.
“Thank you. For taking the water for me today, and for the clothes too.”
“Sure. Tomorrow’s Friday, so let’s watch a movie.”
“Why?”
Ilkyung asked as if bewildered. Daehoon thought that face somehow looked stupid.
“We’re dating. Let’s go on a date.”
Daehoon lit his cigarette, exhaled smoke once, and spoke in a leisurely tone. At those words, Ilkyung’s face instantly contorted. Fuck, right. We were in a contract relationship. He’d completely forgotten.
* * *
Ah, they said if you listen to your mom, you’ll get rice cakes even in your sleep, and if you listen to Director Ha… Ilkyung was suddenly startled by this thought. Crazy, now he was thinking about this at random times, which was troublesome. Ilkyung concluded that this was all because his head was foggy from a cold.
In the end, did he catch a cold because he didn’t listen to Director Ha? He wasn’t certain it was a cold yet, but when he woke up in the morning, his condition was really not good. Was it not a cold but because he couldn’t sleep?
Even after coming home yesterday, Ilkyung couldn’t get his mind straight because Director Ha’s naked body kept hovering before his eyes. Even after waking up in the morning, he kept thinking about yesterday, and wondering what on earth he was thinking about, Ilkyung gulped down an iced americano filled with ice to snap himself to attention.
“Good morning.”
Normally he should be excited on a Friday, but going to work was too exhausting. Not just today—these days, Ilkyung was becoming a corporate employee dying of exhaustion.
“Assistant Manager Woo, are you feeling unwell? Are you sick somewhere?”
“It’s not that, ahem, exactly. My throat feels a bit scratchy. I guess I gulped down something too cold with ice this morning.”
“Must be nice to be young. Isn’t the weather a bit chilly today? And you drank an iced americano from the morning?”
Section Chief Kang shuddered just imagining it. Ilkyung just smiled without giving any answer. No matter how young he was, Ilkyung wasn’t someone who “died for iced drinks even in freezing weather.” Perhaps because he was born in summer, Ilkyung was particularly sensitive to cold, and in fact, even in summer, he would often drink warm beverages in places where the air conditioning was strong.
Today his body felt heavy and his head felt foggy, so he had just crunched on ice to clear his head, but after doing so, his voice seemed even more hoarse.
“Your face is a bit flushed too—you’re not running a fever, are you?”
“Ahem! No, I’m fine.”
“Isn’t it because you got rained on yesterday? Ah, but I really didn’t expect the Director to do that there. He has an unexpectedly caring side. Is that why everyone’s so desperate to form a pair with him? How well must he treat his own pair?”
While listening to Section Chief Kang’s words, Ilkyung thought, I don’t think that’s it. Anyway, because yesterday’s incident was brought up, thoughts about Director Ha Daehoon that had barely stopped came creeping back out again. Ilkyung smiled awkwardly and turned the conversation from yesterday’s incident to the matter of pairs.
“So what happened with that Esper Do?”
“Who knows. Upper management will decide that. I’ve been coming to this Center for over 10 years, but I still don’t really understand the relationship between Espers and Guides.”
“I feel the same way.”
Ilkyung answered with a small sigh. Even though all his family members except himself were ability users, there were still many parts he couldn’t understand.
It was the same when his noonas got married. Because his noonas were Espers, they chose Guides as their partners. Ilkyung wondered if ability users had to limit their partners like that. They could meet various people here and there, yet they had to meet and marry within a restricted range as if searching for their fated partner—he couldn’t understand it.
