If you want to help, with a date…
Is that so? Did it sound like that? Seongjo cleared his throat lightly in mild embarrassment.
In fact, saying such things to Yujeong wasn’t in the plan, nor had he ever imagined it. Because he thought there was no way he’d accept.
Seongjo had something called a conscience too. Moreover, right now the two of them weren’t in a relationship that could be meaningfully labeled.
Certainly, Seongjo felt curiosity close to fondness toward Yujeong. That said, he hadn’t taken any proactive action.
Though Yujeong acted like a ghost who died from not being able to feed Seongjo was attached to him, that was all it was. Between the two, there had always been a sense of distance that couldn’t be called more than that.
But today, it was Yujeong who narrowed that distance and came in.
He noticed Seongjo’s distress from his voice alone and came in person to pick up Seongjo.
When hearing about his ex-lover Yeongbeom, he was strangely displeased, and today he even displayed hostility toward Yeongbeom, whom he saw directly even if from afar.
Though the reason was unknown, it seemed like he hoped Seongjo would forget him. He even wanted to help to that end. Perhaps in Yujeong’s eyes, Seongjo looked that unstable.
But even so, wasn’t doing this much clearly an expression of interest? Asking what he talked about with his ex-lover, and even saying to tell him next time that he got a new lover. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it acting like a boyfriend.
Even if it was simple meddling, once he’d brought it up, he wouldn’t be able to completely pull out. That’s why he thought he might accept this kind of thing too.
Yujeong looked at Seongjo in silence for a long time. It was a quiet and calm gaze, but it didn’t seem displeased. At the end of the silence, he readily opened his mouth and answered.
“Then shall we do that?”
Before he could ask back with words like ‘really?’, he continued speaking.
“Call me when you need me.”
It was an unwavering tone. Hearing those words, Seongjo looked at Yujeong’s face without saying anything.
It was Yujeong who dismissed Seongjo’s words, which could have been passed over without being clearly defined, as a ‘date proposal.’ And it was also Yujeong who accepted it.
Call him ‘when needed.’
Then from now on, it seemed Seongjo would need Yujeong frequently. He just had that feeling.
* * *
That day’s meal ended with that. Even though only a day had passed, all of yesterday’s events felt distant. Seongjo leaned back in his office chair, holding his slightly throbbing head.
Had he gotten drunk on grapefruit juice? He couldn’t shake the thought that he’d unnecessarily rambled on emotionally. But thanks to that, he’d gone to bed in a pretty good mood without distracting thoughts, so he didn’t regret it.
There was no need to carefully think about Yeongbeom. Anyway, there wouldn’t be any occasion to meet him again for the time being. Unless it was an event venue like yesterday, he was someone he wouldn’t run into.
Rather than that, he had to think about the conversation he’d had with Yujeong yesterday. It was Yujeong who said to call him when needed. He had no intention of taking it as empty words and letting it slide vaguely. Seongjo fell into thought with the work he had to do pushed to one side of his desk.
When it came to actually meeting for reasons other than meals, he had no idea what to suggest doing. First, if he were to list up the conditions needed for this date, it would be like this:
- It should help with changing his mood.
- It shouldn’t be something he did with Jo Yeongbeom.
The second was the problem. Since they’d met for such a long time, all the hobbies Seongjo usually enjoyed had been done together when dating Yeongbeom.
For example, Seongjo quite enjoyed watching orchestras and exhibitions, but almost all the concert halls and art museums worth going to were places he’d been to with Yeongbeom. Even if he didn’t want to, he’d clearly end up recalling thoughts like ‘something like that happened then.’
‘For a change of mood, should it be sports after all…’
However, not only sports like swimming or tennis, but even things like yachting, water skiing, or zip-lining were problematic because he’d done them with Yeongbeom.
Thinking about it now, there was an annoyingly large amount they’d done together. At this point, it seemed better to give up on excluding all memories with Yeongbeom. Deliberately excluding everything seemed off too, as it would look like being too conscious of it instead.
‘Should I make him swim?’
Around the time Seongjo was imagining taking Yujeong to a resort under his name, he heard a knock on the office door. Soon, his accompanying secretary Kyeonghun poked his head through the doorway.
“Executive Director.”
At the same time as Kyeonghun began to speak, Seongjo snapped his fingers as if he’d been waiting. When he gestured with his hand as if to come closer, Kyeonghun quickly hid his momentarily flustered look and walked briskly to the front of the desk.
“Yes, Executive Director. What is it?”
“What do ordinary people usually do when they meet these days?”
Or, ordinary people… Kyeonghun, who muttered with a dazed face, showed a momentarily flustered expression again this time too. He seemed to be frantically racking his brain to figure out the intention behind the question Seongjo threw.
“Well, ordinarily they drink, I… think.”
The answer he came up with after racking his brain like that was a bit disappointing. Seongjo shook his head from side to side. Other things aside, alcohol was absolutely impossible. Yujeong would make a serious face and try to snatch the glass away even if Seongjo just put something resembling alcohol to his lips.
“Exclude that kind of thing. Secretary Kim, don’t you do anything other than drink when you meet people? I mean something a bit unusual.”
Kyeonghun cleared his throat awkwardly with a somehow guilty expression. Does he really only drink? Feeling like the work stress must have been severe, he felt a bit sorry. Seongjo leaned back deeply against the backrest and asked again as if probing.
“Not even dates?”
“Ah!”
Kyeonghun let out a short exclamation as if realizing something. Whether he’d inferred something from the words ‘ordinary people these days’ and ‘unusual dates,’ a new answer finally came from Kyeonghun.
“Ah, if it’s that kind of thing, of course alcohol wouldn’t be suitable. I’m not saying I do such things, but I recently saw an interesting article. Have you heard the news that there’s such a thing as an axe-throwing experience cafe?”
“…Axe-throwing?”
“Yes, like archery or shooting cafes… you can throw real axes at targets. When I looked it up, some places even let you print out photos of people you hate and stick them on the targets.”
Was it his imagination, or did Kyeonghun’s eyes seem to sparkle a little? It seemed like he hoped Seongjo would print out Jo Yeongbeom’s face on a target and throw axes at it. It was certainly unique, would be a change of mood, and something he’d never done with Yeongbeom, but…
The problem was he couldn’t even imagine what expression Yujeong would make if he suggested going to throw axes.
“Hmm… Right, thanks for the good advice. I’ll keep it in mind.”
After appropriately wrapping up the conversation, he finally received the documents Kyeonghun had brought. It wasn’t urgent enough to require immediate handling. That’s why Kyeonghun had been able to wax eloquent about axe-throwing too. After sending Kyeonghun out appropriately, this time a notification rang from his phone.
It was far from the time when contact from Yujeong would come since dinner time was still a long way off. Yet reflexively, he found himself checking the notification wondering if it might be him.
<Jo Yeongeun>
[I made carnations at school today!!!]
[(Photo)]
[There’s one for Seongjo-oppa too hehe]
[Mine?]
[Why mine?]
It was admirable and grateful that she’d give him one, but it was curious that she’d made a carnation for him when he wasn’t even her parents, let alone an uncle or real older brother. Was it a conclusion she reached because there was no one to give it to since Yeongbeom had gone radio silent on the family?
The reply arrived quickly.
<Jo Yeongeun>
[Ah… hehe]
[I heard from mom that Seongjo-oppa has helped with so many things during this time… I don’t have anything to give you so I made this at leastㅠㅠ]
[(Thank you emoticon)]
“Well, this is…”
Admirable and awkward.
Seongjo clicked his tongue briefly. It might have been better if she’d said it was instead of her real older brother. While thinking what did she go and say such things to a child for, his feelings were complicated in many ways when he thought of Yeongeun’s mother.
After looking for a moment at Yeongeun’s message, which seemed excessively like an old soul for a child, he sent a reply. Since the read receipt would show, he couldn’t drag it out any longer.
[It’s nothing much and you don’t need to give me anything]
[Thanks, pass it on next time]
[But isn’t there still time until Parents’ Day, are you already making carnations?]
He added the last message to change the subject. And what arrived soon after was information that would be quite helpful to Seongjo too.
<Jo Yeongeun>
[Hehe we have our school anniversary soon so we’re off, so we made them in advance today!!!!]
The fact that Yeongeun’s school was off for the school anniversary meant that Yujeong would also have no schedule that day. Seongjo, who learned from Yeongeun that the school anniversary was next Monday, meaning three days off including the weekend, left a message for Yujeong right away.
[What are you doing this weekend?]
Yujeong’s answer arrived faster than expected.
But it wasn’t a message, it was a phone call.
