“……Hm?”
“…The job you used to do.”
“Ah…….”
Munyeong let out a short sigh at the reluctant-sounding suggestion.
“……I don’t love the idea of you working there.”
“…….”
“Just work somewhere I can see you instead.”
“…….”
“Then I won’t have anything more to say about it.”
It was a fairly significant concession. Even as things were, the moment work came up, Haejeong would let his displeasure show in subtle ways. He never threw a proper fit, but he’d keep making little jabs here and there. The dawn shifts especially — there had been times when Haejeong had finally snapped and let loose the irritation he’d been holding in. And after those outbursts, he’d often show up near whichever part-time job Munyeong was working and wait until it was over.
“…Is it really okay…?”
And on top of everything, it was the job Munyeong cared about most. He’d left it under circumstances beyond his control, but he hadn’t been able to bring himself to say he wanted to go back — it felt presumptuous. He’d also figured that if Haejeong saw him cleaning in the same building where he worked, it might put him off.
“Do what you want.”
“…….”
“No — just do it. Drop everything else.”
Haejeong finally felt the weight that had been sitting on his chest for what felt like a hundred years begin to lift. Morning to afternoon at the restaurant, afternoons doing deliveries, and then night shifts on top of that. Every time he saw it, he felt ready to combust. His partner’s boyfriend was a conglomerate heir — wealthy, drowning in money — so why was he going out of his way to suffer like this? And what if something happened to him in the early hours of the morning. He was always on edge — what if he got caught up with some shady person, or ran into some unhinged lunatic and got hurt. That was why he’d been deliberately making his way out to wherever Munyeong was working and standing guard. Munyeong kept telling him to please not come, to go home and sleep — but Haejeong was just as stubborn when he chose to be.
“…Yeah.”
Munyeong smiled quietly, a barely-there warmth in his expression. The thought of seeing the people from the company again was a pleasant one. Sunggil, Jeongmi, Section Chief Jo — he liked them all. He liked the steady rhythm of a consistent routine, liked watching the people who came and went through the building. And on top of that — the thought of getting to see Haejeong there while he worked made him feel a flutter of something more.
“So you don’t have to go in today then?”
Haejeong asked in a bright, eager voice, as though that had been the goal all along. But Munyeong hedged, drawing a line with some uncertainty.
“…That… I can’t do.”
“……Ha. Honestly.”
So fucking annoying. Haejeong let out an irritated exhale. He’d already decided to quit the other jobs — skipping one last day should be fine — but Munyeong would predictably start going on about manners or propriety or something. He was burning up inside at not being able to have his way — but what could he do.
He’d held Munyeong while he cried his heart out, and made a promise. That he’d take good care of him. That he’d be right there beside him, day after day, and show him — properly — what that looked like.
“Take it out now…. Ngh.”
“You sure you want me to take it out?”
Munyeong had started to shift as if he were about to get ready, when Haejeong grabbed him again and asked with playful mischief.
“…I really do have to go out….”
Munyeong couldn’t bring himself to refuse outright and stumbled over his words uncomfortably.
“You sure you want it out?”
“…….”
“Really sure?”
When he kept repeating it like a demand, Munyeong couldn’t quite bring himself to be cold about it and his lips parted helplessly. In the meantime, Haejeong rocked his hips up — slow and subtle — and Munyeong’s steady breathing began to catch.
“…Just once more and then go.”
“…Ngh….”
“I’ll clean you up after. Hm?”
Haejeong thrust in small, coaxing strokes as he tempted him. The rumors about how promiscuous he used to be — they were definitely true. There was no other way he could have this particular ability to render a person completely helpless. Munyeong finally fell back into his grasp.
“…Really… truly… just once….”
Munyeong shot him a wary, uncertain look. The sight of him not really believing it and yet giving in anyway — Haejeong found it intensely appealing all over again. He’s too soft-hearted. Ha. Haejeong clicked his tongue soundlessly and properly settled into position.
When he pulled out, cum seeped out in a slow, viscous drip — only to be stopped up again almost immediately. He turned Munyeong over and pressed back in right away. Ngh…… A satisfied moan scattered between Haejeong’s teeth. Then he brought his lips to the exposed expanse of Munyeong’s back and kissed it, pressing his weight down to deepen the pressure. Mmm…. At the thickening sounds beneath him, Haejeong felt the last of his composure beginning to snap. If he had his way, he’d never let him out the door at all. Foolish, childish thoughts — wanting to keep him locked away forever — kept bubbling up without end.
Rumors had spread throughout the company that Haejeong had finally gotten his act together. Of course there were voices saying rumors were just rumors — but the one who watched most closely from right beside him, Secretary Ju, knew better than anyone that this was no empty rumor.
For one thing, the habit of coming in only when he felt like it had disappeared entirely. He showed up every day at a fixed time, without fail. He actually listened during business schedule briefings now — attentively, more than he used to. He got through packed meeting schedules without complaint, and every project coming under Senior Managing Director Yeon was moving along with impressive results. Because of that, Secretary Ju had become significantly busier than before. Being busier because of work like this — that was the kind of busy she welcomed.
Having her direct superior change for the better wasn’t a bad thing. She finally felt like her high salary was being earned. Every now and then, when he sharply and coldly identified something unreasonable or inconsistent in a business matter, it was uncanny enough to give her chills — but it was exactly what an executive should be doing, so it was more than welcome. The problem lay elsewhere.
“Hey, let me carry that.”
Secretary Ju watched with an expressionless face as a couple bickered in the lobby.
“No… I’m fine, I said…… go back in, you have things to do…….”
She had been genuinely glad when Im Munyeong, the cleaning staff member who used to work here, had come back. Secretary Ju had a perfectionist streak and placed a high premium on cleanliness in her surroundings — she could be particular, even a little exacting about it. The only person who had ever perfectly satisfied that demanding standard was Im Munyeong. But then — “No, honestly. Why are you carrying something so heavy around.”
Haejeong had stopped mid-work and come charging out of his office. The moment he spotted Munyeong arriving with his cleaning cart, mop handles in hand.
He’d thrown down every document he’d been looking at and come running — and now he stood there with an irritated face, pulling the mop handles out of Munyeong’s grip one by one. Then, scowling like he was personally offended, he let him have it.
“With your hand not even being in good shape. Carelessly dragging something like this around, are you serious?”
“……I’m fine, honestly…….”
Haejeong kept muttering curses under his breath. The only one glancing nervously at the front desk staff and Secretary Ju was Munyeong. Munyeong was darting awkward sideways looks at everyone around him when his eyes met Secretary Ju’s — and in a flustered reflex, he bowed.
He seems like such a conscientious person…. How on earth did he end up…….
Secretary Ju swallowed the sigh she couldn’t let out into the open.
“Give it here, quickly. Damn. I told you not to work yourself so hard.”
“……No, there are things that need to be done…….”
Haejeong had taken over pushing the cleaning cart himself. Secretary Ju and the front desk staff watched without much surprise — as if this had become an expected part of the daily routine.
Since Im Munyeong had come back, Haejeong had been more lively. He used to be diligent enough at times, but then go on to cause small scenes inside the office with the face of a man dying of boredom — lately, none of that was in sight at all. If anything, he’d take to calling Munyeong into his office at all hours, keeping him in there. He’d even pull the blinds down — what he was doing in there was anyone’s guess, and frankly, she had no particular desire to know.
Not that she could entirely avoid knowing, as it turned out — a few days ago, she’d been working late due to a fast-moving project that needed a lot of reviewing. She’d been rubbing out the stiffness in her neck as she stepped out of the secretary’s office, and from the direction of what should have been an empty office, she heard movement. A stranger? Secretary Ju had narrowed her eyes and was quietly making her way over when —
‘Ha―. I said there’s no one here.’
‘……S-still…. Let’s just go home…….’
She had witnessed Haejeong’s deeply villainous behavior — gripping the arm of someone who clearly didn’t want to be there, forcibly dragging them back into the office.
‘I still have work left.’
‘Then I’ll… go home first and wait…….’
‘Where do you think you’re sneaking off to.’
‘…….’
‘I’m working my ass off to keep you fed.’
She should have blocked her ears — she’d missed the window, and Secretary Ju quietly lamented her own poor timing.
