* * *
Since that day, Wonbeom had been visiting Jingyeom every day.
Often, he didn’t even have anything particular to say—he’d just show up, catch a glimpse of his face, and leave.
As part of his effort, he’d even looked up ways to communicate better.
But Secretary Yang, watching him, couldn’t help but shudder, muttering that it was unsettling.
Despite Wonbeom’s efforts, though, Jingyeom’s defenses only grew stronger, making it harder for Wonbeom to reach him.
Jingyeom kept a careful distance, flinching visibly if Wonbeom got too close, enough to draw Jinwoo’s suspicious gaze.
Even as Wonbeom reviewed reports from different branches, thoughts of Jingyeom lingered, and he clicked his tongue in annoyance.
The executive giving the report cautiously watched his reaction.
Seeing how Wonbeom clearly wasn’t paying attention, Secretary Yang leaned in and whispered, “Just bear with it. The meeting’s almost over.”
“I’m listening. Go on.”
Hearing this, Secretary Yang straightened up with a relieved smile, and the executive resumed his report with a sigh of relief.
As soon as the meeting wrapped up, Wonbeom checked the time and headed straight for the underground parking lot.
Following behind, Secretary Yang grimaced.
“You’re leaving already?”
“The meeting’s over.”
“Yes, but there’s still a mountain of paperwork to approve! Can’t you stay and get at least some of it done?”
“I’m busy.”
“President!”
Ignoring Secretary Yang’s half-screaming protest, Wonbeom finally turned to look at him.
“You have the car keys, don’t you? Drive.”
“…Yes, sir.”
Pouting, Secretary Yang reluctantly answered, and then he notified the security team that they’d be heading to the hospital.
On the way to the hospital, Secretary Yang grumbled constantly.
Annoying as it was, Wonbeom didn’t stop him.
He knew that Yang was under a lot of pressure from having to cover for him as he ducked out repeatedly to try and win Jingyeom over.
‘He should be arriving around now.’
Wonbeom had wanted to extend his business trip, but Soohyuk had handled things too competently, leaving him without a solid reason to stay.
It was pretty much a stretch that he’d even gone in the first place.
“Pick up the speed.”
“I am a law-abiding citizen, sir, so I’ll stick to the speed limit!”
“If Director Sun beats us to the hospital, I’ll make sure you understand why the law doesn’t matter right now.”
“…Alright, I’m going!”
Secretary Yang pressed down on the gas, making the car lurch, but Wonbeom paid it no mind.
Thanks to his urgency, they arrived at the hospital before Soohyuk.
After checking the time upon arrival, Wonbeom headed for the rehabilitation room instead of the hospital room.
As expected, Jinwoo was standing outside.
Jinwoo turned at the sound of footsteps echoing down the hallway and smiled upon seeing a familiar face.
He greeted Wonbeom first.
“You’re here. It’s been a while, Secretary Yang.”
“Secretary Baek! Long time no see. Jingyeom’s walking well now—I’d say he’s almost ready to come back.”
“I still need to stay by his side.”
“You’ve become quite shameless. You used to look apologetic, but now you’re not even trying to hide it?”
Standing next to Jinwoo, Secretary Yang watched Jingyeom’s progress.
“But why are you standing out here? Wouldn’t it be better to be by his side?”
“He doesn’t really like it when I’m there.”
“Ah…”
Secretary Yang nodded, as though he understood, glancing silently at Wonbeom, who was standing a little ways off.
Then, noticing a familiar figure in the distance, he patted Jinwoo’s shoulder.
“Looks like you have your hands full with him.”
“Excuse me?”
“Look over there. Your uninvited guests just keep piling up.”
Jinwoo turned to see Soohyuk approaching.
“Looks like his trip ended.”
Jinwoo missed the quiet moments when it was just the two of them.
Before he knew it, Soohyuk had joined the small group gathered around him.
“When I didn’t see you in the room, I figured you’d all be here. Secretary Yang, what brings you here? Are you really this free these days?”
Secretary Yang’s jaw dropped as he shot Soohyuk a scandalized look.
“Free? Me? Do I look free? Do you think I’m here for fun? Do you not see him standing right in front of you?”
Flustered, Secretary Yang gestured toward Wonbeom.
“Do you think I’m here because I want to be? The thought of all the emails and paperwork piled up back at the office makes me want to return immediately!”
“Then go. And don’t be noisy in the hospital.”
“If only I could…”
Secretary Yang mumbled, staring intently at the back of Wonbeom’s head.
“Do you think I can leave when my boss is still here?”
“Fine, just lower your voice. Did you take a throat lozenge? Your voice is too clear.”
“I haven’t. Will you buy me some?”
“Get your own. You get a snack budget now, right? You could buy out all the lozenges with it.”
Soohyuk bantered with Yang while still scanning the room for Jingyeom.
Finally, his gaze locked with Jingyeom’s, who had turned to see what all the commotion was about.
Jingyeom noticed not just Jinwoo outside but also Soohyuk and Wonbeom, with Secretary Yang squeezed between them.
Smiling, he waved at them before turning back to his rehabilitation exercises.
The four of them waited in the hallway until Jingyeom finished his session.
As passersby cast curious glances, Secretary Yang subtly signaled the security team.
It wasn’t a big deal since everyone knew Wonbeom often visited this hospital, but he still didn’t want any photos taken unnecessarily.
When Jingyeom finally emerged, he smiled brightly at the four waiting for him.
“Why are you all standing here?”
“We were waiting for you.”
Soohyuk was the first to approach as Jingyeom slowly walked over with his assistive device.
Jinwoo’s expression soured slightly at being beaten to it, and Secretary Yang nudged him with an elbow.
“Just let it go this once. His trip was pretty much forced, so poking at him might set him off.”
His words echoed down the hallway loud enough for everyone to hear.
“Everyone can hear you.”
“Oh, didn’t realize.”
Soohyuk smirked, twitching his lips, and Yang replied with an exaggerated shrug, unfazed by the attention.
Normally, Soohyuk would have said something back, but he only threw a quick glance before refocusing on Jingyeom.
As he asked Jingyeom when he might be able to walk unaided, Secretary Yang felt a shiver run down his spine.
He thought he’d seen all of Soohyuk’s new sides, but apparently, there was more.
Watching the four of them walk toward the hospital room, Yang clicked his tongue softly.
While he wished that Jinwoo could stay happy, he also thought that Jingyeom might be better off with either Soohyuk or Wonbeom, given his fragile health—it required a lot of resources.
‘Someone, please, just make a choice and settle things.’
He knew he couldn’t force it, so he kept his thoughts to himself.
Watching was entertaining, too—seeing Wonbeom and Soohyuk in new lights as they each vied for Jingyeom’s attention.
But it was exhausting when Wonbeom kept leaving, no assistant was hired to help, and Soohyuk’s temper flared up every time he went on a trip.
In short, he was the one suffering most from being caught in the middle of these four.
‘One of them is bound to shed tears. Or maybe two. Anyone, just let it out.’
Unaware of Secretary Yang’s silent curses, the four continued down the hallway, listening to Soohyuk’s complaints about how exhausting his trip had been.
They thought they would stay longer, but the three of them left quickly.
Wonbeom had to get up due to Secretary Yang’s insistence, and Soohyuk, who had just returned from a business trip, needed to head to the office to catch up on the work he had missed.
Jingyeom felt the suddenly quiet hospital room was suffocating. He blinked slowly while watching Jinwoo clean up.
Then, he remembered what Secretary Yang had said earlier—how hard it was to work alone and that he had lost 5 kg, now having to use a safety pin to keep his pants up.
It was true that when someone who works closely with you takes a long break, the remaining person has to bear the burden.
Jinwoo had said he was okay when Jingyeom asked him before, but hearing Secretary Yang say otherwise made Jingyeom worry.
Jinwoo finished organizing the snack wrappers that Secretary Yang had carelessly discarded, cleaning up every crumb.
He then stood up and turned around, meeting Jingyeom’s sharp gaze.
For a moment, he wondered if he had done something wrong and nervously rolled his eyes before asking carefully.
“…Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Are you really okay not going to the office?”
Though it was just for a moment, the tension that had stiffened Jinwoo’s shoulders eased slightly.
“I told you I’m fine.”
“But Secretary Yang didn’t look fine. If they didn’t hire more assistants, he’s working alone.”
From his brief experience working as an administrative assistant, Jinwoo knew there was too much work for just two people.
It had been overwhelming even when he was a director, and now that he was the President, the workload would only have increased.
As Jingyeom narrowed his eyes in skepticism, Jinwoo stepped closer.
“There’s a separate secretary team. It’s just that Secretary Yang is the only one always around.”
“Then that means they need you even more, right?”
“…Maybe.”
Jinwoo, who had been quietly observing Jingyeom, furrowed his brow a few times before sweeping a hand over his face and covering his mouth.
“…Am I making you uncomfortable by being here?”
Noticing Jinwoo’s anxious gaze, Jingyeom widened his eyes in surprise.
He hadn’t meant it like that. Yet, he couldn’t immediately say no.
‘…Would it be better to just slowly drift apart like this?’
Their relationship couldn’t possibly fall apart unless Jingyeom was the one to let go. He knew that well himself.
Even now, Jingyeom wanted to tell Jinwoo that he didn’t feel that way, wanting to comfort him.
‘Is that really what’s best for us?’
He knew that eventually, something had to change, but right now…
‘I don’t want that. I want to make sure Jinwoo isn’t upset or hurt, to do it slowly… that’s what I want.’
* * *
👍
Haaaaa 😭😭
Poor😢
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