* * *
With a spread of delicious side dishes at the pojangmacha, Wookyung insisted that alcohol was a must, but Saheon just smiled silently.
“Wookyung, were you always fond of drinking?”
“I’m not a heavy drinker. Just occasionally?”
Wookyung held up three fingers, emphasizing that it wasn’t frequent.
“About three times a month. A can of beer each time. What about you, Saheon? You seemed to know a lot about wine before—do you drink often?”
“I drink occasionally too. Just a glass with meals?”
Mimicking Wookyung, Saheon held up his index finger.
Even his tone was similar.
Seeing the playfulness in Saheon’s gaze, Wookyung chuckled.
“One bottle of beer, please!”
His voice was bright as he ordered.
Soon, a bottle was placed in front of them.
The glass had a thin frost on it, probably from being stored in the fridge.
“Here, let me.”
Saheon took the bottle, filling Wookyung’s glass first, then his own, ensuring equal amounts.
“Cheers.”
Raising his glass, he locked eyes with Wookyung again.
Wookyung readily clinked his glass against Saheon’s.
Clink.
The clear ring of glass meeting glass made the moment feel even better.
“Do you still talk to Woohyun hyung these days?”
Enjoying the crisp carbonation of the beer, Wookyung asked.
“If before, about 60% of our conversations were about you, now it’s about half small talk, half his own stories. Oh, and he mentioned you scolded him?”
“Scolded?”
Wookyung put down his spoon and took another sip of beer, pursing his lips.
“He spilled my past without my permission—he should be grateful that’s all I did. And the pictures? What was that about?”
“Haha… But you got what you wanted in the end, didn’t you?”
“Of course, I had to demand proper compensation. Wait, did Woohyun hyung tell you about that too?”
“He didn’t say what it was. Just that it was a secret. So, what was it?”
Wookyung grinned and shook his head.
“Not telling.”
A few days ago, he’d spoken to Gil Woohyun on the phone.
They had only exchanged a few texts recently due to Woohyun’s busy schedule, so the call had been a chance to catch up.
The main topic, of course, had been why Woohyun had shared his stories with Saheon without permission and why he’d shown those pictures without telling him.
Gil Woohyun hadn’t even looked the slightest bit apologetic.
“Why? I just wanted to see you. Parents at least get video calls, but you’re always busy, sleeping, or just don’t bother picking up.”
“And what does that have to do with telling Saheon about me?”
“It just came up naturally in conversation. By the way, I see you stopped calling him ‘Director.’ That’s progress, but are you still not close?”
Wookyung had felt a twinge of guilt at that remark but had no intention of admitting it to Saheon.
Nor did he plan on revealing that what he had asked for in return was a picture Woohyun had taken while in the U.S.
A picture that was now carefully stored in his phone gallery.
“Is there anything you want from me?”
“From you, Saheon?”
Wookyung tilted his head in curiosity.
Saheon smiled, eyes encouraging him to say whatever came to mind.
But Wookyung didn’t really understand the intent behind the question, nor could he think of anything immediately.
“Not really… Oh, come to think of it, my glass is empty.”
He tapped the bottom of his glass with his finger.
“If we’re talking compensation, we should both receive something, right?”
Saheon willingly refilled Wookyung’s glass and encouraged him again to ask for anything he wanted.
But Wookyung had no plans to demand anything from Saheon.
After all, he had already received something from Woohyun.
Then, an idea suddenly came to him, and his eyes lit up.
“Then, let me pay for tonight.”
“…What?”
It seemed like Saheon had intended to pay.
As he wrinkled his nose, Wookyung’s eyes sparkled mischievously.
“This is what I want from you, Saheon.”
“That’s not compensation.”
“It is if I say so.”
Wookyung took a deliberate sip of his beer, and Saheon, unable to win against him, eventually relented with a shake of his head.
After that, they finished two bottles of beer, cleaned off their side dishes, and left the pojangmacha.
“I’m so full.”
Having settled the bill, Wookyung spoke in a cheerful tone.
Saheon, who hadn’t taken his eyes off him, gave a small nod.
“Shall we take a walk around the park to digest?”
“Sounds good.”
They both had work the next day, and it was already late, but somehow, going home right away felt like a waste.
So Wookyung eagerly agreed.
They walked side by side, their hands almost but not quite touching, keeping a steady pace.
The night air felt fresh—perhaps because of the man beside him.
Wookyung scrunched his nose slightly, testing something.
Still, he couldn’t catch any scent from him.
“That’s a shame.”
The words slipped out before he realized it.
Embarrassed, he clamped his mouth shut.
“Yeah. Me too.”
Saheon answered unexpectedly. Startled, Wookyung turned to look at him.
“Lately, the days feel like they fly by. I wake up, text you, finish work, eat dinner, and walk… and now it’s already this late.”
Oh. So that’s what he meant.
Wookyung had momentarily thought Saheon had read his mind, and he felt relieved knowing he hadn’t.
Then, he suddenly laughed.
Realizing what he’d just been thinking made him chuckle.
Regretting that he couldn’t sense Saheon’s pheromones?
Back when he first found out about his secondary gender, he had actually been relieved that his glands didn’t function properly.
People really were fickle creatures.
For about 30 minutes, they strolled through the park and its surroundings, chatting quietly.
When they returned to the pojangmacha, Wookyung suggested they go their separate ways from there, but Saheon insisted on walking him home.
Wookyung quickly shook his head.
“Why bother? It’s a long way back for you.”
“It’s late.”
“I’m not a kid.”
“And I want to spend more time with you.”
Since Saheon admitted it was purely out of his own desire, Wookyung had nothing more to say.
He suppressed the smile tugging at his lips and narrowed his eyes instead.
“Then call a driver. Drop me off and have them take you home too.”
It was only a ten-minute walk, but it would be better than making Saheon go back and forth.
That should be a reasonable compromise.
Understanding his intent, Saheon quickly agreed.
So, they waited for the driver while chatting idly.
Nothing particularly special—just how the food was, what they should eat next time, how the night scenery looked.
A quiet street, softly glowing streetlights, the occasional passing headlights.
The pleasant breeze, the presence of the man beside him—everything felt just right.
[Assistant Manager Kim: Gil, what are you doing?
Me: Working.
Assistant Manager Kim: If you have a moment, want to grab a coffee with me? ]
The sudden message made Wookyung pause his furious typing and think.
If it were something simple, Kim could have just said it outright.
The fact that he wanted to meet in person meant one of two things:
Either he had something to say that was better left without a written record, or he had a favor to ask—one that needed to be handled discreetly.
But if it were something like that, he’d usually suggest meeting during lunch or after work.
There was no real reason to meet up at this moment.
‘Did something happen with Manager Shin again?’
The chaos from the company dinner a few days ago came to mind.
After that, Min Manager had said he’d discuss it separately, so the results of that talk should be coming in around now.
‘No, that’s not it.’
Still, it wasn’t exactly a topic that Assistant Manager Kim would go out of his way to discuss in private.
Then what was it?
Wookyung asked why, but all he got in response was another mention of coffee.
“Assistant Manager, are you heading out?”
As Wookyung stood up, thinking he might as well go and see, Associate Choi looked up at him curiously. It was strange—this situation felt oddly familiar.
Actually, this wasn’t the first time.
The moment Wookyung made a move, those sharp eyes would always follow him.
And judging by the quick glance Associate Choi shot toward Saheon, it seemed like he had picked up on something.
“Assistant Manager Kim asked me to grab a quick coffee.”
“Oh….”
The look of relief in Associate Choi’s eyes made Wookyung sigh internally. He was going to need to have a conversation with him soon.
Before that, it might be a good idea to ask Saheon first.
If Associate Choi had noticed something, maybe the two of them had talked about it privately.
“See you later.”
Brushing off the lingering gaze, Wookyung stepped out of the office.
His phone buzzed again.
Checking the screen, he saw a message from Assistant Manager Kim: ‘Let’s meet on the outdoor rooftop.’
‘Yeah, something’s up.’
If it were really just about coffee, they’d go to a café—why the rooftop?
He took the elevator straight up.
As soon as he stepped onto the outdoor terrace, Assistant Manager Kim was already there, waving him over energetically.
“You said we were getting coffee.”
Seeing that Assistant Manager Kim’s hands were completely empty, Wookyung gave him a pointed look.
But Assistant Manager Kim didn’t seem fazed in the slightest.
Instead, he glanced around quickly, making sure they were alone, then dragged Wookyung to the most secluded corner.
Without any warning, he shoved his phone screen right in front of Wookyung’s face.
“What are you doing?”
He was so close that Wookyung could barely make out what was on the screen.
“Look at this. This isn’t about you, right?”
Wookyung pushed the phone back to a reasonable distance.
Only then did the words on the screen come into focus—and his eyes widened slightly.
* * *
