* * *

Once inside, Jingyeom quickly entered and locked the door.

“Haa… haa.”

His watch, emitting a repeated red light, indicated Jingyeom’s unstable state.

“Phew… phew…”

He tried to stabilize his heart rate by taking deep breaths, but his shock wasn’t easily calmed.

Jingyeom lowered the toilet lid, sat down, and closed his eyes tightly.

From the moment the loud noise echoed in the café, his watch had been signaling an increased heart rate.

Not wanting Jinwoo to see, he covered it with his hand and went to the restroom.

“…haa.”

He wished his pounding heart would calm down.

It wouldn’t have been a big deal if it were just a high heart rate, but his breath was short, not supplying enough oxygen, making him dizzy.

Wrinkles formed on his lightly closed eyelids and forehead. It wasn’t as bad as when he had collapsed due to an allergy, but it was still quite painful.

“Damn…”

He felt a bit resentful.

People can be startled, and hearts can race.

Why did he have to suffer because of that?

It was frustrating.

But it was only a fleeting thought. He just wished the pain would pass quickly.

Leaning his head against the wall, he tried to relax his body, but not wanting to stay too long, he slowly stood up.

Though better than before, his heart rate was still high.

He stood before the mirror. Ridiculously, his complexion was pale.

He washed his face with cold water, roughly rubbing it with his fingertips to bring some color to his cheeks.

Wiping off the water with a paper towel, his face looked somewhat flushed now.

‘…Still pale.’

As he was about to leave, the restroom door opened.

Since the door opened inward, he stepped back slightly.

The person who entered wasn’t a customer but Wonbeom.

Upon seeing Jingyeom, he closed the door behind him.

“Uh… you need to move so I can get out.”

The restroom, having a lower ceiling than usual, made Wonbeom appear even larger.

Moreover, the entrance was narrow, making it impossible to pass if someone stood in front.

Despite asking him to move, the gray suit in front of him didn’t budge.

“Director?”

Wasn’t he in a hurry?

Jingyeom tried to move sideways to pass through the narrow space, but it was in vain.

Wonbeom stood firm.

Caught between the door and Wonbeom, Jingyeom’s face showed distress.

“You seem to have calmed down.”

“Pardon?”

Unsure of what he meant, Jingyeom looked up at Wonbeom.

“You seemed quite startled.”

“…Yes, a bit.”

Wonbeom wasn’t scary anymore, but being alone with him still felt awkward.

Especially in such a cramped space.

“…”

“Uh… I need to…”

Jingyeom couldn’t finish his sentence because Wonbeom grabbed his wrist.

Wonbeom frowned as he checked the watch.

“Your heart rate is still high.”

“…”

“What’s the normal rate?”

Jingyeom needed to answer, but he was momentarily dazed, barely hearing Wonbeom’s voice.

‘No way… No, that can’t be it.’

Jingyeom dismissed the thought that crossed his mind.

It seemed too far-fetched that Wonbeom followed him to the restroom out of concern.

‘I’m not Jinwoo.’

If it were Jinwoo, it would be understandable for Wonbeom to follow.

He must be showing interest in Jinwoo at this point.

“Baek Jingyeom. Aren’t you going to answer?”

“…It’s just a bit fast. I’m fine now.”

Of course, his heart rate was still fast. Returning to a normal range was impossible with Wonbeom around.

“…Fine, then.”

Wonbeom lowered Jingyeom’s wrist. It felt like it could break with a bit of force.

Without letting go of Jingyeom’s wrist, Wonbeom stared at his face.

It seemed like Jingyeom had washed his face, as it was redder than before.

Instinctively, Wonbeom reached out his hand.

Jingyeom flinched slightly as the large hand touched his cheek. The hand didn’t stay still but began to move.

The touch on his cheek was very gentle. Then the pressure gradually increased.

The spot being rubbed was where Ha Sangil’s hand had touched earlier.

Wonbeom rubbed that area with his thumb until it made a squeaky sound.

“Ow, it hurts.”

“…Bear it.”

“Is there something on my face? I just washed it…”

If there had been something, he would have noticed it in the mirror.

But all he saw was his pale skin.

The increasing pressure made Jingyeom’s body sway, but he stood firm by applying force to his legs.

As the pain intensified, he naturally frowned.

“Is it gone now?”

“No. Just a bit more.”

“…Is it done now?”

“Yes.”

Fearing that Jingyeom’s milky white cheeks would turn too red, Wonbeom finished by brushing his thumb over them.

Then his hand froze in place.

‘What am I doing…’

Always expressionless, Wonbeom’s face began to show embarrassment.

He hurriedly released Jingyeom’s face and took a step back.

Realizing what he had just done, he was flustered. Recently, he had been acting impulsively.

“Director?”

As Jingyeom rubbed his now-tingling cheek and called out, Wonbeom hastily left the restroom.

“…What’s with him? Ow, it hurts.”

Jingyeom checked his cheek in the mirror, seeing the reddened area. He cooled it with cold water.

Opening the restroom door, he found Jinwoo standing outside.

‘Why is everyone at the restroom? Maybe they couldn’t come in because I was inside?’

Jingyeom stepped aside.

“Are you going to use the restroom?”

Even though he had stepped aside, Jinwoo didn’t go in.

“…You were really startled, right?”

“Earlier? Of course. How could I not be with such a loud noise? But why did you do that?”

“Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

It seemed Jinwoo came here because of him.

Given the loud noise and the evident shock, he must have been worried.

Jingyeom tried to act as if nothing was wrong.

“Yeah, I’m fine. If I were hurt, I would have told you right away.”

“…Hyung, what did you talk about with the director?”

“Nothing much. I just asked if I should step aside. Why?”

For a moment, I thought about how Wonbeom had been rubbing his cheek, but since we didn’t actually talk about it, I left that part out.

“It’s nothing. Just curious.”

Jinwoo sighed in relief. Jingyeom wouldn’t lie, so there must have been nothing wrong.

When Jingyeom went to the restroom, Jinwoo followed to check on him.

But then, seeing Wonbeom heading there too, he got worried and asked.

“Are you sure you’re really okay?”

“I’m really fine! Don’t do that again, though. It’s not appropriate for a public place.”

“I know. So why are you hanging around with such a weirdo?”

“Weirdo? Who?”

Jingyeom smiled and tapped the back of Jinwoo’s hand as he recalled who he had been with.

“The manager spilled something on my clothes and was just helping me clean it. And he’s not a weirdo. He’s older and my manager at work.”

“…As long as it doesn’t mean anything else. Are you really okay? Why did you wash your face? It’s all red.”

Jinwoo’s hand touched Jingyeom’s flushed cheek. Jinwoo, who usually had a warm body temperature, felt almost hot.

His face was full of concern. Lowered eyebrows and corners of his mouth, plus subtly trembling pupils. Jinwoo’s anxiety was evident.

“Are we leaving now?”

“We should. I’ve been away too long.”

“I want to work at the same place as you. Then we could have lunch together and go for coffee.”

“We can do that even if we don’t work together.”

“I know. I was just saying.”

Jingyeom pouted, his lips full of regret.

Even though they saw each other every day at home, meeting outside felt different, especially since this was Jingyeom’s workplace.

Although he didn’t know how he appeared, Jingyeom wanted to do well, knowing Jinwoo was watching.

Seeing Jingyeom’s whole body exuding regret, a smile crept onto Jinwoo’s lips.

The tension in his body and mind melted away. Jinwoo had come to ease Jingyeom’s fears but found comfort for himself instead.

He wished every day could be like this. How wonderful would it be to live like this forever?

Smiling, Jinwoo gently held Jingyeom’s wrist and checked his watch.

Considering Jingyeom’s usual heart rate, it was high, but given the recent scare and his gradual calmness, it wasn’t worrisome.

“If you feel chest pain or dizziness later, tell me right away. Actually, after work, why don’t you visit Hun-il hyung? I’ll contact him.”

“It’s fine. I have a checkup in a few days anyway. I’d rather just go home.”

He had heard that another checkup was scheduled two weeks before the surgery to assess his condition.

So many tests, but they were necessary for a successful surgery.

Plus, with the upcoming hospitalization, he wanted to avoid the hospital as much as possible.

Jinwoo nodded, understanding. He didn’t want to push Jingyeom, though his worries weren’t completely gone.

Above all, it upset him that Wonbeom noticed Jingyeom’s condition before he did.

He thought he knew Jingyeom best…

In truth, it wasn’t just Wonbeom.

Even Soohyuk, who had been watching, sensed something was off.

It’s just that Wonbeom acted faster.

* * *