Strategic Mating Partner chapter 6

Unable to bear the awkward silence any longer, Taehyun spoke first.

“How have you been? Judging by your medals, it seems like you’ve been doing well.”

As Taehyun awkwardly shrugged his shoulders and asked, Sejin lifted his gaze to look up at him.

Taehyun didn’t expect Sejin to respond cheerfully with a “Yes, hyung. Have you been well too?”

Anyway, Taehyun looked down at Sejin, who didn’t seem to have changed much in demeanor, though he appeared to have grown taller since then, and couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Standing around here like this is kind of silly, so let’s go out. Let’s go grab something to eat. I’m hungry.”

The best way to get a quiet person to open up was to feed them.

As Taehyun shrugged on his jacket, Sejin hesitated for a moment, glanced at Taehyun, and then stood up to follow him.

The first real encounter with Sejin, with a clear mind, revealed that he had grown about a handspan taller than Taehyun remembered, both in height and width.

“You’ve really grown. Did you get about 10 cm taller?”

As Taehyun turned his gaze away and grabbed the doorknob, Sejin, who had already approached, reached out to grab the inside of the knob and pulled the door open, answering.

“Yes.”

Taehyun wasn’t expecting a detailed answer like how much Sejin’s weight had increased or exactly how much taller he had grown, but Sejin’s concise response left him momentarily speechless.

Well, that’s how Sejin had always been.

It wasn’t their first time meeting, so there was no reason to be surprised, yet Taehyun couldn’t help feeling a bit bewildered.

Four years ago, when Taehyun was twenty-four and Sejin was eighteen, Sejin was slightly shorter than Taehyun.

Taehyun had been about 183 cm back then, so Sejin must have been around 179 to 181 cm.

He didn’t know the exact numbers, but Sejin now appeared to be at least in the high 180s.

With broad shoulders but a relatively lean body, giving him a lanky appearance like volleyball players or models, Sejin could easily be over 190 cm.

As they silently walked towards the lobby, with about five steps between them, Taehyun couldn’t help but feel a bit envious.

‘It must be nice not having to worry about weight in a sport like fencing that doesn’t have weight classes.’

This candid thought slipped out because Taehyun was one of the athletes most stressed about weight management.

After all, with his height, his bones naturally carried more weight, and even a slight increase in weight training would cause his muscles to bulk up, pushing his weight close to the upper limit of his weight class.

He had often been nagged to stop weight training and focus on cardio, which was a source of constant stress.

So, seeing Sejin, who was tall yet agile, possessing the best of both worlds, made Taehyun unconsciously feel envious.

“You’re eating well these days, right? Judging by your height, it doesn’t seem like you’ve been skipping meals.”

Even as Taehyun asked this while holding the hotel lobby door open, Sejin remained as reticent as ever.

“Yes.”

“……”

Knowing Sejin’s nature, Taehyun shouldn’t have expected anything else.

But as he still couldn’t figure out why Sejin had come out to meet him, Taehyun suddenly felt the urge to flee.

‘As you get older, it’s not just your height that should grow; your social skills should too.’

Even though he complained internally, Taehyun knew nothing would change, so he let out a short sigh and asked Sejin again.

“Is there anything you want to eat?”

When Taehyun met Sejin’s gaze, looking up at him at an angle, Sejin hesitated for a moment before answering.

“I’m fine with anything.”

He still acts like he’s eighteen, not much has changed. But now, he’s not only grown taller but also found himself a mating partner, of all things.

Taehyun, suppressing the strange discomfort that arose within him, spoke up.

“Then let’s have gamjatang. There’s a really good place nearby.”

He must have eaten plenty of Western food in the land of gourmet cuisine, so his claim of being fine with anything didn’t seem like a lie.

Sejin didn’t complain and followed along willingly, even with such a traditional menu choice.

The place they arrived at, not far from the hotel, was almost empty, with only a few drunkards left, intent on drinking until closing time as the dinner crowd had already left.

Inside the nearly deserted restaurant, Sejin quietly stared at Taehyun’s face again.

Taehyun, in his usual laid-back manner, greeted the older man sitting behind the counter.

“Boss, I’m here. Is it okay if we eat in the room?”

Taehyun pointed to a table separated by a wooden door with paper lining, as he smiled brightly with a familiar tone.

The man, nearly jumping out from behind the counter, responded with enthusiasm.

“Hey, if it isn’t our star player! Of course, go on in! What will you have? A medium-sized gamjatang?”

Taehyun smiled, looking down at the man who still hadn’t realized who he had brought along.

“No, a large one. No alcohol, just give us any zero-calorie soda.”

“Ah, I should give you extra service, especially since you’ve brought in so many regulars.”

The man casually patted Taehyun’s shoulder with a loud slap, which Sejin found somewhat fascinating.

Although he wouldn’t get injured that easily, considering he works with his body, was it really okay to touch him like that?

Sejin shot a slightly dubious look at Taehyun, but Taehyun’s expression remained indifferent.

“It’s not because of me, but because the food is delicious that people keep coming back. We’ll enjoy our meal again today!”

Then he gently grabbed Sejin’s sleeve and led him behind the screen he had pointed out earlier.

Without resistance, Sejin followed Taehyun and sat down at the table.

The worn wooden table, though clean, still showed scratches that revealed its age, along with the old burner.

The meal setting was as rustic as could be, with only a few pieces of radish kimchi as the side dish, but Taehyun, seemingly unfazed, hummed a tune while setting up for the meal.

“I’ve set the utensils, so you pour the water.”

Taehyun nonchalantly pushed his cup towards Sejin, either trying to break the awkward atmosphere or simply acting according to his usual character.

Probably the latter. Sejin quietly picked up the water jug and filled the cup Taehyun handed over.

Taehyun took a large gulp from the cup, now filled to the brim, and then set it down.

“I ordered a large one, expecting you to eat a lot, so go ahead and eat up. I’ll eat just enough.”

Then, as if one serving of water was enough, Taehyun immediately picked up the jug again and filled his cup, his shameless yet unconstrained demeanor exactly as Sejin remembered.

Although he had been flustered when they first met in the room, he quickly adjusted, just like the first time they met.

Back then, too, Taehyun had a nearly ruthless lack of personal boundaries, casually approaching Sejin and stirring things up without hesitation, treating Sejin like just another common acquaintance.

He had countless people close to him like that, and even more who wanted to get close to him.

Today was no different.

Watching the employee who had recognized Taehyun before anyone else, eyeing him for a chance to ask for an autograph, Sejin suppressed a faint sigh.

“I’m really a big fan, sir! I’ll be cheering for you in the next Olympics!”

It seemed the employee hadn’t been working there long and was seeing Taehyun in person for the first time, unable to hide his excitement.

Taehyun, smiling pleasantly, easily gave an autograph before starting his meal.

A person who naturally draws people in just by being there—strange and fascinating.

Sejin found it hard to take his eyes off him as well.

“Thank you. I’ll do my best.”

“No, thank you so much for the autograph! Enjoy your meal!”

You’d think it would be annoying to be bothered even while eating, but Taehyun simply gave an awkward smile as he closed the door and turned back to Sejin.

“They usually don’t bother me. I’ve brought quite a few regulars here with my athlete friends, so the owner recognizes me, and they don’t usually ask for autographs or photos.”

For someone who doesn’t like being bothered, didn’t that just happen? Sejin didn’t argue and quietly alternated his gaze between the bubbling pot and Taehyun, who awkwardly cleared his throat.

There were more important things than talking about others.

He was curious about how Sejin had been all this time, whether he was disappointed or angry at him.

Of course, since they hadn’t made any promises to hang out or do anything together after the Olympics, it wasn’t like he had betrayed him.

But after abruptly cutting off contact and disappearing, he had heard plenty of complaints from their mutual friends who thought he had actually died, so he didn’t feel entirely at ease.