* * *
“What are you doing this weekend, Director?”
The car had just merged onto the highway when Senior Associate Sun spoke again.
The topic sounded eerily similar to the one from the elevator earlier.
“No special plans yet. Are you going on a date, Assistant Manager Sun?”
“Yes. I’m heading to Gangwon-do to see the ocean.”
This time, he didn’t say it was with his partner.
Trying not to repeat the same slip-up, I guess.
But the topic is still the problem.
“The sea… I actually just went there a few days ago.”
“You too, Director? With your partner?”
See?
He gets curious right away.
And Saheon isn’t even trying to hide it—he just nods.
Meanwhile, I’m the only one feeling antsy as hell.
“Oh wow! You do have a partner. I mean, of course you do—someone like you wouldn’t be single. Do you two stay in touch a lot?”
“Yes. I text in the morning, check in around lunch, and ask if they’re free by the time I’m off work.”
Why are you bragging like that?
“Oh my gosh…”
They’re having so much fun chatting.
Senior Associate Sun keeps asking, and Saheon just answers, no hesitation.
His tone is light—he genuinely seems in a good mood.
Meanwhile, I’m the one piling up nervous energy.
‘Why is this conversation going this direction?’
Can’t we change the topic?
We don’t have to spend the whole ride talking about this.
What if Saheon slips up and says something about me?
Rumors about him dating someone at the company have already been floating around.
This would just be the nail in the coffin!
Pretending it was an accident, I lightly tapped the back of Saheon’s hand resting on the gear knob.
I could feel his gaze brush my cheek, but I ignored it.
I thought I heard him chuckle softly—but that must’ve been my imagination.
I pouted a little and stared out the window.
“I was wondering what to do this weekend, but thanks to you, Assistant Manager Sun, I have an idea now. I’ll reach out later.”
Something started tapping lightly on my fingertips.
I didn’t even need to look to know it was Saheon teasing me.
Because after I “accidentally” tapped his hand, I hadn’t fully moved mine away either.
I just left it there on the console, acting like it was the most natural thing in the world.
“Reach out,” my ass.
He was already right there, listening to everything.
“Are you headed somewhere? Oh, if you follow this road, there’s a national arboretum. It’s nice there too.”
Senior Associate Sun’s meddling didn’t stop there.
She went on to recommend a handful of other nearby travel spots.
She probably had no idea what was going on in the front seat.
That Wookyung, though anxious, let those fingers lightly graze his skin without protest.
Thanks to Saheon tagging along, the conversation with the factory manager went smoothly.
Usually, most of the time was spent negotiating because they couldn’t agree.
It was expected that there’d be differences between the original design and the actual production, but the factory manager here was particularly difficult to work with.
And Wookyung, despite being a Beta, could be just as stubborn—so much so that by the time a decision was made, he’d feel completely drained.
But with Saheon showing up, the man was surprisingly cooperative.
“Hm… Well, understood. If that’s what the director says, of course we’ll do our best to match it. But I’ll be honest—it’s not going to be easy to get this exactly how you want.”
Of course, the factory manager wasn’t the type to just say “sure” and give in.
“I’ve done a lot of these kinds of things, and the more unique it is, the worse the outcome tends to be… But I’ll give it my best shot.”
There it was—that inevitable “but” at the end.
“We appreciate it.”
Not that Saheon seemed to care about those little passive-aggressive add-ons.
He responded briefly and ended it there, and Wookyung caught the way the factory manager’s lips twitched in irritation.
He clearly wanted to assert himself, but of all people, he was dealing with the hardest superior to go up against.
‘Serves you right.’
The feeling was as refreshing and sweet as a sip of peppermint tea.
Though Saheon probably had no idea why.
“Seems like we’re done here. Should we head back?”
“Yes!”
Since the whole point of the visit was to meet the factory manager, there was no need to stick around.
Senior Associate Sun politely thanked him and left without looking back.
Wookyung left the factory with Saheon, walking side by side.
“Ms. Sun, would it be easier if I dropped you off at a nearby station?”
Just like earlier, Wookyung had climbed into the passenger seat, and he glanced sideways at Saheon’s question to her.
They had lunch, spent an hour at the factory, and it took another hour and a half to get here—meaning they’d get back to the office just in time to clock out.
So it wasn’t strange for Saheon to suggest that.
What made Wookyung awkward was realizing that Saheon asked her first, deliberately.
He snuck a glance at Senior Associate Sun.
“Oh, that would be great! It won’t overlap with rush hour, so that’s even better.”
Thankfully, she didn’t seem to notice anything weird and responded with a bright smile.
So about 50 minutes after leaving the factory, Saheon naturally dropped her off near the subway station.
“I’ll see you both tomorrow. Get home safe. Thanks again for accompanying me today.”
“Get some rest. See you tomorrow.”
“You too, Ms. Sun. Great job today.”
Saheon was the first to wave her off, and just as Wookyung was chiming in, he felt warmth on the back of his opposite hand and quietly looked down.
Of course—Saheon’s large hand was resting on his.
He looked up quickly.
Senior Associate Sun was already entering the subway station.
“What are you doing? What if she saw us?”
“She couldn’t. The windows are tinted. And she’s gone now anyway, so what’s the big deal?”
Still, wrong is wrong!
But saying that outright made him feel childish, so Wookyung just pouted.
And he didn’t even pull his hand away.
So whatever he said probably didn’t carry much weight.
“What do you think, Wookyung?”
Saheon asked as the car started moving again.
“About what?”
“This weekend.”
He was asking him out on a date.
Wookyung thought about the places Senior Associate Sun had recommended.
Aside from the national arboretum, they were all pretty popular, so it’d be crowded.
He was never a fan of busy places.
Barely went out to begin with.
Saheon knew that now and usually avoided crowded places for Wookyung’s sake.
“I’ll look for somewhere nice we can enjoy from the car.”
That was his way of coaxing him.
And if Wookyung turned him down, he probably wouldn’t bring it up again.
“Okay.”
Still, he couldn’t quite say no either.
Especially not when Saheon was being considerate, trying to find a place they could go without having to get out of the car.
“I’ll look up things we could try for the first time together. Let’s pick something we’d both enjoy.”
That reminded Wookyung of their Chinatown trip.
In the middle of summer, after eating a spicy, steaming bowl of jjamppong, they wandered through sun-scorched alleyways, drenched in sweat.
Later, they cooled off sitting in a high-up park, and around sunset, they went to see the nearby ocean.
It was a small island connected to the mainland—not exactly the beach scene Wookyung had imagined, so he’d been a little disappointed at first.
But the view from the gently sloped mountain trail as the sun slowly set was beautiful.
And it was there, for the first time, that he and Saheon shared a kiss…
“Ah, come on!”
Flustered by the sudden wave of memories, Wookyung squeezed his eyes shut.
“Wookyung?”
Saheon glanced over as he turned the wheel, concerned.
“No, it’s nothing.”
Wookyung shook his head quickly.
But he couldn’t meet Saheon’s eyes and instead stared out the window.
Just then, the sky outside had turned a deep, glowing red.
The color tinged the tips of Wookyung’s ears too.
Saheon looked at them for a moment before following Wookyung’s gaze out the window.
They’d shared moments like this before.
The memories came back, too.
“It’s beautiful.”
A soft murmur, unclear what it referred to.
But the slight pull of his hand gave Wookyung a clue.
The car came to a stop at a red light.
Wookyung turned toward the driver’s seat.
And just then, soft lips pressed against his.
Longer, deeper, more passionate than before—the kiss lasted until the light changed.
And when they finally pulled apart, Saheon asked carefully:
“Wookyung, how about we try being in a relationship now?”
* * *
