ACTSV chapter 67

* * *

“Isn’t this a bit too strict? We can have this much.”

Secretary Yang said while putting the well-separated skin into his mouth.

Jingyeom’s gaze followed, but when their eyes met, he couldn’t bring himself to chew and shut his mouth.

The way Jingyeom looked at him made him feel guilty.

‘Why am I feeling guilty?’

It was Jinwoo who wouldn’t let him eat, and he was just eating the discarded skin.

But under the dim lighting, the orange glow on Jingyeom’s face looked so wistful.

“…Secretary Baek. Just give it to him. At this rate, Jingyeom might start crying.”

Jinwoo, who had been focused on separating the chicken, looked up, and Jingyeom made a pitiful expression, lowering his eyebrows.

He even deliberately pouted and blinked rapidly.

Plus, sitting directly across from Jinwoo made it all the more visible.

Jinwoo sighed briefly.

“Just eat a little.”

“Okay! I can’t eat much anyway.”

As if waiting for the signal, Jingyeom reached out, but chicken pieces suddenly dropped onto his plate—one, two, three, four.

“Eat.”

The one who moved the chicken was Wonbeom. Using chopsticks instead of a fork, he transferred the fried pieces without damaging them at all.

Jingyeom, who had been eager to eat, hesitated, and Wonbeom put down his chopsticks.

“Don’t you want to eat what I gave you?”

“No, it’s not that!”

Jingyeom quickly stabbed the nearest piece with his fork. He put so much force into it that the fork almost touched the plate.

“Thank you for the food!”

When he took a bite, the first thing he noticed was the crispiness he had imagined.

Then, as the grease touched his lips and the savory, salty taste spread in his mouth, he couldn’t help but smile.

Seeing Jingyeom so happily eating the chicken, Jinwoo smiled slightly and reached out his hand. With his thumb, he wiped away the crumbs and grease from Jingyeom’s lips.

“Chew it well. Don’t rush.”

Jingyeom nodded, unable to speak with the entire piece of chicken in his small mouth.

Thankfully, it was boneless; otherwise, he would have had to spit it out.

“Okay, okay! Shall we make a toast?”

“Let’s drink.”

Jinwoo lightly clinked his beer glass against Secretary Yang’s and took a refreshing sip.

He wasn’t much of a drinker, but on a hot summer day like this, a cold beer was tempting. Still, he didn’t plan on drinking much.

With Jingyeom there, he intended to stop at just one glass.

That was the plan, but…

“So I took that business card, right? In the middle of the night, I…!”

Secretary Yang got drunk.

Claiming it was his first drink in a while, he had one glass, then two, and then started mixing his drinks.

Jinwoo tried to stop him, but Secretary Yang was relentless. He began to lament about how tough things had been for him recently, making it hard for Jinwoo to continue restraining him.

“Put him in a taxi and send him home.”

Unable to bear it any longer, Wonbeom frowned and suggested. Jinwoo nodded, realizing it was better to send Secretary Yang off quickly before any rumors spread, as many of their coworkers were nearby.

Just as Jinwoo was about to call a taxi, Secretary Yang snatched the phone from his hand. It was a swift move, especially for someone drunk.

“Secretary Yang?”

“Jingyeom! Do you know what my wallpaper is?”

Jinwoo, flustered, tried to grab it back, but Secretary Yang laughed strangely, twisting his body.

As two grown men wrestled over a phone, people at the other tables started to glance over.

Jingyeom held onto the tableware to prevent it from falling due to their vigorous movements. The table shook so much that even Jingyeom, with his feeble strength, began to wobble. Annoyed, Wonbeom finally grabbed the table to steady it. Only then did Jingyeom stop swaying.

“…Thank you.”

Jingyeom smiled awkwardly, looking back and forth between his hand on the table and Wonbeom’s, then shyly pursed his lips.

Even from the outside, it was clear there was a difference in their build. Naturally, their hand sizes were different too.

Jingyeom couldn’t remember ever looking so closely at Wonbeom’s hand before, so he stared at it, only to feel a gaze and quickly glanced up.

“Ah… Sorry. Was I staring too much?”

“…”

“I’m sorry.”

Wonbeom didn’t say anything, but Jingyeom, feeling guilty, quickly apologized. Then, to show he was harmless, he flashed a sheepish smile. But Wonbeom’s expression didn’t change.

Feeling more embarrassed, Jingyeom cleared his throat and looked ahead.

The two men were still struggling over the phone.

“Secretary Yang, if you keep this up, you’ll regret it tomorrow.”

“No, I won’t! I never regret anything!”

“Why are you acting like a child? Get a grip!”

Jinwoo, exasperated, watched Secretary Yang, then quickly reached out to grab the phone.

But once again, Secretary Yang, with his agile moves, kept the phone just out of Jinwoo’s reach.

Determined now, Jinwoo extended his arm further, but Secretary Yang slid his chair back to avoid him.

Thankfully, there was no one at the next table, or they would have surely collided.

Still holding onto the table, Jingyeom watched the scene unfold with wide, sparkling eyes.

It was the first time he’d seen Jinwoo so flustered, so it was fascinating, yet he also worried about whether they might get hurt.

Wonbeom, observing the situation, decided they were getting too rough and kicked Secretary Yang’s chair.

“What? Whoa!”

The chair, already tilted backward, started to tip over from the forceful kick.

Even though he was drunk, Secretary Yang must have realized he was falling because he quickly twisted his body to the side.

The chair crashed into another chair behind it with a loud noise, and Secretary Yang tumbled to the ground.

“Wow… Whoa…!”

Secretary Yang panted, his eyes wide with shock as he blinked rapidly. He had narrowly avoided a potentially serious injury.

“Are you okay?”

Equally startled, Jinwoo and Jingyeom quickly got up and rushed to Secretary Yang’s side.

While Jinwoo helped him up, Jingyeom apologized to the surrounding patrons and straightened the chair.

The loud noise had drawn the attention of everyone in the bar, but they quickly turned away.

It wasn’t uncommon for drunken patrons to fall, so they had only instinctively glanced over at the commotion.

Staff members approached and asked if everything was all right.

“Yes, I’m fine. I’m sorry for causing a scene.”

Jinwoo apologized to the staff and helped Secretary Yang sit down.

“You really scared us. Are you sure you’re not hurt?”

“…I’m just so shaken up that it hurts.”

“Well, at least it’s not serious enough to go to the hospital.”

“I said it hurts!”

“You’re just startled. That’s what happens when you go grabbing other people’s phones without permission.”

Jinwoo snatched the phone from Secretary Yang and inspected it for any damage.

It seemed that, even as he fell, Secretary Yang had managed to keep the phone safe—it was in perfect condition.

“Yang Wonyoung.”

“Hiccup.”

Secretary Yang hiccuped as he looked directly at Wonbeom, whose forehead was creased with a frown.

The hiccup had escaped him unconsciously, a reaction born of instinct.

When Wonbeom called him by his name instead of “Secretary Yang,” it meant that he was in a very bad mood.

At times like this, running away was the best option.

Secretary Yang grabbed the jacket from Jingyeom as if he were snatching it away.

“Thank you, Jingyeom. If you get a chance later, check out Secretary Baek’s wallpaper. You’ll find it hilarious. Director, I’ll take my leave now. Thank you so much for today. The meal was delicious. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Secretary Yang quickly spat out his words and stood up to leave, but as he hurried, his legs tangled, and he fell flat on his face.

“Secretary Yang!”

Jingyeom, who had been standing nearby, quickly checked on him in alarm, but Secretary Yang jumped back up as if he wasn’t hurt at all.

Wonbeom, still frowning, glanced at Jinwoo and silently gestured for him to take care of Secretary Yang.

“Secretary Yang, let me help you out.”

Jinwoo supported Secretary Yang. Though he felt uneasy leaving Wonbeom and Jingyeom behind, getting Secretary Yang home safely was the priority, so he led him out of the bar.

Left behind, Jingyeom slowly lowered his raised shoulders and exhaled deeply.

It was the first time he had seen someone so drunk in person, and it had been quite disconcerting.

Jingyeom trudged back to his seat.

The table was a mess, with spilled drinks and scattered items. As he wiped the mess with a napkin, he spoke up.

“Secretary Yang seemed to be in a really good mood today.”

“…”

“They say people change when they drink, but I’m surprised to see it’s true!”

Jingyeom gathered the napkins and tossed them into the trash before slumping back in his chair.

Then, noticing the half-full beer on the table, he swallowed involuntarily.

“Do you want to drink it?”

“Huh? No… Well, maybe a little.”

He couldn’t remember what alcohol tasted like. Did that mean he had never really drunk it before?

“Even if I told you to drink it, you know your body best.”

“I know. That’s why I’m holding back.”

“…Good.”

Wonbeom’s hand landed on the top of Jingyeom’s head.

The usual roughness caused Jingyeom’s head to naturally bow.

“….”

Jingyeom puckered his lips. He didn’t expect to be praised for something like this.

Whenever they argued over food, Jinwoo always felt sorry, even though it wasn’t his fault.

So, Jingyeom couldn’t say anything more and just swallowed his words. But seeing Jinwoo’s satisfied smile when he ate well made him smile too.

When Jingyeom remained silent, Wonbeom applied a little more pressure with his fingers, causing Jingyeom to jerk his head up in surprise.

Wonbeom didn’t miss even that small movement.

How could someone be so easily startled?

* * *

*Summary page is only available for login users. Non-users can view the chapters on the chapter list.*