* * *
Was that… a laugh?
Did he just laugh?
He just scoffed at me, didn’t he?
What the hell!
His eyes flew open, glaring at the driver’s seat.
The Director Choi’s face was completely neutral, but Wookyung was sure he had heard something.
A small, barely audible snicker.
“That’s a relief. I was wondering what to do if you actually fell asleep. Could you enter your address into the GPS?”
“…Sure.”
Swallowing back his urge to argue, Wookyung silently tapped at the navigation keypad.
“Agh, damn it. Ugh…”
Why was this so hard?
Why did he keep pressing the wrong letters?
He was sure he was hitting the right keys, but somehow, the input kept coming out wrong.
This wasn’t his fault. It had to be the machine.
Otherwise, why would he keep messing up—
“You can enter it with initials. Or just tell me, and I’ll do it.”
The Director Choi must have gotten frustrated watching him struggle.
A hand reached over and lightly pulled Wookyung’s fingers back.
Was his ear itchy from the sound of the voice so close by?
“Huh?”
Not yes, not yeah, but an odd, in-between noise escaped him.
Glancing sideways, he checked if the Director Choi had noticed.
Luckily, he didn’t seem to have picked up on it.
Wookyung quickly gave him the name of a subway station near his home, hoping to move things along.
Only after the car started moving did he let out a sigh of relief.
A familiar sedan passed by.
It must be the one Choi Siwon was in.
The direction seemed similar, but as they reached an intersection, it turned left.
So, the Director Choi was right—they really did live in different areas.
That route led across the Han River.
“He must live in Gangnam.”
“No. Myeongnyundong.”
Two completely different areas.
From the way the Director Choi had said it, he was clearly talking about his own residence.
“…What?”
“Weren’t you asking where I live?”
“I, uh… yeah.”
Technically, he had asked, but he had meant Choi Siwon’s home.
For a few seconds, he debated whether to correct himself or not—then decided against it.
Sometimes, not saying anything was the best way to save face.
Admitting he had asked the wrong question would be too embarrassing.
“Oh, were you asking about Choi Siwon’s place?”
“Yes.”
Since the Director Choi asked directly, he answered truthfully.
He sneaked a glance to gauge his reaction—
Tch.
Nothing.
His expression looked the same as before.
“But… Myeongnyundong?”
Something clicked in Wookyung’s mind.
That was just one stop away from where he lived.
More importantly, wasn’t that where HK Group’s chairman’s family estate was?
Did he live near there?
‘No way.’
Rumors existed, sure.
But if he really lived at the chairman’s estate, there was no way he would have taken the subway on his first day.
And if he were the chairman’s favored grandson, he wouldn’t have been pushed to HK Furniture—he would’ve gotten a high-ranking position in the construction division instead.
‘Not my problem.’
Wookyung shook his head.
There were more important things to think about.
Like…
“Oh, then… were you resting at home when I called…?”
The place where Wookyung drank with Associate Choi was near the company.
But if he had to return all the way from Myeongnyundong, Wookyung felt a little guilty.
Wookyung don’t know why that thought hadn’t crossed his mind when he first contacted the director.
‘Idiot.’
Wookyung was only focused on the fact that he could entrust Associate Choi to him and called him right away.
“I was at the office.”
“Huh? But didn’t you leave work earlier?”
“…I had some things to finish up, so I went back.”
There was a brief hesitation just now.
More than that—he actually went back to the office to finish unfinished work?
Wookyung gave Director Choi a weary look.
Wookyung already knew he was quite passionate about work.
On his first day, he had left him with some tasks and disappeared, only to return and work through the night.
That memory was still vivid.
Besides, he was always the last one to leave.
“Well… you should take care of your health, too.”
Wookyung wished he would take breaks when he could.
That was something Manager Shin had told him when he first joined the company.
‘Don’t overdo it. Don’t push yourself too hard. Learn how to pace yourself and take care of your health.’
“Alright.”
Wookyung watched as Director Choi nodded quietly before shifting his gaze back out the window.
The awkward atmosphere eased slightly. But in its place, a small question arose.
Why had he come so readily just because he called?
Why had he dropped off Associate Choi in another car and then driven him home so nonchalantly?
Did he really just happen to be at the office working overtime when he got his message?
Small things like that—seemingly insignificant yet strangely difficult to ask.
“Please stop here!”
Wookyung had been lost in thought while absentmindedly watching the scenery pass by when he suddenly recognized a familiar alley and blurted it out.
Despite his abrupt shout, Director Choi smoothly pulled over to the roadside without a hint of surprise.
He even remembered to turn on the hazard lights.
“Uh, there are a lot of illegally parked cars inside. If you go in at this hour, a big vehicle like this will have a hard time getting out.”
Not really.
It was a wide two-lane road at a glance.
There were a few illegally parked cars here and there, but not enough to block traffic.
But Wookyung didn’t want Director Choi coming all the way to his house.
Whether he’d pick up on that, he wasn’t sure.
“Do you feel more sober now?”
“Oh, yeah.”
Wookyung had still been a little tipsy earlier, but seeing the familiar surroundings brought him back to his senses.
Or maybe it was the hangover remedy Director Choi had given him finally kicking in.
“Go on inside.”
Whether the director had come from the office or his home, whether Associate Choi was the real reason or not—it didn’t matter.
But was it really okay to just send someone off after they drove him all the way here at this hour?
“Thank you. But wait a moment!”
Wookyung suddenly spotted a convenience store where he had bought some digestive medicine before.
Wookyung figured he should at least buy something to repay Director Choi and hurriedly opened the door.
As Wookyung tried to get out—
“Ugh.”
Something was holding me back.
“Be careful, Wookyung. You have to unbuckle your seatbelt first.”
Damn it!
Wookyung thought he was sober, but apparently not.
He had been so out of it that he hadn’t even unbuckled his seatbelt before trying to leave.
Click.
Once again, Director Choi solved the problem for him.
Wookyung stared blankly at the director’s long arm as it moved away, then quickly scrambled out of the car.
“Wait right here!”
Before he could say anything, Wookyung rushed into the convenience store.
The part-timer at the register looked familiar.
He must have recognized him, too, since his eyes brightened.
But that wasn’t important right now.
What should he buy?
‘Coffee? No, it’s late. Juice?’
But somehow, sweet drinks didn’t seem to suit Director Choi.
‘Maybe a mild tea? Alcohol… definitely not.’
Wookyung skimmed past the refrigerated section, scanning the shelves until his eyes landed on a bottle with green lettering and a picture of a pine tree.
‘The refreshing scent of pine~ A drink that clears your mind!’
The slogan written above the product caught his eye, and before Wookyung knew it, his hand reached for it.
It felt cool and firm in his grasp.
Wookyung quickly walked over to the counter.
“You’re out late again today. Work keeping you busy?”
The part-timer scanned the barcode while making conversation.
“No, I was drinking, so I got home late.”
Wookyung wasn’t usually one for small talk, but since he still felt bad about that receipt incident last time, he answered.
Didn’t want him feeling embarrassed over another little mistake.
“I see… then, are you busy this weekend?”
“No, I’ll just be resting at home. Here’s my card.”
Wookyung saw the total appear on the register and immediately handed over his card.
Then, he glanced outside.
Even though it was late, Wookyung didn’t want to keep the car waiting on the roadside for too long.
He hurried to finish paying, but for some reason, there was no reply.
He looked back at the part-timer, only to find him glancing between him and the car outside.
“Looks like someone’s waiting for you…”
Seems like he enjoyed small talk.
“Yes.”
“I see… so you have someone…”
Huh? Why did he suddenly sound so down?
Probably just my imagination.
Wookyung took his card as the part-timer handed it back.
“No need for a receipt.”
Wookyung preemptively cut him off this time.
He flinched. Guess he was about to ask again.
“Take care.”
Wookyung gave a polite farewell and stepped outside.
Behind him, he heard something about a date.
‘Even after working late, he still has the energy to meet people?’
Impressive.
Wookyung could never.
Just look at him—after working late and having a drink with a coworker, it was already close to midnight.
Right now, all Wookyung wanted was to shove this drink into Director Choi’s hands and crash onto his cozy bed.
“Here, take this.”
Wookyung opened the passenger door and handed him the bottle.
When he only stared at it, he shook it up and down.
“I’ll drink it well.”
“Yeah.”
Mission accomplished.
Wookyung closed the door.
The night air felt as crisp as the cool drink Wookyung had just handed him.
Well, as far as ways to end the day go—this wasn’t bad.
* * *
