* * *
[Dad: Wookyung-ah, I asked Saheon to make sure you get home safely. Make sure to thank him properly—buy him a meal or at least a coffee.
Dad: That’s how you get closer to each other.]
Just as Wookyung was leaving the office, two consecutive messages arrived.
To him, who felt that the current distance between him and Director Choi was just right, this unsolicited advice was unwelcome.
“Haah… Next time, just turn him down when he says things like that.”
Since he couldn’t say that directly to his Dad, he grumbled to Director Choi instead.
The latter, sensing the reluctant acceptance hidden in his words, let out a quiet chuckle.
“Sure.”
Of course, he had only briefly curled the corners of his lips before letting them fall again, so Wookyung didn’t notice.
More importantly, that “sure” sounded like, ‘I heard you, but I’ll think about it when the time comes.’
“Shall we go?”
Director Choi stepped forward first, leading the way outside.
Wookyung watched his back and pouted.
Honestly, whenever he got involved with that alpha, nothing ever seemed to go his way.
They left the office together and took the elevator down to the basement.
As expected, Director Choi’s car was an expensive SUV today as well.
Noticing his owner’s approach, the car’s headlights flickered to life.
With a small frown, Wookyung walked over to the passenger seat.
As he opened the door and settled in, his gaze landed on the dashboard.
“Huh?”
There, sitting in plain sight, was a familiar-looking can.
The label boasted of a “refreshing pine scent that cools the mind.”
“You haven’t drunk it?”
The pull-tab was still sealed.
Meaning, he had left it there untouched since the moment he received it.
Seriously?
He could have at least pretended to drink it out of courtesy.
Why had he even asked about it in the first place?
Why that specific drink?
‘Wait, is this his way of rejecting something that’s not to his taste? And I just didn’t pick up on it?’
But if that were the case, wouldn’t he have said something at the time?
He wouldn’t have waited until now to make it a topic of conversation.
Or was it that something from their earlier exchange had reminded him of it?
The snack shop had smelled spicy, sweet, and savory—nothing remotely pine-like.
Now that he thought about it, the reason he had bought that drink was because it somehow seemed to suit Director Choi.
‘Ugh. Shouldn’t have bothered.’
Pouting slightly, Wookyung pursed his lips.
For a brief moment, coffee-colored eyes flickered toward them before pulling away.
But Wookyung didn’t notice.
“No, I was saving it for later.”
“When exactly is ‘later’?”
“Someday?”
Was he joking around or what?
Wookyung gave him an incredulous look, but Director Choi simply started the car with an air of nonchalance.
The soft vibrations made Wookyung suddenly realize—they hadn’t even left the parking lot yet.
“What are you—?!”
Before he could finish, an arm reached past the back of his head.
He flinched and pressed himself against the seat in alarm.
“Oh, sorry. It’s a habit. I always rest my arm on the passenger seat when backing up.”
True to his words, Choi’s long arm was casually draped over the seat.
Realizing that he had overreacted, Wookyung shut his mouth with a snap.
A wave of embarrassment crawled up the back of his neck.
‘He could’ve at least warned me first!’
“There’s a rear-view camera, though. Why bother—”
He grumbled, trying to cover up his own flustered reaction.
“My old car didn’t have one. I just got used to not looking at the monitor.”
For someone their age, just how outdated had his previous car been?
“If I startled you, I apologize. Really, it’s just an old habit.”
“It’s fine.”
Wookyung answered as casually as possible and turned his head toward the passenger window.
Even now, he could still feel the presence of that long arm behind him.
It was absolutely maddening…
Wookyung stared blankly at the ceiling before rolling onto his side.
He reached for his phone on the bedside table and checked the time.
7:03 AM.
Three minutes more than usual.
It’s not like he had anything to do or anything he needed to do, so why did he wake up so early?
“This is unfair.”
This is exactly why having a body that’s adapted to the work routine is a problem.
He had stayed up until 2 AM last night, drinking beer and watching TV.
And yet, instead of getting more rest, he just ended up shortening his total sleep time.
It was frustrating.
“What should I do?”
He didn’t need to clean or tidy up the house like some people.
He wasn’t the type to go out and do activities.
He didn’t really have any hobbies either.
Not like he had anyone to meet up with.
As he kept thinking, for some reason, Director Choi, the department head, came to mind—specifically, how he had insisted on driving him all the way home last night.
Wookyung had told him, like always, to just drop him off at the alleyway nearby.
But this time, Director Choi ignored him and drove straight into the apartment complex.
When he asked how he even knew the address, the man silently held up a message from Han Seokyung.
“Dad has no sense of caution at all. How can he just hand out personal information like that in this day and age? What if something happens?”
Wookyung knew his father had lived a relatively smooth life, without any major incidents or accidents, which was probably why he saw the world so naively.
But still, he should at least have some sense of caution.
In any case, since Director Choi had already parked in the lot, Wookyung had felt a little guilty about just sending him away.
So, out of courtesy, he had asked:
“Would you like to come up for a cup of tea?”
Internally, he was screaming at the man to just leave.
But Choi, perceptive as ever, simply stared at him for about five seconds before saying it was late and that he should get going.
“…But why did he smile like that?”
Even now, thinking back on it, it was weird.
What was that subtle smile supposed to mean?
Like he was troubled?
Or like he had thought something over and made a difficult decision?
“Ugh, whatever. No point in thinking about useless things. I should just eat first.”
There was no answer to be found anyway, and it wasn’t like it was an important issue.
But even though he told himself that, he still didn’t immediately get up.
Because somehow, it still felt unfair to start the day just like that.
“Should I just order something?”
His fridge was already stocked with everything he’d need to cook a meal.
There were plenty of side dishes for when he wanted something quick, and even a few salads.
But somehow, just getting out of bed felt like too much effort.
Delivery sounded more convenient.
He opened the app and scrolled through the options, but nothing really stood out.
…Guess he had no choice but to get up.
As he sat up slowly, phone still in hand, he felt a short vibration in his palm.
[Assistant Manager Kim: Assistant Manager Gil, what are you up to today?]
[Me: Just resting.]
Assistant Manager Kim, who usually never texted outside of work, suddenly messaged him.
That was never a good sign.
This kind of question usually meant he was about to ask for a favor.
Not too long ago, he had also reached out to ask if he could reuse part of a proposal that had already been rejected.
[Assistant Manager Kim: Oh yeah? Then do you want to come out for a bit?]
[Me: Where?]
[Assistant Manager Kim: Remember how you said you were thinking of buying a new car?]
[Assistant Manager Kim: I mentioned it to my friend today, and he said he’s free to meet up.]
Of course, there was an ulterior motive.
The car thing had just been an excuse to get out of a conversation earlier, but Assistant Manager Kim had jumped in, claiming he knew a good dealer.
And apparently, he still wasn’t ready to let it go.
“…He’s not usually this persistent.”
If it wasn’t something that directly affected his work, Assistant Manager Kim rarely pushed this hard.
[Assistant Manager Kim: So actually, my friend happened to see a picture of you, and he keeps saying he wants to meet you.]
[Assistant Manager Kim: And don’t worry about the whole ‘dynamic’ thing. He’s an Alpha, but he’s not the type to care about that.]
[Assistant Manager Kim: He genuinely likes you, so just come out for a bit. You don’t have anything else to do, right?]
Wookyung had been putting off answering, but Assistant Manager Kim couldn’t seem to wait and sent a whole string of messages.
“…What?”
He scoffed as he read through them.
“So basically, he’s trying to set me up on a date?”
Without a second thought, he declined.
[Me: Not happening.]
[Assistant Manager Kim: Why not? You’re just killing time at home anyway.]
[Assistant Manager Kim: You’re bored, right? Come on, let’s just grab a coffee.]
It was clear Assistant Manager Kim wasn’t planning to give up so easily.
Wookyung frowned and responded more firmly.
[Me: No Alphas.]
[Me: No dating.]
[Me: No blind dates.]
[Me: No meetings I have zero interest in.]
[Assistant Manager Kim: LMAO, damn, Assistant Manager Gil, you’ve really got some strong walls up. 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂]
[Assistant Manager Kim: My friend is totally crushed right now. Can you see? 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂]
Assistant Manager Kim spammed him with laughing emojis before suddenly dropping a photo in the chat—a guy making a comically exaggerated pouty face.
Wookyung’s expression remained completely indifferent.
“…And what am I supposed to do with this?”
He saw no reason to keep responding, so he just ended the conversation with a simple goodbye.
[Me: Have a good weekend.]
* * *
