* * *
Jingyeom quickly sent a message to Soohyuk, who was still waiting.
Jingyeom: How about lunch tomorrow instead of dinner today? (5:56 PM)
Soohyuk hyung: ㅠㅠㅠ(5:56 PM)
Jingyeom: Don’t skip dinner and eat something nice! (5:57 PM)
Soohyuk hyung: Fine… I’ll eat alone tonight… (5:58 PM)
The many dots in the message caught Jingyeom’s attention.
He looked up to see Jinwoo getting ready to leave. If he asked again, he knew Jinwoo would just repeat what he had said earlier.
Jingyeom: I’m sorryㅠㅠ (5:59 PM)
Soohyuk hyung: It’s okay^^ Have a good evening, and let’s meet for lunch tomorrow…
Soohyuk hyung: I’ll come to you (6:00 PM)
Jingyeom: Okay! See you tomorrow! (6:01 PM)
Why does that seagull look like it’s crying instead of smiling?
Jingyeom fiddled with his phone, feeling oddly uneasy, before getting up.
Since Wonbeom had left early due to plans, Jingyeom was able to leave work on time for a change.
Secretary Yang stretched his stiff body and moved around.
“That toy looks exactly like you, Jingyeom. It’s so cute. Director Sun has an eye for these things, right?”
“It doesn’t look like me.”
“I was talking to you, Jingyeom. I was being ignored by Secretary Baek earlier.”
It seemed he was sulking because Jingyeom had ignored a few of his words earlier while lost in thought.
Thankfully, it didn’t seem like he was too upset.
“Let’s clock out!”
Since Jingyeom had nowhere to put the toy, he had to carry it in his arms.
He could feel the stares of people passing by.
‘I should’ve left it at the office.’
He didn’t mind it himself, but he was worried about the attention it was drawing to Jinwoo as well.
Jinwoo, however, was too busy glaring at the white toy in Jingyeom’s arms to care about the stares of others.
Although Jingyeom was holding the toy securely to avoid dropping it, to Jinwoo, it looked like he was cradling it affectionately.
It was just a toy, but Jinwoo felt a twinge of jealousy.
Above all, the fact that Director Sun had given it to him irritated Jinwoo.
He had finished a two-week task in just three days, only to come back to Korea and immediately seek out Jingyeom.
‘…Is he really serious?’
Recently, Director Tak’s attitude had also become increasingly clear. If Director Sun was also serious about Jingyeom, what was Jinwoo supposed to do?
Should he block both of them for Jingyeom’s sake, or just let things be? Jinwoo was confused.
“…Hyung.”
“Yeah?”
Jingyeom looked up from playing with the toy’s tiny feet.
People often asked if they were really the same age because Jingyeom looked so young. In a school uniform, he could easily be mistaken for a student.
“If someone says they like you, what will you do?”
“What do you mean?”
“Just… will you date them or something?”
It was a very out-of-the-blue question. But Jinwoo had been pondering it for a long time, even before Soohyuk and Wonbeom started showing their interest.
Jingyeom’s response was lighthearted, unlike Jinwoo’s serious concern. He hadn’t thought about such things, so he answered right away.
“Well, I don’t think I’d date anyone right now.”
“Why?”
“Just because someone likes me doesn’t mean I have to date them… And I’m not thinking about dating anyone at the moment.”
Jinwoo let out a sigh of relief.
If Jingyeom started dating someone, it was obvious that they would spend less time together. He didn’t like that.
“What about
you?”
“Huh?”
“Will you date someone if they confess to you?”
Jinwoo thought of Soohyuk and Wonbeom.
They had both already expressed their feelings. And his answer to them was…
“…”
“I’ll take that as a no.”
“Yeah.”
Jinwoo lightly grinned at Jingyeom’s innocent expression.
“Are you going to date him?”
Jingyeom seemed certain that he would.
“No. I’m going to live happily with you like this for the rest of my life.”
“Really? I wonder if that’s possible…”
Jingyeom trailed off, shifting his gaze out the window while clutching the doll’s foot tightly.
Even though it wasn’t happening now, he knew that one day Jinwoo would end up with Wonbeom, so Jinwoo’s words didn’t resonate with him.
Moreover, given the uncertainty of how long he could stay here, it was even harder to believe.
At first, Baek Jingyeom thought it would be nice if he could turn his life around and if Jinwoo could find happiness with someone else.
But after spending time here, he realized that Tak Wonbeom wasn’t as bad as he originally thought.
In “Gray,” Wonbeom often showed a coercive side, but Jingyeom hadn’t seen that in real life yet.
‘Is it because I’m by his side?’
He wondered if the story was diverging from its original path because he, who was meant to play a different role, had possessed Baek Jingyeom’s body.
In fact, the entire situation had gone off course from the moment he arrived here.
The evidence was that Wonbeom and Soohyuk weren’t as obsessively attached to Jinwoo as they were supposed to be.
Wonbeom still did a lot for Jinwoo. From what he could see, it wasn’t that Wonbeom wasn’t interested in Jinwoo, but the intensity of his obsession was far less than what he expected.
In fact, it was almost nonexistent.
The same was true for Soohyuk.
He was a character who was supposed to be hovering around Baek Jinwoo all the time, yet he was now spending more time with him.
‘…That’s a good thing, right?’
Especially since Tak Wonbeom was supposed to be the one who killed Baek Jingyeom, yet now, he had given him a position as an secretary, allowed him to work, and even continued to support his medical bills.
Wonbeom had also helped him when he got caught up in a pyramid scheme, taken him out for fun, and even told him to start calling him “hyung.”
There had been plenty of opportunities to discover new sides of him.
On top of that, the recent events confirmed that Tak Wonbeom was no longer a threatening figure.
Had Baek Jingyeom known about this side of Tak Wonbeom?
As he pondered deeply, Jingyeom caught a glimpse of his reflection in the window.
‘Where has Baek Jingyeom gone?’
Where had the real owner of this body disappeared to?
There was no one who could answer his question, but he was still curious.
His desire for Jinwoo to be happy hadn’t changed. But Jinwoo was saying he was happy now. And so was he.
He liked things the way they were. Living as Baek Jingyeom was enjoyable and made him happy.
‘…Even though it’s not my body… is it okay for me to be this happy?’
The reflection in the window no longer felt awkward.
‘Just a little longer… until you come back.’
He wished this happiness could last just a little bit longer, with Jinwoo who took good care of him, Soohyuk, and Wonbeom.
‘Just a little more…’
Soohyuk kept his word faithfully. Although he had wanted to come in the morning, he held back and didn’t show up until lunchtime to see Jingyeom.
Secretary Yang greeted Soohyuk with a reluctant expression.
“I can’t believe it…”
“What?”
“Three days is too short, isn’t it? Did you really finish everything?”
“You think I’d come back without wrapping things up properly?”
“It’s not that… I’m just a little worried. You resolved everything so quickly.”
Soohyuk scoffed.
“Don’t worry about unnecessary things. I handled it all.”
“Well, if you say so, then it must be true.”
“Where are the others?”
“They’re inside. Secretary Baek went in to deliver some meeting materials, and Jingyeom tagged along.”
Soohyuk, leaning against the desk, stared disapprovingly at the tightly closed door of the executive office.
“Nothing happened while I was gone?”
“You saw Jingyeom yesterday, didn’t you? You even gave him a doll. Didn’t you ask how he was?”
“I didn’t have the time.”
“Why? Were you too smitten? Seeing him after so long made your heart swell with love?”
Secretary Yang raised his eyebrows playfully, finding the situation amusing.
At first, Soohyuk hadn’t seemed to realize he was slowly falling for Jingyeom, but now it appeared they were both aware, making it even more interesting.
As Soohyuk kept his silence, staring at the door, Secretary Yang’s grin widened.
“Did I hit the nail on the head?”
His tone was still teasing.
“…Yeah. So cut it out. It’s creepy.”
“That’s harsh. I even gave you Manager Sam’s weaknesses. When are you going to use that?”
“Later. When the time is right. I already transferred the payment.”
“That’s a given. It’s all about give-and-take; that’s what makes work rewarding.”
The Manager Sam that Secretary Yang mentioned was one of the people who had caused trouble with Jingyeom in the rooftop garden.
Unhappy with how they’d been let off, Soohyuk had asked Secretary Yang to dig up some dirt on them, ready to deal with them if they crossed the line again.
“Watch your mouth. Don’t let Director Tak catch wind of this. If he finds out, it won’t end well.”
“I know, I know. I’ll keep my lips sealed.”
Secretary Yang mimed zipping his lips and smiled broadly.
“When did they go in? They’re still not out?”
“They’ll be out soon. It’s lunchtime.”
A moment later, Jinwoo and Jingyeom emerged from the executive office one after the other.
Through the door, Soohyuk caught sight of Wonbeom and their eyes met. Soohyuk waved to announce his presence.
But when he saw the face he had wanted to see, his expression softened without him even realizing it.
His eyes crinkled naturally, and Jingyeom’s face brightened in response.
“Director, you’re here?”
“Yeah, I’m here.”
“Hello.”
“Ah, hello, Secretary Baek.”
Soohyuk only looked at Jingyeom as he spoke, barely glancing at Jinwoo.
“Ah, it’s already lunchtime. Have you been waiting long?”
“No, I just got here. What do you want to eat for lunch?”
“I was planning to eat at the cafeteria.”
“Again?”
“Yes. I have to be careful for a while.”
When eating outside, he had to ask about every ingredient, but the cafeteria menu clearly marked allergens, allowing him to avoid dishes with peaches, and the professional nutritionist ensured he received a balanced diet.
Given his upcoming surgery and weakened immune system, Hunil had also advised him to be cautious for the time being.
Understanding it was because of the allergy, Soohyuk nodded lightly.
“Of course. Let’s go.”
He instinctively reached to place a hand on Jingyeom’s shoulder, but Jinwoo blocked him with his arm.
“Director Tak is coming with us. Please wait a moment.”
“…Why is Director Tak coming?”
“He needs to eat too.”
Jinwoo spoke with a forced smile, pulling Jingyeom closer to him.
Having seen Soohyuk arrange the lunch date with Jingyeom the previous day, Jinwoo had asked Wonbeom that morning if he wanted to join him at the cafeteria for lunch, thinking it would be better for them all to go together rather than leaving Soohyuk and Jingyeom alone.
“If Director Tak is coming, let’s eat outside. We could go to that Korean restaurant we frequent. If we let them know about the allergy in advance, they’ll adjust the dishes accordingly.”
It wasn’t a bad suggestion.
* * *
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Yep. Soohyuk is definitely my favorite. It’s so cute how he’s so in love with Jingyeom.
Same here
Secretary yang is so funnyyy 🤣
Soohyuk 👀
Poor director, can’t even have an alone time with jingyeom 🤣🤣🤣
Thanks
Lmao, jinwoo, the date breaker 😂
Can’t wait next chapter T^T
So soohyuk’s the ml?
Thanks
Man this is 🤣
Thanks
Soohyuk
So who is the ml???!!!