* * *

Behind him, Yoonjae appeared.

Doyoung looked unusually thrilled, while Yoonjae seemed, well, a bit awkward.

“…Afterparty?”

As Junhee hesitated, the sound of approaching footsteps echoed closer.

“I thought it’d be nice for us to have a drink together, just among familiar faces. What do you think? You’ll come, right, Junhee?”

Doyoung seemed convinced Junhee would join, as if it were a given.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have waited for him outside for thirty minutes after the event ended.

Junhee glanced at Yoonjae instead of answering him.

Their eyes met briefly, and Yoonjae gave a slight shrug, hinting that he was reluctantly dragged into this.

“Actually, I’m a bit—”

“Oh, come on! Do you have other plans?”

Before Junhee could properly decline, Doyoung interjected, pestering him.

“…I’m a little tired from prepping for the event since early.”

“It’s Sunday tomorrow; you can rest all day then. And when you’re tired, that’s when a drink works wonders to relieve stress. Don’t ditch us, Junhee. Please? Pretty please?”

Junhee knew Doyoung’s persistence well, but today it felt even more relentless.

Although his excitement could partly be due to Taeryu, something else seemed to be fueling his enthusiasm.

As Junhee glanced aside, he caught Yoonjae sighing quietly behind Doyoung.

‘…Could he be excited because he has some dirt on Yoonjae?’

Junhee felt uneasy, imagining how Doyoung might torment Yoonjae during the afterparty.

He suspected his intention to include him was less about the company and more about prying into Yoonjae’s personal affairs.

While Junhee was lost in thought, Doyoung mistook his hesitation for contemplation and pressed on.

“Junhee, come on. You know I owe you a lot, right?”

If he really wanted to repay him, quitting the membership quietly would be the most welcome gesture, Junhee thought bitterly.

Despite his concern for Yoonjae, Junhee felt that joining them would only feed Doyoung’s nosiness.

He was about to refuse when—

“If Junhee doesn’t come, our team won’t be complete. That would leave Yoonjae all lonely.”

“…Team?”

Junhee quickly recalculated.

Doyoung, Yoonjae, himself—that made three.

Where’s the pairing in an odd number?

“Taeryu and I are one pair, and you’re supposed to pair with Yoonjae. Isn’t that right?”

Doyoung’s words made Junhee’s eyes widen slightly.

Now it all made sense why Yoonjae, unlike the gleeful Doyoung, looked like he’d rather be anywhere else.

---

Junhee alternated glances between the two sitting across from him.

One wore a smile radiant like sunshine, while the other bore a shadow over their face.

It was like day and night coexisting on either side of the table.

“So, did you guys know each other before? Or did Junhee recruit you at my birthday party?”

At Doyoung’s question, Junhee couldn’t help but steal a glance at Taeryu.

Now that he knew the fiancé of a close friend was also a VIP client at his matchmaking agency, it was only a matter of time before the word reached the doctor.

And he’d learn Junhee had been keeping this a secret, making him an accomplice.

‘Since I’m already playing the villain, I might as well take the blame.’

Helping Yoonjae aside, it wasn’t a big deal for Junhee—it was just work, after all.

But before he could confess, Yoonjae beat him to it.

“Actually, Junhee wouldn’t have known I signed up. I didn’t know he worked there either.”

Before Junhee could even get a word in, Yoonjae swiftly cut in, downing his cocktail as if to quench a burning throat.

“Oh my, really? Then you two are fated! But wait, Yoonjae, wasn’t the person you brought to my party your partner?”

Under the table, Junhee gripped his seat tightly.

Doyoung’s sharp interrogative style, pushing people into corners, was something he could never understand.

“You mean Dr. Kim Daeheon?”

“It’s Kim Daeheon.”

“Oh, right. Him. You did introduce him as your partner back then, didn’t you?”

After a deliberate pause, Yoonjae responded calmly.

“Yes, my partner.”

“Oh my! So did you break up?”

“No, we didn’t.”

Doyoung’s relentless digging could easily irritate someone, yet Yoonjae maintained his composure, answering steadily.

If it were Junhee…

‘I wouldn’t even be sitting here.’

He’d have chosen to escape rather than endure.

In this, Junhee saw yet another difference between himself and Yoonjae—his resilience in facing adversity head-on, reminiscent of Doctor’s unshakable demeanor.

“So why’d you join the matchmaking agency?”

“For personal reasons.”

“Oh, I see! Looking for someone to marry and someone to date separately, huh? You’re quite sly, Yoonjae. But me? I can’t handle something so complicated. I can’t imagine having two people at once.”

It was obvious Doyoung was belittling Yoonjae by comparing him to himself.

The underhanded tactic was clear to Junhee, drawing a sigh from deep within.

“I’m not looking for a spouse through the agency. My only partner is Daeheon, so think what you want. And let’s drop this subject.”

Yoonjae’s firm tone ended the conversation, leaving Doyoung pouting.

“Well, if you’re not searching for a match, why sign up? Just for charity? Right, Taeryu?”

He sought validation from Taeryu, who calmly replied, “Everyone has their reasons.”

“Oh, so true! Taeryu, you’re so understanding. Cheers, everyone!”

With raised glasses, they clinked them together, the chime lingering as an uneasy silence settled over the table.

To break the awkwardness, Doyoung placed a snack on Junhee’s plate.

“Junhee, you know I’m always grateful, right? Try this. It’s refreshing and tasty.”

Junhee’s eyes, fixed on the small plate, narrowed slightly.

‘…A biscuit?’

It looked ordinary at first glance, but it wasn’t.

A bright orange jam spread on a pristine white biscuit—Junhee recognized the scent immediately: tangerine.

He felt uneasy but figured he should at least make a show of accepting it.

“Thank you, I apprecia—”

Before he could finish, the biscuit disappeared from sight.

Ki Taeryu had already snatched it up and eaten it in one bite.

“Oh my, Taeryu, you like that? I should’ve given it to you first,” Doyoung said, smiling shyly as he placed another biscuit on Taeryu’s plate.

Junhee stared blankly at him.

Misunderstanding his reaction as disappointment, Doyoung quickly scooped up a hefty portion of fruit salad and offered it.

“Then, Junhee, have some of this.”

Of course, the fruit salad was also loaded with tangerines.

But once again, Taeryu took the plate right from in front of Junhee.

Doyoung looked genuinely surprised this time, staring at Taeryu with wide eyes before covering his mouth and laughing.

“Taeryu, are you… jealous? Oh, how cute. You’ve got more unexpected sides to you than I thought.”

Junhee had a different suspicion entirely.

‘The fact that our dear Junhee acted like a crazed animal after eating tangerines that day…’

Still, it was hard to believe Taeryu would actually remember that and now try to shield him from tangerines.

The Taeryu Junhee knew would have just piled the tangerines onto his own plate without a second thought.

Maybe Doyoung was right—perhaps it was some kind of jealousy.

‘The fact that he’s even here suggests he’s taken some interest in Doyoung.’

After all, Taeryu wouldn’t bother attending such personal gatherings otherwise.

The way they’d been whispering and laughing earlier, and how readily he agreed to Doyoung’s suggestion to meet—it all pointed to a level of interest he wouldn’t show without reason.

Especially for someone like Ki Taeryu.

“We might run out of snacks. Should we just order more? The stew here is pretty good. What do you think, Junhee?”

Doyoung spoke with a strangely excited tone.

“I’m fine. My stomach isn’t feeling great today.”

Junhee’s nausea was particularly bad.

Perhaps it was the suppressant overdose he’d taken earlier, or maybe it was the sight of so many tangerines.

Lifting his gaze to avoid the food, Junhee locked eyes with Yoonjae.

Yoonjae’s expression was… peculiar.

He glanced from Junhee to Taeryu, back and forth.

It was odd, given that Yoonjae had been completely ignoring Taeryu until now.

Despite knowing their tangled history, Yoonjae and Taeryu always seemed to disregard each other—whether it was deliberate or due to genuine disinterest, Junhee couldn’t tell.

“Yoonjae, you’ve already emptied your glass. Want another drink?”

“No, I’m good. It’s late, I should get going.”

“You’re leaving already?”

“Yeah. Dae-heon’s coming to pick me up, so I need to head out.”

As Yoonjae used his boyfriend as an excuse to escape the awkward atmosphere, Doyoung let out a mocking laugh.

“Why not just invite him here? The more, the merrier, right?”

Junhee had a sinking feeling, and sure enough, Doyoung crossed a line.

* * *