* * *
After going from one store to another, it was already 11 AM.
Thinking that Ha Wonjin would have given up by now and returned to the office, Dowon headed home.
As he stepped out of the elevator, he found himself face-to-face with Wonjin who was standing by the front door.
“Director Cha, you didn’t answer my calls. Where on earth have you been…?”
Wonjin had been grinding his teeth, trying to organize his thoughts and prepare a speech, but when he saw Dowon’s unevenly chopped bangs, he forgot everything he wanted to say.
“Uh…”
Wonjin blinked, his eyes wide with shock, and took off his glasses to rub his eyes.
Dowon ignored him and punched in the door lock code.
“Director Cha, what on earth happened to your hair…?”
“…”
“Where did you get it cut? Did you file a complaint with the designer? Even a child could’ve done a better job.”
“I’m terribly sorry for being worse than a child.”
Wonjin was too flustered to hide his surprise and gaped like a fish out of water.
“You cut it yourself, Director Cha?”
“That’s right.”
“Now that I look at it again, it’s kind of… unique, I guess…”
As Wonjin stumbled over his words, Dowon opened the door and stepped inside. He tried to close it, but Wonjin quickly wedged his foot in the gap.
A desperate tug-of-war ensued between the one trying to shut the door and the one trying to keep it open.
“Stop being annoying and just go back, will you?”
“The Chairman specifically requested that I bring you to him. He said he wanted to talk to you…”
Hearing that, Dowon loosened his grip on the doorknob.
Wonjin who had been pulling the door from the other side, stumbled back from the sudden release.
Talk? A talk sounded good. Dowon had something to say to his grandfather as well.
“Alright. I’ll get ready and come out.”
“Are you serious?”
Wonjin’s face was filled with skepticism.
“When have you ever known me to lie? Wait outside.”
Reluctantly, Wonjin withdrew his foot from the door.
Once the door was closed, Dowon went straight to his desk and started drafting his resignation letter.
He had spent his entire twenties dedicated to this company, but he felt no regrets about leaving.
After carefully folding the resignation letter, he took out all the clothes he had just bought and spread them out on the floor.
It wasn’t just anyone he was meeting—it was his grandfather. He should put in some extra effort.
After carefully considering his options, Dowon chose a hot pink hoodie with a large red heart on it, paired it with arabesque-patterned pants, and slipped on the flower-decorated slippers.
Finally, he stepped outside. Upon seeing him, Wonjin’s face turned ghostly pale.
“You mean to tell me that’s you ready to go?”
“Yes. Shall we get going?”
“Didn’t I just mention you were going to meet the Chairman?”
“You did. You certainly said that.”
Wonjin his mouth agape, stood frozen like a statue, unable to say anything.
Dowon walked over to the elevator and pressed the button.
Finally snapping out of it, Wonjin hurried to follow him.
As the elevator descended in silence, Wonjin glanced at Dowon, cautiously breaking the quiet.
“Um, Director… Has something happened recently?”
“…”
“You’ve been acting a bit odd since yesterday, and I’m worried.”
“…”
“I promise I won’t tell anyone. Can’t you confide in me?”
Wonjin looked at Dowon with a concerned expression, his eyebrows furrowed into an eight-shaped arc.
Dowon glanced at him briefly before turning his attention back to the elevator numbers.
In that fleeting moment, Dowon realized the general plot of the novel and the characteristics of its characters, including the fact that Wonjin had disliked him all along—probably still does.
That guy must be thinking something else entirely while looking at me like an innocent lamb.
While Dowon remained silent, the elevator descended to the underground parking lot, and Wonjin quickly ran to open the backseat door.
“Director Cha, please get in.”
Dowon was about to sit in the backseat as Wonjin held the door open but recalled a scene from an obsessive seme novel he had read at dawn and instead climbed into the passenger seat.
“Director Cha?”
“Stop questioning everything and just start driving.”
“Oh, yes…”
Wonjin, unable to hide his unease, closed the passenger door and hurriedly got into the driver’s seat. Bottomn, the engine started, and the wheels began to roll forward.
As Dowon gazed out the window, he thought he should get rid of this car as well.
What kind of car should I drive to escape the obsessive seme stereotype?
As he pondered this, a truck with a picture of a chicken passed in front of him.
A chicken truck would be perfect.
After all, I was thinking of starting a chicken business anyway, so a truck would be just right.
I should also get a Class 1 license…
While Dowon was lost in thought, Wonjin kept glancing at him nervously before cautiously starting a conversation.
“Director, are you stressed because of work?”
“What’s there to be stressed about?”
I’m quitting today anyway. Dowon kept the latter part of the sentence to himself.
“Then, is it because of Mr. Eungyeol? You mentioned he’s been avoiding you and not answering your calls.”
“No.”
The curt and cold response made Wonjin continue to walk on eggshells while driving. T
hough he didn’t know the reason, it seemed like Dowon was very angry.
However, contrary to Wonjin’s worries, Dowon’s mind was at peace.
He had struggled all this time not to be cast aside by his grandfather, but now that he was quitting of his own accord, he felt completely relieved. It was almost funny.
With no further conversation between them, the car driven by Wonjin arrived at the company in a heavy silence.
As the car stopped, Dowon swiftly left Wonjin behind and strode into the company building.
Dowon’s unusual attire caught the attention of the employees in the first-floor lobby, and some even whispered among themselves as they looked at him.
Shoving his hands into his hoodie pockets and dragging his slippers, Dowon made his way to the top floor, where his grandfather was.
As he ascended, he saw two security guards he had often encountered coming and going.
“Another hard day at work, I see.”
“Director Cha?”
The security guards looked at Dowon with the same puzzled expression that Wonjin had earlier.
“Tell my grandfather that Director Cha Dowon is here.”
The guards blinked at each other in confusion before returning to their stern expressions.
One of them said he’d take care of it and left for a moment.
Bottomn, the guard returned and informed Dowon that he could enter the chairman’s office. Dowon relaxed his shoulders, slouched his posture, and swaggered as he opened the door to the office. His grandfather, Heesok, was waiting with a face that barely contained his anger.
“Director Cha. You missed the executive meeting, didn’t come to work, ignored all contact. And what on earth is with that outfit? Have you decided to completely go off the deep end? You must want to quit the company, right?”
As Bottomn as Heesok saw Dowon, he scolded him with a tone laced with threats, but Dowon confidently confirmed his words.
“Yes. As you said, I want to quit the company. That’s why I’m doing this.”
“What?”
Without intending to prolong the conversation with his grandfather, Dowon handed over the resignation letter he had been holding.
“What’s this?”
“If you have eyes, you should be able to see. It’s a resignation letter.”
Dowon, worried that his grandfather might not have understood, clearly enunciated that it was a resignation letter.
“What? A resignation letter?”
“I’m quitting the company and opening a chicken shop. Don’t bother looking for me anymore.”
“A chicken shop? What nonsense are you talking about?”
“I’m sure you know what a chicken shop is. Or is your hearing going? You’re getting old, Grandfather.”
Dowon raised one corner of his mouth in a provocative smile. Enraged, Cha Heesok jumped up and pointed a finger at Dowon.
“You… you…!”
Heesok grabbed the back of his neck and began to tremble with anger.
The security guards quickly rushed over to check on him.
Unfazed, Dowon turned to leave, his resignation letter submitted, ready to head home.
Just then, he noticed Wonjin standing there, blinking in confusion.
How long had he been standing there?
Ignoring him, Dowon walked past, but Wonjin, adjusting his silver-framed glasses, stopped him.
“A resignation letter, Director? I didn’t hear anything about you resigning…”
“Well, now you know.”
Dowon’s nonchalant attitude made Wonjin’s eyes tremble.
“I’m no longer a director at this company, so there’s no need to be formal with me. Actually, we won’t be speaking again, anyway.”
“What? Uh, I….”
Wonjin seemed to have a lot of questions, but Dowon had no intention of answering them.
‘Why should I explain everything to him, anyway?’
‘Now that I’ve stepped down as a director, I should be free from the obsessive seme trope. Are you watching, author?’
Even after Dowon had made such a bold move, the author still hadn’t made any noticeable changes.
‘Could something have happened to that guy?
Or maybe there was an issue when I returned to this chapter and tried to revise the novel.
I don’t know the details, but this is good.’
Dowon chuckled ominously, then abruptly stopped laughing when he realized he was laughing like an obsessive seme again.
Dowon meant to laugh softly. What a mistake.
“I’ll take you home.”
Dowon just said we won’t be speaking again.
Wonjin stubbornly clung to Dowon.
“There’s no need. Oh, and you can keep driving my car. If you want, I’ll even write you a transfer certificate.”
“Wh-what?!”
“Thanks for all your hard work.”
With that, Dowon casually passed his car onto Wonjin, which he had been planning to get rid of anyway, and walked away.
Stunned, Wonjin stood frozen, no longer following Dowon.
* * *
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The poor security guards, probably wondering if they’ve lost it or are hallucinating😭
Oh gosh pls change ur mind about the outfit but anyway LET’S GOOOO
🥰
What’s “Bottomn”? This word keeps popping up here and there unnecessarily I might add lol
Thanks for the chapter
Thank you
Thanks for the chapter
Thanks
wonjin stay awayyy
I felt a little bad for Wonjin in this chap but like Dowon was pretty much betrayed by him in canon so he kinda had it comin… i do hope that wojin and Dowon make up properly since Dowon really did seem to trust Wonjin with EVERYTHING sigh
though the outfit is still embarrassing this chapter felt so refreshing!! i love dowon he’s so cute
Somehow.. I feel embarrassed 😭😭😭
Thanks ✨️
Lmao not the heart outfit 😭
Abandoned 1st in order to not be abandoned
Thanks
Good