* * *
Once Doyoung started digging, he was relentless.
His sharp words left Beom Sinje defenseless.
“Or, what? Are you jealous or something?”
The casual jab hit its mark, and Beom Sinje’s eyes wavered violently, betraying his inner turmoil.
“What are you even talking about…?”
He managed to squeeze out a denial, but his shaky voice gave him away.
Anyone could hear it was practically an admission.
Doyoung paused, startled by the unexpected reaction.
‘Why isn’t he denying it?’
He had been so sure—absolutely certain—that it couldn’t be true.
Yet the way Beom Sinje was acting made him doubt.
The awkward tension was unbearable.
“Look…”
He was about to change the subject, maybe mention checking with a doctor about his condition and tell Beom Sinje to focus on his own work.
But before he could, Beom Sinje cut him off abruptly.
“What if I am? Will you keep your distance from me?”
“…What?”
“I don’t like it when other people act chummy with you, using that as an excuse to get into the guild. So, if I said yes, would you stop contacting me?”
The more Beom Sinje spoke, the bolder his words became.
His gaze, sharp and unwavering, was anything but subdued.
“You’re ridiculous. It almost sounds like you like me or something.”
He sounded like a child upset about his older brother being taken away.
“Don’t worry. You’re still my number one priority.”
The sad part was, the person at the center of all these plans had no idea.
Not that Doyoung particularly wanted to make it obvious.
That’s why he had tried to joke about it, to diffuse the situation before things got too serious.
But it seemed he had underestimated Beom Sinje.
Or maybe he hadn’t anticipated this outcome at all.
Beom Sinje’s reaction was far beyond what Doyoung could have imagined.
Not only did his eyes waver even more violently, but his face and ears turned crimson, the blush creeping down his neck.
“Uh…”
Doyoung’s jaw practically dropped.
This reaction was unmistakable, no matter how dense someone might be.
“Well, about that matter… let’s decide after I get back from my trip. For now, I need to step out for a bit.”
Still red-faced and unable to come up with any decent excuse, Beom Sinje all but fled the room, leaving Doyoung staring blankly after him.
Click.
The door closed, and Doyoung was suddenly alone.
“Hah…”
There was no way. It couldn’t be. Could it?
Pondering the possibility, Doyoung pulled out his smartphone and called Yeo Giwon.
If Beom Sinje had run away, the next best thing was to question Giwon.
But the call went unanswered, even after two more attempts.
“Busy?”
It made sense.
Beom Sinje had spent all morning with him, so Giwon was probably swamped with work now.
After sending a message to Giwon, Doyoung left the Guild Leader’s office.
Beom Sinje was busy preparing for his trip, and Doyoung had things to take care of as well.
His destination was the medical center.
“Good afternoon, Secretary. You’re in today?”
The moment he stepped inside, he ran into Joo Taekwon, who greeted him with a cheerful wave.
Doyoung nodded politely in return.
“Yes, I’m feeling better, so I thought I’d stop by.”
“I was wondering how you were doing. It’s already been… huh, how time flies…”
Joo Taekwon’s eyes lingered on Doyoung, as if piecing together the past few days.
Doyoung felt a wave of embarrassment.
“It’s been over a week, hasn’t it? If what you said was true, you should be fine by now. Besides, there’s been no reaction even after three days without any physical contact.”
Doyoung calmly explained his condition, trying not to betray his thoughts.
He realized that ever since he stopped seeing Beom Sinje regularly, the persistent urges had vanished.
He was angry when he realized Beom Sinje must have noticed before he did and stayed away intentionally.
But that wasn’t something he could tell the doctor.
“I see. If that’s the case, the toxin seems to be gone. Let’s run a test to confirm.”
Joo Taekwon led him to the lab, where a blood sample was taken.
While waiting for the results, the two chatted in the medical center’s lounge.
“It’s a relief that it resolved without major issues. Everyone was worried when we first heard about your condition,” Joo Taekwon said with a smile, handing Doyoung a cup of coffee.
Doyoung nodded, bowing slightly.
“I seem to have caused unnecessary concern.”
“Not at all. You’re a key figure here, and your absence was noticeable. Plus, the Guild Leader was especially concerned.”
Joo Taekwon chuckled, mentioning how the Guild Leader had been constantly checking on him.
“The Guild Leader… came every day?”
“Yes, either in person or by calling. Some even thought I was your personal physician.”
“Ha…”
Joo Taekwon’s lighthearted comment hit differently for Doyoung, making his face grow hot as he processed everything.
‘He’s been that obvious, and I didn’t notice?’
Of course, to others, it might just look like Beom Sinje was simply taking good care of a close friend or secretary.
Even Doyoung wouldn’t have noticed anything if he hadn’t seen Beom’s reaction earlier.
“It seems the Guild Leader really likes you, seeing how meticulously he takes care of you,” Joo Taekwon remarked.
“Yeah, it does seem that way,” Doyoung responded.
The word “likes” used by Joo Taekwon and Doyoung’s affirmative reply carried entirely different implications.
However, there was no need to elaborate on such a fact to anyone else.
“Oh, the results should be out by now. Please wait a moment,” Taekwon said as he stepped away.
While he was gone, Doyoung checked his smartphone.
Right then, a message from Yeo Giwon popped up on his messenger app.
[Doyoung hyung, is something wrong?]
[Where are you right now?]
[Obviously in the office. Why?]
[Come down to the underground parking lot for a bit.]
Doyoung hesitated before replying.
This wasn’t the kind of conversation to have in front of others.
As he sent the message, Taekwon returned.
“The poison has been completely eradicated. You don’t need to worry about it anymore.”
“That’s a relief,” Doyoung replied with a nod.
After exchanging pleasantries, Doyoung made his way to the underground parking lot.
He thought about continuing the conversation inside a car if there was one available but was suddenly reminded of his recent encounter with Beom Sinje.
“I seriously…”
Feeling abruptly drained, Doyoung rubbed his face with one hand and let out a deep sigh.
Why did every thought seem to lead back to Beom Sinje?
“Hyung, why did you call me to such a secretive spot?”
Yeo Giwon’s voice came from behind just as Doyoung dropped his hand.
He turned around, his gaze sharper than usual.
‘What the hell?’
Yeo Giwon, startled by the unusually intense look in Doyoung’s eyes, paused mid-step.
“Did you already know what feelings Beom Sinje has for me?”
The blunt question left Yeo Giwon flustered.
“Huh? W-what?”
Yeo Giwon’s eyes darted around nervously, a clear sign of his bewilderment.
“When you said you recommended that restaurant to Beom Sinje, you made some peculiar remarks too. You knew what he was thinking, didn’t you?”
“Well… yeah, I kind of did…”
Yeo Giwon had never expected to have such a direct conversation.
He found it amusing to watch Beom’s cluelessness about his own feelings and had even decided to help him shake things up between him and Doyoung.
‘But when hyung confronts me like this, it’s kind of scary.’
Doyoung’s rare show of assertiveness felt like being a student caught red-handed by a strict teacher.
‘This hyung isn’t as straightforward as he seems.’
* * *
