* * *
The only one laughing at Jingyeom’s remark was Soohyuk.
Jinwoo, completely blindsided, was too shocked to react.
Secretary Yang stepped in.
“Oh, come on, Jingyeom, why would you say that? You have to stay with Jinwoo.”
“It’s already far from work here, so there’s no need to make it harder. It’s only temporary… Ah, your place is close to the office, right, Secretary Yang? You said it was fine earlier, so Jinwoo could stay with you for a bit, right?”
“Well, yes, but…”
Secretary Yang glanced at Jinwoo, who was still staring at Jingyeom in disbelief.
Shuffling closer, Secretary Yang nudged Jinwoo’s side with his elbow.
“Bet you don’t want to be apart from Jingyeom, huh? Right?”
“…”
“Still in shock, huh? If Jingyeom stays here, wouldn’t it make sense for Jinwoo to be here too? Right?”
Though Secretary Yang directed the question at Wonbeom and Soohyuk, neither answered.
Soohyuk didn’t feel the need to respond, pleased that things were going his way, while Wonbeom was too deep in thought, wondering why Jingyeom wanted to stay here alone.
Jinwoo took a short breath, trying to calm his racing heart, then kneeled in front of Jingyeom, who was on the sofa.
“No way. I’m staying with you.”
Jinwoo’s rejection was predictable.
Jingyeom worried that Jinwoo might end up hurt again, but he had to honor his promise to Soohyuk.
‘This is such a mess…’
Jingyeom recalled the message from Soohyuk earlier, silently grumbling.
Soohyuk had sent a photo of the loan agreement, zooming in on the clause: “If even one interest payment is late, the borrower must fulfill three demands from the creditor.”
He’d then listed his demands.
Soohyuk: First demand: Baek Jingyeom moves into Sun Soohyuk’s house. However, Baek Jinwoo must go elsewhere. (5:18 PM)
Jingyeom protested, saying this was too much, but all he got back was a simple, “Demands are demands.”
The late interest payment had been genuinely unfair.
The loan was made on the last day of the month, so interest payments starting immediately was the type of policy only a loan shark would have.
Jingyeom had assumed payments began the following month, so getting an overdue message just two days later was completely unexpected.
He never thought Soohyuk would pull a move like this.
Still, Soohyuk had promised not to make any excessive demands, so Jingyeom had reluctantly agreed.
Even though he’d wanted Jinwoo to go to Hoonil’s place from the start, sending him away of his own free will felt different from being forced to.
But this was a rare chance to put some distance between them, so he had to make it happen.
“It’s just for a bit. The traffic was bad on your way here today, right? Commuting will be exhausting. If you end up late after just a short time, what then?”
“It won’t happen. I’ll just leave earlier. You’ll be staying here too, Director. We can commute together.”
“And who’s offering you a ride?”
“See? You can’t! How would you get to work without a car?”
Soohyuk’s scoff cut through the conversation, and Jingyeom quickly added to his argument.
But Jinwoo, undeterred, was about to speak when Wonbeom intervened.
“My house is closest to the office. Why not stay there instead?”
“Why are you butting in? We already decided to stay here.”
Soohyuk’s tone was dismissive, but Wonbeom calmly continued.
“Baek Jinwoo doesn’t want to be apart from him, and Baek Jingyeom wants to send him away for the commute. Staying somewhere closer makes the most sense. Secretary Yang’s place is small; mine is spacious. It’s the perfect solution.”
Back when Jingyeom’s accommodation had first been decided, they’d settled on Hoonil’s place right away.
This time, Soohyuk had moved fast.
Even if he’d soon be returning to his rooftop room, staying here with Soohyuk had made him uneasy, and now, this debate had prompted Wonbeom to suggest a solution.
Admittedly, with a bit of ulterior motive.
“I have plenty of empty rooms.”
Secretary Yang turned and slapped his forehead.
“Why did I even come here…?”
All day at the office, the conversation revolved solely around this issue, preventing any real work from being done.
Coming here was supposed to help straighten things out, but even in a new setting, the same looping arguments made my head throb.
It seemed endless, so Secretary Yang took the reins once more.
“Looks like we’re out of options now. If you want to stay here, either Jingyeom and the Director need to take a step back, or we’ll have to move to the President’s residence.”
“That’s not happening.”
“But I think this is the best approach! Jingyeom can stay here with Secretary Baek, and the Director can come and go together with him!”
Wanting to resolve things quickly so Secretary Yang could head home, I tried to wrap things up, but Jingyeom was unyielding.
“Why do you dislike me being here so much?”
“I told you already. I don’t want you to struggle with the commute.”
“But I said I’m fine with it.”
“…”
Seeing Jingyeom clench his lips shut, Jinwoo wanted to smack his own chest in frustration.
He must have a reason, so why won’t he just say it?
Jingyeom almost spilled everything but remembered the promise he made to Soohyuk.
Scrunching his nose slightly, he forced himself to speak.
“Even when I stayed at Teacher’s house, I had to change trains three times. It was exhausting. It’s far from home too, but it’s still closer than here. And…”
Leaning in a bit, Jingyeom whispered.
“It’s just for a while. You should rest, too. You’re always taking care of me. Don’t say you’re not tired!”
Before Jinwoo could even react, Jingyeom reached out and shut his mouth. Jinwoo’s eyebrows drooped.
Even though Jingyeom seemed adamant about not wanting Jinwoo around, there was no budging him.
Normally, Jinwoo would scold him and try to accommodate, but today that strategy didn’t seem to work.
It stung, but Jinwoo didn’t want to keep insisting and end up making Jingyeom resent him.
So, he conceded, and it was decided that Jingyeom would stay alone at Soohyuk’s house.
Wonbeom seemed particularly displeased with the decision.
Even during the meal after everything was settled, he continued to show his discomfort.
Jinwoo, too, kept glancing at Jingyeom with a wistful expression, which ultimately caused Jingyeom to get so stressed that he ended up with indigestion.
Luckily, Soohyuk had prepared medication in advance for Jingyeom’s stay, so they didn’t have to rush to a hospital.
They all stayed late to make sure Jingyeom was feeling better.
Only when Secretary Yang, now held hostage by the situation, let out a huge yawn did Jinwoo finally notice the time and stand up.
“I’ll message you when I get there. If you’re sleepy, don’t wait up.”
“Alright.”
“…If you need anything, let me know.”
“It’s only a few days. Don’t worry.”
With his face still pale, Jingyeom saw them off.
When Wonbeom reached out, Jingyeom instinctively placed his hand in his.
“Oh…”
Surprised at himself, Jingyeom tried to pull away, but Wonbeom held on tightly.
“My door’s always open to you. Anytime.”
“…”
“I mean it. If staying here gets uncomfortable, come to my place.”
“Uh… sure. Thanks.”
“There’s nothing uncomfortable about it, really. Now hurry up and go.”
Jingyeom reluctantly replied, and just then, Soohyuk stepped in, prying their hands apart.
Jinwoo, who had been reaching out into empty space, clenched his fist.
It was hard enough knowing that Jingyeom would be staying at Soohyuk’s place, but seeing them so close made his chest tighten even more.
He still didn’t fully understand why Jingyeom was so insistent on sending him away.
It had to be more than just the commute, Jinwoo thought, glancing from Soohyuk back to Jingyeom.
“I’m leaving.”
“Yeah. Be careful.”
As Jinwoo kept looking back, Jingyeom waved him off.
The car Jinwoo drove with Secretary Yang and Wonbeom inside was already parked.
Secretary Yang climbed into the passenger seat after confirming everything, while Wonbeom got in the back.
“See you later, Jingyeom!”
“Take care!”
Jingyeom watched the car until it disappeared, then his shoulders slumped as he let out a sigh.
“Don’t sigh, or you’ll lose your good luck.”
“Do you actually believe in that?”
“It doesn’t hurt to be cautious. Come on, it’s cold. Let’s go inside.”
Soohyuk gently wrapped an arm around Jingyeom’s shoulders and smiled.
Jingyeom grumbled at that smile.
“I’m heartbroken that I had to send Jinwoo away. Why are you so happy?”
“Because you sent him away. Even if you’re hurting, I’m thrilled. It’s been a while since it was just the two of us.”
“Ugh, let go of me!”
“Not a chance.”
Even as Jingyeom struggled to pull away, Soohyuk refused to release him as they made their way to the front door.
The next morning, Jingyeom stirred at the sound of someone waking him.
Forcing his eyes open, though still heavy with sleep, he replied to the familiar voice he couldn’t yet see.
“Time for breakfast. You can’t skip it.”
“…My alarm didn’t… ring…”
Recently, Jingyeom had gotten used to waking up for Jinwoo’s early work schedule, so even in his grogginess, he instinctively tried to get up.
But without an alarm ringing, his body felt no urgency.
He hugged his pillow tightly and burrowed deeper under the warm covers.
Soohyuk chuckled, watching him try to hide from the morning light in vain.
Even though Soohyuk had installed blackout curtains to help Jingyeom sleep longer, Jingyeom stayed tucked in, oblivious.
Sunlight streamed into the room, and Soohyuk couldn’t help but smile at Jingyeom’s attempt to escape it.
Seeing Jingyeom nestled in the white sheets, wearing the pajamas Soohyuk had carefully chosen, filled him with the urge to pin Jingyeom down right there.
But he didn’t want to scare Jingyeom first thing in the morning.
So he sat on the edge of the bed and gently pulled down the blanket.
“Wake up. It’s morning.”
“…Work. Ah?”
Jingyeom startled awake, looking around wildly.
Realizing this wasn’t his room and seeing Soohyuk next to him, he remembered where he was and exhaled deeply.
‘Oh, right. I came to Soohyuk’s place last night.’
* * *
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