* * *
Beep!
At the sound of a short honk, Wookyung turned his head toward the street.
A familiar car was cruising at a slow pace, matching his steps.
The window hadn’t rolled down yet, but there was no need to check who was inside.
—Why are you just standing there? Get in.
That voice.
Every time he heard it, he thought—it was a really pleasant sound.
Less than three minutes after leaving the office, Saheon had already called.
Wookyung quickly scanned his surroundings, checking for any familiar faces or coworkers before answering the phone.
“This isn’t exactly a designated pickup spot.”
His tone was professional, and he kept his voice low.
That must have amused Saheon, because he chuckled before giving Wookyung another playful scolding—just moments ago.
—How could I make you walk all the way?
“It’s not even that far. Why?”
—Alright. Then let’s just keep driving like this.
What the—?!
Wookyung glared at the darkened car window.
And sure enough, a light laugh followed.
“I had no idea you were this childish, Saheon.”
—I’m usually not, but I guess I am when it comes to you.
What the hell?
That was way too straightforward.
Pausing mid-step, Wookyung looked toward the man beyond the tinted glass.
“Why?”
—Not sure. Maybe because I feel comfortable around you. Or maybe it’s because we’ve known each other for a long time.
Technically, they were High School classmates.
But they had never been close, and they hadn’t seen each other for years after that.
So that explanation didn’t quite add up.
And yet, somehow, he understood what Saheon meant.
He had mentioned before—because of Wookyung’s older brother, he had unintentionally heard a lot about him and seen his pictures.
“Do I seem that easy to you?”
He already knew the answer, but he grumbled anyway.
—Of course not. If anything, I was worried about how careful I had to be.
“Hmm…”
—I debated for so long before asking you out, you know.
“For all that, you didn’t even stutter or look nervous when you said it.”
—That’s because I wanted to make a good impression.
What a joke.
Even as Wookyung thought that, he was smiling.
He could see it—his own reflection in the darkly tinted glass.
—Hurry up and get in.
Enough teasing. It was time.
Even if no one was honking or complaining about the luxury car crawling along the road, it was still an inconvenience.
Not to mention, his slow-moving companion had already drawn enough attention.
“Alright.”
Ending the call, Wookyung opened the passenger door.
A refreshing scent immediately enveloped him.
“This scent…”
“You like it, don’t you? I got it just for you.”
Saheon gestured toward a dangling pine tree-shaped air freshener.
Wookyung watched it sway before getting into the car.
Something about it made his stomach feel oddly ticklish.
As soon as he shut the door, the scent grew even stronger than before.
“But who told you I like this?”
“Hmm… Let’s just say, I’d appreciate it if you did.”
“Why?”
Saheon gave him a look as if to say, ‘Do I really have to say it out loud?’
“Hmm…”
Wookyung turned his head, pretending not to notice, but the corners of his lips curved up mischievously.
As if he didn’t know.
He was the one who asked Saheon, after all.
Asked if his pheromones smelled like pine.
“So, what do you think?”
Saheon increased the speed slightly as he asked.
His tone was calm, but Wookyung could sense the subtle anticipation beneath it.
For a moment, a teasing remark came to mind, but instead of messing with him, he answered honestly.
“I like it.”
Then, he glanced at the driver’s seat.
When he caught sight of Saheon’s lips curving up in satisfaction, Wookyung smiled too.
Though they hadn’t planned to, meeting midway led them to change their destination.
They agreed to head somewhere they wouldn’t run into their coworkers at all.
“How did you even find this place?”
They arrived at a pojangmacha not far from Wookyung’s home.
To be honest, he hadn’t even known such a place existed here.
“I found it by chance the other day while driving back after dropping you off. Thought it’d be nice to come here with you someday.”
“You never went to places like this in the U.S.? I bet Woohyun hyung would actually enjoy something like this.”
From what Wookyung knew, Woohyun liked eating and having fun.
He was sociable, attended plenty of gatherings, and met all kinds of people.
It wouldn’t be surprising if he had visited similar spots in the States.
“Not really my thing.”
Fair enough.
Saheon did seem more suited to drinking wine or whiskey at a sleek bar.
But why here, then?
As Wookyung silently observed him, Saheon’s lips curled up slightly again.
“But you wanted to come here with me?”
“That’s right.”
Saheon nodded without hesitation.
He was surprisingly straightforward.
Thinking back, he’d always been like that—never hiding anything.
The one who misunderstood him had been himself.
“Shall we go in?”
Saheon held the tent flap open and gestured for Wookyung to enter first.
He didn’t hesitate.
Inside, the space wasn’t too large.
Red and blue tables were spaced evenly apart, and since it was still early, the place was empty.
The owner gave them a brief glance before motioning for them to sit wherever they liked, then lost interest.
They didn’t mind and took the closest available seats.
“There are so many options…”
“Yeah. What’s good here?”
Although he’d asked Saheon if he’d ever been to a pojangmacha before, the truth was, Wookyung hadn’t either.
He’d seen them in dramas and movies, but it never occurred to him to actually go.
More than anything, he preferred spending time quietly at home rather than eating out.
Still, maybe it depended on who you were with.
“How about this?”
Saheon pointed at a menu item.
“Are you good with spicy food?”
“I can handle it.”
“But have you actually tried this before?”
Wookyung asked skeptically, but Saheon looked completely unbothered.
He glanced at the menu again.
It was boneless, but it was still chicken feet.
And it came as a set with spicy cartilage stir-fry and flying fish roe rice balls.
The other dish he picked was also notoriously spicy.
‘Is he really sure about this?’
Even as he tilted his head in doubt, Wookyung quietly watched Saheon place the order.
They also got udon and mini kimbap, so it wasn’t too concerning.
But as expected, disaster struck.
“Hhh… ugh.”
After just one bite of the chicken feet, Saheon let out a strained noise and immediately grabbed his water.
A faint flush spread across his face—proof of just how spicy it was.
And yet, his expression remained unchanged, which made the whole thing even more amusing.
“It’s really spicy, huh?”
“…I won’t deny that.”
Wookyung’s own tongue tingled a bit, too.
But seeing the usually composed Saheon react like this was way too entertaining to focus on his own discomfort.
“Eat some kimbap. Drinking water will just make it worse.”
Even though he was enjoying the sight, he couldn’t just leave Saheon suffering.
He nodded toward the mini kimbap.
But Saheon, seemingly dazed from the spice, kept gulping down water instead.
Wookyung sighed, then picked up a piece of kimbap with his chopsticks and held it up to Saheon’s lips.
“Here.”
He waved it slightly in front of him, teasing.
At some point, an amused smile had crept onto his face.
Saheon stared at him for a moment before parting his lips.
Without hesitation, Wookyung popped the kimbap into his mouth and pulled his hand back.
“You never ate spicy food in the U.S.? They had tteokbokki and kimchi stew there too, right? Korean town is pretty big over there.”
“It never really crossed my mind. I wasn’t that into spicy food to begin with.”
“Then what do you like? Steak? Spaghetti? Wine? Whiskey?”
Jokingly, Wookyung tried to recall what Saheon had mentioned about his past.
He did remember him saying he used to pack his own lunches for school.
“Hamburgers? Sandwiches? Kimbap?”
‘Who packed them for him?’
He didn’t know the details, but HK Furniture’s CEO had sent Saheon to the U.S., and it wasn’t likely she took care of him afterward.
Then who had looked after him there?
Curiosity stirred within him.
But now wasn’t the right time to ask.
He could probably find out by asking Woohyun, but he didn’t feel like doing that either.
“I mostly just got whatever was easy to pack and carry.”
Once again, Saheon seemed to understand what Wookyung was getting at and answered nonchalantly.
‘I knew it.’
Instead of feeling relieved, an odd sense of bitterness crept up.
“So, eat with me from now on.”
Saheon’s voice was calm but firm.
Wookyung looked at him for a moment before replying.
“That’s not hard.”
Once again, he made an exception for Saheon.
At some point, he had become someone worth making exceptions for.
* * *
