chapter 24

It was a first. Bringing Shin Tae-oh into the house.

'Did I clean up before leaving?' se-hyeon thought

Living alone, Se-hyeon didn't often think about whether things were dirty or not. He just used whatever was in its familiar place...

"Please wait a moment."

Se-hyeon stopped Shin Tae-oh by the door and opened the front door, only enough for his body to slip inside.

After confirming that the state of the house was acceptable, Se-hyeon finally opened the door towards Shin Tae-oh.

As Se-hyeon watched Shin Tae-oh take a step inside, he suddenly realized something.

Now was not the time to be concerned about the house being dirty.

Shin Tae-oh couldn't have been unaware of what Se-hyeon had realized. Se-hyeon swallowed a sigh. He had already shown everything to Shin Tae-oh, so what difference would it make if he sent him away now?

"Wait a moment."

It was Shin Tae-oh's first remark after looking around the house. Always ready to speak his mind. Se-hyeon nodded, not having anything surprising to say.

So he started first "Shall we be honest with each other?"

"Understood."

Shin Tae-oh seemed like he wanted to talk about the items that filled the room, so Se-hyeon was prepared to speak honestly.

"Did you use everything I gave you well? Anyway, Yoo Jin-ha will go to someone else." Shin Tae-oh suddenly inquired.

"..."

"..."

Se-hyeon was confused for a minute and finally asked "Are you asking for a product review? I thought we were talking about Jin-ha. If it's not that question... Then It was good."

"..."

'Isn't that the answer you wanted?'

Se-hyeon quickly glanced around the room. There was no cake, but he pointed to the box that he had kept as a reminder of the delicious taste.

"The cake was sweet and soft, and the gloves were warm. They were easy to put on and take off. This is a genuine honest review, not something I'm saying just because it was a free gift. Also, you've been giving me detailed product reviews on items you paid for"

Shin Tae-oh's expression became increasingly puzzled.

'Lately, everything feels tangled and messed up. Did I really like Jin-ha? Why do I remember someone's first encounter so vividly? What are my true feelings?' Shin tae-oh really confused about his feelings.

He had said these words to Yoo Jin-hyeon. It had been a recent concern that had filled his mind. He realized that this was something he couldn't unravel with someone else's advice.

'I'll observe.'

Shin Tae-oh made up his mind to keep watching and see how things unfolded.

Having been passively letting the situation flow until now, as always, Shin Tae-oh

momentarily stopped turning away from himself. He wouldn't be disappointed that the world doesn't treat him as its master; he would squarely face it.

"Gloves."

The image of someone's fingers accompanying him came to mind. Long, straight fingers that were busy holding a phone, tablet, and various other items, leaving no room for them in the pockets.

His fingertips had turned pale and cracked in the cold wind, but he hadn't had a chance to take a look at his own hands because he was too busy working.

'I was foolish.' shin Tae-oh thought remaining their first encounter, things had gone wrong. He had hesitated the moment he saw his face, but he had dismissed it as unimportant. The most crucial time in which his life had been completely distorted, and he had turned away from it, resulting in the current state of affairs.

One by one, Shin Tae-oh looked at the items that suited Se-hyeon, and a faint smile crossed his face, tinged with a sense of emptiness.

'I like him.'

The moment he admitted that, the form of his feelings began to reveal itself.

When Yoo Jin-ha cooked the ramen for him, a decision formed in his mind. It would be alright with Yoo Jin-ha. Thinking about the time he spent with jin-ha made him happy, and he believed that being with him could fill in some of his own shortcomings, even if it was just a little.

But when Ahn Se-hyeon cooked the ramen for him, his heart trembled. He wanted to have it again. He wanted to be with him. Being with him made him feel so good that Shin tae-oh didn't't care about anything else. His heart told him what his foolish head couldn't.

"Please have the ramen."

Shin Tae-oh come out of his thoughts and turned around at Se-hyeon's call. When he saw Se-hyeon looking down at the pot on the low table, a smile formed on his face. It was true that he had fallen for him.

However, it wasn't the first time at the hotel, but rather when they first met.

Shin Tae-oh composed his calmer heart and expressed his gratitude to Se-hyeon, meaning that he had gone through some trouble.

"Did you prepare rice as well?"

"If you need it, I can make some."

Shin Tae-oh was skeptical about his response, but took a seat without questioning further.

Then, Se-hyeon lifted the tightly closed lid and after the trapped steam escaped, the true nature of the ramen was revealed.

As Shin Tae-oh looked on, Se-hyeon stirred the noodles with chopsticks and spoke.

"Since you had soup-based ramen before, I thought jjajang ramen would be good this time."

"That's a good idea."

As Shin Tae-oh also picked up his chopsticks, he naturally looked at Se-hyeon since he couldn't find what he was looking for.

"I'm sorry. I don't have any bowls to serve it in." Se-hyeon apologized.

"You don't have any?" Shin Tae-oh was surprised.

"Can't we just eat the ramen in a regular rice bowl?" Shin Tae-oh's gaze turned towards the kitchen, and Se-hyeon lowered his head.

"Usually, I eat instant rice, so I didn't need bowls."

Only then did Shin Tae-oh realize that there were no bowls either.

"Surely you have plates or something?"

"No." Se-hyeon answered nonchalantly.

To be honest, Se-hyeon's household management skills weren't meticulous. Even boiling a single pack of ramen and eating it directly from the pot was sufficient, and eating rice at home was a rare occurrence.

As they sat there silently, Shin Tae-oh muttered softly to himself.

"Unfortunate, indeed. It's not that my ears are burning, but rather pitiful…"

***************

- I've been constantly traveling by plane, so I caught the schedule changes late. I'm sorry. The chief secretary called the next morning when he a missed call from se-hyeon.

"It's okay."

As the Deputy Chief of the Secretary's Office, se-hyeon had no problem taking action on behalf of the Chief, who was currently abroad.

- If I had known, I would have kept it simple. What is money for anyway...

While making a phone call about the schedule, the conversation unexpectedly turned into a sigh of frustration. Amidst this, Se-hyeon quickly put on his shirt.

Even by saying this, he knew that the Chief Secretary had a great liking for his profession.

When was it? When someone asked why the chief secretary agreed to be scouted by his junior colleague from school, the Chief Secretary said: Was it because he wanted to become one of the top performers among those working under someone else? In short, he said it was because they offered a lot of money.

-Anyway, I'll take care of it.  The chief secretary said taking se-hyeon out of his thoughts.

"Understood."

Se-hyeon, who had finished changing clothes before he knew it, looked at his reflection in the mirror. Apart from his wet hair under the yellow light of the bathroom, everything seemed fine. He immediately left the house.

'Since I don't have a car, taking the subway would be better.'

Se-hyeon thought he wouldn't be able to reach his destination on time by bus because of the weekend traffic. However, as he left the door he spotted a familiar car, he couldn't help but pause.

There was no need to be confused; it was the same car model. It had the exact license plate number that he memorized and carried around.

Noticing that Se-hyeon had spotted the car and stopped, Shin Tae-oh got out of the driver's seat.

"Boss."

"I came to pick you up because we're short on time."

"I'm sorry."

Realizing how much time it would take, Se-hyeon immediately bowed his head and

apologized, but Shin Tae-oh reluctantly accepted it.

"Isn't it better to apologize sooner rather than later?"

"I understand."

"No, not here. Over there."

Se-hyeon quickly moved towards the driver's seat, but Shin Tae-oh stopped him and gestured towards the passenger seat.

"Are you telling me to sit in the passenger seat?"

"If you prefer the back seat, that's fine too."

However, it seemed that Shin Tae-oh was adamant about not giving up the driver's seat.

Se-hyeon, who climbed back into the passenger seat where he sat yesterday, felt a strange sensation. 'Why am I in the boss's car again, with him driving...?'

"Are we going to a dish shop?" Se-hyeon asked.

"Let's have a look."

Se-hyeon, who didn't understand why they suddenly needed dishes, followed Shin Tae-oh belatedly. After all, his primary role was to be the chief's aide, so he prioritised that.

"Welcome. Are you here to see our sinhon geureut, by any chance?"

[note: (sinhon geureut) in Korean typically refers to a set of dishes or tableware specifically used by newlywed couples. It is a common tradition in Korean culture or newlyweds to acquire a special set of dishes for their married life.]

The employee with a friendly smile asked, and Se-hyeon furrowed his brows.

Shin Tae-oh's house was overflowing with dishes. No, even if that wasn't the case, he was still single and didn't need newlywed dishes...

"Please show them to us."

"Come this way."

Upon Shin Tae-oh's response, the employee smiled as if they had expected that, and Sehyeon, feeling bewildered, followed along.

'Would I find out if I just waited quietly? I want to ask, but what if the answer is no? Shouldn't I ask before making a payment if I don't need the dishes?'

Se-hyeon, tormented by these thoughts, made a decision. Even if he received an embarrassing answer, he decided to just ask.

Just as he was about to open his mouth to ask Shin Tae-oh, it happened.

"Please make the payment. Secretary Ahn, bring all these dishes to my house."

Se-hyeon nodded his head in a daze at Shin Tae-oh's quick conclusion.

'It's not for me.'

Was it a good thing that he didn't experience the potentially embarrassing situation of asking? 'Am I perhaps disappointed?' Se-hyeon shook off his self-pitying thoughts.

In any case, to sort out the situation, Se-hyeon quickly proceeded with the payment.

"Should we wrap it as a gift?"

Upon the employee's question, Se-hyeon looked at Shin Tae-oh, unsure of what to do.

However, instead of Shin Tae-oh, who should decide an answer, it was Se-hyeon himself who was being looked at.

"Secretary Ahn can decide. Would you like it to be wrapped as a gift?"