chapter 63

Yoo Jin-ha and Shin Tae-oh engaged in a conversation.

"Are you okay now?"Yoo jin-ha asked Shin Tae-oh.

"I was fine from the beginning."

"Where's that 'fine' coming from? Don't overexert yourself."

"You're the one who shouldn't come too close to me."

"Hyung, I just wanted to check if you are fine though..." Yoo Jin-ha swallow the remaining words due to Shin Tae-oh's experiences.

"I'm not fine."

Se-hyeon became a thorough observer and listened to their conversation. Yoo Jin-ha was the one expressing concern, while Shin Tae-oh was the one reacting with reassurance.

Considering they were talking as usual, like an older brother and younger brother who know each other well, Se-hyeon expected the atmosphere surrounding them to be awkward and tense...

However, as Shin Tae-oh slowly revealed his feelings and Yoo Jin-ha approached him with kindness, the conversation seemed somewhat gentle. Se-hyeon also noticed that Shin Tae-oh was receiving it well.

Yet, there was an indescribable ambiguous feeling that couldn't be expressed in words. As Sehyeon pondered over what it could be, he realized that Ha Min-hyuk, who was present, had become an observer like himself.

Why is this person staying quiet? Min-hyuk must know that Shin Tae-oh had feelings for Yoo Jin-ha... Now that Yoo Jin-ha and he are dating, does it mean it doesn't matter to them?

"He's changed."

Ha Min-hyuk, who was observing Shin Tae-oh and Yoo Jin-ha, turned his head and met my gaze. The words he spoke were so out of the blue that I couldn't respond.

"I mean that your boss is different from before."

Ha Min-hyuk kindly added an explanation. This time, I understood. It was similar to what I had been feeling, so it was only natural to realize it.

Se-hyeon's discomfort was also due to Shin Tae-oh's reaction. He was kind to Yoo Jin-ha, but there was no ulterior motive behind it. He didn't ask for food because he wasn't feeling well, nor did he suggest going to a delicious restaurant together next time.

In short, it didn't feel like he was trying to win someone over. It wasn't because of Ha Min-hyuk's presence that Shin Tae-oh, who had an opportunistic nature, didn't do anything.

Moreover...Tae-oh what are you doing?

Why do you keep getting close to me?

You told Yoo Jin-ha not to come near, but why do you keep getting close to me?

"The air conditioning here is too strong."

It's currently winter.

"I'll turn on the heating."

Thinking that it might be better to completely address his dissatisfaction, I raised the  temperature of the heating. It would soon become uncomfortably hot and stuffy, so I sent a  glance indicating that he should move to the side.

"I have nowhere else to go."

"There's plenty of space next to me."

"But I'll be getting closer to Jin-ha there."

As Shin Tae-oh scooted even closer and spoke, Se-hyeon became annoyed and looked to the side. True to his words, all four of them were sitting closely together on the sofa, and Yoo  Jin-ha was indeed near Shin Tae-oh.

"What if he gets influenced by my pheromones?" Shin tae-oh said in concern.

‘Aren't you the reason why I ended up in the hospital?’

Shin Tae-oh didn't seem to be grateful to me for not telling him to go away, so he clung to me without hesitation.

"Get even closer."

Se-hyeon, irritated, spoke sarcastically to Shin Tae-oh. However, upon doing so, Shin Tae-oh  snuggled even closer, causing Se-hyeon to fail in managing his expression and furrow his eyebrows.

“This is the first time I’ve seen an expression on Secretary Ahn.”

Upon hearing Yoo Jin-ha's words, Se-hyeon immediately relaxed his expression.

"I'm sorry."

"No, I didn't apologize. Oh, I thought I would see you at the charity party, but I didn't."

Of all things, Yoo Jin-ha mentioned the charity party. It was when the incident with Shin Taeoh's cycle of flirting occurred, and Se-hyeon had calmed him down and promptly went home.

"I had something to take care of."

Shin Tae-oh spoke up, explaining what had happened at that time. Thanks to that, Se-hyeon didn't need to say anything and simply nodded.

Suddenly, I became curious about the content of the original work that I had missed.

"By any chance..."

So, I looked at Ha Min-hyuk and cautiously tried to test my luck. Fortunately, Yoo Jin-ha was busy discussing the party with Shin Tae-oh, so there was no one

paying close attention to our conversation.

"Did nothing happen that day?"

"With whom are you talking?"

Ha Min-hyuk immediately sensed the tension between the two. He seemed to understand everything just by looking at my face. He was quite perceptive.

"Well... with your Hyung."

When I mentioned Ha Jin-seong, Ha Min-hyuk quickly responded.

"Nothing happened."

"Oh... really?"

If Ha Min-hyuk had heard, one might think that something must have happened. It was a bit perplexing. Did he really not realize Ha Jin-seong's secret?

While I was seriously contemplating, Yoo Jin-ha spoke in an excited voice.

"Do you know who donated the most that day?"

As expected of a charity party, the announcement of the person who made the most significant donation seemed to have left a deep impression. Se-hyeon remained silent in response to Yoo Jin-ha's question. He knew who it was.

"Well..."

"Just a moment."

Just as Yoo Jin-ha was about to reveal the answer, Shin Tae-oh suddenly reached out his hand, interrupting the conversation.

Unable to understand what was happening, Se-hyeon looked at Shin Tae-oh, who turned his head and locked eyes with him.

"Shall we make a bet?"

No.

There was no need for him to participate when he already knew the answer. Se-hyeon was already feeling complicated due to his conversation with Ha Min-hyuk, and he didn't want to add Shin Tae-oh's bet on top of that.

"I don't know everyone who attended the charity party."

Se-hyeon expressed his refusal indirectly. Since he didn't know everyone present, it was an unsolvable problem. However, it seemed like his excuse was insufficient.

"They must be someone we know. That's why Jin-ha is talking like that."

In moments like this, there's no room for escape. When faced with such a challenging response, Se-hyeon nodded as if giving up.

"I'll do it."

Although he didn't want to, since Shin Tae-oh prevented him from refusing, he decided to play along and provide a reasonable answer.

"Let's make it clear since granting wishes to the winner is too ambiguous, shall we?"

As Shin Tae-oh crossed his arms and pondered, Ha Min-hyuk and Yoo Jin-ha suddenly fell silent, observing the situation.

They probably didn't come here to watch.

Anyway, what will they do for the winner?

"How about giving a bonus to the winner?"

"You're selfish."

Was the person who suggested the bet in the first place altruistic?

If it wasn't for the bonus, I wouldn't have gained anything from this bet.

"How about visiting each other's houses?"

"What?"

"Based on the outcome of the bet, we'll visit each other's houses. Either I'll go to Se-hyeon's house or Se-hyeon will come to my house."

"Why would we do that?"

"It'll be fun that way."

Se-hyeon wanted to express his reluctance to participate, but...

"I'll give the bonus as an extra."

"I'll do it."

Shin tae-oh used the bonus as an excuse.

"But if we both get it wrong, the bet is void."

He didn't insist on finding a natural excuse that would naturally disappear.

"Since you've accepted, let me go first."

Shin Tae-oh's gaze naturally turned towards Yoo Jin-ha. It was because Yoo Jin-ha knew the answer, but Shin Tae-oh's expression as he looked at him was soft.

Even though I now know his feelings for Yoo Jin-ha, I was confused just by looking at Shin Tae-oh's eyes. That's how warm his eyes were.

How should I accept this?

"It's me."

Shin Tae-oh confidently pointed at himself. His face, full of self-assurance, was as bright as ever, claiming that he had donated the most.

"You're you, after all, right? That's great."

Yoo Jin-ha directed a rare, joyful smile towards Shin Tae-oh. Seeing Yoo Jin-ha's bright and cheerful appearance, Ha Min-hyuk tightly held Yoo Jin-ha's hand, revealing his possessiveness.

"And what about Secretary Ahn?"

In response to the casually asked question, Se-hyeon momentarily closed his mouth.

The decision now depends on my answer.

If Shin Tae-oh will think how I know, I can just pretend to think about the people who were there that day.

Se-hyeon turned his head for a moment, as if recalling the people who were present.

It's obvious that Se-hyeon knows because it was mentioned in the original novel. But Just when he thought he might say something nonsensical, the sound of Shin Tae-oh's laughter seemed to envelop Se-hyeon's ears, creating an illusion.

"I would have been the most likely candidate for Ahn Se-hyeon."

"...."

"You admire me, don't you? Naturally, you would have wanted to mention me this time too, but I spoke first, so you couldn't."

This guy!!, again.

"I remembered."

Just like Ha Min-hyuk revealed his possessiveness when he saw Yoo Jin-ha smiling, Sehyeon also revealed his possessiveness when he saw Shin Tae-oh laughing.

"Director Ha Jin-seong."

But it was only possessiveness towards the bonus.

"Secretary Ahn got it right!"

Shin Tae-oh's warm eyes when he saw Yoo Jin-ha, my desire to win even when I was

disgusted by the idea of making a fuss, and my materialistic desire for a bonus all resulted in the correct answer.

I was about to look at Shin Tae-oh, wondering what to do now, when I heard the sound of clicking one's tongue from somewhere. I glanced back and saw that it was Ha Min-hyuk.

Ha Min-hyuk's sad look was strangely unpleasant. I can't say we're good friends to begin with, but at least we're not close enough to get looked at like that.

As I was looking at Ha Min-hyuk, warmth touched my chin and my head immediately turned.

"You should look at me."

Shin Tae-oh muttered expressionlessly, as if asking when he had smiled. The heavy

atmosphere he created left Se-hyeon frozen in place.

"Let's go home."

“Are you saying you want to be discharged from the hospital?”

The person who said they would proceed with the discharge process through Chief Secretary Lee Jin-ho suddenly wants to go home now? If the intention was to part ways, it would be natural to have a chance to reflect on what happened today after being alone...

"We should go. If we made a bet, we should follow through with the outcome."

Only then did I understand why Shin Tae-oh wanted to leave immediately.

***

Was I this foolish?

When I followed Shin Tae-oh and observed from the perspective of an observer, it seemed like I knew everything. I could see who was thinking what and how the relationships were unfolding.

I readily accepted Shin Tae-oh and Ha Jin-seong's childish argument as something simple and enjoyable. But the moment I became an active participant rather than an observer, I got caught up in a strange flow.

For instance, it meant that the outcome of the bet did not determine whether the winner goes to the loser's house or vice versa. The details were not set.

"Since I lost, I should follow the winner."

Se-hyeon was perplexed by Shin Tae-oh's nonchalant response.

If it were the opposite case, meaning if I had lost, would I have gone to Shin Tae-oh's house?

"I don't think so."

Perhaps Tae-oh had planned to come to my house from the beginning.