NAME 40

Ding!

Baek Kanghyun’s home was on the 55th floor. Living on the 5th floor is dizzying enough; at the 55th floor, I felt a slight wave of vertigo as the elevator came to a stop. Yesterday, I had descended without knowing any better, but today, since I was in my right mind, everything felt new.

“Sit down for a moment.”

Seowon sat on the sofa he had sat on yesterday. The house, which appeared to easily exceed 1,800 square feet, was perfectly organized, much like a drama set. There were almost no small knick-knacks; instead, it was decorated with large, sophisticated furniture, giving it a very clean feel. The props, such as the paintings on the walls and the clock displaying only numbers, were all extraordinary.

‘Just how much money does he have?’

Since the car Baek Kanghyun drove was a sedan costing hundreds of millions of won, Seowon guessed the house and the furniture filling it must also be at a significant price point. The difference from Seowon’s own economic situation was so vast that he felt uncomfortable rather than envious. This space, filled with things he could never possess even if he worked himself to death—a space that was the essence of Baek Kanghyun—oppressed Seowon.

Sizzle.

While Seowon was absent-mindedly exploring the house, an unusual sound came from the kitchen area. Seowon craned his neck toward the direction of the noise and monitored Baek Kanghyun’s movements.

It seemed Baek Kanghyun was making something, but Seowon was neither particularly surprised nor expectant. He decided it was better to eat in this house than at a restaurant where he might feel too stiff to swallow properly.

A short while later, the scent of reasonably good food wafted out, and Seowon was drawn to the kitchen by the aroma. On the dining table sat salad, pasta, and steak. The salad and pasta still had their plastic wrap on as if they had just been taken out, while only the steak gave off an appetizing smell as if it had just been grilled.

Although his preference was rice over noodles and stir-fried pork or bulgogi over steak, now was not the time to be picky. He was so hungry that his head was spinning.

“Are you very hungry?”

“I believe I told you so.”

“Honestly, you never give a submissive answer.”

Having set out the forks, knives, and even spoons, he sat at the table and tore off the wrap. Seowon also sat across from him, fork in hand, waiting for him to begin the meal.

“I can’t guarantee the taste. Eat it anyway.”

Seowon began to eat slowly, starting with the salad. The salad tasted like salad, and the tomato-based pasta tasted exactly like the familiar flavor. However, Seowon polished off the food deliciously, using hunger as his side dish. Seeing how well the food went down regardless of Baek Kanghyun’s presence, it seemed certain that “appetite” was indeed one of the three major human desires.

“… .”

The only sounds were the clinking of cutlery against the plates and the crunching of vegetables being chewed. The two people dining did not share even a light conversation, focusing solely on the food.

As his stomach gradually filled, the feeling of extreme hunger slowly subsided, and only then did Seowon look at Baek Kanghyun sitting in front of him.

“Do you have… something to say?”

“Eat first, then talk. You need a full stomach to think rationally.”

At those words, his appetite vanished instantly and miraculously. Now, whenever Baek Kanghyun said he had something to talk about, a sense of dread arose first. What kind of nonsense would he spout this time? Or how spiteful would he be? Seowon put down his fork and adjusted his posture.

“Why don’t you eat more?”

“I’ve had enough.”

After a moment of silence, a long sigh escaped. The conversation hadn’t even truly begun yet, but he already felt exhausted.

Baek Kanghyun loosened his tie, crossed his arms, and sat staring at Seowon. His sharp eyes, set deep beneath his prominent brow bone, were fixed solely on Seowon.

It was that very gaze that had made Seowon’s heart flutter so much in the past.

“You have something to say. I’d like you to say it quickly.”

Simply making eye contact with Baek Kanghyun made his throat go dry and his breathing turn shallow. Keeping his eyes—which kept wanting to look down—tightly fixed in the center, Seowon clenched his fists. He didn’t know why he became so intimidated every time he was in front of Baek Kanghyun, like a herbivore sitting before a predator. He would rather respond if the man said something, but the silence made him feel a pressure that seemed to weigh down his entire body.

“It’s hard when the talking gets long. So let’s just play a simple game, Assistant Manager Jeong.”

The proposal he made upon breaking the silence was absurd to the extreme.

“A game? What kind of…?”

As Seowon swallowed his dry saliva, Baek Kanghyun gave a crooked smirk.

“Truth game.”

When was the last time he had played a truth game? It was likely the day the new recruit training ended after joining Samin. It was the kind of game played at a drinking party with many people under the pretext of fun, but in reality, used to probe the inner thoughts of someone one wanted to know about.

Seowon had never dared to join during his university days, and since he was never the object of anyone’s interest after joining the company, he was never properly mentioned in the game. And during that new recruit training, he had been almost inseparable from Jaehwan, so some people misunderstood and thought Seowon was in a couple with him.

However, Seowon didn’t bother to correct them and just left it be. It felt burdensome to have attention focused on him simply because he was a male omega. Since he had never drawn anyone’s eyes when he was a beta, there was no way he would get used to it just because he became an omega.

“Fine.”

Seowon mimicked Baek Kanghyun’s smirk. He didn’t know what Baek Kanghyun’s hidden intentions were, but he welcomed this kind of game. Just as Baek Kanghyun had truths he wanted to dig out of Seowon, Seowon also had things he wanted to ask him.

“I didn’t expect you to say okay right away. Will you be alright?”

“You’re going to do it anyway even if I say no.”

Baek Kanghyun did not respond to Seowon’s remark.

“But shouldn’t there be something for the game? Like a penalty or a penalty drink.”

“I don’t care what it is, so you choose, Assistant Manager Jeong.”

“You decide, Team Leader. You were the one who suggested it first.”

Looking thoughtful, he rested his chin on his hand and stared into space before standing up. He took a bottle of wine out of the wine cellar and placed it on the dining table along with crystal glasses. His movements as he peeled the top of the wine bottle and pulled the cork were so skillful that Seowon watched the scene as if possessed.

The wine was filled into two transparent glasses that seemed like they would make a very clear sound if they clinked together. The blood-colored, fragrant alcohol swayed lightly inside the glass. The dining table that had been set with food was quickly cleared, and wine glasses and the wine bottle were placed there instead. Now that the game was actually about to start, Seowon, whose alcohol tolerance was just one can of beer, felt worried.

“We only ask questions that can be answered with yes or no. The penalty will be drinking alcohol or taking off clothes. You are free to choose which one to do each time.”

“…What? What, what are we taking off?”

Seowon was greatly shocked and stuttered.

“Why are you so surprised? It’s just the two of us here, and aren’t we past the point of having seen everything there is to see.”

“Ye, yes, but that’s a bit… .”

“I clearly gave the choice to Assistant Manager Jeong first. It was Assistant Manager Jeong who refused it. If you don’t want to strip, drink the alcohol. Or just tell the truth. Is it too difficult? You’re someone who graduated from Korea University, surely you can understand this much.”

“N-no, but that’s!”

“I’ll let Assistant Manager Jeong be the first to spin.”

Baek Kanghyun slid a fork toward Seowon. Usually, an empty bottle is used at drinking parties, but since there wasn’t one immediately available, it seemed he intended to use a fork instead. Seowon swallowed hard and picked up the fork.

Right, it was fine as long as it didn’t point at him, and even if it did, he could just tell the truth.

Seowon placed the fork on the table and spun it with all his might. On top of the polished marble surface, the silver utensil resembling a trident began its rotation.

“…!”

The end of the fork, which spun for quite a long time, pointed at Baek Kanghyun. Seowon was so happy he even clapped his hands without realizing it.

“Assistant Manager Jeong is lucky.”

It was good that Baek Kanghyun was picked, but once it came down to it, he hesitated over what to ask. He contemplated what kind of amazing question there might be—one that could be answered only with “Yes” or “No” but could thoroughly expose Baek Kanghyun’s inner thoughts.

“You know it’s over if you don’t ask within ten seconds, right?”

“H-how can you do that?! I, I’m going to ask!”

Seowon dithered and then threw out the first thing that popped out of his mouth.

“That day! Why did you come to my house?”

“Buzz, that’s the wrong question. It’s my turn now.”

Baek Kanghyun was merciless. It’s an unwritten rule to let a wrong question slide once or twice, but he spun the fork as if he had been waiting for this. The fork, which had been spinning as fast as a fan, gradually slowed down. Both Seowon’s gaze and Baek Kanghyun’s eyes were concentrated on the tip of the fork.

“Ah!”

“… .”

However, the fork pointed at Baek Kanghyun again this time. Seowon didn’t hide his joy and even let out a small exclamation. Baek Kanghyun seemed quite dissatisfied as he picked up the fork to examine it.

“You spun it yourself, Team Leader. There’s no way it’s wrong.”

“I got it, so just ask your question.”