NAME 46

At the sight of Seowon’s face, which had crumpled into a near-weeping expression, the other employees couldn’t bring themselves to be happy and only let out awkward laughs.

Sigh, what kind of whim is this from a man who always went to meetings alone? His plan to eat lunch at the cafeteria and then buy a refreshing strawberry juice was completely ruined.

“Assistant Manager Jeong, what are you going to do?”

Assistant Manager Seo Jiyeon had a sympathetic face, even narrowing her brow. Unable to show how much he hated the idea, Seowon forced a faint smile.

“What else can I do? I have to go. If the field work ends early, I get to go home early… I’m trying to look on the bright side.”

“Right. Let’s aim to finish the meeting before 5 PM and leave early! Hang in there and see you tomorrow!”

Seowon packed his things sluggishly and stepped out. Baek Kanghyun was nowhere to be seen, seemingly having gone down already.

While waiting for the elevator to come up, he leaned against the wall. Well, things have been quiet for about a week, so it was about time for him to act up. He tried hard to think positively, telling himself that surely nothing major would happen.

But then, Baek Kanghyun, whom he thought had left first, abruptly appeared.

“Let’s get in.”

“Team Leader?”

As soon as the elevator doors opened, he grabbed Seowon’s arm and shoved him inside the lift.

“Team Leader, what is…?”

“If you’re planning to ask trivial questions like what on earth I’m doing or why I’m bothering to take you to the meeting, just keep your mouth shut.”

Baek Kanghyun rattled off the exact words Seowon was about to say. Since those prickly eyes were directed at him, Seowon had no choice but to clamp his parted lips shut.

“Lunch?”

“Are you speaking to me?”

“Is there anyone else here besides you?”

His spiteful way of speaking was difficult to get used to, no matter how many times he heard it. But if he flared up here again, they would only clash. Seowon suppressed his surging emotions and spoke in a flat tone.

“I was originally planning to eat at the cafeteria.”

“And?”

“What do you mean, ‘and’?”

“Your brain spins so fast when you’re working, so why do you act so dim only when you’re with me?”

The man, having said something that was either a compliment or an insult, curled one side of his mouth upward. However, Seowon was merely confused, unable to tell what he wanted at all.

“The cafeteria is a no-go. Pick somewhere else. Or pick a menu. Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Western, or whatever.”

Only then did Seowon understand what Baek Kanghyun was getting at. To think he would put it so difficultly when he could have just asked what he wanted for lunch. Since a meal with Baek Kanghyun wasn’t likely to taste good, he just wanted to eat anything. But since a reply that there was no such menu as “anything” was bound to come back, Seowon chose the easiest option.

“Then I’ll go with Korean food.”

“There’s a decent Chinese restaurant near Haewang Industry. Let’s go there.”

If he was going to do whatever he wanted anyway, why did he even bother asking? Seowon stared at Baek Kanghyun’s back as he walked ahead, his eyes like daggers.

They arrived at the parking lot. He tossed his bag into the back seat of his car and got into the driver’s seat. Seowon also climbed into the passenger seat, which had become quite familiar by now, and fastened his seatbelt.

“How unusual of you to not say much.”

Vroom, his car started with a heavy sound and pulled out of the parking lot. Seowon pretended not to hear his question and only stared out the passenger window. If he pointed it out, Seowon planned to excuse himself by saying he couldn’t hear because of the car noise. However, the sound of a chuckle drifted into his left ear. Seowon quietly swallowed his saliva. Baek Kanghyun spoke up again.

“Assistant Manager Jeong, you’ve been looking in good spirits lately.”

The advantage of Baek Kanghyun’s luxury sedan was that it was quiet enough that external noises, including the engine, were barely audible; the disadvantage was that the silence was excessive. In the car, where not even background music was playing, there was a sense of desolation. Moreover, Baek Kanghyun’s voice was low yet clear, making it impossible to ignore him any longer.

“Yes, it’s not bad.”

“Saying it’s not bad sounds to me like you mean it’s good. Do you really have to put it that way?”

“I just told you the truth.”

“I, for one, believe that I’ve had a significantly positive influence on Assistant Manager Jeong’s condition recently.”

He thought he knew what this man wanted. He seemed to want to hear a word of thanks, even if it was forced. But Seowon simply didn’t want to say those words, so he kept his mouth shut and hesitated.

“When someone asks, give an answer. Are you going to be like this at the meeting, too?”

But then he urged him on in an annoyed tone. Haa, a reply finally leaked out along with a sigh.

“I agree, to some extent.”

“Really, if only you couldn’t talk.”

“If I made you feel uncomfortable, I apologize.”

Giving a hollow apology wasn’t very difficult. He didn’t feel sorry in the least, after all. But gratitude was different. Honestly, it was true that he felt a tiny bit of thankfulness toward him. To be precise, he was thankful for his pheromones.

“While you’re good at making apologies you don’t mean, you don’t know how to express gratitude to others. I have serious doubts about you being selected as Excellent Employee of the Month three times.”

Hearing the sentences he rattled off without hesitation, Seowon whipped his head toward Baek Kanghyun. Glancing at Seowon while holding the steering wheel, he curled one side of his mouth and spoke.

“I’m thinking of writing this on Assistant Manager Jeong’s performance review. What do you think?”

The hands resting on his thighs flinched. Blue veins stood out clearly on the backs of his clenched fists.

“…You don’t need to go that far.”

“I’ll be the judge of whether I need to or not.”

“Do you absolutely have to hear me say thank you? Is it necessary?”

“Well. I didn’t particularly mean it that way.”

Not only did he play completely innocent, but Baek Kanghyun even laughed leisurely. Ha, steam practically rose from the top of Seowon’s head in disbelief. There’s a limit to mocking people, but mentioning performance reviews was going way over the line.

“It’s true that I received help from you, Team Leader. But since you enjoyed it too, isn’t it mutual? Even just this morning…”

Recalling the morning’s events, he clamped his mouth shut. Cooling his flushed face by fanning it with his hand, he leaned his head against the passenger window. His gaze remained directed outside. However, the sound of Baek Kanghyun muttering drifted into his left ear.

“When you’re the one who liked it more…”

For a monologue, the sound was too loud and was heard clearly by Seowon. As he held back his anger, his stomach churned violently. In this state, he didn’t feel like he could eat greasy Chinese food or anything of the sort. If he could, he wanted to open the passenger door and jump out into the road where cars were speeding by.

“Truly a bad bastard.”

The words he meant to say internally popped out of his mouth right then. While Seowon flinched, the man let out a snort and stepped hard on the accelerator. Seowon turned pale and covered his mouth.

“Why so surprised? It’s not like it’s news to me. I already know roughly what Assistant Manager Jeong thinks of me. A ‘bad bastard.’ Still, isn’t that a better evaluation than before? It’s better than a ‘bastard with nothing but a huge dick’ or a ‘crazy bastard.’”

“…I made a mistake.”

“It’s not a mistake; it’s your true feelings.”

There wasn’t a hint of displeasure to be found on his face as he said that. Rather, he seemed to be enjoying himself immensely.

“Since the subject has come up, I think I’ll enjoy myself a bit, too.”

“Enjoy… what do you mean?”

Still pale, Seowon asked back in a dazed voice.

“I mean I’ll have to receive the payment tonight for the service I’ve provided to you every morning for the past two weeks.”

“…Pardon?”

“We’re going straight to my house after the meeting ends, so keep that in mind.”

In an instant, Seowon turned white as a sheet. Even his shoulders hunched up instinctively. In other words, Baek Kanghyun’s meaning was that they would have sex at his house once work was over today. It seemed the persistent kisses or intense petting they had done until now hadn’t been enough to satisfy the Dominant Alpha’s murky desires.

However, Seowon’s position was different. Although he had slept with him while out of his mind during his heat cycle, he was perfectly fine right now. Just the thought of having sex with him while sober made his knees tremble already.

“…”

Inside the mind of the red-faced Seowon, memories of that day exploded like fireworks. Baek Kanghyun’s face flushed with pleasure, his greedy touch, and even his lower body that moved aggressively. He even vividly recalled the sensation of the surface of that pillar that had split his body open and pounded away.

<Do you like it that much? You’re clinging so hard.>

And even his lewd way of speaking. Seowon quietly placed his hand over his heart. Thump-thump, thump-thump. His heart beat as if it would explode at any moment. It felt like his breath would stop.