NAME 60

Spicy and sour salad with fresh sashimi, watery radish kimchi, bright yellow pumpkin pancakes, and shiitake mushroom sweet and sour pork. The dishes, which were presented like works of art, were all delicious. Aged sashimi was served as the main course; it had no fishy taste at all and was so tender that exclamations of admiration escaped on their own.

After finishing the meal with stone-pot roe rice and clear soup, Seowon was so full that his pants felt tight. He rubbed his bulging upper stomach and tilted his head. Did I eat too much… To think I could eat this well even while with Baek Kanghyun. Could it be that I’ve actually become comfortable with him?

“If you’re done eating, get up.”

Baek Kanghyun paid for the meal. When Seowon tried to take the receipt, the man said it was fine and handed it back to the staff. Is he not processing this as an expense? Though puzzled, Seowon had no choice but to leave the restaurant without the receipt, yielding to the man’s urging.

“Team Leader, I’ll call a taxi. Should we go straight to the hotel?”

Seowon asked as he pulled out his cell phone. However, seeing the outdated phone in Seowon’s hand, Baek Kanghyun’s brow furrowed deeply. Sensing his gaze, Seowon offered an excuse he hadn’t even been asked for.

“I was busy with work today, so I haven’t moved everything over yet. I’m planning to do it once I get to the hotel.”

“…”

“The taxi is called. It will be here soon.”

The hotel was a four-star establishment, and they had reserved two rooms. Since it was a place partnered with the company, the price wasn’t high, and its proximity to Taegang Industries made it perfect for leaving early in the morning.

Baek Kanghyun got into the back seat of the arrived taxi first, and Seowon sat next to him. Normally, the boss should sit in the back while the subordinate takes the passenger seat, but Baek Kanghyun had made Seowon sit next to him ever since they left Seoul. He didn’t know the reason. He just did as he was told. It wasn’t particularly important, so he hadn’t asked why it had to be that way.

Come to think of it, when he first met him again, he had been on edge about every little thing… but now, it certainly wasn’t the same as before. He couldn’t tell if he had adapted to Baek Kanghyun or if he had simply given up.

“Is that the hotel over there?”

“Yes, please drop us off in front of the lobby.”

They arrived at the hotel. This time, Seowon got out first, followed by Baek Kanghyun.

Upon seeing the hotel, the man’s expression looked quite dissatisfied. A four-star business hotel would hardly meet his standards… but Seowon figured it couldn’t be helped since they weren’t there for a vacation.

“I’ll go check us in.”

Leaving behind the man who didn’t even bother to answer, he went to the reception desk. While he was verifying the reservation details and filling out the forms, Baek Kanghyun suddenly stood right next to him. He glared at the lodging documents Seowon was filling out and abruptly threw a question at the hotelier.

“Are there two rooms?”

“Yes, I am assisting you with checking into adjacent rooms.”

Tsk. Clicking his tongue, he scanned the hotel lobby. Meanwhile, Seowon quickly finished the paperwork and handed it to the staff. Just then, the staff member who finished the procedure handed two room keys to Seowon.

“You can check the information regarding hotel usage here. Have a comfortable night.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Seowon handed one of the room keys to Baek Kanghyun. Room 1921 and Room 1922. They seemed to be rooms right next to each other. However, Baek Kanghyun didn’t take the key Seowon offered and instead walked ahead toward the elevator. His gait was quite fierce, like a man who was angry.

‘Does he not like the hotel?’

They were only staying for one night, so there was no need to go somewhere better, Seowon grumbled inwardly as he followed him into the elevator. They soon arrived at the 19th floor. Seowon followed with quick steps behind him as he strode across the hallway. Baek Kanghyun’s stride was so wide that Seowon had to walk almost at a run.

“Team Leader, you need to take your key.”

Seowon held out the key for Room 1921 to him. It was a room further inside than Room 2, with a much better view and a larger size.

“…”

“I heard that room is larger.”

No matter how uncomfortable a person he was, he was still the boss; Seowon thought it was only right that the man use the better side. After staring silently at the key in Seowon’s hand, he finally reached out. Seowon’s mind was already filling up with a list of things to do once he got into his room. First, set up the new phone, review the materials for tomorrow’s meeting, and then…

“Well then, please go in and rest… Huh?!”

Instead of taking the room key, what Baek Kanghyun grabbed was Seowon’s wrist. Pulling Seowon with lightning speed, he dragged him and opened the door to Room 1921. With a beep-beep sound, the lock released, and he pushed open the heavy door at once and went inside.

He didn’t let go of Seowon’s hand until he had inserted the key into the card slot to turn on the lights and walked further in toward the bed.

“Team Leader!”

“Are you going to ask me why I’m doing this?”

“Of course I am!”

“That’s exactly what I want to ask. Why on earth did you book two rooms?”

“… Pardon?”

“At least the bed is large, so that’s a relief.”

Baek Kanghyun threw himself onto the bed without even taking off his shoes. It wasn’t as if he were trapped in the room, but the atmosphere made Seowon feel like he shouldn’t leave, so he stood vacantly by the bedside.

“Don’t just stand there, sit down. Or lie down.”

“… I’ll go to my own room.”

“Just sleep here. It’s not the first time.”

“There’s no reason for that. I have to wake up early tomorrow… anyway, I can’t.”

He was worried that the man might rush him to have sex. Since there was a meeting tomorrow morning, it would definitely be very burdensome to wake up early if he did it with him.

“Are you worried I’ll ask to have sex?”

“What? N-no! I mean, it’s not that I’m not… anyway, anyway. Last time couldn’t be helped, but the situation is different now, isn’t it? We have two rooms booked anyway, so there’s no need to sleep together. You would probably be more comfortable sleeping alone too, Team Leader.”

“Don’t pretend to think of me. It’s just that you’re uncomfortable.”

Baek Kanghyun sprang up like a coil and stood facing Seowon. He grabbed Seowon’s shoulders as the latter tried to step back tentatively and met his eyes. Unlike Seowon’s pupils, which were shaking wildly like a candle in the wind, Baek Kanghyun showed not a hint of wavering. A question popped out through Seowon’s unconsciously parted lips.

“Team Leader, do you know… that you’re being a bit strange?”

At that, he curled the corners of his eyes and laughed silently. His heart pounded as if it were about to explode in response to that picture-perfect, handsome smile. From afar, he could hear a warning siren screaming that he was in grave danger right now.

“What’s strange?”

“Just, everything.”

Normally, it would be standard not to imbue meaning into the actions or words of someone who was merely a partner, but no matter how much he thought about it, there were more than one or two strange things. Starting from the Haewang Industries matter to the kindness shown after sex, the new cell phone, and the wonderful meal… No matter how he looked at it, the man’s behavior was a bit excessive for a pheromone partner.

So, Seowon wanted to make things clear. Before he reached the foolish conclusion that Baek Kanghyun might actually have feelings for him.

“It’s because I’m a bad bastard.”

But he tried to brush off the situation by throwing Seowon’s own words back at him.

“I’m not saying this as a joke. We are partners. I’d like it if we kept to the boundaries.”

“You were being obedient for a while, so why are you like this again?”

His complexion soured quickly. Furrowing his brow as if annoyed, he glared at Seowon. Seowon’s lips quivered before he spat out the words he wanted to say to the man, and to himself.

“It’s not that. It’s just that keeping boundaries is better for both of us.”

To that Seowon, Baek Kanghyun barked out a strong retort.

“You mean it’s only better for you, Assistant Manager Jeong. Isn’t that right?”

<Sunbae, what exactly is our relationship?>

<A good one, isn’t it?>

<Is it? But I…>

<I like you because you keep the boundaries well; it’s comfortable.>

The 21-year-old Seowon liked him so much that his heart felt overwhelmed just by looking at him, so he chose to become the submissive one. Of course, the dominant one was Baek Kanghyun. Fearing that Baek Kanghyun might find him bothersome, he was careful with his words and actions and followed him obediently. Failing to fathom the true meaning hidden in the man’s words about being comfortable and good, he had simply pinned his hopes on the word “good” and dreamed of a future with him.

“That’s not a bad thing, is it?”

“Do you really think so?”

“Yes, that way it’ll be clean when we end it later.”

However, the 28-year-old Seowon was already picturing the end with him. If his pheromone gland developed well and suppressants worked effectively… Seowon would no longer be dragged around by him and could go his own way. And he might even consider dating someone else.

He would meet a kind and nice Alpha, not a bastard like Baek Kanghyun. He didn’t even care if the face wasn’t that handsome. They say love is forgotten with love, so he hoped that by sharing his heart with someone else, the wounds he received from Baek Kanghyun would no longer burst open and would finally heal. But how much longer would he have to wait for that to happen?

Then, an incomprehensible reaction came back from Baek Kanghyun.