PAO 27

“Welcome.”

As Seowon sat down, he spoke again in a friendly manner.

“Thank you for taking the time, despite your busy schedule.”

“For anyone else, it might be different, but for you, Seowon, you’re always welcome.”

“Thank you.”

Seowon saw the Americano placed in front of him, gave the secretary a slight bow, and then gladly picked up the cup. Taking a big sip, he felt the cloying drink from earlier being washed away completely. Just as a smile naturally formed on his face, Junghoo’s father, Yoo Younghan, spoke.

“How long has it been?”

“The last time was when I saw you once after I started high school.”

He answered while thinking back, but in truth, there was nothing to be confused about. It was because the last time was when he had gone to see Yoo Younghan directly after he was no longer able to meet Junghoo.

However, it was difficult to say that he remembered that day clearly. The conversation they had at the time wasn’t very pleasant, so he didn’t want to bring it up and ruin the mood.

“You look well.”

“It’s all thanks to you, Mr. Chairman.”

“What have I done for you?”

“I was really craving an Americano. As expected, an Americano is the best after eating something greasy.”

“That smooth-talking personality of yours is still the same.”

Yoo Younghan laughed out loud and gazed at Seowon’s face. Bright, affable, and trustworthy. Seowon, whom his son liked, was a boy with many good qualities.

“I don’t know what you ate before coming here, but I bought some cake for you. What a shame.”

“Cake?”

“Yes. I bought an assortment of slices. I gathered everything I could—strawberry, cheese, even chocolate.”

“How did you know I like cake…”

Seowon gave an awkward smile.

“I know all about you liking cake. I heard you don’t chew the cheese but let it melt in your mouth?”

“…”

“They say you don’t enjoy sweets, but you’d wake up from your sleep if there was cake. Is that not true?”

“That’s…”

What should I say? While Seowon was momentarily unable to hide his flustered expression, Yoo Younghan let out a hearty laugh.

“I know everything about you. And it’s not just me. If you go to Junghoo’s room, you can easily find pictures of you, and he even has all the movies you said were fun on DVD.”

Seowon was now so frozen that he couldn’t even offer polite pleasantries.

“You know how much Junghoo liked you.”

Now that he was being so direct, Seowon had nothing left to hide by denying it. Rather, knowing that this was the time to state his main purpose, he bowed his head.

“Thank you for lending us such a large sum of money.”

“Hmm…”

Yoo Younghan, who had been leading the conversation all along, hesitated for the first time. Seowon accepted it, figuring it was inevitable since financial transactions were bound to make things uncomfortable for both parties.

“There’s no need for you to thank me for that.”

However, Yoo Younghan waved his hand, refusing Seowon’s thanks. Not knowing why, Seowon just stared at him, and Yoo Younghan cleared his throat and spoke.

“That’s Junghoo’s personal money.”

“A student has that much money? Ah, I’m sorry. I’ve overstepped my bounds.”

Seowon quickly admitted his mistake and apologized. Junghoo was a direct descendant of one of the top conglomerates. It was an amount he could easily have, but Seowon had only thought from his own perspective. But Yoo Younghan shook his head as if that wasn’t it either.

“I didn’t give it to him. It’s money Junghoo earned himself.”

“Uh…”

Seowon scratched his head and recalled the conversation he’d had with Junghoo. He had asked him back then if he had borrowed it from his parents. Junghoo had said no, but he hadn’t readily believed him. It was understandable, given the enormous sum. And what had Junghoo said?

‘This is money I earned by working hard in bed.’

The mention of a bed in front had made him believe it even less. But it was true?

Seowon swallowed a surprised gulp.

“It’s not my place to say, but there is one thing I can tell you. It wasn’t money that Junghoo earned easily, either.”

At Yoo Younghan’s heavy tone, Seowon also felt a great sense of responsibility and couldn’t lift his head. He hadn’t deeply considered the feelings with which he had lent the money and had only been swept up by the playful exterior.

“As a Mister who’s seeing you for the first time in a long while, I have something to say. Would you listen?”

“I will.”

Seowon stopped his thoughts and looked at Yoo Younghan.

“Even if our son is a little cold to you, I’d like you not to push him away and just look after him once.”

Yoo Younghan wasn’t asking for much. He truly hoped for Seowon’s help when Junghoo’s life was in danger.

“That’s all I ask.”

“Mr. Chairman…”

“Call me what you used to.”

Seowon was speechless for a moment. To him, it was as if Junghoo had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. It was strange enough that the guy who hadn’t shown his face all this time had appeared as if nothing had happened, but everyone was worried about Junghoo’s health.

If he hadn’t gone to the hospital because his nosebleed wouldn’t stop, he might have thought he didn’t understand why Yoo Taeha and Yoo Younghan were so worried about Junghoo.

In the midst of all this, Seowon, who had been wondering if there was anything he could do, lifted his head.

“Mister, please don’t worry about Junghoo. Well, he’s hiding something from me, but I’m pretty quick on the uptake. I’ll lend a helping hand at just the right time, on my own.”

Rather than saying there was nothing he could do because he didn’t know Junghoo’s situation, he changed his thinking to doing whatever he could.

He could always pull Junghoo in by lying in bed like last time.

“As expected, you’re so reliable.”

After that, they chatted a bit about how they were doing, and then Seowon got up from his seat.

“I’ll see you again next time.”

Seowon turned around after a polite bow. He was surprised to find out the source of the money, but his conversation with Yoo Younghan after such a long time hadn’t been bad.

‘Not bad, my foot… To think that was really Yoo Junghoo’s money.’

Waiting for the elevator, Seowon sighed as he watched the numbers ascend one by one. Would it have been better to just sign a slave contract? His heart felt heavy.

A mechanical chime rang, and the elevator doors opened. Seowon, who had stepped aside to let the person inside get off, looked up when there was no sign of anyone exiting.

“Why are you here?”

“I had a separate appointment to meet with the chairman… Aren’t you getting off?”

Junghoo, who had asked why Seowon was here, looked at the chairman’s office, debating whether to get off. But he figured Seowon wouldn’t get on before he got off, so Junghoo reluctantly stepped out. As Seowon got on, their positions were reversed.

“Are you going?”

“Can’t you see I’m on the elevator? Of course I’m going, that’s why I got on.”

“Then I’m going too.”

When Junghoo got back on the elevator he had just gotten off, Seowon unknowingly stepped aside and looked at him.

“Weren’t you here to see the chairman?”

“He probably called me here to see Seowon.”

Junghoo decided it was nothing. Seowon looked at Junghoo, who was acting like he wouldn’t leave his side, and then spoke as if giving up.

“Let’s go. I’ll buy you a chocolate latte.”

Junghoo took one sip of the chocolate latte and then stared at it without taking another, his expression quite serious.

With a look that seemed to question whether this was coffee or not, Seowon let out a small, dry cough to suppress his laughter. As he drank the iced tea in front of him, he could feel Junghoo’s gaze.

“Does Seowon like iced tea?”

When talking with Junghoo, he heard his own name an awful lot. When it’s just the two of them, isn’t it unnecessary to call him by name?

“I’ve had a lot of coffee today.”

After finishing the chocolate latte Minsung had bought him, he had immediately cleansed his palate with an Americano, so he had lost the desire to drink any more coffee. The day felt incredibly long, and Seowon rested his chin on his hand. As he watched Junghoo furtively drink the chocolate latte again, he tried to recall what it had tasted like earlier.

At first, it felt a little cloying, but soon a rich chocolate aroma enveloped him, leaving a lasting impression. Junghoo’s pheromones were like that too. At first, they were refreshing, then they deepened and became heavy, leaving a long-lasting scent. Unlike before, when the amount was negligible, he now had proper, pheromone-like pheromones.

But Seowon couldn’t tell him to get checked out just because the amount of his pheromones had changed, so he soothed his frustration by drinking his iced tea.

“Seowon, after you drink this, you’re going home, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Then shall we cook and eat at home?”

“There are plenty of side dishes in the fridge.”

“Just making rice would be nice too.”

Junghoo’s expression showed that he wanted to do something, anything, together. Seowon glanced down at Junghoo’s cup, which was already nearing the bottom, and then slowly nodded his head. There’s no reason why I can’t make rice.

“Then shall we go grocery shopping on our way?”

Junghoo’s expression brightened noticeably as he added this, and Seowon belatedly realized what he wanted to do. So, he wants to go through the whole process of grocery shopping and cooking together. Seowon stood up, looking at the face that would be happy even if they just went grocery shopping, bought only red pepper paste, and mixed it with rice.

Just for today, I’ll grant his wishes.

“Let’s go.”

Seowon, pushing the cart, tilted his head as he watched Junghoo head straight down an aisle.

“I thought you said we were cooking.”

“Yeah.”

“Are you going to mix candy into the rice? Or make chocolate soup?”

As Junghoo grabbed items and threw them into the cart, Seowon took them out and looked at them closely. It seemed like he was just grabbing things at random, and the variety was all over the place.

He hadn’t paid much attention when Junghoo first picked up the mint candies. At that point, he didn’t know that he wasn’t just buying that one thing, but that it was only the beginning. Seowon, who had put various kinds of candies in the cart without discrimination—scorched rice, plum, red ginseng—now turned his head toward the chocolate section. He picked up white and dark without distinction, and then added jellies of every color.

A moment ago, he had thought he was the type to be happy even if they just bought red pepper paste and mixed it with rice, but this was not it. When Junghoo just skimmed the snack aisle with his eyes, Seowon, dumbfounded, called out to Junghoo who was walking ahead.

“Why on earth are you buying so many candies and chocolates?”

“Because I like sweet things.”

“You do?”

“I’ve always liked them. I eat candy before I go to sleep.”

Seowon couldn’t even laugh at Junghoo’s ridiculous bluff. As he looked at him with a slightly serious expression, Junghoo waved his hands as if to say that wasn’t it.