Ch 44

<44>

 

The Start of a New Time (5)

 

“I think… we need to be apart for a while.”

 

“…Pardon?”

 

As if time and space had stopped, even the current flowing between them was abruptly cut off. Eunho opened his eyes wide, checking his expression once more. As if to prove that what he had just heard was true, his face was darker than it had been just a few minutes ago. His hot breath, exhaling a small sigh, trembled. The tension reached its peak.

 

“Choi Seryeong, the Executive Director, knows about us.”

 

“…H-How…”

 

As soon as Executive Director Choi was mentioned, Eunho couldn’t close his gaping mouth, focusing on grasping the meaning of his words. What kind of damage would it inflict on Yoonjae if she found out about their relationship, and what would be the extent of the repercussions?

 

“Has Secretary Park or Secretary Kim approached you more closely than usual recently?”

 

“No. Nothing like that…”

 

His thoughts were entirely buried with Choi Seryeong, and he almost missed what he had said.

 

“Ah, there was.”

 

“……”

 

“They said there was something on my shirt collar and tried to remove it.”

 

Only after seeing Yoonjae’s expression did Eunho understand the meaning of his question. The thought that they might have touched his shirt collar to check for the imprint, rather than to remove something, made his face flush with betrayal.

 

“Please tell me how things are going.”

 

So, was that why CEO Han’s smile was so chilling? It was unusual for him, who was always quick to leave after signing the investment contract, to approach and talk to him first. He had no interest in other employees, to the point where he only cared about Secretary Park, who was his own person.

 

“Executive Director Choi is trying to use you to threaten me.”

 

“Pardon?”

 

“She wants me to step down from the company at the general shareholders meeting.”

 

He had met her twice, and both times her impression was not good. Eunho had never thought highly of her from the start, due to her unpleasant nature of trying to manipulate people at her feet as she pleased.

 

“You mean, she’s going to grab me and threaten Executive Director to step down from his position?”

 

When he summarized the conversation and asked again, he nodded with a bitter smile. He had guessed that the opposing side wouldn’t easily back down when they said they were changing the company name at the next general shareholders meeting, but he didn’t expect them to prepare such dirty tactics. Eunho let out a hollow breath, cleared all the thoughts in his head, and quickly switched gears.

 

“Where should I go? I need to get as far away as possible.”

 

Eunho took the initiative as if he were about to leave right away, asking what he intended to do. Watching him, Yoonjae rubbed his gaunt face and gritted his teeth. He had tried to control himself, but it was all in vain. Yoonjae couldn’t forgive himself for creating this situation.

 

“Should I go to my parents’ house?”

 

America would be fine. If what he said was true, being in the same Seoul was too dangerous. If he was going to hide anyway, it would be better to go far away to a place they couldn’t find. When he joined the company, there was no need to write down his parents’ home address, so it was never recorded, so there was no safer place than there. From the moment he formed a relationship with Yoonjae, Eunho took the responsibility that would follow seriously. He didn’t want to be an obstacle in his path. He quickly recognized the situation, and Yoonjae’s expression hardened as if he had lost his words at the mention of leaving for America.

 

“Why aren’t you saying anything?”

 

Only now did he understand why he had drunk so much alcohol alone last night, and why he had repeated the same words, saying he didn’t want to let him go even when he was drunk, and a hot heat surged from his throat.

 

“Why are you suffering alone?”

 

The tears that had welled up streamed down his white cheeks and fell to the floor. Surprised by Eunho’s tears, Yoonjae quickly pulled him into his arms. Eunho was upset and angry that he was suffering alone, and tried to break free from his arms, but Yoonjae’s face, which he looked up at from close range, was rougher than ever, so he just quietly hugged him and calmed himself down.

 

“I’ll definitely find you after the general shareholders meeting.”

 

A month and a half until the general shareholders meeting. A long time if it’s long, a short time if it’s short. Thinking of Yoonjae struggling with the vacancy of the Secretary, his chest felt tight. Eunho didn’t care about anything else.

 

“What’s a month and a half? I can wait a year, so don’t feel sorry.”

 

“If it’s a year, I’ll die first.”

 

Yoonjae, who was wiping away the tears that welled up in Eunho’s red eyes, frowned and suppressed the sadness that welled up several times. Even with Eunho in front of him, he was already filled with longing at the thought of parting.

 

“When should I leave?”

 

“Why are you in such a hurry?”

 

“It’s written all over your face that you’re in a hurry, but you’re too sorry to bring it up.”

 

He would always be anxious until he left the country. Before he could ask where he got this information, whether he had confirmed it himself, or whether it was really true, his expression was saying everything. Eunho only thought that he should get out of the way quickly.

 

“I’ll leave next Monday.”

 

Since today is Wednesday, he would finish his work by this week, and leaving the country next Monday would be less burdensome for him. Since there would be no problem if he didn’t go out of the house on the weekend anyway, he thought he could be greedy to that extent.

 

“Is that okay?”

 

“……I’ll take a leave of absence from the company and then process my resignation.”

 

“Resignation?”

 

“I’m going to reveal you as my partner when I bring you back. I don’t want to leave you as an employee.”

 

Eunho’s neat face was filled with moisture. His cheeks were a mess, glistening with tears because he had been crying and laughing repeatedly.

 

“And.”

 

Yoonjae took out a small jewelry box from the inside pocket of his jacket, which he had hung on a nearby sofa. Eunho, who had a sense of what it was, waved his fingers in the air. Had the time already come? He had completely forgotten about it, but a month had already passed.

 

“Don’t tell me it’s from this morning…?”

 

“Yeah, I got a call.”

 

When he opened the case, a pair of rings with Roman numerals engraved around the circumference sparkled brilliantly. Yoonjae took out the ring with the smaller circumference and carefully put it on Eunho’s left ring finger, speaking calmly.

 

“I should have given it to you when you were happiest, but I can’t even match the mood, and it’s terrible.”

 

Eunho’s nose tingled at his honest confession filled with apology. He could only feel sorry for the ironic situation where excitement and sadness coexisted. Eunho, who was looking at the sparkling ring, took Yoonjae’s ring out of the case and put it on his left ring finger, letting out a long sigh.

 

“There’s no such thing.”

 

As he overlapped his ringed hands, he felt a sense of relief as if he was acknowledging them as another medium. He felt like he knew why he was showing him the ring at this timing. Eunho, who had been struggling as if he was suffocating with sadness until just now, tried to calm his mind with the same pair of rings.

 

“Shall we take a picture?”

 

Yoonjae took out his cell phone for some reason and took a picture of their overlapping hands, adjusting the angle. He seemed to like the result, as he sent the picture to Eunho first and set it as the background for his lock screen, and Eunho followed suit and took out his cell phone. As he thought that there was not much time left, he felt sorry for every minute and second that passed.

 

“Why are you only taking pictures of our hands? If you’re going to take a picture, you should take a picture of our faces too.”

 

He turned the camera screen to selfie mode, stretched out his arm as much as possible, and filled the screen with the two of them. Yoonjae checked the camera angle, then hugged Eunho from behind and smiled brightly. When he looked at Yoonjae’s past interview photos, he mostly had artificial smiles, so he thought he felt burdened by taking pictures, but Eunho couldn’t help but be surprised by his expression, which was so comfortable and stable.

 

If he had known this would happen, he would have taken a lot of pictures from the beginning. Eunho took several pictures and then sent them to Yoonjae.

 

“There’s not much time left.”

 

“Tell me if there’s anything you want to do. I’ll do everything I can.”

 

“…Can we be together every day?”

 

“Of course, did you think I was going to be apart?”

 

He was so sad that he couldn’t hold on to the passing time, and Eunho smiled softly at his answer that he should be together, of course. The thought of not seeing his face every day for a month and a half already made one corner of his heart ache and sting.

 

“You can harass me every day and not say anything.”

 

“That’s what I wanted to say.”

 

He was smiling slyly, but Eunho’s eyes were still filled with tears. Yoonjae looked at Eunho’s ever-changing expression as if he was trying to remember it all. His expression was a jumble of gratitude and apology. Yoonjae’s gaze, unable to laugh or be sad, was not catching and was shaking, but it was clear that he was suppressing his feelings. Yoonjae, like Eunho, was also full of moisture in his eyes.

 

Eunho couldn’t bear to see Yoonjae’s tears. So, he deliberately threw words lightly as if he was joking.

 

“Even if I make dark circles under your eyes?”

 

“Would that be okay? I don’t mind.”

 

“Ah, I can’t. I’ll correct it to the weekend.”

 

He just wanted to confirm his feelings. Eunho doesn’t want anything more than that. He had already confirmed Yoonjae’s desperate feelings as much as he did, so that was enough.

 

“I’m okay, so don’t worry.”

 

“……”

 

“I’m really okay.”

 

Eunho buried his face in his arms. He felt like he would burst into tears if he kept looking at him. He wanted to be resilient. His heart was racing from the skin that touched each other through a thin piece of clothing.

 

Yoonjae, who embraced Eunho, who was digging into his arms, and stroked his back, cast his gaze out of the terrace, to the garden that was blurred by the rain. The sound of the rain passing through the summer was unusually sad, like autumn rain.

 

***

 

While the car was stopped at a traffic light, the hand that was holding the steering wheel slowly came down and grabbed Yoonjae’s hand, who was sitting in the passenger seat, and shook it gently. It seemed like a silent cheer, or a gesture asking him to look at him. Perhaps because there were only a few days left before he left, Yoonjae didn’t want to sit in the back seat and moved to the passenger seat, making it easier to see his face. Eunho constantly left a smiling impression on him. Yoonjae responded to Eunho by holding his hand and rubbing his lips on the back of his hand.

 

The tropical temperature in July sent a strong heat into the atmosphere from early in the morning. The heat haze rising from the hood every time he stopped the car made him realize the sweltering heat outside. The car was filled with the artificial wind sound of the air conditioner turned up to the highest level. The two people’s pheromones were gently mixed, riding on the cool breeze.

 

As always, the two recited the company schedule, tried simple puns, and exchanged cheesy expressions of affection. The routine that had become a habit seemed special today, and he felt sorry for every minute and second. Whenever his heart was about to fill with stuffiness, Eunho deliberately pretended to be excited and tapped his fingers on the steering wheel.

 

Yoonjae was worried about how much he should tell him about Kang Taeoh, and decided to tell him only the minimum. He judged that if he told him everything, he would only increase his worries, and an unintended situation could arise that would ruin the situation. Yoonjae lowered the sun visor to cover his dazzling eyes, leaned back on the seat back, and let the words flow by as if passing by.

 

“Do you happen to have Managing Director Kang Taeoh of Seoin Construction’s business card?”

 

“…Pardon? …Yes.”

 

“There’s no way this would happen, but if there comes a situation where I and Chief Yoon can’t be reached, contact that person.”

 

When Kang Taeoh’s name came out of Yoonjae’s mouth, Eunho’s eyes, which had been watching the front, quickly turned to the side.

 

“Managing Director Kang Taeoh?”

 

After a short answer of affirmation, a silence that had lost its way briefly came and went.

 

“……You said you didn’t know him.”

 

“I’ve met him a few times recently.”

 

Eunho checked the distance from the car in front and adjusted his speed. He had already lost his focus on the part that said, ‘If there comes a situation where I and Chief Yoon can’t be reached,’ and even told him to contact Kang Taeoh, whom he didn’t even know well, in that situation. Eunho, who had doubts, checked the side mirror and asked the next question.

 

“Is he someone who’s helping you?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

Eunho’s lips coldly sank at his seemingly casual answer. There must be a reason. Maybe he’s just telling him briefly because there’s no way that would happen. Eunho wanted to ask more, but he didn’t want to tire him out, so he concentrated on driving without replying.

 

“And, Secretary Park will be watching you closely. Be careful.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Until you leave the country, don’t go out of the company alone, and stay by my side. Stay by Secretary Han and Chief Yoon during lunch.”

 

His lips twitched as if he was suddenly being treated like a child. While pressing his lips to hold back his laughter, he nodded seriously because he knew that his worries were not excessive. Yoonjae seemed satisfied with Eunho’s reaction, as he stroked his lower jaw with his hand and checked his scheduler.

 

“What shall we do tonight?”

 

“Shall we have a drink together for the first time in a while?”

 

At Eunho’s suggestion, Yoonjae recalled the wine house he used to go to and was about to make a reservation, searching through his phone’s call list. Then, a slender finger covered the phone, interfering with his actions.

 

“No, at home.”

 

Eunho, who was shaking his head, lightly stopped Yoonjae and faced forward again.

 

“We’re always at home, aren’t you tired of it?”

 

“The situation is like this, and… I’m just comfortable at home.”

 

Yoonjae’s sulky grumbling with his lips pursed in a straight line was somehow cute. Would he have ever imagined this appearance at his first impression? When he persuaded him with a mix of aegyo, saying that he wanted to drink alcohol and have deep skinship, Yoonjae immediately put his cell phone in his pocket and changed his face as if nothing had happened. Eunho swallowed his laughter and concentrated on driving.

 

***

 

Whenever he had time, Eunho organized the folders and created a document creation guide. He didn’t know who would come in to replace him, but he hoped that they would adapt as soon as they came, so he put a sample report in each folder and organized it so that they could follow the guide.

 

He was about to get up from his seat after finishing the regular meeting where various opinions were exchanged, but Chief Yoon approached and took Eunho’s document files one by one.

 

“Secretary Yoo, let’s have lunch together.”

 

Was it an order from Yoonjae? Eunho, who had been momentarily distracted by Chief Yoon’s comfortable smile, quickly organized his laptop and got up from his seat at the urging.

 

He expected to go outside, not the company cafeteria, but he didn’t know he would walk to a Japanese restaurant far from the company. As the noon sun shone down from the top of his head, his clothes were soaked with sweat due to the humid heat. After barely arriving at the Japanese restaurant, the sweat that had formed on his forehead slowly cooled down in the cold air as he entered the innermost room at the end of the reserved hallway. Eunho looked at the menu, ordered a sushi set and a katsudon set, turned over the overturned cup, poured hot green tea, and handed it to Chief Yoon.

 

“You must be feeling very complicated, right?”

 

Chief Yoon started talking as if he was indifferent, but he was constantly looking at Eunho, perhaps because he was worried about him. It wasn’t just complicated, it was right to say it was a living hell. Eunho, who blew on the steaming green tea and took a sip, put it down on the table and gave a self-deprecating smile.

 

“I’m going to leave without even handing over the work, so that’s what I’m most worried about.”

 

“I’ll do it, so don’t worry.”

 

Eunho, who had been worried that Secretary Han would be assigned to it, felt relieved when Chief Yoon said that he would take it. The raw words ‘I’m alive’ made him burst into laughter.

 

When all the ordered food came in, Eunho picked up his chopsticks and picked up a piece of pork cutlet that was cut into bite-sized pieces on top of the rice bowl. The crispy and moist texture was enough to stimulate his appetite, but Eunho chewed and swallowed the food roughly as if he couldn’t taste it.

 

“Chief.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Do you happen to know about Managing Director Kang Taeoh?”