By Zephyria 
Gyu-oh burst into the office first thing in the morning. He was dressed in a track top and gray training pants, with his hair completely disheveled. His eyes were red, perhaps from lack of sleep, but his pupils sparkled clearly.
“What do you suspect?”
Since the order to return had been given only one day after he had packed and left on a business trip, Min-ho guessed that he must have found out something definitive.
“You could have changed your clothes before coming.”
Min-ho muttered as he picked up his phone, which had been plugged into the charger.
“I was just curious, so I pushed it like a madman. What do you mean you have a hunch?”
“Look.”
He held out the phone to Gyu-oh. It was a text window showing the history of messages exchanged with Son Pro.
“……What is this. Are you confirming that you didn’t meet?”
Gyu-oh shook his head and pulled out a few sheets of paper. He placed several printed articles on top of the documents already strewn about in a mess.
“Not that. Look at the dates.”
“…….”
“Whenever I refuse, that article invariably goes up in the morning.”
Gyu-oh slowly scrolled through the screen with his middle finger, comparing it to the articles. Only after checking several times did he slowly lift his head.
“You’re right. The timing is too perfect to be a coincidence.”
“I got a contact in the early hours, but I refused. Then, as soon as it brightened, the article popped up.”
As always, it disappeared quickly, but now it would repeat throughout the day—rising to grate on the nerves and then vanishing.
“They put out an article because you wouldn’t meet them? Retaliation?”
“That’s what’s strange. I go to all my other appointments; I’m only refusing the ones that call me late at night.”
Still, it wasn’t as if he were ignoring Son Pro entirely, so the situation didn’t fit perfectly.
Gyu-oh narrowed his eyes and rubbed his chin. As he examined his face, where the slight growth of stubble emphasized a rough impression, he subtly fiddled with the area around his own jaw. His own situation wasn’t much different. Clenching his fist as if gripping that prickly sensation, he nodded.
“It felt like they were just poking at you. Someone like Son Pro has no reason to be desperate for a person.”
What he had felt during his few meetings with Son Pro was that the atmosphere wasn’t one of rushing in to try and do something with him, but rather just tapping him to see his reaction. Honestly, if they had just plainly said they wanted to sleep with him once, it would be one thing, but that wasn’t it either. There was even less reason for them to go as far as secretly publishing articles just because of him.
“……That’s true. He seemed like the type who doesn’t block those who come and doesn’t hold onto those who leave.”
Having spent some time investigating Son Pro, Gyu-oh would have far more information than he did. Even if Gyu-oh had filtered the private life details before passing them on, he had likely seen much worse.
“Withdraw the stakeout near the newspaper office. From now on, focus on finding out what connection Son Pro has with that newspaper. Whether he provided funds or made a request.”
“It might take some time. There were no signs of that when I tailed him last time, and the newspaper is practically a ghost company.”
Gyu-oh leaned down and rummaged through a few documents scattered on the desk. Because of that, the distance between them narrowed significantly.
Since he had zipped his track top up to the neck, the tattoos that gave him a ferocious image were all hidden. Nevertheless, perhaps because of his sharp eyes, the atmosphere remained the same. It was cool like the temperature of dawn before sunrise, yet dry, as if it might be warm like the early winter sun. If this work ended quickly, that guy could finally get some rest.
“I’ll buy some time.”
After speaking with such solemnity, he felt a bit ridiculous. He pressed the bridge of his nose, where fatigue had clumped, with his thumb and index finger.
“How?”
At the unexpected question, all movement came to a dead stop. How…… in this situation, there was only one way Cha Min-ho could handle it. Utilizing the interest Son Pro had in him, however faint it might be.
“Well, I’ll have to meet him.”
He forced the corners of his lips up, tightening his cracked lips. It was bound to be an awkward smile, yet a deep, dark gaze lingered on his face for quite a while. Gyu-oh, whose lips twitched a few times before closing firmly, eventually let out a low sigh. He was suddenly curious about what words had been swallowed in the end, but he didn’t bother to ask.
A long, inexplicable silence followed. It was Gyu-oh’s low mutter that finally broke it.
“Director Cha’s face is just going to get worse.”
“Forget it. When have I ever looked decent?”
Besides, right now, he had no choice but to cling to work. Otherwise, he might lose his mind again and spout strange things in front of that guy, so he had to push forward without giving himself room for nonsense.
“Even if I tell him to rest, Cha Min-ho probably won’t even pretend to listen.”
“If you want your throat to hurt, you can nag me more.”
As he put on his glasses and turned his head toward the monitor, a large hand suddenly reached out. Because the hand wrapped around his jaw without hurting him and pulled firmly, he had no choice but to meet those black pupils looking down at him.
“Then just do it.”
A low voice, sounding tired, seeped into his ear. It was a small voice, like a mutter to himself, but it was enough to block Min-ho’s words. He should have told him to move his hand, but his lips only parted silently. After a few shallow breaths, a hot body temperature finally touched his flickering lips.
“Until you listen.”
“…….”
“Is a sore throat such a big deal?”
It was a very thick contact, to the point where he could count the fingerprints of the thumb quietly pressing down on his chapped lips. The air that had been flowing calmly until a moment ago became heavy in an instant. The gazes entwined between them also grew strangely intense.
Since both were mature adults, they weren’t unaware of what this momentary, awkward silence meant. The important thing was that Won Gyu-oh was a guy who absolutely did not fit into such a situation.
“……If you have time for that, go shave.”
He deliberately focused on his pronunciation to avoid letting his wavering voice be discovered. He leaned back, sinking into the chair. Then, with great effort, he turned his gaze toward the monitor. He had to be careful about everything, even blinking and swallowing, lest he show any sign of awkwardness.
“Ah.”
Only then did the large hand, which had been lingering awkwardly in the air, completely withdraw. Gyu-oh stretched his arms out wide. The firm skin was revealed through the slightly lifted hem of the track top. He squeezed his eyes shut to endure the urge for his gaze to drift that way.
“Oops, I just washed up and forgot to maintain my dignity.”
His voice was as playful as usual, as if the brief flash of awkwardness had been an illusion. After that, he hummed as he packed the simple toiletries from the cabinet and left the office. The door, which had been closing so quickly, suddenly swung open again. A tired face popped through the gap.
“If I come back after shaving, will you have breakfast with me?”
I’m hungry. Min-ho didn’t bother refusing the words that followed. It was a proposal that the usual Cha Min-ho wouldn’t have turned down. He couldn’t act awkward just because it felt awkward. After confirming a small nod, Gyu-oh smiled brightly and stepped back.
“Haa.”
Min-ho, who had been staring stiffly at the monitor, let out a long sigh and roughly ruffled his hair.
Ah, no matter how much he thought about it, he shouldn’t have made that slip of the tongue back then. In the first place, he shouldn’t have drunk when his condition was at rock bottom. He should have just called anyone else.
“He’s really getting on my nerves.”
Actually, he didn’t remember every single detail of the situation, but Gyu-oh’s face—asking how he could be so nonchalant after saying something so outrageous—was vivid. Since he had heard such things from another man, how flustered and disgusted must Gyu-oh have been?
“…….”
No, perhaps he was the only one conscious of it. Wasn’t that guy always affectionate and easy with skinship toward anyone? Maybe he was just projecting emotions and interpreting things strangely into meaningless actions and glances. It could be that he alone was perceiving it as awkward and peculiar.
“……They say you can’t use a rag once it’s been washed.”
I’m exactly like that. Maybe he should have just played dumb and pretended not to remember. Then, would that guy have been more confused? Min-ho groaned and sank deep into the chair.
“…….”
Let’s keep a proper distance and stay sharp so I don’t make another mistake. He vowed it several times. Because Won Gyu-oh was different from those mediocre guys you could just sleep with once and erase their names. He was an existence that couldn’t be distanced for a mere reason like this. He stared silently at the door, which hadn’t budged since Gyu-oh left, and let out another deep sigh.
But life never flowed in the desired direction. Especially the life of Cha Min-ho, with Won Gyu-oh by his side, was uniquely chaotic. For about two days, they each busily collected data and evidence from their respective positions. Min-ho set up appointments with Son Pro, and Gyu-oh significantly reduced the number of times he visited the office.
Just as he was convincing himself that the unnecessarily uncomfortable and awkward atmosphere was an illusion, unannounced visits in the middle of the night resumed.
It was a bit past 4 AM. Min-ho was lost in thought, glaring at the clock. Should he stay up all night and go to work, or should he close his eyes for an hour or two? After agonizing for over five minutes, he was just stepping toward the bed to lie down for a moment.
Beep, beep-beep-beep-beep, beep. The sound of the keypad being pressed rang out quite rhythmically. That hand, so natural and urgent as if accustomed to the entry, was surely Won Gyu-oh. Min-ho stopped dead in his tracks and stared silently at the end of the hallway. Despite the owner being inside the house, the front door opened wide without hesitation.
“What? Were you not sleeping, or did you just wake up?”
Gyu-oh, dressed entirely in black from head to toe, paused upon discovering him standing there blankly. Then, he took off his black cap, swept back his hair, and strode inside. The smell of cold wind mixed with cigarette smoke wafted in.
“If you keep staying up all night, you won’t grow taller, Hyung?”
“I was just about to sleep. What brings you here at this hour?”
“Perfect. I was so sleepy on my way home that I just turned the wheel.”
Gyu-oh stretched his arms wide while holding his hat. With a loud, boisterous groan, a deep shadow stretched long at his feet as he approached. Since only the hallway light was on, the tangled shadows of the two people looked like one.
“I can finally breathe now that I’m here.”
The way they endured the darkness and the forms of the lives they had lived were so different. How could the depth of their shadows be so identical? He suddenly became curious about that.