By Zephyria 
What on earth had happened inside? The eyes that had been cleverly hiding and watching were now wide and clear. They were busy filling themselves with dopamine, whispering behind his back.
Executive Director Kwon’s eyes, which had seemed tired, turned cold as soon as he spotted them. The employees scurried away, afraid of getting caught in the crossfire. The already chaotic hallway went through several more ordeals like that.
Attorney Park handed Executive Director Kwon a bottle of water. As a professional, he was well-versed in lawsuits and accusations, but this was his first time dealing with a case of workplace violence, so he was at a loss as to how to handle this situation.
“I heard Secretary Kim fainted… Should we take him to the hospital?”
“He’ll be fine. He’s regained consciousness now.”
“Then, may I have a brief conversation with him…?”
“He’s not in a state to discuss lawsuits, so let’s proceed with that later.”
“Yes, I understand.”
At his firm dismissal, Attorney Park immediately accepted his opinion and even took away the water bottle that Kwon Young-je had been drinking from. Now that he had a rough idea of the situation, there seemed to be no need to stand here and talk any further.
Kwon Young-je massaged his stiff neck. Having gone through a difficult experience, it was only natural that he felt drained. He usually didn’t show signs of fatigue in front of others, but there was no way to hide the exhaustion on his face.
“I think I’ll head home now.”
“The security team has control over the elevators and parking lot. We can leave right away.”
Even when leaving, he shouldn’t forget to take important items with him. Kwon Young-je went back into the empty room, grabbed Hui-won’s arm, who was leaning crookedly against the wall, and forcibly pulled him up. Hui-won’s body swayed forward, as if he still couldn’t put strength into his legs.
“Want me to carry you?”
Kwon Young-je asked sharply. Hui-won only shook his head. Kwon Young-je’s brow furrowed even deeper at his listless appearance, unable to even answer.
“Then put some strength in your legs and walk properly. Unless you want to be dragged in front of everyone.”
Couldn’t he be a little kinder with his words? It didn’t seem like they were the same people who had been kissing and sucking each other’s lips just a while ago, with only harsh orders flying around. Well, this was just like Executive Director Kwon. Rather, Hui-won found his consistent coldness comforting, so he straightened his back and stepped firmly on the solid ground.
They walked, escorted by the security team. Both of them looked terrible. Their disheveled hair covered in white powder made them look like they had escaped from a disaster site.
Kim Hui-won would walk well, but occasionally he would stumble. Each time, Kwon Young-je would stop and stare intently at him. The unspoken rebuke that he couldn’t walk properly made Hui-won sigh involuntarily.
Ah… I want to go separately. Hui-won suppressed his bursting thoughts and took difficult steps. But contrary to his wishes, there was only one car waiting in the parking lot.
As soon as the back door opened, Kwon Young-je grabbed Hui-won’s shoulder, pulled him in, and pushed him inside. Even the right to sit in the passenger seat was taken away, making his already dazed face even more bewildered. Before he could say anything, Kwon Young-je followed and slammed the door shut.
“To Hannam Village.”
He gave the driver a short instruction. He spoke so confidently about where Hui-won lived, and the driver carried it out so naturally.
A suffocating silence flowed. Hui-won, trapped in the back seat, was miserable, and the driver, who was driving while being conscious of the back, must have been miserable too. The only one at peace in the car was Kwon Young-je.
Hui-won didn’t want to pay attention to him anymore, so he leaned his forehead against the left window. He had no energy at all. His ears were muffled as if he was submerged in water, and his limbs were limp.
Above all, the biggest problem was Kwon Young-je’s pheromone, which filled the enclosed car. Was he planning to marinate him? Even though he had already been exposed to enough pheromones, he didn’t know when to stop.
He frowned slightly and said weakly.
“Executive Director, the pheromone…”
A cold gaze flew at his difficult request.
He understood well enough that he had no intention of withdrawing his pheromone. What was the point of saying more? There was no way he could change Executive Director Kwon’s mind anyway. Hui-won gave up trying to persuade him and simply closed his eyes.
But it was comfortable, in fact.
The deeper he breathed, the more comfortable he felt. It was a strange thing. As the tight tension eased, his heavy head gradually tilted.
They passed through a section where subway construction was in full swing. The ride was not very comfortable due to the rough steel plates laid on the road. The driver was doing his best to reduce the speed, but he couldn’t help the rebound, so he kept glancing at the rearview mirror, watching the person in the back.
“I’m sorry, Executive Director. I should have taken a detour…”
“It’s okay. Don’t worry about it.”
Kwon Young-je replied indifferently. The noise and rebound were bearable.
As the slight shaking continued, Hui-won’s head bumped against the car window. The sound was quite loud.
Kwon Young-je, who had been checking his pending emails on his phone, turned his gaze to the side. The ridiculous sight was so absurd that he let out a hollow laugh. Was he sleeping in this situation? Even though it must have been quite painful, he was sleeping soundly.
He was about to leave him alone, but he put down the phone he was holding and pulled Hui-won’s head with his bare hand. It wasn’t a big consideration, just straightening his tilted head.
A sweet fragrant olive scent flowed from the loosely opened collar of his shirt. From his defenseless expression, he could feel that his condition had become much more stable.
The foul Kwon Young-ho’s pheromone could not be seen at all. Now, the only scent that Kim Hui-won smelled was his own pheromone, gently mixed with his.
That seemed to be enough. Kwon Young-je took a long breath and turned his attention back to his phone.
Hui-won woke up after a long time. When he opened his eyes, the car was already parked in front of the familiar villa building. Even the engine was turned off, so the surroundings were quiet, and the driver’s seat was empty. Only he and Executive Director Kwon were left alone in the car.
He hurriedly looked at his watch and realized that a whopping hour had passed since they had left. How could a person be so carefree?? Beyond embarrassment, he felt dizzy and grabbed his disheveled hair.
“…Why didn’t you wake me up?”
His voice was hoarse, as if he had slept well, as anyone could tell. Hui-won hid his embarrassed expression and secretly wet his dry mouth with his tongue.
Kwon Young-je, who had been sitting with his arms folded and his eyes closed, immediately lifted his eyelids at the sound. He didn’t give him a single glance, but instead let out a long sigh.
“Kim Hui-won.”
He didn’t seem to be asleep, but his voice was very low. Hui-won involuntarily tensed up and straightened his back.
“You know you had a shock, right?”
“Yes.”
“If you want, sue Kwon Young-ho. I’ve already told Professor Hong in advance, so he’ll prepare the diagnosis. Attorney Park will take care of the rest of the process, so you don’t have to do anything.”
“……”
He brought up what had happened earlier. The neatly arranged plan flowed out without a hitch.
Hui-won listened to his words but kept his mouth shut. It was difficult to readily answer that he would.
A cold gaze turned to the side. Kwon Young-je watched Hui-won’s face as he hesitated, still with his arms tightly crossed.
“I’m not forcing you. Do as you please.”
“I’ll think about it for another day…”
“Suit yourself.”
A nonchalant reply came out, as if telling him to do as he pleased. The gaze that had been given for a moment also returned to its original place.
“This is the last time I’m letting it go. Don’t ever step out recklessly again.”
He didn’t forget to give a sharp warning. He deserved to be scolded for disobeying the order to wait outside and making things worse by coming inside.
“I will make sure not to cause any trouble.”
“……”
“…And, thank you for today.”
Hui-won added the greeting with difficulty. It was a bit embarrassing, but he wanted to express his gratitude today because he was able to recover from the shock thanks to Kwon Young-je’s efforts.
Kwon Young-je didn’t say much. There was no particular expression on his sunken face, and he didn’t bother to nod. He was a man with manners that didn’t show off, so perhaps this reaction was natural.
“Rest.”
A short answer came back after a long time. Hui-won bowed his head and got out of the car.
His steps up the winding entrance path were quite slow and listless. He trudged to the front of the communal entrance and pressed the password. The heavy exhalation he let out in the process was long and deep like a sigh.
After Hui-won’s figure disappeared, the sedan stayed in place until the living room light was reflected through the 8th-floor window after a long time.
The person inside was also breathing a tired sigh, no less exhausted than the person who had left.