By Zephyria 
Hui-won lightly clenched and unclenched his hands, which were clasped behind his back. He didn’t know how to answer. He simply nodded in response.
“It’s largely our fault that Executive Director Kwon Young-je developed his condition. Seo-ran especially feels a lot of guilt. We knew she was suffering, but we turned a blind eye… Perhaps because we know it’s hard to undo, Secretary Kim might be seen as the only hope.”
Professor Kwon reflected on the past with a heavy heart. He seemed to believe that their mistakes were a major factor in Kwon Young-je developing his neurosis.
“How about Secretary Kim? Does he like Young-je?”
“Professor, I…”
“Young-je seems to like Secretary Kim a lot. Parents can tell. How their child treats someone, what kind of eyes they look at them with.”
“…….”
“I thought Secretary Kim, being perceptive, would be feeling it enough. Of course, I might be jumping to conclusions.”
Hearing Professor Kwon’s words, Hui-won’s head began to spin. He couldn’t flatly deny it, nor could he admit it.
It was true that he had grown closer to Kwon Young-je than before. Sharing body heat with him, overlapping flesh, sometimes his heart would unexpectedly waver.
Do I like Kwon Young-je? Does Kwon Young-je see me as special?
He couldn’t answer rashly in a situation where even he couldn’t make a judgment. The moment he defined it, it felt like it would be set in stone.
“I… I don’t know.”
In the end, he gave a lukewarm answer.
“Is there no possibility of things working out in the future?”
“…….”
“I’m not pressuring you, I’m just curious. If Secretary Kim has no intention at all…”
“Why don’t you just stop there?”
A low voice suddenly cut in. Turning around, he saw Kwon Young-je leaning against the doorframe.
He stared at his father with cold eyes.
“Why are you two so eager to tie us together?”
“Young-je.”
“Secretary Kim and I are not in that kind of relationship. I’m tired of explaining it now.”
“Young-je, I…”
“Why do I have to be misunderstood like this, even by my family? I will never, ever like Secretary Kim. If you were expecting something, please just let it go.”
He drew a clear line with a distinct tone. Professor Kwon gave a bitter smile and replied that he would.
“…….”
Hui-won lowered his gaze and stared at the glossy wooden floor. He was grateful that Kwon Young-je had sorted out the situation, but he didn’t know why those words sounded so disappointing. He felt somewhat shocked. Why on earth?
As he was lost in thought, Kwon Young-je came into the study and grabbed Hui-won’s wrist, pulling him along.
“It’s late. We’ve shown our faces, so we’ll be going.”
His words to his parents were quite callous. However, Kwon Young-je didn’t seem to care whether his father was hurt or not, and he left the study. Hui-won was dragged out, unable to even say goodbye to Professor Kwon.
The car Kwon Young-je was driving was suffocatingly silent. Hui-won quietly looked out the window. He hadn’t said a word since leaving the main house.
Perhaps feeling suffocated by the unusual silence, Kwon Young-je slightly loosened his neatly tightened tie. He chewed on his lip and said,
“Were you expecting something?”
At those words, Hui-won slowly turned to face him. Kwon Young-je didn’t make eye contact and continued, looking straight ahead.
“It’s true that we’re closer than a normal relationship, but there’s no special meaning. It can be broken at any time.”
“…….”
“You were the one who said we shouldn’t have any foolish feelings, Secretary Kim.”
“I know.”
“Then why do you have that expression?”
Hui-won touched his face. Indeed, his expression was stiff enough for Kwon Young-je to point it out. A long sigh escaped over the palm of his hand covering his mouth.
“I don’t know either.”
It had been several months since he had started sleeping with Kwon Young-je. It was hard to dismiss it as a casual relationship, considering the number of times and the moments of immersion they had shared. Perhaps they were closer and more intimate than even dating couples.
He couldn’t deny that he felt different emotions as he shared his body with Kwon Young-je. They had said they wouldn’t even share body warmth, but it had been impossible from the start.
He knew it was no use regretting it, but if possible, he wanted to go back to the past and make it as if it never happened.
Hui-won fiddled with his parched lips. He couldn’t bear to look at him now, so he deliberately kept his gaze out the window.
He wasn’t sure if it was just physical attraction or affection. Do I like Kwon Young-je… No, that can’t be. He was too busy denying it, and even the dazzling city nightscape didn’t catch his eye. Troubled thoughts continued to gnaw at his mind.
When he couldn’t find an answer even after agonizing over it, Hui-won finally opened his mouth after a long time.
“Should we stop?”
“Now?”
“I’m a little worried about the future. I just… I think it’s better to stop now.”
“…….”
The silence stretched out like a heavy skein of thread. Kwon Young-je only looked ahead and didn’t give a clear answer. He pressed the inside of his cheek with the tip of his tongue, and after a long time, he opened his mouth.
“I have no intention of stopping.”
“Executive Director.”
“Secretary Kim, change your mind too. Honestly, I don’t understand why you’re worried. Isn’t it absurd and unlikely that we’ll become serious?”
“…….”
Hui-won bit down on his trembling lip. Kwon Young-je didn’t harbor even a shred of possibility, making his worries seem futile. He understood that they had different thoughts. However, he couldn’t help but feel sad.
“I hope we won’t discuss this issue any further.”
“Is that a request as a sex partner, or an order from Executive Director Kwon Young-je?”
Kwon Young-je briefly turned his gaze to the side. He stared at Hui-won’s face with a sharp gaze, as if to pierce through him.
“Why do you have to separate them?”
“…….”
“Either way, the answer Secretary Kim has to give is the same.”
Hui-won turned his head away with his lips curled inward. His will was too weak to break the stubborn man’s will. It was true that he wanted to continue with Kwon Young-je, and it was also true that he was worried about the future.
As he looked out the window, a sigh of sorrow naturally escaped. He didn’t know what to do now either.
The car had already arrived in front of the villa. The car was very quiet with the engine off, and an awkward atmosphere that had never existed between them flowed.
“Thank you for the ride.”
Hui-won said goodbye and unfastened the seat belt that had been tightly binding his body. As he got out of the car, he saw Kwon Young-je opening the driver’s seat door and following him out.
He moved without saying a word. He even stepped inside the communal entrance and got on the elevator. It looked like he was going to barge into his house no matter what. Hui-won wiped his face wearily with a heavy sigh.
“I… I don’t plan to sleep with you tonight, Executive Director. Why don’t you go home?”
At those words, Kwon Young-je glanced sideways. He stared silently for a long time before sweeping his hair back with his hooked fingers.
“Let’s have dinner together.”
“…Okay. Then.”
Hui-won sighed heavily as if it were a habit, and silence flowed again in the place where the conversation had stopped. Kwon Young-je had no choice but to massage his stiffening neck. The small space of less than a square meter felt stuffy.
Kwon Young-je had followed Hui-won because he felt like he shouldn’t send him back alone like this. It wasn’t so much out of guilt, but because he was concerned.
Looking back, he hadn’t yet received a definite answer that they would continue the relationship. That’s probably why he felt so uneasy.
As they approached the front door, Hui-won put his hand on the keypad first. Just as he was about to enter the password, the sound of the front door opening and closing was heard from a distance.
The person living in 802 had appeared at just the right time.
Han Jin-seo, who was wearing a hat pulled down low, made a happy sound as soon as he saw the two of them. His light footsteps headed towards 801 without hesitation.
From the moment he heard the sound, Kwon Young-je’s gaze had already shifted in that direction. The moment he saw Han Jin-seo’s smiling face, his eyes hardened fiercely.
Hui-won also showed discomfort after discovering his neighbor. There was nothing good about running into Han Jin-seo, and it was also awkward to show Kwon Young-je entering his house.
“Executive Director, please go back today.”
Just as he was about to send Kwon Young-je away quickly, his head, which had been turned to the side, slowly turned to face forward. The face he faced was eerily calm. A sharp tension was pressing down on Hui-won, making him think that if he said one more word, his anger might explode.
“Executive, mph!”
The moment he opened his mouth, Kwon Young-je grabbed Hui-won’s chin and roughly crashed his lips against his.