RFT 26

Do Ye-jun gave a bashful smile.

“I eat well enough….”

“Take better care of yourself.”

“Goodness, how long has it been!”

Leaving the nagging behind, his father made his appearance.

“I couldn’t get a hold of you for the longest time…. I thought you’d gone off to America or something, kid.”

Beneath the playful tone lay a faint sense of disappointment.

“Forget it, forget it. Young people are all busy these days, that’s how it is. We didn’t even go to your grad school graduation, so what’s the big deal.”

“……Why would you come to a grad school graduation, Dad?”

“And why wouldn’t I be able to? Anyway, did you order?”

“Yeah, I ordered the bean sprout soup. By the way, how many employees do you have?”

“We were short-handed after expanding the shop, so is it seven?”

As his father spoke while looking around the shop, his mother chimed in from beside him.

“No. It’s eight! Another person joined not long ago.”

“Ah, right. That’s true.”

“Eight? You have as many as eight people?”

Do Ye-jun laughed in surprise, and his parents shrugged, speaking in a tone laced with subtle pride.

“Honestly, even that’s not enough. Business is just that good.”

“Even if it’s doing well, still….”

He had known for a while that his parents’ soup restaurant was successful. Customers packed the place from 6 AM when they opened until 11 PM when they closed. During peak hours, they even had to implement a break time just to catch their breath.

They did deliveries to the nearby neighborhood, but it was still just a small local eatery with fewer than ten tables.

But for a neighborhood’s famous spot to grow this much?

“Where did all the money come from?”

He knew his parents had been stressed because the previous landlord kept raising the rent. Because of that, there had been frequent talk of moving the shop.

So, the fact that they had moved was understandable.

However, anyone could see that the rent for this building was likely five times higher than the previous shabby one. Moreover, this side of the main road had a high volume of foot traffic, meaning they had to pay a much steeper price.

“The landlord here gave us a deal, so we moved in. Why are you asking such an obvious thing now?”

“Right. If it weren’t for that, we wouldn’t have been able to move.”

Regardless, his parents seemed 100%—no, 1000%—satisfied with the move. Do Ye-jun decided to trust that they had handled everything properly.

“Bean sprout soup is here.”

The kind employee from before returned with a steaming hot earthenware pot.

“Oh, Boss…?”

“Yes. Su-hye, this is my son.”

“Ah…! Hello.”

The employee bowed her head politely to Do Ye-jun. Because the greeting was so formal, Do Ye-jun followed suit and bowed his waist.

“Hello….”

“I’ve heard a lot about you. Enjoy your meal.”

But as if she didn’t have a moment to linger, the employee placed the soup in front of Do Ye-jun and vanished.

“She’s very efficient.”

His mother said, watching the scene with a satisfied look.

“But what brings you here all of a sudden? We haven’t heard a peep from you since graduation.”

Do Ye-jun, who was about to take his first spoonful, froze.

Worry was etched in his parents’ eyes as they looked at him. While they were happy to see their son after a long time, they wondered what had happened to make him visit so abruptly. Do Ye-jun gauged their reactions before speaking.

“Just… I’m planning to stay here for a while.”

“Is something wrong?”

His father immediately threw out a question at the vague answer. His mother, standing beside him, gave his father a subtle nudge with her elbow to warn him.

“No. I’ve graduated, and I need to start looking for a job soon…. I just want to rest for a bit.”

“Right, resting is important. Eat up and go home to rest. You don’t remember the address, do you? I’ll text it to you. Your dad and I have to go upstairs to the second floor. Take your time and enjoy your meal.”

His mother patted Do Ye-jun’s head and led his father away.

It was evident she was worried her son might be stressed. Seeing that made him feel a pang of guilt. Job-hunting stress was just the easiest excuse; in reality, he had run away to escape a man who was following him around because he liked him….

‘How could I possibly tell them…!’

He absolutely couldn’t. Do Ye-jun shook his head and practically shoved the bean sprout soup into his mouth. He felt it would be better to finish quickly and leave. And once he got home and held out for a few days….

What if Cheon Sa-hyun follows him?

He had to run away before then….

Chew, chew. The speed at which he chewed the bean sprouts slowed down. The soup made by his parents, which had been stolen contentso visit our sitedelicious, began to lose [unauthorized copy]its flavor. It was all because of Cheon Sa-hyun.

Do Ye-jun let out a deep sigh.

After Do Ye-jun disappeared, Cheon Sa-hyun went to work as usual, handling his tasks flawlessly as if nothing had happened.

He reviewed the new proposals and reports submitted by the employees and attended meetings. Kim Jun-hwan, who assisted him right by his side, also failed to find anything unusual about him.

That was why it was all the more surprising when Cheon Sa-hyun suddenly canceled his afternoon schedule in the middle of lunch.

“I’ve decided to proceed with the afternoon meeting without me. Manager Park will go along with one more team member from that side.”

The afternoon meeting was a schedule that Manager Park could have handled alone. Since the other party had practically begged to meet Cheon Sa-hyun, it was a schedule set verbally; canceling it wouldn’t hinder the work.

“…Understood.”

Kim Jun-hwan didn’t dig further and crossed off the afternoon schedule in his notebook.

After that, Cheon Sa-hyun said nothing until it was nearly time to leave work. He silently carried out his duties. Looking at the tightly closed door of Cheon Sa-hyun’s office, Kim Jun-hwan hoped that today wouldn’t end in overtime. There were usually two reasons why Cheon Sa-hyun canceled meetings: either to leave work early, or because he had too much work to even spare time for a meeting.

In terms of the situation, it was closer to the latter this time. Recently, work had been flooding in to a degree that even an observer like him felt overwhelmed. It seemed like the most grueling days since Cheon Sa-hyun had joined the headquarters.

Therefore, Kim Jun-hwan knew his wish was meaningless, but that was the plight [stolen content]of [unauthorized copy]an office worker. [Read on Read BL Novels]It was only natural to desperately long for the end of the workday.

And around 6 PM.

The office door finally opened and Cheon Sa-hyun stepped out. Kim Jun-hwan stood up.

“I’m leaving for the day. Secretary Kim, you should head home too.”

“…Yes! Please get home safely!”

Kim Jun-hwan bowed his head with a bright expression. Cheon Sa-hyun walked down the hallway, adjusting his tie.

“…Do you have plans today?”

Cheon Sa-hyun looked almost exactly as he did when he arrived at work. His hair, which had been slightly disheveled during lunch, was once again neatly swept back.

At the end of the hallway, the sound of Cheon Sa-hyun talking to someone on the phone drifted over.

“It’s been a while. I hope you’ve been doing well.”

Cheon Sa-hyun never spoke to anyone in that manner. The honorifics, and even asking how they had been.

It was all alien.

Cheon Sa-hyun was not a person who spoke so politely and affectionately even to the chairman of the company, who was also his grandfather.

‘Who on earth is he talking to that makes him speak like that?’

Unable to contain his curiosity, Kim Jun-hwan craned his neck to look down the hallway where Cheon Sa-hyun would be waiting for the elevator.

Cheon Sa-hyun had a faint smile on his lips as he spoke on the phone.

After finishing his meal and safely arriving at the newly moved house, Do Ye-jun let out a long breath and dove straight onto the bed.

The drowsiness he had been suppressing rushed in. It seemed that catching a brief nap on the train hadn’t been enough.

Do Ye-jun blinked his eyelids slowly while staring at the ceiling. Then, he fell asleep so instantly that he wasn’t even aware of when he drifted off.

“Ugh…… ugh….”

As if having a nightmare, the sleeping Do Ye-jun made groaning sounds. His body wouldn’t budge, as if he were experiencing sleep paralysis.

Exactly as if he were being crushed by something.

Meanwhile, outside the window, the orange glow of the sunset faded, and the purple night arrived.

“Gasp…!”

Do Ye-jun snapped his eyes open. His forehead was drenched in cold sweat.

He had a ridiculous dream. An earthquake suddenly hit and the house collapsed, but it was an absurd nightmare where it turned out a giant Cheon Sa-hyun was the one stepping on the house.

Do Ye-jun laughed hollowly. To think he’d dream of Cheon Sa-hyun even after coming all this way….

But somehow….

“Why does it still feel heavy?”

Do Ye-jun felt something pressing down on his chest. Something with a weight similar to a person’s arm….

“……No way.”

Do Ye-jun pushed aside the blanket that was blocking his vision with his palm. Then, the situation atop his chest was revealed.