In the meantime, 〈Haechi〉 had moved its nest from the bustling Jongno to Buam-dong. Thanks to the flood of donations and the unexpectedly successful side businesses, they were able to purchase a decent building. Furthermore, they were making additional profits by renting out the unused floors. It was a rare case of a volunteer organization not struggling with financial difficulties.
The association’s new home, with a view of Namsan Tower at a glance, was very large. Whatever it was.
Not only were common spaces like meeting rooms and lounges expanded, but there was also an on-site cafeteria for visitors, and even the coffee machine and the clock on the wall… In short, all the equipment was shiny, and all the spaces were spacious.
However, Joo Tae-hyun sometimes missed the old office in Jongno all alone.
The moment he leaned against the railing with Seo Baek-han at the inauguration ceremony and quietly stared at the glass wall, Seo Baek-han’s self-admonishment that his vision was still so narrow, the low voice that was tired and cracked at the ends, and the champagne bubbles that were bubbling from the bottom… All those trivial things.
“Have you arrived, member?”
“Hello.”
The year-end party was held in the newly opened lounge. The tables inside were temporarily removed, and the entire hallway was opened to create space, so it was crowded but didn’t feel cramped.
Above all, Joo Tae-hyun heard that today’s year-end party would be mainly for 〈Haechi〉’s regular members. Key external figures would be invited, but this time even simple donating members were excluded from the invitation list.
This was fortunate for Joo Tae-hyun, who disliked crowds, but instead, he had to endure this event alone from beginning to end. His parents, as well as his Hyungs and older sisters, couldn’t be by his side.
Of course, since turning seventeen, he had occasionally participated in external activities alone. However, those events were simple enough that he only needed to show his face. He had never dealt with so many people for so long as he would at today’s year-end party, so Joo Tae-hyun was a little nervous even before leaving home.
‘You’re going to wear that? Isn’t it too plain?’
‘I thought it would be a bit much to be too flashy on my own. Anything moderate is good for me.’
Today, his parents offered him a fancy custom Tailcoat, but this time he firmly declined.
He knew that his parents would feel both proud and sad to see their youngest son, who had grown up so much that he could voice his own opinions and even mix in polite language. However, he couldn’t remain a three-year-old toddler forever. Whether he went to George Washington University or Pyongyang University, the day would soon come when he would leave home, so he and his family needed to adapt to life without each other.
Joo Tae-hyun roughly shoved the badge and name tag he received at the entrance into his pocket and headed for the edge of the lounge. A place where he could see anyone who came in but wouldn’t be easily noticed by others. It was a place where Joo Tae-hyun often hid during events.
“Oh, Choi Yeon-jun. Long time no see. You’ve managed to survive without getting fired?”
“Damn it, Seo Baek-han would kill me if I got fired for not meeting the standards. I have to keep baking abalone until the end of the year anyway…”
“Right, I heard Woo-jin is joining for good this time?”
“Really? Did he quit graduate school?”
“No. Keep it between us. I heard he actually got fired…”
He arrived relatively early, so it was fun to watch people arrive one by one. He was secretly happy to see familiar faces, and when someone he wasn’t interested in appeared, he let out a long sigh.
After a while.
“Oh, Baek-han.”
At someone’s voice calling Seo Baek-han happily, everyone in the lounge turned their heads toward the entrance.
Joo Tae-hyun, who had been huddled in the corner, also peeked out to see Seo Baek-han, so that was saying something.
The uniform movement of everyone packed into the lounge, the space that became quiet as if someone had deliberately orchestrated it, focusing on only one person.
The reason was unknown.
Seo Baek-han, now twenty-four, arrived at the right time as always, without being flashy, and there was nothing significantly different from usual. Yet, today he had something that particularly caught the eyes of others.
Could it be because it had been a while since they had seen him in a classic suit, not comfortable casual wear? It had been a year since Seo Baek-han had dressed up properly, since last year’s year-end party.
He had only gone from twenty-three to twenty-four. He would soon be twenty-five, but if categorized, Seo Baek-han was still in his early to mid-twenties.
But unlike the day they first met when he wore a Dopo (Korean traditional overcoat), or the dressy suit that emphasized his figure like at the 〈Haechi〉 inauguration ceremony, today’s neat and simple, even somewhat rough suit made Seo Baek-han… him, look very erotic.
He knew it was an embarrassing sentiment to swallow secretly, but there was no other way to express it.
Today’s Seo Baek-han was a little, very, sexy.
He exuded a debauchery that seemed to generously allow you to desire him as much as you could.
“Ah, uh. Baek… Baek-han. Long time no see.”
It wasn’t just Joo Tae-hyun who felt a strange feeling from him; everyone who had been staring blankly soon cleared their throats and averted their eyes.
“What’s wrong? Were you talking about me?”
Seo Baek-han smiled faintly at everyone’s reactions.
“No, you look really…”
“I look really?”
“No, uh… handsome. Yeah, handsome, you.”
“What, is that new?”
Joo Tae-hyun crumpled the tail of his Tailcoat in the corner and recited the list of schools he had been accepted to in his head.
Whatever happens, he won’t go to the East Coast of the United States. If he goes abroad, it will be to the West Coast, and if he goes to a domestic university, it will definitely be Pyongyang University. He wants to go somewhere that has contact with Seo Baek-han, at least. He will ask Seo Baek-han for formal advice, but Joo Tae-hyun vowed to do his best to hang around in front of him, no matter what Seo Baek-han says.
As he had decided in his younger days, Joo Tae-hyun was doing his best to like Seo Baek-han.
The belatedly realized affection showed no signs of fading. He thought he would be okay at some point if he liked him as much as he wanted, but he somehow ended up seeing him whenever he was about to forget, so his heart only grew bigger as time went by.
He wanted the real Seo Baek-han, not the one in the news or internet posts, to shatter his fantasies, but the more he talked to him, the more solid the fantasies became, and the fantasies that had even taken shape were so solid that nothing could break them.
To borrow Joo Yun-woo’s expression, it was as if his baby’s eyes were covered not with bean pods, but with bean pod-shaped steel.
“Hey, Baek-han.”
“Oh, Haram Noona.”
“Um, are you busy right now?”
“Well, I just got here, so I can’t say I’m busy yet. Why?”
“Then can you see me for a moment? I have something to tell you…”
Joo Tae-hyun, who had been perking up his ears in the direction of Seo Baek-han, paused for a moment.
Oh. That’s… it feels like she’s about to confess?
It wasn’t that no one had ever called him out like that at year-end parties. On average, there seemed to be more than three or four people, which was by no means a small number considering that the regular members of 〈Haechi〉 were all similar.
But this year, the person planning to confess bravely stepped forward as soon as Seo Baek-han entered the lounge, so the advance was earlier than usual.
“Um… okay, if it’s just for a moment.”
When women asked to talk first, Seo Baek-han accepted it for the time being. He didn’t know what he said when they were alone, but he didn’t want to embarrass someone who obviously liked him in front of people.
But he’s going to reject them anyway. If he’s not going to accept them, he shouldn’t even listen to them…
Joo Tae-hyun hated that Seo Baek-han was equally kind to everyone, and on the other hand, he liked that he didn’t give his side equally to everyone.