By Zephyria 
As they were finishing their meal in a fairly amicable atmosphere, Yeom Cheon-ho made a suggestion.
“I’ll try to make time as much as possible, so I’d like us to have dinner together like this about once a week. What do you all think?”
This was very welcome news to Yeon-rok. He had half given up on Choi Hwan and Moon Kyeon-woo, but he thought he could do well with Yeom Cheon-ho.
It wasn’t just a matter of liking or disliking someone, it was a matter of his health. Even though he had been unlucky in everything, he had always been relatively healthy, so he was unfamiliar and a little scared of the way his condition had been so poor lately. He had to become close to someone, no matter what.
“Well, I’ll try to adjust my schedule as much as possible.”
“…I can make time about once a week.”
Choi Hwan and Moon Kyeon-woo also readily agreed. All three of them turned their gazes to him, so Yeon-rok nodded in agreement as well.
“I’m fine with any time.”
Yeon-rok thought it was fortunate, but on the other hand, he felt a little sad that even though he had met the Name partners he had been waiting for, he had to try to find an opportunity to connect with them. He wondered if it would have been better not to have Name Awakening at all. The first dinner ended with a feeling that wasn’t very pleasant.
A few days after the first dinner, in the afternoon.
“…I’m bored!”
Yeon-rok, who had been endlessly fiddling with his phone, suddenly stood up. He had always lived diligently, working hard, so it was the first time he had ever been so idle.
The article he had been reading until just now, titled ‘Are there people who don’t get along with their Name partners?’, was on the phone screen. The conclusion was that things might not be good at first, but they would eventually get better, and that things would rarely end in disaster if things went wrong.
And Yeon-rok knew very well that he was an unlucky person…
‘Surely I can’t be that unlucky.’
He tried to reassure himself and picked up the doll that had fallen to the floor due to his sudden movement and put it back on the bed. The doll’s name was Lime. The old brown puppy doll, whose stuffing was dead and perfect for use as a pillow, had been with him since he couldn’t remember when. He couldn’t bear to leave it behind when he left the orphanage, and he had been with it ever since he became an adult. Lime was a good friend who soothed his loneliness.
“I need to find a job…”
Even though he said that, Yeon-rok wasn’t really actively looking for a job. He had been working two jobs a day to make a living and pay off his loans, so he was honestly comfortable and happy to be resting like this. Since he had finally found some time to relax, he wanted to live doing something he really liked, so he was currently searching for certifications.
Anyway, he didn’t want to be alone in his room, so he opened the door and came out. His footsteps led him to the kitchen. That was because he could talk to Park Yeo-sa, or the manager or secretary, if he lingered around there.
But unexpectedly, it was Choi Hwan who was in the kitchen, with his hair a mess, slumped over. Yeon-rok narrowed his eyes and stopped.
Choi Hwan, with his disheveled hair, was groaning and clutching his head. Even though he was quite a distance away, Yeon-rok could smell a faint scent of alcohol, so he must have been suffering from a hangover. He gloated inwardly, but Choi Hwan sensed his presence and looked up. Even in his disheveled state, his shadowed face was simply gorgeous. He squinted one eye, like in a pictorial, and said.
“…Hey. Get me some water.”
“What, me?”
“Ugh, my head is killing me. Who else would be here besides you?”
He was dumbfounded. He wasn’t Choi Hwan’s subordinate, and there was no reason for him to wait on him. He had a hangover, so what was he supposed to do about it? Yeon-rok ignored him and brought out the soufflé that Park Yeo-sa had carefully made and sat down at the table to eat it. Park Yeo-sa made delicious desserts as well as Korean food.
“Ew, I’m going to throw up.”
Choi Hwan, who was openly retching in front of Yeon-rok as he ate, ruining his appetite, grumbled and looked for his manager.
“Hyung! Jun-ho Hyung! Get me an electrolyte drink!”
He was so precious that he was trying to make his manager, who was somewhere far away, run errands just to quench his thirst. But when the manager didn’t appear, Choi Hwan eventually groaned and got up to rummage through the refrigerator. As he looked at the back of his head, suffering from a headache, he thought, ‘I need to go to the salon too, but I can’t be bothered,’ and then Choi Hwan, who had been gulping down water, glared at him.
“Hey. I almost forgot to tell you, but if you ever go anywhere and say that you’re my Name partner, I’ll be so embarrassed. Where did someone like you come from…”
Yeon-rok, who had already been feeling intimidated lately, was stabbed right in the part he was feeling insecure about, and he flinched inwardly. But no matter how he felt inside, he didn’t show it on the outside and took out his phone. He ostentatiously played with his fingers and said loudly.
“Everyone knows that a certain celebrity Choi is my Name partner, but he’s a real jerk… I’ll show you what he looks like for a second… Deleting in one minute…”
“Hey!”
Choi Hwan, shocked, rushed over and snatched the phone away. But when he checked the screen, it wasn’t an internet window, but a selfie screen. Choi Hwan’s mouth dropped open when he saw his own face on the screen, and Yeon-rok took the phone back and snapped at him.
“I’m more embarrassed that a jerk like you is my Name partner.”
“You, you… This…”
Choi Hwan was speechless and gaped. Before he could get properly angry, Yeon-rok quickly ran away. Moon Kyeon-woo, who was coming in at that moment, must have heard Yeon-rok and Choi Hwan’s conversation, because he gave them a look of contempt that was beyond pathetic and brushed past them.
Crap. I should have brought the soufflé. Should I go back and get it? Yeon-rok, who couldn’t bring himself to go back to his room, stopped wandering. For some reason, Yeom Cheon-ho was home.
“…Oh.”
Yeon-rok’s eyes widened as he saw the owner of the house at home for the first time since the last dinner. He was working at the wooden table in the reception room on the way to the kitchen, with a mountain of documents piled up. Secretary Kim Jeong-seong was also assisting him with his work.
Would I be bothering him if I talked to him? As he hesitated, Yeom Cheon-ho noticed Yeon-rok first. The thick eyebrows that had been furrowed in concentration relaxed and curved.
“Lee Yeon-rok-ssi. Have you had your meal?”
“Y-yes. …Have you, CEO?”
Yeon-rok was awkward at the Name partner’s friendly greeting. Yeom Cheon-ho, who raised the end of his sentence as if saying “CEO?”, smiled quietly as if he found it amusing. Then he gestured. The watch and cufflinks on his wrist, which were probably worth a fortune, gleamed.
“Come over here.”
Come over? Over there? Yeon-rok gave Kim Jeong-seong a nod and hesitantly took a step towards Yeom Cheon-ho. Meanwhile, Yeom Cheon-ho, who had finished reviewing the documents, handed them to Kim Jeong-seong and tapped the sofa with his fingertips.
“No, this way. Sit here.”
Yeon-rok, who had been standing stiffly far away, walked closer and sat down stiffly. Then, Yeom Cheon-ho suddenly grabbed his hand, startling him. Then, he was startled once more when his sluggish condition instantly returned to normal.
“I thought you looked unwell… And I needed it too. As you know, I’ve been so busy lately that I haven’t been able to come home.”
“Y-yes, that’s right. Because we’re Name partners. We have to make contact.”
He was aware that he was speaking somewhat foolishly, but he couldn’t help it. He was very amazed and surprised by his first contact with his Name partner. And even though they were the same gender, it wasn’t as bad as he had thought. The warmth that was transmitted from his hand seemed to breathe life into him. Yeom Cheon-ho reviewed the documents while holding Yeon-rok’s hand like that.
Yeon-rok swallowed hard and looked at his hand, which was being held by someone else. He wasn’t that small himself, but this man’s physique was really impressive. The chest encased in the suit was thick. His grip on his hand was firm, and his wrist was quite thick, and although he seemed to have been raised preciously all his life, his palm was unexpectedly hard. He also smelled of a nice perfume.
Yeon-rok was encountering a type of person he had never encountered before. He mustered up the courage to ask.
“Um, how old are you?”
“I’m thirty-two.”
He was a whopping seven years older than Yeon-rok. His attitude automatically became polite in the face of age. As Yeon-rok started the conversation, Yeom Cheon-ho also asked.
“Now that I think about it, there’s something I’m curious about regarding Lee Yeon-rok-ssi.”
“Oh, yes. Feel free to speak casually. You’re older than me.”
“No. I’m comfortable with this. …Oh, and don’t misunderstand and think I’m keeping my distance. I’m like this with everyone.”
Yeon-rok just nodded diligently at Yeom Cheon-ho’s words, but strangely, his face became flushed. He was getting sweaty in his palms and was too conscious of it, but Yeom Cheon-ho didn’t seem to want to let go of his hand. Yeon-rok fidgeted with his fingers and asked.
“What are you curious about?”
“I wanted to know why you haven’t used the card I gave you even once.”
“Ah… It’s nothing special.”
He tried to gloss over it, but Yeom Cheon-ho, who was turning over the documents with one hand and tapping the keyboard of his laptop, asked again.
“What is that nothing special?”
Yeon-rok was a little flustered because he felt a strong will to hear it.