By Zephyria 
Watching Yi-ho gulp down his drink without addressing the problematic conversation between the team leaders, Min-gyu suppressed a smile to himself.
“Both the development team and the marketing team have worked hard in many ways. May I get up and refill the glasses?”
Min-gyu asked Yi-ho. Yi-ho naturally agreed, as it was better than doing it himself.
“Yes.”
Nearly twenty glasses were lifted simultaneously. They clinked glasses left and right and drank. Min-gyu stared intently at Yi-ho and grinned behind the round beer glass. It was a prank to make his face look funnily distorted.
What is he doing, flirting in front of so many people? Yi-ho’s heart rate quickened, and the alcohol was pumped rapidly to every corner of his body.
The chilly atmosphere unintentionally created by the two team leaders thawed once as the alcohol flowed, and it softened completely as those who couldn’t drink headed home first and the remaining people sat in a mixed jumble.
“Yi-ho, are you… really a PhD?”
Manager Kim from the development team asked, as if the thought had just occurred to him.
“Actually, I was really curious after hearing Min-gyu mention it back then. I thought, ‘Ah, that’s why he’s a team leader at that age…’”
“Ah, yes. I did a combined master’s and doctoral program, so I finished a bit early.”
“With those kinds of specs in Korea, don’t people usually go the professor route?”
“I originally… intended to, but, um…”
Yi-ho paused for a moment before answering calmly.
“My father passed away, so I couldn’t just stay in the lab. Thanks to my professor understanding my situation and helping me pass my graduation quickly, I was able to get a job right away.”
The professor, who had been collaborating with Tae-jang on industry-academic cooperation, had pulled some strings at the company, allowing him to start at a very high rank. Thanks to that, he was given the position of team leader at a relatively young age. Aside from Cha Min-gyu, a team leader of the same age who was famous for joining after graduating right on time and producing insane results in another division, it was an unconventional appointment.
Even though he spoke in the most neutral tone possible, the topic of a parent’s passing inevitably made the atmosphere solemn.
“It happened a while ago.”
“You’ve been through a lot.”
And the person who had just offered those words of comfort was the one who had guided Song Yi-ho in various directions when he had been unable to pull himself together in the face of the sudden situation.
‘You… go to work. Why are you still here…?’
‘I’ve used up all my leave, so it’s fine. Whether I get cursed at for not being able to focus on work or for suddenly taking leave, it’s the same.’
‘…….’
‘I’ll take care of the funeral home, so get some sleep and contact your professor when you wake up.’
‘Uh….’
‘Don’t cry… no. Never mind. Just cry.’
Once that period passed, his one-sided love deepened uncontrollably.
“It was manageable, thanks to a certain someone.”
Yi-ho spoke, secretly embedding the meaning of his unrequited love. To others, it sounded like he was referring to the hardships the marketing team had put him through recently.
“You’re exaggerating, considering how well I treated you.”
Fortunately, that comment revived the sunken atmosphere.
A moment later, a flushed marketing team member bumped their arm against the shoulder of the person next to them.
“But seriously, doesn’t Yi-ho not look like a development team leader at all? Am I the only one who thinks so?”
“Huh? Uh… does… it look like that…?”
“At first, I thought the design team leader had come to the wrong place.”
Testimony even came from the development team.
“But after exchanging just five sentences, I knew you were in the right place for the development team.”
“…….”
Should this be called talking behind someone’s back to their face? Yi-ho rubbed the glass that had been filled and emptied several times and muttered, “What about me…?” He wasn’t completely drunk, but he was relaxed enough for his usual way of speaking to soften.
“It’s all true! Yi-ho… is reaaaally handsome.”
Tae-gyung, who had been turning his heavy, alcohol-laden head this way and that, suddenly jumped into the conversation.
“And…”
“Yes?”
Tae-gyung’s hand lightly grabbed and rubbed the hem of his sweatshirt.
“A fashionista.”
“……?”
This guy is seriously wasted. Laughter spread around them.
“Right? Yi-ho’s way of thinking is a developer through and through, so how does he have such a sense of fashion? It’s so amazing.”
“Is that why Manager Jeong was confused too?”
“Ah, that’s, I don’t actually have any sense. I don’t actually pick my own clothes.”
“I guess you have someone who gives you advice?”
Min-gyu, who had loosened his tie, unable to withstand the heat of the grill, also had a drunken flush on his face. His curved eyes were sly as he looked down slightly at Yi-ho.
“…Yes. I have a friend who is very interested in that sort of thing.”
“Wow, whoever it is, they’re a great friend for saving Team Leader Song. You should be good to them for the rest of your life.”
Every time the season changed, Min-gyu would drag Yi-ho to the department store. And whenever Yi-ho stopped at the Polo store like a sparrow at a rice mill to rummage through checkered shirts, Min-gyu would wrap an arm around his neck and lead him to other stores.
Since the clothes were chosen by the person he liked, Yi-ho had no reason to refuse. No matter what he picked, Min-gyu had far more sense than Yi-ho.
“Yi-ho, then was getting your ears pierced also your friend’s advice?”
“No… that was, uh…”
Yi-ho reflexively touched his earlobe. He had only worn earrings for a few months, but the piercing marks hadn’t disappeared. Min-gyu quietly let out a breath through his nose and swallowed his drink.
“When I was younger… someone I dated suggested it, so I did it.”
“You dated someone with absolutely no taste.”
Manager Shin from the marketing team, sitting next to Min-gyu, blinked and then tried to smooth things over.
“Hey, you don’t have to go that far.”
“From the looks of it, it seems Team Leader Song had a relationship where he was pushed around. I said it because I felt bad for him.”
“True, I feel like Yi-ho would have adjusted a lot to the woman’s side when dating.”
“…I don’t have strong preferences, so that was better.”
Song Yi-ho had also had a relationship he accepted after being approached, back when he didn’t fully understand the feelings he had for Min-gyu. Like the piercing he got because he couldn’t refuse, most of it was a relationship where he was pushed around.
At the time, seeing Yi-ho fidgeting because the piercing site was inflamed, Min-gyu had flown into a rage, yelled at him to take it out immediately, and dragged him to the hospital. He broke up with the older woman shortly after that.
Anyway, it’s already been several years since he last dated. So there’s no need to talk about dating in front of his crush….
“Yi-ho, are you the youngest? Isn’t that kind of a dating style for a younger brother who has an older sister?”
“Oh, no. Can’t you tell just by looking? He probably has an older brother.”
“Why?”
“His name. The older brother would be Il-ho, and the younger is Yi-ho.”
“…I’m an only child.”
It didn’t mean Il-ho, Yi-ho, and Sam-ho; it meant ‘lake.’ Even this piece of information Yi-ho thought to himself had to be revealed when the question “Then how do you write it in Hanja?” came up. As expected, the marketing team’s social skills were exceptional; the taciturn development team members were speaking almost a month’s worth of words today.
“That’s unexpected. Then what about Tae-gyung? He also has the vibe of a youngest child.”
“I have an older brother.”
“Oh, I remember hearing that before.”
The topic naturally shifted to family members. After a round of guessing and revealing sibling relationships for each person, it finally reached Min-gyu’s turn.
“What about Min-gyu? For some reason, I feel like you’re an only child.”
“Really?”
“But then again, I also feel like you might have a lot of siblings.”
The marketing team was even more active than the development team, which was their own team. Cha Min-gyu was so stingy with his own stories that even those close to him who had spent several years together made uncertain guesses. Thus, everyone seemed excited for the chance to dig up hidden information.
Overall, the opinion that he was an only child was overwhelming. They cited Min-gyu’s characteristic relaxed demeanor as evidence, saying he probably received everything without competition. Of course, Yi-ho, who knew the answer, said nothing.
“What about you, Team Leader Song? Do I look like an only child?”
“…?”
Why are you asking me that?
“Do you really want to hear my opinion?”
“Yes.”
“…I think you have a younger sibling.”
I was there the day your younger sister was born.
“Team Leader Song has good intuition. I have a younger sister.”
“Wow, your sister must have incredibly high standards. If someone like Min-gyu is her brother.”
“There’s a big age gap, so she doesn’t think of me that way. She’s still in school.”
“Whoa, she’s the baby of the family. Still, whether a student or an adult, the eye for people is the same.”
“A friend of mine is quite pretty for a guy, and seeing as she likes him more than her brother, I don’t think I’m her type.”
“Oh, I think I heard about Min-gyu’s friend recently… Is it that person who runs a rice cake shop?”
“Ah, that’s right. We’ve been together for 15 years, so we’re best friends who know everything about each other.”
Yi-ho stopped just as he was about to take a sip of his drink and looked at Min-gyu. No, why has he been subtly bringing me up since a while ago?