It was the season when the air hung sweltering over the earth, thick enough to melt skin. In his office, where cold air flowed, Yoonshin had stayed late to finish his overtime work when he carelessly touched the mug on his desk. He'd deliberately brewed hot tea because the interior temperature was low, but it had already gone cold in that short time.
Checking his watch, it was nearly midnight.
“Haah.”
Massaging his stiff neck, he rose from his seat, organized his work, and turned off the monitor completely. His reflection in the mirror looked terrible. Because he'd unfastened a few buttons, the red marks Seheon had left on his neck a few days prior were visible. Yoonshin pressed a fingertip to the spot, folded away the sweet memory with effort, and carefully packed the essentials he needed to leave into his briefcase.
That was when it happened.
Knock, knock.
He heard a knock from outside. At this late hour, only a handful of people would knock on his office door. Unless it was absolutely necessary for work, not many employees stayed in the building until dawn, so he could roughly guess who it was. Judging by how the door burst open when he didn't answer, it seemed he had guessed the visitor's identity correctly.
“Do Yoonshin.”
Only upon hearing the familiar voice did Yoonshin finally lift his gaze, slightly inclining his head. The solid frame standing in the doorway was all too familiar.
“Yes, CEO.”
“Your voice is chilly. Still sulking?”
“Is this state usually called sulking? I was taught it's the Cold War.”
“So. Are we still in the Cold War? You never stay angry long.”
That depended on the situation. If he was merely angry that the CEO had disobeyed his words, he would have directed his anger at himself instead. Had that been the case, he would have listened obediently. He had genuinely believed he deserved to be scolded for worrying him, and he was prepared to reflect. But *don't intervene.* No matter how busy he had been laughing in front of him, the attitude Seheon had shown earlier was hurtful.
Yoonshin did not want to let this pass. His anger had not yet fully cooled, and he had no desire to pretend he was over it. Rather, he wanted that man to thoroughly understand exactly how angry he was right now. Moreover, he did not want to lie to Seheon. So, wisely, he chose to say nothing.
Perhaps having roughly surmised the flow of his thoughts, Seheon didn't press further and changed the subject.
“You've only just been discharged, and you're working overtime until dawn?”
“That's why I'm leaving now.”
“Good. Let's talk. Shall we go in my car?”
Yoonshin stopped his busy hands, locked his bag, and looked at Seheon again. *Smack.* He grabbed the handle of his bag as if lightly slapping it with his palm.
“So I'm allowed to butt into that car? I'm sorry, but I can't. I'll just take my own car.”
“Then let's go together in your car.”
“Oh, so the rule against butting in only applies to me? Sunbae, you can just barge into my life all you want?”
Perhaps because those words earlier had been quite a shock, Yoonshin's tone was openly sardonic, sharpened by clumsy spite.
Seheon quickly imagined how Yoonshin would react if he laughed now, as if finding him cute, then answered with his expression still blank.
“If I touch you now, you'll get angry.”
“Yes.”
“Even if I find you cute...”
“Yes.”
“But you're cute.”
“No.”
“Since you keep saying no, I want to force it.”
“Wha... what...”
Yoonshin, who had been answering whatever spilled out of his mouth without thinking, faltered.
He had almost been swayed by his advance. Feeling that anything he said would be wrong, he immediately changed his answer.
“No.”
“I see.”
Answering placidly, he didn't move a single finger.
He would have been angry if touched, yet not being touched made him even angrier.
So he really won't lay a hand on him?
He didn't even understand his own heart. Feeling that staying longer would only lead to a fight, Yoonshin snatched up his bag and walked toward the door. When he tried to pass Seheon coldly, who was standing in the doorway, the man shot his hand out to block his path. It conveyed the message that he couldn't let him disappear from his sight like this.
Yoonshin gripped his bag handle tightly and stopped as if to say, 'Go ahead, try me.'
“What is it you want to say?”
“I was going to tell you earlier, but I couldn't find the right timing. I'll be returning the company residence soon. I've already told CEO Song.”
“...The company residence, why so suddenly? Are you moving somewhere without telling me?”
“Well. Where would be good? What neighborhood do you want to live in? Somewhere a bit far from the firm and the company residence, right? That way we can eat out on weekends, and take walks in the park at night.”
Seheon's sentences were composed of extremely simple words, yet deciphering them made Yoonshin feel like his skull would split. The answer itself came quickly. However, it was difficult to determine whether it was the correct answer or the wrong one. To Yoonshin, who hesitated, unable to readily grasp his intentions, Seheon presented the answer key directly.
“Why that reaction? Aren't you happy? You begged me to take you with me.”
Yoonshin didn't deny it.
“I'm happy. Honestly... incredibly. But I don't know what your purpose is for bringing this up in this situation.”
“Purpose? There's no other meaning. I mean it literally.”
Even now, their company residences were close enough for their roofs to touch if they leaned over. While they couldn't say their commutes back and forth were entirely without inconvenience, both were quite conscious of others' eyes when entering each other's spaces, so they had managed without much trouble so far. The company residences themselves afforded a reasonable degree of privacy, and since both often returned at dawn anyway, all they had to do was arrive safely when no one was watching.
For a while, he had pestered Seheon to live together, but since Seheon hadn't seemed to want it very much, Yoonshin had half-given up at some point. Living together hadn't been a concern for either of them—at least not in recent months. Simply put, it was out of the blue. Unless it was because of what happened earlier.
“Is it because of what I said earlier? That you're someone who lives well on his own? So you're trying to prove that's not true by living with me?”
“No. I was going to tell you from before. I was looking for the right timing. I didn't know it would come out this inelegantly either.”
Yoonshin stared intently at Seheon's proud face. Instead of merely admiring his beautifully refined features as usual, he struggled to discern whether his claim was true or false. He had met countless clients and seen them lie hundreds, thousands of times, so he had an instinct for such things, yet with Seheon alone, he could not be certain.
“I'm sorry. I'll refuse."
Perhaps because it was a completely unexpected response, Seheon was dumbfounded.
“...What?”
“I can't shake the feeling that you're reluctantly doing this to appease me because I was hurt by what you said about my sister. What I want isn't for you to force yourself to live with me. It should be that you can't stand not living with me because you want me.”
By now, Yoonshin couldn't help but admit it. He had comforted himself by thinking he had given that interview solely for this man, expecting nothing in return, but that hadn't been the case. He had deceived himself into believing he was doing it out of love, even risking disciplinary action, but in truth, he had inwardly wanted to enjoy the added benefit of Seheon's praise. He had acted impulsively, believing that no matter what he did, Seheon would indulge him.
Because he was special to him. Even if he ignored his orders and acted arbitrarily, he had believed that as always, Seheon would tire of it briefly and then let it pass with a smile. The fact that he hadn't done so this time, and the way Yoonshin was now throwing a tantrum, proved that uncomfortable truth. The words he had confidently spoken to Mihui—that Seheon was weak only for him—were an extension of that same arrogance. Looking back, he was ashamed of that day.
“Do Yoonshin, do you think I'm someone who would force myself to do this just to appease you? Do you still not know me that well?”
“I don't like being this way either. I want to handle this maturely. But I can't. The words come out spiteful. I'm scared I'll keep acting like this until you get tired of me.”
“That won't happen. Stop talking nonsense.”
“I think I'll keep talking nonsense, so I'm saying we shouldn't talk. Honestly, it's embarrassing. I need to calm down. Please give me some time.”
This time, when Yoonshin tried to pass him by, Seheon grabbed him in a more tenacious manner. Facing each other with their left hands overlapping, he leisurely traced the spot where Yoonshin's ring sat with his middle and ring fingers. Yoonshin sent him a clear gaze telling him not to do this, but there was no sign of the other letting go. Of course, if he forcibly shook him off, he could break free, but Yoonshin didn't want to go that far.
He had felt hurt, ashamed, and a little stifled. He had wanted Seheon to understand those prickly emotions; he hadn't wanted to fundamentally ruin their relationship.
“Let's talk. I'll explain everything—that I didn't mean it that way. Let's move somewhere first.”
“Do I have to do whatever you say? Even if I'm not in the mood?”
“Yes, you have to. Because I'm your superior.”
“Even if I hate it terribly?”
“Are we talking about words? Of course, you have to.”
“What about sex?”
Seheon faltered for a moment, then answered ambiguously.
“If you're curious, follow me out first.”
“I said I don't want to...!”
“CEO Kang! You were just coming out. Oh, Lawyer Do, are you leaving now?”
Seheon, who had been trying to pull the hand he held outside, turned his gaze toward the direction of the familiar voice. Taking advantage of that opening, Yoonshin twisted his captured wrist and slipped out of the room first. It was Mihui, who knew about their relationship. Seeing that she was holding files, he suspected she had come here to speak with Seheon separately, having checked that he was still here before leaving.
She seemed to want to say the same thing, glancing at Seheon before slightly raising her eyebrow at Yoonshin. It looked like a request to borrow him for a moment.
*This was his chance.*
“Please talk among yourselves. I'll leave first. Goodbye.”
“ Huh? Lawyer Do, Lawyer Do! My business will only take a moment!”
Before Mihui could catch him, Yoonshin turned off the office lights and quickly walked toward the elevator.
“That...”
Watching the sight of him doggedly pressing forward with a leg that wasn't fully healed yet, Seheon was flabbergasted and briefly debated whether to grab him or not. Then, reminding himself that Yoonshin was on his way home, he barely held back. Usually, in situations like this, Yoonshin expected to be caught. So obviously that it was plain to his eyes. But today was different. The signs from his retreating back were exactly fifty-fifty. If he caught him, he'd be angry; if he didn't, he'd also be angry.
Though reluctant, it would be better to give Yoonshin more time as he had requested.
Unless he grabbed a hotel room somewhere and slept there, he would stay at the company residence, and Seheon was someone who had the right to freely come and go in Yoonshin's most private space. Forcing that fact into his head, he suppressed the urge to chase after him immediately and looked at Mihui with a complicated expression.
“What is it? Is it urgent?”
“Somewhat? But is he mad at you right now? He's so cute.”
“Why do you think he's acting like that?”
“Huh? A viper like you wouldn't be asking because you genuinely want to know the reason...”
She had been examining Seheon's chilled expression from all angles when she flinched her shoulders.
“Ugh, so you fought about that after all. Sorry. I'll pretend I didn't hear. Ah. The head of the corporate law research institute. I think a former Supreme Court justice would be good, as you suggested. I drew up a list. Give me ten minutes.”
Staring at Mihui with narrowed eyes, Seheon firmly shut Yoonshin's office door.
He gently touched the handle, as if checking whether his lover's warmth remained, then feeling as though he were doing something insane, he hurried to his own office with her.
* * *
The entryway to Yoonshin's home was quiet. Not a single small noise could be heard, as if holding a silent protest.
The night before, they had fallen asleep at Seheon's house and left for work from there the next morning. If he had returned here, there should have been at least one thing different from the scene of Yoonshin's home a few days ago. But there was no change at all. The fluorescent lights weren't even on. It was suspicious that not even the dress shoes he should have taken off in the entryway were visible.
Habits are more faithful to their duty than one might think. No matter what emotional state he returned home in, given Yoonshin's personality, his shoes should have been neatly placed around here.
“Yoonshin.”
As he walked, the lights above his head turned on. Yet the atmosphere remained still. The spacious rooms, too large for one person, were filled only with silence. After confirming that there was not a single person—not even an ant—in the living room, dressing room, bedroom, and bathroom, an impatience that was unlike him flared up. It wasn't rare for Do Yoonshin to not be home when he arrived. But today felt particularly strange.
As soon as he thought that, anxiety surged up violently. Since it would end up that way anyway, why hadn't he decided a day sooner? All the days they had wasted because they were calculating a future that hadn't arrived yet—and perhaps never would—suddenly felt heartbreaking.
'If not here...'
There was still the possibility that he had gone to the other company residence in Building A. He wanted to see Yoonshin right now. He wanted to touch him, to hold him in his arms.
Seheon took out his phone and checked the remote entry log for his own home. But there were no entries after the time he had left for work this morning. Just in case, he checked this house's vehicle entry record on the intercom panel nearby, but there was only a departure record from the morning; after that, it was blank.
He called Yoonshin while urgently checking the time. It was already 1 a.m.
“Where the hell did you go.”
The phone rang several times. But no matter how long he waited, he couldn't hear Yoonshin's voice. Instead, a message saying the other party was unavailable followed. He called again. The same thing happened. Deciding he couldn't wait, he grabbed his car keys and left the house. On his third call, he finally heard the voice he had been longing for.
—Yes, CEO. Why are you calling at this hour? Is there something you need me to do?
“I'm about to lose my temper, so stop playing around. Why is the house empty? Where are you right now?”
—Why do you want to know?
He had quickly gotten on the elevator and was waiting anxiously for the numbers on the display to descend. Seconds felt like years. *Ding.* Finally, the heavy doors opened with a dignified sound. Before they could even fully open, Seheon forcefully slipped out, ran through the lobby to the parking garage, and threw open the driver's side door. As he shoved one leg inside, he suppressed his impatience and answered.
“You should've come straight home. Where did you sneak off to at this hour? Tell me quickly. I'll come to you.”
—Ah. I'm not going home today.
Seheon, who had been about to shove the rest of his body into the driver's seat and close the door, froze. He was an astute man who could grasp the underlying intent beneath someone's words upon hearing them once. But Yoonshin's current words were difficult to interpret.
For a moment, as if time and space had stopped, he answered with silence. Then slowly, he asked back. It was an extremely clear and blunt sentence, yet he still couldn't understand it.
“...What did you say?”
—I'm not going home.
“...What?”
—I'm. Not. Going. Home. Shall I say it again? I'm. Not. Go-ing. Home.
“What are you saying right now... Do Yoonshin. What kind of bullshit is this. The only 'I'm not going in' that can come out of your mouth is 'Sunbae's thing doesn't all fit inside me.' Get back here right now.”
—I'm so spineless in front of you that if I'm near you tonight, I'll want to go to you.
“Then just come.”
—That's what I don't want. Anyway. I'm sleeping at my sister's house today. I've already washed up. Hanging up.
*Click.*
He had hung up unilaterally before the conversation could even conclude. In truth, Yoonshin probably hadn't wanted to take this call either, but he had guessed that Seheon would be running around all night looking for him, so he had reluctantly let him hear his voice to reveal his location. The dumbfounded Seheon called again. Though his head knew Yoonshin wouldn't answer, he tried anyway. As expected, nothing changed.
As he started the engine and reached for the wheel, Mihui's voice, filled with curiosity, asking how he was going to make him come around, flashed through his mind. Along with it, his own face from that time, when he had declared with a look full of confidence that Do Yoonshin would never run away, resurfaced in his memory.
*Grind.* He gritted his teeth fiercely and began to drive.
A driver's mood is always revealed plainly in the car's movements.
With a troubled expression, he took the corner more violently than usual.
“How dare he run away from home?”
*Screech.*
His sedan rumbled heavily as it shot out of the exit and raced down the midnight road.
* * *
It was the first time he had ever set foot in this house.
Even though he couldn't have known the interior layout, Seheon entered boldly, as if he had been here before.
It was nearly 2 a.m. In other words, it was an excessively rude hour to barge into someone else's home unannounced. It wasn't that he didn't know, yet he didn't seem to care one bit. His desire to achieve his goal seemed greater. No, he looked like a man who could see only that. Since the perpetrator made no mention of it, the victim ultimately had to broach the subject.
“CEO Kang, don't you think it's too late to visit someone's home?”
“I do.”
Simply answering, Seheon strode down the hallway without hesitation. Ikyung, following behind with quick steps, tilted her head and asked back.
“...Is that all?”
“Doesn't the fact that I barged in here despite knowing it's rude mean that I can't see anything in front of me right now? I'll just continue being rude. Do Yoonshin is here, isn't he?”
The homeowner followed the advancing guest, hesitating to answer. In the meantime, Seheon stopped in the middle of the living room, where several doors were plainly visible. His complexion was pale when he faced her. His eyes were as sharp as could be. It looked as though he was forcefully suppressing something. It was unmistakably rage.
“CEO.”
“Are you thinking of hiding Do Yoonshin? That doesn't seem like a very good idea.”
“I'm still considering it.”
“If I find Do Yoonshin myself, the situation will get much more tangled. We'll end up showing each other things we don't need to see. Will you still keep considering it?”
“But...”
“If you were going to do this now, you shouldn't have opened the front door.”
She felt a bit aggrieved by his words.
“Because you were making a face like you'd break down the door if I didn't open it.”
“I would have broken it down if you hadn't. It was wise. So continue making wise decisions from now on.”
Ikyung was quite perplexed. However, she reluctantly accepted that her own position as an observer of the two men was not very important at this moment. She had no choice. There was no gap to wedge herself between the two men fighting a battle of emotions. Having admitted defeat, she swiftly passed by his side.
This time, the homeowner took the lead and walked ahead. As if guiding him to follow, Seheon quietly trailed behind. Stopping in front of the door on the left side of the hallway, she gestured that this was the one. Stepping back, she let Seheon approach the door closely.
Knock, knock.
“Do Yoonshin.”
He called out with the knock. But no matter how many times he repeated the action, there was little reaction from inside. Unless the entire hallway was soundproofed, there was no way he hadn't heard from beyond the door. Ikyung, who had been watching the situation, quietly intervened, perhaps feeling that Yoonshin's response was unlike him.
“As expected, wouldn't it be better for you to just go back today? It's too late.”
“I know you have a lot to say to me. We'll talk about what we need to talk about later, when I contact you separately. Open this door now.”
“I saw on the intercom earlier that Yoonshin locked it from inside. He's not opening up even though he hears your voice. It's his will; I can't arbitrarily break that.”
Seheon wasn't surprised at all. From the moment in the car when he realized Yoonshin had boldly attempted to run away until now, his brain had been working much faster and more keenly than usual. Not because he was concentrating, but because his temperature was sky-high. He was in an emotionally stimulated state. It was very similar to an extreme state of arousal during sex, minus the physical pleasure. Because his thought efficiency rose in this manner so rarely, he had lost his usual cool-headedness.
“You're afraid he might open the door, aren't you? You're probably thinking this would be a good chance to break up. Don't put on airs. I find that the most disgusting.”
Her expression looked as though she'd been struck, and she held her tongue. Through this series of reactions, Seheon could sufficiently infer what Do Ikyung was thinking about him right now.
She had opposed Seheon as Yoonshin's partner. He had suspected as much from the beginning. What had made Seheon uncomfortable all this time was not the fact that Do Ikyung found out, but the aftermath. The fear that she would learn of their relationship, tell Do Yoonshin to break up with him, and thereby create distance between the lovers.
Yoonshin was his.
In the past, now, and in the future—that fact would never change.
“I'm asking for the second time now. Wake up and open the door. And as a friendly warning, breaking down a bedroom door is much simpler than breaking down the front door.”
Even though he had kindly informed her that this was his second warning and perhaps his last, Ikyung didn't react. Yoonshin inside must have faintly heard the commotion on this side, yet he was equally quiet.
Left with no choice, Seheon calmly looked around. A glint of madness flickered in his snake-like cold eyes. Before Ikyung, who hadn't caught that glint, could step back, he approached the tea table in one corner of the living room. He picked up a stainless steel tumbler that looked sturdy on the outside. Closing the lid to seal it, he flexed his hand around it a few times as if taming it.
Soon, he returned to the door where Yoonshin was and lightly shook the tumbler at Ikyung.
“Send the receipt for the door replacement to the firm. I'll compensate ten times the amount. This too.”
Before she could answer, Seheon grabbed the uniquely patterned doorknob with one hand and raised the tumbler high with the other.
The moment he was about to bring it down with all his strength to smash the doorknob, Ikyung shrieked.
“W-wait...!”
Seheon, who had barely halted his action, shot her a look. Not knowing what to do, she seemed about to run somewhere, but soon reappeared. In her trembling hand was a bunch of keys, rarely seen these days. Distinguishing the marks, she searched through the room keys one by one, and upon finally finding the right one, she pulled it out and inserted it into the small slot in the doorknob.
*Click.*
The vintage patterned doorknob, decorated to the homeowner's taste, turned to the right. Seheon entered with the tumbler still in his hand.
Yoonshin, who had been curled up on the bed hugging a pillow and watching only the door, found him entering with imposing dignity and curled himself into a tighter ball. He didn't forget to jerk his chin slightly at the foreign object—the tumbler—in his hand.
“Were you going to break the door down with that?”
Seheon glanced at the object in his grip and roughly placed it on a nearby table.
“Why, you think this wouldn't break it?”
“I asked because I know you're someone who would actually break it.”
“Fortunately, your head still seems to be working. Why didn't it spin when you ran away? You should have thought then.”
Answering coldly, Seheon turned to look at Ikyung, who was still standing outside the door.
“Could you give us some space?”
Though the words were directed to Ikyung behind him, the answer came not from her but from Yoonshin on the other side.
“This is my sister's house; where do you expect her to step aside to?”
Ignoring that, he continued speaking to her.
“I'm going to say things you're better off not hearing. I'm advising you not to listen, so don't take it the wrong way.”
As if it were advice given in good faith, he met her eyes clearly and firmly locked the door from the inside.
The moment the hallway and the room were completely shut off from each other, he approached Yoonshin on the bed.
Watching him, Yoonshin wore an expression as if witnessing a reaper drawing near. He didn't run or move to another spot; he only curled up tighter and held his breath. Gathering his scattered thoughts into one place, he suddenly realized that some unspoken understanding had passed between Seheon and Ikyung—a moment ago—and slowly raised his head to look up at him.
For someone to show up unannounced at his junior's family home at the crack of dawn, claiming he had come to pick up his close junior, was an act of extreme impertinence. Yet both Seheon and even Ikyung seemed to accept it as a matter of course, which puzzled him.
Come to think of it, what happened when he was hospitalized not long ago had been equally suspicious. The consideration Seheon had shown him at the time had not been at a level that could be glossed over as part of the firm's welfare policy. Even then, Ikyung hadn't seemed to fully believe the explanations, and with various other factors adding up, it had become even more unsettling.
“What was that between you two just now? Have you been secretly in contact behind my back?”
Seheon seemed to have much to say in response, but he suppressed it as much as possible. Instead, he sat down near the headboard where Yoonshin was leaning, matched his eye level exactly, and answered with a question of his own.
“You really intended to sleep here? Leaving me alone all night?”
“Yes. If you didn't come to get me.”
It was a short answer, yet it seemed to be explanation enough for Seheon. His eyes widened sharply, unable to hide the flash of rage that surged through him instantly.
“How dare you test me? Whether I'd come or not?”
“I wasn't testing you. I knew you'd come. I was confirming. Now it's your turn. What was that just now?”
Still, he was being uncooperative with the question. Since he looked like he would suddenly lunge forward and kiss him, Yoonshin—who didn't want to reconcile in that manner—refused him. He grabbed Seheon's firm shoulder, which was half-leaned toward him, and exchanged a look right in front of his face as if telling him not to come closer.
“Don't.”
The very moment he rejected Seheon with his words, Yoonshin was greatly shaken.
His expression was unusual.
He had never seen such a face before.
“...Sunbae?”
“You don't want to kiss me?”
“I don't want to vaguely make up with a kiss.”
“Do you regret choosing me?”
He had never expected such a foolish question from him.
“Why are you saying that out of nowhere?”
“Answer me first. It's very important to me.”
This was part of a conversation they had once had when Yoonshin had divided a ring he himself had crafted between Seheon's hand and his own. It was strange that the man who had resolved never to make him regret it was asking this now. It didn't seem like a simple midpoint check. Sensing a crisis instinctively, Yoonshin intuited that he must not avoid or evade this moment.
“I never have.”
“Not once?”
“Not for a single moment.”
Shaking off Yoonshin's arms on his shoulders as if brushing them away, he reached out with both hands and grasped his pale cheeks. Despite being rejected once, he didn't care and