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Translated by Springlila
Il-hyun, who was about to board the elevator, was dazed when he noticed the heart stamped on the message. Just in case, he took a screenshot and saved it right away, but it disappeared in an instant. And only the previous message, minus the heart, arrived again. A smile appeared on his lips as he realized Lee Ja-kyung hadn’t sent it by accident.
He called Tae-soo next to him.
“Secretary Park.”
“Yes.”
“I’m leaving work right away. Clear all afternoon schedule.”
“All right.”
“Oh, and I’m going to stay out. Don’t call me even if it’s late in the morning.”
Tonight they were alone, and Il-hyun planned to bite and suck until he was exhausted. What should they do? What food should they eat? Work has been put on hold, and he was preoccupied with the idea of going on a date when the elevator doors opened, allowing Director Park and Director Kim to board from the fifth floor, but come to a halt when they see Kang Il-hyun.
Il-hyun politely greeted them.
“Hello, directors.”
They return the greeting, but seeing a smiling Kang Il-hyun makes them uncomfortable. What’s it with him that he is smiling like that? Others were scary when they were angry, but Kang Il-hyun is a mysterious person, so he is scary when he smiles.
As the air in the elevator cooled down, Director Park spoke to Il-hyun first.
“How’s the chairman? Is he feeling better?”
Il-hyun smiled sheepishly. Chairman Kang hadn’t left the house since Il-hyun barged in and threatened him. Il-hyun realized that his leg pain was a pretext to buy himself time. Why did a man who was cruel enough to be dubbed a “human butcher” in his youth change so drastically? Was it because he had so much on his plate, or was it because he was getting older?
Thanks to that, even the people hired by Il-hyun couldn’t do their job and had a hard time. Il-hyun had rather Chairman Kang stay at home and die. Then he won’t have to see his face anymore.
“If you’re so worried, would you like to go with me today? I’m curious too.”
Director Park’s expression hardened. He smiled awkwardly and said that he wouldn’t be able to because he has a busy schedule today. Il-hyun’s gaze now reached the back of Director Kim’s head right in front of him. He is a serpent-like old man, like Chairman Kang. He slips away like a loach even if he tries to catch his weakness.
“I heard that director Kim’s son returned from New Zealand. You must be happy.”
Director Kim’s neck and shoulders stiffened. He turned his head halfway and smiled faintly.
“It’s nice that CEO Kang is interested in me.”
“Of course. I’m very interested in the directors.”
“Haha… I see.”
“There is nothing I don’t know about who you met last night, what you ate, and what you talked with your wife in bed.”
Director Kim’s expression stiffened and turned around quickly while Il-hyun smiled slyly.
“I’m kidding. Why are you so serious?”
Ding, the elevator door opened and Il-hyun walked out between them. He put his hands in his trouser pockets and nodded his head as he greeted the two stunned people. Then, good luck. Director Kim and Park’s grim faces disappeared into the elevator doors.
Il-hyun turned around and his eyes brightened fiercely. There were still a lot of talks inside about holding a board meeting to decide on a successor. Unless Chairman Kang changed his mind, the directors who were his entourage would play hardball in that regard.
Tsk. Il-hyun was irritated and opened his phone to check the messages he had exchanged with Lee Ja-kyung a while ago. The dirty feeling has subsided. The secretary who was standing up looked at him puzzled as he entered the room, laughing like a lunatic.
***
This novel is available on bit.ly/3iBfjkV.
Ja-kyung sat on a sunbed, staring at the pool and sipping watermelon juice made by the house chef. He wanted to swim, but his injured arm prevented him from doing so. Unfortunately, he only sipped the juice and checked his phone once more.
Since then, there has been no message from Kang Il-hyun. He must be busy.
He wouldn’t have seen that message either. Ja-kyung erased it like lightning, so Il-hyun wouldn’t have seen it. By the time Ja-kyung had finished drinking the juice with a positive mindset, someone had entered from the far gate. At first, he thought he was looking at it wrong. It was Kang Il-hyun striding across the yard without hesitation.
As Ja-kyung stared in surprise, Il-hyun stepped forward and stood in front of him.
“What are you doing here, at this hour?”
He smiles brightly.
“I’m here for a date.”
Ja-kyung checked the time. It was absurd to leave work after only 4 hours of work.
“Is the company a joke? Can you go to work and leave at will?”
“Today is okay. Because it’s a special day.”
What, what are you talking about? When Ja-kyung pretend he didn’t know anything, Il-hyun took out his phone and showed him the screenshot. The red heart is clear. As a bonus, he even played the old recording of him saying, “I love you! I’ve never had such ecstatic sex in my life!” making Ja-kyung stunned.
Ja-kyung took the phone and tried to erase it, but Il-hyun quickly put it in his pocket. Ja-kyung’s ears and the nape of his neck turned red with embarrassment. Il-hyun, who had approached him, touched his ear lobe.
“I’m losing my mind because you’re constantly surprising me.”
“Okay, I clicked the wrong button.”
“I knew you would say that, so I ordered Tae-soo to enlarge it and make it into a picture frame.”
Ja-kyung looked up in shock.
“You’ve got to be kidding… right?”
“Should I hang it in the living room? Or my bedroom?”
“…”
“Both?”
The look on his face was genuine, so Ja-kyung’s complexion darkened rapidly and he clenched his teeth.
“Don’t. Don’t you dare to hang it. I’m not putting up with this.”
His hand slipped from behind his ear and grabbed Ja-kyung’s hand. Ja-kyung still sat down and resisted. Then, Il-hyun quickly changed his tone, saying that he understood and was only kidding. Ja-kyung stopped his resistance and rose from his seat.
“Let’s stop fighting and go on a date.”
At the word date, Ja-kyung looked down at the clothes he was wearing. He was wearing comfortable shorts and a shirt, but it was in stark contrast to the well-dressed Kang Il-hyun.
“I’ll change my clothes and come back.”
“Just wear this. I’m going to take it off later anyway.”
Ja-kyung shook his head as Il-hyun blatantly explained the purpose of the date. Is it your only thought to take off my clothes and roll around? Ja-kyung grumbled and went to the second floor and put on the clothes he had prepared in advance.
When Ja-kyung came out dressed, Kang Il-hyun, who was sitting on the sofa in the living room downstairs, had a strange expression on his face. Perhaps he didn’t like it. Ja-kyung was unnecessarily nervous and leaned down to check his outfit. Hearing the noise, the house chef come out from the kitchen and smiled cheerfully at Ja-kyung.
“My goodness, it looks so good on you. Right, sir?”
Ja-kyung wore a white shirt with beige slacks that exposed his ankles, and his limbs were long and straight, which was quite different from the sporty clothes he usually wore. It was neat and erotic at the same time. Il-hyun smiled lightly, unable to take his eyes off him.
“I see. You’re making me fall in love twice in one day.”
Ja-kyung scratched his neck in embarrassment. There was no need for him to say that. Once outside, Il-hyun opened the door to the passenger side of the car. Get in, prince. Ja-kyung chuckled in disbelief and climbed into the seat. Before the car started, Il-hyun stretched out his hand to fasten Ja-kyung’s seat belt.
“It’s okay, I have hands too.”
“Hold still. I’m trying to make it feel like a date.”
The car started right away after Il-hyun fastened his seat belt. A vibrant summer landscape surrounded the house. When they passed the road leading outside, Ja-kyung realized why Kang Il-hyun had built a house here. Because he had only seen it in the summer, he couldn’t imagine what it must be like in the winter.
Even though it was daytime, the closer they got to the city center, the more cars there were.
“Is there a place you want to go?”
Ja-kyung pondered after Il-hyun asked. He didn’t really want to go anywhere or do anything. He became accustomed to simply working and living.
“Hmmm…”
While Ja-kyung was thinking about it, Il-hyun reached out and opened the passenger seat dashboard, taking out some paper. Ja-kyung opened it to see what it was, and it was a report-style list of dating courses, restaurants, and places that couples would like to visit in Seoul.
Ja-kyung laughed when he saw it.
“Who made this?”
“Tae-soo.”
“Ohh, Secretary Park, has he ever been in a relationship?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never seen him in a relationship.”
Ja-kyung stared at Il-hyun.
“How about you? Have you been in a lot of relationships?”
Il-hyun smiled strangely.
“How do you think it would have been?”
Ja-kyung answered without a second thought.
“A playboy.”
“Wrong.”
“Trashy?”
“Babe. That’s too much.”
“Then a bastard?
“Don’t empathize it.”
Il-hyun laughed in disbelief. Ever since he entered college, Il-hyun had no time to have a proper relationship because he was learning company work and studying at the same time. Most of his relationships were short-lived, and the girls who got tired of his work were the ones who broke up with me first. He wasn’t the type to have any regrets about breaking up.
When he told him about it, Ja-kyung didn’t seem to believe it.
“Then, if I ask you to break up later, be cool with it as well.”
Ja-kyung didn’t even finish his sentence before Il-hyun cut him off like a knife.
“Don’t even think about it. The moment you break up with me, you’ll be in the afterlife.”
Ja-kyung frowned.
“You said you don’t have any regrets!”
“No, not to you. I’m going to be so petty and grumpy. So erase the thought of escaping from your head in the first place.”
Seeing him with a desperate expression, Il-hyun smiled and added an extra word.
“Didn’t tell you. I revised my will through a lawyer.”
A will out of the blue.
He looked at Ja-kyung very affectionately. His eyes brimming with affection
“If I die first, I asked you to be buried alive with me.”
Ja-kyung, who didn’t understand the term “buried alive,” looked it up later on the Internet, and the blood drained from his face.
It was a joke… right?
Il-hyun just laughed.
Ja-kyung shouted at him not to joke around, but Il-hyun didn’t answer until the end.