LIGHTNOVELONLINE C62
-62-
“Like… me? Did you just say ‘I like you’?” Jeonggwan lowered his hands that were cupping his cheeks, his face surprised.
“You like me?”
“…”
“Did you just tell me you like me?”
Jeonggwan persistently asked, looking up at Junjae, who was still facing the opposite direction. But Junjae stubbornly kept his head turned, as if determined not to look at Jeonggwan. However, his reddened ears and neck seemed to reveal how embarrassed he was.
Jeonggwan was no different. He pretended to be casual as he grabbed Junjae’s arm and shook it teasingly, but in reality, his heart was racing like popcorn popping in rapid succession. Wow – a delayed attack. He had let his guard down!
“…Where did you learn to say things like that.”
“…”
“You’re quite sly, aren’t you.”
You’re one to talk. Junjae’s eyes, finally turning to look at Jeonggwan, seemed to convey exactly that. His eyes looked a bit wronged, and Jeonggwan laughed brightly in response. And in Junjae’s eyes, as he looked down at Jeonggwan, a hint of laughter was reflected. But soon, as if the situation had reversed from moments ago, Junjae started to stare intently at Jeonggwan.
“What is it? Is there something on my face?”
“…”
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
In truth, Jeonggwan knew why Junjae was staring at him so intently. It was about his confession of “I like you,” and Junjae was waiting for Jeonggwan’s response – “What about you?” But Jeonggwan wasn’t one to give in easily. He teased Junjae by pretending not to understand, as if to say, “Huh? I really don’t know why you’re staring at me?”
People who didn’t know Jeonggwan might think he genuinely didn’t understand, but Junjae, who had started to figure out this mischievous pig, decided to willingly fall into the trap Jeonggwan had set. Knowing that Jeonggwan would never give him what he wanted if he just waited, Junjae realized that if he wanted something, it was faster to just keep asking outright.
“…”
But it was too embarrassing to say “I like you” again. Especially with those sparkling eyes staring at him, seemingly urging him to speak. Junjae kept parting and closing his lips, only managing to swallow hard. Then, as if he had made up his mind, he took a deep breath and,
“…I li-“
“Sir, I’m sorry, but we can’t delay any longer…”
He tried to confess again, but it ended in failure due to another person who had grown tired of waiting.
* * *
What could be so amusing? Secretary Oh was organizing Junjae’s schedule for the week, with the background noise of constant snickering from the back seat. These days, Junjae’s mood was quite consistent, so it was a good time to schedule tasks he usually avoided, making things easier later on. If one were to ask if Junjae’s mood wasn’t always consistent before, the answer would be absolutely not. Before meeting Jeonggwan, Junjae’s default mood was sensitive and low, and after meeting his father, CEO Won Youngjae, once a week or every two weeks, his entire nervous system would collapse as if sinking into the deep sea.
But these days, it had changed to something like a cold bath at about 5 meters depth, not quite the deep sea. What made it consistent was that after meeting Jeonggwan, he would radiate such a pleasant warmth that the car interior felt hot. It was a miraculous calculation that mixed the cold bath and hot bath to create something quite consistent. Even just now, insisting on dropping Jeonggwan off in the middle, further delaying an already late meeting, showed his doting behavior. Watching this made Secretary Oh’s insides boil, raising the temperature inside the car.
They say late learners are the most fearsome, and the sight of Junjae smiling while holding his phone, presumably contacting Jeonggwan again right after dropping him off, made him look like a young man in his early 20s who had just fallen in love. But somehow… it was good to see. Although the recent Won Junjae was very different from the Won Junjae that Secretary Oh had respected, to the point where he might have seemed like a different person,
“Sir, please check your schedule once more.”
“Hmm. Send it to me now.”
He seemed human. Like any other person. Someone who could talk about trivial things with others and smile once a day.
“What’s the blank space on Friday?”
“The CEO just instructed to leave that time open.”
“…Ah.”
A person who could outwardly show his dissatisfaction like others. Secretary Oh was very surprised by Junjae’s sigh mixed with annoyance and briefly stopped his hands, but soon a subtle smile appeared on his lips. He used to be like a machine that never questioned or added a single word to the CEO’s instructions, simply carrying them out as ordered. But now he seemed just like a normal son who was dissatisfied with his father.
Secretary Oh inwardly waited for the next words, half-expecting Junjae to show great hostility and rebel, but no further words came from Junjae. That meant he was to leave that time open as it was. Secretary Oh, knowing why this time was left blank, was actually very surprised, though he didn’t show it outwardly. Was he really going to go on a blind date? Then what about Kim Jeonggwan?
“…Shall I proceed with this?”
“…”
It seemed he still found it difficult to completely go against the CEO’s words. Well, given that he had lived his entire life that way, and considering Junjae’s personality, he wouldn’t suddenly act like a rebellious teenager saying, “I hate it! I’m going to do whatever I want!”
“…For now, do it that way.”
Before standing alone, a time for growth is always necessary.
* * *
Jeongwon’s back was drenched in sweat from tension as he watched Jeonggwan lying stretched out on the living room sofa, eating potato chips with his right hand and patting his round belly, which looked like a white cream bun sticking out sideways, with his left hand.
“Um… Jeonggwan.”
“Yeah?”
Even in the face of numerous pieces of evidence about the scandal between Junjae and Jeonggwan, Jeongwon had tried to deny it, thinking, “It can’t be. That person can’t be seeing our Jeonggwan as a romantic interest. He must be looking at him like a cute, chubby pet.” But…
“Are you… dating the… executive?”
“Not yet.”
“I see…”
Today, when Executive Won Junjae suddenly came to the company and Jeongwon saw with his own eyes the two of them sitting side by side on a bench on the walking path, he could no longer deny it. Those two were really meeting with romantic feelings.
“…It’s amazing.”
“What is?”
“That my little brother is dating such a famous person…”
“I told you, we’re not dating yet.”
Moreover, it seemed that Jeonggwan held the upper hand. Looking at that carefree face that seemed to say, “I’ll decide when we start dating,” anyone would think that if this were a hierarchical relationship, this side would definitely be the superior. If they were ordinary siblings, they might say, “Great. Keep that rich alpha tightly wrapped around your finger!” But for Jeongwon, his little brother was more important than money.
“If that person is sincere with you, you be sincere too.”
“Hm?”
“But if that person hesitates, don’t hold on.”
And knowing his little brother’s personality, to prevent Jeonggwan from making a choice he didn’t really want out of pride later, he added one more thing.
“But if you love too much, hold on once.”
“…Hyung.”
At Jeongwon’s serious words, Jeonggwan half-raised his body as if moved. Seeing this, Jeongwon’s eyes became moist even as he spoke, and he took a step closer to Jeonggwan with an “Yes!”
“Move. I can’t see the TV.”
“…Okay.”
As Jeonggwan gestured for Jeongwon to move aside as if shooing away an annoying fly, Jeongwon awkwardly stepped back. Maybe Jeonggwan still dislikes serious atmospheres because he’s young… Although he had spoken rather emotionally, like a movie dialogue, the lack of response deflated Jeongwon as he retreated to his room.
“…”
And Jeonggwan’s eyes, watching Jeongwon’s back, were quite different from usual. They were eyes filled with the seriousness Jeongwon had been hoping for.
“…Love.”
Love, huh. Jeonggwan’s jaw slowly stopped chewing the potato chips. Honestly, he agreed with everything Jeongwon had said. If the other person is sincere, he would be sincere too. If the other person hesitates, he would leave without hesitation. But the last part, about holding on once if you love too much, he couldn’t understand at all.
To begin with, Jeonggwan couldn’t understand what the emotion of love was. Loving parents? Loving brothers? That made sense. He liked them very much. But liking Won Junjae as much as family? That wasn’t it either. Because he was an outsider. Therefore, the feeling of loving an outsider was very unfamiliar to Jeonggwan.
* * *
But thoughts and words often don’t align.
“Please tell him I love it.”
“Are you pleased with it?”
“Yes! It’s so… really beautiful…”
Jeonggwan was mesmerized by the new Won Electronics smartphone that Secretary Oh had brought. The pearly lemon-colored folding smartphone was the latest model, which he had heard was sold out nationwide and difficult to obtain. Jeonggwan smiled so widely his cheeks might split. Jihoon, who had been indifferent beside him, turned the phone this way and that, and spoke with continued indifference.
“Was this color in the launch lineup?”
“Ah… This is a specially customized product by the executive.”
“…Huh?”
“He thought it would suit Jeonggwan…”
This is insane. Jihoon blurted out unfiltered words. Customization is easy to say, but this wasn’t just a case – they had actually manufactured and fitted this body shell. It wasn’t a matter of money. This was something only someone who could exert influence in the production process could do…
Jihoon thought Won Junjae must be crazy. To go this far when they’re not even dating? Then how much further would he go if they were dating? Goosebumps rose all over Jihoon’s body as he put the phone down on the table as if he had touched a bug. Of course, he got his thigh pinched by Jeonggwan for that.
On the contrary, Jeonggwan felt like he was on cloud nine. With Junjae’s recent string of business trips, it had already been three days since they last saw each other, and he was starting to feel slightly anxious. Although they chatted and called every day, it’s when people meet that affection truly solidifies… He had heard on a show that the longer the pre-dating phase lasts, the lower the chances of actually dating become. He regretted not saying “I like you too!” outright back then instead of pretending not to understand, thinking he should have just gone for it! But this one phone felt like it made up for all that lost time. Had he always been this materialistic? Yes, he was materialistic.