Chapter 47: Chapter 47.

Chapter 47.

Jihoon was having a very frustrating day, and it showed on his face. His eyebrows curved into a tense frown. Minjae pulled on Jihoon’s sleeve discreetly; Jihoon suddenly realized that he must’ve looked very angry.

Minjae opened the door to their room and walked in. Shin looked back at Woojin; he wasn’t demanding Woojin to follow. Shin just looked at him assuredly, making Woojin feel relaxed and comforted.

When he felt sure Woojin was ok, Shin followed Minjae into the room and closed the door behind him. As soon as Minjae and Shin were gone, Jihoon grabbed Eejun’s shoulder and murmured, “You need to be careful of what you say, Mr. Eejun Bae.”

“Huh? Why should I be careful? It’s not like I’m someone’s dog.”

“…”

“It’s you who should be careful. I keep hearing about how wild your parties used to be.”

“… What?”

“Apparently, a very important gentleman is very concerned about it. I, on the other hand, don’t give a shit about who you used to do, but you need to keep it quiet, Assistant Manager Jihoon Kang. I am worried that you might rub off on our Woojin.”

“… Hey!”

“You’ve been keeping your life clean for a while now, so why did you start again? Like I said though, I don’t care how you spend your nights, but make sure it doesn’t affect Woojin. Anyway, have a nice lunch!”

Eejun smiled at Woojin and walked away. Woojin turned to Jihoon, who was panting roughly. He had his hand on his forehead in frustration. This was the second time Woojin had seen Jihoon looking this way. Jihoon usually looked relaxed and controlled. He was excellent at controlling his emotions, so for him to look this angry meant that Jihoon was furious right now.

Woojin could see Jihoon struggling to bring down his emotions. Jihoon said to Woojin, “Everything Eejun Bae just said… They are all lies.”

“…”

“So Woojin…”

Woojin interrupted him calmly, “Umm… Listen, I don’t care… It’s doesn’t matter to me.”

“…”

“I’m going in now.”

Woojin remembered Jihoon from his childhood. Every time they spent time together, Jihoon would make a point of bringing luxurious and expensive books and toys to play with. At the time, even Woojin knew Jihoon wasn’t doing this because he was truly interested in these “things.”

“Woojin Choi…”

“…”

Jihoon grabbed Woojin’s shoulder from behind. His hand was large and… forceful. Woojin knew that they could never remain “friends” forever.

Jihoon asked, “Did you ever wonder?”

“…”

“Why I brought you back to Korea…”

“I don’t like Korea.”

“…”

“But back then, I hated being abroad even more.”

“…”

“Maybe I never really liked anything.”

“…”

“But you also never even thought about what I might like. You just acted however you liked, Jihoon Kang.”

Jihoon was just like “them.”

‘Makes sense… Since he is blood.’

Suddenly, Woojin remembered the cold black-haired woman whispering to him. Woojin pushed Jihoon away and ran to his room.

Woojin needed his warmth right now. His large hand. His warm eyes.

Woojin needed Shin Kim.

***

Minjae asked Shin, “What are you doing holding your cell phone so desperately like that?”

Minjae and Shin were in the gymnasium for the sports contest. They greeted their co-workers. Shin chose the sports he planned to participate in.

Shin replied, “Oh, I just have something to check.”

“You are dating, aren’t you?”

“… Is it that obvious?”

“Wow, you won’t even make an effort to deny it? So straightforward!”

“Why should I deny it?”

“So this is what you like when you are in a romantic relationship?”

“Well, I guess so.”

“Hmm…”

Shin smiled. Handing him a cup of coffee, Minjae asked, “What sports are you going to compete in?”

“Some kind of a relay run I think? That was why I was assigned to it.”

“What? I didn’t see that on MY list! Gosh, the HR team must like you much more than me. I am in Korean wrestling.”

“…Oh.”

When Minjae looked disappointed, Shin suggested, “They probably thought you are very strong. Perfect for Korean wrestling.”

“You know that sounds like sexual harassment.”

“Sorry.”

“Man! If you keep annoying me, I’m going to tell everyone that you have a girlfriend!”

Minjae sighed and looked around. When he made sure no one was around to listen to their conversation, Minjae lowered his voice and asked, “By the way, don’t you think it feels odd between those three guys? Jihoon Kang, Woojin Choi, and Eejun Bae?”

“…”

“The three must be in a fight or something.”

“Really?”

“Totally. When we were all eating lunch together, I thought I was going to throw up. It felt so tense in the room!”

“You seemed like you were eating fine to me.”

“Hey!”

Shin was feigning ignorance, but he was just about to call Woojin. After lunch hour, Woojin said he was going for a quick walk. But by 2:30 PM, he didn’t show up at the lobby, making Shin feel nervous. He went into the gymnasium, hoping to see Woojin somewhere, but he wasn’t there either.

Minjae was busy looking around and drinking his coffee, so Shin secretly texted Woojin. When he looked up, he saw Minjae staring at him.

Shin asked, “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Did you text your girlfriend just now?”

“… No.”

“Liar. Your expression said it all when you were texting just now.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Oh man, I always thought Shin Kim was this charismatic dude! I was so wrong! I should’ve taken a photo of you just now and sent it to every girl in the office!”

“Doesn’t anyone act like me to their partner? Aren’t you like that too with your girlfriend?”

Suddenly, Shin’s cellphone vibrated. Shin stood up quickly.

“Sorry, Minjae, I need to take this.”

“What! Shin!”

“When my sport starts, please text me to let me know.”

“Shouldn’t you stay? I mean, we are still relatively new to this company…”

“…”

Minjae insisted on Shin staying, but Shin ignored him. He quickly ran out, afraid he might miss Woojin’s call.

As soon as Shin answered, he asked, “Where are you?”

“At a pharmacy.”

Shin’s heart fell anxiously. He frowned and asked, “Why are you at a pharmacy?”

“I didn’t feel well. I think I have indigestion. I waited for it to get better but it didn’t, so I came here to buy medication.”