HEAL 7

Having been singled out as a rebound after a one-night stand. Since he absolutely had no intention of dating men, it could also be seen as Yeon-su having an exceptional eye for people.

But he’s a colleague? They have to keep seeing each other?

Did he look that easy? Was he easy? Hadn’t he even been ambushed in situations that were utterly shameless?

Honestly, if it were before he found out Yeon-su had a boyfriend, he might have been quite tempted. At least before realizing that office romance is a no-go, if he had expanded his search range to include men at the company, he might have considered Yeon-su first before meeting men at a gay bar….

Ugh, but then the timeline doesn’t match, does it? Because he met Ji-yeon, he became curious about what it feels like to receive something from behind, and he also came to think that office romance is crap.

How can he politely reject him without making the other person feel awkward?

“It wouldn’t be proper to someone I’m dating. No matter what, since we love each other, we’re dating….”

Sang-kyung replied as gently as possible.

“That… must be right.”

The light faded from Yeon-su’s eyes. His shoulders slumped. Even though it was the other person who made the absurd proposal, for some reason, Sang-kyung felt like he was the one who had done wrong.

“I must have lost my mind. Assistant manager isn’t that kind of person. Please pretend you didn’t hear what I just said.”

The other person’s voice was growing increasingly subdued.

“I’m sorry. I’ll… go in first.”

Yeon-su fled the office as if running away.

Left alone, Sang-kyung was seized by an inexplicable unease. He reasoned with him properly, so why did his heart feel so uncomfortable? Had he completely misunderstood something very important?

✿✿

Spilled water cannot be gathered back up. It’s a truth everyone knows, but before experiencing it firsthand, everyone dismisses it lightly and ends up causing trouble.

When Yeon-su made the proposal, Sang-kyung thought it was just something to feel vaguely sorry about. But the more he pondered it after returning home, the more he realized it was an opinion that crossed the line. Even if his boyfriend cheated, proposing revenge cheating with a colleague, and a direct sunbae at that, whom he has to see every day. It was a demand that wouldn’t have been strange to get angry about on the spot.

Sang-kyung decided to retract his sympathy and guilt towards Yeon-su. After all, since the incident of him sleeping with Yeon-su’s boyfriend didn’t happen, it would be weird to keep feeling sorry indefinitely. This was indeed Yeon-su’s mistake.

He reached a conclusion. Let’s not drag Yeon-su into personal relationships. He can’t take risks because of sexual desire.

They could just return to a professional relationship. Satisfied with the clear answer, Sang-kyung left home ten minutes later than usual on purpose. It was to prevent the unfortunate event of encountering an uncomfortable person on the subway or elevator.

But why? As if fate was playing a trick, Yeon-su was sitting in the seat right in front on the subway. Yeon-su had taken the seat first, and Sang-kyung had boarded the subway later, so he couldn’t blame anyone. It was his own fault for standing in front of Yeon-su with his nose buried in his phone.

“Hi.”

“Hello….”

Yeon-su hunched his broad shoulders as much as possible. Seeing that face weakened the firm resolve Sang-kyung had made last night. It was a face that looked unnecessarily full of stories. Since he had met someone he knew, he turned off the noise-canceling function of his earphones.

“Assistant manager, please have a seat.”

Glancing around, Yeon-su acted timidly. He might yield, but as someone with a solid build, he was unfamiliar with being offered a seat. Of course, Yeon-su was a bit taller than him.

Above all, if he accepted the offered seat, their heads would be closer, potentially creating an atmosphere where they’d have to continue the conversation. Sang-kyung stared intently at his phone screen with an expression of disinterest.

“It’s fine.”

Sang-kyung cut him off sharply. He infused his tone with the will to not mix further conversation. However, Yeon-su did not back down.

“No, Assistant manager. Please sit.”

Why is he being so stubborn? Unable to say it out loud, Sang-kyung opened his eyes sharply and looked down at Yeon-su.

He could feel the sidelong glances of people around them. Two perfectly fine men arguing over a single seat must have looked ridiculous.

The moment he stepped back with a stern expression, Yeon-su’s gaze shifted to behind Sang-kyung.

“Um… please sit here.”

An acquaintance? At Yeon-su’s urging, a woman with an awkward expression thanked him and took the seat. Sang-kyung soon understood the reason. A pregnant woman badge was attached to her bag.

When Yeon-su stood beside him, it felt like the space had narrowed. No, it couldn’t just be his imagination. He looks slim but is tall and has quite a build. Sang-kyung wanted to keep his distance, but it was impossible on the hellish subway. He let out a small sigh.

“What are you looking at?”

It wasn’t something strange he was watching, but for some reason, he didn’t want Yeon-su to see it. The moment he unconsciously pressed the pause button, the title ‘The Daughter Who Married Her Father’s Friend’ popped up prominently. Ugh, was the title like that?

“Just a history story. Nothing weird. About Stalin’s second wife.”

Anyway, YouTubers are crazy about views…. The back of his neck felt hot.

“You must like history.”

“Yeah…. Well, sometimes things that actually happened are more absurd than fiction because they lack plausibility.”

“Is that so?”

“More comrade than father’s friend? You know, YouTube titles are made provocative to get views. Even if I explain it, it probably won’t be interesting….”

“I find it interesting.”

Yeon-su’s eyes sparkled with vitality. He seemed to want Sang-kyung to say more, but since it wasn’t a video with incredibly interesting content for Sang-kyung either, it was awkward to explain further.

“Want to just watch it together?”

Sang-kyung took out an earphone from one ear and offered it. Since they didn’t need to talk, this was better.

“If it’s not inconvenient for you, I’d be grateful.”

“Come here, then.”

A faint blush appeared on Yeon-su’s face as he took the earphones.

“Assistant manager’s body warmth is still on it.”

Why does this guy talk in such a flirtatious way? Sang-kyung replied nonchalantly.

“…Well, I was wearing it continuously?”

Yeon-su silently put the earphones in his ears. The video was almost at the end, and it concluded with him committing suicide with a pistol. As expected, it wasn’t a fundamentally interesting story. Showing something uncomfortable right from the commute….

“I enjoyed watching it.”

“Yeah.”

The lukewarm earphones were returned. Sang-kyung stored the earphones in its case.

Yeon-su spoke again. His voice was cautious.

“Things less plausible than fiction.”

He parroted Sang-kyung’s earlier words like a parrot.

“What I said to Assistant manager was like that too. I’m sorry. It was truly an action beyond common sense.”

If it weren’t for the crowded subway, he might have even bowed his head. He’s talking like a textbook. Sang-kyung hated heavy stuff. Ugh, why is he so serious? They could just pretend not to know appropriately and get along.

“You already apologized yesterday. Stop it.”

Just then, the subway stopped and the doors opened. They had already arrived at the station near the company.

“Ugh, I didn’t even realize we arrived. Let’s get off quickly.”

Sang-kyung turned his body first. Yeon-su followed silently behind. He could feel the glares of people pushed aside by his attempt to get off late without waiting in advance. Well, people can be a bit late in life.

While walking through the turnstile and mingling with the crowd heading to work, no conversation passed between the two. However, the texture of the air was subtly different from when they had encountered each other on the subway in the morning.

Today, the office was unusually chaotic. Due to a client’s sudden change in requirements, several team members, including Sang-kyung and Yeon-su, had to work overtime. Between Sang-kyung and Yeon-su, only the empty seats of other employees who had left remained.

Sang-kyung stretched and turned his stiff neck. The clock was already heading towards 9 PM. In the quiet where only keyboard sounds could be heard, the email arrival notification sound from the computer rang unusually loudly. The sender was the client who was the cause of the current overtime.

[URGENT] Regarding the compressed file password error you sent

Sang-kyung’s brow furrowed. In a polite tone, the gist was that the password provided was incorrect. And Yeon-su’s name was listed as the recipient. His and other team members’ names were in the CC field. Sang-kyung turned his head to the side.

“Mr. Yeon-su, you should check your mail?”

“Huh?”

The sound of frantic mouse clicking came from Yeon-su’s seat.

“Ah….”

Next came a sigh. Sang-kyung leaned over to peek at Yeon-su’s seat. Yeon-su clicked the compressed file and entered the password. A warning window popped up saying the password was incorrect.

“What did you set as the password?”

“A combination of our project name and today’s date.”

“Was there a typo? You didn’t type it with Caps Lock on, did you?”

“I’ll try. DAWN250826….”

It seemed Yeon-su had a habit of verbally saying passwords if he wasn’t conscious of it. He seemed tense; the strain showed in his shoulders as he typed. Sang-kyung was about to massage his shoulders but lowered his hand upon realizing, Ah, this guy is gay. The contact wouldn’t be unpleasant, but he shouldn’t give any leeway.

The warning window appeared again.

“Hah….”

It was bothersome to see the large hand rubbing the smooth surface of his face without adjusting the pressure.

“Let’s just compress it again and send it.”

“…I deleted the file.”

Yeon-su squeezed out the words as if wringing them out.

“What?”

It’s probably too large for the recycle bin. Meaning, it was deleted immediately. Sang-kyung’s face also turned pale. There was a backup file, but it would take more time to complete.

“…Mr. Yeon-su.”

Not being a bodhisattva, Sang-kyung’s voice also lowered.

“Ah, wait a minute. Yeonsunyangnyang, exclamation mark. Work.”

With a crisp tap of the enter key, a list of unzipped files scrolled onto the screen. He felt like he had aged ten years.

Sang-kyung had to struggle to suppress the laughter that surged belatedly.

“It’s done. Put a new password on it and reply to the client.”

“…Yes.”

Yeon-su grabbed the mouse with his head deeply bowed. His slumped shoulders looked unusually small. Sang-kyung looked down at Yeon-su and tossed out a remark.

“Shouldn’t you change the passwords for the sites you’re registered on? It’s not a password for personal use, is it? Nyangnyang.”

“Ah.”

Yeon-su’s face turned red as if it would burst. Leaving behind Yeon-su, who was blinking his eyes in confusion, Sang-kyung returned to his seat, pulling down the corners of his mouth that kept wanting to rise.