RB 23

Eunho hesitated for a moment and looked around. His eyes turned automatically to Secretary Hong, but he had already gotten into the car alone. He heard the sound of the car door shutting.

He had no choice but to follow Choi Yeorok. He wanted to take the back seat, but he could not possibly treat Yeorok like a driver.

Eunho opened the passenger door and sighed.

“You are showing too clearly that you dislike it.”

“…No, I don’t dislike it.”

Contrary to his words, he was so conscious of the man beside him that his movements kept going awkward. Eunho fumbled before finally pulling the seat belt and fastening it.

Yeorok rested his arm on the steering wheel and smiled faintly. Sim Eunho mostly used his left hand now even without thinking. The habit had set in well.

“Take off the mask now.”

Given permission like a reward, Eunho pulled the band hooked around his ears. Breathing was easier once he removed the stifling mask. At the same time, Yeorok’s cool scent started to sink deep into his lungs.

Eunho pressed the sweaty skin above his lip with the back of his hand. It was not the first time riding in a car alone with him, yet he could not understand why he felt so nervous.

He did not like showing himself fumbling every time in front of him. He thought maybe he had changed a little, but no, he was the same.

Then, in the quiet car, his stomach growled. Yeorok froze with his finger still on the navigation screen.

“…Is it already time to be hungry?”

As he heard the murmured words, Eunho closed his eyes shut.

There was no excuse, it was his stomach. Lately he had been eating three meals on time every day, so his stomach had learned to expect the hours.

While he wet his dry mouth, a second growl came. Eunho held his flat stomach. The sudden situation was unbearably embarrassing.

“I should feed you something quickly.”

“I’m fine….”

Yeorok pressed an address from the recent list on the navigation. Unlike Eunho, who was flushed red, he looked like he didn’t care at all.

“Since I haven’t eaten either, let’s have dinner together.”

Eunho slowly lifted his head. At Yeorok’s words, the red drained from his face and turned pale. His widened pupils looked especially large.

Yeorok smiled shortly, as if he had read his thoughts.

“You don’t want to eat with me?”

“…No.”

“Then fix your expression. Right now Sim Eunho-ssi looks like a calf being dragged to slaughter.”

Yeorok straightened his posture and stepped on the accelerator. The sedan drew a smooth curve and left the parking lot.

‎

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When they returned to Yeorok’s officetel, the place felt so empty it was almost cold.

On the way, Eunho worried he might run into a neighbor, so he had wrapped himself tightly with a cap and mask. But the penthouse’s private elevator could only be used by residents.

Secretary Hong brought back food from a nearby restaurant. Yeorok, like it was routine, moved the packaged food onto plates. The steak was full of juice, and the thick gnocchi cream was steaming hot. The smell provoked his empty stomach.

It felt overwhelming to see him personally prepare the meal. Eunho loitered at his side, wondering if there was anything he could help with. Without even turning around from arranging garnishes, Yeorok spoke.

“There is nothing to help with. Sim Eunho-ssi, choose the wine we will drink tonight.”

“Me?”

Given an unexpected task, Eunho looked around the room. A display cabinet of drinks was not far away. His eyes moved seriously across the labels. He chose a Cabernet Sauvignon.

Meanwhile Yeorok was carrying the dishes to the table. When he saw the wine Eunho brought, he laughed in surprise.

“Did you pick that on purpose?”

“Because there’s steak… I thought Sauvignon would fit best.”

Yeorok accepted the wine Eunho brought. It was probably coincidence that Sim Eunho had chosen a vintage, but it showed he was not completely ignorant about wine. In any case, it was a pleasing choice.

“Sit down. Let’s eat before it gets cold.”

Eunho carefully sat in the empty seat. Once the packaged food was plated, it looked quite proper. He had heard this was only a temporary residence, yet the tableware looked no different from what was used in the annex.

“Chairman, you don’t use wooden chopsticks, right?”

While opening the wine, Yeorok laughed.

“That is the first time I’ve ever heard that question.”

“Do you also cook here yourself?”

“Of course not. I would rather starve.”

“The plating looked convincing. I wondered if you had an interest in cooking.”

“You seem unusually curious about me today.”

Even though he said it with a laugh, Eunho could not ask anything more. He had read the meaning, not to pry into everything.

After that, the meal continued in silence.

Eunho hid his expression and cut the meat with skill. There was no scraping sound, and when he chewed he did not open his mouth. The way he held the fork and the posture he sat in reminded him of someone.

Yeorok put down his cutlery and held his wine glass with his bare hand. Even as he took a sip, his eyes stayed fixed on Eunho. He surely felt the persistent gaze, but Sim Eunho only kept his eyes on his plate and ate. His expressions and actions were almost the same as Choi Yoonho.

“You have practiced a lot.”

“……”

Only then did Eunho raise his gaze. The eyes meeting his gaze were still Sim Eunho’s.

“Taehwa-hyung… helped me a lot.”

“I get reports every day. I know that Sim Eunho-ssi studies until dawn.”

The half-empty glass was refilled. Eunho naturally lifted his glass. He looked like someone who had been drinking wine for years.

“Did you memorize all the cards from the aroma kit?”

“Yes.”

“You even prepared in advance.”

“I didn’t understand well because I have no knowledge… I just read a few books, that’s all.”

“You chose the wine well. Your studying paid off.”

Eunho bit his lip. His face was pale, but the rim of his ear was already red. He had no immunity to praise.

“You picked the most expensive one.”

“Ah… this is expensive.”

Flustered, he stammered. Yeorok laughed and tilted his wine glass. Eunho rubbed his forehead, then reluctantly clinked glasses with him. The sound from the glasses was clear despite his troubled heart.

“…Is it very expensive?”

“If you hear the price you’ll be surprised.”

Yeorok looked into the bottle. He knew the price, but it did not matter to him.

“It means you did well. Even Choi Yoonho drank this.”

The repeated praise made Eunho heat up again.

His mouth was parched, and he drained the expensive wine in one go. His throat bobbed along his long neck. When Yeorok saw him drinking wine like water, he stopped laughing.

“Sim Eunho-ssi, you said you don’t know your alcohol tolerance, right?”

“…Yes.”

“You never got drunk, so you don’t know your drinking habits either.”

“Yes.”

“That’s useful information.”

Yeorok slowly rotated his wine glass. He stared at Eunho’s still sober face. Then he took just enough wine to wet his lips.

“Let’s find out today.”

The night view through the window looked like a painting. Namsan Tower stood tall, the black sky and city lights mixed together to please the eyes.

Eunho looked outside, then lifted his glass. He lost track of how many glasses he had had. He had stopped counting after five.

The drinking with Choi Yeorok had gone on for two hours. It was already past midnight, Wednesday had arrived, and it had turned into a kind of education. Secretary had joined late to make up the numbers.

They had opened more than five bottles just for tasting. Each time the bottle changed, new glasses were used, so there were too many wine glasses on the table to count.

“Do you know this? One bottle of this equals… a thousand bottles of soju. Chairman, have you ever had soju?”

Eunho turned the freshly opened wine this way and that while speaking. He said words that normally wouldn’t easily come out of his mouth. It was because of the alcohol.

“I don’t think I ever had the chance.”

“It tastes awful. Wine tastes way better.”

“Maybe Sim Eunho-ssi always had refined taste.”

Eunho shook his head. There was no comparison. Soju was just alcohol mass.

“I only ate cheap things all my life. I only cared about filling my stomach, so taste didn’t matter. But… since I came here I eat only good things….”

He spilled words no one had asked for. He seemed to be the type to talk more when drunk. The strange thing was, his face stayed pale, so outwardly he didn’t look drunk.

Yeorok sat with his legs crossed and watched the man getting more drunk.

“So what if you eat only good things?”

“I keep gaining weight….”

Eunho pulled and stretched his cheeks. He sighed like it was a big worry.

His drunkenness was worth watching. Normally he kept his mouth shut and only answered when asked, but now seeing Sim Eunho talk endlessly felt new.

“You didn’t gain any weight.”

“I did. I eat bread every morning… Taehwa-hyung says I have to spread a lot of jam too. Choi Yoonho’s taste is… it doesn’t fit me. But it’s tasty. Yes, the bread is tasty.”

The words had no point and the context was strange. It was the classic nonsense of a drunk.

Following the flow of his thoughts, the topic jumped again, this time to wounds and healing. Eunho suddenly rolled up his T-shirt and showed his waist.

“I had a scar here, but you can’t see it, right? It’s completely gone.”

Yeorok looked at the smooth waist without any reaction and answered.

“Yes, Ahn Jaehwan treated it well.”

“You couldn’t imagine how much it hurt, Chairman.”

“You must have had a hard time. Should I give you some kind of reward?”

“No. It’s fine.”

Even when he acted like he might cross the line, Eunho quickly returned to his usual state and drank quietly. Now he looked completely normal again. To Yeorok, who was dealing with this for the first time, he was simply baffling.