RB 88

The stagnant atmosphere showed no signs of recovering until they returned to the mansion. They had opened the windows to vent the humidity and musty smell, and the cold wind chilled theirs face.

Eunho rubbed his cold cheek and looked at Yeorok from the corner of his eye. He had not spoken a single word and was focused on driving. He must have known Eunho was watching him from the side, but his gaze never moved from the road.

The same thing happens sometimes when he’s caught in a traffic light. He chewing his lips, his face deep in thought.

Eunho didn’t have the courage to speak to him. Instead, he chose to keep his mouth shut, believing he’d rather be a coward. Choi Yeorok was sure to want that too.

The engine finally stopped when they entered the mansion’s garage. Amidst the silence, Eunho was the first to unbuckle his seatbelt. He moved very cautiously, fearing even the sound of the clips unbuckling might upset Yeorok.

“Good night.”

He briefly bid farewell and opened the car door. He left the borrowed jacket and hat on the passenger seat. He stepped out in just a short-sleeved shirt, a chilly wind clinging to his whole body. Because he had sweated earlier, his shoulders trembled.

“Sim Eunho-ssi.”

A low voice called out to Eunho. Yeorok, who had not spoken until now, spoke, his gaze still fixed on the scene before him.

“Get dressed and go.”

At those words, Eunho hurriedly put on the padded jacket. He looked at Yeorok’s face, but he still looked gloomy.

He replaced his thanks with a brief bow of his head. After closing the door, Eunho slowly walked toward the annex.

Yeorok stayed in the car for a long time after Eunho left. He rested his head on his hand and continued glaring at the pitch-dark view.

“…Fuck.”

The hot thing caught in his throat finally twisted into a curse.

Yeorok kicked the door open and got out of the car. His steps toward the mansion were impatient and filled with anger.

He went straight into the bathroom and took a shower first. After cooling his head for a long time, he came out wearing only a bathrobe and searched for alcohol.

Water dripped from his hair and soaked his shoulders, but Yeorok didn’t care. His head was overloaded, about to overflow from all the thoughts crammed inside.

‘…When I have sex, I lose my mind, so I don’t know if I can act properly. People who have done it with Choi Yoonho might notice I’m someone else.’

When he heard those words, his head was filled with wild imagination. The image of Sim Eunho lying tangled with other people burned into his mind.

For a moment, he thought his head would explode. It was absurd. He could hardly believe something this ridiculous was happening.

He had thought about such a situation from the beginning, and he had been in a relationship with Sim Eunho for that exact purpose. He found it ridiculous that he now didn’t want to share Sim Eunho with anyone else.

“Did I get attached to him?”

With a self-deprecating soliloquy, Yeorok lifted the glass. No matter how strong the alcohol was, his headache wouldn’t subside.

Now he needed distance. The closer he got to Sim Eunho, the more his beliefs and plans continued falling apart.

Why had he let it happen when he already knew that? Even though it was his own decision, he couldn’t understand it at all.

It wasn’t too late yet. If he kept his distance, he could return to how he was before. Yeorok had always been good at controlling himself. He told himself again and again that pulling back and losing interest wouldn’t be hard.

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After that, Eunho never ran into Choi Yeorok again. More than two weeks passed with no contact, Eunho was dying of curiosity about his whereabouts.

“…Is he busy?”

It was bothering him that their last meeting had ended badly. He had Yeorok’s number saved in his phone, but he didn’t have the courage to call first, so he could only worry in silence.

Eunho fidgeted with the useless phone, then typed Choi Yeorok’s name into the search bar. Recent news articles about him came up often.

These days, this was how he checked Yeorok’s updates. It seemed Yeorok really was busy. At least his face in the photos looked fine, which was a relief.

While browsing online and clicking from one article to another, Eunho suddenly saw Yeorok’s basic information on the portal page. When he saw the date of birth, his mouth opened wide.

“His birthday… is in a week.”

Eunho’s gaze fell to his wrist. The watch Yeorok had given him was always wrapped around it, like part of his body. He wanted to give Yeorok something special in return. He wanted it to be something Yeorok could always keep with him.

What could it be? He thought about it but couldn’t come up with anything. Yeorok already had plenty of watches, and ties were too ordinary. Online searches said that popular birthday gifts for adult men were fountain pens or perfumes, but neither felt right.

‘I hate it more when my car smells.’

While thinking, he suddenly remembered Yeorok’s words from a while ago. Yeorok was sensitive to smells. Then what about a car air freshener? Since Yeorok always traveled by car, that would be useful. Maybe he would think of him whenever he smelled it.

Eunho felt certain this was it, and he quickly got up from his seat.

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He went to the department store with Seo Taehwa. They went around the first-floor shops sniffing fragrance after fragrance until their noses went numb. Every store was a famous luxury brand, but he still couldn’t find the scent he wanted.

“What do you even want to buy?”

Seo Taehwa finally asked after holding back for a long time. Eunho had done nothing but sniff around like a puppy and ended up empty-handed. His strange behavior made Taehwa question him as soon as they got back to the car.

“It’s a birthday present for the Chairman.”

“Ah… if it’s for that, you should’ve told me. You’re buying perfume? Choi Yeorok uses a certain brand. You can’t get it at a department store.”

Seo Taehwa took the wheel and began listing information he knew. He spoke with a hint of pride, as if he knew Choi Yeorok better than anyone.

“No, hyung. I want to choose it myself. I think that way it’ll have more meaning.”

Eunho spoke firmly. Then he showed the address he had found on his phone.

“Can you take me here?”

The place they went after failing at the department store was a niche perfume shop run by a well-known perfumer. True to its reputation for creating one-of-a-kind scents, the shop exuded an elegant and refined atmosphere.

The perfumer mixed the fragrance according to what Eunho described. He added eucalyptus and cypress to remind one of a deep forest, and he included a rain-note base. Since the client requested for calm and serenity, he also added clary sage, an herb-type note. The subtle sweetness of the grass blended in, and the final result had a charming fragrance.

Eunho smelled it and smiled in satisfaction.

“It’s nice. I like it.”

“You described what you wanted in detail, the product turned out beautifully. You must care about the person you’re giving it to. I’m sure they’ll love it.”

When the perfumer spoke with an expectant face, Eunho nodded. He hoped so too.

With that scent, he made a car air freshener, a room spray, and a pillow mist. It was Yeorok’s birthday present, after all. He felt a little embarrassed that he was paying for it with Choi Yoonho’s card, but his heart felt lighter.

By the time everything was done, four hours had already passed. He started feeling a little sorry for Seo Taehwa, who must have been waiting bored out of his mind in the lounge. Sure enough, Taehwa’s face looked completely tired.

When they got into the car to go back, Taehwa buckled his seatbelt and looked at him.

“Eunho, put the shopping bag in the back.”

“It’s more comfortable holding it.”

Eunho carefully hugged the shopping bag, as if it were a treasure. His gentle eyes turned to Taehwa.

“Hyung, did you prepare a gift too?”

“Yeah, I already sent mine.”

Seo Taehwa tapped his phone and showed his email inbox. Attached to one of the exchanged mails was a photo of a suit. Was that Taehwa-hyung’s gift? Even though it was just displayed on a mannequin, it looked luxurious.

“It’s made by a famous tailor in England. The guy’s a master craftsman. He only takes orders from the royal family and nobles, so it took a lot to get him.”

“That’s amazing. It’ll suit the Chairman perfectly.”

“Of course. It took nine months to make this.”

Seo Taehwa’s nose lifted high with pride as he bragged about his gift. Then his eyes landed on the shopping bag Eunho was hugging.

“…He’ll definitely like your gift too.”

Eunho’s eyes curved softly.

“I hope so.”

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The birthday finally came. Eunho had already bought a cake and prepared everything for the day.

Yeorok had gone out early in the morning, so he hadn’t seen his face. He heard that Yeorok had a busy schedule today too, but by evening, there was still no sign of him returning. Eunho waited the whole day for him and finally sent a text to Secretary Hong.

[When will the Chairman finish work?]

The reply came after a long time. It was short and to the point, like always with Secretary Hong. Past 1 a.m., and even that wasn’t certain.

That meant he’d be coming home after his birthday already passed.

“Can’t be helped.”

Eunho took the gift and the cake box and went to the mansion himself. He brought the packages to Yeorok’s private study and was about to leave, but stopped.

“……”

It was still his birthday, so shouldn’t he at least say happy birthday in person?

To be honest, he just missed Yeorok too much.

Eunho sat down on the sofa and waited endlessly for Yeorok to come back.

Even after 1 a.m., there was no sign of him. His body gradually sank into the sofa. The empty room without its owner felt too lonely, and time seemed to pass slowly.

He grew tired of waiting and dozed off for a moment, then he suddenly felt a presence. When he opened his eyes, Yeorok was standing in front of him, looking into the shopping bag.