With Seo Jeongun standing right in front of him, his features came into sharp focus. Doh Yihyun unconsciously let his gaze trace over Seo Jeongun’s neat yet striking appearance.
He was definitely the most dazzling person Doh Yihyun had ever seen.
But that was all.
What am I supposed to do with that.
Doh Yihyun lifted his eyes indifferently.
Unfortunately, he had no interest whatsoever in other people’s looks. Seo Jeongun’s greatest strength meant nothing to him.
"I am not sure."
Doh Yihyun answered vaguely.
At the ambiguous reply, Seo Jeongun’s straight brows twisted. It seemed his pride had taken quite a hit.
Seo Jeongun reached out and lightly wrapped his hand around Doh Yihyun’s wrist resting on the desk. Reflexively, Doh Yihyun tried to pull away.
"Do not avoid me."
But at the soft, almost pleading whisper, Doh Yihyun hesitated without realizing it.
"...Is that an order from a superior?"
Doh Yihyun looked down at Seo Jeongun’s long, straight fingers. If he admitted it was an order, he planned to report it as an unreasonable instruction. It would finally give him a reason to shake him off.
"No. It is a personal request."
Unfortunately, Seo Jeongun was good at slipping through situations like this. Doh Yihyun swallowed his disappointment.
"But if you avoid me, I think I will be hurt."
Seo Jeongun muttered as if sighing. The man who was always smiling and bothering him now fiddled with the edge of Doh Yihyun’s sleeve with a faintly disappointed expression.
The neatly pressed white fabric rustled softly.
Each time Seo Jeongun’s fingers moved, a faint floral scent tickled Doh Yihyun’s nose.
Anyone else would have been flustered, wanting to comfort him.
But Doh Yihyun did not budge.
It was all an act anyway.
He was about to tell Seo Jeongun to stop talking nonsense when his gaze suddenly caught on those smooth, glass like gray brown eyes. For some reason, it felt like he should not pull his arm away.
"...Please let go."
Even as he tensed his arm, Doh Yihyun could not easily move.
It was the first crack he had shown to Seo Jeongun.
A strange light flickered in Seo Jeongun’s eyes.
A faint trace of regret crossed Doh Yihyun’s face.
"Alright. I do not want to be disliked by you."
Yet, contrary to expectations, Seo Jeongun released him cleanly without clinging.
"Enjoy your lunch. I will come again tomorrow."
Leaving behind a fresh smile, Seo Jeongun turned and walked away.
...What a strange person.
Doh Yihyun rotated the wrist that had been held and watched his retreating figure.
That day, for once, he finished his fruit container completely. Though the amount was far from sufficient, it had been a rare, comfortable meal.
True to his words, Seo Jeongun came again the next day, and the day after that.
Each time he left, he would stubbornly wink and say, "See you tomorrow."
It did not take long for rumors to spread that Seo Jeongun appeared in Accounting Team 2 just before lunch every day. Around the time he usually showed up, employees even began to loiter nearby for no reason.
At the same time, the strange rumor that "Team Lead Doh Yihyun was being scolded by Executive Director Seo Jeongun" quietly disappeared.
"See? Why would Team Lead Doh get scolded?"
The members of Accounting Team 2 would tease other departments whenever they ran into them.
"Yihyun is busy again today."
Doh Yihyun ignored the gentle voice and pressed his aching brow with his thumb. As expected, whispers followed Seo Jeongun wherever he went.
It has already been four days.
Even though he gave him no opening and rejected him coldly, this was the first time since Junahye that someone had clung to him so persistently.
Seo Jeongun dragged over a chair from somewhere and sat right beside him.
"What are you doing?"
There were still one or two minutes left before lunch. Doh Yihyun shot him a cold glance, but Seo Jeongun, now seemingly immune to such treatment, only smiled brightly.
"Take a short break. You like iced Americano, do not you, Yihyun?"
Thud.
Seo Jeongun placed a drink carrier on the edge of the desk. Inside the cardboard holder were two cups of iced Americano filled with ice.
"No."
Doh Yihyun’s gaze hardened as he stared at the clear cup.
In the past, he would have accepted the coffee without hesitation, regardless of who offered it.
Coffee itself was not at fault.
Just looking at the dark liquid made nausea surge up his throat. He abruptly turned his head away.
"Come on, just a little..."
Seo Jeongun coaxed him gently, as if soothing a child, picking up one of the iced Americanos. He inserted the straw neatly and held the cold drink out toward him.
"I think... I am going to throw up."
Unable to hold back the rising sickness, Doh Yihyun shoved the cup away.
Bang!
The force, stronger than intended, sent the cup sliding harshly.
It nearly toppled off the desk.
Seo Jeongun froze mid motion, his hand suspended in the air.
The team members who had lingered in the office also fell silent, sensing something was wrong.
Seo Jeongun kept his head straight, only lowering his gaze to look at the crooked cup.
The faint curve of his lips remained, but his darkened gray brown eyes flashed dangerously.
To say he was simply angry was not nearly enough.
But Doh Yihyun, who struggled with interpersonal nuance, could read nothing beyond anger.
"...I am sorry."
Suppressing his breath, Doh Yihyun lowered his head.
No matter how casually Seo Jeongun behaved around him, he was still his superior. Regardless of circumstances, what Doh Yihyun had just done was objectively rude.
"Haa."
Seo Jeongun exhaled briefly.
And then, surprisingly, he gathered his intense emotions in an instant and calmly curved his lips again.
"It cannot be helped."
He picked up the drinks and left the office without looking back at Doh Yihyun.
"Executive Director Seo seems really angry, right?"
"Probably..."
"Will Team Lead be okay?"
The team members who remained in the office cautiously exchanged glances.