The employee, apparently quite close with Seo Jeongun, continued joking in a grumbling tone.
"Then why didn’t you fix your hair?"
"If a person is too perfect, it’s annoying."
Seo Jeongun softly crinkled his eyes as he smiled and tilted his head to the side. His slightly tousled curls scattered naturally in the breeze.
When Seo Jeongun deliberately acted pretty, the employee beside him gaped.
"...Oh my god. Just now, that was really..."
"Was it annoying? That’s a problem."
At the employee’s dazed reaction, Seo Jeongun let out a clear laugh, his shoulders shaking.
Even to Doh Yihyun, who had no social skills to speak of, Seo Jeongun was good at social interactions. He was considerate enough not to make others uncomfortable, yet he maintained proper boundaries.
That kind of person only acted mischievously toward Doh Yihyun.
'Did he get curious because I didn’t show interest in him?'
It was a fairly plausible guess. But now, it was a meaningless speculation. It was all in the past.
Doh Yihyun stood there blankly, watching the two walk across the garden and exit through the opposite side.
Only Seo Jeongun’s once indifferent gaze lingered vividly in his mind. He no longer needed to glance meaninglessly toward the office entrance, wondering when Seo Jeongun might show up. Now he could finally return to his normal routine.
"That’s for the best."
Muttering quietly, Doh Yihyun started walking again.
About two hours later. With about ten minutes left before lunch break, Kim Yumin approached Doh Yihyun hesitantly.
"Um, Team Lead. Are you busy?"
Kim Yumin fidgeted restlessly, his cheeks twitching as if he couldn’t stay still.
"Speak."
"Executive Director Seo is looking for you."
"...Executive Director Seo?"
It felt like déjà vu from a month ago.
The only difference was that Doh Yihyun was much more surprised this time. Of course, it didn’t show much on his face.
'Why is he calling me?'
Doh Yihyun rubbed his chin. Just that morning, Seo Jeongun had completely ignored him as if he would never acknowledge him again. Yet now he was suddenly summoning him to the executive office. It made no sense at all.
"He said to come right away. Maybe it’s something urgent?"
"Understood."
Doh Yihyun gestured for him to go. There was no reason for Kim Yumin to get caught awkwardly between him and Seo Jeongun.
'Work is work, personal is personal.'
Swallowing a sigh, Doh Yihyun forced himself to move his reluctant feet. The possibility was slim, but maybe Seo Jeongun had called him for work instructions.
When he arrived in front of the executive office, Doh Yihyun habitually straightened his clothes.
But before he could even knock, the door suddenly swung open. Reflexively, Doh Yihyun covered his stomach and stepped back half a step.
"Yihyun, you’re here?"
Seo Jeongun personally opened the door and gave a faint, subtle smile. Unlike before, he wasn’t overly familiar, but his attitude was still quite friendly.
It was an appropriate and reasonable distance between superior and subordinate, yet Doh Yihyun felt a strange sense of discomfort.
"What is this about?"
As Doh Yihyun showed clear wariness, Seo Jeongun’s eyes curved gently. Looking up at his pretty smile, Doh Yihyun pressed his lips together firmly.
Seeing him up close, it was obvious how much effort Seo Jeongun had put into his appearance. From the refined tie to the simple tie pin, the iridescent cufflinks, and the perfectly tailored suit that fell cleanly along his broad shoulders and solid waist—even Doh Yihyun, who had no interest in others, couldn’t help but admire it for a moment.
Doh Yihyun stared at him a few seconds longer than usual. Seo Jeongun’s face, which had previously been nothing more than a vaguely shining shape, gained distinct, refined features. Though it would likely disappear from his memory the moment he turned away.
"Come in, let’s talk."
Seo Jeongun stepped aside and beckoned with his hand.
It would have been nice if he simply stated his business briefly and let him go, but Seo Jeongun didn’t seem to intend to end things quickly.
Left with no choice, Doh Yihyun brushed past him and entered the office. It was his second visit in a month. From the faint floral scent that filled the space to everything else, nothing had changed.
"This way."
Seo Jeongun opened the leftmost door among three lined up along one wall of the office. A spacious meeting room, large enough to seat about ten people, was revealed.
'Did he really call me here for work? I can’t take on any more tasks.'
Doh Yihyun followed behind him with a stiff expression. He really didn’t welcome the idea of more work now.
"Sit comfortably."
At Seo Jeongun’s gesture, Doh Yihyun slowly lifted his gaze from the floor.
"What is all this?"
Doh Yihyun glared at Seo Jeongun, his expression incredulous.
On the wide table, elegant black tiered lunch boxes with intricate patterns were lined up endlessly. It looked like enough food to feed at least fifteen people.
"What do you mean? It’s lunch."
Seo Jeongun smiled brightly as if it were nothing. As if Doh Yihyun would have asked if he didn’t already know—it was shameless to the extreme.
It seemed Seo Jeongun still hadn’t given up on eating lunch with him.
'Why is he so fixated on something so pointless?'
Doh Yihyun couldn’t understand it at all.
Grinding his teeth, he rubbed his face dryly. He had come here determined to separate work from personal matters, yet Seo Jeongun clearly wasn’t doing the same.
"I’ll be going now."
Doh Yihyun stated coldly. This was clearly overstepping boundaries. He could feel the muscles in his face stiffening, unable to properly control his expression.
"Don’t be so cold—at least try it. Think of the effort I put into preparing this. Come on? It’s lunch time anyway."
Seo Jeongun smiled with his eyes and opened one of the lunch boxes.
"Stop—"
Doh Yihyun hurried to stop him, but Seo Jeongun was faster. Neatly arranged grilled short rib patties were revealed.
Doh Yihyun reflexively held his breath.
As his morning sickness worsened day by day, there were times when even looking at pictures of food made him gag. At the very least, he didn’t want to make a scene in front of Seo Jeongun. There was no benefit in giving that persistent man something to pick on.
But Doh Yihyun couldn’t take his eyes off the patties. Their golden-brown surface looked incredibly appetizing. Instead of nausea rising, he felt hunger.
'What’s going on all of a sudden?'
Doh Yihyun’s pitch black eyes trembled slightly.
It had been so long since he had felt appetite in front of food. It was good news—but the problem was that the person in front of him was far from welcome.
'Of all times... now?'
Doh Yihyun frowned.
The doctor had repeatedly told him to eat whenever he could. If he missed this chance, he would likely be unable to eat anything again.
"I didn’t know what you liked, so I prepared everything. Don’t worry—I’ll take care of any leftovers, so just eat."
Misinterpreting his expression, Seo Jeongun started explaining.