He felt like he had been played in the palm of someone’s hand.
If Seo Jeongun hadn’t taken the pheromone remover, he would have paid him back the same way. It was frustrating that he couldn’t.
Clenching and unclenching his fists to calm his anger, Doh Yihyun got into Seo Jeongun’s car with stiff steps. The moment the door shut, the car glided smoothly into motion.
Strangely, the car was divided by a solid wall between the driver’s seat and the back seat. It looked like it would be soundproof as well.
The car kept moving for a long time, heading out toward the outskirts of Seoul, yet neither of them said a word. Doh Yihyun stared out the window, and Seo Jeongun read documents on his tablet.
The car, which had been running without interruption, eventually got onto the highway. Looking at the long, straight road stretching endlessly ahead, Doh Yihyun twisted his lips in displeasure.
It would be troublesome if the business trip destination was far from Seoul. Even if he went to a hospital, there wasn’t much they could do beyond giving him an IV, but he still wanted to be examined somewhere familiar with his condition in case of an emergency.
Swallowing a sigh, Doh Yihyun rubbed his lower abdomen. Even before being born, it was already causing him trouble in many ways. He hoped that once it came into the world, it would at least be easygoing.
“So.”
Seo Jeongun, resting his chin lightly on his hand, turned to look at Doh Yihyun, who was clearly in a foul mood. The vague pause that followed was clearly him deliberately mimicking the way Doh Yihyun had trailed off earlier.
Doh Yihyun furrowed one brow and waited for him to continue.
“Have you been thinking about me at all, Yihyun?”
Seo Jeongun’s reddish lips curved into a gentle smile. It was a smooth expression, as if he hadn’t been irritated at all just moments ago. Unlike in the office, even the way he addressed Doh Yihyun sounded softer.
It seemed that when he was in a good mood, it was “Yihyun,” and when he was irritated, it became “Team Lead Doh.”
Doh Yihyun remained silent. He had thought about him, but probably not in the way Seo Jeongun wanted. And he didn’t particularly feel like lying about it either.
“If it were a no, you’d have cut me off right away with that personality of yours. So you must have thought about me.”
Letting out a light, airy sound, Seo Jeongun broke into a wide grin. He looked quite pleased.
The urge to wipe that neat smile off his face felt, in a way, only natural.
“Make yourself comfortable. It’ll take a while.”
Just moments ago, there had been a faint edge to him, but Seo Jeongun relaxed completely in an instant.
“Where is the destination?”
“It’s a secret.”
Seo Jeongun playfully placed his index finger against his lips.
“Ha…”
Doh Yihyun let out a deep sigh and pressed his throbbing forehead. He had no idea what Seo Jeongun was thinking. New chapters come out on novelping.com first.
‘Trying to understand him will just give me a headache.’
Doh Yihyun cleanly gave up on trying to make sense of Seo Jeongun’s actions.
Seo Jeongun was the kind of person who would do whatever it took to get what he wanted. In that case, instead of stubbornly pushing him away, it was better to pretend to go along and then send him off. It was something Doh Yihyun had learned over the past few weeks dealing with him.
Leaning deeply into the firm yet soft backrest, Doh Yihyun took a long breath. Seo Jeongun’s now-familiar fragrance lingered faintly around him.
When he had left the company, he felt like he might collapse at any moment, but now his condition wasn’t too bad.
‘…I’m hungry.’
The soft winter sunlight streamed in gently. Doh Yihyun closed his eyes.
A faint vibration came from behind his back. Occasionally, his body swayed lightly. The warmth and pleasant scent felt oddly comforting.
Shifting his body in contentment, Doh Yihyun suddenly felt something off.
‘When did I fall asleep?’
His eyes snapped open. It felt like cold water had been dumped over him.
He fumbled around for his phone when something dropped onto his thigh.
A khaki suit jacket. It was Seo Jeongun’s.
The pleasant scent he had noticed in his sleep must have been Seo Jeongun’s fragrance.
Doh Yihyun paused. Lately, his insomnia had gotten so bad that even light sleep was difficult, yet he had slept soundly without even noticing Seo Jeongun draping a jacket over him. It felt strange.
“…Thank you.”
With a stiff expression, Doh Yihyun returned the jacket to Seo Jeongun and checked the time. A full thirty minutes had passed.
Still sitting upright as before, looking at his tablet, Seo Jeongun glanced at the jacket awkwardly placed between the seats.
“You can keep it on.”
“No.”
Doh Yihyun straightened his clothes and looked around. The car was still speeding along the highway.
A road sign flashed past. Gyeongbu Expressway.
“How did you know?”
Seo Jeongun asked back in a tone that didn’t sound surprised at all. He was clearly teasing him again over something trivial.
“We’re building a new logistics center on the outskirts of Busan. I’m going down to check on it.”
When Doh Yihyun gave no reaction, Seo Jeongun curled his lips slightly in boredom and answered casually. It seemed he had decided that Doh Yihyun couldn’t run away anymore.
“Why am I going along to check a logistics center?”
No matter how much Doh Yihyun liked work, he had no interest in departments like distribution or marketing. Following Seo Jeongun on this trip wouldn’t be of any help.
“Because I need you.”
Seo Jeongun stuck to his absurd reasoning to the end.
“So—”
Doh Yihyun, who had opened his mouth in irritation, swallowed the rest of his words and turned his head away. He very much wanted to argue things out properly, but having already been dragged this far, it would only tire him out to engage in a pointless back-and-forth with Seo Jeongun.
The car carrying the two of them steadily made its way to Busan.
Early November. It was too chilly to be called late autumn, yet still too early to be winter. Since they had left in the late afternoon, darkness had long since settled over everything.
“Mm, it’s gotten too late. Let’s visit the logistics center tomorrow and have dinner first.”
Pretending to be serious, Seo Jeongun furrowed his brow as he set the schedule.
Doh Yihyun had no right to refuse, so it was essentially a notice rather than a suggestion. There was a clear hierarchy in the company. No matter how much Seo Jeongun acted like the underdog, the fact that he was in the superior position didn’t change.
‘I’m tired.’
After briefly dozing off, he had forced himself to stay awake so as not to show a disheveled side of himself to Seo Jeongun, and now his head felt hazy. He wanted nothing more than to go to a hotel and rest.
“…Understood.”
Still, Doh Yihyun swallowed a sigh and answered slowly.
Even after being in the car for quite a long time, aside from the drowsiness, his condition was surprisingly fine. Rather than feeling carsick, he was hungry.
A quiet sense of anticipation rose at the thought that he might finally have a proper meal for the first time in a while.
‘Do I actually have good pheromone compatibility with him?’
He couldn’t be certain since he had never directly smelled Seo Jeongun’s pheromones, but whenever he was near him, his nausea seemed to ease.
Perhaps surprised that Doh Yihyun accepted so readily, Seo Jeongun’s eyes widened slightly.
“Seems like coming all the way to Busan was worth it.”